Shaffer, Kendra W, Dvm - Shaffer Animal Hospital

I think Shaffer Animal Hospital is the best choice for Veterinary care in Oviedo. I can give a very objective opinion on this matter because I am a Certified Veterinary Technician. My knowledge of Veterinary Medicine is based on a College degree, years of work experience, and continuous participation at Veterinary conferences. However, I do not pretend to give you a lecture of how much I know. I work at another Veterinary Hospital nearby and I know most of the Veterinarians in the area. Shaffer provides good Veterinary care, sound advice, and they are not more expensive than any other in the area. In fact, they charge less than some others who don't offer the same quality of service. My pets' health is as important to me as the health of any other of my human family members. That's why I trust them to Shaffer Animal Hospital. more

This is one of the best Veteriarian office there is in central florida. They take their time with you. Yes, they may tell you other services your pet may need, but don't force sale. They are just real thorough, so you will be aware. I trust them wholeheartedly with my pet's. \r Don't hesitate to use them as your vet. more

I would consider my most recent visit unsatisfactory. Let me explain...\r \r 1. SUSPECT CLINICAL ADVICE\r Be prepared for the veterinarian to first recommend to you a full array of services to you that you do not need. In the healthcare industry, we call this "upcharging", when providers advocate tests and treatments that are clinically unnecessary in order to boost profits. Even if you bring you pet in with some diarrhea or upset stomach, he/she will ask if you want to have an xray, blood work, parasite check, antibiotics, various Rx meds, etc. What's wrong with this picture when your animal doc is asking YOU whether you want to follow this treatment?\r \r At the first sign of resistance or questioning about necessity or cost, the vet will then take the tactic of agreeing with you that these aren't necessary yet, then suggest a more "conservative" approach. If that's the medical opinion of the provider, why suggest more costly care initially? Because it drives revenues.\r \r 2. QUESTIONABLE more

Shaffer is one of the worst veterinarian clinics in the northeast Orlando metropolitan area. Go ahead, make an appointment and see if the following applies to your experience, then ask yourself: ""Do I want my dog or cat to receive healthcare at such a place?"" Let me explain... 1. POOR CLINICAL ADVICE Be prepared for the veterinarian to first recommend to you a full array of services to you that you do not need. In the healthcare industry, we call this ""upcharging"", when providers advocate tests and treatments that are clinically unnecessary in order to boost profits. Even if you bring you pet in with some diarrhea or upset stomach, he/she will ask if you want to have an xray, blood work, parasite check, antibiotics, various Rx meds, etc. What's wrong with this picture when your animal doc is asking YOU whether you want to follow this treatment? At the first sign of resistance or questioning about necessity or cost, the vet will then take the tactic of agreeing with you that these aren't necessary yet, then suggest a more ""conservative"" approach. If that's the medical opinion of the provider, why suggest more costly care initially? Because it drives revenues. 2. QUESTIONABLE ETHICS Here I cite two examples. First, if you have a puppy, say 4 months old, be prepared for the vet to begin asking about scheduling your dog for spay/neuter in a couple months. Now ask them about cost and to itemize the services during the operation and recovery. You'll be given a document showing this, then they'll mention that they ""prefer"" to perform teeth extraction on your pet while under anesthesia during the procedure. What does teeth extraction have to do with spay or neutering? That's what I asked. Apparently, they want to charge for pulling your pets teeth out that did not set right while teething. Now, this is BEFORE your pet has even entering the teething stage, so why would you want to give them permission to do this before you know there is even a problem with your pet's adult teeth coming in? They are the only vet I've ever seen suggest such a thing. Second, prepare for them to ask you what you feed your pet and then push aggressively for you to switch to their ""preferred"" kibble, Science Diet (by Hill's), which not only is consistently rated as below-average quality dog food by virtually every reputable dog food review site or nutritionist, but also happens to be the brand they stock in their waiting room. We feed our dog one of the top dog foods available in any market based on quality organic ingredients, preparation, and protein/carb/fat ratios, all vastly exceeding AAFCO standards. They will still try and convert you and tell you that you ""can't trust"" those other dog foods. Surprise, surprise, they have Hill's brand vendor representatives come to their business and presumably receive a kickback for every bag or can sold. Highly unethical that they do not care about the health of the animals they take care of! Worse still? The vets are obviously told to push the Science Diet brand in order to drive profits because most people tend to be intimidated when an ""expert"" tells them what's best for their animal. Be informed and go prepared with the facts. 3. INEXPERIENCED VETS You will notice very quickly over the course of a few months that this animal hospital employs very young vets, fresh from school, and ready to recite verbatim everything they learned from their coursework, but with little actual real world experience to fall back on. Young vets are cheap to employ. Go prepared and educate yourself. Ask questions and you'll quickly find that some very basic knowledge is lacking, such as the fact that AAFCO seals of approval for food only denote MINIMUM STANDARDS to support basic nutrition is met, not a superior food. BOTTOM LINE? If you care about your pet as a member of your family, choose another vet that prioritizes ethical treatment and business practices over profits. You'll also save money. more

