RSPCA, Lort Smith, Anvet, etc Reviews

I would have given a negative rating if I can do so!!! Charged me for consultation fee that I never attend and hospitalisation fee of my puppy that was brought home early. Even though I have received the refund after confronting them, I am still unhappy with their service! Details are as followed:

I went to the hospital on a public holiday and the vet told me not to worry too much about my puppy because it looks like a very serious bruise from palpation instead of fracture; he just needed some pain relief. I asked for radiograph to make sure everything is alright and my puppy had to spend a night in the hospital because the radiograph can't be done until the next day... The vet confirmed the estimated bill was $500 including everything for a night but it turned out to be $900 the next day I went back. I asked for a break down of the bill and realised they charged me for another consultation which I never ask/attend for. The supervisor of the nurses told me my puppy needed more medication as compared to other puppies that's why the bill is 1.8 times higher than the estimated! (I felt ripped off)

After the radiograph on the second day, it turned out to be greenstick fracture on the left foreleg and they suggested SURGERY FOR GREENSTICK FRACTURE and quoted me estimate cost of $2.9k! After confronting the supervisor on the overcharged, I was then told by the her that it will be more than what is stated on the estimation from her experience. I have made my deposit for the surgery on my second visit to the hospital and the vet told me she was too busy to show me the radiograph and I did not get an explanation to what happened to my puppy! I can't imagine one going into the theatre without knowing what kind of operation they're getting!!!

They couldn't confirm the surgery detail with me even I have paid for it the day before! I also believe they did not take care of my puppy AT ALL. When my puppy got discharged from the hospital, he was all wet and the nurse told me he has just peed. My puppy was toilet trained and he never pee on himself! The first night home, my puppy peed on his bed and I could not believe what has just happened! What have they done to my puppy?!

It was a disaster!!! NEVER GO BACK!!!

I have been here several times in the last 20 years and always had a good experience. The staff have always been helpful and considerate. Their knowledge of what has been needed for my pets both dogs and cats has been spot on. Wheelchair access, watering areas for pets, emptying yard, open late and pet food.

Highly recommended !!!!!!!!

Very accommodating and caring vets. Looked after our dog around the clock. It's worth mentioning they have payment plans for people who can't afford to pay the vet bills in one hit. A very kind gesture for those who might not have the money but understand pets are family.

Their receptionist Sharon hung up on me when I called for advice. Rude, unprofessional and judgemental.

On-time appointments, very reasonable prices, great and thorough care. Thank you Lort Smith for looking after our sick fur child!

Excellent caring staff helped us through a very sad situation. Many thanks again to the staff who are so wonderful

Very nice staff and convenient location for residents in city.

Always puts your pets welfare first. Very good customer service. They are very kind and caring.

Beautiful people beautiful place especially in the battery was put on to this place through a friend of mine cant rate them highly enough.

Great for routine health checks, vaccinations etc. Weekend rates are a bit more than weekday rates but worth the extra for the convenience.

My mum's dog only need a quick check up so we weren't there long

Reliable for available appointments and knowledgeable staff. Sometimes the services can be pricey. Vets often recommend additional treatments so if you are on a budget be wary to stick to what you can afford.

These guys go out of their way to assist and make the process of attending the vets, as painless as possible for annals and humans alike. Angel's...all of them.

Very good pet Hospital IV taken Two s with various complaints and they've always very professional and friendly

Looks after ur pets very well and not expensive...these guys are great

I ve come here a few times with friends and family friends when their dogs became ill, each time the dogs were thorougly checked and became better. The only reason why I m not giving this place 5 stars is because of a time where my friends dog became ill the veterian belived the dog had parvo, I mentioned to her that the neighbours throw random things over the fence and there could be a possibilty that the dog swalloed it and became ill. The veterian said that no that wasn t the case and that she was 90% sure the dog had parvo, the dog was kept for a few days and later it was discovered that he indeed did swallow something that upset him, so...logic.

This place is just fantastic. We ve taken all our family pets here over 25 years ( dogs, cats , a guinea pig , a rabbit ) and they ve never been anything but kind , helpful, low cost and professional. I really love the condolence cards they send if you have to euthanise a much loved pet. Some might think they re sentimental but we treasure the cards they ve sent us: we still have every one of them . So many Vets do a great job , but the Lort Smith is the best .

