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July 2024 by James T.
Because my puppy, my Mini Pomeranian Scarlett "Lilly Mae" is my absolute world and I will give her nothing less than the best of anything, her Doctor is important to her and I. And I sure did not just find the first office with an opening. I read reviews, I spoke with other pet owners, I researched my candidate records, I studied hard and pondered over this with a fierce energy to make sure I felt good about first the establishment, then their Veterinarian's. And then I made her appointment. Here! Just a "check up", as my favorite Urgent Care in Saugus kept telling me "she needs a doctor, I can't be her primary". And so we went. And that's when I met Doctor Dunn and his assistant. And the girls at the front desk. And Lilly made her appearance. (She owns any place she walks into!). I left feeling great, I felt like he really studied my baby with care. Didn't try to force any particular dog food on me...she's home cooked fed and he wasn't against it! And he spoke to me with respect. And offered web sites for recipes and advice. Fast forward, July 4th Lilly isn't well with fireworks. Well she began shaking her head. Rubbing at her ear. I knew I had to go back. We went back, saw Doctor Dunn again. She actually let him take cultures of her ears. Didn't want to, but did. Doctor Dunn immediately knew there was no infection. Complimented her for her clean ears (found her groomer with the same energy BTW after Petco treated her like an object and Linda's Critter Coral BUTCHERED her Pomeranian Coat almost beyond repair) and told me he thinks she has some irritability from the loud fireworks but no major damage and that time will heal it. Price for the office visit/exam went unmatched he was extremely reasonable!! The guy in my opinion is a true Vet. My understanding is that his dad is also. Very experienced, caring, understanding, and they listen! I would recommend you stop your search here and make an appointment with the lovely front desk staff!
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June 2024 by Richard R.
Wonderful Animal Vet, hospital, we see Dr. Jenn and she and all the staff are fantastict.
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September 2022 by Angel O.
Don't go here if you expect to be seen in a timely fashion. The first time I brought my cat here they kept me waiting a while, I am not sure exactly how long but it seemed a while, and even once we were in the exam room we waited like ten additional minutes for the vet to come. I assumed maybe it was a one time thing and bushed it off, not thinking about it too much. The next time I brought my cat in for a booster and this time I kept an eye on how long the wait was. It was a full half hour after our appointment time before we were seen. :/ Then they made me wait AGAIN after the appointment was done just to check out!! So what should have been a quick appointment lasted almost an hour. Its like why even schedule me at that time if I'm going to be waiting so long. In addition to that, absolutely no one wears masks here so if you're immunocompromised or just conscious of these things keep that in mind. Between all that and the weird layout of this building, making it difficult to move around, it feels like an unprofessional place. This is in stark contrast to the vet office in Salem we take our other cat to that has universal masking and took our appointment on time - when we got that cat's boosters it was in and out in like 20 minutes. I'll be taking my cat to Salem instead from now on.
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February 2022 by Lucy C.
My cat needed an appointment to refill his prescriptions as they were running out soon. I had never been here before, but the ratings seemed good at first. Boy is that a wrong assumption. First of all, they make you check in at a window outside, in below freezing weather! I had to stand there for at least five minutes until someone came to see me. The worst part? I wasn't even allowed in! My poor boy was already stressed from the car ride, peed in the carrier, and now I have to hand him off to someone I don't even know and hope for the best?! That is NOT how you run a caring and understanding business. I understand with Covid and all, but make me wear a mask then! I would be annoyed, but now here I am being worried about what could be happening to my poor kitty behind closed doors with strange people he's never met and he doesn't have me to comfort him. What a scam. There was NO notice that this would be the case when I made the appointment. If this is how you do business you need to tell people right off the bat. If that were the case I would have chosen a different veterinarian. Thank goodness I'm moving soon so I won't have to deal with them again!!
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November 2021 by Lisa B.
