Insider Pages Reviews for Dawson Bronwyn Dvm - Vanderhoof Veterinary Hospital

5 Stars: Long- Time very satisfied client (by Patricia V.)

Patricia V. — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 17:49:00 GMT

WE have been using Vanderhoof Veterinary Hospital for more than 15 years. We currently have 4 golden retrievers. We have had several other dogs over the years and I can state without qualification that they give first rate care, with compassion, at an affordable price. Because the practice is so busy, routine check -ups must be scheduled well in advance. They have always accommodated us when we had an emergency-- including when one of our dogs was hit by a car at 8:30 am on a Saturday morning. They took us in as soon as the doors opened, and they saved her life. She is now nine years old, and a happy healthy girl.

5 Stars: The best vet for your buns!!! (by lisa v.)

lisa v. — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 10:34:00 GMT

If you have a bunny go see Dr. Dawson!! SHE IS THE BEST!!! and comes highly recommended and I can see why. I live in Covina and make the drive there just to take my rabbits to her and I would not take them to anybody else!!

5 Stars: One of Vanderhoof's first 20 customers (by Ted J.)

Ted J. — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 18:01:00 GMT

A great veterinarian and staff. We've taken our 4 different dogs there and as stated above we were within the first 20 customers to walk in their door after they opened for business, this was almost 30 years ago.

The great thing about the Internet is you people like me can post their positive experiences and share them with you. Me, a customer of almost 30 years of taking 4 different dogs and 1 rabbit. You don't go to someone for almost 30 years if they're a crook or ripping you off. And as far as expensive, I'm in my 50's now, so almost 30 years ago means my wife and I didn't have much money. The Vanderhoof Veterinary Hospital was always reasonable for the service provided.

I told you the great thing about the Internet, now the bad side. If you're on the Internet much you'll know what I say is true. I could have written a trashing review of Vanderhoof with no truth or basis in fact and it would be posted as if it 'was truth'. Beware of a couple of 'negative neds' that might have an axe to grind and get joy in trashing people.

5 Stars: Great and loving care (by Susan T.)

Susan T. — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 09:40:00 GMT

The staff at Vanderhoof is the best. I have lived in Pasadena for over 20 years and have tried almost every clinic in the area. I am very picky about front staff, wait time, professionalism and cost. If you want rude treatment and go bankrupt, go to Dr. Black in La Crescenta, but if you want caring, knowledgeable, professional care for your beloved pet, go to Vanderhoof. The medications that my dog needs everyday are 1/2 the cost at Vanderhoof than they are at the clinic of Dr. Black in La Crescenta. When I took my goat to Vanderhoof with a fractured leg, the staff was so accommodating...even letting me lay next to my goat, Rosy, when she hospitalized. I know that sounds crazy but to them, it seemed normal and natural. I love the staff at Vanderhoof, almost as much as they love my pets. PS...I was not an established client when we brought Rose in and we were fit right in.

5 Stars: Best Bunny Vet (by J S.)

J S. — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 21:33:00 GMT

If you have a rabbit please have it cared for by Dr. Dawson. She is a true rabbit expert and is also very thorough and compassionate in her treatments. Dr. Dawson's knowledge of rabbits greatly surpasses all other vets I've visited. In fact, I took our rabbit to several vets before finding Dr. Dawson but no other vet could help him - and his health problem was not complicated! I admit the Vanderhoof office is slightly more expensive than other vets, but to me this is well worth it. In fact, I would have saved a lot of money if I had found Dawson earlier and not wasted consultations with other vets who knew very little. I highly recommend Dr. Dawson at the Vanderhoof office.

4 Stars: Excellent Veterinary Experience - Highly recommend. (by Laura T.)

Laura T. — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 16:16:00 GMT

I was recommended to Dr. Vanderhoof when my dog was very ill and I found all his staff to be very knowledgeable, kind, generous, and well priced. I definitely recommend their office!

