When my old vet died a year or so ago I decided to take my older dog to Eldersburg Vet. Big…read moremistake! When you first walk in the place you see the receptionist and sit in the waiting room. Then after waiting 30 minutes they take you back to your dog room. Then you wait another 30 minutes then the Vet comes in talks to you for 3 or 4 minutes then the doctor takes your dog out of the room your in to the back where the kennels are so you can't see your dog getting the shots or treatment they need while you are in front of them. Not transparent whatsoever. Then they gave me a bill for over $500.00 mostly for tests. I recently had a problem with my dog having an ear infection and they told me it could cost as much as $550.00 just for testing. I said no! I can't afford there REALLY HIGH PRICES especially for a vet who is definitely not transparent! I decided to go somewhere else.

It has taken me nearly three months to be able to share this story, because it is still so…read moreemotional and painful to put into words. But I need to, because what happened to our beloved Dory in her final moments should never happen to another family. We recently had to make the heartbreaking decision to say goodbye to our sweet girl. What should have been a peaceful and compassionate experience turned into a nightmare that my family will never forget. Due to Dory's rapid decline, we feared that us selfishly waiting, things would end in an emergency with Dory suffering. Something no pet parent wants. The day before Dory's appointment, we toured the clinic and were walked through how the process would go. We had recently moved so had researched local vets that offer the service. We were told that the first sedative would be our time to say goodbye to her - when she was calm and still herself. That's not what happened. Immediately after the first sedative was given, Raphael took Dory from us and said he would be "right back" after inserting the catheter into her leg. That "right back" turned into 20 minutes. No one updated us during the wait until my dad went searching, only to be told they were "having trouble finding a vein." By the time Dory was finally returned to us, she was screaming in obvious pain, with both front legs bandaged. Raphael returned Dory, placed her on the table, said "take all the time you need," and left without a word of explanation, and expressed no concern. So now we are in a room with Dory, she's crying out in pain, and we became desperate for help. The sedative had clearly worn off, and Dory was now suffering. My dad once again had to leave the room to find help. The vet entered the room with a needle and administered something into Dory. My dad asked if it was another sedative and was told it was for the pain. The vet then exited the room. My dad picked Dory up, and she went limp in his arms - lifeless in appearance. That is the image we are now left with, along with the sounds of her screams. The flashbacks are gut-wrenching, and they will stay with us forever. Here is what hurts the most: had the vet simply communicated to us that we could have waited for Dory to come out of that lifeless state before having the vet give Dory the final medication, we absolutely would have waited until she was herself again so that we could say goodbye - but honestly, once she came out of that lifeless state, we likely would have gotten her the heck out of this place. That option was taken away from us by silence during all of the chaos, and that is unforgivable. To make matters worse, the follow-up meeting with the clinic manager, Amy, only added more pain. Instead of kindness, there was coldness, defensiveness, and dismissiveness. She admitted both in emails and then again in person to major communication failures but showed no empathy or accountability. She said we could have waited for Dory to recover from her lifeless state to say goodbye which was the first time hearing that. From the way she carried herself, to the setup of the room with only two chairs so that she could stand over us, it was clear that our feelings and Dory did not matter. She had the nerve to say that "maybe Dory's screams were because she did not know us" and she immediately retracted the statement after we responded with disgust. She also had nothing prepared for the meeting that she agreed to. She told us she would do a full review of Dory's appointment, and would go over the notes with us during the meeting. She had no notes with her and acted as if we were inconveniencing her by even being there. I do want to take a moment to recognize the one bright spot. A red-haired staff member (I wish we knew her name) was the only person who showed warmth and tried to bring comfort to us. That kindness meant something, and I hope she is valued by the clinic. For anyone facing this difficult decision, please consider an at-home euthanasia service. Every pet deserves comfort, dignity, and peace in their final moments.