I recently took my (new) cat in to have her checked out. This cat actually adopted me, I found her in my back yard looking for a home. Although I had been feeding her and looking after her for a little while, I decided it was time to take her in to the vet and have her checked out. Pros: Very caring staff, educates pet owners more

Our family had the best dog in the world for 10 years. Lennon, a Golden Retriever, was a part of our life for ten years; he was our 3rd child. We brought him to Shaffer Animal Hospital for 5 years and they treated him and us like we were the only patients they had for all of that time. Whether it was for annual check ups, boarding, or baths, they were fantastic...we never had to worry. This customer service did not change when we had to make the difficult choice to euthanize him last year due to Bone Cancer. It was the hardest decision we ever had to make. Dr. Kendra Shaffer was there to educate us and make us feel at peace with our decision. When the time came and it was clear that his quality of life had become too low; we took him to the only place we would ever go to for his care, Shaffer Animal Hospital They opened on the Sunday of a holiday weekend and he was at peace. I will never forget that the technician, who had seen Lennon on many occasions, started crying and she looked aw more

I took my cats to both Dr. Jeff and Kendra Shaffer for years. They helped my cats through heart disease, kidney disease, thyroid disease, FIV and cancer. They are both extremely knowledgeable and it's obvious that they keep up on the latest research. On top of that, they and their staff are very compassionate. In two different crisis situations they went above and beyond and pulled my cats from the brink of death. \r \r Needless to say, I highly recommend the Shaffers. Their exam/treatment fees are very reasonable (in fact now that I've moved to the other side of Orlando I pay double). more

I brought my new puppy in for a visit. I have never owned a dog so this was all new to me. I was greeted a the the front desk by Mary who noticed how cute my puppy is. I then filled out some paper work and gave her my records to copy for shot history. While I was waiting two other ladies from the front desk came out to visit my puppy.\r \r Then I was called in to the room by the technician Amber. She was so sweet and caring with my little angel. She asked if she was my only puppy and when I said she was my first she answered all my questions. Gave me a free bag of puppy food and a hole bag of information on puppy care. She even explained to me what all the different shots where and why I should use heartworm medication. She gave me tips on house training and said that they have a puppy class that I can sign up for. I wish the nurses at my doctors office were as good as her. She even trimmed her nails at no charge and gave her treats while she did it.\r \r Then the doctor came in to see my more

This place truly cares about your animal and it's health. I had to leave my dogs in the kennel for three days and have one of my dogs check for an ear problem. Not only did they check the dog out but the vet called me later on my cellphone to let me know what he had given the dog for medication and told me her problem. He even consulted with me to watch her weight and calories. I appreciated him taking the time to talk to me about her health. Also when I picked the dogs up from the kennel, you could tell they were well taken care of. I find their prices reasonable compared to another vet I contacted that was on Aloma. Would highly recommend this vet. more

Shaffers is one of my most trusted vets, they care about your animals so much and try to do whatever they can do for you. They quickly can do test and figure out whats wrong. These people I truly believe care about the welfare of your animals. They also offer specials during the months, for like dental care and such. I would recommend them to anyone who needs a vet. PROS: Cares about your pets like they were there own CONS: A littly pricey, but worth it more