Unfortunately, I do NOT recommend this veterinarian. I would not post this review if I were not seriously concerned about Dr. Mags' temperament. Please read the one-star reviews of this clinic (Google, Yelp, and/or Facebook all reveal striking trends), and Dr. Mags' alarmingly belligerent responses, before you take your animal to Spring Glen. It would have saved me a lot of stress and money. On September 12, after my second visit to this clinic, Dr. Mags advised my partner and me that it was time to euthanize our cat. He indicated that a "very costly" ultrasound might provide closure but would be unlikely to alter the prognosis. As we were already deeply concerned about our cat's declining condition, we believed him. We scheduled the euthanasia. However, when our cat showed signs of improvement and we wavered over our decision, Dr. Mags did not respond to our calls. With the euthanasia date quickly approaching, we frantically sought a second opinion, who referred us to an internist at an animal hospital. When Dr. Mags finally did call us back, he seemed offended that we got a second opinion. He was unwilling or unable to elaborate on how he'd come to his conclusion, telling us that he decided it was time because "you told me she wasn't feeling well." When we asked about a potential surgery we'd read about, he said he couldn't say for sure that our cat wasn't a candidate. As of September 30, our cat is alive and well, thanks to the second vet who encouraged us not to give up and who had the humility and knowledge to call the right specialist. The internist performed a more contextually appropriate blood test that Dr. Mags had never ordered and an ultrasound that was barely more expensive than Dr. Mags' x-ray. Through a simple change in her medications, our cat is thriving. No surgery was necessary. I understand that Dr. Mags is a human who makes mistakes. I understand that veterinary medicine is stressful and complicated and sometimes inadequate. I can forgive the anguish he caused us and the hundreds of dollars we wasted in his clinic. What I cannot forgive is his callousness in the aftermath and, in general, the way he publicly excoriates clients who express reservations about his practice. On September 23, the office reached out to inquire about our cat's condition. I explained, as kindly as I could, the situation. He seemed to think a parting shot (perhaps hinting that my cat should be dead?) was necessary: --- My message: "Thank you for your concern. At the last minute, we took *** to ***. After an ultrasound and other tests, we now have her on Prednisolone and Cisapride, and the internist is encouraging cautious optimism about her prognosis. For now, at least, she is a completely new cat in terms of her mobility, eating habits, and general demeanor. We feel that it was not the right time to give up on her and are so grateful that, after an agonizing week, we trusted our own intuition. All the best to your practice, *** --- Spring Glen's response (16 minutes later): That is wonderful news! We are equally glad we trusted ours. --- Again, he believed that our cat should be euthanized. I asked for someone to elaborate on the intent behind this message, but I received no response. My only conclusion, therefore, is that Dr. Mags only cares about being "right" (even when he's not). His bitter response to negative reviews paints an alarming picture of someone who believes he can do no wrong. He seems to feel there's a grand conspiracy against him. Perhaps his intuition told him we're part of it. Dr. Mags, I have no agenda. I'm simply trying to do the best for my cat. I feel that you did not. I sincerely hope that my experience at your clinic is an aberration. I fear, however, that you will inevitably respond to this review with hostility and only confirm my suspicions about your character. (Edit: Instead of caring for patients, the clinic responded to my Google review within minutes but never substantively followed up as promised. So, why not, I posted my review to Facebook. Once again, the clinic responded within minutes. It's rather frustrating that it took days for them to respond to our calls when we needed reassurance about our end-of-life plans but it takes minutes for them to claim that a negative review is "disingenous" [sic] or a mean attack.) read more

