Good vets

[lil0kie]

Neel is hospital, where Warr Acres is a clinic. That is why they are more expensive. I agree that Dr. Thomas is a great vet and he's got a great staff too.

[ndmoore]

Does anyone know of a fantastic vet in the Moore/Norman area? I have two dogs that I love more than most humans. They are my children and I have yet to find the best care for them. I am having a situation and will probably changing vets very soon. Any suggestions? And is there anyone I should stay away from?

[karmicwhimsy]

I've used Dr Boyer for ages. He's really good about taking the time to explain things, which I appreciate. He's at SW 134th and Western.

[PennyQuilts]

We had friends in from out of town, last night, and their dog had a medical emergency where he was suffering a lot of pain. He was in complete agony. I just wanted to say that I remembered this post and pulled it up for a referal, then took the dog to Neel's veterinary hospital. We got there at about 8:45 and while there was a wait because it was crowded, all the staff were amazing. They examined the dog, calmed its young puppy partner, diagnosed the problem, gave him a cortisone shot and five days worth of meds. We got out of there with a much more comfortable dog for $101.00 dollars. I thought my friend was going to keel over in shock (she is from Chicago and was expecting closer to $350.00 - for that matter, so was I). I highly recommend them and if my girls ever get sick, I know where to go for good service. Thanks for the tip.

[JohnDenver]

My neighbors German Shepard bit my Chihuaha last summer. Broke three ribs, one collapsed lung and a whole lot of pain. We were very lucky to have such little damage relatively... We were new to town and just randomly happened upon Neel. Daisy spent 3 days in the ICU in an oygen chamber pumped full of pain meds. She spent six weeks wrapped up and could barely walk. She is completely back to normal now. Neel was amazing for the emergency, for the visits, for the follow ups, everything.

Glad it worked out for you too, PQ.

[PennyQuilts]

Thanks, JD. Poor Daisy!! I am so glad she is okay. You must have been sick over it.

We hadn't moved back but were here on vacation in 2008 when we discovered a tumor on my dog, Jezebel. We didn't take her to Neel's but I wish I had. They seem to do great work. Now I know where to go if we have an emergency. I'm tempted to go there, anyway.

[rcjunkie]

Does anyone know of a fantastic vet in the Moore/Norman area? I have two dogs that I love more than most humans. They are my children and I have yet to find the best care for them. I am having a situation and will probably changing vets very soon. Any suggestions? And is there anyone I should stay away from?

I've used Dr. Cline at Southwestern Veterinary Clinic for several years and have always been pleased. He's located about 1/2 mile from the Riverwind Casino.

[old okie]

Dr. Lewis at Brookwood Animal Clinic at S.W. 89th & Walker. We took our elderly dog there for years; wonderful, caring doctor. If we ever get another pet, we'd choose him as our vet in a heartbeat.

[jewelz]

I have used 4 or 5 including Schrag Animal Clinic. The Best I have found and am still using is Neel Vet Hospital. The reason they are the best...a new building, open 24 hours, have Intensive Care, have all the latest equipment, walk in anytime, no appt necessary, have 40-50 vets but you can use the one you like, have groomer in same building (Bernards) who is great, give you the option to be with your pet even hold them while it's being treated (as much as possible) or they will just take them while you wait. Some treatment rooms have couches, they do alot of treatments in front of you to your pet instead of taking them away, then bringing them back. Enough? Go to Neel's.

[flippity]

DO NOT GO TO SOUTHSIDE DOG CAT & BIRD!!!

I took 3 cats in at the same time one day (actually, my boyfriend dropped them off for me) - one to be neutered, one to be declawed, and one just to check for worms because he had diarrhea. They mixed up the nametags on the pet carriers, then put the wrong names on the kennels, then they declawed the cat that was there for diarrhea (i didn't want him declawed, he has never been a problem) and they checked the cat to be declawed for worms! the vet even called me to tell me my cat's diarrhea was gone and there were no worms and everything was fine. The declawed cat was supposed to stay overnight, so when I went to pick up the other 2 they brought the wrong cat out, and I told them, that's not the one i'm picking up..and they argued with me about it! Then they contacted the office manager and she got on the phone with me and said she'd been there 20 years and there's no way she would make that mistake, that when an animal is brought in, they make a chart and the chart stays with that animal all day. She tried to blame us. I demanded a copy of the charts, and the descriptions of the animals were correct - the names on the pet carriers were wrong.

The worst thing is that if anyone had bothered to read the chart with the cats' descriptions, they would've realized the mistake. The one to be declawed is an 8 pound female tortoise calico - the one with diarrhea is a 12 pound orange/white male. That means that neither the receptionist (who filled in the color of the cat on the female's chart because my boyfriend didn't know what to call her), nor the techs, and neither vet (one did surgery, one checked for worms) None of them...not one person read the charts.

Of course they refunded all my money (including the neuter and shots on the kitten), but that doesn't make up for the fact that my 7 year old cat is now declawed.

[flippity]

P.S. Neither vet ever called me to apologize, and the office manager, who was so hateful and rude on the phone didn't either.

[Thunder]

jewelz...... You happen to come onto a place about pets and your avatar is so GIGANTIC!

