Ardmore Animal Hospital

We adopted a dog from the SPCA last September. She's a chiuaua-terrier mix and has quickly become the center of our lives. Several weeks ago she developed a lump near her right shoulder. We were concerned and took her into Ardmore to get checked out. After examining the lump and performing a needle aspirate, Dr. Montgomery came back into the room and told us that she's fairly certain that our dog has a fibrosarcoma based on the fact that she saw very few cells on the slide and fibroblasts are difficult to aspirate. She continued to explain how difficult fibrosarcomas are to remove and often the best course of treatment is amputation. Needless to say my fiance and I were quite upset. I came home and looked up everything there is to know about fibrosarcomas. I also talked to a few friends that are vets involved in research at a reputable Vet Hospital in Philadelphia. They all but laughed at me. They said the chances of a 3 year old female mutt having a fibrosarcoma are nil and none. Our dog was spayed 2 weeks prior to the lump forming and they thought a more likely scenario was that the lump was a granuloma from an injection at the time of surgery.

Dr. Montgomery called me with the results of the needle aspirate and said that they were inconclusive due to too few cells. She recommended that we take our dog to Penn to see a soft tissue surgeon. I mentioned that the lump appeared smaller...and she immediately said that was indicative of a mast cell tumor (another worst case scenario). I explained about the possibility of a granuloma and she said that would be great...but probably not likely.

Well we found out that when our dog was spayed, she received a shot of penicillin in the area where she had the lump. They said that granuloma formation was quite common and that it should resolve in several weeks.

It's been 3 weeks since we were at Ardmore and the lump is just about gone. What a horrible feeling to have such a grim diagnosis...no other possibilities...just the worst case scenario. If we do go back to Ardmore, I will make sure that I see a more competent vet...or at least someone that doesn't jump to the worst case scenario without considering other possibilities.

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I have used this office off and on for years with no complaints. Prices reasonable, very competent staff and doctors and teh facilities are nice. I will continue to use them going forward.

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My wife and I are moving to Ireland with our 2 dogs for a work assignment. We chose to use this vet because one of their doctors is certified in animal exportation. The exportation process is somewhat complex in that there are a lot of requirements, a lot of paperwork, and due to timing requirements things must be done step by step with a high attention to detail. Although we found the staff very friendly I was very disappointed in the completed paperwork we received back noticing at least 3 errors on each dog's forms. I spoke with Dr. Brown the veterinarian in charge with the PA office of the USDA that handles animal exportation and he recommended that we start with new forms. When I consulted the Dr. at Ardmore they did not seem to even consider that and instead left the errors however they type up a letter for each animal citing the inconsistencies for the authorities. While this should work I would prefer to be certain when the consequences if the dogs are not allowed in the country are: a) The animal is sent back - not helpful when we are in Ireland b) The animal is euthanized c) The animal stays in quarantine for 6 months (the reason we accepted the move and went through this whole process was to avoid quarantine as we don't feel it is acceptable). If you have any questions regarding the PetPassport process please feel free to e-mail me lewischristopher@hotmail.com

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The staff and doctors at AAH are warm and friendly...and the place is CLEAN! It doesn't smell like a vet the way some places do. I'm there several times a week (my cat has renal failure and requires sub-q fluids very often). And they have helped both my cats through some rough patches. Yes, it can be costly, but you get what you pay for here. Dr. Trow in particular is fantastic...great with cats. Highly recommended!!

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I have been thrilled with the care my cat has received at Ardmore Animal Hospital, they made what should have been a traumatic experience a lot easier for my cat, I was pleased at the friendliness and warmth from the front desk staff, as well as the nurses who calmed my cat when she was scared. The price was a little high, but it was not a shock as this is mostly always the case on the main line, I shopped around before I chose my Vet and most every place I tried the prices were roughly the same, I found one or 2 where the prices were even higher. I also asked about the "acupuncture" wing that was mentioned in the last review and they didn't know what I was talking about. Well overall my cat's experience and mine was fabulous, well worth every penny I paid!

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My family has used this animal hospital for years, and the facility at one time was top-notch. We have come to feel at this point that they are unreliable at best, and flat out crooks at worst. They charge outrageous prices for tests and procedures that cost half the price at other facilities, and I've seen zero evidence that the extra cost is worth anything other than paying for their new acupuncture wing. I'd recommend a vet that focuses on basic pet health and not all the bells and whistles. We've had multiple problems with misdiagnosis and basic lack of insight about health problems with both our dogs and cats. They push expensive and non-essential procedures and have a total disregard for patients who may not have unlimited resources to pay for pet health care. They ignored my dog's persistent cough she was brought in for, criticized us for not getting her teeth cleaned and tried to push the procedure, and then she had to be put to sleep because of an enormous growth in her lung three weeks later. Our cat went into kidney failure at their facility after being unblocked, we were told it could be cancer - he was taken to another facility, and they immediately figured out that the catheter wasn't in contact with his bladder (before they even x-rayed him!), causing the failure. He is now fully recovered. They now also own Havertown Animal Hospital, which had been an excellent alternative in the area but I fear they will become just as bad, although the staff at Havertown is excellent as of now.

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The doctors and the staff.at Ardmore Animal Hospital are very knowledgable, helpful and experienced This is a top of the line facility and the prices may be higher than what other vets charge but the care they give is worth every penny. They treat all animals includings dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs and chinchillas. They are open Monday through Friday and even Saturday but you will need to call for an appointment.

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