Pender Veterinary Centre

We saw Dr. Pat Denney at the regular clinic. My 5 year old cat has been limping for 3 days and Unilocaled at me this morning when I picked him up to check him out. He thinks it is a soft tissue issue — sort of a wait and see sort of thing. This is what we expected.
The clinic was clean and the staff was friendly. The building is LARGE, they have a lot more going on than I expected. An emergency vet in the back, exotic animal vet, and the regular vet — I think they are all owned or run by the same group.

Big thanks to Dr. Johnson for such an amazing crop, and to all the staff at Pender. Top quality service recommended to anybody wanting their pet to have the best treatment. =]

My saving grace… Not only the hospital itself but Dr. Peter Hyatt. My three yorkies… Tank, Diesel and Stella are well taken care of with confidence, thoroughness, empathy and integrity by Dr. Hyatt and his staff. I am so relieved to have found and awesome place for my gems!!! Thank you Pender and thank YOU Dr. Hyatt!

Dr. Rachelson did a good job explaining my options and answering my questions but I was displeased that I was charged extra for an eye pressure test for my dog. The vet said she would like to test for glaucoma and was gone for less than five minutes. No mention of an extra charge and I didn’t think to ask. When I asked the vet tech about the extra $ 44 on top of the $ 63 exam fee, she said she was sorry that I wasn’t informed and would ask the vet but she never did. I paid it but I don’t think I will be back.

I visited the exotics office today to have an annual exam for my recently adopted chinchilla. I’m a first time owner and had a lot of questions and worries. Dr. Morrison was extremely attentive and answered all of my questions. I appreciated the care with which he handled my chin, who is very skittish and not used to being handled at all. He even offered his business card and said to contact him with any questions or concerns in the future. I’m very pleased with my experience and will come back to see Dr. Morrison with any exotic pet needs in the future!

The entire Pender emergency vet staff is amazing! I had to take my dog in on a couple of occasions and they were super friendly, kind, thorough, and always kept me aware of what was happening. They gave me detailed care instructions, and their staff responded quickly to questions by phone after my pup was discharged. Thank you!

I’ve been a customer of Pender for many years and have received excellent service. Dr. Hyatt is our primary vet. He is highly skilled and has given our pets great care over the years. Also, as I volunteer at the Fairfax County Animal Shelter, I have opportunities first hand to see what a great job Dr. Broadhurst and the entire Pender team do for shelter animals in our community.

This is in regards to the EXOTICS department, very specifically Dr. Carroll. I came in with an emergency, my ferret was choking on her food. Luckily it cleared out on it’s own before we arrived. I did still want to make sure she was okay. All was fine and Dr. Carroll was nice while explaining all the extra things she wanted to do and charge me for while I stood there and stupidly agreed as I was just recently in a panic and trying to give my ferret the Heimlich at home. Everything went downhill very fast when she asked about her medical background and past bloodwork etc. She did not approve of the way I care for my ferret, even though she is over 5 years old and healthy. She made this disapproval very clear by immediately gaining a very sarcastic tone. I was wearing scrubs and she looked me up and down and told me she just assumed I would know better seeing as I most likely worked in a healthcare setting.
Even if I am wrong or she disagrees with my ways, there is a time and a place and a way to communicate things to someone. I take constructive criticism seriously even if it is hard to hear. I however do not appreciate being judged and looked down on and spoken to like I am stupid. Especially somewhere I have already given thousands of dollars to. My other ferret had a liver issue for the past couple years. She was constantly in having bloodwork redone and I gave her supplements every day. I love and care about my pets. I would do anything for them.
I did nicely ask Dr. Carroll to not judge me and please not speak to me this way. She only made it worse with her «apology» and even admitted her apology made it worse, but even so, she still kept going after that. The receptionist pretended none of it was happening even thought this was going on 5 feet away from her.
I felt pressured to pay the $ 75 exam fee, so I did because I was very upset at this point and wanted to leave. Dr. Carroll brought my ferret out to me swinging in her hand. And just held her out. NO compassion at all. I came in with a crate, I let her know, and she again got all sarcastic and looked surprised. The receptionist had to go grab it for me.
I was too upset to call and speak to a manager. I did call a week later and spoke with Stephanie. I could immediately tell nothing would be done. All I was told was that this was «my perception» and because I perceived it this way I should be upset. It took several days to get a resolution, and the resolution was that I keep coming back but see a different doctor. That my ferret can have a free follow up exam and they did me a favor by not charging me an emergency fee when I went in that afternoon. Basically, I need to forget what happened and continue to go back and see them and pay them more money. They refuse to refund my $ 75 even though no services were performed. And because Dr. Carroll did not write in the medical records that day that there was a disagreement, it never happened.
It’s a shame, but the second I did something the Dr. didn’t agree with, I felt like I saw the true colors of this business. And that’s what Pender is. It’s not an animal hospital filled with compassion unless you’re doing every single test they want. I had another vet when my ferret with the liver issues started to not feel so well. He wanted to start slow, give medications, have me keep her hydrated and on the carnivore care diet, and then all the sudden he wanted me to pay over $ 600 for an ultra sound and leave her there, etc. When I said I could care for her at home, and let’s please let her be comfortable at home before we go overboard, I got the look of disapproval and his tone of voice changed. I no longer wanted to do everything he said and again, things went downhill. If you’re a professional, a doctor, don’t have dreads.
I have 2 dogs as well who see the vets at Pender and use the retreat in Chantilly. Many of these doctors are wonderful, but I just cannot go back even to this department or the retreat after the way myself and my pet were treated.

