Canterbury Animal Hospital

I've been here several times, and I've been more disappointed each time I go. This last time was frustrating enough that I decided to leave a review.nnWhen my dog was handed off to a technician, I explained that I nearly took her to an ER last night because of the intense vomiting she experienced in the middle of the night. She'd also had diarrhea, which has been repeating intermittently for months now. I was worried sick about her.nnAn hour later I still hadn't received ANY update on my dog. I finally call them (since I have to wait in my car), and I'm just told the vet will call in a few minutes because she needs to take care of some other things first. When I finally do get a call, I can hear my dog barking nonstop in the background and people yelling to distract her. I know my dog, and she's barking because she's been left alone in a room for a LONG time. On this phone call, the vet just tells me all possible causes of diarrhea, which I know already because this is now my 3rd visit for this issue (and no mention of her vomiting). She asks if she can run a couple tests, which should have been started much earlier.nnI suspect no mention of the potential ER visit, or her vomiting was even mentioned to the vet from the technician. I'm incredibly upset that when I say I nearly took my dog to an ER, it took them an HOUR to even see her, give me an update, and START tests. It's also frustrating that there seems to be no continuity in her care because this has become a chronic problem, and it isn't being recognized or treated as one. They give drugs to improve the symptoms, but not to treat the cause.nnI've also noticed that her weight is no longer being updated on the invoices I receive. It has stayed the same over several months now despite the vet telling me she's lost weight. I've been told by two different vets there within a couple months of each other that she should be fed more, and another saying she should be fed less. While these seem like small things, it's led to a loss of trust for me when I evaluate their professional advice.

We have been bringing our cat here for over 10 years because of how great the staff is and how excellent the quality of care is.nThey are able to squeeze us in for emergency visits due to our cat climbing a tree or getting in fights. Our cat is a little scrappy and they were able to manage him just fine! Because he tried to scratch one of the vet techs they trimmed up his nails and had such a great attitude about it.

I believe this hospital is under new management, so this review may not pertain to the current staff. I’ve had 3 years to think about our experience, and to still feel so negatively has led me to this review. Growing up we had both a cat and a dog that we brought to this clinic. Generally things went well, no experience was out of the ordinary until we had to say goodbye to our dog. She declined rapidly, and we had to make the tough decision to have her euthanized. When we got to the clinic, instead of consoling us and understanding our situation the technician pointed out everything that was wrong with our sweet girl. We knew what was wrong, that’s why we were there. She made us feel like we had done something wrong in our care for our dog and that’s why she was dying. There was no sympathy whatsoever, and it was actually quite appalling. When it was actually time for the euthanasia, the doctor did not remove the tourniquet after the injection of euthanasia solution, so nothing happened. He did this twice before the technician realized his mistake and told him. He did not apologize to us, or take responsibility for his mistake. The whole process was drawn out, and nobody seemed to care how it was affecting us or our pup. I know other clinics send out sympathy cards after a pet passes, or offer a clay paw print. We did not receive any of this. It was such an emotional time for us, and the lack of empathy or regard for our feelings still bothers me to this day. My last memories of my precious girl have been tainted by the actions of the team working that day, and I don’t think I’ll ever be able to forget that.

They took my new kitten in for a check up right away since he was rescued from the fires. Gave him antibiotics to make sure he didn't get sick from breathing all the smoke. They were fast, friendly and caring! We will be returning for a follow-up and immunizations this week.

Very trustworthy place. Trying to find a new vet during the pandemic has been so stressful because you aren't able to go inside with your pet. But its clear that the people here have a genuine care for animals and honest prices. My dog is usually scared of strangers but he seemed comfortable with them and was in a good mood when they brought him back out. They've really taken great care of my little guy. What more could you ask for? I highly reccomend.