East Ridge Animal Hospital

Went to pick up meds for my dog, had to wait in a long line. I stepped out of the line and approached one of the receptionists if I had to wait in the line, due to the young lady sitting in the main receptionist chair is going slower than molasses you’d think anyone would notice and help… not this place, was told I had to wait. Doctors don’t listen to what your concern is regarding your animal. They talk over you as your telling them what is going on with your pet, not listening to what you’re telling them. Changing Doctors.

I love this place. They are excellent and their prices are very reasonable. They did a wonderful job on my cat’s PU surgery! I have used them for many other things too.

Years ago our cat went in with a sudden illness. They did absolutely nothing. Basically they killed her. I was going to sue them but my husband said what’s the point. It won’t bring her back. I think the vets name was Susan Howard. I was warned about this place too so that made matters that much worse.

I am sorry to not recommend this office for your animal family member. I have been bringing my pets (dogs, cats and birds) here for the past 12 years. Gradually the friendliness and quality of the staff has been decreasing. As another reviewer posted the wait time for phones and appointments is unreliable. Plan to spend at least 2 hours of your day at the office meaning do not schedule any other appointments after because you cannot be assured to be out of the office in time to make them. I always knew this was a problem but tolerated it because I loved my vet Dr. Balonek. He saved my bird’s life and for that I will be forever grateful. However recently, I had to see another vet in the practice to put my dog Nigel to sleep. The staff seemed hurried and I felt pressured to say my goodbyes and «get out» This was one of the most traumatic experiences ever for me. Nigel was ill and Dr. Balonek and I had worked out a plan for his eventual passing that was not honored by his associate. I have subsequently found another vet to care for my animal family.

We’ve been going to East Ridge with our three dogs for the past four years, but we will be moving on now that Dr. Balonek is retiring.
I do have to say, Dr. Balonek was one of the greatest veterinarians I’ve ever seen. He went above and beyond many times while we dealt with the illness and passing of our little old lady chihuahua last year. His service and compassion deserve 10 stars out of five. But… the office is pretty poorly run and it always has been. It is no longer worth the hassle to us.
Here it is: the phone lines are BUSY. It sometimes took me calling frequently for hours before I got through. When you are lucky enough to get through on the phone it is likely that you will be on hold for at least five minutes, regardless of why you are calling (appointment or check or anything really). The longest I was on hold was about 17 minutes (per my cell phone’s timer) before I was helped. My husband has actually resorted to driving there to schedule appointments because they are so close and we couldn’t get through over the phone. Once you arrive at your appointment, it has become more and more likely that you will wait in a long line to check in. If you arrive within 10 minutes of your appointment you will spend those minutes waiting to tell someone that you have arrived. That’s not a big deal to the office as your appointment time isn’t very representative of your actual time with the doctors anyways. We have never been seen on time at East Ridge, which was fine to us so long as we had Dr. Balonek at the end of our wait. Wait times range depending on when your appointment is, the shortest we’ve experienced was 35 minutes (early morning appointment), the longest being two and a half hours (evening appointment). Yes, you read that right. Two and a half hours!
The alternate vets are on the whole pretty good, but «pretty good» isn’t worth wasting an entire afternoon trying to get routine vaccinations.

Place was very nice, and everyone was very knowledgeable and friendly. Only complaint was that even though I showed up on time I did have to wait for about 20 – 30 minutes. In there defense, the place was PACKED.
Overall, I was very pleased and would recommend.

When I got my pup, he came with a free first check-​up at East Ridge Animal Hospital. I lived south of downtown Rochester, so it wasn’t the most convenient location for me, but I thought I’d take advantage of the offer regardless.
I’m so glad I did. The staff was so friendly and helpful, and the vets are amazing. Even thought it was sometimes a hassle to get to, I brought my cat and dog here for 6 years (only stopping once I left the state of New York).
I would see any vet that was available, and all of them were knowledgeable, helpful, and friendly. The nurses were also great. Prices also are reasonable. I can’t think of anything negative to say about this place. I seriously have never felt so comfortable entrusting my pets with anyone!

As far as I know, this is the only area veterinary practice that treats exotics (like iguanas) as a part of their small animal practice.
After arriving in Rochester, I sat down with a hard-​copy phone book and the ‘net and called what seemed like every veterinary practice in the Rochester area. I became increasingly worried as vet after vet told me that they didn’t treat iguanas. Would I have to take mine to another city to find care? Could I even make that work? It was such a relief when the East Ridge Animal Hospital said they’d see him, but I still wondered how good they’d be.
They impressed me. They’re unflappable, definitely familiar with iguanas, and had an easy and assured way with mine. As the years passed, my Ig benefited from their routine care and was ably treated for a broken arm (after x-​raying the arm, they devised a splint and taught me how to maintain it). Unfortunately, he didn’t remain healthy, and they provided good care and advice through what turned out to be a difficult time. As it became apparent that he was succumbing to a disease that couldn’t be cured, they put him to sleep at my request. It was a peaceful death (anesthetic OD), and they invited me to wait in the reception area so I could say a final (and private) good-​bye when it was over. They also provide a cremation service for owners whose pets have died — I was able to pick up his ashes (enclosed in a nice tin) a few weeks later.
The facility itself is a pretty happy place, complete with resident tropical fish. All sorts of pets and their owners are constantly coming and going — a lot of dogs and cats, but a good representation of less-​traditional pets like ferrets, birds, and a spectrum of rodents. The hospital also undertakes animal rescue work, and it’s not unusual to see someone bring in an injured wild animal. The pet owners are a generally friendly bunch, and there’s a lot of pleasant banter back and forth. The examination rooms are clean, comfortable, and private, and the always-​in-​motion staff is efficient, competent and helpful.
The hospital is somewhat hidden away. Dubelbeiss lane is such a small road that I first mistook it for an alley — spotting it while driving along E. Ridge Road requires some concentration. Their parking lot is small, a little cramped, and usually packed. I always found a spot, but it would have been easy to park on Dubelbeiss (approximately no non-​vet traffic) if I’d had to.
I put a few miles on my car as I drove back and forth, but it was worth it. East Ridge Animal Hospital treated me and my Ig well — I respect and am grateful to them.