Strand Gregory Dvm - Scenic Hills Veterinary

If you love your pet this is NOT the place to go.They have no clue!!!! Took my dog in because she went into heat after nothing for 2 yrs and was not acting normal. Dr's diagnosis...some type of infection in her butt area and her cycle was normal. Gave her a shot of cotozone sent her off with antibotic and predinosone. 2 days later she is ozzing brown puss from her privates and can't walk. Rushed her to a different doctor and she had to have emergency surgery to save her life, they removed a 3 lb cist in her uterus and there was no infection in her butt!!!!!!. She is doing great now, NO thanks to them! For those who think that this is a good vet, maybe you should compare the good reviews with the bad on all websites. The Bad out number the good by far. Most the good just has to do with how CHEAP they are, you get what you pay for and it almost cost me the life of my dog.

Posted 09/28/09 | Report Abuse

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First off they see hundreds of clients a day! have you not looked in the reception area?all those pieces of paper are records. thousands of clients are seen there, id say over 100,000. you cant expect people to remember you if you come in once or twice a year for ten years and they get new staff pretty frequently since not a lot of people can handle the work pace. no one is just a number or a reciept, they take pride in their clients and they cut as many corners of the balance as they can to save you money, hello havent you looked at other vets prices in town? they charge $80 for a dog neuter 0-50# ive heard pine meadow charged $260!!! are you kidding me? and they dont give too much anesthetic, some animals take it differently, just like if i were to go under and you im sure we wouldnt wake up at the same time would we? they offer to keep them at no charge extra to anyone they see needs to stay because THEY CARE ABOUT THE ANIMALs, their wait times can get ridiculous but its because of their prices being so low. so if you want to pay more then go somewhere else that doesnt see walk ins or emergencies. theres one or two receptionists that are rude and dont smile, id just ask to check in with a different person because most of them are very friendly unless theyre on 3 lines, get medicine ready and checking in a client all at once. Wouldnt YOU be stressed and probably not smiling too much?? think about things before you go venting on here about a place.

Posted 08/28/09 | Report Abuse

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I have been taking all of my animals to Scenic Hills for the past five years and am still overall pleased. Out of the eight animals I have been taking there, I have only had one issue and that was with spaying. They seem to give too much anesthesia and as a result, one of my dogs had to have a fee-free overnight stay. They told me I could take her home, but they would keep her overnight with no charge if that was okay with me. Also I had a kitten that took a little bit longer to "come to" than normal.

I have compared the prices at other vets in the area and have found that none of them even come close to the low prices at Scenic Hills. Between the prices and the wonderful staff, this is a great, caring place to take your pets.

Posted 05/29/09 | Report Abuse

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I have used several different vets here in Pensacola, and found this vet hospital to be excellent and to have better prices on medicine. Not to say the others are bit good, I just like them best.

Posted 05/12/09 | Report Abuse

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I have a regular vet that I use, but I always appreciated SH being open on holidays etc. The last time I used them, I had a 7mth old kitten who was acting lethargic. I took him in on the Friday after Christmas a couple of years ago (my vet was closed), on Sunday I picked him up to bring him home. He died that night.
I reviewed the case with my vet, and they agreed he was probably terminally ill. The issue I had was with Dr. Bartlett (?) and my bill. I was frantically trying to find a reason besides terminal illness behind my kittens decline. I asked if he maybe had eaten a string of tinsel from the Christmas tree.. the "doctor" assured me they had done an x-ray and it was clear. When I checked out, I noticed they charged me for a $3 enema, but evidently they 'donated' the x-ray, because it wasn't on there. When I talked to the original doctor who had been working on my kitten (Dr. Royer - very nice) , he seemed puzzled because they had not done an x-ray because the cat was not symptomatic of ingesting a foreign object.

I may be dumb, but I am not stupid, and I don't appreciate being treated by Dr. Bartlett (or whatever) as if I was. I will now pay the outrageous fees of the E-clinic if my pet is in an emergency situation.

