-
August 2022 by Edward R.
Bruno, our canine, a regular patient at Shaker for over 7 years had an emergency yesterday, vomiting brown bile, after having a blood test and being groomed there just the day before. When I contacted Shaker to find out the results of his blood test I had to leave a message and was told his vet would call back. A tech eventually called and told me that the tests seemed to be normal and Bruno couldn't be seen by a vet for the vomiting issue because they were too busy and they recommended 2 other area hospitals I could try. By the time I was able to arrange an emergency appt elsewhere his problem escalated, and he had to be euthanized at 5 pm. I will never, ever, come back to Shaker nor recommend them to anyone.
-
June 2022 by Chelsea S.
The worst. I moved to the area from Brooklyn in October. I'm from the area and my parents have taken pretty much every dog they've ever had to Shaker with nothing but amazing things to say. My experience was not the same. First, they are really expensive. Coming from the city I thought I'd see a decrease in vet cost. I was shocked that Shaker's fees for exactly the same exams and tests were well over the cost of what I paid in Brooklyn. Second, the lack of management at Shaker (or good management) is evident. They have an army of people as you walk in, but what do they do? They are poorly managed and do not manage expectations. No one calls you back. The pharmacist is the worst. NEVER returns calls. Lastly, why call yourselves an EMERGENCY VET because I had an emergency and you "didn't have a slot to fit you in?" My pet ended up passing after a 3+ hour wait at an emergency vet they recommended to me. They're only really an appointment based vet with no real care in the world for you or your cat. They are only concerned about the money. If my cat lived my husband and I swore never to go back. Great doctors - everything else sucks.
-
May 2022 by Rosa Maria C.
If you are reading this review, you most likely have a pet. The word "pet" minimizes the relationship, the bond you have established with this, albeit furry member of your family. VCA Shaker acknowledges their patients by extending a tender approach in their care. My late chihuahua, a rescue, gave us joy for seventeen years. She survived the early onset of a heart condition because the staff of VCA Shaker monitored her condition and provided treatment that would ensure a quality of life for her remaining days. After she crossed the rainbow, Shaker sent condolences, a card signed by every member of the staff who had experienced an exchange with our "fur girl." That makes VCA Shaker more than a business (by the way it is owned by Mars - yup the candy maker) it's a pet sanctuary.
-
February 2022 by Tay N.
The other week I had an emergency. My dog ate chocolate and I called to see what to do and if I could come in and get him checked out. They basically said they didn't have time for an emergency visit. I had to go to an emergency vet and pay 174 for him to just be seen. They don't care about their clients at all. Why am I paying 91.51 a month and that is for the spay and neuter package which includes emergency visits. Don't take your animals here. They will screw you over.
-
February 2022 by Farrah D.
I have never been more disappointed than I have been in my dealings with VCA Shaker. We joined their puppy care club and paid $90 per month for the first year. As part of this plan, her spay was to be included. It was very important to me that she receive the laser surgery for her spay as I heard it was an easier recovery. Her treatment plan that we signed in advance agreed that this was the surgery to be performed. We were told it would be an additional $80 for this laser to be used. The day of the surgery my husband brought the dog to be spayed. Since it was during covid and they did not allow us inside, they handed him a clipboard with the page turned to a signature line while he was holding a leash and asked him to sign on that line. He did. They did not do the surgery we had agreed upon. When I was outraged and asked to speak to the vet, the vet refused to call me. The office manager called and tried to blame us despite the fact that the treatment plan clearly stated what they were supposed to be doing. One of their papers indicated what we had asked for but they had included another one that simply had "female spay" listed and that apparently was also signed by my husband so they said that was our fault. They had conflicting paperwork despite what we asked for. They didn't care. I moved forward with them despite my better judgement. Fast forward. Three times over the last six months I had incidents where I needed to bring my dog in to be seen. When I tried to get a sick appointment, it was TWO MONTHS out. I called and they literally wanted me to wait 6 weeks for my dog who had a suspected ear infection to be seen. How is this okay? I am now beyond the 1 year mark and paying $59.99 per month for the dog care plan yet I cannot get my dog in to be seen. Another incident where my dog accidentally swallowed something. They said they couldn't see her. Told me to bring her somewhere else. They don't care that this would cost a substantial amount of money out of pocket that I would