Dartmouth Veterinary Hospital

I haven’t had much experience with vets, so it’s hard to review properly. I had a dog growing up, but in my small town there were no vets. In fact, the idea of going to a vet was some sort of fancy-​pants nonsensical luxury on the same level as owning an umbrella (you think I’m joking).
My first experience with this place was as the roommate of a cat owner. Miss M (the cat, not the owner) had some health issues, and my roommate was back and forth with her several times. I tagged along as the driver and provider of moral support. And even though I was only the kitty aunt, not the mama, I was very attached. There were several tests, and «let’s try this for a while» and «why don’t we give her some really expensive food we just happen to sell here» and so on. Eventually, we got the news we knew was coming. Nothing could really be done. By this point, Miss M had lost a lot of weight and was no longer really herself.
I again tagged along for the final visit, and was in the room for the procedure. Her usual doctor wasn’t available, so we had a different vet in the room with us. He reviewed her chart, came to the conclusion that the cause of the problems might be something not considered by the first vet, and suggested we hold off on the procedure and try some new tests. While I did get the impression he was genuinely trying to help, this is an AWFUL thing to do to someone in this circumstance. He forced my roommate to make the uncomfortable decision that putting her down was still the right choice and left her with doubts she had done the right thing. Though deep down we both knew it was the right thing — that kitty was suffering.
When I adopted my kitty, I didn’t really know much about other vets in the area, so I decided to take her here. I was slightly apprehensive because I remembered how much money my roommate had spent here, but I also didn’t know if it was anything different than any other vet. My first visit was free as part of my adoption agreement with the SPCA. My Marti got checked over as thoroughly as is possible without getting tests done. The vet discovered ear mites and treated them. My total cost was $ 13. This I can live with!
I recently took her back to get checked for what I thought was a UTI. The vet checked her over, asked some questions, and decided to hold off on the test in favour of treating other issues he thought might be to blame. While the visit and resulting followup and treatments were not cheap ($ 230 total), he was right on the money and Marti is content and back to herself. He could have easily tacked on an expensive UTI test anyway, but didn’t.
There’s some good here, and some not so great. Without comparing to another vet, it’s difficult to assess, but I think a 3 star rating is fair.

This is the «hospital» for our furry children. I’ve been using them for well over a decade now, and have always had great experiences with them. They take great care with our furry friends. They are very knowledgeable with all dog breeds, having a greyhound (they require special care with anesthetics and such) we very much appreciate their knowledge and care.
They do the little extra things that keep us coming back for our pet check-​ups. An ear cleaning, nail trimming, a tasty treat, all these things make for a great vet experience.
Once, we had pet rats, on the passing of one of them they kindly disposed of him for my teary wife. I don’t recall if they even charged her. What I do remember is how much compassion they had. Most would say «it’s just a rat» but not them, they treated it with the respect little Cole deserved.
They are a bit pricey on their meds and dental care however, which is what keeps them from the 5 star range. We always get a little gasp when we look at our vet visit bill. Worth it? I think so, but a discount for us long time customers would be nice.

I often wonder why it cost so much to go to a vet. We have taken our dog to this location on a number of times due to the same issue that he had since he was puppy and he is now 6 as well his breed is know for this. Each and every time we come out with the same prescription as well as a sitting fee that ends up costing about $ 200.
We have asked over and over just to have the prescription refilled as we know it is the same issue but they will not. I just don’t understand that at your regular Doc you can have refills but at a Vet you are not able too.
So currently I do not frequent this location only for necessary items as this week I had to run down for a cone for his head cost me $ 13 bucks which was not bad.