Dr Toothaker has taken care of our birds for many years. Few vets will even see birds, but he…read morehandles them well and has saved the life of several of ours. He gave us a whole extra year with my beloved white dove and took such good care of him . The office is very busy, but it is worth the wait to see Dr. Toothaker

Since 2016, Alan Toothaker was the veterinarian for our sweet, beautiful golden retriever Sophie…read moreduring the months each year that we have spent in Maine. In November 2024, he examined Sophie and drew labs. He told us, "she's fine," "just adjusting to her medications." Without much change in her symptoms until the last hours, she died 2 weeks later as we were finally taking her to an emergency room. On 2/26/26 the Maine Board of Veterinary Medicine disciplined Dr. Toothaker for poor record-keeping and violating practice standards in his care of Sophie, and separately regarding another complaint that alleged he mistreated animals and staff. See Ellsworth American 3/25/26 [https://bit.ly/EA260325_LocalVetDisciplined]. You can read the details of these two cases -- AND THE 4 PREVIOUS ACTIONS -- on the State of Maine web page for his license [https://bit.ly/ToothakerMaineLicensePage]. This includes for my case the specific consent agreement that Dr. Toothaker chose to sign to avoid going to court (administrative hearing). You will also see there that he was still on probation for previous infractions when he treated Sophie. Beyond these state actions, Dr. Toothaker also paid $145,360 to resolve complaints by the DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency) about his mishandling of controlled substances in 2023 [https://bit.ly/DEA_ToothakerFine]. As a (human) doctor, after Sophie died, I requested from Dr. Toothaker's clinic, her complete medical record, and I was appalled. We had brought Sophie in because she had not been eating well, but the medical note said she was "eating and drinking well," the kind of text one has in a default note template that's supposed to be changed in the real note, but he didn't. The lab results had numerous red flags that Dr. Toothaker ignored. When I presented to another veterinarian (without giving away the subsequent events) the data that Dr. Toothaker had before him at Sophie's last visit, and asked whether going with "she's fine" seemed right, that vet said "I would not choose to ride for a few weeks on 'she's fine.' I think you would be better served to go see an internal medicine specialist." We would certainly have taken her to a specialist -- driven that night to Portland if needed -- in line with the extensive medical care we have gotten for her over her life. Unfortunately, Dr. Toothaker did not suggest taking her to a specialist, so we didn't do it, and now Sophie is dead, 3 days after her 9th birthday. She had a complicated medical history which Dr. Toothaker knew about but ignored. Equally worrisome in a different way, namely, his trustworthiness, after he received my complaint from the Board, he reported that he -- oops! -- had failed to include in the "complete medical record" that he had sent me, more complete medical ("SOAP") notes maintained "in a separate module" of his electronic medical record. This conveniently discovered note contains at least one statement that I know to be false, and many others that are highly implausible. My impression, though unproven, is that he fabricated these notes in response to my complaint. Dr. Toothaker still claims that he did not do anything wrong medically, but the veterinary board thinks he did, and so do I. I noted in my complaint that Dr. Toothaker is friendly and affable, but that does not make up for his being cavalier and irresponsible about the actual medical care of animals. Before letting Dr. Toothaker care for your pet, I highly recommend you read his disciplinary actions and look at the medical notes that he has previously written for your pet. Sophie died quietly on the floor of our vehicle. I didn't get to say goodbye to her.

My dog, Pico, and I are traveling in Maine from Wisconsin and Pico was in desperate need of having…read morehis anal glands squeezed (unfortunately while we are on vacation). We called Oceanside Animal Hospital and we were able to get in same day at 10:30AM. My first impression is the facility is very nice, clean, and organized and the landscaping on the outside is beautiful. Despite the staff shortage today, we were welcomed right away and seen right after we checked in. The process was smooth and the staff were friendly and knowledgeable! We are also having an issue where Pico has been on a hunger strike for a couple of days, and the staff recommended biome food for us to try. We are grateful to the staff at Oceanside and highly recommend them!