Best in Melbourne. Cheapest price but great vet service. Willing payment plans..

We absolutely grateful for what they have done to help our fur baby in emergency which we sadly have to let go, also helping my distressed wife... They have shown great emphaty and understanding... Thank you.

Super friendly vets dedicated to helping sick animals

Fantastic vet doctor's they try there best, Good staff its awesome they give you the opportunity to pay of your debt it be grate if people could donate a little more .

Corrupted system all about making $$$ This place has no idea how and when they need to treat exotic birds, my cockatoo and I were fed misleading information on the first visit from Dr TRISTAN RICH who prescribed some eyedrops ($150) for my bird and informed me that my bird will get better within a week. infact the condition worsened with both eyes, I treated my bird with the eye drops for a whole week before going back which I found out that my bird needed further test done as I tried to argue the point of why they made me wait a week and declineing my birds examinations which DR RICH tried to cover up. His lack of experience and knowledge almost costed my birds health, also did not appreciate that they called me a liar saying I decided not to go ahead with any test also waited four hours in emergency until someone decided to tell me a dog came in with a broken leg and you need to wait one more hour or so because you're bird looks OK which I then decided to cancel all appointments. Sadly they haven't got any idea and I strongly recommend NOT to risk your pets health with people who don't do their jobs correctly

They waste your time providing different information on the phone than is actually the case. Staff are not sincere. Avoid.

Really disaster on service. Waiting long time even you got appointment before.

I can't praise these people enough.... unfortunately this visit was to have my cat put to sleep due to cancer.. still the most traumatic day of my life.....handled with care and compassion by staff.... thank you for the understanding.. and compassion at a most difficult time

After previously having good experiences here, I was so disappointed with the way they managed our recent emergency. Our cat was in the ICU for 5 days, we were told he could possibly die but it was a struggle to get anyone to contact us regarding his condition over the next several days. Didn't hear from a vet for nearly 48 hours despite calling many times. When I called, the nurse told me he was 'fine', he was on Hills CD diet (which is for the other cat, not him, they couldn't even look at the right patient records!) and that his belly was not distended (why would it be? that was never an issue or relevant to his condition!). But when I finally spoke with the vet, she said we may need to put him down as he was dying. Then got a call last night at 6pm and were told by another vet that he was ready to go home and was 'fine'. However, he couldn't until the next day since they didn't have the time or staff to discharge him at it was too late in the day. Which meant I would be charged another nights fees for the ICU (even though he apparently didn't need to be there!), they just didn't get around to calling me until it was too late. When I did pick him up, no vet to discuss anything, I asked about further tests, they told me they didn't do them because I "insisted" on picking him up.

The vets contradicted each other, staff were rude and condescending, and no one seemed to care that we were worried about our pet. After 5 days at around $300 a day, with no answers and contradictory advice, we are going to a new vet. Either understaffed or just lacking compassion, I would not recommend taking your animal there in an emergency.

After reading the reviews and hearing first hand from people I know, who have taken their pets to Lort Smith, I will never take my pet to
Lort Smith who claim to be a non profit organisation and their only care is about the money and not about the pets!!!

There are many caring vets out there who really do care about your pets and not about the money!! I would stick with them...

While reception staff are friendly overall the management is terrible. This results in ridiculously long wait times (1.5 hours +), poor communication leading to mistakes and massive inconveniences to the humans. They also seem to prioritize dogs over cats, so especially if you have a cat, this isn't the place for.

I could not recommend them to anyone.

Above and beyond. The staff, volunteers, vets, foster carers go above and beyond for these animals. I have now adopted two cats in the last three years from Lort Smith and everytime I go back for a vaccination or health check the staff have been wonderful. They're very thorough. My cat had a vaccination today and they asked how he was doing, whether I had any issues, and when I had a concern the vet called me to have a chat. I walked out of there feeling like they really do care for our pets!
It's hard during this pandemic but Lort Smith AH ensure it's a smooth process.
I would adopt there again, and highly recommend it to everyone.
Thanks to all!

Looked after 2 of our felines, both have made speedy recoveries.

