I have been a client at Choice Veterinary for approximately two and a half years, and writing this…read morereview is honestly very saddening. I have invested a significant amount of time, money, and trust into this clinic -- but my recent experiences have left me extremely disappointed. To begin with, I do not live in the same city as this clinic. I drive over 40 minutes for appointments because I believed I was bringing my dogs somewhere reliable. With that kind of commute, punctuality and communication matter. Unfortunately, nearly every scheduled appointment has involved excessive wait times -- often 30 to 40 minutes or more -- with little to no updates from staff. When I've brought this concern to management, the issue might improve briefly, but it always returns to the same pattern. It shows a lack of consistency and respect for clients' time. As a breeder, veterinary evaluations are not casual visits for me -- they directly impact my program and future prospects. Most recently, I had OFA testing performed on one of my dogs. Anyone familiar with breeding understands that OFA results can make or break a potential prospect. During my appointment, I specifically asked about the X-rays and was told by two different technicians that the doctor said they looked good. Naturally, that gave me reassurance. However, when the official OFA results came back, my dog failed. That was shocking and extremely disappointing. When I called to speak directly with the vet, additional information was mentioned that had never been discussed with me at the time of the appointment. That lack of transparency is unacceptable, especially when dealing with something as serious and financially impactful as OFA testing. When I initially booked the appointment I was told I would have the opportunity to speak with the Dr who performed the Xrays (Dr. Shaw) Upon arrival that didn't happen. Instead, messages were being delivered through a middle man who mentioned that Dr. Shaw didn't see anything concerning and believed that the X-rays would result in a passing score (Lies). The vet offered to redo the X-rays. I arrived 8 minutes early for the follow-up appointment, only to wait 28 minutes after check-in with no updates. Ultimately, my dog was not even seen that day. After driving over 40 minutes, arranging my schedule, and showing up early, this was beyond frustrating -- it was disrespectful. So in total for these 3 trips that were made a spent over 4hrs in driving time. Out of funds that I would have never submitted if an honest assessment was given not to include all of the fees and charges that the vet charged. Another major issue has been the professionalism of the front desk and management staff. Hear me clearly when I say this: it is not just one employee. The dismissive, rude tone and lack of proper communication has been a consistent experience across multiple visits. Most recently, I entered the building, greeted the receptionist, and was completely ignored and dismissed. That was not the first time I have felt unwelcome or brushed off. I have spent thousands of dollars at this clinic over the years. I have referred fellow breeders and families I've placed puppies with because I initially believed in this practice. It is incredibly disheartening to now feel that loyalty and support have not been reciprocated with professionalism, accountability, or respect. For anyone who values customer service, reliability, transparency, attentiveness, and respectful communication -- especially breeders needing accurate OFA testing -- I cannot recommend this clinic based on my experience. I wouldn't recommend this vet to either breeders or pet families UPDATE: After posting this review, I was told I am no longer a client -- despite previously being told that leaving a review would not affect services. I had my dog retested elsewhere, and she passed OFA and PennHIP. Had I relied on their original results, it could have negatively impacted my program and cost me significantly.

as a follow up to my last review, my cat was doing well initially but 6 days since the teeth…read moreextractions, he has taken a turn for the worse and is no longer eating. Since choice had done the extractions which I paid for, I reluctantly decided I need to call them. While initially I was given an appointment 45 minutes latter, after I asked if the vet that would see my cat was the same man who had gotten very scary reviews here. I was then told to speak with the office manager who flat out told me that they would not treat my cat and would be sending me a letter to this effect. What a load of horse... How about humaine treatment of an animal

Terrible experience at Myakka River Animal Clinic in Venice with Dr. Dawn Spokowski. What started…read moreas a simple wellness visit turned into one of the most uncomfortable vet experiences I've ever had. During the first visit, she came off cold but recommended a follow-up for my dog's anal glands. At that follow-up, my dog was clearly in distress during the procedure, I even offered to hold him to help, but wasn't allowed, and the assistant holding him got scratched by my screaming squealing very uncomfortable dog. Then I was hit with a surprise $28 "difficult dog" fee that was NEVER mentioned before--even though his behavior was the same at the first visit. When I later asked for help getting my dog seen sooner for a surgery she said should be done ASAP, I was met with sarcasm--she literally compared my question to asking Publix to recommend another store ... like where is the compassion?? It only got worse. When I called to cancel my dog's upcoming surgery, she responded "we figured that." When I asked what that meant, she refused. I told her she is rude and she told me "that's usually what people say can't handle the truth." I said "maam what truth couldn't I handle??" She gave no answer ‍. Final straw--when I said I'd leave a review, she made sure to mention she had photos of her employee's scratched arm, which felt more like intimidation than professionalism. Dr Dawn Spakowsi is rude, dismissive, and lacks basic care her own staff if you ask me. Like why isn't your staff wearing a shirt with sleeves? 0/100 do not recommend Below are Facebook comments from others with similar experiences. SMH so sad.

Dr Dawn is an amazing doctor for my dog. We have had 5 other dachshunds over the years and have…read morealways used her. She seems to love her work healing animals!

Found a new vet since we moved to Florida. We love this place. The staff was fantastic including…read moreKeila, Patty, Stephanie, and we loved Dr Simoneaux. We will definitely be taking are pets to New Hope from here on out.

