Stupid, stupid, stupid, fat, stupid, pugs. Why do they eat everything? Especially everything that's bad for them and is poison for them and could kill them? Last time it was chocolate, the time before that chewing gum, this time it was half a BBQ chicken, which is so fatty it can give small dogs pancreatitis, and the cooked bones are sharp and brittle and can perforate their intestines. It being a Sunday, the receptionist said I could come in right away when I told her the problem, but that there's a $200 after-hours/emergency fee on top of the normal consultancy etc. Minky couldn't have eaten the chicken during the working week, ohhhhh no. But it's your dog, so of course you're gonna pay it. There was a little wait because they were busy & on a skeleton staff, but the vet, Allan, was really nice and spelled out the risks and my options, enabling me to make an informed decision (he could make her puke, but that's even more dangerous because if the bones lodge in her food pipe they need to open her chest up). So now she's under 48hrs observation for any signs of distress. I'm going grey as we speak. Allan also waived payment, an incredibly kind move - thank you Allan! read more

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I will never trust North Shore Veterinary Hospitals with the care of my cat again. It has so far been the worst experience I have ever had with veterinarians over the past 21 years. Having had plenty of pets in my life, I have been to multiple vets in Australia and overseas and never have I had such bad service or the treatment of my cat. You would think as a veterinarian that they would have the best interest of the cat in mind (they certainly didn't). They have one of the worst reputations as being a huge ripoff along the North Shore. I took my cat into emergency at 12:00am in the morning after she had been throwing up for a few days and was becoming weaker and weaker. I was prepared to pay the whopping fee for emergency vet care because she is my pride and joy. The vet could not tell me what was going on but said she would run some tests. I agreed and said that if the tests went over $700 she should call me. The next day I came to pick up my cat and was told that I had to pay $1200 in addition to the $300 deposit I had already paid. Not only had they ignored my request to notify me of any additional testing, they had not found out what was wrong with my cat, nor had her condition improved. I transported her to my local vet straight away. He was very caring, reasonable and soon found out what was wrong with her. He returned her back to me a week later happy and healthy. I received a partial refund from the North Shore Veterinary Hospital of $250. However, the guy who runs the practice (Peter) was very rude and slammed the phone down. As an animal lover and activist myself, I thought this was very unusual behaviour for a veterinarian. I recommend the Ark Veterinary Hospital in Lindfield. All up it cost me $1500 at the Ark Vet for a WHOLE week of overnight hospital boarding, tests and treatment. Never again will I take my cat to the North Shore Vet Hospital! read more

We have had quite a few problems with our dog and North Shore Vet has always been great. He has bladder stones and has had two surgeries for that and recently tore a ligament in his leg which also needed surgery. Yeah, these things are never cheap but you get what you pay for and Kirby is a part of our family so it was important that he had the best care. Especially for things like surgery. It has been tough with the recovery, especially for the leg injury but he is doing really well. The staff were always good though, we got a call before the surgeries and afterwards to tell us how he went. We have seen quite a few of the vets and they are all fantastic, very friendly and helpful and the most important thing I think is that the people there seem to genuinely love and care for animals, they are always so good with them. That is why I trust them I think. read more

Such great nurses and vets! Every time I go in they remember who I am and really know what they are doing! Liz one of the receptionists is such a gem and always spends the time to see how I am going! read more

