Shelter Island Veterinary Hospital

I saw three people and each were assigned with trying to up sell me on dog procedures. Being a first time dog owner I would have said yes to everything they tried but it took so long that I had to go. When I got home I did some research and found their package prices to be unreasonable. The whole experience felt a bit pushed and not sincere.

I wish that I would have looked at Unilocal prior to taking my 5 week old kitten to see a vet who is not the full time vet at this clinic. When I arrived everybody was lovely. The vet said that my kitten had a pneumonia and gave him a steroid shot and an oral antibiotic. A second trip back because he was looking worse, and was told to put him in steam from the shower when I arrive home. I specifically asked her if my kitten would die and she said NO! She said he would be perking up by that night… Driving home and stopping off to do an errand, he began to act funny, moving his head side to side, as I held him… He was suffering from out of nowhere! An hour after his visit to the vet, he died in my arms in my car! I have NO closure! I left TWO messages for the vet to call me back, and up until now has not! I am convinced that the steroid she gave my kitten killed him! They never even checked his oxygen level, which after talking with various Veterinarians, say that is the first thing to do! I cannot tell you the pain and disappointment of losing my kitten who I cared for ²⁴⁄₇ since he was 4 days old, bottle fed, played with and is now gone, with no reasonable explanation! ALWAYS CHECK Unilocal REVIEWS FIRST! I live with this regret every day!

I will not sit and wait over an hour and a half to be seen. Rude!
«Your appt is at 4:30 but come in early» so I did and wasted my afternoon entirely.
Thanks for nothing

In August I moved to SD and got my first dog, a GSD. A week after I got him he was acting funny so I rushed him to Shelter Island since it was down the street from me. Long story short my pup needed to me hospitalized and was very close to death. My puppy is now 7 months old and alive and well thanks to them. The only reason I give them 4 stars is because of the prices but honestly I keep paying for the sake of my dog as well. I always heard stories about dogs hating to go to the vet but my pup loves them and is always so happy to see them. Unfortunately his immune system is weak b/​c of the sickness he had as a puppy so we are in that office more than I would like but I’ll do anything to keep my pup with me.
They also bathe and do daycare for animals. I don’t do it anymore b/​c my pup is so big now but when he was smaller it was great. The staff is really friendly and caring. They’re really like family and treat animals that way as well.

Our daughter, Wendy, recommended Dr. Darnell to us and we have never regretted it. She is caring, cheerful, and on time! Her staff is great too. Highly recommend Dr. Darnell.

We’ve been taking our dog there for a while now and recently have adopted another puppy to our family… Naturally, we took him there to get his last series of shots and just an overall check up…
I feel like the doctor spent more time trying to sell us pet health insurance than actually checking up on the 4 month old puppy…
Then, after leaving the room for about 15 minutes she came back with a ridiculous estimate for dental work. It included X-​rays, general anesthesia, and extraction of teeth for… Once again, a 4 month old puppy that is still teething. The «claim» made by the Dr was that his adult teeth were not able to push out his baby teeth because they weren’t alined perfectly…
I remember getting the same kind of outrageous estimate for our older dog once before but didn’t think much of it, now I’m pretty sure it’s SOP over there…
Anyway, it’s been a week since we were there with the lil doggy and the teeth in question have already fallen out without any kinda 700 $ intervention…
We will not be going back there !

If you enjoy honesty, fair pricing, being served with respect, than this place is not for you. I only live in walking distance of this clinic but I would rather take my pets across town to be seen than to come here.

I took my new kitten in for a check-​up and was not happy with the service we recieved. Dr. Darnell spent more time trying to sell me «Pet Insurance» than she did examining my kitty. She also told me that my kitten needed «to be in surgery yesterday» for something that turned out to be nothing. So glad I got a second opinion instead of spending a ton of money and putting my kitty through an ordeal. He had a chipped kitten tooth and a seperate double tooth, which both resolved themselves when he lost his kitten teeth and his permanent teeth came in. The way the vet used scare tactics was very unsettling; bringing your pet to the vet (even if just for a check-​up) is very stressful, and making us worry for no reason and trying to get us to spend money on an unneccesary surgery was wrong.

