Western Animal Hospital

I have mixed feelings about this place right about now. I’ve been taking my dogs there for the last 7 years, and always felt like I was treated right by both the staff and the vets, however about a year ago the primary vet left. Since then every time I go in there is a new vet on duty. I don’t think I’ve had the same one twice in the last year. They seem fairly competent if not exactly tactful, but one of them was actually afraid of my dog, a 9 year old Basset with the most laid back temperament ever? Hopefully they will settle down to a permanent staff soon but if they don’t I may rethink my loyalty to this place. I want a single vet (or two) that I can trust my dogs to, not a revolving door of strangers.
¹²⁄₂₀₁₅
I originally reviewed last year that I wasn’t happy about this place and unfortunately it only got worse from there. I don’t think I ever saw the same vet twice in the last 2 years, and then they started trying to sell me something every time I went in. The final straw was one of my basset hounds started having skin allergy’s. The vet suggested I buy a special shampoo which would help with itching. It was $ 30 a bottle, and when I got it home my wife pointed out to me that the label on the bottle had the doctors name on it as the inventor. How am I supposed to have faith in a vet when he’s shilling his own specialty line of products. I took the bottle to another vet who said there wasn’t anything in it that was harmful but that it didn’t contain any itch relief properties I couldn’t get from a shampoo at Petco. He said he’d never heard of a vet doing this either.
I’m really happy with my new vet.
1÷13÷16
This review is in response to a message I received from Western Animal Hospital on ¹⁄₁₃.
While I appreciate their reply to my concerns I would like to clarify a few things. First off as is evident by my original review, I started having reservations about the quality of care my animals were receiving months before my final post, however from the first post I withheld final judgment until my next visit.
My second post was not malicious, but rather a clear outline of what occurred. I am sorry they feel that the post was not well-​intended but it was posted for informational purposes based on my own experiences. Unilocal is designed to help enable users to make informed decisions from reading the reviews of previous patrons of an establishment, not simply as an advertising source. Please see my other reviews as they demonstrate my willingness to provide positive feedback when warranted.
I have not heard of the other doctors which they mentioned but I am sure that they exist as doctors frequently have products named after them but I would expect to find their products available either through retail outlets or other veterinarians rather than being sold at a premium price exclusively from the vet himself.
They are of the opinion that it is unprofessional for one vet to say something negative about another. While it might be in poor taste if we were discussing something personal not related to my animals care, we were in fact discussing the recommended course of treatment which is why people seek second opinions in the first place. That they would follow up with the comment that it is illegal in addition to this is just plain silly.
Posting my final review did not occur until recently as I was not anxious to write it. I was more concerned with having my dogs condition diagnosed and treated which involved finding a new vet, pursuing different courses of treatment and then moving on to Arizona Dermatology for Animals at his recommendation for specialized treatment.
I do not question that eventually Western Animal Hospital would have reached the same conclusion as my new vet, or Arizona Dermatology for Animals given time, however my review was more on the professionalism of the staff and the lack of confidence it inspired.
Fortunately for those reading these reviews, 6 days ago somebody who was extremely satisfied after having their dog treated for allergies provided them with a 5 star rating so readers now have equally good and bad reviews to ponder as they try to choose which vets see. (They will need to click on the hidden reviews tab as the new reviewer has not been verified as a reliable source just yet. This occurs primarily when a reviewer is new, not necessarily untrustworthy).
I will not reply to further posts as I believe that doing so will not accomplish anything further at this point. I will simply say that it would be more productive to address the concerns of a review rather than trying to discredit it unless the review is completely uncalled for.