Lisa H

Review of Germantown Veterinary Clinic

Dr. Claire is the best vet I have ever been to! I ...

Dr. Claire is the best vet I have ever been to! I had 4 dogs when I tried out her services at Gaithersburg Animal Hospital about 5 years ago. Then she made a move from Gaithersburg to Village Vet of Urbana and Germantown Veterinary Clinic. Even though the drive takes me even longer from Silver Spring, Dr. Claire makes it worth it! I know my dogs physical and mental health have always been a top priority for her. I am a dog trainer, and in my opinion, mental health is equally as important as physical, so I appreciate vets who understand this. Also, with 4 senior dogs it was critical that I find a vet who was understanding of the fact that I just wanted to focus on their quality of life as they age, so that their last years of life would be happy/comfortable. Dr. Claire allowed me to do that.

I just had to put down two of my dogs in 2 months. When I put down my Bulldog, Dr. Claire was unavailable so I had to go to another vet at Germantown Veterinary clinic (dont remember her name). My experience with the front desk staff was very good. They were kind and brought me right back into a room when I got there. But the vet and the vet tech were not the warmest people during such an emotional time. I get that my dog wasn't a normal patient of theirs but even so, I feel like the warmest, kindest people should be doing euthanasia. I have also been in the animal care industry for long enough to know that some animal people aren't people people, you know what I am saying?! But, with that said, I stand by my above statement= warm people should be doing and assisting with euthanasia, for the dogs sake and for their guardians! The vet was also going to euthanize my dog when she wasn't even fully asleep. The tech said that most dogs don't completely fall asleep. Thats not my experience (years of shelter work assisting in euthanasia), but okay. Then the vet seemed slightly annoyed when I mentioned it to her. She said that I told her I wanted to get it done quickly, which is true, but not because I was in a rush, I just knew it was time so I didn't need any time to think about my decision and I just wanted my dog to be asleep as quickly as possible. She gave me two options, give the medicine more time or give her more to put her in a deep sleep. I decided to wait and eventually the medication did kick in and she fell asleep. Then after some prodding with a needle the vet found a vein and it was done. It wasn't the worst euthanasia experience I have had but it was nowhere near the best either. Gave this place 3 stars for Dr. Claire and the staff that I have met in the past who have been nice.