not have to pay as a Care Club member. Fast forward again. I need to get more flea/tick and heart worm medication for my dog. They refuse to allow a script for outside companies and were trying to force me to pay more (almost double) to get it through them or use the vendors they pick (I'm sure they get a kick back). I have always used 1800PetMeds. They tried to make this impossible by saying I would have to come and pick up the script in person and mail it to 1800PetMeds. I was fine with that and said I would. They discouraged it again and asked me to use them. I said no. The next day I get a phone call that they would not give me a script. They insisted I bring the dog to them to be weighed first. Ridiculous. I have a scale and can weigh my own dog. Then they said she had lapsed on heartworm and wouldn't give me the script unless I brought her for a heart worm test despite the fact that I have already had a heart worm test on her in the last 6 months. Apparently, this would not be covered under her care club because they only require an annual test and she already had it. When I asked how much it would cost they said $200!! This test at other locations runs $40-50. At this point, I simply cannot and will not interact with this place again. It has been nothing short of a nightmare. They do not care about my dog, they just want to make money. I am disheartened and highly recommend you look elsewhere for a vet. Beware.
-
August 2021 by Janine S.
We used to take our dog here. Then one day I called because we needed our dog to be seen that day. For some reason he had thrown up not once but 5x. The lady that answered the phone said they did not have time to see us and she could not have cared less. If they care so little about their clients, we knew we needed to take him somewhere where the people actually cared about him.
-
August 2021 by Aaron S.
It's a chain. They're concerned about money. They just emailed everyone to say they're not dealing with online pharmacies (chewy.com) because they're "concerned about pet's health." No. They're concerned about profits. Try lowering your costs for meds, VCA, and then we wouldn't go to online pharmacies. SMH.
-
August 2021 by Vincent G.
Put my girlfriend on hold for so long it went to voicemail twice... our dog had an injured toe where the skin was pulled all the way back from the nail. We bring him in to have his nail and toe area looked at. They take him in for 5 minutes and come out with his toe nails trimmed. Said the doctor thought everything looked good, it looked like ground beef... no doctor looked at that and said it looked good. The doctor never saw my dog. Receptionist isn't worth 2 paperclips as far as her ability to execute her functions. Extremely rude. We've been customers for over a decade and they didn't care for our dog at all. Next day he went to the animal emergency center where we received $360 worth of treatment and medicines. Shaker Vet doesn't care for your animals. sometimes they don't even look at them. terrible humans.
-
March 2021 by Sophia M.
I was calling on behalf of a mutual client and I was very unimpressed with the gentleman that answered the phone. He sounded like he could care less about anything I had to say. Not a good first impression.
-
February 2021 by Barb D.
The most disorganized so disappointed, Use to take all my animals there for emergency and grooming. Not again
-
May 2020 by Samantha B.
They don't listen to your concerns, are at times demeaning and wanted to do a $3k surgery on our cat who had nausea and showed nothing in her digestive track for a blockage. It felt like a money grab.
-
May 2020 by Dara A.
It seems to be part of a chain. My Pug has been very sick coughing. She seems to be deaf Somewhat suddenly. so I asked the intake person to please have the doctor to clean her ears. After waiting over an hour they took her in and returned her probably within 15 minutes with dirty ears no prescription for antibiotics and no explanation for her coughing. I was formed in order for them to determine why she would be coughing they would need an extra $450 that's on top of $125. X-rays were recommended for another $200 added. I've never heard of a clinic charging $450 for a blood panel. I brought in a stool sample they wanted $200 on top of other outrageous charges for a simple stool sample test. When I add that all up is much more cost-effective to board a plane round-trip to Nashville take her to her vet down there even stay at a hotel overnight and return with her knowing she was taking good care of by Dr. King. She is still not feeling well. I call shaker vet and the veterinarian tells me a complete lie that Clavamox which I insisted on because she's tolerated the liquid form with no problem in the past. They sent me home with these tablets there are impossible for a little dog to chew or swallow. Concerned that they gave her the tablets as opposed to the liquid which she is used to I call them to ask and the vet return my call but insisted that she never took Clavamox before and she must be allergic and I should bring her in right away for another examination so the vet can find the proper antibiotic for her even though it may be a viral infection. These people suck and they just want your money.