My family has been coming to Northshore Animal Hospital for upwards of 20 years. We have always taken advantage of the Friends of Animals spay/neuter program offered through the vet. Well, I tried to make an appointment for my kitten to be spayed using a friends of animals certificate here and the receptionist was extremely rude. She kept interrupting and would jump down my throat any time I tried to say something. She told me that they now require a surgical consultation and vet visit with the vet to accept the certificates, and I would have to pay for both. I told her I have another vet (since I live in another state for school). I told her my kitten had literally just been to the vet and I could provide her with any and all vet records I have for her. I even offered to have her regular vet call and talk to the vet who would be performing the surgery and she literally yelled at me over the phone, saying if I wanted to get her spayed, I either had to pay the $100 vet visit, plus the $110 for the surgery, or go somewhere else. I told her I had literally just brought my male cat to be neutered at this location a year before and they did not make him have a vet visit and surgical consultation. They only asked that I bring his vet records showing he was up to date on all shots and healthy. She, again, yelled at me and said "That was then. This is now. Either pay for the vet visit, or go somewhere else." She was extremely rude throughout the whole conversation, which was extremely disappointing. Honestly, if she had been nice I probably still would have booked the appointment (with complaint) but now I will be taking my business somewhere else. Not only does this vet office employ rude staff members, they are going out of their way to make a quick buck on an animal who has proven healthy. I have used other spay/neuter options and none have required a surgical consultation and vet visit unless the surgery was a cause for concern. My cat is healthy and up to date on all her shots. She has no pre-existing conditions. She is not a risk for the surgery. I made her an appointment somewhere else for $150 cheaper, and let me tell you, they were much nicer during the booking process than this lady was. Never coming here again!
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August 2021 by Kathryn D.
I was there today with my friend and her cat, Jackson. She had to make the hard decision to let him go. The doctor and nurse were so compassionate,caring and understanding. They let my friend stay as long as she wanted to say goodbye to her beloved cat.
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August 2021 by Robin G.
The staff was very comforting when it came time for me to let my little dog go. They assured me that I was doing the right thing. A few days later I received a hand written sympathy card from Dr. Eileen Balz . It meant so much and helped me come to terms with my loss.
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January 2021 by Tara M.
I took my puppy Coco here for her spade they were so good with her and saved me hundreds I used FOA certificate. I am making them my primary vet .Everyone I spoke with was wonderful. I will be bringing Coco back for her future visits. Just wanted to say Thank You!
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December 2020 by Kelly H.
I took my dog here back several years ago The staff is the best. The afternoon my dog passed the vet and the staff was so caring. I would recommend this vet to anyone.
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July 2020 by Ellie W.
I just called this practice to make an appt for my puppy's neutering, I informed the receptionist that I would be using a Friends of Animals certificate, she said they would have to have an exam done first. I then asked the question, is this an additional charge or part of the certificate? I was informed that it would be an additional $85, I even told her he just had his full exam, and why would I need to pay this, she said I am not going to argue with you, you can speak to the Manager, my reply was no that's ok, I am going somewhere else. What a way to exploit the customer, and a very rude employee! Just can imagine how the animals are treated there!
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June 2020 by Ann L.
I was so worried about my Handsome kitty Oliver he had lost a lot a weight and was only hanging out in my room he is usually all over my House. He we call him our little lion and thinks hes the king of the Jungle but that was not how he was acting. We werre anxious to get him in to see a doctor but had to hope for the best for dfew weeks until he was able to see Dr.Jean. Obviously because of covid we weren't able to see him with her. We Had two appointments one for his checkup because he hadn't been in while and then went the very next day for blood to be drawn. Everybody was kind to him and they took very good care of and for him that he didnt seem to mind as much on the way home and complained very little. The very good doctor called us I believe a few days later with the result (I have no concept with time) He was Diagnoses with Kidney Disease and he justvstartes his new diet today. I hope the team that has helped our Oli Bear know that we are very thankful and appreciate their help
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April 2020 by Christine S.
I hate to have to update this review, but this place is very frustrating to me lately. I often have to wait over an hour for regularly scheduled appointments. Also in the last year-ish I have had increasing difficulty obtaining my dog's medications. There is always an issue. I do not live close, but I go there because I have been with them for so many years. I actually had to have a different vet prescribe my dog thyroid medicine at one point because I could not get it out of them. I asked them to send it to a local pharmacy eventually because I was having trouble obtaining it from them through 1-800-Pet-Meds. Never happened. Another vet had it done in 10 minutes. Now I am just trying to get my dog's heartworm and flea/tick meds. They are telling me I need to get a blood test that my dog received just weeks ago. It should not take 2-3 contacts to get regular prescriptions like this. I should also not have to send them the records I have of her blood test she received there to get heartworm meds.
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November 2019 by Lynne S.
