All Creatures Animal Hospital

My dog would have been put down 3 years ago if I had listened to All Creatures. After an operation on her second knee here, we kept being told that the surgery went very well and that our dog was in no pain… but my pup couldn’t eat or move. All creatures had us come in several times for additional tests, that’s when we were told that it was most likely, though rare, that our girl had multiple sclerosis and should be put to sleep because of her irriversible condition. Something didn’t add up, and luckily we went in for a second opinion at a new hospital. As it turned out, my dog was in an immense amount of pain… the surgery was so butchered that you have to wonder why the same vet who performed it was also the one suggesting we put her down! After a loooong recovery, I’m lucky to have my happy dog still with me. I could never trust this animal hospital again, several doctors examined my dog here following her surgery but non would admit the surgery was to blame for her condition.

When my husband and I moved to LZ 2 years ago, we began taking our dog here. Both of the vets we had (Dr. Horowitz and Dr. Roge) were excellent and I LOVED them, but getting in to see either of them was a bit of a challenge because their schedules were always full which I get.
In short, here is our story. In the end, we found out dog was dying of cancer (she was diagnosed by a different vet in Barrington). That vet in Barrington became our vet for the duration of our dog’s life. Our dog ended up having 2 more very happy months after the cancer diagnosis. I know there is no book on dying and euthanasia as this was our first time dealing with it and wondering when the time is right — but trust me, we knew the time was right and it came up FAST. I literally sat there with my dog’s head on my lap watching the clock for 8 a.m. to come. When they opened, I called. I told them that that we lived 5 minutes from there and that our dog was dying — and that she had been whimpering for a few hours and couldn’t walk and that I really wanted to bring her in to put her to sleep that morning. I asked if they could take us anytime that morning. The woman on the phone told me no because they were completely booked that day. Then she asked if I wanted to wait another day (our dog would have been dead). I said please our dog is dying — and she told me to hold. When she came back on the phone, she said they might be able to «give» us what was called their «emergency» opening at 1 pm but that she’d have to ask and call me back. I took it. We ended up taking our dog to Barrington at 10 am and they did a great job. You can tell when people love animals and their job and when they don’t. I’m not sure who I dealt with on the phone, but it left a horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach and I won’t ever come back here.

We had to put downTeddy our 17 year old cat on ¹⁄₂₅. The wonderful care and compassion the Vet and assistant displayed was co comforting. First they gave Teddy a Valium cocktail. Within 3 minutes he was snoring in my wife’s arms. They gave us as long as we needed to be alone and say goodby. When they administered the injection Teddy was at peace and quickly on his way to Rainbow Bridge
Thanks for making an agonizing experience somewhat easier. Teddy and us were treated with dignity.
Please see Teddy’s Hawaiian pic!

I cannot say enough great things about this vet! We see Dr. Roge and could not be more happy that we found her. My oldest dog suffers from separation anxiety that has progressed with age and we have found her to be compassionate, caring, knowledgeable, honest and open to non-​traditional remedies. We started with pheromone treatments to see if we could calm her that way, and slowly worked our way up from there to try to ease her anxiety if we leave the house. When I did need medication she let me know the cheapest places to fill it, and Dr. Roge and her staff call to check in on her progress which is also something I really appreciate. They’re very open, communicative, and honest. I would definitely recommend them!

Started off OK a year ago when we moved into the area. Then one of my dogs was treated by a local vet while we were on vacation. 2 days later we come back and the next day on Monday I make a follow-​up appointment describing what he was treated for and that he needs a follow-​up. I get pushed out to Friday of that week. My poor guy died 2 days later after I called in; the Wednesday of that same week. Don’t make the same mistake I did. I should have just gone in appointment or not. Now I’m not so sure I will ever go in here again. These people need to understand that when we call, it’s serious. If they deal with hypochondriac dog owners, they ought to be able distinguish the serious calls from that. Now I am a grieving dog owner.

I felt the need to update my review from 2011. This past week, we had to have my Sophie put to sleep. She was 16 ½ yrs. old. We are devastated. But, in the worst situation, Dr. Gustavsen’s compassion was truly overwhelming. She was Sophie’s very first vet 16 yrs. ago and ironically, was there to let her go. She was so loving to Sophie in those final moments, we all cried. It is heartbreaking to lose Sophie, but I am so grateful for the care and love she received at the end. It was a blessing.

We had a pet rabbit that lived for 13 years, All Creatures kept her healthy the whole time. They have Vet’s that specialize in these smaller animals and they really know their stuff. Unfortunately her time had come and All Creatures handled her euthanization flawlessly. It sounds silly talking about a rabbit but they realize she was a family member and were so caring and compassionate. They even called a few weeks later to see how we were doing and sent a sympathy card.

