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February 2024 by Chance Brilz
After 3 visits and 3 poor experiences it's time to find a new vet.On the first visit, the receptionist was unapologetically combative. Prior to the visit I submitted all the requested paperwork, but she insisted I had not. After some back and forth, a nurse came out and informed the receptionist that I had indeed shared everything by email. It was one of the last appointments of the day, and doctor did nothing to hide that fact. She rushed the entire visit, I was in and out of the room in 5 minutes. The one question I had was dismissed, and the vaccines were given to my dog right in front of me as I held him down.On the second visit, the same rude receptionist was working; her tone hadn't changed. It was a tech appointment, and again rushed. The vaccine was given to my dog in the lobby, which is not the experience I expect at an animal hospital.The third and final appointment I was charged a $50 cancellation fee even though I went to the appointment. The previous Saturday I requested a sick visit after my dog had an upset stomach for a few days. The first available appointment was Tuesday afternoon. By Monday night, he had recovered and no longer needed to see the doctor. Early Tuesday morning I called, explained the situation, and offered to still come in for a follow-up vaccine. I understand it's their policy, but the only alternative option was to pay $95 to waste mine and the doctor's time. This is a unconscionable practice, especially considering I still gave them my business.I have been to caring, empathetic vets in the past and I can say without doubt this is not one of them. It's my experience that the vet prioritizes business over the care for animals.
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February 2024 by Paulina Megías
I hope my experience is not the norm, but I feel like I need to leave a review for other pet owners.My first two or three times at Del Ray Animal Hospital went smoothly as far as I remember. I did let the doctors know that my cat had been prescribed gabapentin when he was first brought to a shelter, and voiced my concern that this medicine gave him pretty bad GI side effects (which included vomiting all day and even having accidents in his carrier on the way back from the vet). They never spoke to me about alternatives or even said that he needed to take it.I called multiple times before my last visit to make sure I could give him his rabies vaccine before we moved to a different state. When I showed up, both the tech and vet said that they could give him his rabies vaccine so I didn't have to go back. I was confused because that was the reason for my visit but ok. When it was time for the exam, my cat started hissing and did not seem comfortable at all. I reminded the vet that I did not give him the gabapentin, (and was never instructed to give it to him). She was visible irritated and was struggling to even give him his vaccine with the help of the tech. At the end, she told me I needed to be "more proactive" next time, about giving him his medication. I reminded her of all my concerns, as well as the fact that they had never actually told me my cat needed to take it. She told me she would research alternatives and get back to me (of course she never did). She also didn't seem phased by the fact that she didn't examine my cat, even though they told me he had lost 0.2 lbs and I shared concerns about him not eating as much.I contacted the hospital afterward to ask them to give me a quick appointment so that she could actually do the exam. They told me they had availability and once I gave them my options they stopped responding, even though they knew I was moving that same week. They did not get back to me at all after that. I had to reach back out, about a week or two later, and asked for them to refund the office visit fee, since they never examined my cat and now I have to take him to a different vet to make sure nothing's wrong with him. They said they would need their manager to review it, and that she would be in the office the next day. Obviously I didn't hear back on the day when the manager was in, and now it's a holiday weekend. I was very disappointed with how unprofessional they were during this last visit, it seemed like they assumed I'd just go back and spend another $90 on an office visit. Also, the doctor never followed up about the gabapentin so I don't know what they were expecting from me. After all that, I can't recommend this vet.Edited to add: I had a couple of calls with them where they flat out refused to refund the exam fee because the doctor claimed she did a "quick exam." Apparently no exam still qualifies as a quick exam!? They said it's because she spent time giving him his vaccine. There was a lot of putting me on hold to "check with the manager," and when asked why I couldn't speak to her directly they said she was in a meeting. I asked to get a call back from her and she never called. How unprofessional can they be!? I ended up filing a claim with my credit card company, and my cats new vet has actually found a lot of things on blood tests that we were going to miss because of these negligent people!
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January 2024 by Julie & Gary Leadstrom
Horrible customer service. If you are looking to be treated poorly, this is the place for you and your pet. I had been referred to this place after moving here from Colorado. We are MUCH happier since finding a vet that CARES about you and your pet. I was supposedly patched through to a manager, not sure of her name.