4 Stars: Caring and kind! (by K D.)

K D. — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 13:04:00 GMT

I was worried about finding a vet for my new cat, a specialty breed.
However, I find Dr. Vanderhoof to be very kind and good with animals. He is really interested in their welfare. I would highly recommend him. When the first round of antibiotics we tried didn't work, I took her back and he prescribed a new one. He's very methodical in his medicine, and whatever he recommends makes sense to me. I also really liked the vet tech named "Ginger," a calm and kind influence who was fun to talk to.

However, the communication skills for the receptionist are a little lacking--stuttering, not sure what sort of deadline to give, a little "loosey-goosey." (especially on the phone) Though it's true, animal people can be pretty strange, and I guess I'd forgotten just how nutty vets offices can be in my pet ownership time lag. Other negatives-- if you own a cat, or even a sensitive dog, I observed a few dog owners very insensitively letting their dogs growl at others, wander, etc. So just keep that in mind before the trip.

Overall, the prices don't seem outrageous and they are really interested in helping your pet. They don't seem to be in it just for the money.

5 Stars: medical staff very dedicated to quality care (by deb d.)

deb d. — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 00:26:00 GMT

My old Labrador suffered from a hematoma in his ear flap. First at VCA clinic, they wanted more than $800 for the surgery and lots of bloods test, etc. ( I always do get two opinions, at least)My vet at Vanderhoof, Dr. Sloan, offered to try, at my request, an "office visit" procedure, on local anesthetic, and was able to cure this problem with only one tenth of the "VCA price" and it was a SAFER procedure for my pet, with great results!! Vanderhoof Veterinary has a "no nonsense" attitude , I & my dog really appreciated the wonderful care & treatment. . .

5 Stars: Good experiences (by No W.)

No W. — Fri, 08 Dec 2006 13:52:00 GMT

In spite of the bad review which said that this vet is expensive, I actually find
it reasonable. The vets do take a cautious approach to evaluating the health
of your pet, which usually means they try to avoid surgery/chemo and such
unless you really want to do it. I've been to vets that want to run every test
under the sun for the most routine reasons and I think this vet strikes a
good balance between running every conceivable test and not running enough
to diagnose problems. I have had 6 cats under care here for 5 years with
a variety of routine and severe illnesses.

My biggest complaints:

1. Make sure that dog owners leash their dogs and have control over them!
I have never had an incident, but the number of 100 pound women
busy filling out paperwork while loosely holding the leashes of 150 pound
dogs disconcerts me and (sometimes) my pets.

2. As someone else said, they do not really make exceptions for emergencies.
They will try to fit you in, but if it is a true emergency you are probably
better off going to an emergency vet. I had to wait 2 hours for my pet to
see the doctor in an emergency situation once and if you are not a
regular client then forget it altogether. I once saw a desperate man turned
away (sent to another vet) because he was not a client. I felt terrible for
the guy, but I also understand that sometimes clients will overstate
emergencies in order to avoid making appointments. The staff said that
they instituted the policy because of people who brought in seriously
ill or injured pets and then left the office never to return to claim them.
Therefore, they will only see current clients without notice.

Anyway, this is supposed to be a good review, so I will close by saying that
the staff is very nice and cares about the pets. Dr V. personally will call with
status updates on your pet. Dr. Dawson is reknowned for working with small
animals and has a way with even the most skittish pets. The front desk
remembers my pets' names just by hearing my name. The medical care is
first-rate (I am the the type who does a lot of research on the Internet and
every time so far Dr. V has been 'by the book' and sometimes even a little
avant garde in terms of trying drugs and techniques that are not yet widely
accepted if nothing else seems to be helping.) He also has a lot of
compassion, encouraging me not to destroy a FeLV cat I found as a stray
as long as she was isolated from all other cats. I never get the feeling that
I am a walking wallet or that my pets are 'just animals'. I haven't tried every
vet in the area, but I've tried a few (and some in other areas) and he is
the best that I've had. I found him by word-of-mouth and he has a lot of
very happy customers. In one case, a new acquaintance was telling me how
his old cat had died of kidney failure and how traumatic it was for him, but
how the only vet his cat seemed to trust (and seem happy with) was Dr.
Dawson (who now works here and who has also seen my cats). This forum
is the only place I've ever heard anything bad about this vet, although I've
certainly heard bad things about (and had bad experiences at) some others.

