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Hickory Flat Animal Hospital

3.5 (24 reviews)
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Updated 2 months ago

Services - Hickory Flat Animal Hospital

Pet physical or wellness exam

Pet vaccinations

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The large circular area is a buildup of fluid from heart disease that was not detected in wellness exam. heart an breathing affected.

I have been using Hickory Flat Animal Hospital for almost 20 years. The staff is friendly and does a great job for most common dog illnesses and minor injuries. I would have given 4 or 5 stars except for the issues listed below. . I have revised my review now that my anger has subsided. My first issue with this animal hospital occurred with my 11 year old German boxer who started dragging her rear left leg when walking which I told the vet about. He told me that this was most likely hip dysplasia. Although I am not a doctor or veterinarian I am a medical device engineer with several patents so I do have some experience (Shock wave electrodes with fluid holes - patent #9566209, Increase electrode life in devices used for extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) - Patent #9198825). I did some google searches and this symptom is usually the beginning of Degenerative Myelopathy (DM). This is a nerve disease of the spinal column that starts at the end of spinal column and progresses until the dog can't walk, eat, or breathe and eventually dies from it. On our next visit to Hickory Flat I had the same vet and mentioned what I had found which he quickly dismissed and insisted it was hip dysplasia. Not happy with his opinion I found DNA tests specifically for DM ($30). I purchased one and tested my Boxer and it showed 2 sets of marker genes related to DM which indicates that the dog probably has or will develop DM. I brought a copy of the DM test to my next visit and had them add this to my dogs records. My dog eventually died from this. I was disappointed that DM was not even considered until I did the research and determined what was wrong with my dog. My second issue came a couple of weeks ago. My 10 year old fawn boxer had come in for a broken dew claw which was properly treated. It was also time for his annual checkup, vet checked teeth, breathing, and listened to his heart. The vet said all were excellent for a Boxer of 10 years age. 7 days later while taking him outside for a potty break with no running or anything that stressed him he fell over on his side with foamy mouth and legs shaking and trembling. I comforted him in the backyard until he recovered enough to take him inside. It was after 6 pm so I had to take him to a 24 hour animal hospital where they discovered that he had a heart arrhythmia/murmur and large sacs of fluid behind each lung preventing him from breathing normally (probably congestive heart failure). I asked the vet if this should have been heard when listening to his heart 7 days earlier and the vet said that she would be surprised if it wasn't there to hear as this condition had taken some time to build up. I also took him to a animal hospital with a cardiologist who also said the same thing. During the assessment they told me he had 2 or 3 days to live so I had to euthanize him to spare him from any further pain an suffering. I am so disappointed that this was missed by Hickory Flat Animal Hospital in detecting this as those 7 days could have been used to get him to a cardiologist before he went so far downhill. Boxers have another DNA defect called arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC), a heart disease that primarily affects the heart's electrical system. From my research It turns out this mostly commonly in Boxers, however, it is also reported in the English Bulldog, and American Staffordshire. There is also a genetic test for this that tests both variants of this gene mutation for $70. Although there is a nice section on Hickory Flat web page detailing common breed illnesses including those that are genetic, there is no mention of available DNA tests that can help with an early diagnosis. I would have given him the ARVC DNA test and if positive I would have scheduled him for regular cardiovascular checkups and treatments that could have extend his life. Very disappointed! I will never bring another dog here. Seems like their wellness checkup checks for wellness and not illness!

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9 years ago

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7 months ago

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11 years ago

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11 years ago

They do not listen to pet owners about how the pet acts. The appointment was very uncomfortable as a result of this.

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10 years ago

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Review Highlights - Hickory Flat Animal Hospital

Partin because she practices both eastern/western medicine and is a holistic vet.

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Family Tree Animal Clinic

Family Tree Animal Clinic

(12 reviews)

Dr. Bannister and his staff are a compassionate, caring, and professional team! So happy they are…read moremy PWD puppy's care team! They answered many of my first time puppy owner questions without hesitation and much patience! I had to take her back a week after my new patient visit because I thought she ingested something. They got us in right away and treated her and me without judgement. Meant a lot to me as a new and nervous puppy parent! They are thorough with every exam, and did not miss a beat! Thank you for all that you do to care for us and our animals in the kindest, personable and professional manner! Highly, highly recommend!

I highly recommend this vet, not only is his office staff nice and caring, Dr. Bannister himself…read morehave amazing bedside manner. He is always willing and ready to answer any questions you have. He takes his time to examine your fur babies to ensure they are healthy. We have plenty of vets around our house, but decided to stick with Family Tree after having gone to their office as one of my kitten had an allergic reaction and needed to be seen immediately. We make the 30+ minute drive out there because we know that we can get the best care for our pets. We are currently working towards getting all of our pets on the same vaccine schedule so we can minimize our commute out there, and it's nice to know that Dr. Bannister is willing to work with us in making that happen. Will not hesitate to recommend this vet to anyone who is looking for vet care. I've been telling all of our friends about this place in hopes that they receive the same care for their pets as we did for ours.

Hickory Flat Animal Hospital - vet - Updated July 2026

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