Vets

[jamiesquared.livejournal.com]

I went through the tags and I dont see anything for vets/animals unless it is called something else?

I am looking for a new vet. I want something either in Somerville or Arlington and if they are on-time I would love it! My existing vets office is consistently 20-30+ mins late and it gets old when you are there pretty often. If your vet knows about dogs with allergies that would be great too!

Comments

[eclecticavatar.livejournal.com]

I really highly recommend Cambridge Veterinary Care on Mass Ave between Porter and Harvard. It's really close for Somerville residents, depending on where in town you live.

http://www.cambridgevet.com/

[jamiesquared.livejournal.com]

Just curious- why do you highly recommend them :)

[eclecticavatar.livejournal.com]

1) They have a gorgeous facility that they've just renovated that has an office downstairs for their very own affiliated groomer.

2) They use PetPortal online, so you can look up all the health information and past history of your pet without having to call them. If you want, it will email you reminders when it's time for a physical or shots.

3) They're willing to go above and beyond to make sure that your sick animal is feeling better, even if it means they lose a little money.

4) They're willing to work with you on the bill and never push anything on you that's not necessary.

5) The staff is really competent and friendly.

6) They're generous with the free samples!

7) They accept CareCredit, which is a credit card for health related expenses.

[jamiesquared.livejournal.com]

The PetPortal sounds neat, my doctor does that and I love it! Thank you for replying back, much appreciated.

[dreda.livejournal.com]

Dr. Ulrich at Huron Animal Hospital on Beacon Street near Inman. (Right next to the Thirsty Scholar.) Calm, loves animals, spends all the time necessary, talks to owners like actual humans, doesn't over-drug or over-test, doesn't overcharge.

Just completely excellent.

[jamiesquared.livejournal.com]

All of the above are important :) Ty

[arialas.livejournal.com]

I'd like to second Dr. Ulrich! He clearly loves dogs and handles our dog gently and always spends some time petting her and letting her sniff him so that she's comfortable. Everyone at the office has been kind and helpful, and they're good at explaining what they're doing, what they recommend, and why.

Also - he diagnosed my dog's allergies. We weren't sure why her eyes were tearing up and why she rubbed them so much when we first got her. We aren't using any medication right now because they aren't too bad, and he told us what to look out for and when to contact him in case they worsen.

YES!

[spaz-i-mota.livejournal.com]

agreed...i have a cat..but he was incredible!

[wandelrust.livejournal.com]

We take our cats to Porter Square Vet, which is right in Davis Square despite the name. They're usually on-time, and we've been very pleased with them so far.

[witchdogtor.livejournal.com]

I am a local herbalist with a focus on pets and I would be happy to work with you if you do not find what you need. How long has your dog had allergies? Have they been identified? Often, conventional veterinary medicine will mask it with steroids rather than address the root cause (which can usually be resolved without meds at all). I am not a vet and don't mean that herbs should replace veterinary care; just offering some help in a topic I know a bit about.

[m00n.livejournal.com]

A lot of people here have had bad things to say about Porter Square Vets, but I have been there several times now to see Dr. Parker and was very pleased with my experience. He listened carefully, was respectful to me AND my cat, and didn't interrupt. The receptionists are also very friendly compared to some other places I've been.

Also it's *extremely* convenient.

Dr. Parker

[dianamp04.livejournal.com]

I highly highly recommend Dr. Parker. The Porter Square Vet reviews are spotty because the vets there are hit and miss. However, Dr. Parker is great with animals and you can tell he loves what he does. They are almost always on time, and even if a vet is running behind (which I usually only run into when I set up a sick-animal appointment, where they're squeezing me in), they try to get you into a room as quick as possible, so avoid stress for your animal.

[latvianchick.livejournal.com]

I third Dr. Parker recommendation.

