Suburban Animal Hospital

Switched to Suburban over a year ago and they have EXCEEDED my expectations. I had always gone to Banfield and when I moved to the area in 2013 never saw the same veterinarian after a couple visits. I had considered switching to Suburban, but reviews online said that it was expensive and I was hesitant. My lil guy got sick one day and I went anyways. I have never felt that people cared about my pup so much. As with any vet, they just want to help the animal, so they attempted to give several medications, I asked a lot of questions (including the necessity) and they never pushed anything I didn’t feel was necessary. I have started boarding there regularly due to convenience and they ALWAYS remember my pup and ALWAYS help me out. A GREAT vet with GREAT service! Definitely feel like they are part of my family!

I’m updating my review to 5 stars because of the experience we had when our dog was recently sick. We woke up one morning and our mini schnauzer was in a bad way so my first instinct was to take him to the emergency vet. My husband suggested I try Suburban first to see if they had time to see him the same day. I was able to get an appointment later that morning to see Dr. Boyd.
Dr. Boyd was so kind and caring to our little guy while he was so sick. She admitted him overnight so he could be watched for 24 hours. She personally called twice with updates letting us know that he was getting better.
Although the final bill was expensive, it wasn’t nearly as much as I’d thought it would be and I could tell that the staff earned every penny. I’m so relieved to have found a vet whom I know we can rely on and certainly recommend Suburban to others.

This vet practice is the absolute best. Very understanding and really good about explaining exactly what is going on if your pet is injured or sick. I wish Dr Schrader in particular treated humans because he is 1000 times better than any medical doctor I’ve ever dealt with. Clear, compassionate with the animals and treats the human like you have a brain. They also are very fair in what they charge. Seriously, next time I’m sick I’m going to tape a tail to my butt and see if I can get treated here instead of a human doctor.

I really enjoyed the service. After I left, I had to call three times. They were extremely helpful. I think that the prices were reasonable. I took my new cocker spaniel puppy there recently. I had no idea that my daughter had taken her cat there before. She also has had very good experiences there. wonderful people. I really like Dr. Leanne Kalinsky. She goes above and beyond. I will continue our relationship because Dr. Kalinsky is very attentive to detail. But I have decided not to use the boarding services.

I’ve been bringing my cats here for a while. The service is wonderful. The front desk staff is efficient (handling paperwork, payments, and prescriptions), and the doctors are great. I have seen all of them, but the cats seem to have settled as Dr. Boyd’s patients, and I have no complaints.
The news is not always good, but the options are laid out and there is always a strong element of compassion. I think just about everyone there I’ve dealt with has pets, so they understand, this is more than a job to them.

The folks at Suburban have been absolutely fantastic for all our needs. We brought our newly-​adopted cat to Suburban last year for her initial checkup and have received excellent vet services and have been extremely pleased with the boarding as well. The Front Desk staff is always friendly and delightful to work with!

Still bring my pup here — they are great! Always on-​time and have a great facility.

This is the first time I’ve had to take my dog in for a non-​preventative visit, and I couldn’t be happier with my dogs care. The front desk staff was helpful and attentive; I didn’t wait more than 5 minutes for the appointment and checked out quickly and efficiently. Dr. Kalinsky is so professional and explained everything she was seeing/​feeling in detail and the tech was so kind to my trembling dog. She informed me of the charges for the x-​rays and lab work and explained how to administer the meds and what they were for.
I don’t know that they charge much more than anywhere else around here (seems like reviews for all vets complain about the prices), and its obvious that one can order cheaper meds online, but I like knowing where they come from.
Their spacious waiting area makes it much easier when several active dogs are in at the same time. While I was there, there were three large dogs and plenty of space to give them all room.
I would also recommend scrolling down the non recommended reviews where one of the docs responds some of the older reviews. It was insightful.
Bottom line: I feel confidant that my dog is in good hands and that means everything to me.