My dog and I received fantastic help and service. My dog needed a medication while we were…read morevacationing in Bar Harbor. I called two other local vets and they could not help me. When I called Oceanside, they were quick to respond, and in less than two hours my pup had her medication. I am very thankful for their kindness and efficiency. I wish more vets were like this.

This couldn't have been a worse experience. The whole exam and the shot lasted four minutes. How…read moreshe did a "comprehensive" exam in under five minutes, I won't pretend to understand. The vet completely disregarded my concerns and ignored everything that I was saying, and blamed it on behavioral issues and possibly food. She also made an obnoxious comment that people need to do more breed research before buying a dog and suggested that maybe my family needed a dog that much more fit our lifestyle. Complete waste of $100. I'll be taking my dog and any future pets I own elsewhere, and I would suggest you do the same.

Last week we were traveling from NC To Canada and stayed one night in Bar Harbor. We travel with…read moreour 16-year old Chihuahua. That morning in Bar Harbor when I took her out, everything was normal. She went outside and did her walk and came back in. She was inside about 10 minutes when she started yelping in pain. She couldn't walk. Her back leg seemed useless and looked splayed out. She wouldn't let us get near her. It was like she was having a fit. I could tell she was in a panic. After a few minutes she calmed down and seemed OK. She could walk again. But we wanted a vet to look at her as we'd never seen her act this way. We looked on Yelp and saw the great reviews others had given Ellsworth Family Veterinary Clinic so we called. They were exceptionally nice and said they could see her. So we packed up and drove there. Everyone we met (the receptionist, the tech, the vet), was professional and caring. Dr. Jones examined our Chihuahua and couldn't find any indication she been bitten or had stepped on a thorn of some sort. Her diagnosis was that our dog had had a episode of luxating patella, when is farily common in Chihuahuas. I'd never heard of this and the dog had never had this happen before. We'll be on the look out if it happens again. We feel fortunate that this happened in a place with a veterinary clinic as good as this one. I'm especially grateful they agreed to see us. I highly recommend Ellsworth Family Veterinary Ciinic.

I had the pleasure to meet both Dr Turcois and Dr Daggett recently, thankfully under non urgent…read morecircumstances, at an appointment and they were both phenomenal to say the least. MDI is so lucky to have such compassionate, thorough, intelligent, trustful experts to take care of our pets so thank you!! (I haven't met with the others on staff, though I'm sure they're just as great!)

Extremely helpful staff!! Had a pup emergency, they saw us that day, got us the help we needed. The…read moreteam from reception to tech to vet were well organized, efficient.... And extremely helpful!!! They coordinated care with our vet at home. Really great experience.

Dr. Teer is one of the best Veterinarians I have ever encountered with. She always goes way out of…read moreher way in helping her clients and will return calls after hours and weekends too. Some people have tried to discredit her because of their own personal short comings. I worked in the Veterinary Field for many years and know who is creditable or not.

Dr. Joan is a n extremely knowledgable vet. I've seen her work with many animals, and she always…read moreforms a connection with the pets I've brought her. Her clinic is small so if my pet needs something she doesn't have the equipment to provide, she will connect you with proper resources. She's also emphasizes educating the owners on exactly what the problem is, so I've never felt in the dark about what's happening. Rates are very comparable as well.

From the owner: Dr. Joan's Veterinary Hospital is a well-established and respected practice in Penobscot, Maine…read more The hospital has been in operation since 1986 and offers clients a wide range of services made possible through Dr. Joan's varied and extensive training. In addition to standard medicine and surgery, the hospital uses an integrative medical approach which includes Homeopathy, Natural Medicine, Reiki and other disciplines.

Jenn is an amazing Veterinarian who is very accommodating, anytime I have an emergency she is…read morealways available. She is easily reachable through phone, email, Facebook, etc. I have owned pets for as long as I can remember and I have used Jenn for many years. Jenn covers every single detail you'd ever want to know about your pet! I love the willingness she has to educate pet owners about the wellbeing of their animals, especially when it comes to things most people would never even think of. She ensures that all areas are checked and always goes above and beyond for pets and their owners. Jenn is very personable and its very clear the passion she has for animals and their wellbeing.