Dr. Mags and the staff at Spring Glen Veterinary Clinic have been absolutely wonderful! I have been a long time client with this clinic and could not be happier with the new doctor. He takes a lot of time with each appointment and is always careful to answer all of my questions fully. He takes the time to explain everything in both medical and layman's terms and genuinely cares deeply about my babies. He takes the time to call and check in after my appointments whether he is giving me test results or not and these phone calls can sometimes be as long as 15 to 20 minutes which in my experience NEVER happens with a doctor. I have met Dr. Mags and Kayla several times now and the one star review does not sound like them AT ALL! Dr. Mags always takes the time at the beginning of an appointment to scratch my dogs and even GIVE KISSES! How many veterinarians do you know sit on the floor and give scratches and kisses before the appointment to calm an animal? I would imagine that sometimes animals that don't feel well might lash out from fear and discomfort. That is not a statement on the doctor or his skill. That's like saying that because your child cried at school and that has never happened before that the teacher must be bad. Also, calling someone a cry baby because they express how hard they are working is ridiculous. One of my children is finishing medical school now and he is working extremely hard and incurring hundreds of thousands in student loans. Veterinary school is almost as expensive and is supposed to be even harder then medical school. And I'm sorry but if he told you not to come back and threatened to call the police on you then chances are you had a serious part to play in that because no business owner does that simply because you called and asked to speak to someone and get your records. No sane person would do that for no reason so I don't buy it. Kayla is always smiling. She even sounds like she is smiling on the phone and for those of you who have been long time customers, a smiling, happy and nice receptionist is something that clinic has NEVER had. She always takes the time to pet my guys and even changes her behavior depending on which one she is petting because their personalities are so different. I actually look forward to calling or stopping in now because I know that I wont be made to feel badly because I had to make a request. Every change that has been made so far has been positive and in most cases, long overdue. To the person who wrote that the former owners retirement was handled unprofessionally, people retire and there is no way for people outside of the staff to know the circumstances. It's possible that a sudden retirement had nothing to do with the new owner and that clients not being told about it was the previous owners wishes. I don't know for sure but I would think that any new owner would expect the reaction that you had and they would probably have preferred sending out a letter. Maybe there is a reason that they didn't or couldn't and honestly, does that really warrant a one star review? i don't think not telling you that someone was retiring really earns them a single star and dragging down their rating when he sold the business to them almost a year ago. I mean you should have been expecting it. Best veterinary clinic around hands down and it's just a bonus that they are one of the cheapest too! read more

Hello everyone. Please allow me to begin by openly admitting that I am the veterinarian and owner of Spring Glen Veterinary Clinic. I recently received a one star review and I feel compelled to address it despite how unconventional doing so may be. My compulsion stems from how much I have sacrificed, how hard I have worked, and how hard I continue to work to be where I am. I trust that anyone who relates to my previous sentence will understand that it is simply impossible for me to remain silent when an anomalous opinion has been spoken so loudly. The truth is that the unhappy reviewer represents a sadly inescapable demographic for any professional, especially in a field as emotionally charged as veterinary medicine. I take pride and comfort however in the fact that throughout my career the demographic she represents is infinitesimal. The tone and diction of her review however is consistent with the archetype established by my few unhappy past clients. A hallmark of these clients is their misinterpretation of my tone and body language, as well as their disinterest in being involved in the decision making process regarding their pet. I recall the vet school exercise which required my class to break into groups to comment on our peers communication style. A classmate said that I "speak to everyone as if I've known them my entire life." This communication style has served me beautifully both professionally and personally. Barriers and inhibitions cease to be obstacles to understanding and progress. This is of paramount importance when your job involves explaining a subject as complex as medicine to clients with little to no medical knowledge within a 15-30 minute appointment. Unfortunately there will always be a few clients who mistake unpretentious for "unprofessional," and who dislike the number of diagnostic plans and treatment options I provide. My belief in their ability to understand their options combined with my respect for their autonomy as a (now) informed owner is misinterpreted as a "cavalier" attitude. Thankfully the overwhelmingly positive client feedback I have received throughout my career spares me from having to cater to this demographic. Finally, Elena D's use of quotations seem to imply that even my habit of shortening my last name is inappropriate and offensive to some. The reason behind the abbreviation is actually quite simple. My career has undoubtedly proven that almost every client is eager and capable of learning medical concepts and facts, but asking them to correctly pronounce Magliula is just plain cruel. read more