I saw this place last week and decided to make an appt. everyone here was just as friendly as could be, from the front desk support staff to the techs. Dr. Darnell was just amazing, she got down on her knees and started the exam, and when my pup would move around the floor she would just move with him. I will never take him anywhere else. The health care plan is great. I never felt any pressure to buy something or was not made to feel bad when I could not afford the special food that the DR recommended. I LOVE THIS PLACE…

These guys are all amazing!!! I came in last minute to get vaccines for my dog that I thought his previous owners gave him; and though they were busy, they did everything and beyond to get me in. (5 minutes!) Everyone who works here are all friendly, professional, and amazing at customer service! After everything, they were still helping me and giving me advice and estimates on my dogs teeth. These guys are quite a drive away from where I live, but without a doubt, this is where I will be taking my dog from now on!

I took my 6 month old lab mix here to have her checked out for a bald spot on her face. I had a great experience! The receptionist was very friendly and warm, Dr. Barb was great with our dog, she is a very nervous dog and she really made the extra effort to make her feel comfortable. My dog was hiding in the corner on the floor and Dr. Barb literally got down on her knees with her and checked her out there. You can tell she really loves animals! They were also very up front with costs and didn’t pressure us to do anything we didn’t want to do. I will definitely be going back!

I love Dr Darnell and her staff! My baby boy always loves coming here to see all his friends. Doc is great to him and always does what needs to be done but within reason of prices and what I want done. She is very helpful and always answers my questions. The staff is great, office is great!

I brought my 18 year old cat in for a bladder infection. She has had this before so we knew the symptoms and that it was a bladder infection. We told the vet what we wanted but she insisted on many unnecessary tests. I refused but she kept pushing and pushing. In the end, the price we were charged was $ 75. higher than quoted. This vet is greedy and all about the money. Save yourself the hassle and go somewhere else that is cheaper and more caring.

Since this vet helps Rescue House with the kittens I foster, I LOVE going here. I only started back in May, but every single visit here has been approached with kindness, understanding and a great deal of help. Having these kittens often means many different illnesses and each step of the way, they’ve been extremely helpful! I haven’t had much interaction with the doctors, but every single girl at the front desk or nurses have really been the nicest, most patient people.
Thanks guys!

Wow, I am totally confused by the negative reviews on this site about Dr. Darnell. Her staff and she have taken care of my 6 year old cocker spaniel for five years and our beloved dear beagle for longer than that, we have never had any issues with her treating us unfairly.
Our beagle had a wonderful long life but unfortunately, due to old age at 15.5 years old we had to put her down. Dr. Darnell and her technician drove OUT OF THEIR way to come to our house last night to help little Sadie cross the rainbow bridge. The Dr. and tech were compassionate, patient with us and gave us time to hold our dog while they put her down. It was the most dignifying experience that I ever had putting down a dog. The cost was reasonable and I feel that we were fairly treated.
I had another Vet for my dog who shall go nameless before I started coming to Dr. Darnell, she was NO WHERE near the Practitioner that Dr. Darnell is. My former Vet talked me and a friend into keeping one of my dogs alive for two extra weeks when he was clearly dying. 800.00 later, the dog had to be put down any way.
When we took Sadie in last week after she had a stroke, Dr. Darnell was honest, frank and realistic with us and honored our request to have her put down at home.
We’ll always be grateful to her and her staff.

I wish i could put zero stars. My experience with taking my cat there was sad at best. They told me three different diagnoses but all of them had nothing to do with the other and the only way to find out was to spend more money. First they told me she had a stomach ache, then they said she had kittie Aids (she was an indoor cat) then they told me she probably had brain issues. All within a three day period. I felt that they only cared about money, then when my cat died in their care, or lack there of, they tried to charge me more money for an autopsy and brain test. I felt like i got no answers and no help for my cat. I feel like if i had gone somewhere else, she may still be alive.

I’ve had mixed experience with Shelter Island Vet Hospital. On one hand, they seem to care about the health of our cats, and I appreciate that they offer a free exam for recently adopted animals. They also seem to be up on their research. On the other hand, they do seem more expensive than the norm, and it seems like they could be more conservative on the number of procedures/​tests they recommend. I also felt like the last time I was there, the communication level had dropped somewhat. When the vet called to give results from a battery of tests, she somewhat off-​handedly asked when we were going to schedule a procedure – one she thought she had mentioned during the exam, but she hadn’t. This was after we had already paid a substantial amount for tests.

