As a former employee, I might be slightly biased in my opinion of Suburban, but I am actually in quite a unique position since I have seen the inner workings of the clinic and I still think it is an excellent place to bring your pets. I have also been a client there, so I have seen both sides.
The vast majority of feedback on Suburban is overwhelmingly positive, but I was unfortunate to come across a very negative article written about Suburban regarding thimerosal (a compound containing mercury) in vaccines. Here is a link to the review I read:
http://www.insiderpages.com/b/3716459298
I don't know where this person read information on thimerosal, but he/she does not have an accurate understanding of how it works or why it is used. The author of the negative review expressed concern to the vet about injecting vaccines containing mercury into his/her dog, which I understand, but I can only assume the vet would have explained why it should not be a concern.
First, thimerosal has been used since the 1930's as a preservative in vaccines, safeguarding against microbial contamination. It is very beneficial since disease outbreaks have occurred following contamination of multi-dose vaccine vials. Considering it has been used so long and there have never been harmful effects observed aside from local hypersensitivity reactions, I think it is safe to say there is nothing to worry about.
Second, though it is true that the FDA ordered that vaccines containing thimerosal could no longer be used on children, it was mostly as a precautionary measure and was not the result of children receiving toxic levels of mercury from vaccines. It is important to note that the levels of mercury used are incredibly small and are easily filtered out of the body.
I also don't quite understand why this person was so upset since no one would have vaccinated the dog if they were told not to. It is the policy of the clinic to vaccinate animals (or verify vaccinations have been received) if they are boarding or getting groomed, so if that was the reason for the visit and he/she had refused to allow the vaccinations they would have told this person to take his/her dog somewhere else.
It sounds to me as if there were communication problems, and since I know the staff at Suburban is exceptionally good at communication, the problem must have been on the other end.
These people are competent, intelligent, genuine, and most are very experienced with at least a couple of years at the clinic under their belts. They also love animals, and everyone working there owns animals. In fact, when I was hired there and went in for an interview, I was asked if I owned pets, and I was also asked to describe them and how I felt about them.
Animals are definitely the priority at this clinic and I would recommend it to anyone.
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