1st Pet Veterinary Centers – Chandler

Took my cat here on Monday (Memorial Day) as he was having trouble peeing. The staff was quite friendly and took care of the cat’s needs quickly and in a professional manner. To people concerned about the cost, it was $ 100 for the visit and $ 70 for the meds. Given the holiday and the ability to just walk in, I can’t complain.
The problem wasn’t the visit, it was the meds they gave him. They gave the cat a dose of buprenorphine which they told me would help him with his pain for 3 days, but that he would only be «a little loopey» for 1 hour. Well, I’m now on day 2 of «high-​as-​a-​kite» kitty who stares at walls and darts around the room with his shoulders hunched like Smeagol. Though it might sound funny, it’s really concerning. If it doesn’t get better after tomorrow, I may have to find another vet to take him to.
Overall, they did a good job and I’m grateful that these services are available. However, I wish the vet had been more straightforward about the side effects of the drugs they had given him.

Do NOT go to this place. We brought our dachshund in she had an infected uterus and needed an emergency spray. However, she had hernias. So this is a difficult procedure. They told us in order to do the surgery it would cost $ 3500-​$ 4300. They said it was either pay, or put her down. We obviously couldn’t afford it up front like they wanted so the appointment was set; we were going to put her down. THANK GOD my sister didn’t want to give up. She called more vets and finally found one, Family VetCare, and they did the surgery for $ 1500, saving my dog’s life. So grateful. But this vet place is a rip off.

I brought Chloi in here when I just moved here and another dog attacked her and bit her ear off two years ago. The entire staff is wonderful. I made them my full-​time vet.
I brought Chloi in tonight due to diarrhea during emergency hours. I love that they are open 24 hours and it is a $ 100 emergency fee but worth it.
They provide costs prior to doing anything to let you verify. I signed up for Care Credit the first time and am very thankful for that.

I first started going to 1^st Pet Veterinary Center in 1997 when I adopted my first kitty, Bobby, from the Grenadian Society for the Prevention of Cruelty of Animals (GSPCA). Not only did Bobby need continued annual exams and shots, he also needed to maintain his International Health Certificate as required by the Veterinary General in order to travel back and forth to Grenada, which 1^st Pet Veterinary Center helped me maintain.
As I continued to travel, I adopted an animal from each country I lived in. I currently have three rescue pets: my Belgian Malinois, Clopi, my Chihuahua, Princess Baily, and my kitty, Rocky. All of my pets go to 1^st Pet Veterinary Center.
My pets started off with wellness exams, shots and microchips, and continue to visit each year for their annual exams and shots. As they have gotten older, each of them have had to visit the emergency room and surgery center. Clopi is 13 years old now and was recently diagnosed with gastric dilatation-​volvulus (GDV) is also known as «bloat,» «stomach torsion,» or «twisted stomach.» 1^st Pet Veterinary Center performed the emergency surgery, and Clopi recovered in their ICU. Princess Baily is 10 years old now and has been a frequent flyer in their emergency room. She frequently went in for treatment before being diagnosed with epilepsy and stabilized on medication. She also had an odd allergic reaction to food which caused her stomach to retain fluid and required emergency surgery which was performed by 1^st Pet Veterinary Center. Princess Baily recovered in their ICU. My kitty Rocky is 13 years old now and recently had sudden bilateral rear leg paralysis, was brought into the emergency room, and was diagnosed with Feline Aortic Thromboembolism (FATE). Since FATE is usually caused by heart disease, 1^st Pet Veterinary Center called in a cardiologist to do an emergency 2D Echo, which revealed that Rocky had congenital hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Rocky recovered in their ICU.
Although these are far from pleasant experiences, I deeply appreciate 1^st Pet Veterinary Center because they are always very quick to assess my animals, they are extremely accommodating about allowing me to visit my animals if they require an over night stay, and they take calls and answer questions at anytime without ever sounding annoyed or rushed. They also discuss all of the options, including an estimate with an itemized list, so I can decide ahead of time what treatment I’d like for my animals, without being surprised at the cost when I come to pick them up.
1^st Pet Veterinary Center also has technicians who clip Princess Baily’s nails once a month and they also sell Clopi’s Hill’s Prescription Diet Kidney Care dog food.
Of note…
1^st Pet Veterinary Center is owned by Dr. Randy Spencer, DVM, since 1989, and now has three valley locations, North Valley, Mesa and Chandler. This Chandler location has been here since 2000, and currently has 13 clinicians and three specialists.
Each location has a 24-​Hour Emergency Room.
Care Credit is available.
There is plenty of parking out front of both the clinic and emergency room entrances.
For more information:
I ⁵⁄₅ highly recommend 1^st Pet Veterinary Center!

