Cherrydale Veterinary Clinic

Maybe things have changed, but I took my cats there in the mid 90s. I had adopted a street kitten named Miles. He had what I ** thought ** were recurrent respiratory infections. He sneezed all the time. He was also semi-feral and very terrified. I kept takng him to Cherrydale, and they gave me antibiotics for his chest infections. One day, I went in with him for an appointment because he still had noisy breathing and appeared to be getting worse in spite of antibiotics. They were backed up on appointments and asked me to leave him there so they could get to him later. I did. They called me urging me to give them permission to euthanize him, telling me he was having an acute asthma attack, and that he was so terrified by the treatments they were doing that his airways were closing and he was getting blue, and he was going to suffocate if I did not let them euthanize him. I gave them permission.

They told me that in his chart, it was written by the vet from a prior visit that Miles had asthma. I remembered the last visit before this final one: They were very busy and the vet barely took 30 seconds to talk to me, she just gave me antibiotics. She NEVER shared her "asthma" diagnosis with me, and she certainly didn't discuss an asthma treatment regimen with me.

Miles did not have to die. Had they told me he had asthma -- had they discussed asthma treatment with me -- what happened on his last day would never have happened. The very worse thing I could have done was take him there and leave him as scared as he was, and if I'd known he was having an asthma attack I would not have done that. But they had continued giving me antibiotics, and this led me to believe he had an upper respiratory infection. They never told me about the asthma, never gave me the option to treat the asthma, and poor little Miles died in terror.

In short, they are way too popular and busy to spend time with you. They are far too expensive for the care you get, and they need to get over themselves.

I now go to Alexandria Animal Hospital with my pets.

By the way, some of these positive reviews sound very suspicious -- like they were written by people who work there, not real clients. For one -- all these good reviews showed up after the negative ones. Common vet hospital trick.

Especially the one that says: "succession of skilled Cherrydale doctors, astonishing diagnostic talents, skillful surgical techniques, and wonderful referrals"

No client talks like this. First of all, how the heck would a client know about their "surgical techniques"? Were you there watching?

That's totally obviously a planted review. You should stay away from them for trying to game the reviews, if nothing else.

Posted 10/06/09 | Report Abuse

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If you need to trust your vets the way you trust your own doctors, I think Cherrydale Vet Clinic is the place to go.

Dr. House and Dr. Szymanski are two of the most knowledgeable vets I've ever dealt with.My calls are returned the very same day, and if it goes to voicemail, be prepared to hear one of the most detailed and informative phone messages you'll ever receive. I only wish others I deal with daily were as efficient.

The staffers are skilled and caring, and they'll go to great lengths to answer seemingly trivial questions on issues going on with my pets.

I think their fees are reasonable, and they're open on weekends, which is great if you have a busy or hectic schedule. They even make house calls to see pets that don't travel easily.

I trust Cherrydale Vet Clinic implicitly with my pet's health care, and I recommend them all pet owners.

Posted 07/22/09 | Report Abuse

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The vets at Cherrydale gave my cat the "wrong" rabies vaccine-- twice. I had to get a certain kind to travel overseas, so I literally said to the receptionist, then to the aide, then to the vet, "Okay, what you are about to give her is the live vaccine, right?" "Uh-huh, yeah, sure." Then as soon as the shot was done, the vet went, "Oh, wait, we gave the denatured vaccine. Oops. Bring her back later to get the other kind."

I have NEVER seen such incompetence. And that was only the beginning;they also suggested that I highly sedate my cat to travel, which I have since learned is not something that anyone recommends these days.

I could go on and on, but it will suffice to say, they are unbelievably disorganized and incompetent. Combine that with the absurdly high prices, and I had no qualms about switching to Capital Cat Clinic, where I have been very happy.

Posted 07/11/09 | Report Abuse

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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Dr. House was fantastic, very thorough, very educational. We have had major skin issues with both of our dogs and Dr. House was so informative and eager to start a program for them. Very pleased and would recommend her highly. The staff was very friendly and helpful too.

Posted 06/25/09 | Report Abuse

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This place has changed. I would never take my pet there again. They don't care about your pet and OVERCHARGE YOU. A past employee told me horror stories about the kenneling too. Beware.

Posted 04/13/09 | Report Abuse

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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The vets and boarding are fine. Beware of hidden exam cost. Baths are very expensive and NOT a satisfactory job. The tear stains on my puppy didn't even come out. The groomers at Petsmart charges $16.00 and the tear stains are gone and the dog looks washed and blow dried which they didn't even do. Some of the receptionists there are not friendly at all--which they need to be as much as they charge. I'm willing to pay extra for excellent care on my pet BUT I appreciate honesty and professionalism from everyone starting with the greeter/cashier.

Posted 12/14/08 | Report Abuse

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I can't discount the posts below from folks who were less than satisfied from their experience with Cherrydale, as I wasn't there at the time, but I sure would like to! I've been a client for almost 5 years and I can tell you without question that the customer service I have recieved has been nothing short of phenomenal.

