Animal Health Services of Cave Creek

I used to love AHS of Cave Creek. Their staff was caring and they always had the desire to provide high quality services at fair and reasonable pricing. I however have noticed over the last several years their desire to up-​sell, overcharge and encourage unnecessary testing. I took our 10 year old female Westie there today for a rabies shot and wellness check. The vet who examined her noticed one of her teeth had dental disease and said this tooth needed to be extracted. All was fine until they worked up my treatment estimate. I was shocked to see a quote of $ 937 to extract one tooth! By foregoing several highly recommended tests, the price could be as low as $ 662. Needless to say, I checked with another veterinarian down in Glendale that my personal dental hygienist uses for her pets (also a former AHS customer). The price I was quoted from them was a high of $ 405 to as little as $ 270. I love my pet and want to give her the best of care but I refuse to be guilted into overpaying for her care.

Dr. CB, Dr. DD and business manager are the geniuses to chalk up, ‘tear’, ‘hole’, ‘crack’, or ‘dent’, that Dr. CB made with catheter, was the complication of the urinary stone.
1. Dr. CB failed catheter while doing her job and caused extended stay in this hospital.
It was a second chance for her to do catheter 3days after the first attempt.
Initial catheter took her more than an hour that was triple time than usual for her.
The urethra of my cat might have been damaged from the initial catheter.
After she failed 2^nd catheter she called me panicked and said there’s a hole in the abdomen,
which she evaded to connect to catheter, adding that catheter might have been blocked by tumor, or cancer.
She might have pushed catheter hard enough to hurt my cat and that made her panic.
There was no hole in the abdomen, tumor, or cancer on the X-​ray photos taken upon first hospitalization before the intial catheter. It was clean.
The hospital ignored my requests for the X-​ray photos for the 2^nd catheter attempt, the X-​ray photos on which Dr. CB said she found the ‘hole in the abdomen’.
The hospital sent me only the X-​ray photos taken before the initial catheter.
2. Dr. DD replaced Dr. CB’s failure with complication and helped destroying the evidence (x-​Ray Images) which would reveal Dr. CB’s liability.
*See the email extract from Dr. DD (full e-​mail body is a length excuses and unable to accommodate in this review for the limitation of allowable characters)
3. Manager JRG determined to pass the buck to the patient and to collect extended stay from the patient.
*See the extract from hospital log
Question:
Why this hospital concealed or destroyed the X-​Ray images in question?
‘X-​Ray image that drove Dr. CB panic’.
If the assertion made by the hospital is right they could disclose the X-​Ray images.
It’s a sham to see someone’s lack of integrity.
*E-​mail extract
From: Danica Dahlquist
Sent: Saturday, October 31, 2015 12:04 AM
Subject: Yura’s medical records
Tonight Dr. Blom attempted to unblock him, and thinks she may have accidentally made a small puncture through his urethra inside of his abdomen. This unfortunately is not uncommon, and cats with urethral tear generally do very well but need a urinary catheter left in their urethra until it fully heals (this typically takes a week). The urethra may scar and shrink months from now as it heals fully, which may cause urethral blocking problems, but this complication is thankfully uncommon. If the puncture in his urethra is larger than we expect, or he has any underlying problems (bladder cancer, bleeding problems, etc.), he may need emergency surgery or other treatments.
*Extract from hospital log
11÷2÷15: Called and spoke with Mr. Hino. He is frustrated because he feels that we haven’t done a very good job communicating with him. Also, he feels that we are responsible for the tear in the urethra. I advised him that while the catheter did tear through the urethra, the doctors felt that this was due to the urethra being compromised due to inflammation. I told Mr. Hino that everyone has been going out of their way to communicate. Dr. Blom even had Dr. Dahlquist send an email detailing everything they had discussed. He is also concerned about the finances if there were problems from the urethra tear. I advised Mr. Hino that if there were indeed complications from the urethral tear, I would not charge him to correct the issue. I will charge him for the PU surgery as planned as well as the additional hospitalization. jrg
Provider: 103 Rob Graham, CVT
Operator: 103 — Rob Graham, CVT Create/​Edit User Name: Associate Doctors Create/​Edit Date: Mon, Nov 02, 2015 12:02 PM