My visit with Dr. Clarke was one star. I felt like she was more interested in making money than interested in my dog. Asked me to do some work when I just went in for a rabie shot, I have her do it. She asked if I wanted to trim my dog’s nails, I said yes, but it looked like his nails were barely cut, charge for the nails was $ 22.00. She said she will call me with the results of my dog’s lab work. I NEVER got that call.
I tried to order heart worm pills with 1800petmed, they tried to call Pender for the verification on prescription but Pender is not responding. I called Pender today and was informed that Dr. Clarke NEVER input my dog’s prescription in the system so there is no prescription for my dog, no record… I told Pender that I will fax the prescription to Pender so that Pender can verify with 1800pet med. So, basically, Dr. Clarke didn’t do her job so I have to fax Pender the copy of the prescription… I asked why I did not get a call from Pender with my dog’s lab work, I asked if they stopped calling with results and was informed that Dr. Clarke should of called.
I see many problems here, Dr. Clarke had no problem charging me with her work and lab work and convincing me to purchase heart worm pills with her but she never entered any information on my dog, no follow up… I never had an experience where Dr. do not input their patience’s info in the system. I asked if she is new at what she does, Pender said «No, she has been here for a while». I always meet with Dr. Danny. He is caring, never pushy, always nice. I should of met with him… Very disappointed.

This place is awesome. I took my dog here and they gave me great deal and saved her life. I didn’t have to wait long on her and they kept in constant contact when I had to leave her over night, they even sent me pictures! I would recommend Pender to anyone.

I was so happy with the care my very anxious dog received at Pender. We had a bad experience at a previous veterinary office, and my already stressed dog was a nervous wreck. This time she was treated with patience and kindness, and it made all the difference in the world.

I have been taking my dog to this location and they always have been helpful. Scheduling an appointment never been easier, even they are emergency facility, if you call in advance, I believe even at night before 9 pm, they will give you an appointment for non-​emergency visit, which will cost you a lot less. The only thing that I was not supper happy about was the fact that they required multiple trips /​lab work to figure what really was going on. I wish they could same me time and money, as well as fear for my dog as every time he was really fearful, and diagnose his condition. The less than five is only for that reason.

they do a solid job, great doctors here! They seemed to really know their stuff.

Ive been going to this vet for a few years with my dog. My dog responds very well to this place more so than the first vet we went to. I will continue to go here!

This was the closes 24-​hour animal hospital closest to centreville so we took our dog here after his constant bouts of diarrhea. We came twice in the span of 24 hours and have been treated so well by the staff. I cannot complain about the quality of service they provide their customers. Our doctor was so personable and reasonable as she wasn’t there to scam us of our money as vet bills can up charge pretty quickly. She was on our side trying to help us figure out what the best costs and benefits were for our dog. You can tell that they really want the best for their customers so I have no reservations about coming back if there is ever another emergency.