I have two young cats and have seen Dr. Boyd several times for various issues after SAH was recommended to me by another vet who lives in my building. Dr. Boyd was very kind and knowledgeable, and has been great dealing with my «hard to handle» cat. The front office staff has been very helpful, especially with providing specific paperwork for my pet insurance company, and I can usually get an appointment the same day I call. I have had no complaints and would happily recommend them to others.
My only caveat; I have never used their boarding services, only the vets.

Dr. Schrader and the staff at Suburban are the most helpful and caring doctors we’ve ever had. The time and care he took to in correcting the damage the humane society vet inflicted on our adopted dachshund was absolutely amazing. He takes time to talk with you about the health of your pet, even involving my daughters in the conversation. I will never take my pets anywhere else!

Vet staff: decent/​mediocre, administrative staff: in need of extreme improvement. Unfortunately, much of your interaction is in the administrative realm– phone calls, scheduling, records management, billing, etc.
I’ve raised two puppies under the care of SAH and have been lucky– never any serious health problems, so I can’t comment as to veterinarian expertise beyond the scope of routine exams. I do feel the vet staff employ the «nickel and dime» business model– servicing all of your needs in one visit and very quick to set you up with frequent office visits. My most recent office visit interval was a return visit every 2 weeks for the next 2.5 months.
SAH should truly consider an administrative overhaul– appointments are often mis-​scheduled, billing was incorrect multiple times, appointment wait times can be excessive, etc. Folks walk in and stand at the front desk for minutes, with staff right in front of them, before they are acknowledged. Staff are almost always having to conduct some sort of damage control while I wait in the lobby. Seeing them being rude to clients is common, both in person and post-​phone conversation amongst themselves. As a young guy with a cute puppy, I’ve been lucky and tend to get friendly attention from them, but the fact that they conduct themselves in this manner around others is quite off putting.
The facility is quite dirty– balls of pet hair «tumble weed» about the lobby and service rooms. As a severe allergy sufferer, I find this important.
I worked with admin staff to correct/​update my records several times («My newborn puppy is actually not 5 years old and neutered», which consequently triggers inaccurate mailers indicating that I need to come in for non-​applicable services).
Questionable lab work– I dropped a fecal sample crawling with live adult roundworm (paid for /​dropped at the front desk), yet it seemingly wasn’t recorded in the system upon a follow up visit (triggering more of those annoying mailers). The following visit, I got a response– «Oh yes, we do actually have a record of you dropping a fecal, never mind. In that case, no response was a good response!».
They push sales for things like an $ 89/​bag hypoallergenic food instead of assisting you in working through an elimination diet to identify the source of pet food allergies.
They request that you pay for an overnight stay after spay/​neuter procedures (understandable), yet they don’t staff anyone overnight to accompany the animals in case of emergency. Seriously?
Having moved locally, it was time to find a vet closer to my new home. On my most recent visit, a 35 minute wait time for an appointment pushed me to make that decision. I was reluctant in leaving this family-​friend recommended business that I’d grown accustomed to, but glad I finally did.

Dr. Casper was very helpful and kind however all of the front desk staff was rude and made me feel unwelcome. When I called in after my dog had a procedure with a quick question the receptionist answered in one word and then hung up before I had a chance to ask another question. I would recommend Dr. Casper but not the clinic.

Overall, we had great experiences with Suburban Animal Hospital (SAH). We took our pets (one cat and one dog) there for about eight years or so before they both passed away. Our previous vet (Old Dominion Animal Health Center) seemed predominately focused on separating us from as much of our money as possible. In contrast, the folks at SAH provide realistic and reasoned advice on what treatment options are available that also make the most sense for our pet and budget. In particular, Dr. Kimberly Halbert provided exceptional care for both our pets over the years. The sincere compasion with which the staff handled euthanization of our pets was touching to me and my wife. When we first started going there, some folks behind the front desk were borderline rude and off-​putting, but the offenders no longer work there. The rest of the staff was great! We would recommend SAH without reservation to any pet owner.

