Pebble Maryland Animal Hospital

When I called in for an appointment and the girl who answered the phone could not answer my question. See, my dog was vomiting and I wanted to get him in for a check-up and the girl insisted that I get my dog get his shots. I told her no not right now. When I came in for the appointment, again I was asked about my pet's shots and I told the girl no and when she was telling me about my dog's shots they wern't the right ones as well. I am used to coming in and seeing the same faces, not new ones especially people who don;t know what they are doing. Once I was put into a room, the doctor came in and verified as to why I was there and AGAIN I was asked if I wanted my dog's shots! I told the doctor no, I wanted to find out why my dog was vomiting. She was nice about it and took my dog into the back. 15 minutes later another "New" face came in and gave me an esitmate for $350! When I asked what the costs were for, she could not answer and was not convincing as to why my dog needed x-rays, etc. when I asked questions and explained my predicament as far as finances, she told me about her life story and how she was a single mom and knows how tight money is. Honestly, I don't want to hear about her financial woes. I was not at the hospital to make a friend and talk about her problems, I just wanted my dog looked at. Needless to say I got some medicine and ook my dog home. I will not be coming back - TOO SCARY, TOO INEXPERIENCED AND NOT COMFORTABLE!!!!

Posted 11/02/09 | Report Abuse

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Ever since this clinic opened my parents have been taking our animals here..we have seen all the doctors and they r all so wonderful and nice. But we love Dr. Hines, and dr. Sulton more than ever! these 2 ladies r great people :-) they know my animals and if i have a question i will call and ask to talk to one of them and they call back within an hour its great ;-) i will even just take my dogs in to say hi even if theres nothing they need :-) thats how wonderful this office is..they truly care about your pets :-) Oct 24th, will be 1 yr since Kasper had to be put down to sleep and we always saw Dr Hines, but this day was the first day we met Dr sulton and ever since then if Dr Hines is busy we will ask to see Dr Sulton, and with both their help on this sad day for my 12yr old cat i am glad i had 2 great vets that care as much as them! thanks for all your help :-) i recommend everyone seeing Dr Hines and dr Sulton any day! Jerzee, Bullet, Ginger, Diamond, Ski, and Pebbles all love you guys! and the front desk girls are usually awesome as well just depends but they r good people..they get busy so if they seem rude give them a chance and get a chanc to know them too. :-) love you all at Pebble Maryland animal Hospital! Thanks so much!

Posted 10/12/09 | Report Abuse

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I have been taking my 2 dogs to this vet for the last year and a half. We always see a different vet each visit, so they do not have any knowledge of my dogs or the previous treatments. The staff is very rude every time I go here. The prices here are outrageous. My dogs have never been treated for less than $300, even for a routine exam or minor treatment. The final straw was when after a year and a half, all of the sudden they have no records for either dog, so now I have to compile all of my own records to show proof of vaccinations, etc. Thank goodness I keep copies of these things.

Posted 09/21/09 | Report Abuse

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Doctor Diaz is great, but ladies are on the desk are the worst customer service they hang me up 4 times is the first time in 6 years I had been taking my dogs that they trade me bad and remember I ' m the customer and is my dog health I take care

Posted 09/01/09 | Report Abuse

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I brought my standard poodle to the clinic over July 4th holiday weekend. She was very ill and diagnosed with an autoimmune disease. She quickly got ill and lost all strength. Dr. Diaz quickly diagnosed the problem and recommend treatment. He presented me with a detailed estimate of cost and was very honest in the fact that my dog still may not make it through. The good news is she is doing much better now thanks to the great treatment. In addition, I was called twice a day with updates by the Doctor, even at 9:20 at night on July 4th. Seriously, can you ask for any better service? Highly recommend this clinic for sick dogs and boarding.