Dr. Hyatt is the BEST veterinarian I have EVER had. In my 30 years of pet ownership, I have gone through several, never quite happy with the care that my dogs received. Through a neighbor’s recommendation, I made an appointment with him and was lucky that I did. My senior shih tzu was diagnosed with a life threatening immune disorder. There was a few weeks in there where I was not sure he would make it and during those times I called the vet and left several messages for Dr. Hyatt. Not only did he always make it a point to call me back first thing in the morning, but he would make himself available during times he didn’t normally see patients, and left me some of the most encouraging and patient messages I have ever heard. Unfortunately, I am moving out of the area, but I am so grateful for animal caregivers like him.

UPDATE addressing Pender’s response: We were refunded and then issued a check for additional monies by PENDER after a meeting with the COO, so call that additional payment what you’d like. When our dog went in for surgery, she had a paper file and the wrong dog’s records were in it. As for the wrong dog being brought to me, I was in a patient room, not the waiting area, so, the wrong dog did not even have a choice of «moms.» Like I said, we won’t be back and have heard several horror stories since our terrible experiences in 2012 and share our experiences with others who love their pets like we do.
Zero stars. Our experience there was all for the removal of a tumor. They mixed our dog’s file with another dog’s, so if I didn’t see that in her file when I brought her in, who knows what surgery she would have gotten. When we picked our dog up, they had put an e-​collar (that they charged us for, what vet openly charges for that?) on her that was too small and didn’t prevent her from getting to her stitches. They made us bring her back (it was a foot surgery, so walking wasn’t supposed to happen) and wait 45 minutes just to get a smaller e-​collar and while we were waiting had us «settle up» the price difference for the bigger e-​collar (the whole $ 3 – seriously?). They also switched the numbers in her weight in their records, so her post-​op meds were incorrect. – We noticed while on vacation and had to come back early to get that corrected. During her check-​up after all that, she was brought to the back for whatever reason and about 10 minutes later they came to give me my dog, who is a boxer mix. The only issue, the dog they were giving me was a small white dog. This was in 2012 and needless to say, we haven’t brought our dog back there. Oh and to keep us from pursuing legal action, they paid us off. – We regret not reporting them and suing.

I would rather take my animals NO WHERE ELSE, besides PENDER ANIMAL HOSPITAL. They have taken Great care of my family and animals/​pets. my 2 Husky’s are treated really awesome at Pender. They have my complete Trust and respect. They are friendly and really caring for you and your pets. 100% A+. They are True Super heros. Thank you Peder Animal Hospital Crew and employees for all the hard work and love that you give to our pets. You spread the joy around the entire atmosphere. You all Are AWESOME.

This facility and the staff are outstanding. I wish I could give it more than 5 stars!
My pup had a serious stomach thing going on and vomited about 15 times in 4 hours (he started at 4 am). I called Pender (who weren’t even my regular vets, but they were the after hours emergency contact that my vet gave us) and they were so kind, so quick to respond to my concerns, and helped me get an appointment within an hour of the current time I called them. I was so impressed, but wait until I tell you about my experience at their facility.
Firstly, the building is easy to find and very convenient for parking. It’s so clean, professional, and looks like a hospital, just for pets! Everything is a one-​stop shop for all needs (including a pharmacy inside their office) and their technology is also super high tech! When I signed in, on the «dog» side of the reception desk (how organized is that, they have dogs and cat parents check in separately!) I thought to myself, this place is more organized and state of the art than my own doctor’s office! ;)
The staff were so nice in checking us in and after completing a quick intake/​new patient form, I was seen by a technician within minutes. I was also able to contact my other vet’s office to have them send my dog’s records via Email, which the Pender staff received and were able to give to the vet for our appointment. Such a relief and time saver!
We had the privilege of seeing Dr. Andrew Voell for our appointment who is WONDERFUL. I knew instantly from the way he greeted me as my pup’s «mom» to the careful way he handled my sick dog that we were in good hands. Long story short, Dr. Voell was very forthcoming with his opinion, options for care, and making himself available for any questions/​concerns.
I ended up having to leave my pup overnight at Pender in their intensive care unit (poor little guy was really sick) but before I left, Dr. Voell gave me a tour of their facility and showed me where my pup would stay. He also showed me how there would be someone right in the room with him the entire night, ²⁴⁄₇ (less than 10 feet away). I was so impressed and even though it was hard leaving my little guy at a vet overnight (had never had to do that before), I didn’t doubt for a minute that he would get the very best care.
Long story short, any time I called Pender for updates/​check-​ins, they were responsive, kind, and made me feel at ease about how my pup was being cared for. My pup was so much better after that one night and continues to get better with the treatment plan that they put him on.
After having this experience at Pender, I’m switching my pup’s vet to Dr. Voell permanently. It’s not that my other vet wasn’t good, but Dr. Voell and the whole team at Pender (and their amazing facility) make getting comprehensive (and consultative) care a no brainer! Even though I live about 35 – 45 minutes away, it’s worth the drive and I couldn’t be happier that out of a sad situation (my pup being sick) I was able to find him the very best vet care in VA!