Feed my cat wormer pill when I didn't ask them to, and charged me for it. Waited 20mins when I have a booking already. The prescription that they give me is not working at all. DO NOT RECOMMAND

Amazing! Very professional and caring staff!! Great service, support and advice. My cat recently became ill and needed to be seen after hours. The staff were exceptional and the vet was extremely professional. They were also very understanding and flexible with my low budget; Offering both payment plans and partial payment options with no added interest and very manageable repayments.
Even the security are great!!

Keep up the great work lort smith!
With loving meows and barks
Bam Bam, Pebbles & Lola

Absolutely the best vetinary hospital in melbournes west. Sometimes expensive, why it lost one star, there quality of care is amazing though. Over an 8 week treatment process after my cat was hit by a car, i never once fretted in leaving 'Whoopsie' over night, knowing she was in the best possible hands.

My cat got admitted with a very bad case of jaundice. Another hospital in the area, private by the way, didn't even come close to the attention and care she (and I) got here.
The other hospital's vets even spoke to me about putting my pet down!!
On the other hand, the doctors at Lort Smith kept me informed every step of the way, making sure I understood their action plan and its consequences. Thanks to them my cat is alive and well and giving trouble back at home!

So kind and thoughtful when we had to say goodbye to our school chicken. Unlike many vets, Lort Smith have knowledgeable small animal experts who can diagnose guineapig, rabbit and bird illnesses.

That are doing a fantastic job. So depressing since so many animals are very sick these days and I don't know how the staff can do it.... my cat is very sick I don't how I would live without her after so many years

Previous message will be changed because as we were NOT told to take our blanket away as now its lost and they wont even bother looking for it, it means nothing to thwm but means the whole world to us, and called a few times to find the blanket, with little luck, all the lady said on the phone its gone and it wpuld take them all day to rry and find it and apologized for the missing blanket and not to mention they should of mentioned this at the beginning also it is very precious to us and no staff ever mentioned to us to take it with us the doctors promised us they will keep it safe and they broke their promise the blanket was passed down by my grandmother and now very dissatisfied with the service of Lort Smith as they also never explained the additional charges and I was told by another nurse a completely different price and it was an exact price and not an estimated price either.

I do also understand their point of view since there is no government assistance but it does not give them the right to be like this towards me and extremely disappointed in their services recently....so I will pay their bill but enlightened with the experience near the end I do change my mind in coming back anytime soon...

The 1 star is for receptionist Jessica ,not for the vets themselves they re great .
If you re going to ask for someone license under the privacy act you must inform the person as to WHY ESPECIALLY IF YOURE TAKING THEIR LICENSE NUMBER NOT JUST THE ADDRESS .
IF YOURE HELL BENT ON PREVENTING FRAUD (which is great ) DONT FORGET TO ASK PPL TO PULL THEIR MASK DOWN TO SEE ITS THE SAME PERSON AND DONT FORGET TO CHECK BACK OF LICENSE FOR CHANGE OF ADDRESS YOU

Sami from dispensary has genuine care and doesn t just follow process, I cannot tell you how much I appreciated Sami s assistance as our home Vet did not have the medication in stock and I feel she did all she could to assist us in the situation we were in.
Thank you Sami.

The wait time the vet they haven't called me with results etc

Be very wary. Whilst hiding under the facade of being charitable, their financial practices are highly questionable and certainly unethical, taking advantage of people (often socially disadvantaged) during times of crisis. They are quick to report you to Dun & Bradstreet without the courtesy of a single follow up call or reminder letter when you miss a payment, but unwilling to provide you with any financial accountability or appeal on their end. I had considered donating to them as an ongoing charitable concern, but having witnessed their unconscionable financial behaviour in the lives of responsible people, cannot support them.

I took my cat to Lort smith because she broke her hand doctor said my cat needs an operation because her both bone were broken so I listen to the doctor at the clinic and had a operation for my cat during the operation doctors put a large screw in her hand that screw was so pain full for my cat she stop eating n drinking so I took her to the private vet n he told me that we have to take the screws out because she was not working at all Lort smith lie to us they charge me all most $2000 for her operation when I called Lort smith they said take the cat back to them n they can take the screw out for $250 I told them no u can t trust Lort smith doctors at all I paid $600 dollars to a private vet to take the screw out off my cats hand n now my cat is so happy she eats n drink n I am happy to trust the vet who looks after animals not like Lort smith I will never take my animals to Lort smith at all .