5 Stars: Caring and competent (by Lisa S.)

Lisa S. — Tue, 21 Nov 2006 09:07:00 GMT

We have been taking our dog to Dr. Vanderhoof for ten years. They have always provided excellent, caring treatment for her. They are conservative in recommending expensive surgery/treatment. She did recently need surgery to have some benign cysts removed. They've been watching them for years and told us we didn't need to do anything about them unless they ruptured. One did and it wasn't healing well so they then recommended we do the surgery to clean it out and remove the others. The final bill was only 60% of the original estimate. They have always treated us and the dog with respect and care. I highly recommend this clinic.

1 Stars: Bleed you dry. (by claudia a.)

claudia a. — Mon, 30 Oct 2006 18:10:00 GMT

We went to Dr V. ten years ago when we took our elderly boxer to him, he wanted to do all these extra tests with all the bells and whistles ( and pricey) just "to see IF...' When we already knew he had cancer. Fast foward ten years later, we take our second boxer to him to get a small lesion on his face looked at, to "look" he charged almost $300. He wanted to do a battery of tests and the estimate given by the office was close to 1000 bones, that was not including the treatment (of course) which would be unknown!After a good cry and feelings of being a horrible owner because we weren't zillionaires we went to anothe vet which knew what our dog had, did ONE precise test and fixed our little buddy for less than Dr. V's "look at" fee. He seems sweet and nice and smiles an awful lot but you will pay...oh how you will pay...

PROS:
CONS: thin wallet.

1 Stars: Rude and uncareing (by Elizabeth G.)

Elizabeth G. — Sun, 29 Oct 2006 23:41:00 GMT

STAY AWAY!!!!!Don't trust your pet's life to them.Very rude staff!!! Incompetent vets. Will turn away your pet even when it's an emergency!!Worst experience ever.

PROS: NONE
CONS: Rude, unprofessional and jerks!

5 Stars: Caring, friendly staff make the difference. (by A P.)

A P. — Tue, 26 Sep 2006 00:15:00 GMT

We brought Dr. V our senior cat near death's door, and he and his staff nursed her back to a point to give her a fighting chance. Dr. Vanderhoof is very competent, dedicated, and conscientious. He called us almost every morning (weekdays and weekends) to give us a progress report, in addition to the reports in person when we visited our pet @ the hospital. I wish that physicians would treat their human patients with as much consideration.

Roberta, the chief nurse and hospital manager, is amazing. She really runs the place and sets the tone-- they take excellent care of their animals and keep the hospital and cages spotless. The staff really seem to love the animals. They're constantly thinking of ways to make th pet more comfortable, recover. They knew most of their patient by name and are always ready with a treat for the pets. The receptionists visit and pet the hospitalized animals when they have a spare moment.

We highly recommend Dr. V and his terrific hospital.

PROS: Kind, caring staff. Very competent vet and nurses.
CONS: none.

5 Stars: (by George H.)

George H. — Mon, 27 Dec 2004 22:41:00 GMT

Good, caring, warm and friendly doctors and staff. Very clean office and rooms. Its well known that other veterinarians bring their pets to doctors at Vanderfhoof. They take care of a wide range of animals from hamsters to exotics to crows.

5 Stars: (by Lorelei M.)

Lorelei M. — Sat, 27 Nov 2004 18:29:00 GMT

I've been going to Dr. Vanderhoof for years. He's very caring. I trust him.

5 Stars: (by Ken Y.)

Ken Y. — Wed, 27 Oct 2004 11:17:00 GMT

Top quality veterinary care with a warm, caring, attitude. Definitely the favorite among the local pet owners, though some travel some distance to go here. Animals are treated like family.

I know of veterinarians who have taken their animals to Dr. Sloan for complex surgeries. Dr. Dawson's bird, rabbit, and other exotic pet owning clients travel great distances to take their pets to see her here.