I took my 18 yr old cat to North shore animal hospital, my cat was hand raised which makes vet visits a nightmare. My cat needed a sedative in order to be examined. She was to be seen by Dr. Dunn, my cat had impacted anal sacs, hyperthyroidism and arthritis pain. She also had a history of surgery for a bladder stone. I normally would meet the vet and give them my cats history and why I brought her in for this appointment. I was told that you just drop you pet off at 730 in the Am and they will call later in the afternoon when there done. I asked when will I speak to the doctor about her history and her current problems. Well I was told just tell the girl at the desk at checkin. Well this may be fine for a healthy young pet just getting spayed but not for a elder cat with medical issues. I asked , does he call after he has examined my pet, I was told No. Dr. Dunn just goes from one anesthetize pet to another, he doesn't have time to speak to all the owners. This was unheard of to me, I didn't trust that what I told someone who wasn't even writing it down, would be translated properly. Remember the old child game of telephone!!! I asked if I wrote it down in a letter would he read it? A employee there said she would tell him what was on the letter. So I left my baby and prayed. What I asked to be done was to drain and irrigation of anal sacs with instillation of antibiotics, normally oral antibiotics are given to. I also needed a thyroid level done as she hadn't had one done 6 mo. and her dosages needed to be increased a month prior. Due to the fact she needs sedation just for a blood draw and at her age , the tranquilizer itself can be life threatening. When I picked her up about 7 hours later , the Dr. was gone and all I had was a bill and a few lines of notes. The note said the anal sacs were normal (which for 3 yrs I've been dealing with impaction, scooting, and pooping outside the litter box. I also had seen bright red blood and it wasn't from the urine and I asked for that to be checked. Dr. Dunn didn't see any bleeding but decided my cat was constipated and gave her an enema. The Dr. also felt she was dehydrated ( they told me no food or water after midnight) so he gave her IV fluid under her skin, apparently also questioned whether she has kidney disease, which is commonly in older cats. Instead of a wasted IV bolts, he should have drawn blood for kidney function tests ,He didn't even draw blood for the thyroid level ,I asked to be done, as he didn't feel she needed it. So I had a $179.00 bill for what?????? I still had the same issues I had brought her there to be done.This vet doesn't know my cat and didn't call me for permission prior to performing procedures that I had to pay for and then refusing to do what I asked to be done. $65 exam charge- how do you exam a unconscious cat without there owner to provide a history? $50 hospital charges, I asked what was this for, I was told after the enema they had to change the puppy pad she was laying on!!! When I called the next day to complain, as I had to pay the bill in order to get my pet, I was told that Dr. Dunn did what he felt was necessary and who was I to question his experience. Well I am a RN with 28 yrs of medical experience and the owner of this cat for 18 years, and any vet who has not the time to speak to the owners, perform any medical procedures he fills necessary and dismiss what you wanted done for your pet and then demand you pay for it all. Well it's insane, even a mechanic talks to the owner and calls prior to checking with the owner on expenses prior to carrying out repairs. Then 2 weeks later I get a letter stating that Dr.Dunn feels my cat needs a thyroid level check ( the one he refused to do 2 weeks prior) as well as kidney function tests, but they wouldn't charge for the tranquilizer, the lab work would be $150+. Mind you each time she's tranquilized it may kill her especially due to her age. Well, I found another vet. I have vo
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September 2019 by Cheryl D.
I love North Shore Animal Hospital. The staff is friendly and very professional. The waiting room is large, airy, and very clean. The vets are wonderful with my dogs. They are kind, attentive, and very thorough. I have a chronically ill dog and I have been to almost all the vets in my area and I wouldn't willingly go anywhere else but North Shore Animal Hospital unfortunately for me they never seem to have appointments available anymore so I am forced to go elsewhere much to my dismay.
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July 2019 by Melissa F.
I've been bringing my animals here for 25 years! Buh bye... I brought my dog in for a quick rabies shot. Nothing more. He was done in 10 minutes. Easy. I waited 35 minutes to pay an $18 bill! They tell you to sit and wait for your name to be called by the staff when the bill is ready...in the meantime 10 people walk in from outside and get served immediately while the people with the appointments have to sit and wait and wait and wait just to pay a bill!! There were 3 or 4 of us that waited over 1/2 hour to pay our bills after an appointment while walk-ins got the priority. When I mentioned it to the Staff that finally helped me...snippy she said "Well we are a little busy today!" Ya well, me too. Then she can't understand why I'm upset, like I don't have a right because she is busy! Bad customer service, bad flow and incredibly disorganized. GET IT TOGETHER!