Would not even consider going anywhere else. Dr. Mags is by far the best veterinarian I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. He is an intense but a terrifically thorough doctor. He takes the time to explain everything as he goes through the exam and will keep finding different ways to explain something until it clicks. He is very intuitive and will often address questions before you even have to ask them as well as being hilarious. The preferred method of communication (outside of the appointment obviously) is email. It took a little time to adjust to that but after having it explained to me by the staff it makes sense. Since COVID every clinic is very overwhelmed trying to squeeze appointments in everyday. Dr. Mags sees appointments until 7pm Monday through Friday. Given that conversations with him take as long as they take for the pet parent to understand some phone calls take 30 minutes or more. The receptionist on most days is Mrs. Mags which is really wonderful because I know I can trust he will get my message and so far he always has. Even if I have to wait a couple days I always get an answer and a thorough one. It is obvious that this couple, Sara who has apparently been a tech with them for many years and her daughter Abby who I only just met recently not only care about my pets but about my family. I feel lucky to have them so close! I might be the only one but these other one star reviews seem a little unfair. a 4 year lapse in having pets at a clinic DOES make you a new client and since COVID a lot of hospitals had to stop taking new people. If you got yelled at by anyone there (which I highly doubt) you probably did something you're not being honest about. I have only ever received smiles and warmth because the one time I had an "issue" I called calmly and explained it and it was corrected immediately with a huge apology for something minor. Be reasonable and respectful if you have an issue and they will do everything possible to resolve it for you. Get nasty or make accusations/threats and you will be immediately fired as a client because they care more about the mental well being of their staff than they do about keeping a nasty person as a customer. read more

Can't say enough positive things about this clinic. Dr. Mags is one of kind. His level of dedication to his patients and his practice is staggering. My family has used Spring Glen Vet since before the Magliula's owned it as far as I can remember nothing inside that place every changed. It was run down honestly. Dr. Mags and his wife Kayla have put everything they can back into the place. In about 6 years they acquired and fully renovated the spot next door that used to be the Hair Loft and turned it into a treatment room and WAY bigger waiting room. They took the practice fully digital making simply requests for records or Rabies certificates WAY faster. While everyone was stuck at home during COVID they were running in and out of the building rain or shine to reduce contact and "slow the spread" and while we weren't allowed inside they used that time to fully renovate and even change the floor plan of the exam rooms to make a more comfortable experience for us. They have added a surgery and dental suite recently so we don't need to drop our pets off at another hospital for surgery anymore. I recently heard that they are able to perform ultrasounds and echocardiograms and will soon have x-ray as well. It is more than obvious how much they care about their patients and the pet parents of this community. Oh and that Halloween thing was pretty awesome and supposed to be even better next year. I hope they make it a regular event! read more

When I adopted 2 cats, mom and her son, from a friend she said they were healthy and did not need to go to a vet. After 5 years, I was getting concerns about their health. Three friends recommended Spring Glen Veterinary Clinic. All have cats and had great success with them. When I brought mama Sybil in she was so relaxed with Dr Weston who gave her such a thorough exam. She since passed. It happened so suddenly and the staff was there 24/7 to help at such a difficult time. Upon their recommendations I brought in her son Matisse. Dr Cohen took over and found that he had hyperthyroidism. He has been in treatment and his tests are normal now. Dr Mags takes care of Matisse now and helped him overcome dental infections and allergies. Dr Mags says he is a very good cat. The transition to the new staff was very impressive. They knew about my cat so much. The staff from Dr Cohen and Dr Weston did such a good job in briefing Dr Mags about my cat's history. read more

Dr. Mags and his crew are the best. If I could give them a trillion star rating, I would. He's honest, fair, reasonably priced and super knowledgeable. He's conservative in his treatment approach and will always say "in a perfect world where money is not an issue, I would recommend this or that" as far as testing goes. He gets it! If there is a human equivalent to a medicine that your pet needs, he will recommend it. Dr. Mags doesn't play on the vulnerability of the love we humans have for our pets. It's very apparent that Dr. Mags loves animals and does everything in his power to help them. He gets right down on their level (on the floor!) to figure out what the issue is if your pet is not feeling well and speaks to and treats your pet as if they were his own. If there is such a thing as past lives, Dr. Mags was definitely a dog! I highly recommend him. (Side note - I am from Hamden and not sure why Yelp put San Francisco.) read more