First Pet Veterinary Centers (Chandler) is a cut above the rest. We have utilized their services for many years. We have six dogs and cats. They saved the lives of two of our pets in the last 1.5 years. Our cat had emergency surgery for pyometra and, in the last month, our dog had surgery to save him, from an ulcerated cancerous tumor. First Pet seems to hire the best doctors. Having experienced others in other clinics over the years, every doctor we have dealt with at First Pet seems to have more knowledge, more experience, is better informed, gives better advice and, they are all very generous with their time. The post-​surgery accommodations were clean, comfortable and smell-​free. There is no doubt in my mind that they love the pets they are caring for, as though our pets were theirs. Many thanks to Dr. Dan Guastella, Dr. Keith Joyner, Dr. Kristie Stanton, Dr. Jennifer Flood, and any others whose names I cannot recall. The staff is always pleasant and they do relay messages to the doctors.
I have read a couple of reviews of others. It is not true that the prices at First Pet are doubled. We have obtained a second opinion on a couple of occasions. The price was comparable on one occasion. On the other surgery was about $ 300 higher so, we went with another place. What a mistake that was. Through the doc’s negligence or incompetence (not sure which), the cat had to be reopened, at our expense and the expense of our cat who was miserable and in great pain. The subsequent issues ended up costing us several hundred dollars more than if we had had First Pet do the operation in the first place. First Pet knows what they are doing. Again, knowledge and experience make a difference.

I’m struggling with my rating. Did they help my dog in an emergency? Absolutely, and for that I am grateful.
Did the vet recommend additional treatments that we couldn’t afford? Yep. Fortunately, our dog is fine today.
Here’s what I really struggle with… While we were there, a woman came in with a dog in obvious distress, struggling to breathe. She was told it’s $ 100 for the exam and would be $ 50 for the medication. The woman couldn’t afford it, was crying, begging for them to work with her financially, to allow her to pay when she gets paid at the end of the week. She was told about Care Credit but said she had already been turned down. Since she couldn’t afford the treatment, she asked to have her dog put to sleep but there weren’t payment options for that and she couldn’t afford the full amount. She said she would take her dog home and to the Humane Society for help in the morning. The vet did give the dog some medication to reduce fluid around his heart and hopefully help his breathing.
I understand this is a business but where is the compassion for this woman and the dog? Why not at least put the dog to sleep and not allow him to suffer until the next day? Had I been in a better financial situation myself, I would have offered to pay, it was so upsetting to see…
Will I go back? In a true emergency, yes, but I hope I’m not unable to save my pet’s life due to not having all the money upfront.

For an emergency clinic they were great, my dog hadn’t been acting right and looked like he was hurting. They took my concerns and treated him gently and with extra care. Pets are family they understood that. Didn’t get to see the doctor at discharge, she followed up later that evening, it was Awesome the way she wanted to make sure he was doing okay people Luv our little guy for being a calm in nature chihuahua, plus she wanted to make sure I had no questions. Found our new vet! Now the cost knocks it down to 4 outta 5 stars, I feel I got what I paid for with regard to a thorough exam and meds for home