Posted 07/05/09 | Report Abuse

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Well, first I would like to say I have been to some pretty bad vets over the years and I would have to say this is the cleanest vet office I have ever been to. I read the reviews and was a little worried about going, but it was close to home and my dogs were due for shots. So I went. I never had a problem with any of the staff, in the past 6 years. I am greeted promptly, and sometimes I do have to wait about 10 minutes for a room. But as soon as one opens up it is cleaned and my pets and I were put into the room. Really thats not that bad, I have gone to the doctors/hospital after getting my head stepped on by a bull and had to wait over three hours to see a doctor just to get pain medicine.

As far as the vets I really only have seen Dr. Hines. I love her, she is very professional, out going and answers any questions I have. She even gets down on the floor with my pets!!! I have gone in and Dr. Hines was not there and had to see Dr. Ross and Dr. Thellman, and they seem very nice and concerned about any problems I may be having. I have never had any problems with any of the staff, but then again I tend to joke with everyone and make them laugh, so I do tend not to catch to many people in bad moods.

There have been times where I have an appointment and the place is a zoo, and there is times were you could tell the staff is a little stressed. Even the doctors and technicians can be stressed during the busy moments. But they truly try there hardest to be friendly and get you in to a room. But to sit here on this website and complain about how they are rude is ridiculous!! Has anyone really thought about how they can be treated? I have seen many people complaining and making a scene in the lobby because of their bill. I feel the staff does their best to deal with these people. It really boils down to if you dont like the price go somewhere else. Or think of it this way if it was your children as long as the problem got fixed and they were ok you wouldnt care about the price. Sh** happens and money is only money and you can always make more, but family is your family and they cant be replaced! Sure I dont like spending money any more than the next person, especially with the economy the way it is right now, but it is what it is. I have personally spent over $2,500.00 on a surgery to save my dogs life and Dr Hines did a great job. I give her 2 thumbs up, and thank her for everything she had done for him that night.

The bottom line is some people are just complainers and unless you try Pebble Maryland Animal Hospital out for your self you will never know if it works for you or not. This is the cleanest vet office I have ever been to and all the staff members are very nice. The doctors go above and beyond for you and your pets!

Posted 05/15/09 | Report Abuse

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Back in May, 2009, I made some negative statements about the animal hospital. I have had the time to think about what I said. I spoke out of anger and I regret my negative statement regarding the hospital and hospital staff.

In all honesty, Dr. Ross, Dr. Diaz and the many employees at the hospital have been very kind, generous and supportive during the surgery and recovery of my beautiful black lab.

I highly recommend this hospital and these two veterinarians. Dr. Diaz touched my heart when he called me personally at my home to discuss my puppy's health issue and ways to rectify my emotional and financial difficulties. It was Dr. Ross that miraculously discovered the birth defect that was making my puppy so terribly ill. My hat goes off to you Dr. Ross, job well done.

I hope that Dr. Diaz, Dr. Ross and the hospital staff will forgive me for my negative statement that I posted on 05/09.

God Bless you all, especially Dr. Diaz and Dr. Ross.

Dave M

Posted 05/02/09 | Report Abuse

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We began bringing our dog for boarding at Maryland Pebble Animal Hospital two years ago upon the recommendation of family members who used these vets for routine care. The first time, we left him for two days and, since everything went well, we began leaving him more often.

We did notice that every time we went to pick up the dog, the staff had "forgotten" to bathe him. That meant we had to wait or drive around until they finally got him ready. That was getting tedious, but we put up with it and used them for over two months last year.

This last time, my husband went to pick up the dog after three days but, again, the dog was not bathed. The dog smelled awful but we had guests who were waiting so they just wrapped up our dog in a towel and handed him to my husband who paid the bill and left.

When we got home, we put him outside with a dish of food and after awhile, noticed that he was pushing the food all over the place and not eating. I went outside and looked at him and noticed his mouth was all misshapen. My husband called Pebble Maryland and they said to bring him back in.

Here is where the contradictions went crazy: The doctor who saw him said our dog's jaw was BROKEN but that it hadn't happened there. The tech who had been in charge of the dog said the dog was dropped off at boarding WITH the broken jaw (they take dogs with broken jaws without saying anything?!?!). The tech also said the dog had eaten well the whole time he was there (with a dangling JAW and a mouth that couldn't close?!). We were getting nowhere so my husband made an appointment to speak to the owner.