-
January 2020 by Sean G.
Dr. Patrick showed us how a trip to the vet should go. She was absolutely amazing with my dog. She was so thorough and kept him relaxed during the entire assessment. He even closed his eyes and started to look sleepy in her arms! She clearly is not only extremely knowledgeable and experienced, but she has an innate ability with animals that only a really special person has. I've been to a lot of different vet hospitals and have seen many different doctors throughout the years, but none have come close to my experience with Dr. Patrick and with VCA in general.
-
November 2019 by Joseph K.
*****Costomers Beware of Monsters working at clinic**** We have been loyal customers at Shaker animal Hospital for over 15 years. Recently we have become aware that they are fee based and commission based vets. They don't have your best interest in mind or your animals best interest in mind when you visit. They fleece you for everything you've got. They play with your emotions at a very difficult time when you are forced to make a difficult decision to put your animal to sleep. Dr. Cherry is a hairy Monster ! We had a 4:00 pm appointment, we were the only customers in the lobby when we arrived. We were assigned to a room. We waited in that room for 40 minutes while the employees ate lunch. We could hear everything going on in the back of our tiny waiting room. After we had to ask if we were forgotten about did Dr. Cherry come in to visit us. We were overcharged for an exam we did not need. We were told that other meds were available for my animal to help her deal with her pain that would have been more effective. Our dog suffered unnecessarily for over two years, without giving us an opportunity to switch to another medication. We were told that if we put her down our pet would be put in a freezer and held on location for over a week because of the Thanksgiving holiday ! That was something that you never want to hear after you've made the difficult decision to put your beloved dog to sleep. Dr Cherry has a horrible bedside manor, absolutely no empathy for the grieving dog owner. If you choose to go in know they are just looking to fleece you for everything you have. They will overcharge you for medicine when generic medications are available on the market at Target. Eye drops also come in generic form as well. I spent over $ 3600.00 over the past two years only to learn that other medications would have been more effective and eased her pain.
-
October 2019 by Ruth C.
GRAB YOUR PET AND YOUR WALLET AND RUN!I have brought my pets to this business for 40 years. I have had multiple cats and dogs over these years and spent tens of thousands of dollars on care for our many animals, including major surgeries. Five months ago I paid over $4000 for surgery for one of my dogs.Dr. Wolfe (the founder of Shaker Vet) was brilliant, compassionate, and wonderful. He sold this business to what I guess is a chain and this is not the same place.Last Saturday I brought a urine sample of one of my dogs in for testing. The dog has an antibiotic resistant infection that requires extensive treatments. I explained to the woman at the desk that I might have paid for it already when I picked up the antibiotics for the dog a month ago. She could not figure out if I had paid. I told her to contact me or she would catch me next time I was in.Sunday night I saw I had a voicemail that said they would not send to sample to the lab until I had paid for the test. I called the office Monday and paid for the test. I was furious that after 40 years of doing business with this place, they would deny treatment until they received their $71. I have the voicemail. The message was very specific.Tuesday I received another call from VCA telling me that the sample was discarded because they had to hold on to it until they received payment. They offered me a free urine test for my dog plus 20% off the test that was discarded because they held on to the test until payment was received! Yes, I kept this voicemail!40 years of loyalty means nothing to this place. The health of your pet is secondary to their profits. Your pet and your wallet be be much happier anyplace else!rmcolman