I will never return to this facility again. I brought my dog in because he had a slight limp after he would exercise, and it continued for a few days. The veterinarian that took care of me, felt his leg for less than 30 seconds, and told me he had a torn ACL and needed surgery ASAP or it could get worse. She did not take any x-​rays, or even sedate him to get a better feel of the leg.
I scheduled surgery because I trusted she knew what she was talking about. BUT, I had a bad feeling that something was wrong. I went to see another vet for a second opinion and turns out, all he needed was some pain meds and to rest for a couple weeks. His leg is perfectly healed without a $ 3,000 surgery! He runs 3 miles with me almost everyday and never limped again after his rest for recovery. :)
They are just looking to make money here, I do not believe that some of the vets here really personally care for the animals.
I am very disappointed with this place after having used and trusted them for years.

Really like this veterinary clinic. The original owner was the first vet I met with my new puppy and he was great! Since then I have had the opportunity to meet all the other vets and have been happy with almost all interactions. One vet even gave me her cell number so I could call with concerns and when I called had me text her updated pictures of my puppies eye issue and adjusted his medication dosage without my having to bring him in! That’s service! They are a bit pricey, but that may just be the area they are in. They are a very good clinic overall.

All Creatures Animal Hospital is AMAZING! I work down the street and not only do we use them for our animals at my work, but I loved them so much that I now drive a little further from home and take my dogs to them as well. Everyone is always so friendly and helpful! When we have had emergencies with our animals and they have needed care right away, All Creatures have been able to squeeze us in to be seen right away. They genuinly care and contact you to see how your pet is doing after being seen. Also, it is reasonable there so that is an added bonus! I would 100% recommend them!

I am happy to find All Creatures Animal Hospital. I found the staff and the doctor to be very friendly. The consultation cost and medicines were also very reasonable.

I have been visiting All Creatures for 6 years. I have seen almost every doctor. Being a crazy dog owner who’s dog is their child, I don’t hesitate to bring my pup in when she’s not feeling well. They never judge me and always help me find what is going on with my little chihuahua daughter. After each visit they follow up with me on the phone to check in. The lady who makes the calls is so kind and loving and is great with the animals in the waiting room! They also work well with other vets, like specialists, in coordinating care. They don’t get offended if you go for a second opinion or to a speciialist. (My mom’s dog is very sick so we see an ophthalmologist and internist at another hospital.)
The only downside (and reason for the lost star) is one of the vet techs was very harsh with my pup when getting shots and scared her so much she had an accident on the floor. The tech was quite rude about it, getting frustrated with me for being concerned about my dog and rolled her eyes and walked away. Since that incident, I always request she doesn’t have any interaction with my dog. I’m a little surprised she is still working there as loving animals seems to be a prereq for that job, but I manage that myself since the rest of the staff is so great!

I’ve received nothing but excellent care from All Creatures. They put down my 16 ½ year old Sheltie with the utmost care and compassion. When I got a new Sheltie puppy, they’ve done a great job taking care of him too. The facilities have been clean. I don’t know what the story is with the other customers, but my experience has been nothing but excellent. Taking my dog in next week for his shots.

I used to love this vet hospital but it’s no longer what it used to be. We’ve been going there for over five years with four different animals. Today was the second time that the staff was rude and disrespectful so I am now on Unilocal looking for a new vet.

We have been going to All Creatures since 1991… I think. A previous vet in South Barrington that I loved moved and recommended that I switch to Andy Cox’s clinic. This was the best recommendation that I could have ever recevied. We could not hope for a better, more caring staff and team of vets. There are several doctors there and our cats have seen many of them and they are all great. Of course, we have our favorites but when they are not available, I have never worried about getting a different vet.
Here we are 20+ years later and we still go to All Creatures. We moved and it is an hour’s trek to get to Lake Zurich. AND even today, with the price of gas, we would never take our babies to any one else.
The hospital is beautiful, clean, and very professional. It is a full service hospital, although they never hesitate to recommend a specialist if they feel this is best for your pet. We have a cat with a serious heart murmur. When we adopted Leo from a shelter, Andy told us that his heart murmur was an «11» on a scale of «10.» He took an ultra sound and didn’t feel that he could adequtely treat Leo. He recommended a cartiologist, gave us the film for the ultra sound and DID NOT CHARGE US FOR IT. He us to take it to the new doctor as a baseline. WOW! When does something like that happen?
I wish that they were a 24 hour emergency hospital,…sadly, they are not. But they start at 8:00 in the morning, are open until 7:00 most nights, and have Saturday hours.
In our opinion, my husband and cats’, you just can’t get any better!

