Stoneham Animal Hospital

I can’t believe any of these bad reviews. I have never had anything close to a bad experience. The girls at the front desk have always been polite and efficient. The doctor really cares about the animals. I’m very lucky. My cat and dog have never really been sick but I’m glad I found this place.

I’ve been using Dr. Jawitz as my vet for 11 years now. He’s great with my boxers, one of which has bad arthritis (she’s 11!) and can get kind of snippy when people touch her hips, but he’s gentle while working with her and she loves him. She had her first cancerous tumor removed at 6 months old, with numerous surgeries over the years for tumor removal, and he always calls to check on her in a few days and makes sure she’s doing ok. He’s been amazing all these years with her and I wouldn’t take her anywhere else. My other boxer is 7 and hasn’t really had any health issues, but I take him in to see Dr. Jawitz for annual vaccines and check ups and he’s great with him too. I’ve come to know a lot of the staff over the years and they’re always great. I’ll continue to use Dr. Jawitz as my vet until either he retires or I move out of state.

I’m actually going to write up for 2 past visits.
(1^st Appointment)
My family came home from a short vacation to find Bandit (dog) had broken a nail so I call SAH and the got me an appointment asap!!! with Dr. Melissa Keck, which was the first time we met and She was «awesome», she took care of Bandits nail within seconds he was no longer limping and to Bandit and I she was a hero!!! it’s the little things the impress us!!! Dr. «K» was professional, and comforting…
(2^nd Appointment.)
Bandit was due for 2 shots and as with the 1^st visit her attention was right to greeting and getting to know Bandit and I, pure professional Dr!!!, Bandit loves getting the attention she gave him!!! she asked all about him and everything went excellent.
So nice to meet you Dr. K!!!
Steven Marulli & Bandit

I consider myself an over-​protective «pet parent» and feel 100% at ease knowing that my pets are under the care & expertise of the staff at Stoneham Animal Hospital.
Dr. Mark is AMAZING! He is patient and gentle with my rescues. Not to mention, he has a great sense of humor; which always takes away the stress of a visit w/​a sick animal… It’s not just a sign when your dog kisses him after his first shots =) It’s a vibe.
It’s 6 years later, we continue to have stress-​free vet visits. The prices are reasonable, I can always get a last minute appointment and even received a follow-​up call, from Dr. Mark to check on the status of my dog…

I have been taking my two dogs here for years. Usually when my dogs are sick I get an emergency appt with no problem. This last time the girl at the desk was awful. I called and explained my dogs issue and was told they were fully booked. She could give me an appointment in the morning. When I got home and saw my dogs condition (40 minutes later) I called back to see if there was anyway they could squeeze me in for a sick visit. I was then told the doctor covering had left for the day. (Dr. Jawitz was on vacation) Seriously? This is an animal hospital and the hours were until 7 pm on this day. She basically lied to me. I was so upset. I had to take my dog to Mass Vet Hospital emergency room to be seen.

We are grateful and thankful that Dr. Jawitz and his staff al always there to help us with our lil guy Rico.
Thank you to him and his staff
We appreciate all you do!

My husband and I love Dr. Jawitz and Stoneham Animal Hospital. Any time our labradoodle has had any issues at all, Dr. Jawitz has quickly come to his aid. He has, on every occasion, appropriately diagnosed our dog (with ear infections, a funky throat infection, and conjunctivitis) and prescribed reasonable medications that quickly solved the problem. On one occasion, my husband showed up at SAH right as they opened because my dog’s eye looked like it had popped from its socket and they saw him first and quickly made our dog feel better. Dr. Jawitz has called two days after our visit every time we have been there just to see how our dog was doing.
Unfortunately, we moved many miles away and had to go to another vet. My dog has recently been diagnosed with a large lipoma that (this vet) says requires removal. Although we do like our new vet a lot, we will be going to Dr. Jawitz for a second opinion before our dog goes under the knife because we trust him.
Veterinary care can be expensive. It’s the cost of having an animal. SAH isn’t any more expensive than any place else we have been.