Extremely disappointed with this organisation. I had donated to Lori smith on many occasions as I felt that this organisation promotes animal welfare, pet care, etc. My dog been diagnosed with ACL rupture which requires an operation. Cost of the procedure at Lott smith is over 60% higher than at my local vet.

So much for animal care.

I would recommend to shop around before taking your pets there.

I would never ever give them money in my life and hopefully this review will stop others from donating to them.

Outstanding care on so many levels. Thank you for everything you do for our pets.

As much as it was a very devastating day I am very happy with Lort Smith services.
My kitten had been in and out of vets. Before we came here a vet tried to charge us almost 3K saying that my kitty needed surgery after spending over 1k and my baby spending 12 hours in there. We took our kitty here to lort smith for a second opinion and within 10 minutes they told us he was very sick with a virus and suggested we let him go and get him put down. As upset as I am im very thankful that they let him not suffer no more then he had to. I will be donating towards this charity also.

Very disappointed , extremely poor communicators and lack of empathy when you finally get admin staff on the phone. When i finally got hold of one of the VETS , he was more compassionate but inconclusive re condition. delayed for xray for 2 days for a dog that was partially paralysed to the rear legs. I appreciate they are busy but generally communication left us uncertain at a time when we are contemplating possibly having to put our much loved pup to sleep.

All the staff were nice and friendly. Our vet was very gentle with my cat which made him calm throughout the consultation. Recommended pet service!

Very impressed. Great communication and thoughtful staff. Unfortunately my dog was hit by a car, she is fine now. Thanks Lort Smith

Payment plan available for Health Care Card holders. Very thorough, Great staff. Long opening hours.

I know my dog Zeus is in good hands every time I visit the Lort Smith animal hospital with their very friendly doctors, nurses and staff.

They help animals, might be expensive though. well, cheapest vets i have ever been to. But the fact they help animals is why i give em 5 stars

The best most loving professional group of nurses and Vets. So understanding and can tell they really care about the animals and families.

Great venue. Needs more signage inside the facility to assist with parking.

Very bad service and attitude when I asked the price on the phone

Tristan was amazing! I went to see him for my fish, whom I love very much. He treated by little guy the same as if I visited with a dog, a cat, or any other pet. He gave real-life options and was up-front about the outcomes. Would recommend visiting

I love this place and everything they do
Saved my best friend's life a few times

Very aggressive customer service, needs to be retrained, talking over you when trying to explain a dispute. Refused to identify herself and kept me on hold for 15 mins while allegedly trying to contact a supervisor. If I was in a better financial situation I would have second thoughts about using them.
All previous times I took my pets there the service was excellent and friendly. It's amazing how one
person's attitude can leave a negative impression.

Always been a terrific place for emergency pet care as and well as everything else.they have always looked after my pets with great care as well as me when l have had to make that hard decision.

The best place ever looked after my fur baby very well thank you

You have to love this place if you're an animal owner or just love animals. They offer weekend consultions and offer triage in case of an emergency. I just left from having to put my dog to sleep, my regular vet has limited hours and despite seeing him regularly couldn't squeeze in an emergency appointment on a Saturday. Lort Smith saviors again, my only other visit their was when he was a pup 12 years ago with emergency artery bleeding after going through glass, they literally saved he's life and I'm forever grateful. The vet and staff were exceptional today in the worst of circumstances and the facility is first class, it's my first priority for any donations. Thank you so much for your dedication and service to animals Lort Smith.

Great friendly service from kind Vets at great prices, very caring

Parking is hopeless and I felt the service has the impression the staff don't really like working there..

Not good! my kitten was not cared for at all if you have a cat I would find somewhere else! I was told I would be contacted it they needed to supply my kitten with drips and blood but was never contacted and arrived back at this clinic and expevted to pay for am expensive bill I never approved of! After alot of back and forth I had to remove my kitten and take him somewhere he would receive better care!

My Dog was bitten by a Snake & it was thanks to the Hard Working Dedicated Staff that he survived. Best care possible given.