Vernon Hills Animal Hospital

We took Snowflake, our rabbit, for the first time to Vernon Hills Animal Hospital for a bladder issue and I was so grateful they got us in to see Dr. Eve Cheung that day with an hour of my call. When we arrived both receptionists were so professional and kind and they seemed to care about Snowflake; even thought they never saw her until today. I only waited five minutes to see Dr. Cheung and I was so pleased on her insight, accomplished education and knowledge of my bunny. You could immediately tell that this vet was highly skilled and communicable with me. She spent an hour talking to me and figuring out what was wrong with Snowflake. As a result, we corrected her diet and was prescribed antibiotics, pain medication and subcutaneous fluids to clean out her bladder sludge from a non satisfactory diet. The technician showed me with ease how to give her all medications including the fluid bag. They made everything so simple and clear and even gave me several printouts on the care of my rabbit and a list of what she specifically could eat from now on due to her issues. I have never had a such a memorable experience with any veterinarians in this area. Needless to say I was impressed and I would greatly recommend them on the highest level to any exotic pet owner.

All of my family pets went to VHAH when I was growing up and I’ve continued to take my pets there after I moved out. I have had nothing but positive experiences with this clinic – the vets, techs, and staff are kind, professional, and highly knowledgeable. You can really tell that the vets are committed to ensuring that all of their patients have a high quality of life. Highly recommended.

Through 3 dogs and over 20 years I have been a very pleased client of VHAH. They first came to my attention when my old Vet couldn’t diagnose my dog Charlie’s skin condition and I was spending a bundle with no visible improvement. Dr. Barten was recommended to me by a neighbor; not only did he immediately provide a correct diagnosis within minutes, he had Charlie as good as new within a matter of weeks.
I have had dealings with all the Vets on staff, and they are always knowledgeable, professional, and above all, compassionate.
Love this place!,

When you decide to be a reptile owner, you should get yourself ready for all the comments: «you have whaaaat!!!» «Eek, how can you keep that!!!»
The real problem begins when you need to take your snake or lizard in to get some medical help. Everyone sees cats and dogs (no offense, I have these too!) but there are not many reptile specialist out there.
Look no more: Dr. Barten at VHAH is the person to see! He is very attentive and understanding. He knows your pet is important to you. He explains the situation to you in plain English, using comparisons and easy references rather than medical terminology. You always leave his office with few pages of very informative material about your pet’s care. He is not in a business to empty your pockets either! Last year, when it was time for my lizard to go, he and his staff made it as easy on me as possible. I am extremely happy with his and the clinic’s services.
The appointments were always on time, never was there a mix-​up of names or records.
Great service!

Vernon Hills Animal Hospital has kept me as a customer for over 10 years. I specifically want to comment on Dr. Cheung. Dr. Cheung has the soft kind temperament that is needed in a doctor. We are trusting her to take care of our little ones that we love and she does that as if every animal is her own. About 5 years ago my little kitty, Peanut, needed surgery. It wasn’t looking good for little Nutty but Dr. Cheung was upfront and presented all options. She wasn’t quick to rush to surgery but recommended what she felt was best for my baby. 5 years later, little Nutty just saw Dr. Cheung yesterday and was told that she looked great for a 16 year old kitty. Even though Nutty doesn’t like going to the doctor and hides under a blanket every time I know that deep down she is thanking Dr. Cheung for providing her these extra healthy years.
Love, Nutty

I have been a faithful customer for approx 30 years, right when they opened. I love going somewhere where ‘everybody knows your name’. It’s a small town feel there, and the doctors, technicians and staff are all so compassionate and knowledgeable.

We had an appointment and we were running late. We arrived an hour before closing and they refused to see us, saying that they were booked. There was only one customer that pulled in as we left and there was no one in the lobby as the manager told us we couldn’t see the vet. Will not be coming here again for the atrocious customer service. We drove out here all the way from our work downtown. Go to a different vet if your pet needs care.

Vernon Hills Animal Hospital provides a wonderful experience from the time you walk in. Actually, even making an appointment is easy and the reception staff are friendly and accommodating. They acknowledge each pet that has an appt on their «special friends» sign for the day-​a nice personal touch to an already caring office.
Dr. Sneed and Dr. Cheung have both seen and treated our exotic pets and have provided excellent care and helpful recommendations for home when needed. The techs are very gentle and compassionate with our pets when trimming nails, etc.
As long as we’re living in Lake County, we will continue to take our pets to VHAH. I was saddened to see negative reviews of a place I rate so highly, so I wanted to balance those out since this business deserves it!

We have had excellent care for 14 years at Vernon Hills Animal Hospital. There has never been a time that we could not get an appointment on an urgent basis. The doctors have all been wonderful.
I rarely write reviews, but I needed to make sure that their excellent care was acknowledged.
We were at Vernon Hills animal hospital yesterday morning when we needed to make the difficult decision to put our amazing, special Sammie dog down. The staff took a very difficult situation for our whole family and made it as peaceful as anyone could ever imagine. We are so thankful to have them in our lives to take care of our precious Sammie during her younger years, and even more thankful to have people this warm and caring to help us during this really hard time. They have always cared for Sammmie as if she was one of there own.
The level of care that they provided to our family, was exceptional. Thank you for your warm hearts and kindness to our 4 legged family members.

We have been taking our dogs to the Vernon Hills Animal Hospital for the last 18 years. They have always received top notch care and service. Dr. Sneed performed a successful knee surgery on our beagle and is always very helpful.
Years ago Dr. McCullough did her absolute very best to help save our dog who all of a sudden developed a very serious unknown health condition. She cared so much about Crystal she shared in our sadness when Crystal passed. But it wasn’t due to lack of effort. Crystal developed a serious untreatable rare disease. When we moved away from the area we continued to take our dogs there. We now drive an hour round trip but it’s well worth it. We tried local vets but they did not compare to the Vernon Hills Hospital.

