Capitol Hill Animal Clinic

Had an overall positive experience with the clinic. I brought my two dogs for a first time visit, and the vet (Dr. Jim) was attentive and spent a good amount of time with each dog. The front desk was courteous and answered any questions I had. I spent a pretty penny though, so the only small complaint I had were all the fees associated with the shots and a first time visit. Though, we will be back again.

It is our good fortune that our cats have seldom needed a vet so we did not have a close relationship with one. We had used Capitol Animal clinic for a few things over the years and always found them professional and nice.
We actually went to another top ranked vet in the area when we had concerns about one of our companions, Sebastian. While we had a positive experience with the other vet clinic, when Sebastian quickly worsened dramatically we reached out to that place for help determining what to do next. Someone who was helpful and seemed concerned promised a call back from the Doctors that night as well as working us in when a cancellation came for the next day. We have never heard from them again.
Last Tuesday morning I walked down the street to Capitol in a daze, hoping we could get some help. They went completely above and beyond my expectations, and again, I was more or less a stranger to them. Angel (she truly is!!!) was a compassionate listener, offering great sympathy and soothing responses to me. She and her colleague at the front desk got us in to see Dr. Murphy within the hour. Dr. Murphy was thorough in his exam, straightforward in his assessment, with compassion in his eyes for both Sebastian and us. He helped us see what we was best and offered us options for helping Sebastian make his transition.
We are forever grateful that he and Angel recommend Lap of Love who sent the kind, compassionate and gentle Dr. Eric Newhart to our home to make a most difficult decision feel like a gift we gave to Sebastian. (see separate review of Lap of Love)
When leaving Dr. Eric said he would notify Dr. Murphy, which we were clearly too distraught to think about. Within two days we had lovely handwritten sympathy cards from both Dr. Eric and Dr. Murphy. I can’t say enough about the incredible care we received from the Capitol Animal Clinic team. I hope this helps others find their way to them.

I called to ask about a certain procedure for my pet. The receptionist said they dont do the procedure but wanted to schedule me anyway for an exam and consultation (no mention of a price, until I asked). After being pressured and said no, I was able to get off the phone. Why would I need an exam/​consultation from a vet who doesnt conduct the procedure my pet needs? Many of the other reviews were right… this place sure seems like it is just trying to sell people stuff and make a buck. Please keep in mind that I havent actually gone to the vet, but the pressure I received in just one phone call is enough to make me look elsewhere for a vet.

I love Capitol Hill Animal Clinic! I have been taking my cat there since I got him (6 months), and have never had anything but a great experience. The Vets are all knowledgeable and very friendly, and the techs are top notch as well. All of the animals I’ve ever seen have been very well taken care of, and everyone working there seems to genuinely love animals, and go above and beyond!
The real clincher for me: my cat is an indoor/​outdoor cat, and the only ID on him is his rabies tag. A neighbor saw my cat outside, copied the tag ID and emailed it to the Hill East Listserv to make see if he was lost. Cap Hill Animal Clinic saw the email, looked up the ID # and called me to make sure he was ok. I love the fact that they’re even on the neighborhood listserv, and that they called me!
Only cons — the waiting area is a little small, and I have waited up to half an hour before being seen.

I had a great experience with this clinic today. It was my first time bringing my pup, Kailani, there. We were able to book an appointment for the same day we called. And they are open to 7pm so we could take her in after work.
When we arrived we were greeted by a very friendly staff. We were in the appointment room within five minutes. The doctor was in the room in another five minutes. Dr. Murphy was incredibly friendly, professional, and took time to explain things.
Without being graphic, the doctor took care of things. She had two issues. One involved lidocaine. He was very good with our pup. She didn’t show any sign of pain or panic. Go Kailani!!!
We were out of there in 30 minutes. The price was much lower than we expected ($ 98).
I will update this review as we go here more. But first experience was a five star experience.

I can’t say enough good things about Dr. Jim Murphy (in fact, both Dr. Murphys are great). He was extremely thorough while examining my puppy and very knowledgeable. He had helpful responses to all of my many questions and took nearly a full hour explaining everything I needed to know about taking care of my new dog. I could tell my puppy was relaxed in his presence and Dr. Murphy had a great sense of humor.
The pricing here is reasonable, the wait time was minimal (2 minutes) and making an appointment was easy and flexible.
If you have a new dog or are looking to change your vet, definitely check out Capitol Hill Animal Clinic.