When we first got our first dog, we used to take him here, now that we two dogs we have since switched vets. A couple of cons: the parking lot (s) is small and can get crowded at times. The vet techs/​people behind the desk can come off as snarky and «know-​it-​alls» which I didn’t appreciate when had questions. Whenever we would take our dog in he would see a different vet every time so I felt like there was no continuity in care. One time when the my dog was having some skin issues the vet pulled out some type of vet encyclopedia in front of my husband and I. I thought that was really weird. If I wanted to look up my dog’s ailment I could have done that myself, right? I figured she could have been a little more discreet about it. A couple of pluses: It was relatively easy to schedule an appointment the same day and they were even open on Sundays. They send you nice reminders whenever your dog is due for an appointment or low on meds. However, I feel the cons far outweigh the pros and now we go to a different vet in the city.

We really love Suburban Animal Hospital. Their vets (especially Dr. Kalinsky!!) are super friendly and dedicated. They love animals and are always so sweet and gentle with our 85 lb lab who acts like a scared little baby every time we go in ;) They’ve treated her well for going on 10 years now, and we’re very happy with them. I didn’t give them 5 stars because I think their prices are sometimes significantly higher than other vets in the area. Then again, we’re really happy with the care they provide, so we keep going back!

I came to this vet at the recommendation of a coworker, and I’m glad I did.
My previous vet left the last clinic I frequented, and the other folks there just didn’t meet my standards. My dog is very friendly and social, so if he doesn’t like someone, there’s a problem.
We saw Dr. Klinsky there (I may be spelling her name wrong) and she was great.
My dog liked her, she was very warm and sweet to him. I like it when a vet bothers to make a connection with my pet– it’s not just a business transaction. I think you need a caring, attentive person to really catch all the little details in dealing with animals. It’s not like they can tell you what’s wrong themselves.
Also, Dr. Klinsky made the effort to explain everything she was seeing to me. She outlined our possible treatment options with a lot of helpful detail. I learned more about my dog’s eye issue in one visit with her than I did over the course of multiple visits, and two vets at our last clinic.
I definitely feel as though I can trust her. We will be coming back for sure.

We have taken our cat to Suburban ever since he was a kitten. We’ve seen a few vets there but our favorite is Dr. Kalinsky. Dr. Kalinsky is VERY good with cats. She knows how to approach, handle, and talk to a cat who is scared and/​or sick. She helped us discover that a bladder infection was the cause of him peeing outside of the litterbox, and gave us all of the advice and medicine we needed to fix him up.
(BTW, if you have a cat who needs medication. always ask if there is a liquid form available… MUCH EASIER than trying to sneak a pill down their throat unless your cat is super awesome.)
The hospital itself is clean and nicely remodeled and the staff has always been friendly to us.

It scares me that this place has so many negative reviews, in fact, after 8 years of taking my dog here I was getting ready to switch vets b/​c of all the negativity. My dog then got really really sick and I couldn’t get in to the new vet so we went here. They treated her so well, were quick to diagnose her, were very responsive to my questions and were all around professional in nursing my extremely sick dog back to health.
Prior to this I had never had a bad experience, but there were never any major issues to make them stand out. Sure, there were times the front desk wasn’t the most friendly at times, but who cares, I’m there for the vets, the techs and the equipment.
I know there is variability in terms of the quality of the individual vets, and we dealt with Dr. Proulx for this incident. She was quick to figure out the problem and was so great about calling me 2 times a day to keep me updated on my dogs progress. She was very caring and she is obviously very dedicated to her job. Five stars to Dr. Proulx and Dr. Schrader. Four stars for everyone else there.

Saw a different vet each time I went over the course of a week. Records were incomplete and missed a history of infection from two years ago for which an antibiotic was prescribed.
Cat suffered days, and I had to basically go over and demand a refill of the scrip.
AVOID – This place is all about volume and overcharging for incompetence.

I’m not sure how to feel about this place right now. Our vet seems great but the front desk has been horribly rude. Bad attitudes have no business being at the front of your business.
It appears as though I’m not alone based on some of the other reviews on Unilocal and this similar service