Vet recs:

[prunesnprisms.livejournal.com]

Looks like our veterinary recommendations haven't been updated since 2013 -- so here we go.

My cat needs a new vet. She's been at the same practice for the last ten years and I keep getting this upselling vibe every time I take her in for an annual exam that always seems to conveniently dovetail with food they sell, drugs they sell, services they sell, etc.

This time, she's actually got some concerning problems and if I'm going to take her in for treatment regularly, it has to be with a practice I don't start to feel itchy about every time I walk in.

Anyone have any Somerville or Cambridge recs (NOT interested in Arlington/Medford/Belmont etc because it's out of my way) particularly, Porter Square Vet on Summer that would be my first choice out of convenience?

Forestalling the inevitable questions:
Don't really care to out the name of the current practice
Won't take her further afield than Cambridge or Somerville right now
Did already check the tags

Comments

[vonelftinhaus.livejournal.com]

Porter Square Vet, Dr Parker or any of the other Doctors there

[leafshimmer.livejournal.com]

I had very good experiences with Porter Square Vet.

[sovay]

derspatchel and I have had very good experiences with Porter Square Vet. (Our cats disagree slightly, but that's because it took two medical professionals to clip Hestia's claws.)

[teko.livejournal.com]

Another thumbs-up for Porter Square Vet. They've never tried upselling me on any services or unnecessary drugs.

[lunarcamel.livejournal.com]

Moved to the South Shore and dearly miss Porter Square Vet. I saw Dr. Champain (sp? pronounced like the fizzy French wine) mostly but everyone I saw was excellent, realistic, and not just out for my money.

[emcicle.livejournal.com]

We've used Porter Square Vets for 15 years and have been happy with them. They have always understood when our budget prevented us from doing further diagnostic testing ( back when we were younger) and i don't feel like they push testing/ treatment/food etc.

[she-of-emeralds.livejournal.com]

I agree with all the folks recommending and praising Porter Sq. Vets. Go for it!

[mzrowan.livejournal.com]

I'll toss in a rec for Union Square Vet, which is now on Highland near Cherry (you'd think businesses around here would have learned the folly of naming themselves after their initial location by now...).

[shadow.livejournal.com]

We moved away about a year ago, but we loved Union Square Vet for our two cats as well. Despite our cats' chronic health problems (one's fat and both have had lifelong FHV), I never felt pushed toward buying products at the vet. Our vet actually recommended we buy the lysine supplements online since they would be cheaper and available in a wider variety of formulations.

[prunesnprisms.livejournal.com]

Oooh, that's arguably even closer to my house.

[muffyjo]

So, I don't know how tight finances are, but I had a vet that made housecalls (http://www.athomevet.net/) and loved him through the last ten years of both my cats lives. Even though I don't have cats anymore (it's been 2 years) I still send and receive holiday cards from his practice. Jeremy was AMAZING with cats and in the end was amazing at helping me get through putting them both down, lovingly and in their own home.

[leafshimmer.livejournal.com]

Wow! thank you so much for this info! My Divine One has PTSD so I want to check this out.

[brouhaha.livejournal.com]

One more vote for Porter Square Vet! My two cats have been going there for a while now and have received very good care.

[mamajoan.livejournal.com]

I may be the only person on the planet who didn't totally love Porter Square Vet. I was okay with them for the most part, but got a kind of judge-y vibe toward the end of my old cat's life, when I was trying to decide how long to continue treating his medical issues vs. having him put to sleep. I've been taking my current cats to Winter Hill Vet Clinic (on Broadway near McGrath) and have really loved them. All of the staff are great, and the place has that homey small-business vibe, like, the building literally used to be someone's home.

[eustaciavye.livejournal.com]

I'll second this. My cat Sam became sick in early 2013. I took him to Porter Square vet who insisted he was fine and it was just a behavioral issue. Winter Hill was the place that said "hey something is really wrong with this cat let's run some tests." It turned out to be cancer. With treatment he lived for 2 more years. I'm really glad I got the second opinion.

[witchdogtor.livejournal.com]

No love for Porter Sq Vet here, either. I found that they are just as likely to push meds and products that are unnecessary, as well as very poor quality "prescription" food. It's worth it to me to travel out of town to a practice that I trust - since I generally only go once a year.

[veek.livejournal.com]

I hated Porter Square Vet. They misdiagnosed my cat for thyroid issues (!), were uncommunicative, and pretty explicitly didn't "do" continuity of care. They bounced us around their doctor roster even when I asked them to stop doing it. When I complained about them on LJ (don't remember whether it was here or in my own journal), people came out of the woodwork with similar experiences.

