Recommended veterinary services?

Submitted by whit2fit t3_ym3emw in providence

Hi! Does anyone have a mom and pop veterinarian service they recommend? I used to have a really great vet back home that wouldn’t nickel and dime me. Now I’m going to providence river hospital and it’s costly, for stupid shit like giardia tests and they told me all the vaccinations my dogs got precious we’re “done wrong” which felt sketchy to me. I love my pets and I want the best for them, but there’s gotta be someone out there that will have a more personal approach and I won’t have to put a car payment down to get them vaccinated.

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generallyunamused t1_iv1m46e wrote

Armory Animal Hospital is good.

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cowperthwaite t1_iv7hgdq wrote

Last time I tried, not accepting new patients.

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orcalife t1_iv7jhus wrote

They are now! There’s one section of the site that says no new patients and another that says otherwise, so I was initially confused. However, I was finally able to get my cat in (about 2 months ago). Wonderful staff, so far so good.

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gimmeyourforever t1_ivleq4w wrote

Armory is definitely the way to go. The vets & techs are awesome and it is definitely mom & pop. Had a long talk with one of the vets there about how larger orgs are buying up all the once independent practices.

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quantidude t1_iv1poob wrote

We recently moved to RI and prefer the folks at Cranston Animal Hospital. They were thorough and kind with our dog, who gets nervous at the vet, during her yearly checkup. They also didn't try to sell us on vaccinations (e.g., flu shot) unless they thought we'd need it for dog day care, etc.

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swordofkings t1_iv653fg wrote

Just wanted to add that this place was very nice and tried to accommodate my financial situation, but they were constantly busy and would not call me back and schedule me in. We'd play phone tag and weeks could go by. My cat was a patient for 6-8 months.

I have mixed feelings because I liked their vet, Dr. Elias, but they really, really, really dropped the ball with me and did not seem to take my sick cat seriously enough. My cat passed this summer, at an emergency clinic, in the middle of the night, from hemorrhaging. It was incredibly traumatizing for me. I called Cranston to let them know and didn't even hear a peep back. Got a measly stock sympathy card in the mail. Would have been nice to have received a call from a human just to check in.

If I ever adopt again, I will not be going back.

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Status_Silver_5114 t1_iv25frr wrote

I'm not sure why folks think there's such thing as a cheap vet. PRAH isn't corporate owned or a chain so it's mom and pop actually. Having said that, Petco Vets are cheaper but you get what you pay for IMHO.

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brogaant t1_iv5bs4s wrote

Vet tech here, PRAH got bought out by a corporate owner in 2021.

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Status_Silver_5114 t1_iv5daw4 wrote

Interesting! Still / better than eastside and comparable to every place else I’ve ever been. And the staff is the same staff and we like them. So haven’t noticed a change. Which is good. A corporate owner isn’t an issue for me / that was the OP.

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brogaant t1_iv5dpxk wrote

Worked there a while back, not a bad place at all. Unfortunately privately owned hospitals are just becoming harder to find.

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whit2fit OP t1_iv2uoqa wrote

My vet back home was reasonable, sometimes it feels like I’m at a car dealership with some of these veterinary hospitals

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Status_Silver_5114 t1_iv2w8my wrote

I’ve gone to vets in four different states. No one here seeks more expensive than anywhere else (save nyc). So not sure if the comparison makes sense, nor the common idea that pets are cheap to take care of. Not saying you are saying that but it’s amazing to me how many people didn’t do the math before getting a pet (esp during Covid).

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Megs0226 t1_iv3u45w wrote

I’ve seen lots of criticism of PRAH, mostly around their prices and that they upsell. I take my 3 to PRAH and I’ve never had an issue with them. Maybe they’re more expensive, I wouldn’t know, but they’re transparent about their prices. And I don’t expect my pets’ care to be cheap!

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Status_Silver_5114 t1_iv4zspi wrote

I’ve seen criticism of literally every vets prices on one platform or another but very little comments about quality of care. We had been at eastside and got brushed off when our pet had an emergency situation so we shopped around and are much happier at PRAH - and their parking is better to boot. Our cats are at city kitty / the care is excellent and like literally everyone else not cheap but I’m not sure why people think folks with training and expertise should be free.

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whit2fit OP t1_ivq8mz3 wrote

Back home, my vet had a office out of his house. I could call him at any point and he would rush to help me and make sure my dog was okay. When I went to vaccinate my dog for all shots it was never more than 120 dollars and he even had extra shots for like daycare compatibility. The reason I’m questioning River hospital, is they charged me 90 dollars for each giardia test and it was 500 dollars for only one round of shots for both of my dogs. I never expected my pets to be cheap but I’m also just skeptical about them bc it has felt like when I went in they were trying to get me to redo all of my puppy’s vaccinations he already got, it felt a little weird tbh. I’m all in favor for raising my pups with a good vet but my gut feeling felt like it was steep. I knew my vet back home was out of the norm but I felt like maybe people who have been here longer had an idea.

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Status_Silver_5114 t1_ivqav5g wrote

Yeah no their prices are in line with virtually every vet we’ve ever been to. That vet was definitely a unicorn situation from what I’ve heard!

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Tbear369 t1_iv58217 wrote

Love hill and harbor in eg

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just_type_f t1_iv2d323 wrote

I'm a big fan of Warwick Animal Hosp in Cranston. They were wonderful when I lost my 22 year old kitty a few years ago, they do great with my current nervous-nellie dog, and they've just been rock solid every time I've needed them. Not the cheapest by far, but the service and staff quality are worth it, imo. I'd recommend avoiding Hoffman, because they turned the horrible experience of putting down a beloved dog into something much worse - the medication caused a final, fatal seizure and the vet's reaction (standing there) was to shrug and say "oh, yeah, that happens sometimes." Inhuman.

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CCSham t1_iv2fb7z wrote

I use East Bay Animal Hospital and like them

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Dry_Faithlessness135 t1_iv39cgx wrote

I go to Lindsay Thibeault at RISPCA’s animal clinic. I’ve been with her forever and have followed her from when she was on Gano St to when she ran a mobile vet service. She’s very kind, enthusiastic and makes working with her clients her first priority. She’s always been mindful of finances/cost, and great in receiving and answering questions.

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Proof-Variation7005 t1_iv2vgmz wrote

The services I'd recommend getting checkups, vaccinations, and on-demand visits if the animal seems unusual or in some level of discomfort

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allhailthehale t1_iv3lk75 wrote

Hoffman Animal Hospital is the cheapest vet I've used in Rhode Island. I found them less inclined to suggest a lot of testing, etc. In a few cases, I actually would have liked more testing than they did. But I didn't feel like they were negligent-- maybe just more conscious of the cost-care balance.

I found them fine, though I occasionally found communication a little lacking (this is also true of Armory, which I switched to because they're up the street from me. Armory is significantly more expensive than Hoffman in my experience, but probably still cheaper than River for sure!)

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debbado t1_iv3mcim wrote

I use Vitality Vet. One in swansee and one in so attleboro. Really like them and prices are good

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