My husband simply wanted to know why we weren't called and told that the dog's jaw was broken (we understood that it was bound to happen...our dog is an elderly rescued dog with bad teeth) and that he hadn't eaten while he was in their care. Dr. Diaz wouldn't explain that and seemed to care very little about all the lies we were told and did not apologize. Instead of admitting that they had dropped the ball when it came to communication, he chose to stand behind his dishonest staff.

We would have been more than satisfied with an apology and an assurance that the dishonesty would be dealt with. We just found it so distasteful that the first thing out of the staff's mouths when the broken jaw was discovered were instant denials of fault! We weren't even blaming them! They just burst into defensiveness and contradictions.

We are VERY dissatisfied with the level of care offered at this hospital and boarding facility. I find companies that allow dishonesty unacceptable to do ANY amount of business with. I understand that for routine care, they may seem adequate because the owner is standing right there but I would caution any pet lover regarding leaving their animal there either overnight in the hospital or in the boarding facility.

We do NOT recommend Pebble Road Maryland Parkway Animal Hospital.

Posted 04/27/09 | Report Abuse

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If I hadn't questioned the reasoning behind the "fix" for my cats upset stomach, the bill would have been over $500 dollars. The vet, I can't remember which one, recommended several tests right up front - they must have a quota of how much they get the customer to spend or something (this isn't the first time this has happened to me there). After I "convinced" the vet to do one test at a time, starting with the LEAST expensive (since her condition wasn't life threatening), I still ended up paying over $150 dollars to find out she had a simple infection that penicillin cured. I can only imagine how many people this tactic works on. It's a shame that you cant trust your vet not to rip you off. I live in the neighborhood right behind them and have gone there for the last 2 years for the convenience, but this visit was the last straw. Although I've had good treatment (that vet changed to another hospital) there are several other issues with the place; lengthly waits, pricey visits and not to mention rude receptionists. I'll never take my cats there again.

Posted 03/19/09 | Report Abuse

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As far as their veterinary services are concerned, I've been taking my dogs to this animal hospital for the past four years and I don't have any complaints. The doctors are good: very informative, patient and answer all my questions.

The front desk situation is a bit different. The staff do their job, their pretty friendly, but sometimes the wait (even without any other patients before you) is a bit ridiculous. However, I just deal with it.

I've also boarded my dogs there. This, I'm not so sure. I feel safe keeping them there because if anything were to happen, the vets are there to address any problems, but I don't know if they always do what I ask them to do, like baths and nail clipping. Sometimes my dogs will be just as 'dusty' coming out as going in. Other times their nails aren't clipped. Of course, I haven't called them out on the situation because by the time I can actually examine my dogs, we're already home, and I'm too tired from traveling to have to deal with the vet office on top of that. My problem, then, I know...

Anyway, overall, I would recommend this vet office. But I'm sure there are better out there, too.

Posted 02/26/09 | Report Abuse

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I took my dog Cappy in because she had been limping for some time. She has arthritis but I wanted to make sure it was not more serious. I made an appt. with Dr. Hines since she knows Cappy's history. Instead of seeing Dr. Hines we were seen by Dr. Ross. He was the most unprofessional person I have ever met. He could not stop chewing his gum to have a conversation. He then said Cappy was "very overweight", which is a huge exaggeration. He then heard her cough and said she might be going into heart failure. He seemed to have Cappy all figured out in the 3 minutes he spent with her, not knowing her history and not checking her file. I said that nothing was wrong with her heart. He then told me she had an enlarged heart. Really?? Because in the past 5 years that we have had her this is the 1st time I have heard of it. I then asked if Dr. Hines was there becuz I made the appt. with her specifically. He then said yes but Dr. Hines never came in to see us. While in the waiting room I could hear Cappy cry from the examination. I then heard one of the assistants make a joke that her cry sounded like a chicken. I went back to their room and demanded that Cappy be brought to me and we left without the finished exam or getting any results. Dr. Diaz heard my commotion and came out to see what happened. He offered me an apology. Dr. Ross had NOTHING to say to me. The asst defended herself by saying she was not talking about Cappy. Regardless, she was making fun of someone's dog if it were not mine. This is extremely dissapointing because both of my dogs have been seen by Dr. Diaz & Dr. Hines. But because of the inappropriate behavior of Dr. Ross and the asst. we are no longer going to put both of our dogs in the hands of uncaring individuals.

