GTA Veterinarian Reviews and Recommendations

[CharmyPoo]

There are numerous threads that have discussed veterinarians in the past. However, these threads are old and difficult to follow with various conversations going on. I wanted to start a new thread with just GTA Veterinarian Reviews. Please add your reviews!

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Please post using the following format.

Clinic Name: <Clinic Name>
Website: <link if available>
Location: <Address (Nearest Intersection)>
Speciality: <Describe their speciality if known>
Price: <Providing a rating out of 5 with 1= cheapest, 3 = average, 5 = most expensive>
Services Used:
<Describe the services you have used>
Review:
<Provide any additional commentary on the clinic>

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I have been around pets my whole life and had more than my fair share of incidents and issues so I will start by sharing some of my experiences. I typically would take my pets to multiple vets for second opinions so I have seen a lot of vets.

For additional reviews, please see http://www.vetratingz.com/SelectThing.jsp?tcvid=21426.

[CharmyPoo]

Clinic Name: Animal Hospital of Unionville
Website: http://www.unionvet.com
Location: 4568 Highway 7 (Hwy 7 and Kennedy)
Speciality: General clinic with 24 hours caregiver and on-site groomer
Price: $$$$ (of out 5)
Services Used:
- Regular check-ups and vaccination (small dogs)
- Teeth extraction (small dogs)
- Neuter (cat)
- Grooming (small dogs)
Review:
I initially went to this clinic because a breeder friend worked there as the groomer. The breeder friend is a top breeder and expert groomer for Maltese (the type of dog I own). As such the vet she used there really understood the breed. That vet helped me with regular check-ups and shots – she was gentle and caring. The vet eventually left but I still went back for non-emergency care with other vets. The service I received was consistently good although their prices are slightly high but not over the top.

[CharmyPoo]

Clinic Name: Seneca Animal Clinic
Website: Not available
Location: 3879 Don Mills Road (Don Mills and Steeles)
Speciality: General clinic
Price: $$$ (of out 5)
Services Used:
- Regular check-ups and vaccination (small dogs and cats)
- Spay and Declaw (2 cats)
- Cat Fight Injury (sister’s cat)
Review:
I was calling around to find a vet with reasonable prices for vaccination and regular check-ups – Seneca Animal Clinic turned out to be the most convenient and reasonable priced clinic I found. There were cheaper clinics but they were too far for me. We have seen almost all the vets at this clinic and we consistently received excellent care. They did an amazing job on spaying and declawing our two cats – they both recovered almost instantly. They are very gentle, tentative and good with follow-ups. I have no hesitation in using this clinic for regular and preventative care. I have never used this clinic for emergency care so I will reserve my opinion until later. Seneca is my clinic of choice for non-emergency care – they seem to really care about the pets and not robbing us blind with unnecessary tests and services.

[CharmyPoo]

Clinic Name: Forest Hill Animal Clinic
Website: http://www.foresthillanimalclinic.ca (currently down)
Location: 1049 Eglinton Avenue West (Eglinton and Bathurst)
Speciality: Opthamologist, One of the vets also works at VEC North
Price: $$$$ (of out 5)
Services Used:
- Eye Ulcer Surgery (sister’s dog – small Shih Tzu)
- Hair Loss Diagnostics (small Maltese)
- Emergency Case (small Maltese)
- Cancer Tumour Removal (old cat)
Review:
My sister’s Shih Tzu had serious eye issues and I was helping her deal with the vet care. I was referred to Forest Hill Animal Clinic. Dr. Goldstein Senior is an amazing opthamologist who knows eyes like no other vet. My sister continues to rave about his wonderful service and how kind the doctors are.

I personally have also dealt with Dr. Goldstein Junior to help diagnose a hair loss problem with my Maltese – we never figured out what was wrong with her and eventually she stopped losing her hair. I worked with Dr. Clys (spelling) for an emergency situation when my dog stopped eating and was really weak. Unfortunately, she was misdiagnosed and mistreated with diabetes – after over $5000 in vet bills – she was eventually saved but we never found out what was wrong with her.

My boyfriend’s family cat was diagnosed by their vet really late with intestine cancer and was advised to let her go. They took her to Forest Hill for a second opinion – they ended up opening her up to see if there was any hope and then put her down.