We just moved here from Los Angeles about 6 months ago. Our dog cooper ate something that got stuck…read morein his stomach and needed an emergency exploratory surgery. Now let me say this.. we have travelled and lived all over this beautiful country of ours and I am telling you this vet emergency clinic is not just the best in Florida but the best in the country!! We cannot thank the wonderful angels that work here enough! They provide round the clock 24/7 dedicated love and attention to every animal brought here. Now I want to personally thank: Dr.Febbo, Dr.Angie, Meghan, Bernadette, Sarah at front desk.. you all are doing gods work and I thank you for your tireless efforts in helping and saving the animals in this community. Our animals are our family and when you come across people like this you need to be grateful and appreciative of having such a strong 24/7 team in charge of caring for ur loved ones. Thank you!!!!

Unfortunately I have to go here many times! Just 3 days ago,…read moremy little dog got bit by a Pygmy Rattlesnake! They are always so polite and work as hard as they can to help every animal that comes in. Service is based on severity of an animals condition, same as a human hospital. Some people get so mad because they have to wait, sometimes for hours. But take a minute to think about it. If you have a pet that was hit by a car and needed immediate medical attention, would YOU want to wait until it was your turn! While watching them help another animal that maybe had a broken leg. I GET IT, as an avid pet owner who loves her dogs, no one wants them to be in pain! I have gone there with a life emergency and was seen right away with surgery required. Other times I have had to wait for hours. I am good with it either way! Folks complain about the cost, yep, it's expensive but again, how much does it cost to go to the emergency room for humans? Plus, most of the people that work here also work at regular vet locations. Do I recommend them? You bet I do!!

I had (have he is healthy now) kitten that I recently adopted from a local shelter. He developed…read morewhat seemed to be a pretty bad cold. After too much time not eating the wife and I decided that he needed to be seen. We are somewhat new to the area and had yet to establish with a new clinic. It was a Saturday and the office was pretty busy but they were able to get him in and was seen in about an hour. The staff were very polite and the vet very professional. Thankfully he was not too sick.

We had a VERY bad experience at this clinic. I'm a nurse and feel we received substandard care. Dr…read more Hall and his staff were very kind on the surface but there were many things about the clinic and care that concerned me. Let me start by saying it was difficult to even find the place. It was pretty dead with not much activity in the clinic, the place smelled like animal urine upon entering, the outside of the building was looking pretty rough and unkempt. Even the parking lot looked tired. All those things I can set aside except for the fact that my dog suffered needlessly. He broke his leg while we were on vacation for Christmas and therefore needed surgery to repair it. All they needed to do is check the incision and re-wrap it in a splint provided by the previous clinic and just ensure it was healing properly. He developed wounds and swelling due to it being improperly wrapped and inadequate padding and protection to his skin. ( He had several wraps and each one was not done properly).We had to take him to the ER on 2 occasions due to the pain the wraps were causing,even had to drive to Sarasota as no one locally could see him. When they unwrapped the most recent wrap he had wounds that appeared to have been there for a while and there was evidence of friction and rubbing over the surgical incision that should have been healed weeks ago. The ER vet had to treat the wounds and dress them and apply a brand new splint. We had to see a new surgeon the next day and got a second opinion and transfer his care to the new surgeon as we did not want to follow up with this clinic, even for his teeth that need some work. We just can't trust them. We asked every visit how his skin and incision looked and they always said he looked good, no problems. That's why I was floored when I saw how bad the wounds were on his arm which could be worse than even the initial fracture and he could risk losing his arm!! He was uncomfortable and in pain quite a bit of the time. Do not go to this clinic!!The reviews are mostly from 5 years ago and do not reflect what it's like now. I hate having to write this review but people need to know. Not sure what type of surgeries Dr. Hall is performing but it seems like the emphasis is on advanced dentistry. My dog's follow up post op should have been fairly straightforward but that's not what we got. I'd post a picture of my dog's leg but not sure people want to see it.

Have taken my dogs here for years, since i move to Florida over 23 years ago. Loved them then and…read morelove them now. They make our animals feel like they live there. My Loki gets so excited to go to the vet and he HATES car rides. :)

Great staff--always professional and friendly! We have been with this clinic for over 40 years, and…read moreour pets have always been treated very well!

While visiting and living in Florida, I took my cats here for nearly 10 years. The staff is…read moreamazing and always SO helpful and attentive. Dr Simoneaux ~ An excellent vet. Great overall care and treatment of my furry babies. Thank you!

Dr. Simoneaux has been my vet for 18 years. I have a handful of cats and he has taken very good…read morecare of all of them. His staff is very personable and knowledgeable. He has senior discount which I need with my group of kitties. I wouldn't take them anywhere else.

I love this place great for pets and pet owners! Great…read morestaff! Dr. Kingsberry is a very good Dr. We have taken our pup here since he was 7 weeks old and received wonderful care and great advice! Happy friendly for all

Our Cockapoo Sadie has been cared for by Dr. KIngsbury since she was 10 weeks old. Over these 8…read moreyears, we have absolute trust in her gentle, compassionate and highly skilled veterinary care & treatment. Sadie's tail always wags when she sees Dr. KIngsbury which makes my heart feel good. Her entire staff & facility are excellent. Every animal that comes through their doors is made to feel special and their top priority. Sadie would give 5 paw prints. I'll give 5+ stars. We all love Dr. KIngsbury!