Where should I began! I just love the Pender family and staff! Starting with J. Taylor the lead vet tech. When I’m here to tell you she has been nothing but amazing to me and my family (Great Dane) Manhattan! Any and every time I need something get them on the phone they have THE ANSWER! I initially visited Pender with my 3 month old Great Dane for chronic ear infection from an ear cropping with another Vet (breeder) they than referred to the Legendary Dr. Mark Johnson! This man here is everything you would ever want in the presence and the care of your pet! He’s very by the book and original! His staff called him at home he answered they needed instruction he directed them to his office to get something called the magic and when I’m here to tell you it did its magic! Dr. Johnson said bring hay puppy on Monday I will look at her and baby did he fall in love! I am ecstatic and will only recommend going here if you want passionate care for your animal I mean they got on there hands and knees which showed me more than what I needed to see! J. Taylor, Dr. Rutar, Dr. Denny (even though I never met him in person) I heard nothing but great things about him per R. Norloff another loyal client and lastly Dr. Johnson!
Thanks again!
Pender you are amazing
PS. Dr. Johnson and team settled my baby girls issue along with Dr. Rural for her cherry eye! In which she fixed that issue before it costed me hundreds of dollars.
Thanks!

Have taken my dog and cat here for many years. I’ve also taken my bird to their exotic center. The doctors are very knowledgeable and I trust them 100% with all my furry and feathered kids.
They are very responsive when I’ve called with concerns and in the rare instance of an emergency situation — they work quickly to address the problem.
The exotic center also takes rescued wildlife free of charge such as injured wild birds and baby squirrels.

Amazing staff, facility, and care! A special thanks to Dr. Thorndike, Dr Parquette, Dr Rychlicki, and Dr Adams for helping Mako get better… So happy to have him home!

Took my dog for an emergency visit after he had a reaction to a lyme disease vaccination from his regular veterinarian. They checked him out and he soon began to feel better. I was impressed with their level of care. I am not yet ready to change vets but when and if I do, I will switch to Pender.

One of the best vet staffs and doctors we have ever had the misfortune of seeing. By misfortune I mean that other than general wellness and vaccinations, every other visit to a vet is probably a misfortune (e.g. kitty swallows puff balls… again). When those unfortunate things happen, owners are typically met with a judgemental tone from vet staff.
Not at Pender. They see everything there. They know a kitty will do what a kitty wants to do – no matter how hard an owner tries to prevent it. They are super knowledgeable and friendly. The facilities are clean and comfortable. And, quality of services are extraordinary, while their prices are very reasonable.
Now, if we could only move them closer to Falls Church… Whatever. We’ll make the drive.

I can’t say enough about the staff here! They saved my baby and were patient and kind with an exhausted mother, terrified human children and a severely injured puppy. All of my questions and concerns were addressed thoroughly and immediately. With each visit, I never left wondering what’s next.
I pray that I never have to encounter the staff under the same circumstances ever again, but we couldn’t have made out any better, if we went anywhere else.
Thank you Dr. Parquette and the many technicians (too many to name) that helped us through this rough time!

