Belle Haven Animal Medical Centre

About the only thing that was positive is the building--its pretty. The front staff is snotty. The doctors are average--bedside manner 3 out of 10. Not impressed at all. Think I'll stick to what I know.

Posted 11/06/09 | Report Abuse

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I have been going to Belle Haven since they opened having followed them from Old Town vet hospital. They are consistently excellent, I would never complain about an office visit at a vet for under $100 considering the amount of education the veterinarians have...most of them did internships as well! The service and care is excellent, I wouldn't trust my dogs and cat to anyone else. If you want the "McDonalds" of vet care, stick to Banfield.

Posted 09/07/09 | Report Abuse

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I had been taking my dog to BHAMC since he was a puppy. He received his checkup and shots every year. When my dog started dripping blood from his penis at the age of 4 Dr. Schutt diagnosed him with an enlarged prostate and wanted to neuter my dog immediately. He also put my dog on antibiotics (Baytril $200/week). No infection was ever found but my dog did have a low urine specific gravity. My dogs appetite and energy were very low. My instincts were telling me that while he had an enlarged prostate this was not the problem. Not once did Dr. Schutt ever test my dogs blood in the four years of taking my dog to BHAMC...even when I was very concerned that as a puppy and throughout his life my dog drank a ton of water. After 2 months of blood dripping on and off I finally decided to have him neutered. When I went in for the consultation I asked Dr. Schutt to look at my dogs ears as well because I thought he had an infection. He said, "his ears were fine". When I took my dog in the next week to be neutered they ran a standard blood test for the very first time before proceeding with the surgery and found out my dog was in the final stages of kideny failure. They did not proceed with the neutering but did biopsy the ears at my request. I was instructed to take my dog immediately to South Paws. They started an IV which ended up costing me $700 plus dollars only to pay for it again within the hour at SouthPaws. Dr. Schutt never bothered once to call to see how my dog was doing. In addition, I called his office four times over the course of 2 weeks to find out the results of the ear biopsy. I finally got a hold of Dr. Schutt who informed me 3 weeks later that my dog had pseudomonas - a serious infection. He explained that the lab forgot to fax the report and that is their cue to call the patient when the lab report comes back. This is poorest excuse for patient management that I have ever heard..especially when I called his office several times. Heartbreakingly and sadlly I lost my dog 3 months later. Not once did Dr. Schutt ever call to check up on my dog....even after 4 1/2 years of taking him to BHAMC for care. The care received at BHAMC is very, very irresponsible and will cost you your pets life...which in the end is priceless!!!

Posted 08/15/09 | Report Abuse

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They charge $67.50 per animal per year for the Doctor to do
the yearly health check-up plus all the shots. They do not
have a group discount for up to 4 pets. They do not waiver.

Spent over 7 thousand dollars there on 1 cat who died of cancer
after they did the surgery and said he would recuperate.
3 months later he was gone.

Its all about the money, yes they also offer the credit card
for more debt.

Posted 06/04/08 | Report Abuse

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I LOVE Belle Haven and all the vets there! I have been a client for 8 years and absolutely love it there. Our regular vet is Dr. Terri Donohue, and she is so down to earth and caring. She always recommends giving OTC meds instead of prescription, which can be quite pricey. Recently my oldest dog injured her leg while playing. In examining Sasha's leg, Dr. Katz noticed that all of her lymph nodes were swollen and recommended a needle aspirate and blood test. The diagnosis came back: lymphona, and we took her to a veterinary oncologist several days later, where she started chemotherapy. Her cancer would never have been discovered if Dr. Katz hadn't been as thourough in a routine injured leg exam. I would (and DO!) recommend them to everyone I know, I just can't say enough good things about them. :-)

Posted 05/05/08 | Report Abuse

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While the facility and vet techs are very nice here, I can not recommend this place. We had read wonderful reviews when we first moved to Belle Haven and decided to take our dog there. What a mistake. They performed TPLO surgery on our dog and not only did they do it wrong plus use generic parts - when we brought him back three weeks later they (Dr. Katz) claimed we must have taken a baseball bat to our dog (Can you believe anyone would do that to a poor dog?)!!! Outraged, we took him to another specialist who had to perform a second surgery to repair the first and determined that the plate was not screwed in tight enough, allowing just enough wiggle room that over time, the plate broke before our dogs leg healed. They were simply horrible!! One of our neighbors took their dog there as well (right around the same time period) because she seemed a little off (wasn't eating and seemed lethargic) - the dr. claimed that she just had an upset tummy and sent her home. They took her back two more times because things just didn't seem right or improving. Each time, the dr. claimed everything would be fine. In the middle of the night they awoke to crying and rushed her to an emergency hospital only to find that she had a huge cyst in her - they had to put the dog down that evening. I wouldn't wish my worst enemy to go to Belle Haven Animal Medical Centre - If I absolutely had no choice, the only dr I would speak with would be Dr. Melburger. Don't be fooled by their nice website and friendly vet techs - when you really need help, they will let you down.

Posted 06/01/07 | Report Abuse

1 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

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I have used the vets of Belle Haven dating back to when they were on Henry street back in the 80's. I have taken my 5 dogs there as awell as numerous rescue dogs over the years. I simply won't go elsewhere,even if other places may be less expensive..you get what you pay for.
The docs are top-notch,the staff superb. You never feel rushed or "stupid" for asking the same question,etc. I can truthfully say that one of my dogs wouldn't be alive today if it weren't for their excellent care over the years.
The vets work with the client in making decisions and the hospital is state of the art.
My only wish is that they had staff there overnight for hospitalized pets but they wouldn't leave an unstable animal .

Posted 03/07/07 | Report Abuse

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I spent over $1100 at a 'chain' vet center to find out why my dog had cyst on his nose and to have it removed and sent to pathology. There was no diagnosis and I felt the care was inadequate. The next step was a "$750.00" diagnostic. I then went to BHAMC. What a terrific experience. While the pathology remained uncertain - I was completely satisfied with the diagnosis and treatment regime. In Nov my dog was diagnosed with lymphoma. Dr. Melberger is our vet and immediately explained everything to me, did some preliminary blood work and referred me to a fabulous veterinary oncologist. There was no pressure nor judgments - just honest facts and true compassion from both the oncologist and BHAMC. While some folks may have the misperception that they are 'more expensive' than a chain - I strongly disagree. One visit alone resolved what multiple visits and tests could not. I highly recommend BHAMC. Plentiful parking, friendly staff and easy access from Rt 1 or GW Parkway.

Posted 01/08/07 | Report Abuse

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I chose Belle Haven after reading about them in Washingtonian mag -- I was very pleased with my choice for my new puppy. The staff is very friendly and attentive. My vet, Dr. Donohue, is very easy to talk with and good with my pup. She is knowledgeable without being preachy. She even recommended checking pricing for heartworm meds instead of "selling" theirs.

PROS: Everything is A+
CONS: Location could be a con - Belle Meade/Mount Vernon area...

Posted 08/14/06 | Report Abuse

1 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

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