Calvert Veterinary Center

Incredible! Every staff member was friendly, and handled my dog in a calm and compassionate manner. I was referred to Dr. Fenner by a friend, and now I would recommend her to others. The office is clean and tastefully decorated. There is ample seating and plenty of space in the waiting area so it’s easy to keep your pet at ease and out of the way of other visitors (I know one of my dogs would love to meet everyone, but they don’t necessarily want to meet her!). The service was great and I was impressed with how quickly my visit was finished. I brought my dog in for an exam, vaccines, blood work, and urine collection and we were in and out in about 30 minutes. I look forward to future visits here and only wish my (human) doctor was this efficient.

Calvert vet and especially dr. Gilmer is amazing! We have a black lab mix that we got recently, and about two months after we got her she had a sore on her lip. She ended up having mange. Dr. Gilmer diagnosed the problem and provided treatment with one visit. She and the vet techs were also very patient and understanding with our skiddish and scared rescue dog. When we came back for a check up, everyone remembered her and commented on how she was progressing with her comfort around places and people she doesn’t know very well. Then the last time when it was confirmed that she was mange free, Dr. Gilmer was happy and excited that Annie was a healthy dog again! They were also accommodating with the fact that we were stuck in traffic and were able to still fit us in. We haven’t had to wait more than ten minutes for our appointment.
Every experience we’ve had has been amazing and they always send a follow up email to make sure Annie is doing well.
The other great thing is that Dr. Gilmer is also an exotic animal vet, and we also have three snakes and a gecko. It’s really comforting to know that our awesome vet is there if they ever have any health issues!
We love Calvert vet! And we love Dr. Gilmer!

Doctor Gilmer is absolutely fantastic! She always spends a little extra time to make our rescue dog Shadow comfortable and relaxed. Our second dog, Kira, loves her to death! Everyone including the reception staff is always professional, knowledgeable, and upbeat.

When my dogs were there the last visit, everything was great, service was great, people were great. All it takes is one agitating phone call to turn me off. Calvert used to have a pet portal and I suppose they no longer do. But when I call and «confuse» the person who answers the phone which then turns into an agitating two way conversation… I will have to reconsider. The vets I have dealt with though are VERY nice.

I was here recently to put my beloved cat to sleep. I am from Pasadena but have a vet that I like in Towson but I didn’t want to drive my sick baby to Towson so I randomly picked Calvert. I was overwhelmed by their kindness and care for my emotional needs as well as the care they provided to my cat. The VMD and both vet techs were amazing. They treated me like I was their only client. The whole experience was very geared toward piece even from the women who took my initial phone call. She took her time in explaining the whole process. She counseled me and gave me caring encouragement. At the time of death my cat, Harvey, was very comfortable thanks to Calvert. I highly recommend this facility and thank them for their kindness.

I had my dog seen here in December for a pretty bad wound on his foot. He was hit by a car and his foot was run over. We just wanted him seen asap so this was where we went. The technician who was helping with this appointment was 100% rude. After every question she had for me she has a condescending comment to my answer. What do you feed your dog? (We feed raw with holistic kibble.) I was lectured about the dangers of feeding him this way. What flea protection do you use? (we use Revilution.) I was then lectured that this was inadequate. Although I had advised my dog had a reaction to other products. Why is your dog not neutered? (We have not experienced behavioral issues, so we felt no need to early neuter. And will consider when he is full grown at 2 years old.) I was then lectured about how there are too many pit bull breeds in shelters, neutering will fatten my dog up, and I’m irresponsible for not neutering. (Who wants their dog to be fat? I’m happy with my dogs fit disposition!) there were also some rude comments about pit bull over population and pit bull aggression that neutering would solve. I’m sure somewhere in there were good intentions. But I didn’t come in for a lecture on how to take care of my dog. I came for wound care.
I was informed that his rabies was out of date. So we did the rabies while there. silly me was talked into paying out the rear end for that. Another thing about this place is they push over priced services on you. They wanted to run all sorts of tests on him… I did
Not find them necessary.
The doctor who treated his wound was very nice. Professional. Informative. I had to pin my dog down, and hold him down while they cleaned and bandaged his foot. I asked for a muzzle. He was terrified and I did not want for him to bite or act inappropriately out of fear. The technician made a comment about him needing a muzzle, and that maybe I couldn’t control my dog. (In recognizing his distaste for the situation, I’m pretty sure muzzling him right from the get go was a responsible thing on my end. And little olé me being able to hold my 50 pound dog down while two strangers were causing him pain was me controlling my dog.)
They recommended that we pay for them to change his bandages every other day. We could not afford this, nor did we think it was reasonable. I was again lectured on this by the technician, although the my personal finances are none of her business. And bringing my dog in for a $ 400 wound cleaning isn’t my idea of cheap, but he needed to be seen. I made it work. So I brought my husband along the next day for a bandage changes as asked. We asked the new doctor to explain what she was using and how to do it properly so that we could do it their way at home. During this process I was again holding my dog down. He was less nervous today, but still weary of the strangers. My husband was watching as the doctor re-​wrapped his foot. I asked the doctor twice to be sure to put gauze under his dewclaw. Since the gauze she laid out did not seem like enough to do the job, I wanted to be sure it was done correctly and not rushed. I assured her that I could hold him down all day. But that there absolutely had to be padding there. Or his nail would dig into his skin. I was assured that she was doing as I asked.
We were asked to pay more than what we were quoted the previous day for the follow up visit. Funds were extremely tight. And I cannot stress this enough. We were allowed to pay the quoted amount and were told that they would speak to the people from the previous day. Front desk staff was always super friendly and my dog really liked them.
We changed his bandages two days later. No gauze under his dewclaw!!! So now he had a bleeding open wound from his nail digging into his skin for two days. Not cool.
Time goes by and his foot healed great with us wrapping it ourselves at home. No complications.
Today I went to Calvert vet center to pick up his medical records. And to my surprise, written there on his records are some rude comments about me being difficult and very assertive…“owner is very difficult to talk with – she is very assertive and wants things done her way and cannot accept she may have done something wrong ie. Applied a bandage that was too tight“
Wow. I suppose you expect people to sit and take you criticizing their every move when it comes to caring for their animal? But obviously I was not assertive enough, being that I asked for there to be ample padding on his foot and there was not. Which caused him further injury. I take assertive as a compliment. But difficult? Try holding your dog down for 20 minutes while he has open wounds poked and prodded at. That’s difficult. I’m a little amazed at their level of professionalism with that one.
I am not only dissatisfied by my two experiences in this office but am now completely and personally offended. I would never ever bring my animals there again. No matter how desperate we are to get an appointment.