We had to take our 9 month old Shihtzu into this place on Saturday night. Out of no where she started drooling profusely and became confused, hypersensitive, and was vomiting. When we arrived the front desk staff was pleasant and very quick, when we got in the exam room the vet was very nice and did state that she suspected that our pet was experiencing symptoms of a toxic ingestion, she recommended and overnight stay for observation. Having said that, she said she would be back with an «estimate» for our dogs treatment.
The vet did not return with the estimate it was another woman. On the estimate it showed the visit — $ 100
Labs to test for liver disease (liver shunt) and blood sugar $ 389– no toxicity testing???
Injection for nausea $ 48
Meds to take home $ 48
Overnight stay– $ 498, no IV or medications included in this, or maintenance– just for our pet to stay and be watched.
So about $ 1000 for them to give her a shot, test her for something other than the immediate emergency, which they diagnosed her for, and watch her with no maintenance???
I decided to go with the medication for nausea and observe her myself at home. I can have my regular vet check her liver, and blood sugar for much less. I needed to know what she got into so that she could be treated accordingly, that is why I brought her in– they did not offer any testing to see what she may have gotten into, no IVs, no activated charcoal– nothing!
To top it all off, another CVT came into the room with the new estimate which included the injection and the visit, not the meds for home. So I asked if the vet was still advising for that as part of her care, the CVT was SO rude and stated «she didnt know, she was just taking care of it for them». I CANT EXPLAIN HOW RUDELY SHE WAS SPEAKING TO MY HUSBAND AND MYSELF. I wish I would have gotten her name, I would have called their main office and complained. All I know is she had multicolored hair. Anyway, she was so rude I had to insist she get someone else to assist us, and I let her know she was being very rude. Her response was «Excuse me!!! I am not being rude! maybe its best that I do that».
So, then the vet came back in and stated that she was not going to be sending Bailey home with any medication, just going to give her the injection??? So that is what they did.
Upon check out they charged me $ 150.00 for the shot and the «visit», which it seemed like they spent more time on the «estimate» than her actual care, and then had me sign an against medical advise??? So I did! And took my baby home. I stayed up with her and nursed her back to health. Thankfully, she is her normal perky self again. I was reviewing the discharge paperwork and noticed that they even got their documentation wrong, listing her as 9 yrs old instead of 9 months– That is a HUGE difference. We are talking puppy vs senior. I put her DOB on the initial paperwork, and also gave it verbally to the vet.
I work for a Physician so I know the importance of customer service, as well as documentation. Not to mention the Physician I work for is on the Board of the Humane Society, and owns her own rescue as well. I have advised her of my experience at this facility, and I will be advising anyone else I come in contact with also. It maybe right by my house– but I will not ever take any of my pets back here again. The care was far from satisfactory. I already knew she «got into something» I needed to know what, and how to treat it??? So I still don’t know what it was that made her sick, all I know is she is better now– but its not because they treated her accordingly, or offered a reasonable adequate treatment plan for her diagnosis.
If I felt the treatment plan was appropriate, and was actually treating her diagnosis, I would have came up with the $ 1000 for her care, however I was left with the feeling that they weren’t really treating the immediate threat, only ruling out other possible conditions first– which it should have been the other way around– treat and/​or rule out the immediate threat, then move on to other possible causes. I was taking her in for emergent care, not preventative. And I honestly realize that $$ is important, services rendered should be collected. But some peoples pets are like their children, I think it would be a lot more comforting to cough up that much if I was confident that the care was appropriate, and my pet was more important that your «estimate». I did not get that feeling there at all, it was quite the opposite. And the one staff member who was extremely rude was just the cherry on top.

Just like many of the other distraught pet owners in the reviews I felt completely taken advantage of by 1^st Pet. My male cat was having issues urinating. I did research his condition prior to taking him to 1^st Pet so I was pretty sure he had an urethral obstruction. Unfortunately I did not read any of these reviews about their service as I was panicked as this condition is serious.
First off let me warn you that their prices are DOUBLE what other vets charge even emergency vets. The initial office cost is $ 100. You can easily find a great vet for $ 40 – 50. The procedure to remove the obstruction was an additional $ 600 with all the testing and did not work for my cat AT ALL. I know that an obtruction can reoccur but my cat NEVER fully urinated. When we called back to see if this was normal for post-​op we were on hold for 30 minutes before speaking to someone and when we did they were only too eager to have us return to have a $ 3000 procedure done on our cat. This time we decided to forego their «services».
Also they did not give us an inflammatory which you would think is elementary medicine knowledge given my cat’s urithra was inflamed. No pain killers for the first night and my kitty cried through the night after the procedure.
Their prices are astronomical and their sensitivity level is nonexistent. This is NOT an establishment that is sympathetic or even empathetic, they are a business only concerned with making money. I would not even use them as a last resort for our animals in the future. Thankfully the emergency vet we took him to was able to take the time to walk us through the process and ALL of our options. My kitty is doing much better no thanks to 1^st Pet.