I'm writing this review to help warn others to be very careful when trusting a veterinarian,…read moreespecially at this place. I brought my 3 year old cat Gracie in for her 1 year rabies vaccination and wellness check. Gracie had asthma which was well under control with medication and she was very healthy as the vets report card showed after the appointment. The vet who saw Gracie was Sharon Stemley who had never dealt with Gracie before but she suggested that Gracie get the feline distemper vaccine as well, which I was hesitant about because of her compromised immune system from the asthma, even though it was under control. The vet reassured me that it would be ok to give her both at the same time but Gracie became very ill just a few days later. I rushed her back to the vet and Dr. Cris tried to save her, which I really did appreciate, even though my husband and I were getting irritated that he kept trying to find every other possible excuse as to why Gracie was in such critical condition, when she was perfectly healthy before the vaccines. I knew in my gut it was from the vaccines being given to her at the same time and not separated by a few weeks like a vet tech and other veterinarian I have spoken to for a second opinion both agreed was not safe to do in Gracie's case. It overwhelmed her immune system and more than likely resulted in her death. Sykesville Veterinary Clinic refused to take accountability and compensate me for thier vets mistake. I spent the last $450 in my savings trying to save her and when I notified them Gracie had passed they gave me their condolences which I do appreciate but I couldn't even cremate her privately to keep her ashes because I had no money left to do so. I have MS and I'm disabled so money is always tight because my husband is the only one working. All they offered me was a communal cremation ($90) and they would spread her ashes in some grove somewhere. Yeah there's no way I would ever agree to that, Gracie was the light of my life, my baby. I was absolutely heartbroken and felt so disrespected and taken advantage of. It seems they care more about money than you and your precious pet. Luckily I was able to privately cremate Gracie today and keep her ashes, thanks to some of my amazing family and friends who came together to help us be able to afford it. Please be weary of getting your pets vaccinated, especially when they are already immune compromised. I hope this will help save someone else's pet from the same fate. I will never be returning to this place and absolutely refuse to bring my other cat here.

I took my 7 lb ShihTzu to Dr Colwell two days ago after having an amazing experience with her a few…read moreyears ago when she euthanized my dog. I drove an hour to get just to her then. Now I have moved close to her and was expecting the same kindness and friendliness I remembered. I don't know who the woman was occupying Dr. Colwell's body. No introduction. Never spoke my dog's name as she attended to this shaking ball of fur. The tech who was holding her in a grip (parents aren't allowed to hold their kids) never petted, nor comforted nor spoke Gabby's name either. I asked a question about Gabby's nose and Dr. dismissed me and said we're dealing with her stomach. What? So I should pay for another appointment so I can ask a nose question? Another Tech came back with an estimate almost $550. RU kidding me? Whittled it down to $400 as they dickered with me about what Gabby needed. Wanted to give her unnecessary heart worm test, among other things, and didn't want to accept that she is on heartworm meds year round. When I attempted to tell the Dr. about how much i appreciated what she had done for me those years ago, she cut me off MID-WORD and left the room. Everything was cold, cold, cold. Do you see this little dog here? Her name is GABBY. I have had many dogs all my adult life. I have seen vets in three different states...some good, some not so good. I have never experienced the coldness, rudeness, and downright disrespect displayed by this woman. I should have taken my little one and WALKED OUT. Instead I'm out $400! for one of the worst experiences I have endured at a veterinary office. There is a part of me that wants to report her to the Board, that's how bad it was. But I understand I am just a lone voice. Her reviews are good. I never post reviews. But in this case, I was compelled.

Incredibly Unprofessional & Rude Front Desk Staff…read more Called trying to see if they had availability today, For some reason today in particular all the vets in the area are closed. I called once, got hung up on. Called back again only for a very abrasive lady to answer the phone very nasty who barked "CAN YOU HOLD?" I asked, do you have any availability today? To which she promptly barked back CAN YOU HOLD! So I proceeded to wait for 5 minutes on the phone, Only to be hung up on when I asked the same question again, she insisted on not answering it and very angrily repeating herself. I have never had this much of a terrible experience trying to call a vet hospital, let alone any business for very simple details that could've been avoided with a simple "Yes or No" but was instead met with extreme Unprofessionalism. If they treat new patients this terribly I can't imagine how awful they would treat animals. I'd call or go somewhere else before you are belittled & waste your time here. It's a shame that this woman represents this business. This is the first negative review I've ever left on google. Note: called back to report this to let the business owner know this is how their business is represented. The girl i spoke with first was absolutely polite but im pretty fairly certain whoever I was transferred to was in fact the same person i had dealt with prior/the head doctor there. I'd suggest Eldersburg or Sykesville Vet before taking your business here.

they have been taking care of our animals, we've been with them for a long time and trust them…read more Great customer service and friendly people

Very caring veterinarian. Dr. Oltman took extra time and precautions to ensure our anxious dog was…read morecomfortable. Highly recommend!!

