Kilauea Veterinary Services

I hope you understand Im an almost 60 yr old animal
pets are my «kids».
Dr Seeske at Kilauea Vet. and her staff are the unusual one in a million that work from their hearts and souls with integrity, honesty, Both the Doctor and the Staff are very knowledgeable with the ability to explain to the client complicated medical terminology in lay persons verbiage. Pet emergencies and illnesses are emotional experiences. I am always impressed by the compassion and dedication this group performs. Finding a true ‘healer” in todays business world that cares more about the well being of our (non human) family members more than their cash register. totals only is rare. Over the decades Ive never observed anything less than complete dedication to animal’s welfare, wellness and safety emanating from these women that make up the Kilauea Veterinary Services. As the Big Island continues to grow so does the demands on smaller business like this. It is fair to expect a wait in scheduling due to higher needs from the community. They have a great reputation already, they dont need my review. However for my 2 cents — its a rare gem to find someone really willing to care for our pets as if they were their own! Im thankful the Puna community has this resource, more than words. They are life savers, many many times a day.
If youre an animal lover who anthropomorphism dominates your lifestyle, this is the only veterinarian group for you. I hope they have room for new clients if you’re in need of a great vet.
P. S. (I saw a review here for 1 star– it excluded some critical facts the reader doesnt see! Ive left town too, I know from pro boarding kennels– if you want your pet to have accessible emergency vet care while youre away; you should fill out a release and waiver with payment guarantee; leaving a copy with your veterinarian and pet care givers before you leave. Make sure everyone is comfortable and has mutual understandings. If you dont– you cannot ever expect your care giver to make the same choices under stress that you would make. this is a liability pinch for any veterinarian. it shouldnt be allowed as bad review.).

(The following review is for a 12÷7÷15 visit to the Kilauea Vet Services located in Keaau, on the Big Island.) We had just recently brought over a 1 yr. old pup from the mainland. When she exited out of her travel crate she had a large, (bigger than golf ball) sized lump on her side. She also was acting lethargic. After about a week there was no change in energy level… and the lump was getting slightly larger. We began to worry and started looking for a vet. I did a bit of research and Kilauea Vet Services appeared to have decent reviews. I called and spoke with Leslie who told us they were booked up solid for another couple of weeks. I explained our concerns and she suggested we try a clinic in Hilo staffed by multiple doctors that might be able to see our pup sooner. Just before we hung up, Leslie said that they just had a cancellation and could see us on the following Monday, only three days away.
Over the weekend our pup hit a low on Saturday, not wanting to get out of bed even for her food. Sunday she seemed to turn a corner and began eating small amounts.
On Monday I brought her in and just a couple of minutes later we were in an exam room with the Vet. The Vet examined the pup and explained what the lump was. She recommended that it be drained. With the help of a couple of Vet Techs we lifted our nervous 102lb pup onto a steel table. The Vet drained the fluid from the lump on her side, then took a blood sample. One of the techs took the pups temperature and a stool sample. The vet then educated me on some of the dangers on the island such as Leptospirosis. She reviewed our pups med record that I had, for past shots/​treatments while a Tech put a bandage over the needle wound from the draining. The Vet then made some recommendations for heartworm medication and supplied me with some anti-​biotics, heartworm medication and a pill for the intestinal worm found in the stool sample. The cost of the visit, tests and medication came to around $ 140.
Overall, I was very satisfied with the visit. The entire staff appeared to be very caring, knowledgeable and professional. The facilities were clean and orderly. The cost seemed reasonable. Additionally, the Vet, (whose name I can’t seem to remember) went out of her way to explain what was going on and why. If and when we need the services of a Vet again, Kilauea Vet Services will be our first choice. I consider myself fortunate that they are just 15min away.

We were watching an animal for friends who were clients of this clinic (to be clear, I am not speaking on our friends’ behalf). That animal was attacked by dogs, so I called the clinic. They refused to see us because they were too busy. When I explained that the animal was going to die (which is, in fact, what happened), the response was (exact words) «I don’t know what to tell you. We’re slammed.» I should also point out here that none of the people I talked to were the kind of friendly and pleasant people you would expect to be working a front desk/​reception.
I understand from personal experience how busy offices can get, but a good veterinary clinic will do anything to fit in such urgent appointments. In similar (but not as urgent) situations, our own vet has told us to bring our animals in, and depending on their condition, we might have to wait a long time to be seen and pay a large fee. I think this is reasonable.
I would have understood being turned away if this were just an average illness and not a life-​or-​death situation or if this animal was not already a client. I also would have accepted being told that we could come in but would have to wait for an indefinite period. But we were flat out immediately told «no.» As a business that is trusted with the lives of beloved pets, I found their response to be unacceptable. They are medical professionals and should take the time to tend to suffering, dying animals even if it means staying at the office a little late. It’s not an easy profession, but this is the responsibility you accept when you become a veterinarian.
After this experience, I will not recommend this clinic to anyone. Either they are not passionate about caring for animals or their staff is incapable of triaging. Either scenario is devastating for our animals in emergency situations.
Edit (December 2015): I have not changed anything in my above review. It seems that I should add something, though, since I received a message from another reviewer requesting that I change or delete my review primarily because I presumably didn’t understand the legal issues. So, for the sake of clarity, here’s what I’ll add: I had authorization. I had a signed document from the owners stating that I was caring for the animal and had authorization to make medical decisions during a specific time period. Kilauea was not concerned about that matter. They never questioned it. An authorization problem was not the reason that they did not see me. They made very clear that the reason that they would not see me was that they were too busy. It was the only reason that they gave me, and they repeated it multiple times.

I found this vet after going to East Hawaii (Now renamed Maikai) after a lawsuit in Hilo. Went to East Hawaii for a check up and the vet came in quick left quick. Prescribed a $ 40 medicine and charge me $ 120 for services.
Was referred to Kilauea from a close friend and decided to take my dog here for a routine check up and vaccination. Total cost me $ 45 dollars they even cleaned her ears for free because I had such a hard time. When back a week later with an urgent wound thinking it was going to cost me an arm and a leg because I had called East Hawaii already. They quoted me $ 450 for services to clean, stitch, and dress a wound plus IV and antibiotics. Kilauea Vet charge me $ 180 plus I got a free round of antibiotics because I was so tight on budget. I guess she was in a giving mood.
After the last two experiences I switched vets had all my records transferred to her and have been going to her loyally for about 4 years now.

Outstanding vet, wonderful staff, reasonable costs. We have lived here for several years and had disappointing experiences with other vets in Hilo and Kea’au. We came to Kilauea Vets for a long time just to get our pet meds and were impressed with the interest, knowledge and excellent customer care of the staff. We called them once or twice for advice when our vet was out of town and they were always very helpful, and more importantly, gave excellent advice. We have six dogs and were loyal to our last vet through several mishaps and a few years, but with the last mess up we followed our local friend’s advice and registered all our dogs at Kilauea. Kilauea have been better than we could have hoped. We took our puppy there to be spayed — after a careful settle-​in with a cozy blanket, showing the kids where she would be, the puppy had the neatest surgery and fastest healing time of any of our bitches. We have had all the dogs checked over and we were so impressed by the thoroughness, genuine care and interest the vet and the staff took in each of our dogs. Their approach is animal-​centered and down-​to-​earth. We are so happy that we eventually arrived at the best vet in East Hawaii through word of mouth and high recommendation. Bring your animals here, we have only ever heard good things about this vet, and she’s the only one I can say that about!

Convenient area for Puna to Kurtistown area. Friendly staff. Great doctors! Affordable fees! Affordable for all!