I received a lengthy letter from Dr Darnell today. It was dated for August 19^th. The letter also included a check for $ 58 as a refund for the exam fee.
I appreciate the sentiment.

I used to take my cats here before the new doctor took over. When the new doctor took over, prices went up and recommendations also went up. Pressure to do more went up. I didn’t really get a good feeling from the doctor either and when I questioned something, I got this «you’re a bad cat parent» attitude. I stopped going out of necessity, I ended up taking my older cat to an ABC clinic. I then took the other cat who had been deemed «a problem child/​biter» at this clinic only to discover than he wasn’t necessarily a biter at all. It seems when you handle the cat a little differently or if you let the owner stay in the room when you’re doing the exam or the shot, they sometimes behave better. And he did! No biting. No scratching. No problems! I’d take my animals elsewhere.

I had a terrible experience here and would NOT recommend this place to anyone unless you’re a millionaire.
I took my cat here because she seemed to be having problems urinating. After checking her out, I was told that she had a UTI, but that they also suspected that she had a bladder stone. The initial cost was going to be somewhere around $ 200, but after discovering the possible stone, it went up to somewhere around $ 400…which was fine… I agreed and was sent on my way (they had to keep her until her bladder was full to run the tests). Before I left, I asked what we would have to do if it was a stone and for a rough estimate on cost. I was told that they would HAVE to do surgery and that at the MOST it would cost $ 1200. I left, held my breath and hoped for no stone.
About an hour later, I got a call telling me that it was in fact a bladder stone. I was then informed that because my cat is a senior (she’s 8), they wanted to run some more tests on her so my total for this visit was going to be near $ 700! IN ADDITION to that, the surgery was going to cost over $ 1500. In shock, and obviously upset, but wanting to do what was best for my cat, I asked if I had ANY other options as there was no way I could afford that amount of money. The lady on the other end, who I believe was the vet’s assistant of some sort, told me that surgery WAS MY ONLY OPTION AS IT WAS NECESSARY and started giving me information on a credit card I could get to pay for the services. I told her I needed to process everything and that I would call back in a bit. When I got off the phone, I started doing my own research on stones and discovered that there are actually two kinds of stones, the more common one (struvite) can be cured with antibiotics and change of diet (in most cases). I called a different vet and told them about my situation. They said that if surgery was necessary, which it may NOT be, the most they would charge was $ 800. I made an appointment with them and went to pick my cat up immediately.
When I got there, I told them I was going to take her elsewhere and that I only wanted to be charged for the services done that day. After having a debate with the cashier lady on my bill, I was called back into the office to talk with Dr Darnell. It was then she told me about the two kinds of stones (she actually couldn’t remember the names of both!!! Her reason being… she had a headache!!!) She then told me that we could try changing her diet and put her on antibiotics to try and get rid of it first (all of a sudden, now that I was taking my cat elsewhere, I had options other than surgery!!! hmmmmm… weird, cause when I asked on the phone, I was specifically told that surgery was the ONLY option) She said she just suggested the surgery so my cat wouldn’t be in pain any more (but duh, she would be in pain from the surgery any way!). She went on to say she personally has done surgery for her animals in the past, but then again she doesn’t have to pay (SHE ACTUALLY SAID THIS TO ME! Not helping her case if you ask me). Dr. Darnell then sold me some of the prescription food and gave me an antibiotic.
To close, when I took my cat to Grand Animal Hospital, I found out that she gave me THE WRONG PRESCRIPTION FOOD! (there are two kinds c/​d and s/​d). I would NEVER NEVER go back here again. Like previous reviews have said, they are ALL ABOUT THE MONEY. I do think Dr. Darnell truly cares about animals, but she should really get her priorities straight. It is really messed up to toy with someone like she did. When it comes to your pet, people are willing to pay $$ because they are like children to you. It is seriously appalling when people like Dr. Darnell take advantage of that. If you care for your pet, take them elsewhere. My cat is on a special diet now and doing great!