My stories about Forest Hill didn’t always turn out to be rosy but this clinic is so caring and really knows their medicine. I typically go to Forest Hill for the emergency or huge issues. Other advantages are that they have walk-ins in the morning and one of their vets is also a vet at VEC North which will ensure your pet can have some continuity if they require after hours emergency care. Net of it all – if your dog is prone to eye issues – this is the ONLY clinic for you. Their prices aren’t the cheapest but they aren’t the most expensive.

[CharmyPoo]

Clinic Name: Willowdale Animal Hospital
Website: http://www.willowdaleanimalhospital.com
Location: 256 Sheppard Avenue West (Yonge/Bathurst and Sheppard)
Speciality: 24 Hour Emergency Clinic
Price: $$$$$ (of out 5)
Services Used:
- Various serious Emergency situations (small dog)
- Stitches (small dog)
Review:
Overall, I have such mixed feelings about this clinic. On the up side, they have always successfully saved my pets and provide good 24 hour care. On the down side, this clinic is like highway robbery – they do every test imaginable whether or not it is necessary. I have literally paid over $20,000 in vet bills to this clinic. I have no question about their ability as veterinarians – I worked with almost all of them and they are patient, kind, smart and extremely competent. My problem is just how much they charge – they are really careful and run so many tests – I can’t blame them and I always agree to it to be safe. The bills are just hard to swallow.

Some of the bad moments I can remember. I had a small Maltese (2.5 lbs) who had frequent seizures, heart and leg issues – overall a trouble case. He had numerous seizures one day and I bought him into Willowdale Animal Hospital where he literally died but they got him back. He was on life support for 10 days because I couldn’t let him go. All the vets thought he was going to die and told me to pull the plug – I couldn’t and eventually he got better. In the mean time, we had numerous x-rays and ultrasounds – I even had to pay for x-rays couple times because they didn’t do it right the first time. He ended up passing away a couple years later. On a separate occasion, my boyfriend paid almost $500 to get some stitches in for a dog after a small grooming accident!

I am just heading out to pick up my dog from Willowdale Animal Hospital after she spent 5 days there. She was really weak and they diagnosed her with pyometra and had an emergency spay (make sure you spay your pets – let this be a lesson – I usually do but she is so tiny that I didn’t). During this time, they did almost every test imaginable – so many blood tests, bile acid, etc … The good news is that they saved my baby. The bill is almost $5000.

Summary: Great doctors and excellent care. Just be prepared for a HUGE bill.

[CharmyPoo]

Clinic Name: Bayview Mall Veterinary Clinic
Website: http://www.bayviewmallvetclinic.com
Location: 3289 Bayview Avenue (Bayview and Cummer)
Speciality: Not Sure
Price: Not Sure
Services Used:
- Eye check-up
Review:
I took my sister’s dog to this clinic since I noticed it was strange – they ended up referring me to Forest Hill Animal Clinic which we are grateful for. I actually don’t know enough about this clinic to do a full review. However, this is a vet that I won’t be returning to for the following reasons:
1. The vet insists on using “big words” to show how much she knows. I frankly just want things explained to me in simple terms.
2. The dog had a piece of hash brown stuck in his teeth and she was insisting it was a huge blob of tartar. I told her it is just food and she refused to listen to me until I pulled it off and showed her.

[smokescreen15]

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Clinic Name: Cloverdale Veterinary Hospital
Website: Not available
Location: 4229C Dundas St W Etobicoke, ON
Speciality: Animals? (lol, not sure)
Price: $$
Services Used:
1. Booster shot and checkup for kitten, Treatment for unknown skin rash/fungus on Cat
2. Neuter for Male Cat

Review:
Every visit to Cloverdale Vet has been excellent. I believe the hospital is run by 1 male doctor, with a team of nurses. When calling around to Neuter a cat they came in at one of the lowest prices.

When I adopted this cat he developed a rash of sorts around his neck that he would routinely scratch. The vet determined it to be a fungus (which he must have picked up from the shelter) and was treated with ointment. After wearing a cone to prevent scratching the skin irritation subsided and he has had a clean bill of health. The Vet made a determination based on his experience and he was correct. Saved me lots of $$$.
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