Posted 03/04/09 | Report Abuse

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I must say, I'm confused with all of the negative posts about Scenic Hills here. Yes, the wait times are sometimes long but they are they way just about anywhere. I lost my cocker in January and Dr Ernest and Dr Davis were so loving and caring. They told her what a beautiful baby she was and comforted her while they put her down. I cried like a baby. I now have a very sick Cocker in there overnight and am hoping and praying that they save her. The only thing I don't like is that they don't keep a tech on duty overnight with the hospitalized animals. You would think with the money they make they could do that. Regardless, overall I think they are great. I was having to buy eye medicine for one dog and it was 66.00 at another vet. Scenics price was 26.00 for the same meds. Same with heartguard. I pd 32.00 at another vet and 20.00 at scenic. They are not perfect but then neither is anyone else. I have used many vets in Pensacola and Alabama in the past 20 yrs and they are by far the best. Also, when I call and want to talk to a vet on the phone, they always accommodate me. Try that at any other vet. You get a tech. Also, they have never charged me for follow-up visits. Every other vet charged a lesser amt but still charged a fee. Give them a chance. I can personally recommend Dr Earnest and Dr Davis.

Posted 02/28/09 | Report Abuse

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Scenic Kills or excuse me Scenic Hills is an opportune hospital that is composed of compationate malpractice. Iatrogenic is the word that most compliments this awful practice. Soulless would be an understatement for these fools or so called veterinarians. People(clients) do your research, even the internet is a better doctor than this place. If you want good medicine and perhaps a pet that is still alive DO NOT GO HERE! EVER! To those of you that didn't get this sooner and are suffering because of it, my heart goes out to you.

Posted 02/04/09 | Report Abuse

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First off, I want to say Scenic Hills used to be a great place to take your animals until they got too big: more doctors, more staff, more patients. I had used them for years until they overdosed my cat on steroids and caused his diabetes. I had no idea that prolonged use of steroids can cause diabetes. And the reason they were using steroids (I have found out since) was unfounded and not necessary. Now it's insulin twice a day for the rest of his life. I agree with the other reviews regarding the friendliness of the staff (there is none), organization (again, there is none), pricing (has gone up considerably), wait times (ridiculous even with an appointment), and you definitely feel like just a number and a source of money. There are plenty of vets in town to choose from. I have found one that is great.

Posted 01/25/09 | Report Abuse

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I have used Scenic in the past with both of my elderly cats. They got me in each time I needed them to and went out of their way to do whatever they could to help. At one point, at the end of my cats life, they had me in for days in a row doing everything they could to make his last days comfortable. I did have to wait for a while sometimes but its worth the care and concern my cats received there. I'd recommend them to anyone.

Posted 12/31/08 | Report Abuse

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i love these doctors here...not only are they wonderful at what they do, but their also very compassionate. they treat all of my animals-i wouldn't go anywhere else. Not only will they euthanize a sick animal for free,they will also send you a sympathy card. Missy, Chumuckla,FL

Posted 12/29/08 | Report Abuse

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I was very dissapointed in the long wait even with an appointment. You also never seem to get the same doctor and the prices are different for all the doctors I had seen. If you do not have much to do with your time then this is a great clinic for you.

Posted 12/16/08 | Report Abuse

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I have heard more & more stories on them & still went b/c they were OK to me (not great just ok) I have been using them for over 10 years & you are just a #. The staff has never been friendly I dont know if it is b/c they are just to busy or what but no one smiles or has been pleasent nor even remember you after years & years same with the DR's. I had a very sick dog they kept for about 3 days with IV's & all & called me & said you may just want to put him to sleep he is not responding to anything. Come visit him & see if you want to get any further testing done at Auburn and we will go from there. So I go to visit my 8yr old dog expecting to see him on his death bed mind you & she comes walking in with him on a leash??? She said well he is a fighter I wouldnt give up on him yet. So by this time I am angry (this was the 3rd time from all 3 DR's that said I should put him down) so I said I am taking him home please give me a copy of the blood work and I got a 2nd opinion. Long story short he was having liver problems & they never re-ran his blood work to see if he was inproving, they kept pushing me to go to Auburn (which is way to far for me) they acted as if they did not care at all until I stated I want to go to another vet now one of the DR is calling me everyday to see what I decided to do instead of caring about my dog. I am so discusted with them and I have found a wonderful new VET for my dog.