The practice I loved, right up until my cats went to live with a friend, was Huron Veterinary Hospital at 70 Beacon Street. They're a tiny practice, despite the name.

[prunesnprisms.livejournal.com]

I have heard that place personally recommended by someone else I know too. nice!

[badseed1980.livejournal.com]

Like Mamajoan, I've had great service at Winter Hill Vet. Dr. Neenan, the new practice owner, is super nice. When I told her my cat was having constipation issues, her first recommendation was petroleum jelly, and it wasn't until the cheap generic remedy didn't work that she prescribed a pricier food--which they don't sell themselves, so it's not like they made additional money from it.

Winter Hill Vet

[sd210.livejournal.com]

I don't have any experience with Porter Square, but my cats have been going to Winter Hill Vet clinic since 2008. We loved Dr. O'Donnell and saw her up until she retired and sold the practice. But I have to say, I have been incredibly impressed with Dr. Neenan, who purchased the practice. She was been wonderful with our 2 cats, including an older cat who is difficult as can be and has had some serious health issues over the past year. I've never experienced "upselling" there at all.

Last winter, Dr. Neenan saw my older cat "after hours" to address some side effects the cat was having to prescription antibiotics (the cat was throwing up and dehydrated). She had us come in late on a Saturday after the office was closed to give the cat IV fluids and a shot of anti-nausea medicine so we could avoid a trip to the emergency room on Sunday if the problem continued. It was just what the cat needed and she recovered quickly. Two thumbs up for Dr. Neenan.

[guthmeister.livejournal.com]

I'll ditto the recommendation for Porter Square Vet. I've seen every vet in the practice at least once -- I have/had two very high-needs pets -- and I've always had great experiences. Last fall, when my 13-year-old boxer mix was found to have a very aggressive, terminal cancer, they were very understanding when I told them I didn't want to put her through chemo. They respected my desire to keep her quality of life as high as possible for as long as possible and worked closely with me, especially in the final few days, to keep her comfortable. I can't say enough good things about them.

[ayelle.livejournal.com]

We switched to Porter Square Vet to get away from an expensive VCA vet whom we perceived as constantly upselling us/always recommending the most costly "just to be TOTALLY safe" treatment. PSV is definitely much more relaxed on that front and our vet costs have gone WAY down. You should've seen the vet's face as she flipped through our two cats' hundreds of pages of records from the old place -- she obviously thought they were being over-treated in terms of shots/meds/procedures, and proceeded to dial it down. (Example: whether or not indoor cats need preventative heartworm medication. Old vet: "A flea could jump in your second-floor window! Better give it to them just to be safe." PSV: "That's not necessary for indoor cats, unless you have reason to believe they could be exposed to fleas.") But at the same time PSV has been very responsive and available when our cats have gotten suddenly sick.

[prunesnprisms.livejournal.com]

that sounds familiar. heartworm treatment was definitely on my list of oddities.

[lizzielizzie.livejournal.com]

Heartworm treatment is the new thing for cats, indoor or otherwise. I think all the vets are doing it. (I've had cats in my life for almost all of my 40*cough* years, and the heartworm thing is new for me.)

[prunesnprisms.livejournal.com]

Yeah, me too.

[tikva.livejournal.com]

Dr. Schoenberg has a private practice for aging, chronically ill, and terminally ill pets, specializing in elder and hospice care. (Your pet does NOT have to be in mid-die to fit into her practice). She makes home visits. You can find her at Autumn Care and Crossings (http://www.autumnvet.com).

FWIW, I have been taking my guide dogs to her since well before she opened her private practice. As I'm sure you know, service dog handlers need their dogs to be in the best of health (of course, we also love our dogs and would want that anyway), and we do NOT mess around with our choices in veterinary care. I have never regretted taking Brodie or Salem to Dr. Becky for a second.

[prunesnprisms.livejournal.com]

Aw, thanks!

[jducoeur]

Yeah, Dr. Becky's an excellent choice for older animals...

If you are ever in need of vet acupuncture services

[mamabunny72.livejournal.com]

I know of two vets who do house calls!

Dr Carol Gifford
dr.gifford@waldenwoodsvet.com or call 781.728.9922
http://www.waldenwoodsvet.com/index.html

When Dr Carol was on vacation, she referred me to Dr Joy Alleman
617-744-9079
jealleman4@gmail.com
http://www.pawsacupuncture.com/contact-me-email-or-617-744-9079.html

Both vets charge $130 per acupuncture visit, which takes about 20-30 minutes. They are so nice and they are great with my head tilt bunny, Matty.