R DiCello

Review of Animal Clinic of Chardon

The list below is the criteria I used to give 2 st...

The list below is the criteria I used to give 2 stars, where each one is worth one star:

----Vets (Professionalism, Friendliness, Knowledge)
----Pricing (Excessive testing, Reasonableness)
----Facility (Cleanliness, Quality)
----Staff (Friendliness, Professionalism, Knowledge)
----Overall satisfaction after an appointment

This clinic gets one star for each category except for the 3 most important categories--vets, pricing, and overall satisfaction.

They have an above average facility and staff, but you leave with only average satisfaction because the bill they give when you're about to leave includes testing that your pet never needed and prices that are usually at least 3-5x more than what other local vets charge.

Satisfaction then drops even lower after you realize that, although they are definitely knowledgeable... of statistics and research, they lack the common sense to apply it to your pet without you walking out of there with less than a $300 bill (when your pet just has a cold). For example, on one visit (my last visit), I literally got a bill for $330 that included: 1) antibiotics for something that they guessed was viral, 2) the medical advice: "make sure he rests and stays away from other pets" and 3) a lab test which they admitted, if it came back positive, didn't change their medical advice. I refused the lab test (bringing my bill to $250) and went to a different vet. The other vet charged me $30 for the entire visit including the same medical advice and antibiotics. And, more importantly, they determined (correctly) that it was just. A. Cold. From others I've later talked with, Animal Clinic of Chardon has a reputation for scaring the bejeezus out of owners with statements like, "If your pet has this (insert horrible disease here), and you don't pay for this (insert extremely expensive testing or procedure here), he could die." And again, it was just. A. Cold.

Is it better to err on the side of caution? Sure. And a good vet will do just that... and nothing more. This clinic goes overboard with testing, pricing, and 'what if' scenarios.

What makes things even worse though is the feeling you get that they're not doing it just for your pet (oh and DEFINITELY not for you, the pet owner) but also to inflate their own egos, especially Dr. Wendy-one of the owners, who likes to point out that's she's a Dr more than any Dr I've ever met or known, but won't take the time to consider the owner's views because, in her mind, you are not equals.

In sum, the most positive light I can put this clinic in is this:
Have you ever known the kind of grandma who makes you wear 10 layers on a breezy day -just in case? She dismisses you when you ask, "Isn't that unnecessary because we all know illness comes from germs, not the cold?" Then she points out self righteously, "you didn't even consider that the cold can theoretically lower your immune system which can then make you less able to fight off the germs and more likely to get sick" all the while, upset that you dared to question her, since she's obviously so much older and wiser than you? If you agree with the Grandma in this scenario and want that extra assurance that every possibility has been covered, even if it's not likely and makes no common sense, and if you have the extra money to spend, this may be the place for you.