Posted 12/27/08 | Report Abuse

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Recently my English bulldog broke his jaw, and the nearest vet was Pebble Maryland, not my usual vet. I had a wonderful experience here. The staff was friendly and helpful, and the doctor was great with my dog. The price was great compared to what the vet I had previously used told me he would have charged me. They notified me of everything going on with my dog before during and after surgery and were great about everything. I highly recommend this place!

Posted 11/18/08 | Report Abuse

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Took our kitty Oscar in for some dental issues. And he was very lethargic. When we walked in the hospital was very clean and the staff was friendly. My wife being a certified Vet Tech from Minnesota is extremely critical of the staff conduct and the cleanliness of the hospital. They took blood and called us as soon as they had results. Our kitty had very bad kidney problems. They kept him for 2 days giving him fluids and antibiotics. We picked him up tonight and he was very alert and looked much better. The hospital kept us updated every step of the way. Dr. Diaz was very concerned with our feelings as well as the health of out kitty. He sent us home with appropriate food and medications and has already setup a follow up for him to track his progress. I would heartily recommend this hospital and doctor Diaz.

Posted 10/16/08 | Report Abuse

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I took my dog after getting him adopted for a free vet checkup. They were very quick and got me in the same day and after work! I didn't wait very long at all. The only thing I didn't like was that you can't be with your dog while they check them-they take them to another room. They didn't try to charge me anything--and were very quick.

Posted 04/02/08 | Report Abuse

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I read the reviews on this hospital before going there...i read a few bad ones but this hospital is the most convenient for me so i decided to judge for myself. I saw Dr. Ross for a general check-up for my dog and he told me the teeth needed to be cleaned soon and gave me an estimated price for the procedure...it seemed pretty expensive so i asked if there were any other options and he suggested a prescription diet called T/D to help the tartar and also to maintain the health of the teeth after the dental if i decided to get one. i thought the doctor was very helpful and personable...he made me feel comfortable and explained things in terms that i could understand. i also noticed how clean everything was and how nice it smelled in and around the building. the staff up front was exceptionally nice and i would recommend this hospital to anyone who has pets

Posted 01/09/08 | Report Abuse

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The doctors here were not able to correctly diagnose my dog after several visits and thousands of dollars. I finally took her to a specialist who diagnosed her with sarcoptic mange within 10 minutes. In the meantime, my dog was itchy and sick for months. When I told the doctor she's been wrong, she just kind of shrugged her shoulders and did not offer an apology. They over-prescribe antibiotics for things like slightly soft stool and slight elevation of urine pH. I also thought they took a long time (2 days) to call back if you call with a question.

Posted 11/13/07 | Report Abuse

3 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

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You never see the same doctor twice. I've taken two dogs and two cats to this vet for the last 10 or so years, since they've opened. Six months ago my 15 year old cat woke up and could barely move. I rushed him over to my vet, and sat in a waiting room for an hour while the kid techs laughed and joked in the back room. It's very hard to sit for 45 minutes to an hour with your pet dying in your arms and listen to people laughing and joking when they could be helping...

After this, they took blood and xrayed my cat to the tune of 500 bucks, then told me they wanted to keep him overnight, just to call me at home two hours later, telling me to pick him up and take him to a 24 hr vet because it looked like his bladder had burst. I told them to please end his suffering and put him to sleep... Bill total: $650 bucks.

