I never walk out their door without paying at least $150, often over $400. I have taken my multiple pets to Gaithersburg Animal Hospital for two years. I wish I had changed vets earlier. Though there have been no major procedures or operations on my pets, I'm sure I've spent over $10,000 over those years. Biggest complaints: they don't let you see the charges until after you've paid and the office staff seems poorly trained and can't tell if you have already been charged for something (often resulting in a recharge for the same thing, which I don't catch until I get home and study the print-out they give me as I am leaving. This has happened at least three times to me).
The vets are nice and helpful and seem very good; but they always charge for an office visit or exam, even if you are getting an optional vaccine (like lyme). And they are salespeople at their core--always pushing optional vaccines (lyme, guardia, kennel cough) and sending "reminder" cards for these vaccines and semiannual exams. We receive so many of these cards that we no longer read them; they hit the trash can. The vets constantly want to run blood tests on my one dog with epilepsy and will withhold medicine until I get the blood test, even if I report few or no seizures.
The vet's office is located in a shopping strip mall, which is a ridiculous place to have one.
I've never felt so exploited and extorted by a vet! And when I complained, they told me "everyone else loves us" (in other words, what's YOUR problem?!). Unbelievable. I would have changed vets earlier, but I knew we were only going to be living here for a short time. I think it's best to go out of county, if you can afford the time to drive--the further from the D.C. metro area the better because the cost of everything is so high here.
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