Posted 08/25/08 | Report Abuse

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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I worked there for quite a while and still take my pets there. I still recommend this vet to all people. They do things a little different than most but that is b/c of the majority clients who go there have little or no money and actually care very little for their pets. Vax pricing and routine surgeries are reasonable and everything else is about the same throughout pensacola. As far as the comment about prices not being consistant-it depends on why they are staying-was is just boarding or hospitalization? They see an impressive amount of pets a day and have to been hurried in order to not have people wait (while complaining) for more than an hour or two. They have no deal with a high school for receptionists and there are always two supervisors there-the dont have to staff for people just to sit around and generally the phones are insane, so everyone is running back/forth. I equate it with a low/cost hospital. As far as the heartworm tx goes, it is used all over the country (mostly for low/cost areas) and works. It takes a lot more time, not as costly and not as dangerous. And face it, the people's pets that are going through these tx, didnt care enough to put them on preventative and if the tx was too costly, they'd put the dog down. And yes, cats are naturally immune agaist heartworms-just b/c there is a pill or vax out doesnt mean it is needed.

One thing i can say about this place-they DONT push this product or vax unless it is neccessary! I see way too many vets giving this flea/tick heartworm/earmite/mites and vax (like FELV and lyme) that your pets dont need! People complain enough about waiting-but continue to come back and about prices-only to find out it is 10x more expensive elsewhere. Cant make everyone happy-pick a vet you like and wait for them- i do; remember you are there to see the vet, get to know them and everything doesn't matter so much.

Also, if there are a million people there, dont act like you are the most important, the most important is the dying dog/cat (or 2 or 3) that just came in, that you didnt see. And dont ask, "why did they go right back and i have been wating an hour?"- you want to know why-b/c they are having to make a choice,whether or not their pet will live or not. However, I do agree-appointments are crazy, it should be walk-in/emergency/ med pick up only-problem solved.

Posted 07/29/08 | Report Abuse

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I worked there for all of 1 week (I quit when I became disgusted).
I could make a huge list as to what is wrong with this facility.

The biggest problem I have seen was
1) their heartworm treatment is not FDA approved the science behind why it works seems great to a non-medical client, but when you think about it scientifically it makes no sense. In fact, at a clinic I work at now, we see several of their clients that are heartworm positive that went through their treatment

2) they say that cats that are immunosuppressive are the only ones that can get heartworm. NOT TRUE!!!! ALL CATS HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO GET HEARTWORMS!!!!

3)They give thyroid medicine to all animals with skin problems including puppies!! While it is true that skin issues is a symptom of hypothyroidism, why on earth would you give thyroid medicine to a dog without first checking it's thyroid? Also puppies don't get hypothyroidism!

4)They reuse needles and syringes

5)Liars,hypocrits, and only concerned with money

Posted 06/21/08 | Report Abuse

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My mother in law took both of her dogs in for their shots this weekend and due to some kind of screw up they euthenized one of them. They said it was an error in the paperwork but they killed her dog. Before this I had always taken my animals to them but no way would I now.

Posted 04/21/08 | Report Abuse

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I went to scenic hills vet for the first time today. I called to make an appt. but they told me i could walk in until 5pm today. I took my new puppy in around 4pm and wasn't seen until 6:15pm. We had a very long wait but the staff was friendly and even came out and offered everyone sodas. I thought that was very nice, they didn't have to do that at all. My overall experience was fantastic. When I finally got to the back, the staff was very helpful in explaining how and why. The price was very reasonable also. The only thing that i did not like was the wait time. Besides that I had a good experience and plan to take my puppy back in 3weeks for next shots and deworming. I drove from Milton to Pensacola just because a few people told me how they were. My experience was great and would recommend to others.

