KIBBY PARK ANIMAL HOSPITAL

Our pets, both cats and dogs, have received exceptional care at Kibby Park Animal Hospital. We have been clients for years without complaint! We have sought all levels of service, from routine to emergency, and management of ongoing chronic health issues. I have a great deal of respect for the professional, compassionate staff at Kibby Park. We are completely satisfied and happy customers!

Kibby Park has taken care of our pets for the last 20 years. They love our pets like their own. They always make time for our pets in emergency situations and have seen them, as well as for standard check ups and vaccinations.

We have always had a great experience at Kibby Park, the atmosphere is warm, clean, and welcoming. The staff is always helpful and kind. Dr. Owings does a lot for the animals in our community.

This email is in reference to my overall experience at Kibby Park Animal Hospital. I felt this message was necessary for me to share with you as my experience there was very uncomfortable to say the least. I have a German Shepherd female whom is now 9 months old. Initially, when I brought her in to your establishment as a puppy of only a few months old, she hadn't been socialized much and this was due to my household preventatively quarantining due to the pandemic. As such, during our visit my puppy was labeled as "fearful" and "nervous" due to her natural "protectiveness" as a working line bred GSD ( this has been validated by her pedigree). I was immediately proposed by the doctor Owings to put her on medications that would be taken regularly that would essentially change her behavior and personality to make her (what I understood as) somewhat lethargic or docile, almost like an adhd medication that would be used for hyperactive children. At that point I refused. She was very young, and it was strange to me that this was the veterinarian's first recourse. I brought her back for her next visit as she was due for her rabies shot (as well as needed to get her ear checked because she was having some obvious discomfort) at which time I met Dr. Travers. She had nice bedside manner, however her entire interaction with my dog was to avoid making eye-contact the entire time however to drop treats to the floor that my puppy was completely uninterested in. Immediately upon her entering the room, she proceeded to explain that my dog was fearful, though my pup never exhibited any tail between the legs, no backing away while barking, no avoidance actions, no trembling nor snarling, or no high-pitched barks. I was again confused as all my pup did was stood and barked a few times upon the doctor entering the room in which we were occupying (this is a German Shepherd keep in mind). And the fearful behavior seemed to reside more with the doctor per she and the nurses avoidance in looking my dog's way which did not help my dog's comfort level. Furthermore we were told that she would need to have her sedated in order to proceed with any shots or ear swabs, and were sent home with a sedation medication and no rabies-vaccination which meant that my dog would be susceptible to rabies during the 2-3 weeks until her appointment. I did as advised and had to physically carry my pup in because she was so doped up and groggy that she could not walk and could barely open her eyes as well as she was wearing a (ill-fitted) muzzle that they had provided. Despite her lying motionless on the floor, due to her barley making a bark under her breath as she lied there, the doctor and nurses told me that she needed to be additionally sedated because she was "reactive". I was completely blown away because at this point she was not any type of threat as she lied there on a Spartans blanket on the floor and couldn't so much as lift her head. At that point I refused. I refused to put her through that, and I refused to pay any more money unpurposefully as the other medication had done it's job. At which point I knew this visit would be the last at that clinic. Dr. Travers came in and we agreed that if the shot of sedation could not be added, then this particular veterinary clinic was not meant for me. I then requested a shot to reverse the sedation medication which Dr. Owings immediately and without hesitation poked her with (not the rabies shot that she was behind on) and then exited our room but not without slamming the door. I made an appointment with a new clinic immediately, paid my bill for absolutely no services and left with my dog's health records. My poor pup was groggy and out-of-it all night long she wasn't herself and I was very concerned, let-alone what the extra dose might have done to her. No follow-up. Nothing. Prior to our appointment at VCA-Gaide, I informed them that my GSD of 8 months old had not been able to be socialized much and was very guarded and asked for any advice before bringing her in. They were very friendly, patient and informative. They mentioned that with German Shepherds due to their "protective nature" and if they haven't been much socialized, it's always best to separate them from the owner and bring them into the office so that will "alleviate any need to protect, as that is the nature of this breed". They also advised for after the visit to bring the dog by the office every now and then to come and greet the staff and get acquainted with the office. This helps with their comfort as well. They never labeled her "fearful" or "nervous". Upon my arrival they met me at the car, gave me a properly-fitted muzzle to put on her and had me slip the leash onto her and as my dog jumped out of the car, they grabbed the leash and walked away with my dog and into the clinic. They took her to a room where I had the opportunity to peek in the window from outside to see how things were going. The nurse gave her a great petting welcome for several minutes to help her remain calm and then walked her around the office a few times to help her to get a feel for the environment. The nurse took her back to the room and sat down on the floor with my dog in an unthreatening indian-style manner as my dog and she stared at each other as they sat with a good amount of space between them. I saw her then offer her hand for a paw-shake and accepted when my dog didn't return. There was no discord or avoidance, no fear of making eye-contact, and when the doctor came in, my dog allowed the nurse (who had been making her acquaintance for the past 15-20 minutes) to hold her as they swabbed her ear and gave her the rabies shot that they adamantly told me despite anything else she would not leave the clinic without that protection. I left VCA with a yeast infection meds for her ear, a flush, gift bag including a free heartworm and tick pill and a tag that says "I've been Rabies vaccinated". They talked to me about German Shepherd behaviors and noted them as being naturally protective due to this being part of the breed.They told me that my dog did wonderfully and how pretty she was and added that they felt no need to give her any medicine to calm her or sedate her. They also provided me with a list of specific German Shepherd trainers in my area. And the next morning I received a follow-up call to see how she was doing. And she was excellent. I cant wait to bring her by to say hi in between time. Whether this email is read with an open-mind to see where Kibby might be able to do things a little differently in future instances or whether this email doesn't get read to it's entirety due to lack of caring about our experience. This message will be added to Kibby Park Reviews because this was detrimental to my dog's first experience visiting the doctor as well as my own as a dog owner and I found that, the dog's comfort level within any new surroundings including at the doctor, is a direct reflection of the surroundings and the comfort/fear of the people that run it. Thank you for listening. Ashley Holbrook and Infinity.

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We transferred from another Jackson Vet, because after many trips there, our schnauzer was
not getting better. Our original vet was not very concerned after we implored him our little girl
schnauzer was not well. After 2 months of pleading with our Vet, we finally took her to
Dr. Melissa Owings at Kibby Park Animal Hospital. Dr. Owings is the most compassionate
and empathetic doctor you can find. She found that our Schnauzer had Osteo Myelitis,
a bone infection in her jaw. Many of her teeth were infected . Dr. Owings also discovered
A heart condition, possibly caused by the jaw infection. Dr. Owings suggested we take our
Schnauzer to the small animal hospital at MSU,for a heart evaluation with one of their specialists.
The doctors and staff at MSU spoke very highly of Dr. Owings. MSU's praises reaffirmed that we
had made the right decision, in changing Vets. Dr. Owings and her wonderful caring staff saved
our little girls life. We are so thankful for the wonderful care she has received at Kibby Park.

We have since returned for check ups and shots.
You could not ask for a more compassionate and knowledgeable Animal Hospital .

The people there are super nice, but at these prices they should be. I have taken an assortment of pets there over the years. They have generally been great. My only gripe is that when it was run by Dr. Greene, I had to have my golden retriever put down, after the injection was given he was softly saying , and quot;Now the poison is reaching his brain.....and quot;. NOT what you want to hear at that time. I was surprised he was so insensitive because he had been a good doctor up to that point. Everyone else that has owned the facility has been just fine.

They are excellent. They are expensive.