Nothing but Kudos for the staff at Pender. I showed up early in the morning for some emergency care for my cat and they took her right in and fixed her up and had her ready to go later in the day. Veterinary care ain’t cheap but the prices here are fair and the line of credit they were able to extend to me was a life saver, quite literally!
Thanks for everything, Pender!

I really hate coming to the vet but at least this vet has great hours, is caring, and very easy to work with. They are customer service oriented. Thank you pender and doc Zimmerman.

Just want to provide an updated review on our continued interactions with Pender Vet (Exotics). Unfortunately, about 6 months ago, we had to use their emergency services when one of our rabbits became very sick. From beginning to end, service was stellar. We ended up having to leave our rabbit overnight, and for most of the next day. I think we spent around $ 1,300 total, which included the emergency fee, x-​rays, care, and meds. For $ 1,300, we returned home with a healthy bunny and all of the proper medications for continued health, and preventative measures. Although we didn’t see our vet upon bringing him in to the emergency services, our rabbit did see his vet the next day, and she called me personally to walk me through everything that they did from beginning to end. She answered all of my questions patiently and took my concerns very seriously. Last night, we had another episode that could have escalated very quickly if it were not for their help. I have found that in the past, some vets are hesitant to send folks home with preventative meds, and just want you to bring your pet in — which we would have done had it gotten out of hand, but thanks to Dr. Carroll, we knew exactly what we were doing, what to look for, and how to treat in the moment.

After a bad experience at another vet, we came here. Dr. Rachelson was amazing with our sweet cat when she was sick. She was able to get blood work done on our cat quickly and easily, without sedation like another vet had told us was necessary.
She gave us options for treatment and never pushed us to do more testing than we were comfortable with. So far, the at home treatment she recommended has been working great. Dr. Rachelson has kept in contact with us via phone and email and has been available to us any time of day.
I don’t see us using another vet after this amazing experience. Thank you Pender and Dr. Rachelson for your great and amazing care.

Pender is truly an amazing vet, and I’d recommend them hands down to anyone. Until recently, I had two cats, and for everything that went wrong with them, Pender was there. No matter how busy they are, they’ve always been able to squeeze me in for a last minute appointment. A few months ago, I had a late night scare with my cat and a UTI, and I brought him to Pender at 3am. Service was fast, and I left with my cat’s pain eased and a bill that wasn’t outrageous for emergency care. The doctors listen to your concerns and never try to push tests on you that you may not want. The bills are probably more expensive than other vets, since they’re a full-​service animal hospital, but you absolutely get what you pay for.
On a sadder note, in the past few months I’ve had to euthanize both of my cats due to age-​related illnesses. Both times, Pender made time for me the same day I called, and the staff was super-​sensitive to the needs of a grieving pet owner during the procedure. When I get another pet in the future, I’ll definitely stick with Pender.

If you’re looking for a vet, look no further. Pender has got to be the best decision i’ve made for my dog. After experiencing several other animal clinics, some horrendous and some were good. But Pender animal clinic has always left me incredibly happy.
late night, i noticed my dog had an eye infection, and took him here (they were ²⁴⁄₇) and from my horrendous experiences at other vets, i was skeptical, but i couldnt find any other places open, so i took toby here. Its located right across the fair oaks mall, and fairly easy to access. The front staff were AMAZING. Although i didnt have toby’s medical records they took care of it all for me, so checking in was very smooth and easy. My dog also CONSTANTLY barks in public places, and when i told them this, a staff member showed me a separate room that was made for the owners and their pets to hang out in (SO MUCH LESS STRESSFUL!)
The tech and the doc saw toby being anxious and i’ve never seen anyone so skilled and experienced in handling my pup that made him so calm and at ease. They went over everything thoroughly and explained everything to me. When checking out, I figured a place like this would be insanely expensive, but it was so much cheaper than other clinics!
A week later i even received a call from the doc herself following up and checking in to see how toby was doing. I have never been to any other vets since this visit and i do not plan on taking toby anywhere else. I even recommended this place to several friends and they were just as happy :)