I would not take my cat here again. They charged me $ 600 and were disorganized, they didn’t show my any of the results, they said she didn’t have an infection and I found out from a second opinion she did have one

They are definitely awesome they take very good care of your pets be it a check up or a 3 day stay
When we first moved to AZ our dog got sick and we had to leave him there a few days then an operation then put down a day after we got him back
Now we have 2 dogs they are still our go to Vet

Over-​priced veterinary care at its finest. If they can find a way to up-​charge you on something, anything, they’ll do it. The veterinarian care is good and they know what they’re doing, but you can get the same level of care for a cheaper price somewhere else.
The customer service varies on what day you’re there. Sometimes you get some snooty, unhelpful staff on the weekends, and other days you get more personable, and more willing to help staff on the weekdays.
Seriously though they charged us extra in addition to the regular cremation fee to cremate our dog separately from the other dogs and who even knows if the ashes we got are hers.
If you can manage to go somewhere else, then I encourage you to go somewhere else.

Disclaimer… only giving 1 star because I have to.
Took my mastiff in on Thursday late night. She had been vomiting a lot, tons. Went into exam room & the vet tech decided it would be best to take her away from me to exam. Ok…5 minutes later vet comes in says that tech will be back in with treatment plan. Tech comes in and they want to «admit» her since she needs some fluids. No other tests done at this point. I refuse the admittance, to the tune of $ 2400-​$ 2800, and was treated like crap the rest of the time. They ran a bunch of blood test & did one X-​ray, which showed a mass in her stomach. Vet said mass was most likely food… really? Because my dog has been vomiting uncontrollably since 4:30 pm & hasn’t eaten anything. Vet tells me they will have a radiology specialist look at it too, cha ching! Gave her some anti-​nausea meds & fluids, then sent us on our way to the tune of $ 840! They also tried selling me nose butter & canned food!
I called Saturday afternoon to see what the specialist saw on X-​ray, they hadn’t gotten to it yet. Ok…
My dog still not eating or pooping on Sunday night, my husband calls & they will need to call back. They called at 12:30 am… we missed the call.
Monday morning took our dog to our vet, Desert Hills Animal Clinic, and they immediately took her and kept her (no charge) to observe, run tests, and perform an ultra-​sound (Animal Health Services sent them x-​ray as a PDF, instead of whatever file type an x-​ray comes in). Low and behold the «food» was still in my dog’s intestines… It was not food, but a blockage! Long story, dog had surgery, body was toxic, and her intestine was severely damaged.
DO NOT TAKE YOUR PET HERE. OUTRAGEOUS PRICES AND INFERIOR SERVICE!
I contacted AHS and asked for part of my money back and they told me they would contact their insurance company to have them review to see if there was any malpractice… I just laughed!

Our sweet little deaf Maltese terrier was bitten by a rattlesnake in our backyard in Desert Hills. It was after 7:00 PM so we looked for the closest ²⁴⁄₇ emergency vet service which turned out to be Animal Health Services of Cave Creek. We were able to get her there within 90 minutes. They immediately got her on pain meds and got blood drawn. Their treatment plan was double pronged. One night stay was about $ 2200, two night stay would have been $ 3300. These plans included two bags of antivenin (at about $ 800 apiece). After one bag, it was apparent she was not doing well and the results of the blood test showed she had no platelets. Shortly thereafter she began having bloody discharge and seizures and we were told she very possibly would be neurologically impaired if she survived. At about 3:00 AM, we decided it would be kinder to give her a peaceful end and the staff were very kind and understanding and administered the shots with me holding her in my arms. I’m very grateful that she was given the best chance at surviving by these caring folks, but her tiny little body was just too weak to recover. A very sad day for our family but I am happy that the staff made certain she did not suffer.