Been bringing our pets here for many years. What I Love about SAH is the front desk staff. They will talk with you until you fully understand whats going on. Not too long ago I was shocked at how high the cost of pet care can go when there is an issue. But who can put a price on thier Best Friend or friends! So Tiffany and Sue recommended insurance plan and that has worked out well.
Thank you SAH

I wish I could give less than 1star! Dr Jawitz doesn’t care for the health of your pets, just the amount of money in your wallet! I’ve never seen a vet appointment last longer than 5 minutes. You can barely get a word in, let alone ask any important question regarding the health of your pet. The staff is nice but the Dr is very rude. After a VERY friendly conversation with the Dr over questioning the legitimacy of mulitple appointments for continuous blood work, he mailed me a letter telling me to seek business elsewhere! My pet needed medication and shots and he refused to see him! Very shady! Stay away!

I have left this vet for the vet around the corner (Central Animal whom I give 5 stars).
First stoneham animal hospital is dirty, rundown and I was as uncomfortable in the rooms as my animals. Secondly my cat had ringworm, they had no clue how to deal with it and said I would need to see a dermotologist for animals. A few short calls later I was instructed to call Central and they took care of the problem with a prescription (animals were from Florida where ringworm is more normal in animals). Did not care for the doctor at Stoneham either. At Central the ladies are fabulous and caring and sweet and really know their field!

First off, Erica P you seem stuck up. Complaining about a sticker. Really? And the fact that they tell you about all your optional vaccines is a good thing not bad. They are OPTIONAL. Say no if you want to. And if you have a receipt with a vaccine being done and being charged for it then they MUST have a record of it.
I have been a client since 1995 and I will never go anywhere else unless absolutely necessary. Dr. Jawitz is quick and efficient. The staff there actually care about my pets. Not my money as they will do anything they can to help financially.
My whole family goes there as do my friends.

For starters this is my first review, I’ve been a member of Unilocal for quite sometime and never actually sat down to write a review– until now…
In January, I bought my first English bulldog puppy, I took him to the SAH for his first appointment where we were greeted with smiling faces and seen on time. So far so good, my dog received all the basic shots including kennel cough (an optional vaccine)-per my request. After that my dog got a sticker (not sure what to really do with it) but the gesture was nice.
I returned a few weeks later for a follow up distemper appointment, my dog was experiencing a red patch of skin on the top of his head. I asked the vet if it was mange and they advised not to worry. They explained further they don’t like to scrape for mange as it makes the dogs bleed, and because he was white all flaws are noticeable.
The last time I returned was for his scheduled Lyme disease vaccine appointment. I checked in as usual, only this time the admin asked me if I board my dog. I was thrown off by the question and responded, huh? She explained, do you put your dog in a kennel or doggie day care? No, I responded, still curious, I asked, why? She said, according to his records he has not received his kennel cough vaccine. I replied, Yes– he has. Relieved she responded, oh you just got it somewhere else? I explained, No, I got it here. Annoyed at this point I took a seat and waited for the vet. I explained to the vet that I was really concerned about my dogs red patch on the top of his head. This time, the vet gave a prescription for some ointment for him to heal.
2 weeks go by and no real progress of healing for the red mark, however my dog seemed to be experiencing severe allergies. I gave him some Benadryl and decided to call the Andover animal hospital to make an appointment.
Wow, so much better. Minus the allergies my poor dig was experiencing, I showed the new vet his red patch on his head, she decided to scrape immediately, and it turns out he had been coping with mange, this whole time!!!
It gets better, I pulled up my dog’s medical records and from the SAH and not only did they forget his kennel cough they had his birthday incorrect as well. Luckily I am a good receipt saver and I could show the new vet his receipt of the kennel cough vaccine. (Of course the SAH, had no problem charging me for it!!)
I am so happy my dog is no longer a patient there.
As I said in the beginning, I’ve been reading reviews on Unilocal for years mostly for food choices and never contributed before this. Its one thing to mess with my palate, its a whole ‘nother thing to mess with my dog

After Dr Jawitz cinched my dogs mouth shut with gauze causing blood to come out of her mouth instead of getting a muzzle, I never went back. Awful.
Better off going next door.

Our dog loves Stoneham Animal Hospital-​especially Dr. Binder. We never feel rushed. When they unexpectedly had to cancel an appt due to snow, they fit us in the next day so our dog wouldn’t miss the deadline for a 3 yr rabies vaccine-​a good heads up on their part.