Tonight my other cat is at this vet... Bloodwork, Xrays, overnight hospitalization with IV and antibiotics... 505 bucks... If she has to stay tomorrow night too, because the urinalysis takes two days... $717.00 ~ I have no other vet to compare these prices to, but they seem truly outrageous.

The way they "sell you" the bill also feels like a car dealership. Just be prepared. I've had good dealings with this vet too, but most of them were when the hospital had just opened. They seemed professional and fair. Now I just feel taken advantage of every time I go in there.
Oh and also, be prepared to spend at least an hour waiting ... before seeing a vet and after they take your pet, before they return.

Posted 10/07/07 | Report Abuse

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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The vets at this hospital provide top quality medicine and care to their patients. Service with a smile, especially Dr. Ralston. It's nice to find a neighborhood vet with a small town appeal.

Posted 11/30/06 | Report Abuse

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I have been a client of Pebble for the last 3 years, and have nothing but great things to say about them. I would recomend this clinic to everybody for medical or any other pet need.

PROS: Great care.
CONS: none

Posted 05/06/06 | Report Abuse

1 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

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We boarded our 2 Huskys with them on several occassions so I decided to bring in our dog who was actually just loosing his undercoat for a check up. I thought he could possibly have been mites but he was just shedding. This visit cost me $175 just for them to tell me he was sheddiing. WOW!! My other Vet who takes care of my Lhasa never charges me over $60, the Lhasa had eye surgery and it wasnt even over $200. Now here, besides the overcharging, is where my complaint begins. My husband left his sunglasses in the room. We knew this 10 minutes after we left the office. We ran back there and a couple (older woman and husband) told us a young man turned into front desk girl. So, we asked for the sun glasses. FD girl states "oh, yeah, someone did turn those in but I dont know where they are". The other FD girl already left work and we would have to wait until she got home, they would call her then call us. Never received a call from them. So, 1 hour later we go back and different girl tells us that no glasses were turned in and that the "Older Couple" probably took them but just told us they turned in the glasses. So, now we have different stories and still no glasses. I left a message for the OM to call me asap. 2 days later and still no call. I think this office is very unprofessional and pretty much theives. First they say they have them now they dont, like a magic trick, a five handed magic trick!! I will advise my friends who use them to find a more honest office. My $175 pet visit turned into a $500 pet visit!!

Posted 04/24/06 | Report Abuse

3 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

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I have been to this vet for 2 different animals. Both times I recieved professional care for my animals. They showed the upmost respect for me and my animal and went above and beyond the call of duty.

PROS: Professional Atmoshere
CONS:

Posted 07/31/05 | Report Abuse

1 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

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I have used them for years as Vet for my one dog and never had any problems, however, when I went out of town and used their boarding services I was not pleased. My dog came home with sores on his "knees" and "elbows" from laying on a hard floor all day. He also had a cut on his tail, maybe someone shut the kennel door on it?.? They did patch him up at no charge, but I don't think I will use their boarding services in the future.

As for Vet services - Dr. Diaz is the greatest!

PROS: Vet services
CONS: Boarding servies

Posted 07/29/05 | Report Abuse

2 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

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The staff here is always very friendly. They show genuine concern for your pet, and they also offer kennels for when you decide to take a vacation. You can rest assured that your animal will be taken care of at Sunridge Animal Hospital.

Posted 07/27/05 | Report Abuse

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Based this review thankfully, not on a pet emergency or sickness but my experience with them when brining my two beagles in for shots. The staff was very nice and professional. This place has great hours including Sundays. The prices were very good compared to other Vets in the valley and they weren't too pushy with services. My dogs needed their nails clipped and it was quick, painless and cheap. It was the first time neither of my dogs yelped. One has black nails/opaque, the other clear/translucent. I was happy to see a clean short cut on the more difficult dog. The Vet I spoke to was very personable and professional. They also offer boarding and I will update this review when/if I try it.

Posted 06/06/05 | Report Abuse

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