Dr. Mumaw is amazing! We took our pets there for years. The staff really care about the owner’s concerns and their animals needs. If you make an appointment ahead of time, you don’t have to pay the ER visit fees. They have been supportive through our animals lives and would always call to see how our little ones were doing. We had to put our last kitty down and they really made it a peaceful experience. We will definitely go back when we decide to get a new addition to our family, since they are so amazing there!

We took our male cat here last Saturday afternoon at 3:30 with we were sure was a bladder infection. We left him there for fluids and an urinalysis. At 9 PM they said he would be ready. All that time and $ 500 later, the ER vet thought «he might have a mild bladder infection.» She said they’d «do a culture on the bacteria which would take 24 – 48 hours.» She gave him a 72 buprinex pain shot which made him crazy and pace all night! Our cat was sent home without any medication. He was in and out of the litter box all day /​night Sunday. First thing Monday morning we took him to our vet. She found a lot of blood in his urine and lot of bacteria. Our vet gave him a two week antibiotic shot and a 24 anti-​inflammatory shot and sent four more days of pills home with me. My cat was left untreated for over the first 24 hours by 1^st Pet Vet. It was useless talking to the Administrator! She said they found blood and it was in discharge notes. The ER vet or tech never told us when we picked him up!!! We will NEVER EVER take our cats there again!!! IF YOU LOVE YOUR PETS, DON’T TAKE THEM THERE!!! They’re irresponsible, not thorough, dishonest, just care about money, and they should be inspected! Our vet doesn’t even recommend that hospital to their customers.

We received information about 1^st Pet Veterinary Center from our primary veterinarian’s office. When our 15 year old Aussie Mix, who had been bravely battling heart disease and cancer, reached exhaustion it was a Sunday afternoon. When our vet was not open and the two home euthanasia vets in the area didn’t answer our calls or messages, we went to 1^st Pet. We felt sheepish because this would be our first interaction with this provider, on top of being profoundly sad about having to bring him in to ease his pain. The staff was kind and professional even with the clearly busy environment. Cheryl at the front desk couldn’t be more genuine – she spoke to our sadness and helped us come to terms with our decision. The techs were gentle with our fragile little guy and explained everything they were doing. Dr. Hamburg discussed the process and what to expect. The entire process, however painful for us, went smoothly and we were never rushed. We chose to have Jack cremated individually with return of his ashes through the hospital. We received a very nice sympathy card just days later and a call when his remains were ready for pick up. The cedar box he was encased in is beautiful. We have had another pet recently cremated by another local service – the cost was quite comparable. Thanks and kudos to the friendly and compassionate staff of 1^st Pet Vet Center in Chandler.

This place has the most insensitive staff I have ever witnessed. While sitting in the waiting room all I heard was money money money! All from a staff that appears to be ex used cars salesman… not qualified vet techs.
Our dog had a stomach issue, they did a X-​ray and said he had a object in his stomach so… for 2500 they will do surgery and remove it, we said ok. One hour later we get a call saying they want 1700 more because its a tumor not an object… we would have never put the dog through this… he is 10 years old. Our choice was to proceed since he was already opened up, they gave a no choice.
After the surgery he was put in a dirty ground kennel with a dirty blanket and mind you he had a 12 incision down his belly.
We called several times through the night about his condition only to get a hold of inept technicians… one said he was up trotting around? the other two said he was fine and would call back but never did, while another said he didnt look so good and was drooling.
This morning we went to see for ourselves and he was laying down and drooling. We are taking him to another vet and out of this hell hole.
Its dirty, the staff is nasty and the prices are insane. NEVER NEVER take your pet to this place for a complicated issue or for that matter any issue.

I moved to 1^st Pet because of Dr. Mumaw. She is fantastic. Her concern for animals is amazing. She remembers each animal. She is concerned and offers suggestions for care but does not push for options that just make money for the practice but are not advantageous for the animal. She offers suggestions for home care. She has cared for three of my dogs and been great with all of them.

