Northwest Hills Animal Clinic

Dr. R. J. Kelly
Northwest Hills Pet Clinic
3426 Greystone Dr.
Austin, Texas 78731
Re: My dog,Pete, and Dr. Riddle
Dr. R. J. Kelly,

I brought my now 10 year old Jack Russell, Pete, to your Northwest Hills Pet Clinic almost exclusively for 9 years mostly related to your location. The vets have been ok, but mostly quick, unremarkable and inexpressive. For about the last 5 years I have felt that the profit motive was overwhelmingly your #1 goal. This last visit offended me to the point of sharing my opinion with you, anyone and everyone, and the veterinary association and licensing entities of this state. Even though my experience
may not indicate any illegal act by the clinic, it certainly is in my opinion ethically and
professionally wrong.

To pick up Pete and be told, without a phone call to me during the day, that you
took out 10 teeth and,... by-the-way, here is your bill for $564.... is simply wrong.
My sister was at another neighborhood clinic today & shared my experience. They
were astounded. They call the client always.

My complaint first, and foremost, was consideration for preserving my dogs teeth. I dont think my dog needed mass tooth extraction10 of them. My dog is quite healthy. I have never seen the loss of a tooth due to looseness, but I realize the tartar was heavy. I believe the vet chose to extract rather than bother with the cleaning the 10 little teeth he extracted. Along with this were, of course, more charges and more meds. Why 3 separate meds this time vs. last visit and extraction? A mouth wash too. Ka-ching, ka-ching.

Secondly, the prices for the items related solely to teeth cleaning of the 5 times I have been there since the year 2000:
Year 2000: $80, no extractions
Year 2002: $91, no extractions
Year 2004:$162, no extractions
Year 2005: $277, w/3 extractions (I was called. Only 1 medication)
Year 2007: $564, w/ 10 extractions, w/4 prescribed drugs presumptively included
and priced at ~ 200% or more of what they are retail online.
The estimate given me for everything related to teeth cleaning was around $230.

The price is outrageous, but to have taken 10 teeth from my pet without consulting with me is worse. You had my phone number.

We have been taking our dogs (currently 2 Beagles) here for years - over 20 - and have always been extremely satisfied. The staff loves the dogs and are very attentive. The vets are sometimes a bit rushed, but that is the popularity of this clinic I think. It is clean, pet friendly and the prices are very very reasonable. I recently acquired Beagle #3 and I'm taking her today for a pre-spaying checkup. I'll let everyone know how that goes, but I expect it will go well. Definitely try this clinic foe yourself; your mileage may vary

PROS: Clean; price; staff; pet friendly!
CONS: Can be busy; check schedule in advance

When we moved North in Austin, we went to the vet that was closest to our home- which was Northwest Hills Pet Clinic. (This was 2 years ago) We had adopted our then 9 year old pug, and when we brought him in, he needed to have his sets of shots. First of all, the doctor (female) kept referring to him as a pekinese! The doctor was distant, and in a hurry. When they gave him all his shots, they gave him the whole package at once, and told me he will be fine and I didn't need to stay with him.

When we came home, he started to get an allergic reaction to the shots, and it seemed as if his hind legs were paralyzed, he was dragging them across the floor. When I called, they said I didn't need to worry and that I should give him some benadryl if I had any. I got upset since I didn't have any, and I didn't want to leave him alone since it looked serious and they let me bring him back for observation.

When I came back to bring him back in, they were short and didn't explain anything to me, but rather made me feel like I was overreacting. When I was allowed to pick him back up, much later, I went to get a second opinion, and that vet told me that first of all, pugs are very sensitive dogs and the vaccinations should have been given to him spaced out, not all at once. Secondly, you should ALWAYS stay with your pet after they have been given vaccinations, since allergic reactions can occur, and can be deadly to your pet! He also told me that when a patient reports paralysis, this should be taken very seriously! He also told me that yearly vaccinations are not necessary at all.

Later on, I heard horror stories of pets dying because of allergic reactions to vaccines. In fact, I found out that many dogs die of this. I stayed with this vet, of course, and later on, when they transferred his documents to the new vet, the vet techs told me that the things they wrote about the incident in the report (on the day that I brought him back in) were personal, and rude and were not written in a professional way.I went back to this vet, and confronted them with the fact that the vaccines should have been spaced out, and that they should have told me to keep an eye on him after the vaccines were given. They were rude and unhelpful.

In short: DO NOT bring your pet here! Instead I would recommend Dr. Donop at the Oak Springs Veterinary Clinic. They are more south, but worth the drive. They are professional and take the time to explain everything, and take you seriously. I still can't think about that experience, and what would have happened if I would have left him after he got those vaccines that day.

PROS: none
CONS: Unprofessional, misconduct and rude service

I found this clinic by calling around to find prices for my dog's shots. They were the most reasonably priced. I was very impressed with the staff and the facility was very clean. They performed the services I asked for and made recomendations for additional care, and did not try to sell me more. The price was exactly as quoted. I will continue to use this clinic for my dog.