Amber Leaf Animal Hospital

I have been taking my dogs and cats to Amber Leaf for the past 5 years, and my husband for years prior. I have mostly been dealing with Drs. Chernok and Rudigier and would recommend AL without pause (sorry). I have had 2 beloved dogs put down in the past 3 years and each time was afforded the utmost kindness, patience and sympathy, and we were given all the time in the world to say goodbye. We all held our pets as they fell asleep. Later, we received hand-written sympathy cards from the administering doctor. As far as cleanliness, the reception area and the examining rooms are very clean - not hospital sterile, but considering all the creatures walking through the doors (and most dogs marking a corner or two), the place has no offensive odor, and the accidents are cleaned up immediately. They are very accommodating and caring!

Posted 11/07/09 | Report Abuse

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I have been taking our dogs to Amber leaf since 1994. The care that they have given them has been exceptional. I recommend them to all our animal loving friends.

Posted 08/19/09 | Report Abuse

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I don't know about what the other people are talking about but I have been taking my dog to Amber Leaf for about 9 years now and have nothing but GOOD things to say about the people there. My vet in particular (Dr. Jason Rudigier) is a very compassionate, competent and all around wonderful vet. My dog was diagnosed with both diabetes and Cushings disease about a year ago and he has been with me to support and give me the best care. It took a long time to get him regulated but we did it and he is in a remission state for the Cushings and his diabetes is under control. I wouldn't trust my dog's care to anyone else.

Posted 05/30/09 | Report Abuse

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Amber Leaf misdiagnosed and, therefore, improperly medicated our cat for over a year saying it had heart failure. Actually turned out to have asthma. Cat almost died until we took it to College Station Cat Clinic (630-690-4949) in Wheaton,IL.
Used to take our dog to Amber Leaf as well until we were quoted $400 to clean his teeth. Valley Animal Hospital (630-232-7067) in Geneva, IL did it for $150.

Posted 06/30/08 | Report Abuse

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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I started going to Amber Leaf in 2002 when I moved into the area. I took my then 12yr old cat there regularly for check ups and whenever she seemed ill. One particular doctor, whom I'll call Dr. S., always seemed a little too rough w/ Kitty. Also, he felt the need to say that he was "really a dog person". And his answer for just about anything wrong w/ her was, "Any cat over the age of 10 is considered geriatric."... Brilliant diagnosis...thanks "doctor"..

Other issues:
1 - Goth wannabe receptionist w/ bad piercings and tattoos who was always abrasive and didn't seem to even like animals. (Not sure if she is there any more)
2 - When I told my mother to try getting her special cat food there she called and they said they had it in stock, but when she drove all the way there they didn't.
3 - When my girlfriend's dog was sick they gave her a hard time about getting her medical records from her prior vet. And when they treated her dog they typically took her into a back room to do it, which seemed kinda shady.
4 - The place is filthy. Dusty, hairy, cobwebs in waiting area.

Recently my cat had to be put down. She was 16 and had some ongoing issues that had gotten pretty bad pretty fast. I wanted to get it done right away to end her suffering. Wouldn't you know...the only vet available to do it that day was Dr. S.... When we got there he kept asking, "Are you sure you want to be here for this?". Well of course I did. I wanted to be there for my scared, sick feline companion of 16 years. And I definitely didn't want to leave her alone w/ him..... When he gave her the first shot he had an assistant holding her for him, but he still felt the need to grab Kitty's tail and actually pull her towards him as he pushed the needle in. Kitty, of course, was audibly uncomfortable w/ that. Then a few minutes later he tried to give here the final shot, but he couldn't get the needle into the vein. After a few attempts sticking her w/ the needle he actually lifted her up and turned her over onto her other side. Again, Kitty was in audible discomfort. Finally, the "doctor" was able to figure it out and give her the final shot.... Now I know why he didn't want us to be there while he was doing it. Horrible.... Thanks for the memories.

This is obviously only one persons experience w/ Amber Leaf. However, I would not recommend this place to anyone.

Posted 07/12/07 | Report Abuse

2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

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