I was recommended this place by several people on a community Facebook page. I was very concerned about out Boxer and had asked for an emergency vet.
I called ahead and was put on the triage list. Once we arrived two techs brought a gurney out to help us get Ali out of the car. They took her back to be seen by the vet while my husband, daughter, and I waited.
Then we were ushered into an exam room and when the vet entered, she gently told us what we already knew. It was our sweet Ali’s time to cross the Rainbow Bridge.
Once the decision was made, they brought us to a different room. It had dim lighting, a couch, tissues, windows with curtains, and some beautiful pictures… one of the Rainbow Bridge.
The staff was very considerate and they clearly empathized with our pain. They gave us however much time we wanted to say our goodbyes to our beloved family member. The vet explained what the process would look like.
Once Ali crossed the bridge, we were allowed however much time we needed.
The staff here is caring and considerate. The vet explained everything clearly and took her time. The facilities are clean and the room we ended up in was comfortable.
My only reason for not giving 5 stars is the cost. We understood the $ 100 ER fee. But to cremate with no ashes returned was close to $ 300. If we had wanted her ashes back we would have had to pay nearly $ 500.
We couldn’t let our dog suffer and the money was spent knowing we made the right choice. But the cost probably doesn’t help when making this tough decision.
If ever a pet of mine needs emergent care… I would definitely bring them here. They will get the best care possible.

I came home to my dog covered in her own throw up and was immediately worried. After calling a few different vet hospitals 1^st pet told me they had room for me to come in and get my dog checked out. I was put into a room immediately without having to wait a single second in the waiting room. The triage was also very timely, it took only 3 – 5 minutes before the assistant came in to take a look at my dog and to grab her vitals. The assistants and doctors were SO good with her! We were there for about an hour trying to figure out what had happened to her stomach and the front desk gal came in our room to give us water and snacks.
After a negative parvo test, we got the x-​ray results back and found out she has ate something that clogged her stomach. We ended up having to sign off on surgery to remove it but I felt 100% confident leaving my baby in their hands. They kept me in the loop 100% by calling me every time there was some kind of development in her condition. I called them multiple times for updates as well and they were so kind on the phone and answered every question I had.
I will never take my little pooch anywhere else and I’m so grateful to the great staff at 1^st pet!

We had about 2 weeks notice that our dog was coming the end of her life due to cancer. Though we planned to go on the weekend to the neighborhood vet she had all her life, it became an emergency at midnight and we came to 1^st Pet Vet for euthanasia. They were kind and compassionate and we had a beautiful farewell with our dog. I recommend and thank all the employees here who treated us so kindly.

They’ve really done a phenomenal job with our dog. She had a severe chafing issue from a tight dog shirt she was wearing. Her wounds were deep and infected and the staff did such a great job getting us in and treating her. She is still being seen here for wound treatment, but we have been very satisfied with their work here.

My sister called me at work in a panic when she found my Puggle and German Shepherd mix grubbing on a weird white rock that smelled sorta like chemical. We called poison control under the assumption that perhaps this was chlorine from the pool who said to take them to the vet immediately; fun stuff. After calling three vets including my own, finally these guys said they weren’t too busy to take us. Don’t even get me started on how frustrating it is to be told to take your dogs to the vet immediately and not being able to because all the vets are too busy (here’s looking at you, Banfield glad my $ 59 a month is really paying off!) anyway– enough complaining about other vets. The front desk employees were nice and quick.
I really liked Dr North. She was super real with us and didn’t try to talk us into unnecessary tests. We brought it a sample of the white rock in question and she took it in the back and tried to determine what it was. She decided since the dogs looked fine and after studying the sample that it probably wasn’t chlorine. She also only charged us for one visit even thought it was two dogs with was unbelievably kind.

So, my little boot-​boot, had been acting lethargic and later we found blood in her urine. Called her regular vet but they weren’t open on a Thursday, go figure. In their VM msg they mentioned to contact 1^st Pet in the case of an emergency. From initial contact to the time that we walked out, the staff at 1^st Pet was very friendly and Jennifer, our vet for the day, was genuinely thoughtful about our visit.
Nonetheless, the minute we walked in the office, both my Chi and I started shaking. She’s shaking cause she was a nervous wreck and I was shaking cause my wallet suddenly felt light! Man o’ man, are they «expenthieves.» But wherever they broke the bank, they made up for in smiles.
My, booty-​boot, ended up having a UTI and $ 168 later, she started feeling much better. So, here’s the breakdown of our expensive visit:
Exam: $ 60
UTI test: $ 72
Meds: $ 36
The cost of a pain-​free bladder: priceless!