I have a hard time reading the poor reviews for VH Animal Hospital as we and all of our friends have been bringing our dogs here for years and we really like the services they provide as well as their bedside manner. We live very nearby and have NEVER had an issue bringing either of our two dogs in on a moment’s notice and the doctors have also followed up after appointments that warranted more than general attention.
They are also very attentive even if we are calling to only ask a questions. We are glad we found VHAH.

I called this place with an emergency regarding our dog. I told the receptionist that we are new to the area and didn’t have a regular vet yet. I explained my dogs symptoms and she said they were all booked up but she would ask the doctor if they could squeeze us in. She came back to the phone and said NO! I couldn’t believe it! This really shows how they operate their practice and how little they care about animals and new patients!!!
I called Skycrest animal clinic next and they were wonderful. Saw my dog right away and were absolutely great!

We have brought our dog here since 2010 and have always experienced great service and care! We would recommend all of the vets here!

Caring, compassionate vets and staff. They are also pretty good about getting you in on short notice.

I can only personally speak for Dr. Sneed and Dr. Barton, but we’ve been taking our animals to VHAH for over 15 years. Dr. Sneed is the absolute most caring, dedicated, and knowledgable vet I have *ever* had the pleasure of seeing. In our family, we often say that we wish Dr. Sneed could work on humans! When our baby kitten Binx was suffering from FIP and developed seizures, Dr. Sneed *opened up VHAH just for us on a SUNDAY*. .. just so that Binx would be able to be put down in a familiar location. I have probably 1000 other examples of why VHAH is the only vet I would ever recommend.

I have primary doctor Dr. Steve Barten at this place for my pet, and he is awesome! I am with the clinic since I got my pet, and every time they were able to help me, or direct to the right place. They have a lot of information on web site, and will even take a picture of your pet to create profile, and get to know a story about you and your pet. I follow all directions from the doctor since my pet was a puppy, like cleaning his teeth, food preference, vaccinations, exercise, coat treatment, etc, and my pet stays healthy and happy.
I would recommend this clinic /​doctor to others.

Started going there in 1994 with my first dog. They took fantastic care of him. My golden had parvo at 8 weeks old. They got him through. I have always trusted them and their staff. That very active golden had a broken toe, and other typical issues. They took great care of him! I also appreciated getting a handwritten note when he passed away. I now take my second dog there. The staff is still friendly and helpful. There are other vets a little closer to home. However, I am VERY happy with VHAH.

I am a professional photographer and I travel continually, over 300 days per year.
Being handicapped, I traveled with my service dog, Otto, a Weimaraner for most of his life. Sadly, my best friend, Otto, passed away on December 3 of this year while with me on the road. Pneumonia took his life in 5 days, all while hospitalized in FL (another great vet).
Home for the first time consistently since Christmas, and since Otto passed, I finally got the opportunity to go through all the mail our caretaker had placed in our family room during our travel. Inside I found the most fulfilling and caring card I’ve read in a very long time, maybe ever.
It was a regrets card from the Vernon Hills Animal Hospital where Otto’s vet, Dr. Steve Barten, Otto’s local «home» vet, works.
Every member of the staff and all the doctors signed a regrets card to Otto’s passing. It was sent right after he passed. I only got to see it tonight.
Simply amazing.
Dr. Steve Barten was my amazing and ever present counsel when Otto became ill, got better, become ill, and fought his health battles this last year. This Dr, this man, answered may calls personally, at work, and even on his cell at 9am on Saturdays, 9pm on a Sundays, when there were truly emergency needs. He always spent athirty minutes to an hour each time and never failed to give me great advice and support while on the road. He understood our desire to help our best friend, Otto, who was either fighting his late developing (⁵⁄₂₀₁₃) heart ailment or pneumonia, which he had twice in his last 15 months.
But as much as all the time talking me through Otto’s needs helped and impressed, this card took the cake.
Absolutely amazing. Thank you all so much!
Huge thanks to Dr. Barten and all the staff at the Vernon Hills (Illinois) Animal Hospital. You all are the best and my new pup will be treated nowhere else when in Illinois. I cannot recommend this vet highly enough.
Kindes Regards,
Michael S.

My animal family has been going to Vernon Hills Animal Hospital since 1998. We have seen all the doctors over the years for our rescue cat and rescue dogs. Since 1998 Vernon Hills Animal Hospital has cared for our rescue cat that died at the age of 19 and has helped us through the rehabilitation process of 3 rescued Rottweilers that needed great care due to neglect, starvation, multiple homes, etc. and our rescued current Cane Corso who is currently in the rehabilitation process. I have found Vernon Hills Animal Hospital to be a great place to take care of our animals from the basics while the animals are young to dealing with end of life decisions. We especially like Dr. Cheung. All the doctors are wonderful but, Dr. Cheung just seems to really care for our large rescue dogs and we really appreciate her patience and understanding. We have moved since 1998 but, continue to use them because we like them so much. We may have to drive a little further now but peace of mind is a wonderful thing.

When my 1.5 year old dog Rue woke up having muscle spasms my husband and I completely panicked. I immediately called Dr Cheung at VHAH. She saw us right away (she even moved appointments around to accommodate this emergency). The staff was able to calm us down and help us start on a path to diagnosing our dog. It was a terrifying process that we absolutely could not have navigated without the warm hearts and brilliant minds of VHAH. Rue is fine now, and Dr Cheung still checks in on us to see how she’s doing. It’s wonderful to know that there’s a group of people that really has our pets best interest in mind above all else.