VCA Raleigh Hills Animal Hospital

They messed up, so they had to send me to a dental specialist. I would not use them again for dental.

unknown

I - and my cats - have been clients of the VCA/Raleigh Hills Veterinary Clinic for more than 16 years.  The entire staff, from receptionists to veterinary technicians to the veterinarians, are kind, caring, exceptionally competent professionals who go out of their way to provide the best care possible for their patients.  It seems to be my "fortune" to always have cats with special needs and sometimes unusual health issues.  RHVC is always ready/willing to refer me to specialists as necessary.  And the various doctors communicate with each other - something my own doctors do not always do.
The vets go "above and beyond" to clearly communicate a pet's problems, prognosis and options for treatment, including estimated price so there are no surprises later.  Their prices may be higher than some veterinary clinics, but, as in most other fields of service, one gets what one pays for.
I drive past several veterinary clinics to reach RHVC.  Here is one reason why:  When one of my cats (who had never gone to another veterinary clinic in his 16 years) became so ill he needed to be euthanized, most of the staff present at the clinic that day - vets, vet techs, receptionists, clinic manager, etc. - crowded into the exam room to say goodbye and surrounded my beloved cat, and me, with love and affection.  I was amazed and very moved by their caring - but not surprised.
I would not consider taking my cats to any other veterinary clinic.

My cat is fine now. They have been our vet for about 12 years and they are very good. I recommend them. They seem to be pretty knowledgeable and know what they are doing.

The veterinaries at VCA Raleigh Hills Animal Hospital are great, but we left because of the organization. They are very expensive, because they try to maximize profits by making you come in more often instead of trying to group procedures in to a single appointment.

225

What an amazing clinic! We have been going here for years now and had another great annual visit. They do a wonderful job of explaining things in a way that is understood but not dumbed down. The front desk staff is especially well informed and helpful. We have been through a lot at this clinic including more diarrhea than I care to mention. Our dog has also had knee surgery done with their very talented specialty surgeon Dr Gustafson with phenomenal results. His techs are so amazing! VCA Raleigh Hills is why I have healthy geriatric pets, i completely trust them with my furry family. I always recommend them to my friends, even the ones that live across town!

We recently adopted a small dog from the Oregon Humane Society after bladder surgery saved her life and she is incontinent. She had already been examined by our vet, as a post-adoption health check with immunizations but I wasn't sure how to handle the incontinence and sought a "specialty opinion". I was scheduled with a general vet who "does this all the time". I said I did not need an overall exam as we were just seeking help with the incontinence. I brought all the dogs medical records. I was kept waiting for 30 minutes or more beyond the appointment time. The vet tech took the history. When the vet finally came in, she did not ask what my concerns were nor confirm any details of the type of incontinence or degree of the problem. She performed a complete physical exam and did not get any real history of the problem. She took my dog to look at her bladder using ultrasounds and catheterized her for urine (without saying she was going to). The vet tech came back in with an estimated bill. Almost $400: $199 for bloodwork to "check out her organs", $112 for a urine culture, $50 for an exam (reduced if I got the $199 lab work), $27 for meds that might help, and $42 for blood pressure check! I was flabbergasted at the additional charge for BP check after a $50 exam. I said, "you want $42 for a blood pressure check? I am a doctor and that is more than humans are charged." The vet was snippy and said she didn't set the prices and, further, she wouldn't give me the medicine (the main thing definitely relevant to what I came about) without a BP check since this med can raise BP. When I declined the $199 labwork, people were no longer friendly--and answered my questions about possible behavioral components with handouts. But, the kicker was that they RAISED THE BILL (from $112 to $142 for the urine culture) since I "declined the whole package with the $199 blood work" . Really. I was miffed. There is a review in the archives (from 2008) that had the IDENTICAL experience that I did. Don't be fooled by the other person's recent review with A grades. These folks are in it for the money and are ruthless about getting it.

They were great. They were good with the people and the cat. They were just very compassionate and empathetic with us. They were very kind. I will continue to use them.