I brought my cat in every year since I moved to Stoneham. My cat ended up sick and I had to bring him the Vet ER in Woburn. They had found out he had a heart mummer. I brought my cat the next day to the Stoneham Animal Hospital. They couldn’t find the heart mummer at all.
A year later my cat was dead, due to fluid around his heart. I raised my cat for 8 years (he was indoor cat and healthy before this heart mummer problem).
They killed my cat. When I finally got another cat, I decided I would rather cut my own arm off before I bring another animal to them. I go to the Winchester Animal Hospital now. I wish I never went to Stoneham Animal Hospital, maybe my cat would have lived a few more years.

This place is, as others put it, extremely shady. I told them my dog had an ear infection and needed the same medicine as they prescribed last time. Long story short, they tell me to come in, look in her ear, take blood test, inject her with some anti-​inflammatory, prescribe $ 90 pills, charge me $ 50 for a «check-​up fee», and whack me with a $ 260 bill.
The last time she was in for the SAME infection, it cost me $ 120. Hmmm, I wonder why all the sudden she needs $ 140 more medication for an less infected ear as last time.
This is potentially the LEAST ethical business I’ve ever been to. Take my word for it: go to Woburn Animal Hospital instead!

This establishment made me feel very uneasy, for a number of reasons. Firstly, the secretary tried to sell every shot under the sun for my dog. Something like 6? Maybe more? Really?
Also, the vet (male, don’t know his name) was about as compassionate and caring as a bouncer. 2 minutes with my dog, didn’t introduce himself, didn’t even really look me in the eye. I felt bad for the assistant who was really sweet and personable. What a contrast! She should be the vet! The vet said ‘oh looks like a few allergies here.’ I asked the vet what the allergies might possibly be. His answer: «How can I possibly know that? It’s your dog.» Ok, well, how about common dog allergies? ugh. This guy needs to either change his attitude, or the establishment needs to find a new vet.

We’ve been taking our cats to Dr. Jawitz at the Stoneham Animal Hospital for the past 5 years and think he is an amazing vet. He clearly has an affinity and love for animals and always seems to genuinely care about how the animal has been since its last visit. While some routine visits can be less than 5 minutes, I never feel as though Dr. Jawitz is rushing us in and out. He always makes time to answer any questions we have and/​or thoroughly explain things. He always asks us to call and let him know how the pet is doing after treatment and if we don’t, he’ll call us to follow up.
On a sadder note, he also knows his limits and when it’s time to call in a specialist. We unfortunately found a lump under our cat’s leg and Dr. Jawitz didn’t waste a lot of time with unnecessary tests. He immediately referred us to a specialist at another practice, which we greatly appreciated. Unfortunately, we had to put our cat to sleep and he sent us a sympathy card. For me, it’s the little things like that, that make a difference.

I’m not sure about other people’s experiences with their cats, but we have always had great service from the vet with our dog and our cat. It is true the secretarial staff leaves something to be desired, at least one of the ladies who staffs the phones/​front desk can be quite rude.
I also meant to add, I have never felt overcharged, but maybe that is because I can compare prices to my family’s vet in Cambridge, which charges astronomical amounts.

Last year, I adopted my girl Tally, who I thought was a healthy, older dog. Knowing she was about 7 or 8 years old and a breed prone to health issues, I was prepared for some medical expenses. I was not prepared for my first vet visit to span two days and cost more than $ 3000. After going to this vet for a few months and spending far too much money on additional tests and getting referrals to specialists, I took the advice of a friend and decided to check out Dr. Jawitz at Stoneham Animal Hospital.
Stoneham Animal Hospital is located about 10 minutes off Route 93. The office doesn’t appear to have been remodeled in the past 15 or 20 years but I’m OK with that because I feel like I’m paying for quality care, not fancy equipment. The staff is pleasant and I have never had trouble getting an appointment.
Dr. Jawitz is a no-​nonsense vet. Appointments run relatively on time and I’m in and out of the office quickly. He doesn’t try to sell you fancy treatments or refer you to his vet school friend who is now a specialist at Angell. For Tally’s issues, we have started with the most cost-​effective treatments and only changed to more aggressive methods when necessary. I never feel like I’m asking a stupid question and I never leave the office wondering if I made the wrong decision about a treatment option.
Other services at the office include boarding and grooming. Off to the back of the waiting room, you’ll also find a store with collars, leashes, toys and treats for your pets. If you hear a growling French Bulldog back there, you may want to wait a few minutes before bring Fido back there to browse the selection. That’s where I have to hide Tally to keep her away from the friendly dogs in the waiting room.