Doggie was acting oddly in the middle of the night so we took a little field trip to this clinic. Staff and doctor were kind and gentle with the pup. The doctor suggested a blood panel and gave me the option of having it done at the regular vet or doing it there. The price was in line with regular vet prices so I opted to get it done there.
The entire experience was pleasant and I would absolutely return (and doggie is doing fine).

If it was possible to give a MINUS 5 STARS I would. All this place cares about is padding the bill to as high as possible. Our dog needed stitches. They padded the bill to over $ 500 for meds and blood work PLUS they wanted to charge more for an overnight stay. By this time the bill was getting near $ 1000. Why did they need an overnight stay for stitches? There were no other emergencies but we waited over 2 hours. We took the dog to another vet and she was stitched up for a grand total of $ 300. Highly unimpressed with this clinic. I will never go there again since there is an emergency vet on Scottsdale and Pinnacle Peak and one on Cave Creek and the 101.

Not the most gentle place with my cat. He came back traumatized from this place, what they must have done to him! Also very expensive, and years ago when I first took my cat here and dropped him off for a teeth cleaning, his collar came back missing his rhinestone studded skull jewelry. Somebody with questionable ethics had to have physically removed it from the key ring, because the remainder of the collar was intact. Not sure if that person still works at this office, but I guess they needed it more than he did.

Just fair — This is a VERY VERY VERY expensive place to bring your pet. Yes they serve you water (bottled) and are very cordial in terms of service.
But this outfit truly has been milking the money these past years, and their rates are astronomical from what I have experienced over the years of bringing our toy poodle here over 10+ years.
Is the care here good? Yes, but not worth rates which seem to be double or triple some of their competitors. My gut feeling is the vets/​Docs here have been living high on the hog for years based on a wealthy clientele & area demographic and are accustomed to charging rates which will make your eyes pop.
Once we brought our dog in after an emergency eating some chocolate — and got socked with a massive bill.
We made a change about 2 years ago to a using a far more reasonable clinic in Phoenix (Southside Animal Hospital). Yes its a drive, but their fees for removing some tumors and other work at Southside was ¹⁄₃ what was quoted to us by AHS. «Nuff said.
It isn’t that this is a bad operation — they are average at best, and their prices are at the luxury level for nearly anything your pet might require. Personally, I say pass.

Last night, our Affenpinscher was having difficulty with her first litter. It was her due date, but after a few hours she was not having good contractions. We arrived at the clinic around 11:30pm, and after taking an X-​ray (not sure why that was needed as an xray had been done on 9÷16÷14 confirming 4 puppies), it was decided a C-​section would be done.
About that time, another emergency came in and Dr. Danica Dahlquist prioritized the other dog (which happened to be a current patient) over our C-​section. Not our preference, but the puppies were doing OK with decent heart rates. Finally about 2:45 am (3 hours after arriving), Dr. Danica Dahlquist prepared for the surgery. The Vet Techs (Adriana and Chrissy) put the mother under anesthesia and it was over 45 minutes before Dr. Dahlquist got the first puppy out. The Vet Techs pushed multiple times to get things started, and then when finally started Dr. Dahlquist seemed more interested in using the laser than getting 4 healthy puppies out. As a results, 3 of the 4 puppies could not be revived although the 2 vet techs worked for over an hour.
Prior to the surgery starting, Dr. Dahlquist asked if we wanted to go to another emergency clinic. This would have resulted in an even further delay, so we chose to stay at AHS.
We are experienced breeders and expressed our concern over the extensive delay between putting the mother under anesthesia and finally beginning the procedure and getting puppies out. We have no doubt that the delay in getting the C-​section started as well as the long time the mother (and puppies) were under anesthesia resulted in the puppies not being able to be revived.
The Vet Tech, Adriana, came into the clinic and did a wonderful job. Other doctors may be more competent and able to prioritize, but if Dr. Dalhquist is on duty, I have no faith that she can make appropriate decisions or act in a timely manner.