Is it a little bit more expensive than other clinics? Probably so. However, I can't tell you how many times I have called my vet at Cherrydale and she has called me back the same day (usually within a few hours) and has taken the time to answer my questions at length. She also makes sure to tell me when to NOT bring my animals in, because she doesn't want me to incur the extra charges. Furthermore, over the past year or so my aninals have required a lot of veterinary care which of course, equals $$ for me. At Cherrydale, they understand this, and I can't tell you how many times they have knocked a charge off my bill here and there when they could to save me money. They really do try and help the owner out as much as the animal.

For those of you who have had to euthenasize a pet, I'm very sorry to hear of your loss. I know how it feels, as I have had to do the same, and I have to tell you the experience that I had when I brought my pet in to be euthanized was very different from the ones described below. I talked to my vet beforehand who explained to me in detail exactly what would happen, that they would make sure the animal was comfortable and they said "Whatever you need or want is fine by us." They were extremely compassionate & after assuring me several times my pet would be comfortable, they advocated for what was best for me. In the end, I got a HUGE hug from the vet, and you could tell, everyone really cared.

Have I had to wait to be seen? Maybe once or twice for 10-15 minutes during a high peak time (i.e. around when people are getting off work/picking up animals/dropping off) but that's RARE. I usually am called right in to the exam room.

On top of this, their hours are outstanding. I feel as though these reviews have extremes sometimes, and I just want to say that overall, mine has been very positive.

Posted 11/29/08 | Report Abuse

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We have been taking our cats to Cherrydale for nearly 30 years. During that period, five of them lived to be older than 19 (two lived to be 21), and we attribute that largely to twice-yearly geriatric evaluations by a succession of skilled Cherrydale doctors, astonishing diagnostic talents, skillful surgical techniques, and wonderful referrals. Two years ago, after her oncologist indicated that our last cat's cancer had reached the point where her quality of life was plummeting, we arranged for a home visit to have her euthanized without the stress of a drive to the clinic. Dr. Boughanem and one of the technicians came to our house on a Saturday afternoon, performed the euthanasia, and cried with us when it was over. Cherrydale's technicians and receptionists are responsive and extremely client-oriented, and this clinic boasts some of the best equipment in the area. I love watching their technicians handling the animals in their care. The whole staff seems to take delight in interacting with pets. Moreover, when pet owners have questions or concerns, the entire staff is prepared to explain, instruct, and listen. On several occasions, we were taught how to perform routine procedures at home in order to avoid office visit charges.Overall, we have a greater degree of trust in the Cherrydale staff than we've had in our personal health care professionals. Granted, the clinic's fee schedule is higher than some others, but we feel we're getting a lot more for our money -- time, skill, knowledge, and care. There must be 30 area clinics closer to our home than Cherrydale, but these are the people we continue to trust, and they haven't let us (or our cats) down yet.

Posted 05/14/08 | Report Abuse

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Took my dog, after $600, not sure what I got

Nice questions, but a lot of expensive tests seem questionable. Paid over $169 for standard blood panel.

Made my dog snap and cry, odd for him.

Not really sure they helped. Some advice which was common sense, not sure their battery of tests came to any real revelation.

Picked because of reputation for geritatric animals. Not really comfortable or satisfied with helping my pet.

Posted 04/04/08 | Report Abuse

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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Dr. Boughanem, is outstanding, I wish my physician was as compassionate as my vet. I will recommend him to anybody looking for high quality pet care, and personalized service. The front desk staff is simply marvelous.

Posted 03/23/08 | Report Abuse

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I took my 5 month old kitten there who was infected with fip to be put to sleep. When we finally got into the room the vet came in, asked us why we had to put him to sleep, returned 2 min later with a "helper" who took my kitten from my arms(who was screaming from being handled that way) and stuck him with the death shot. After listening to my kitten scream until it died the vet said "hes dead" and shoved him into a box and left the room without another word. It was disgusting, they seemed to have no feelings what so ever to my needs or my kittens. They treated him like a burden. After I left the room to pay (crying unconsoleably) I had to wait 5 min to even be acknowledged. THIS IS THE WORST VET I HAVE EVER BEEN TO. DO NOT TAKE YOUR ANIMALS THERE IF YOU CARE ABOUT THEM.

Posted 02/13/08 | Report Abuse

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I took my dog to Cherrydale Vet for 2 years, and though I have moved to Silver Spring, I am debating staying with them and making the 40 minute commute because I love it there so much. From the vets to the assistants to the receptionists love animals and coo all over Tara when I bring her in and give her lots of love. Dr. House is wonderful, as is Dr. Brosius - they work with me for a treatment plan that works for my budget but keeping Tara's best interest in mind. They are also open to alternative treatments (like homeopathy and acupuncture) and home remedies. Dr. House actually nicknamed Tara "muppet" (because she looks like one), and calls her that to this day. Tara (my dog) has had a host of problems and they were always able to squeeze me in on a moment's notice, and did follow up appointments for free. They have expanded their hours to be open 7days a week and on M, W, Th until 9pm so that it could not be more convenient to get to them. Northside Vet is right across the street, and their prices are a bit lower, but it's not the same quality of care as it is here!

Posted 02/14/07 | Report Abuse

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