Posted 04/14/08 | Report Abuse

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We took our pets to this clinic for 10 years, and did like some of the individual vets we worked with. Unfortunately, overall, I can't recommend the clinic.

Problem #1) Their prices fluctuated widely from visit to visit. About 2 years ago we had a cat stay overnight. The fee was $15/night (not including other care). Then last year, we had another cat stay. The fee had shot up to $40/night (not including other care). About a month ago, our cat needed to stay again, and we were told the cost would be $32/night (not including other care). We saw this with other treatments as well, with prices that should have remained fairly standard. I understand that costs change due to inflation or increasing expenses, but the degree of the changes makes it seem as if they charge you based on whatever they feel they can get away with at the time.

Problem #2) Overall, despite good impressions I have of individual vets there, the organization as a whole is very obviously money-centric. And it's true, it's a business. However, some of their prices are outrageous. For one test another vet offered to do for $35, Scenic Hills informed us it would cost $100. This is an unacceptable price jump for little or no improvement in level of care or facilities.

Problem #3) The doctors may or may not be doing what's best for your pet (which is the most important issue when considering a vet). Recently, one of our cats started losing weight and we took him to Scenic Hills. They tested him, told us they couldn't find what was wrong, gave him a few shots, and referred us to Auburn University. All that was fine, till we took him to Auburn and they were surprised at the treatment Scenic Hills had given him - Scenic Hills had given him a steroid shot, despite the fact he had elevated liver enzymes, indicating he was having some liver trouble (steroids can aggravate problems with the liver). However, we assumed it was a one-time mistake, and Auburn forwarded Scenic Hills the testing they had done that definitively showed our cat was having liver trouble.
A few days later, we took him back to Scenic Hills to get another basic check-up to make sure he wasn't getting any worse. They again gave him a steroid shot (without asking us). We contacted Auburn to make sure they had sent our cat's test results to Scenic Hills, and were told they had faxed the information over several days ago and had even tried to call twice to talk to the vet we were working with, but the vet had never taken or returned their calls.
At this point, we were pretty upset with the standard of care we were receiving, and were looking around for another vet in the area, but the problem was taken care of for us. Auburn called Scenic Hills again after hearing they had continued to give our cat steroids, and shortly thereafter Scenic Hills called us and told us we were no longer welcome as clients. I can only imagine what occurred in the conversation between Scenic Hills and Auburn, but considering Auburn University's reputation in veterinary science, I think Scenic Hills must have been feeling defensive about their treatment. I've never heard of a veterinary malpractice suit, but I can only wonder if they feared something like that. We had been long time clients of theirs, and otherwise in good standing.

A few other random issues, of lesser importance:
- When you visit, you WILL wait at least an hour to see a vet, even if you have made an appointment.
- The front-desk staff is at best inexperienced and at worst incompetent. They are contracted via a work-study program with a local high school. There is no office manager apparent, and sometimes they will ignore you standing at the desk for several minutes before signing you in (or are simply absent from the desk).

Again, the individual vets at Scenic Hills are (mostly) kind and competent, but there are some odd issues with the pricing of their services. I believe problem #3 (above) about the mistreatment of our cat was caused by the owner/management of the clinic pressuring an otherwise capable vet to perform up to a standard of "earning" (as measured by seeing a certain number of patients in a day) that resulted in severe neglect.

I cannot in any way recommend this veterinary clinic, though I do feel compassion for the vets there that seem stressed, harried, and constantly "on-the-run".

Posted 01/25/08 | Report Abuse

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Good vets, good hours... I've used them for years. I "use" to take my dog to them to have her nails trimmed. Free if you are having anything else done. At $8.00 to me it was worth it. And then they brought the price up to around $20.00 or more just to trim nails. They said it was because we would be using up space in a room. To me there is no excuse for this. Looking for a new vet...

