MEADOW HILLS VETERINARY CENTERS P S

unknown

unknown

unknown

unknown

unknown

This was a bizarre experience. I brought my 14-year-old cat into the office, along with all of her medical records. The receptionist was quite friendly. The vet tech asked me to come back into the exam room and began going through Xena the Cat's health status with me. I had a number of questions about vaccination requirements in Washington. My cat is elderly, has diabetes, is an indoor-only cat, and her littermate has had adverse reactions to vaccinations in the past, so I was reluctant to greenlight all of her annual vaccinations at one visit. Specifically, I asked about rabies (1 yr vs 3 yr and the safety record for the new shots) and whether I could get titers in lieu of simply proceeding with feline leukemia and other vaccines.
The vet tech, who was a young woman, grew increasingly annoyed at my questioning and finally snapped to me angrily that she would go get the vet, because I was 'hostile' and everything she said to me turned into an argument. She even slammed the door as she flounced out of the room.
At that point, I simply gathered Xena the Cat and her medical history together and left the clinic. Perhaps I've been fortunate in the past, but I've always had veterinarians who had professional vet techs and who were happy to spend time answering my questions regarding vaccinations and the health of my cat. If that is too much to ask of the veterinary staff at Meadow Hills (Gage and Steptoe), then clearly they are not the veterinary care providers for me and my pets. Perhaps they need to review their training for customer interaction -- perhaps the vet tech was having a lousy day (it happens) -- but I have minimum standards for professionalism, and unfortunately (since it's 2 minutes away from my house), Meadow Hills Vet Center did not meet those minimum standards.
The clinic itself was comfortable and clean, and the front office staff were wonderful. I stopped on my way out and explain that I was leaving without seeing the vet due to the unprofessional behavior of the vet tech.

See above.

It went very well. The girls came back very clean and healthy.

I have been using them for a year. They really pay attention to the animals there, and it is clean. Their price is in line with everybody else. I would use them again in the future, and honestly, I will be using them this week. The only issue is that I think their little cages can be a little bit bigger.

They are very thorough, and investigated by doing testing that was reasonable. The veterinarian did not just assume anything, and came up with a plan of action with testing, which did show a positive test, which required antibiotics for my puppy. They did not give her anything that would create more problems than she had, and discontinued a medication previously given by a different veterinarian clinic that had negative effects. She is feeling so much better! I would highly recommend them! They take the time to listen, they take the time to spend with the patient (puppy), and they took the time to properly test her. I definitely will go back, and really like the way that the veterinarian contacted me back, and was willing to take time to listen. I thank them for such a good job taking care of her!

Went very well. Very caring and gentle. They really do care about animals, not just a job.
If you have the money......yes go there.

We had a very good experience at the Southridge office. We only recently moved to Richland and had not yet established a relationship with a vet. Our older cat became sick on Saturday afternoon. We were very relieved to see the office hours ran to 9:00 PM. The staff did not have an opening at the Gage office, but were able to get into the Southridge office within an hour of calling. The staff at Southridge were all wonderfully welcoming and supportive. When our cat did not respond to the immediate treatment the vet recommended an overnight stay to allow an alternate treatment that worked. The vet explained her recommendations and an estimate of costs well, and took time to explain to us what was happening. Our cat was doing fine by the next afternoon. The vet gave us recommendations on changes in diet to prevent future reoccurrences. We definitely will be returning here for all future needs.

Vet and tech were very gentle with my cat. All in all, everyone one from reception to veterinarian were wonderful to work with and professional.

I have no complaints. They have offered good advice for behavioral issues, and don't try to push products/services on me. I recommend them wholeheartedly.

Thorough, competent, and professional; but costly. It's true that costs were driven high by test requirements, but we were used to paying less for similar services in the Seattle area. Punctuality was rated low because we had to wait a week, and had to call a second time, to get the phone call we were led to expect within two of days. Also, the desk tended to underestimate wait-time requirements. Summary: We found the Center to be patient-oriented more so than customer-oriented (a good thing). The doctors seem well above average. The desk staff seemed about average.

The tech was kind, prompt and professional.

I came home from work at 4:30 on Tuesday, to discover that my 9 year old Miniature Schnauzer was unable to walk on her right hind paw and was in a lot of pain. Her entire paw was swollen, and it was apparent that she had been licking it all day while I was at work. I called her regular vet (which closed at 6), and they were very unsympathetic to the fact that she was in pain, and rudely told me that they couldn't get her in until Thursday evening. This was not okay, so I looked in the phone book for a vet with better hours and who acted like they actually cared about animals. I found Meadow Hills, and they were open until 9. I called them, and the guy who answered the phone was amazing! He said that they didn't have an appointment opening until 7pm (the same day), but to bring her in right away and they would see if they could fit her in. It was 5 when I arrived at the clinic. When I brought her in, the clinic was big, clean, and cheerful. The girls at the front desk were very busy, but the girl who checked in my pup took the time to listen to all of my concerns, answer my questions, and calm my very frightened dog by petting and talking gently to her. I signed a consent form to leave my dog with them, so that they could examine her when they had a free moment, so that I (and my dog) didn't have to wait around until the 7:00 appointment. About 20 minutes after I left they called me and told me that they had tried to examine her, but she was scared and in a lot of pain, and they wanted my permission to give her anesthesia to better examine the extent of the infection in her paw (I said yes). About 40 minutes after that they called and said that everything went well, and that I could come pick her up after the anesthesia wore off (about 8:40ish). All this had been accomplished by 6pm, which was a relief. When I arrived at 8:40, the vet who treated her brought me into a consultation room (NOT an exam room) to discuss what was wrong with my dog. The consultation room had a big bed for your pet, a nice table with comfy chairs, and a large high-resolution tv mounted to the wall to show clients x-rays and lab results of their pets. The vet told me the results of her exam- severely infected paw/nail due to an unknown cause. She suspected that my dog had either stepped on something during a walk, or that she had developed a particular type of tumor that can develop right where the nail grows out of the paw, but was unable to tell due to the irritation and severe swelling of the paw. We decided to treat the infection first, and if the infection continued after the meds to test for the tumor. She prescribed pain meds and antibiotics to treat the infection, and she created a splint/soft cast to protect the infected area (she also had to shave the paw and remove the nail). After the first course of antibiotics didn't clear up the infection, I brought my dog in again (a different vet saw her this time), where a second course of antibiotics was prescribed, and her paw was tested for cancer. The test came back positive for the type of benign tumor that the first vet suspected. She explained that the tumor itself wasn't a big deal, it was the secondary infection that was caused due to all of the licking, and that if the second course of antibiotics didn't work, a partial amputation of the paw would be required to clear up the infection. She made a price quote for the amputation, but fortunately the antibiotics worked, and the paw hasn't troubled my dog since! :-) Overall, this vet is a bit more expensive, but you also get what you pay for- excellent service and a state-of-the-art clinic. Also, there are 6 or 7 vets who work there, so you may not get the same vet every time, but everyone who works there is AMAZING. I will definitely be bringing my dog back here for all of her medical needs in the future.

This clinic is wonderful to work with! There are six doctors that work shifts, so you never know who you are going to get - but they are all fabulous! The office staff is very pleasant and professional. The technicians seem to all be very excited to work with animals and dedicated to provide great care. One of the best things about this clinic is the office hours. They are open until 9:00 p.m. during the week, are open from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturdays, and have a time for boarding pick-up on Sundays. The care of the animal is exceptional - they do everything possible to make sure the animal has a pain-free experience. Even the pet boarding is great - offering extras like grooming, extra playtime, and music. Overall, this is a great vet if you are picky about who takes care of your animals.