We spoke with many veterinary dermatologists and other specialists from Virginia to Pennsylvania before finally finding Dr. Calvert. I searched for months for a veterinarian who could perform laser ablation of my dog’s pre-​cancerous skin lesions, as she had received before we moved back to the mid-​Atlantic. (Laser surgery has worked and healed much better in the past than traditional cut-​and-​stitch surgery and was the treatment of choice.) Dr. Calvert has used this technique for over a decade. The office was easy to find, lovely, spacious and well-​organized. But the best part was Dr. Calvert and the staff. Everyone was kind, helpful, professional, and wonderful with our dog, who has survived several severe medical issues. Dr. Calvert got down on her knees, put our 10 ½ yr-​old at ease, thoroughly examined her, and reviewed the treatment plan. Because we traveled over an hour to get there Dr. Calvert had combined what would usually be done in two visits into one trip. She had already taken the time to review all my girl’s records and was knowledgeable about her history. Our girl’s surgery went beautifully.

This place is so great in so many ways but I feel like I was paying way more than I wanted for my dogs care. Their staff are great and kind and facilities excellent but I don’t like to feel pressured into expensive treatments and products. That’s why I gave 4 stars instead of 5.

My family and I recently moved to Pasadena and our previous vet referred us to Calvert Vet Center. I want to start out by saying the staff was very friendly; however, if was quickly overshadowed when I boarded my 2 dogs. My first contact with them I requested shots for my dogs so I could board them for the upcoming holiday and when I asked if they boarded dogs I was put on hold, which I thought was odd because either you do board or you don’t. Turns out you can board there, however they must provide medicine or provide some type of service. I thought that was fair and booked the appointment. I put the dogs in Christmas Eve (Tuesday) and was returning late Saturday night. I asked the price of the boarding and it was $ 40 each dog ($ 80 a day) and there wasn’t a discount for having two nor did not offer a miitary discount. I asked if they offered Sunday pick up and they didn’t and then I told them I put in vacation to pick up my dog when they opened figuring I wouldn’t have to pay for Monday. Not the case she stated if the dogs are there Monday morning when they arrive I would have to pay full price. So I had to pay for 7 days rather than 5 days (i was only gone for 3 Thurs, Fri, Sat) and I had to pay for a service so I asked them to administer the heart worm ($ 35 due to having to buy a six pack) and then had fecal sample (which was me requesting $ 35each x 2 = $ 70). My Christmas cost me an additional $ 664. I will be finding a new vet ASAP. I felt so welcome when I first arrived for my first appointment and looked forward to having the local vet take care of my dogs, but I realized quickly that I was taken advantage of and should have done more research.

We rescued a starving cat a few months ago, in very poor condition. The staff was great, and let us know all the tests and options, but made it very clear about what was more necessary than the rest.
The cat is doing well — we found a home for her — and I would happily return to Calvert Vet Center.

The staff was friendly. The quality of care was adequate. We felt that they were just trying to get more money out of us by urging us to get extra things done. They also e-​mail us almost every day about something for the last week. It was fine for a one time visit to get our dog her shots, but we’ll keep looking for a regular vet.

I agree 100% with the other review. The knowledge and care is outstanding. The waiting time is terrible. I have been there on every day of the week and it is always the same. I never make it out of there in less than an hour. And in that hour it might have taken the vet and vet-​tech combined 15 minutes (tops) that was spent with me and my animal. Then after all that you have to wait for your bill to get to the front desk. They really need to work on their timing problems.

I have so many mixed feelings about this place. The new space is nice, and they were really nice giving my dog a squeaky toy for a Christmas present. The staff even sent us a card when our cat passed away with everyone on staff’s signature. What is bothersome is when I come in for an appointment, my wait has always been long. Once I waited an hour to see a doctor. They say Mondays are the worst, but it’s the only day I have off consistently. It’s a tricky balance because I know they squeeze people in, which is always going to overlap and push back other appointments.
I’ll keep trying because the staff is generally nice, but I don’t know if I have too much more patience.