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January 2024 by D S
Most efficient vet I've ever been to. Little to no wait times, easy to make appointments, and very kind staff! Moved and hour away and still come here for all my pet's concerns.
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January 2024 by Naomi Klein
ready to make an appointment. vets are great, location is great, prices are comparable!
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December 2023 by Kate
We love Del Rey Animal Hospital and have been taking our cat there for about a year now after having a bad experience at a nearby cat-only clinic. I’ve never waited more than 5 minutes and the staff is incredibly knowledgeable and friendly. We feel like we’re in good hands at Del Rey!
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November 2023 by Ebonnee D
Great vet. My dog had a skin infection and we’d already completed two rounds of twice daily antibiotics. The vet here gave my dog a shot instead of 20+ days of medicine and the infection cleared up quickly. I loved the ease of a shot rather than struggling to give pills to my picky dog. I love how thoughtful the staff is
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October 2023 by Le'Evelyn Hammett
My pup was scheduled for a vet appointment. They called me while I was literally waiting at the traffic light at the intersection viewing the office. I told them that I was waiting for the light to turn green and the nurse said "okay, we will see you when you get here." Arrived at my vet appointment 7 minutes late when I walked in the building. Checked in, and we sat and waited a few moments. We were called to the back, they took my pup's weight and asked all of the questions. She looked him over a bit. The nurse said she would be back with the vet. She came back after a few moments and said that I would have to reschedule because I had missed half of my appointment. I looked at my watch and at that point, it was 14 minutes after the schedule time for the appointment to start. I asked out of confusion, how long are the appointments supposed to be, and she said 30 minutes. I didn't want to get into a back and forth about how it wasn't technically 15 minutes, because I was 7 minutes late. I was most annoyed by the fact that that she then offered to ask the vet would she just do a quick appointment in the back. She went out of the observation room again and came back not even a moment later saying that the vet had left. 16 minutes after the scheduled appointment time. She apologized a few times and said that they are some kind of temporary sub vets and have to leave at a certain time. She asked could I leave my dog and come pick him up later in the evening or if I could come back later in the day, but that was not possible with my schedule. The irony of the whole situation was, I was late because my puppy wouldn't poop for a fecal sample. This vet did not used to be like this. I have been with them for a while, so it broke my heart to have to switch. I guess they outgrew us. The staff has become super rude, they have no patience, and it is definitely not the same warm family-friendly environment as it was a few years ago. So disappointing!
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October 2023 by Robert A Sanders
"ITS ALL ABOUT THE MONEY - NO CONCERN FOR YOUR PET"...On September 11 my brother called Del Ray to make an appointment for our 13yr old Wire Fox Terrier "Grands" who has been in our family since he was 4mos old. He was well loved, we miss him so much! He just had surgery last year and was seeming to be recuperating fine until he had a seizure that day. Unfortunately our baby didn't make it through the night and was unresponsive the next morning. He had passed. My brother through all the grief finally got himself together to call Del Ray (the place where Grands has been going for over 10yrs) and advsd one of the reps there to inform Erica (the rep my brother normally deals with @ Del Ray) that Grands had passed. Erica wasn't there at the time so they said they would leave her a message. Two days later no phone call from no one at Del Ray. There was no type of concern whatsoever. You would think that after showing 10yrs of loyalty to an Animal Hospital whose service throughout the years to be honest has been less than stellar, that they would show some sort of concern for a customer who has lost a beloved family member (pet). At least you would think they would show a loyal customer the basic concern and sympathy that you would show any Dedicated and Loving Pet owner. Del Ray you should be ASHAMED of yourselves. My family will never EVER recommend your services to anyone. Thanks for making one of the worst experiences we've had to endure even more unbearable. DO BETTER!PS. If you are looking for a committed and dedicated hospital for your Pet.......TRUST ME LOOK ELSEWHERE!
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October 2023 by Vanessa
I’m not sure if anyone else has experienced this, but is anyone else being charged $45 to get their pet’s nails trimmed? I have a 8 month old, 25lb, pug who i have been taking here since he was 12 weeks. I’ve always been charged around $19.80 for trimming, but last visit I was told by the technician that she’s marking him as a “difficult trim” and that next visit will be an additional $5. It was odd that she marked him as a difficult trim when that’s the only place i’ve ever taken him to get his nails cut & never had prior issues. Even though the tech did not explain why she considered him as difficult, I was understanding and figured maybe it’s because now that he’s older he’ll try to escape when he doesn’t like something or he got excited making it difficult to cut his nails. However, after todays visit I was completely shocked at the price difference! He’s not a large size dog or an aggressive breed! Nor does he growl or bite! i’d understand if it’s one or the other, but marking a pug puppy as difficult and charging $45 is disturbing.