[squonk.livejournal.com]

Fourthed. After having tried both Cambridge Veterinary Care (nice facility but too pricey, and Dr. Weiner, though great on the medicine, is not especially gentle or warm) and Huron Animal Clinic (Dr. Ulrich is great, but the facility is of low quality--the scale has often been broken, and the floor, where animals are routinely examined, is not always cleaned between visits), I settled on Dr. Parker. Porter Square Vet is a nice, very clean facility, the prices are reasonable, and the staff is friendly and efficient. Dr. Parker is fantastic with my Lab, and is completely willing to listen to me and to let me participate actively in her care. And said Lab is also my guide dog, so I am very, very particular.

As others have mentioned, Porter Square Vet has quite a few DVM's and not all of them are great, so the place has gotten iffy reviews here and in other forums. But if you stick with Dr. Parker, you'll be in good shape.

[fangirl715.livejournal.com]

I've been taking my cat(s) to Porter Sq. Vet for about 10 years now, and have always been happy with them. They were especially kind and helpful when Delenn had her last illness & eventually had to be put to sleep, right down to making all the arrangements for her cremation and returning her ashes to me.

(Black humor alert: I have to admit I smiled a bit when I got her ashes back in an attractive, tasteful wooden box, which was in turn in a gift bag w/a sympathy card, looking for all the world like something I'd be taking to, oh, a wedding shower. Not having any better way to carry it home, as my tote was already full, I ended up putting the bag in the cat carrier that I also had to pick up--they held it for me after she died, understanding that having to take an empty carrier home right then would be terribly hard--told Delenn we were going home one last time, and headed out the door. On the way home, I had at least 3 people stop me, peer in the carrier, and ask "Where's the cat?" Me pointing into carrier: "The cat's in the bag." Them: "Huh?" Then I'd have to explain the situation...but my gallows humor appreciated being able to say "the cat's in the bag" and have it actually be the case for once in my life. Hey, if we didn't laugh, we'd cry...)

[spot.livejournal.com]

We've been happy with the Arlington Animal Clinic on Broadway (http://www.arlingtonanimalclinic.net/). I cannot remember the last time a vet actually advised that certain procedures were really unnecessary, rather than simply charging us for them, but they have done this!

I can't comment on how they handle dogs, as I have none.

[dancingdeer.livejournal.com]

I've been satisfied with their doctors, but less so with the non-tech staff. We stopped taking our dog(s) there because it was just too much stress on the dog and on us.

[fumblerette1.livejournal.com]

In Belmont, but I go to the Cushing Square Vet Clinic. I found their prices to be fairly competitive, but more importantly, they are friendly, have appointments available easily, do 3 year vaccines, and most importantly, worked with me to come up with a health plan for my particularly difficult kitty, involving full sedation every 3 years for a full workup.

[sparkgrrl658.livejournal.com]

our vet is dr. bourquin at fresh pond animal hospital in belmont.

i haven't been in quite some time for...various reasons unrelated to the care i received, but i digress. i started going there as a good friend and roommate worked there as a tech so i often saw and heard 'behind the scenes' as it were. i have two dogs - one who is from a breeder and never needed anything more than the regular stuff, and the other who is a 10 yr old rescue who came to me with some skin abnormalities, eye problems, ear infections, and needed serious dental work. always very happy. my roommates took their three cats there as well.

good luck!

[also, to add to the allergy comment someone made, i also would look into different dietary type things; that was probably the only issue i still have with the majority of vets, they find anything found in a petco but not in a grocery store essentially to be okay and, i don't. that being said they also did not chastise me for my changing my dogs diet either. anyway, there is a lot out there about diet relating to allergies if you haven't been down that road already.]

[witchdogtor.livejournal.com]

thanks for mentioning nutrition - IMO, it's the foundation of allergy resolution, and it doesn't come in an exhorbitantly overpriced bag of Science Diet, Eukanuba, or IVD/Royal Canin.

[beantownclown.livejournal.com]

I've also used Arlington Animal Clinic for my dog Jasper for 3 years and I am very happy with them.

[thapsychlone.livejournal.com]

I think I'll be checking out Dr. Parker at the Porter Square location...I'll let everyone know how it went when the kitty and I return.