The worst veterinary service I have ever experienced throughout my life. I had two guinea pigs went sick, one was a male and the other was a female. The male one was first seen by a vet working at the "Newtown Animal Hospital". The vet did not know what was wrong with him, claiming the water on his chin was normal water and no big deal. In fact, it was drooling. They did not even know how to treat him, just cost me $188 for nothing but a pack of critical care, asking me to feed him every 3 to 4 hours to get him back to normal physical condition. His breathe suddenly sounded like cracking at night on the other day. So I immediately brought my guinea pig to the "North Shore Veterinary Hospital", more precisely "North Shore Veterinary Specialist Center", as a person's advice. As the NSVSC's vet stated that my guinea pig had a toxic shock and was suffering from pneumonia. My guinea pig soon passed away around 30 min after getting to the North Shore Veterinary Hospital. It cost me $300 for an emergency service. Okay, that was still acceptable as pneumonia is really fatal to guinea pigs. What worse, when I went home on the same night, right after the death of the male guinea pig. The female one seemed to be slightly infected, she stopped eating and was suffering from diarrhea. I brought her to the North Shore Veterinary Hospital for a check in the morning. They said this pity girl was sick enough to stay in the hospital and they would perform a test on her droppings and give her medication if necessary. They required me to pay a $200 deposit for the stay over service. Meanwhile, I asked for an x-ray scan on her but they did not agree to give one. The next day, I was told that no virus found in my female guinea pig and she started eating again and was fine to go home. Which cost me another $190 not including the deposit. I fed her Critical Care every two hours as the vet requested, as well as after feeding her after mid-night, making sure that she keeps eating while I was supposed to sleep. Just two days after her return, she stopped eating again. She was brought back to the North Shore Veterinary Hospital right after her second time fasting. The NSVH vet finally agreed to give an x-ray scan on her, and eventually figured out she was in fact suffering from "bronchitis". Ridiculously, the vet put the blame on me, saying that, 2 days after, now I let her become real sick than she used to be, after going home. Holly ****, I had soon already asked for an x-ray scan at the very beginning. And the vet just considered me a donkey and would accept whatever excuses they made to become irresponsible for this situation. Meanwhile, they finally agreed to give me two antibiotics WITHOUT ANY pro-biotics. Dose twice daily, one was "Baytril", the other was "Vibravet". The night of the next day, I suddenly discovered that her back legs stood further apart than usual and seemed painful to walk normally. I immediately called the North Shore Veterinary Hospital, telling the receptionist the symptoms that my girl was suffering, asking for an immediate conversation with the vet who established the prescription. THEY SAID, you cannot talk to her at the moment, you have to bring her in as an emergency consultation, which would cost you $272. YES, THIS IS TOTALLY OUT OF SENSE! At that time, I had already spent more than $1000 within a week. My bank deposit was all gone. They denied any installment. I did not go to bed at all that night, as I had a sense that's just like her leaving would come soon... My poor girl just suffocated and passed away in the morning. I treated both of them as my kids. I gave them the name as my girl friend and mine. Those days, before they went sick, they were still happily living and playing with their newborn babies. Now the babies are still 4 weeks old and became orphans... The service given by the North Shore Veterinary Hospital was totally unacceptable. I mean, their reaction, their sense of pathology, the attitude they invested when doing tests and checking on my guinea pigs. Particularly, the act of putting the blame on the patient, making them irresponsible will be never forgotten and forgiven. I would have given the rating as NO Stars if possible. If you are also a guinea pig owner, you had better think twice or more before bringing your guinea pigs to this North Shore Veterinary Specialist Center. Their skills does not deserve such a graceful name. YES, I WON'T EASILY TRUST ANY VET in Sydney in the future, especially The North Shore Veterinary Specialist Center!! read more

I have recently had a similar experience with north shore vet hospital and came away also thinking they really don't care about animals. I have a very special bunny and was looking at boarding. The woman I spoke to on reception was rude offhand and defensive when I asked her questions. The place left me cold!! read more

Before taking your pet to the North Shore Vet you need to phone your bank manager to make sure you have a line of credit in case needed. Advance payment is the norm with this practice Obviously management is used to a stunned reaction when a customer receives their invoice. In my experience the NSV practice will write up a list of treatments that could be well beyond what a pet needs. Unless your pet has a need for emergency treatment and the NSV practice is nearby, I recommend you phone around to find the most cost effective treatment for your pet. read more

I agree with Gemma C. and had almost the same experience. The seemed to think that they were issued a blank cheque to run test after test and treatment after treatment without giving me a cost estimate or seeking my input on whether to proceed - despite my requests to do so. Ultimately a sad end for my pet, made all the more bitter by the actions and attitude of this clinic. I did receive a discount, but if I hadn't I was quite prepared to escalate the matter further. Sadly they seem to think this is perfectly acceptable business practice, so I hope reviews like this prompt them to review their operation and make some changes. read more