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September 2023 by Erhan Tomar
The worst veterinary clinic”Del Ray Animal Hospital” I've ever seen in my life.Non-professional business.Rude staff!!!!! ,especially Front desk.In this clinic”Del Ray Animal Hospital” I went to for the problem of color change and cloudiness in my cat left eye, they only examined my cat and said that there was nothing important in his eye, they gave me oral medication and eye drops for 7 days. 4 days after I started using the medication, my cat started vomiting and there were no signs of improvement in the eye. It's even worse now. At the check-up we went to yesterday, they told me there was nothing they could do and I should take my cat to the ophthalmologist. Well, if this wasn’t your major why did you give medication? Why didn't you recommend another doctor the first day we came? Now my cat eye is worse and this clinic”Del Ray Animal Hospital” has taken away 9 days from my cat treatment process as of today. If your pet is important to you, stay away from this clinic ”Del Ray Animal Hospital”
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August 2023 by Carlie DeLong
Love the vet that my dog has, Dr. Anne Williams always takes such great care of my dog and answers all the questions that I have. The staff are super friendly and sweet with her as well and they are reasonably priced. I trust Del Ray animal hospital with my dog and any pets I would have in the future. When my dog was spayed she developed a lump over the incision, I sent Del Ray Animal Hospital an email and they got back to me immediately asking me to bring her in the same day to be checked. I have never had such prompt and immediate communication with a vet like I do with Del Ray. I love knowing that if I have questions or concerns about my dog that they are there to answer and help. 100% recommend them to anyone!
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August 2023 by Anna McCormack
We have been using Del Ray animal hospital for our two large dogs since moving to Alexandria a year ago and it has been by far my worst experience with a vet ever. Today was the culmination of what has been multiple incidents of poor care. From confusing vaccine records, causing my dog to need to restart a round of vaccines, to rushed annual appointments, today they told me they wouldn’t see my dog for an infected tooth causing him what appears to be severe pain till November. While I certainly understand there are labor shortages in the industry, perhaps they shouldn’t accept new patients if they’re clearly at capacity. They could have at the very least offered to have him come in and take a look at the tooth (perhaps there was an antibiotic that could help, etc). They have ONE full time vet - the rest are temps who are clearly not concerned about forming relationships with patients, their owners, or the long-term health outcomes of your pets. avoid at all costs.
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July 2023 by Eric Schilling
Staff was welcoming and capable. Diagnosed our dog's problem and discussed the way ahead for treatment. Minimal wait time inside reception area. Well managed environment and visit. Good health results for our pet.
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June 2023 by Lucy Hunt
After many years with this vet, I sadly have transferred pets' care elsewhere.Vet management are exceptionally rude and incompetent.1. I requested a refill of my pet's medication. Staff stated: The pet must be seen by the vet first. The vet called and said the same thing. BUT the vet also said she could give me a small amount of medication to tide the pet over until I could make and come in for an appointment. I called the front desk and asked for that prescription. They stated, "You cannot have any medication until after the pet has been seen." I said, "May I speak to the vet? That is not what she said to me on the phone." Front desk staff said: "No you may not speak to the vet. We will speak to her." I called the next day. Front desk staff stated: "The vet says you may not have any medication until the pet has been seen."Reviewing my vet records, I see that the vet DID say that she would dispense a few pills until the pet could be seen. This statement is in writing! In the pet's records!Was the front desk staff lying about what the vet said? DId they not understand what I was asking?2. Nevetheless, I made an appointment. I noted to the front desk staff that I had pet insurance. I asked them to confirm via email that they took that insurance. I think it's obvious at this point why I wanted this in writing.No response to my email. I called THREE times asking them to response to the email. They said, sure, - but they never responded.At this point, I decided that the level of miscommunication between the vet and practice management, and the unresponsiveness and incompetence of practice management, could serious jeopardize my pets' treatment.I am sorry this nice little business is under such terrible stress, I have always found the vets kind, accommodating, and knowledgeable.