I will never go back to this vet clinic. Every time I have gone I have felt like they "padded" my bill to get it up to $300. They are always "very concerned" about something, and add those services to whatever minor thing I needed. This time I took my dog in for her Rabies vaccine--they didn't mention when I scheduled the appointment that an annual exam was required to get a vaccine (and they should have--I called asking about pricing!). Then one thing added on top of another until, yet again, my bill neared $300. Also, I have always waited an incredibly long time to get in. One time I heard the office staff tell the vet that her 11:00 was here (me--and it was 11:15) and she said, "Okay. I'm going to run and get a coffee and I'll be right back." At 11:45 they finally showed me into a room. I was FURIOUS. And besides always being late for appointments, the front desk staff is always gossiping! But to top it all off, on my last visit (when I just went in for the rabies vaccine) they "strongly encouraged" we get her teeth cleaned and have a cracked tooth pulled at the cost of $1050-1200. (Of course, the vet sent the poor vet tech in with that dollar amount, but then spoke very loudly outside the door disapproving of my refusal saying, "I know it's a lot of money, but if it was my dog, I would find a way to pay for it." Of course she would. She'd add another 4 or 5 items to MY bill.) They let me know that my dog was in a horrible amount of pain and that we really really needed to get this done or she could have heart or kidney failure. So then I took her to another vet for a second opinion. Guess what? No cracked tooth. The enamel was worn down a bit, but he said it was a perfectly healthy tooth. He cleaned her teeth under anesthesia for $94 and her teeth look great. Vista Pet Hospital is the way to go!

I would not take my cat back to this clinic. I was very impressed with the veterinarian - very friendly, caring and obviously an animal-lover - but the rest of the experience left little to be desired. The services were expensive (at least compared to past clinics I've visited), and the vet techs were rough and not overly friendly. They also remove the animal from the exam room and take them in the back to perform services (e.g. shots). I personally don't like my cat being out of my site and with someone she doesn't know - especially during a vet visit when she's already on-edge.

Dr. Lynn Erdman was very professional, thorough, polite and followed through on calling us when she said she would to include long-distance calls. When we picked our dog up, Dr. Erdman spent considerable time with us discussing our dog's health, treatment and prognosis. We would rate her an A in Quality, responsiveness and professionalism. The office staff was not as professional or as helpful. For example, when we received the first message from Dr. Erdman that our dog had been hospitalized and called back, we hit the number in their phone system for an emergency call and were placed on hold for 15 minutes. We hung up. At another time the staff said our dog was no longer there (when she was). They would get a C in quality, F in responsiveness and C in professionalism.

We went there on the recommendation of a neighbor. They have a large staff and can accept animals 24/7. We liked the two different vets we dealt with there, but they were unable to accurately diagnose the problem and wanted us to spend another $850 for an additional diagnostic procedure. The front-desk staff is clueless, repeatedly not knowing anything about our case when we called, even when they were housing our cat. Phone system is voicemail hell. Sometimes unable to get through to a human. Staff would tell us our vet would call back in 15 minutes, but no callback at all or 6 to 8 hours later. Overall, it has the feel of a very corporate operation with high staff turnover and far more focus on profit than on service.

I ENJOY TAKING MY ANIMALS TO RALEIGH HILLS VETERINARY. THEY HAVE A HUGE STAFF OF DOCTORS AND ARE ALWAYS ABLE TO GET YOU IN QUICKLY. THE DOCTORS ARE ALSO WILLING TO TALK TO YOU OVER THE PHONE AND HELP YOU DECIDE WHETHER YOU CAN TREAT YOUR ANIMAL AT HOME.

THIS WAS A TRAUMATIC EXPERIENCE FOR US AS WE LOVE OUR DOG SO MUCH. THIS CLINIC'S OFFICE STAFF SEEMS A BIT CLUELESS, BUT THE VET ASSISTANTS AND DR. BRANNON ARE GEMS. DR. BRANNON EVEN CALLED ME EVERY DAY ON THE WEEKEND TO SEE HOW OUR DOG WAS DOING. SHE TRULY CARES ABOUT PETS.