One of my cats suffers from IBS. Poor little fluffy. Most of the time I can read his symptoms, and know how to treat him appropriately.
Last week, however, he stopped eating. This was new (and alarming). He became exceptionally weak, to the point where his back legs wouldn’t even support him. I panicked, like all pet owners would, and ran him up to AHS. I was convinced he had an obstruction, or was dying of cancer or kidney failure (like I said, I panicked).
They did x-​rays, blood work, full exam… only to tell me there was nothing visibly wrong, meaning, no obstruction, nothing in his blood work… They had an orthopedist in that day, who read his x-​rays, and let me know my cat had great knees. :D
He was given some sub-​cu food and beverage (lol), and I was told he should start eating by the following day.
I took him home, watched him closely, and I didn’t think he would last the night — he looked THAT BAD. I was convinced they missed something, even called AHS (who compassionately triaged him over the phone, and reminded me I could take him again). Cats very quickly lose the will to live when sick, and if he owned anything of value (well, of value to me, not him, our priorities differ), I would have had a friend pop over to witness him signing over his fortune.
But, I kept checking on him, and around 3AM, I was able to get some food in him. Promising! At 8AM, another ¹⁄₃ of a can! By 2PM, he was well on his way to being his old self. I was astonished at the turn-​around.
Anyway, this is the second emergency trip I’ve taken him on to AHS, and I am so impressed with their facility and care, that I am now using them for all vet care for both my boys. They are professional, courteous, and caring.

We looked all over for a vet to care for are umbrella cockatoo and found Animal Health Services. The Vets and the Staff are terrific. We moved to Arizona from Wisconsin and needed quality service for Our bird. They provided it. They knew how to handle the bird and exactly what the bird needed. We are extremely happy with the service They provide and would recommend them to anyone looking for a great animal care service.

Good caring folks. Our pup does not like to get her nails cut, but they do a great job. I do feel like they are always ‘selling’ me something, and I never know if I really need it.

Up until our last round of appointments, I would give AHS a higher rating (maybe a 3.5, as its always been VERY expensive), however the last 2 visits have left a very sour taste in my mouth.
Our dog (1 year old English bulldog) was suffering from a bout of vomiting (twice) and diarrhea, so upon the advisement of our breeder, we brought her in via their urgent care on Friday, February 14^th. It was pretty rushed and all the things they had to do/​give to her weren’t explained ahead of her being taken in the back, but since it was urgent care we expected a slight lack in communication. She was given fluids, an injection of medication to stop the vomiting and an injection of Pepcid. We were sent home with nothing but a receipt to the tune of $ 250.
Several days later, although the vomiting at stopped, the diarrhea was still persisting. Usually we receive a follow up call from the office to check on her progress, but this time we did not. Fair enough. Instead, I called them and asked if the vet could call me. Was it a side effect of the 3 things she was given? Did they not fully address the problem?
I waited several hours (3) without a response, so I decided to just get her in for a follow-​up, in fear of her becoming dehydrated. I took her in yesterday, February 19^th. The technician was great (I didn’t catch her name) and we saw the same vet as Friday night. I brought up the fact that we originally brought her in for vomiting/​diarrhea (looking back it seems they only treated the vomiting) and the technician said that a test to check her diarrhea extensively was $ 100 through «3 different methods». I said ‘wow that’s expensive’ and that was about it.
The vet came in and said «we’ll check her stool for parasites» and went out of the room. To me, that is not confirming whether I am comfortable doing a test. They just assume I’m made of money, I suppose. She came back and said she tested negative for everything and was going to prescribe a «few things». She suggested a pro-​biotic and would «see if they had it». To myself I thought… so you’ll just sell it to me if you happen to have it? I didn’t see the vet again after that.
Again, like Friday, I wasn’t fully informed what all the medication was for. The tech asked me whether we were giving her the over-​the-​counter medication we were advised to give her on Friday. What? Like I said previously we left with ONLY a receipt and no paperwork on what to give her, nor verbal instruction. I told the tech we were not given such info. We even made a point to ask before we left «are you sure we don’t need anything else?» because the vet had mentioned Pepcid over-​the-​counter, but they ended up giving it to her as an injection. Needless to say we had no idea we were supposed to be continuing that. So, whatever it was we were «supposed to» be giving her… would that have cleared up the diarrhea? I find it EXTREMELY frustrating that we were not given proper instruction.
Anyway, I get to the counter to pay and it’s another $ 230. So that’s nearly $ 500 in FIVE days for diarrhea and 2 vomiting spells where she had no obvious issues (no lethargy, no temp, they did a rectal exam, felt her stomach, nothing there and no signs to pointing to something serious).
That «pro-​biotic» was $ 40. I’m obviously not convinced she needed it, as she was only going to give it to her if they had it. It really makes you question the other meds she was given as well and all the other things we’ve paid for at AHS in the past. And we’ve paid A LOT. I don’t even want to add it up… ugh. We would do anything for our dog and I really feel taken advantage of.
Besides the diarrhea exam (which I still don’t feel I authorized), NOTHING about the cost of services/​meds is told to you before you get the bill. You have no control or options, they just do whatever they want. After a year of giving them way too much business, we’re officially done.
One more note: As others have said, it’s very sales pushy for science diet. They will lecture you every time if you use anything else. I even had to be snippy towards them the last time because I was plain tired of it.
****UPDATE****
The facility manager did call us shortly after this review. My husband spoke to him and although he was apologetic, we have still decided to change veterinary care. Our dog has been itching non-​stop since we started the latest round of meds (always something, right??) so we will be going to a new vet on Monday.