I've been bringing my dog to this clinic for years and have always had positive experiences with the staff, except for Dr. Magliula. From our first encounter, he came across as dismissive and inconsiderate. Despite that, I stayed due to the clinic's convenient location and the kindness of the rest of the staff. However, my recent visit was the final straw. During my dog's appointment for vaccinations, I expressed concerns about stomach issues, and Dr. Magliula's response was rude and unprofessional. After agreeing to X-rays, I encountered a payment issue due to conflicting information from an employee. While Abby apologized for the misunderstanding, Dr. Magliula confronted me aggressively, yelling and refusing to give the shots. His approach was completely inappropriate and uncalled for. While the rest of the staff is friendly and helpful, I will no longer bring my dog to Spring Glen due to Dr. Magliula's unprofessional behavior. read more

I have engaged the services of Spring Glen Veterinary for the better part of a year now, and in that time, I have had need of both routine checkups, and consultation about more worrying health concerns for my two four-legged sons. I have yet to find cause for a single complaint. I've gone to enough different vets now to say that their prices are entirely reasonable, and their staff has never been anything less than entirely warm, welcoming and professional. They put together a pretty sweet Halloween display too, and I didn't have to pay a dime for that! I'm honestly not sure what some of these negative reviews I'm seeing are about. But given that half of them seem to complain about nothing more than the place being too busy, a good sign frankly, and we're not privy to exactly what was said on either end in these supposedly hostile phone calls...I'd personally take them with a grain of salt. Thanks for reading! read more

Spring glen veterinary clinic saved my animals! The amount of compassion and dedication they have for their patients is renowned. It is obvious that Dr. Mags has a love for his profession and the animals he cares for. The staff was gentle and kind with my nervous cats and made them feel comfortable as well as safe. Dr. Mags explained every step of the examination and provided education to me about my cat's condition. Within a few minutes, his expert consultation resulted in vastly improved quality of life for my senior cat, who had been overlooked for the past ten years by previous vets. I am grateful for this practice and will continue seeking treatment here for my animals. Thank you Dr. Mags! read more

I absolutely love this veterinary office. I recently adopted a pup, and with that came a lot of anxieties about being a good dog mom, they took me in as a new patient the next day. Dr. Magliula took his time during our appointment answered all of my questions. It's an absolutely adorable office with a great staff. Even since social distancing has started they have been really helpful with getting prescriptions and making sure Kali (my pup) is healthy and happy. After just my first appointment my mother swapped vet offices to them, and she raves after each appointment! read more

People are crazy for thinking they aren't the best people on the planet of earth. The staff here are so phenomenal It's incredible. Dr.mags is so caring; he gets right down on the ground with the animals if he has to just to make sure their comfortable. The techs are very sweet and helpful, as is the girls up front who are fast, efficient, and really kind. Their a clinic and they get busy and for being such a small hospital they really do a lot for people. I've been coming here for years and i will continue to do so thanks to great service! read more

Spring Glen Vet is one of the best. Dr. Cohen is amazing. When I bring my animals (yes I said animals 2 dogs and 1 cat) he makes them feel so comfortable. My dog Spike who has past, was hard to deal with. He was alwasy nervous, well Dr. Cohen some how made that go away when we bring Spike in for his appointment. Now we have adopted a new little girl and I can't wait for Dr. Cohen to meet her. read more

I just moved to the area and took my Vizsla to Dr. Mags for a checkup and vaccines. He was extremely patient with her and she had the best experience she's ever had at the vet. He also gave me a couple of news ideas which no other vet (two others in two years) have mentioned. I am relieved to have someone so competent and caring to take care of Penny. read more

Absolutely outstanding care from Dr. Mags and the rest of the team. Without question fantastic care, expertise, and treatment for our puppy and his worried family. read more