[Roadhawg]

I've gone to Nichols Hills Vet and Dr Bowels since moving here 2 years ago for both Vet needs and boarding with my 3 dogs. They have always done a great job and have been very nice to me. I recommend them to anybody that's needing a good vet.

[DaveSkater]

i second the recommendation for schrag animal clinic. They're one of the few practices that does a great job with bird diseases.

+3

[smooth]

I used Ranchwood for a while when I lived south, but only for grooming. They are racist (prejudist against designer or mixed breeds), so, I moved to Banfield. When my canine daughter died, even the vet cried. I still use them now that I have moved north. My wife uses Putnam North for the other two.

Both Banfield and Putnam North are good.

[PennyQuilts]

I just thought I'd mention that we took our two girls to Neel's, today, for their annual checkups. This is the first time we've taken them to a vet since we moved back to Oklahoma. We were very, very pleased with the service and the price. We had originally thought that we'd go to a regular vet closer to home but decided that since they have a 24/7 emergency hospital, we'd go with them since they'd have their records if something came up, unexpectedly. And they aren't that far away, regardless. And they have extended regular hours. And they aren't expensive. And they treated a friends' dog very well.

[flippity]

Southside Dog Cat & Bird Clinic SW 73 and Shields. Dr Roger Harlin has been there for at least 30 yrs?? He is experienced, compassionate, and very reasonably priced.

he's the one that declawed my cat by accident.
and overdosed my friend's small dog with a mastiff-sized dose of vaccine
and accidentally injected distemper into a vein instead of the muscle of another friend's dog who now has tremors and can barely walk. He suggested they put her to sleep.


DO NOT GO TO SOUTHSIDE DOG CAT AND BIRD!!!!!!

[MikeOKC]

I have heard good things about Dr. Gary Nida at Portland Veterinary. He's been practicing at the same location for many years.

[Puppet]

Main Street Vet in Norman.... I live up by Lake Hefner now and still take the animals to Norman...

[MustangSally]

Putting in another recommendation for Boyer Vet Clinic. My dogs love Dr. Ron and Dr. Jeff.

[MsDarkstar]

I'd been taking my dogs to Neel Vet (Dr. Boatsman) for the last 3+ years and have always really liked them but I recently changed vets and have been extremely happy with my choice.

I have switched to Dr. Brown & Dr. Riddle at Animal Medical Center of Midwest City. They were recommended to my folks by the woman at the Oklahoma Boston Terrier Rescue when my folks adopted their Boston. They're on 29th, just West of Douglas...easy to get to from where I live in Moore (and faster actually than going to Neel). They refer to Neel for emergency after-hours cases, and Dr. Brown's wife is currently working at Neel (she just graduated vet school). It's a very nice facility, and their prices are actually better than the ones at Neel. I saved about $70 on shots last week from what I was quoted at Neel.

[transam]

well I wish we could find some good ones as well.
thanks

[easternobserver]

All of my dogs go to Dr. Neel's. Dr. Boatsman is our preferred vet, but we have never had a bad experience with any of the staff. The vet care is not as expensive as some make it out to be -- in fact, they are very competitive for most things, especially thier routine care packages. They offer a level of care not available in the area for more involved things, and perhaps that is why they seem expensive to some. For example, laser surgery is slightly more expensive, but difference in recovery time and pain is so dramatic that I would never put one of my dog's through "regular" surgery if it could be avoided. Same for sedation -- they offer a sedation protocol not normally available, and while it is more expensive, it is safer and seems to affect the dogs much less.

They are very expensive for boarding (especially with social club added on), but the peace of mind knowing that the dogs are attended at all times and that there is a vet in the next room if anything goes wrong is worth it to me. Not to mention that my girls love to get to go to social club and play with all of the other dogs.

[PennyQuilts]

All of my dogs go to Dr. Neel's. Dr. Boatsman is our preferred vet, but we have never had a bad experience with any of the staff. The vet care is not as expensive as some make it out to be -- in fact, they are very competitive for most things, especially thier routine care packages. They offer a level of care not available in the area for more involved things, and perhaps that is why they seem expensive to some. For example, laser surgery is slightly more expensive, but difference in recovery time and pain is so dramatic that I would never put one of my dog's through "regular" surgery if it could be avoided. Same for sedation -- they offer a sedation protocol not normally available, and while it is more expensive, it is safer and seems to affect the dogs much less.

They are very expensive for boarding (especially with social club added on), but the peace of mind knowing that the dogs are attended at all times and that there is a vet in the next room if anything goes wrong is worth it to me. Not to mention that my girls love to get to go to social club and play with all of the other dogs.

What's this social club? I may have to board my girls for a few days in February (and it is killing me to even consider it). I have never boarded them, before.

[easternobserver]

They offer social club ("doggy day care") every day, both for drop offs and boarders. I dont remember exactly what the charge is, but it is probably on their website. Basically, they take all the dogs out and they all play together in the play yard. My dogs play so hard they pretty much pass out at the end of the day. Our big girl used to go every day back when she was an only dog and the vet was on the way to work. Now they all go whenever they are there for boarding.