They have been our vet for more than 16 years. Kind, great with our dogs and affordable.read more

Every time I come to this vet- I leave feeling supported and relieved…read more I've had to bring a cat in to have her tooth removed and I brought Brak in for an ear infection. They explain prices upfront (they can't over the phone but will email an estimate) They are kind and super smart and loving. They spend time explaining options and I can tell they love what they do!

I just had to make the horrible decision to put my sweet, old Jasmine to sleep after trying the…read moresuggested treatments. The staff was wonderfully supportive from the moment I walked in the door. It is such a difficult decision and time, but the staff supported me all the way. From whisking me and Jasmine into a private room, to the thoughtful treat cart and cat bed they made a truly difficult time slightly easier to bear. Thank you.

My buddy Scout had an unfortunate spill off the sofa, which left him limping. The following…read moremorning, I called around to several clinics for emergency care. Lakeview was the only one able to accommodate us with a morning appointment. Very calming environment with friendly staff made for a great experience for Scout. It turned out to be a simple sprain that was treated with a pain reliever, so it was a relatively inexpensive visit. Five star experience.

Overcharge as compared to other animal clinics nearby. Expertise and experience are on average.read more

19 December 2025…read more This practice is one of the best we have experienced since living in this area for 48 years. Our 15 year old greyhound, NFL Steph, who was our beautiful, black beauty for 11+ years, becoming, over time, unable to jump into our vehicle for walks or for medical treatment, or to allow us to assist her in doing so. We were very fortunate to learn that the Animal Medical Hospital at Glenwood offered home visits by such knowledgable and compassionate doctors such as Dr. Amy Wysocki, Dr. Erika Watkins and most recently, Dr. Adrianna Sniezek. Dr. Adrianna and Emily came to our home this past Tuesday to help our beloved, rescue racer, Steph, transition to that doggy playground in the sky, who has been suffering with legs that no longer supported her or kept her from falling over; great difficulty in even trying to settle down on her many pillows; and an inability to maintain her weight, as she wasted away into black skin covered ribs, protruding hip bones and an alligator spine. She had become completely incontinent, even though my wife took her out day and night ever 3 hours to relieve herself. The compassionate service that Dr. Adrianna and Emily offered was so comforting to Steph and to us, as they talked us through the procedures that they were going to administer: the medication to make her relax, relieve any pain and finally to pass away. It felt, to my wife and i, as if we were witnessing a human hospice passing. So professional and respectful and comforting to our beloved 4-legged baby, and to my wife and i, as Steph passed peacefully away in the familiar and confomforting surroundings of our home. We could not have asked for better medical treatment, even from a medical practitioner for humans.

All the reviews I have read with only a few exceptions are about the old owners. I got a low cost…read morespay voucher ($185) from the county. This is the only vet that takes them. Everyone was nice etc but they added on $54 because they said she was in heat, she wasn't, that she had bubbles in the uterus etc so it cost more. I stopped taking our cats there because on a prior visit when we got our boy neutered and then I had to call and ask a question they referred to him as she. When I corrected her she argues with me and said his chart said he was female. I pointed out that he was neutered and she hung up. I should have just paid the extra money and taken her to be spayed at my regular vet and I ended up paying almost the same thing.

Overpriced, for average service. I recently learned they charge 3 times what other vets in the area…read morecharge, and unlike in the past (when a smaller operation), the service isn't even as good. It's just costlier. They literally charge for the smallest of "conveniences", ones that should be part of good care (and don't tell you up front- you just get charged). I was suspicious but since I'd taken my pets there for MANY years (across owners) I was just continuing for convenience. My fault for being "lazy"- but take heed from my experience and shop around for care! The quality doesn't justify the overcharge...

Not very good. My dog traumatized after her expensive teeth cleaning and had to take her to ER…read more Never take your dog to Hickory Ridge Animal Hospital.