PROS:
— front desk staff are friendly and responsive
— vet techs are nice and were very good with my dog
CONS:
— small waiting area can be a bit of a zoo
— both vets there spend minimal time with their clients and are quick to prescribe a bunch of meds without really considering the underlying cause of problems
Since moving from DC to CA, we’ve found a new vet here who is WONDERFUL. I didn’t realize how crappy the care we were getting for our dog was at Cap Hill Cinic until we found a new vet.
Unless this place is your only option for location/​insurance reasons, I’d recommend looking elsewhere. If you do go here, be careful not to get railroaded into many procedures and medications that might not be necessary. Based on subsequent visits to other vets, I feel like the doctors here are snake oils salespeople, even if they basically mean well.

I’ve only been to one other vet office in my time as a pet owner, but CHAC seems to be a good place to be. The staff is friendly and accommodating. Dr. Muhlbacher is great with my dog.
The only reason I am not giving them 5 stars is because in recent past, appointment times have been a suggestion at best — have waited 20 – 45 minutes past the scheduled time. One could say it’s great they are that busy!

I have been taking my cats here since I moved to DC in 2004. They have always been very helpful and nice. They helped me say goodbye to my childhood cats and welcome my new kitties. I have never had a bad experience here.
Dr. Daniel Murphy is the owner and you can tell he loves animals. You can also tell he is former military, he’s very matter of fact. Sometimes you need that.
Dr. Muhlbacher is also very nice. She went to vet school at my Alma Matter!
I’ve only had one experience with Dr. James Murphy. He seems nice, competent and funny!
I also feel like I should say something about the rest of the staff. They are all so friendly, and have worked there for years which to me indicates a good working environment. Once, my cat escaped from her carrier and ran into the open lot next to the building. One of their staff stayed with me for an hour and half and waited for someone to let me into the lot and get her. She was very patient with me.

My experience with this clinic has been outstanding. We are moving overseas and a series of steps has to be completed prior to our pet travelling. Dr. Murphy called me personally before we had even made an appt to walk me through the process and highlighted things we needed to do that I wasnt aware of. In addition, they were the most reasonably prices clinic for the services provided. I couldnt be happier. Dr. Murphy and his staff have been great with my dog, extremely helpful, calling personally and updating as on the process moves along. I would give 10 stars if I could!

Ive been going to this clinic since i have moved here and its gotten progressively worst. Called to day to get an appointment – my dog is sick – they didnt have an appointment bust said i could walk in – but there was a walk in fee of $ 50? Really? So odd since i get weekly coupons for discounted care from them. Im looking for another place and you should to.

This place will take your money and not diagnose your animal. They will tell you need lyme disease, but not tell you that flea and tick monthly medicine will do just fine. They will charge you $ 75 for the visit plus the lyme disease fees. They will not diagnose the problem and will tell you that they are not specialists, to go someplace else. If this is what DC vets are about, I want to go back to California.

You can tell that the veterinarians and their staff genuinely care about your pet here. The doctors have always followed up, post-​visit, to see how my dog is feeling. I also like that the veterinarians have always been willing to review the estimate with me to ensure that I understand every aspect of the treatment so I can make informed decisions regarding which treatments I elect.

I just switched to Capitol Hill Animal Clinic after going to another DC vet for the last 7 visits and I could not be more impressed or pleased with Capitol Hill Animal Clinic. They were extremely friendly, helpful and accurate. (quick anecdote, we walked into the clinic for an 8 am appt at the same time as Dr. Murphy and he greeted our dog by name before ever meeting him or even checking in the for the day to see his file. Amazing attention to detail.)
We left our last vet since they kept giving our puppy the same diagnosis of not knowing what was wrong with him and pumping him with antibiotics and steroids as the «solution.» Dr. Murphy read the 13 pages of medical files I brought from the last vet, he was thorough with all of his questions and quickly found out what was wrong with our puppy.
The vet techs were awesome. Our puppy wasn’t sitting still on the table and with a soothing hand, the tech was able to keep him calm through the entire process.
Finally, the service and attention to detail from the rest of the office crew left me floored. They were out of a puppy shampoo I needed and told me they would call the next day when they received it. They actually got it on the same day and within 4 hours they called to let me know it had arrived and offered to drop it off at my house so I didn’t have to drive back. Unreal!
Thank you!