Love this vet!!! I took my dog to another vet and they were so poor, I came back to All Creatures. They are a little on the expensive side, but I love the service and the care they give to all of my animals. They are extremely compassionate when it comes time for your animal to cross the Rainbow Bridge. I couldn’t have asked for a more supportive and friendly staff. I appreciate everything that they do for all of my «babies».

We decided we were fed up with our old vet, who we’d inexplicably gone to for many years, despite the fact that he was completely uncaring and gouged prices, having only dollar signs in his eyes. So after consulting Unilocal,we decided to instead take our shih tzu mix to All Creatures, which was about the same distance from our house as our previous vet.
When I called to make the appointment to get her yearly vaccines complete, the reception staff was very friendly and professional, and they have Saturday hours, which is great for busy working folks.
Once we arrived for our appointment, we walked into a clean, spacious reception area, and were quickly attended to, getting our dog weighed while we waited for our turn. In just a few minutes, a friendly vet tech ushered us into an examination room, and took the dog’s temperature and some blood for a heartworm test.
When the vet tech examined our records from the other vet, he noted that our previous vet had been charging us for some unnecessary vaccines (of course he had, the nerve). For example, we’d been getting lyme vaccines for the dog, but they said they don’t need lyme vaccines unless they are primarily outdoor dogs, which our little shih tzu is not. They also told us they usually use a 3-​year rabies vaccine (our previous vet had never even told us such a thing existed!) so we would only have to get her rabies booster every 3 years instead of every year.
We then met with Dr. Pinn, who has a big personality and also clearly cares about animals. She was sweet and reassuring with our dog while also telling us what was going on with her (our dog is prone to ear infections due to her breed). She gave us a cleaning solution that she mixed up herself with a couple of different cleansers and antibacterials that didn’t set us back too much money.
By the end of the visit, our dog was relatively calm and up-​to-​date on her shots, and even with the microscope work they did with an ear swab and the prescription cleaner, the whole visit was still over $ 100 less than what we used to spend yearly at our previous price-​gouging vet. Plus, as previously mentioned, we don’t have to get a rabies vaccine for her again until 2015!
A few weeks later, I took our dog back for a followup appointment to check on her ears. Dr. Pinn decided to be a little bit more aggressive with the treatment and took her to shave the inside of her ears to free up some of the gunk in there. As I was sitting in the exam room while she was doing that in the back hallways of the office, I was thinking, «Oh great, how much is that going to cost?» When I saw the bill, I was charged nothing for that little extra leg work that Dr. Pinn went through for my dog’s health and comfort.
That decided it. We’re going to Dr. Pinn and All Creatures for life!

We recently moved in to town and have since brought our three French bulldogs and 2 cats for check ups and various issues. We couldn’t be happier with Dr. Pinn and the team here. You can tell they are true animal lovers and it shows in their care. (edit a few months later: I’ve now moved away again, but wish I could keep my animals for care here. Really wonderful place)

This place is the best. All Creatures has gone through three Golden Retrievers with us. Dr. Cox once even diagnosed one of our golden’s back pain over the phone just by listening to my description of his behavior. (This was after we spent an entire evening and a bundle of money at the emergency hospital, where they told us it was allergies!) The care our precious pups received here was amazing. Even as their lives came to an end, the staff was so kind and compassionate. They helped us in ways that only true animal lovers could.
We are proud to be the wacky kind of people that treated our goldens as members of the family. Going as far as not being able to get into a comfortable position because we didn’t want to move and disturb THEIR sleep! We wouldn’t trust our pets with anyone else.

We’ve been taking our cats here for many years following a recommendation from my parents and have always been very pleased.
The previous vet we were using focused specifically on cats and on extracting money from their owners, so All Creatures’ pricing and approach were a pleasant surprise. Their charges for labs, diagnostic tests and visits in general have been quite reasonable (we have not done extensive comparisons), and there’s no pressure to do unnecessary and expensive additional tests — just things that make sense when explained. Estimates are provided with high– and low-​end end numbers.
More recently, one of our cats has been having a hard time of it and ended up having an eye removed (chronic problems appear to have escalated to a corneal ulcer that worsened rapidly with quite a bit of inflammation and no chance of good healing). One of the senior doctors of the practice came in on his day off to do the surgery because their regular surgeon was already booked up, and everyone that we’ve dealt with there has been great. Total cost in our case for this procedure including prescriptions and lab biopsy on the eye was well under $ 1000 (and below the high-​end estimate, so there was no maximizing charges within the estimate).
Even the cat, though generally displeased with her treatment there, agrees with the notes in their home care instructions: «ACTIVITY: She is a cat. She can do what she wants.»