Posted 12/19/07 | Report Abuse

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Last year my wife and I rescued a 12 year old dachshund from Pensacola Animal Hospital, and to say the least, she became a family member. This was the first dog I ever had that was "my dog". Every where I went she went. She slept between me and my wife and followed me EVERYWHERE! I was truly attached to her. She became very sick really fast and started passing blood in her stool, had a fever and was just very sick. After telling the Doctor what was going on, he said she was very sick and not much they could do, and she was only suffering. That was the hardest decision I have ever made to have her put down. I laid on the floor with her all night and then took her down Sunday a.m. I would just like to say a BIG THANK YOU to the staff at Scenic Hill for treating her and our family with respect during this hard time. We brought her home and buried her in the back yard. I was truly shocked today (4 days later) to get a sympathy card from them and a poem that made me cry all over again, but it was a good cry because it was about the future when we will get to see our Wennie again. Some people just take the time to complain, and I just wanted this to be different. Thanks again for all you sympathy and support. When we all heal, I can't wait to bring down and share our new family member with all of you. Thanks for all you do, your love for animals is shown in all of your actions. Thanks, Mike, Susan, Garrett and Samantha Whitfield

Posted 09/27/07 | Report Abuse

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I think the reviewer "anonymous" must be one of the teenybopper receptionists working for this vet. In the last 12 years I've utilized Scenic Hills Vets as the only vets for my animals. The statement that they charge less than other vets is untrue, there are many other vets in this area that charge less however their regular office visits are in the ballpark. They are not currently (as of 8/07) available 24 hours, you will find a sign on the door advising you to call another business called the After hours vet service on Palafox St. (which charges $84 to walk in the door,then lots more!!! but provided excellent emergency car for our cat but that is unrelated to this incident). Even though their policy was that you could walk in and be seen without an appointment, in 12 years I never did that, I always had a appointment and waited through every one elses walk-in appt. which would sometimes necessitate me waiting over an hour. Recently my animal was having a reaction and I needed to do this. I was told the visit would be $60.00 ...."and that's double, you know,"because it was "after hours". It was 6:02 by there own timestamp on my bill. This was during the week, and their closing hour was 7:00p.m. There was not another customer in either waiting room there just 3 girls manically mopping up, obviously wanting us to go away. Yeah you know what? If I could get a steroid shot for my animal over the counter I wouldnt have bothered you. Yes, I would like to wait till tomorrow too, yes, I would prefer not to be charged DOUBLE but the dog needs the shot NOW. Will I use this vet again? Yes because the back of the house staff, the techs and Vets are worth waiting for. However I must say I am looking for a smaller vet. This is a huge operation you will not get someone who will "know" your animal. In conclusion, I rate them technically very good, but I think its time to shop around.

Posted 08/28/07 | Report Abuse

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Scenic Hills Veterinary Hospital is the best place to take your pets. They have the best care available in the area for the lowest price. They have twenty four hour on call emergency service. They have extensive diagnostic treatment and surgical services available. They have a waiting area for dogs and another for cats. They also offer dental services for your pet.

Posted 03/31/06 | Report Abuse

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This vet center is wonderful. I have a puppy and this is our first for the family. The Scenic Hills Vet center is very clean and comfortable. They treat the animals with the best care. And they get you in and out very quickly. The staff is fantastic.

Posted 11/06/05 | Report Abuse

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I would highly recommend Scenic HIlls Veterinary Hospital to anyone! They are open much earlier/later than most in the area, to accomodate most people's schedules (and emergencies), plus they are open on weekends. The staff is wonderful and they have a separate entrance for cats and dogs. A major plus: prices are MUCH lower than other area vets but the care is wonderful!

Posted 09/12/05 | Report Abuse

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We have been going here for a very long time with our animals.This last time was a very good experience to say the least.Our loving little dog had gotten hurt in a fight and we were most anxious.They took such good care of him and calmed him down as he was shaking.I made a follow up call later in the day as he was in distress and they talked me thru his problem with a very understanding calm voice and we appreciated it so very much.

PROS: Kind compassionate thoughtful
CONS: Having to wait so long even tho you have an appointment for a check-up.Havi

Posted 07/25/05 | Report Abuse

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