Don’t go here. You’ll be meet with a crappy attitude and everything they recommend… wait for it… costs money! Even to continue doing what you’ve been doing for years. They’re always trying to give you the upsale. I’ve yet to have a positive experience with this business and I’ve been going for over a year now. The fact nothing changes has caused me to write this review. I’m going to a different Vet.

I’ve been meaning to take my cat in for a regular check up for over a year. He got a small blister on his lower lip so that was finally a good excuse to force me to go. I was able to call on Thursday to make a Saturday appointment. I was even able to change the appointment to an earlier time on Friday once I figured out car sharing time with my boyfriend. At 8am there was plenty of metered parking available right in front of the office. I walked in and filled out a few pages of paperwork and was taken to the exam room pretty quickly. The vet tech was very welcoming and asked me all about Mochi and his history, then weighed him, took his temperature, and took the requested stool sample I had brought in.
After the basics were covered, the vet came in to do a more thorough exam. She gave me several possibilities of how he could have gotten the blister and prescribed me some cat ointment to put on his lip twice a day. Since I was unable to find his adoption papers, I didn’t have a record of some of his shots, so she went ahead and gave him the first FVRCP shot and updated his rabies vaccine. They were able to keep Mochi calm and he didn’t even notice he was getting injected.
My cat very very rarely leaves my apartment so he was pretty stressed and scared almost the entire time. Toward the end of the visit he started to warm up but he was so glad to run back into his carrier.
The checkout process was easy. I was a bit taken aback by how much everything cost (over $ 220) but it’s my fault for not asking about prices, but I know he needed the exam and the rabies vaccine. I got an updated rabies tag and all of the current paperwork. I’m glad I took him in and definitely would feel comfortable bringing him back here.

The office isn’t fancy, but they provide really excellence care. We’ve been going here for two years and have found the vets, techs, and even front desk staff to be thoughtful, compassionate, and thorough. When my dog ate an entire bag of joint supplement, they fit her in right away and called the manufacturer’s staff vet to be sure she would be alright.
Love their focus on wellness and how thorough they are. Costs a little bit more, but is worth every penny to know my dogs are getting great care.

Update: For those of you with pets in the DC area, please take note:
I took my dog to Capitol Hill Animal Clinic on the day she was dying. She was treated poorly, and I was taken advantage of. I saw the doctor right after she passed, and told him she died. This was in April.
*I just got a call from them telling me my dog is overdue on her vaccinations.*
Please do not take your petcare business to this facility. They are incompetent, cold-​hearted, and prioritize making money over caring for you and your family.
I am happy to recommend some other DC vets who will take much, much better care of you and your loved ones.

This is an update to my prior review. Within 48 hours, the vet office (KeKe) reached out to me and my family. I appreciate her natural care and concern for our cat. She has been most informative and helpful.
Update #2. KeKe was again very helpful by supplying us with a syringe and special food for Cinnamon. Unfortunately Cinnamon passed this morning. We owe Keke a great deal of gratitude for her care over the years of Cinnamon.

I’ve been working at a local doggie daycare for a little over 3 years now, and a lot of our clients frequently use Capitol Vet and Union Vet, which are both really wonderfully clinics to take your pup to.
Why I’m giving them 5 stars:
–Capitol Hill Vet has pretty reasonable prices for the Capitol Hill Area. They are significantly cheaper than some other places I’ve been to in the area (but I have to be honest… DC is a very expensive place to live and shop… the vet I use in my neighborhood is about 30% cheaper than any vet in DC).
–Although some people that have reviewed here feel that the staff turnaround rate is high (which I haven’t really noticed), the vet techs are SUPER friendly and very knowledgeable.
–If you have an emergency or you need to get your pet in right away, they really try their best to work you in.
–They are conveniently located on the Hill.
–You can ask anyone there pretty much any questions if they haven’t already been answered. They were pretty busy a few times I had a couple questions, but still took the time with me to go over everything I needed to know.