Our lab was limping so I took her here on a friend’s recommendation. Awesome doctors and techs, they took the time to find out what the issue was and called and checked on her later. We will be back for any other pet needs. They DO offer boarding also, which just made my day. UPDATE-​had to have our two elderly cats (18 and 19) put down within two months of each other-​one had diabetes and the other had liver failure. Can I just say how wonderful the staff was? They were patient and let me have the time I needed to say goodbye to our beloved kitties. I also received a lovely letter from the vet afterwards that was comforting and kind. I love this place.

This is a great place. We had to drive all the way from Peoria to here so that my dogs hips could be x-​rayed. The staff was very friendly and kind. They didn’t mind that my baby was running amuck in the lobby and seemed to enjoy having her there. They were fast and efficient. It was a good experience. I would recommend them!

Let’s face it. Many of us like our pets more than our family. And if our pet IS our family. then it’s even more important to know they are well taken care of. On two occasions i had to take my Harry cat after hours for some semi involved problems. AHS’s ²⁴⁄₇ service is a God send as emergencies always seem to happen after hours. Everyone there is knowledgeable but also caring. The facility is large and clean and they are well stocked with the medicines and technology to perform their duties.
For those interested in super technical descriptions and lots of fancy glowing definitions of all that these people can do… they can. If you’re just interested in trusting your pet (of almost any variety) to people who care and will do their best no matter the time or day. then again, these are the people. I don’t want to say that my Harrington is my life but the day i lose Harry is the day i lose part of my soul and I know the AHS people will always do their best to keep him healthy and happy.

So the story starts with our cat «Charlie» dragging a limp and lifeless baby rabbit into our house last night. While Charlie likes to contribute to the family unit, this was not a welcomed gift. I picked up the little guy and his eyes were open but he didn’t move much — I figured his back was broken or something else severe. I was about to put him out of his misery, but instead wrapped him in a towel and went online to look for «bunny rescue». After a few calls I was pointed to this outfit in Cave Creek (about a 30-​min drive btw). When I got back to Peter Cottontail he was hopping around on my table! (and almost off the table) We got there a little after 10pm and they gladly took Thumper into their care and explained he needed a few stitches and that they had a girl on staff that would rehab and release the little guy back into the wild. They did this at no charge.