DODGE CITY VETERINARY HOSPITAL INC

unknown

very satisfied with services and people. I have used them for boarding my dog on several occasions and this service has also been satisfactory

The groomer, Dr. Scott Smith is very good. They charge me $30 a dog for bathing, combing, and everything. When they go in and get the full thing, it's $40. He takes a lot of time and he explains everything. He's got a great personality. It's obvious that he cares about the animals that he treats and that is big points to me because they're my babies. I've been using them for a long time. Their pricing is good.

We've been going to them for 10-15 years. We really like the doctors. With 3 dogs we go to them all the time. They are not as high as the other vets because we've called and compared prices. It is like a hometown place because they know us when we walk in. They have always given us good service. The price is right.

My dog, Buster, was diagnosed with IMHA (Immune Mediated Hemolytic Anemia) a little over a year ago by Dr. Scott Smith. I brought him to Dr. Smith on a Monday morning after he'd had his annual vaccinations that Saturday and he was lethargic and wouldn't eat Sunday evening. He was perked up a little Monday morning. Dr. Smith, I think in the interest of saving me some money, told me to watch him for a few days and bring him back for blood tests if he continuted with his lethargy and loss of appetite. Since I work Monday through Friday, I asked to go ahead and run the blood tests since we were already there, and he discovered that Buster had IMHA. He gave me some prednisone for Buster and told me to come back in one week so he could check his blood again.

I went on to work (brought Buster with me) and looked up IMHA--it sounds like a death sentence that most dogs don't survive. Yet my Buster is still here today. Dr. Smith and a younger vet who isn't there anymore worked with Buster's medication until we got the right balance for Buster. He's pretty much normal now and whether Dr. Smith saved Buster or Buster's just tough, I don't know. But Dr. Smith has taken excellent care of him, aside from that initial nudge I had to give him to go ahead and test his blood during the visit instead of me coming back, but again, I think that might have been more in the interest of not spending money on what might be unnecessary tests.

Regarding this current visit, Buster's blood count had stabilized and he hadn't been back to the vet since January of 2011. His blood test showed he is still stable and I asked Dr. Smith about vaccinating him because vaccinations can be a trigger for IMHA. He decided to withhold the 8-in-1 and just gave him a vaccination for bordatella and rabies. I watched Buster closely for the next day or so to see if he relapsed, and he didn't.

I've been going to Dodge City for about 14 years. I've never had any issues with the vets there ( I normally see Dr. Smith, but not always--the other veterinarian there, Dr. Virginia Einck, is wonderful) and I'm confident in their ability to care for my animals. However, the front desk staff is why I give Dodge City Veterinary Hospital a B for professionalism. It seems like every time I go there, there are different girls up front. Some of them are nice, but some of them over the years have been incompetent.

They get a B for punctuality because it seems like I am never seen on time, although, to be fair, they do take walk-in emergencies.

The veterinary care there is great, which is why I take my dogs there, but the way the business is run could use some tweaks.

I used Dr. Smith and Dr. Virginia Einck. She was excellent and she is very thorough. Makes everything very easy to understand. I went everyday to see my dog and they were very accommodating. I have been taking my dogs there for 14 years now. It was $500 for Ben to stay for 7 days with IV's. I also had him groomed. I appreciated how they brought Allie in so that groomed him so I could meet her. She was excellent.

I love this veterinarian hospital. People are really nice, and thoughtful.