The good: Dr. Abernathy is an exceptional veterinarian who genuinely cares about our animals. I trust him completely, and that is the reason I have stayed with this clinic for years. The concern: the front desk experience is inconsistent. When you get someone helpful, the process is smooth. When you don't, it becomes frustrating enough to reconsider coming back. Update - April 28, 2026 My puppy has been limping and holding her paw up while walking, so I called the day prior and spoke with Matthew, who was professional and helpful. He advised me to call at 7:30 a.m. to arrange a drop-off for evaluation. I followed those instructions exactly. I arrived at 7:30 a.m., called, left a message, waited for them to open, and called again. After waiting, I went inside to follow up and was told that if I came in before receiving a callback, I would be charged an additional fee and needed to go back outside and call again. I complied and called again, but after additional waiting, I called once more because I needed to leave for work. At that point, Bernice told me she had until 9:00 a.m. to call me back, in a dismissive and hostile tone. For context, I have been a long-term client with five pets currently under care, along with multiple pets prior to them. I ultimately had to leave. Shortly after getting into Albuquerque, I received a callback asking if I could return by 9:30. That was not feasible given the earlier delays and lack of accommodation. I want to acknowledge and thank Dr. Abernathy for the consistent care he has provided over the years, and Matthew for his professionalism. However, ongoing issues with front desk staff--specifically Bernice and Lexi--have made the overall experience difficult enough that I will be seeking care elsewhere. It is unfortunate to leave a provider I trust due to customer service concerns, but the inconsistency at the front desk has reached a point where it outweighs the quality of care. read more

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Adam and I LOVE Dr. Abernathy, Elijah, and the entire front off, they are professional, SMART and resolved every problem Adam had. GREAT people. read more

Dr Abernathy and staff are amazing. Our precious girl Bella crossed the rainbow bridge. She likely had a brain tumor. Her symptoms came on suddenly. She was gone within a matter of weeks. Dr Abernathy did his best for her. It was her time to go. We are very grateful to him and his staff. We wouldn't want to go anywhere else. read more

Sunrise Veterinary Clinic - Bella Walker - Veterinarians Near Me - Rio Rancho, New Mexico

I wish a ZERO star rating was available! Horrible practices, customer service, and record keeping. Simply has become a clinic that just does not care! I have been a patient of this clinic for many years and they have cared for 3 of my dogs. Today I was told that they would not help me with an emergency due to me not being seen in the clinic within the last 3 years despite the fact that they saw my dog a year ago and gave her shots. They said they could not locate any records which is complete crap as I was looking at the receipt and giving detail off the receipt to them. After many years and many dogs I will never recommend this clinic to anyone nor will I ever go back. Dr. Abernathy should evaluate his staff and his clinic they are less than sub par. read more

Dr Abernathy has been taking care of all my dogs since the early 90's. And he is the best.

I've taken two beloved pets to this clinic from the time they were puppies through the end of their lives a timeframe that spanned about 30 years. We saw other vets and have been to other places but only when we couldn't get seen in an emergency. Dr. Abernathy is by far the most caring and knowledgeable vet I have ever met. He is no nonsense but has amazing empathy. Twice he has had to help us with an impossible decision to put our boys down and he could not have been better. We couldn't have asked for more. He is worth the wait and always contacted us when we needed him the most. read more

Dr Abernathy and the staff have been excellent. Sometimes the wait is long, due to currently only one vet on staff. I just had to put my Nelson down from chronic kidney disease, Dr Abernathy was very caring and did what he could. If I call with an emergency the staff is always very helpful and answer all my questions. read more

He's worth the wait. Dr Abernathy is an animal whisperer. If the world had more of him, it'd be waaaay better. I've been going to Sunrise since our family pet back in the 90s. I also had the honor of working there for a chunk of my teen years. He is an amazing human doing amazing things in this town. read more

Personally, I haven't gone to Sunrise Veterinary Clinic often. In fact, this latest version was only my second trip there. The first visit was when we had to put down the best dog I've ever had, Molly. So, emotionally, I have negative connotations associated with Sunrise Veterinary Clinic. However, I'd rather give an objective review, rather than reflect on an incredibly sad occasion in the past. The recent visit to Sunrise Veterinary Clinic was a good one. We have a new puppy, so we're in the process of getting the new puppy caught up on her shots. We went there on Monday, October 26, when the snow started coming down. They have adjusted to the reality of veterinary practice during this time of COVID, well. They took my wife's phone number, then she came out in the car where we waited until they were ready for us. We got our new puppy and were visited by Dr. Abernathy. I was impressed with Dr. Abernathy. He spent time discussing the next steps we had to follow, some tips concerning our puppy and so on. I consider that to be excellent customer service. Bottom line, if you're in the Rio Rancho area, and you own a pet, I recommend you consider Sunrise Veterinary Clinic for your veterinary needs. read more

Sunrise Veterinary Clinic - Veterinarians Near Me - Rio Rancho, New Mexico

can not send emails can not setup accounts for my dogs??? no separate pictures on my account of my babies. i like the old website better. the staff ignore you and help you when they feel like it. they answer their phones, you have to leave a message and they may call back, not always. i love the doctors, but their is always rude and could care less while you are standing there looking stupid. they definitely need to be more careful on who they hire. i think mainly there too young and not respectible!!! no work ethics!!! read more

Sunrise Veterinary Clinic - Veterinarians Near Me - Rio Rancho, New Mexico

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I took my dog to sunrise I will never take my dog back there he had surgery and it ended up getting infected and they didn't even notice . they have not even called to check on him so if you need a vet don't go there read more

First thing you must know is you will have to wait to be seen at this Clinic. The wait is worth the care your beloved animal will receive. This clinic is extremely busy because the veterinarian care provided is outstanding. When my little Biewer Yorkshire Terrier started having seizures Dr Abernathy took time to help me understand there was no way to determine what was causing them, he takes the time he needs to help owners understand options for care. I have also have had to experience the unfortunate event of having my beloved Lilac Siamese cat that I rescued put to sleep due to feline herpes. The compassion and care the staff and Dr Abernathy gave our family exceeded what I would have expected from a group of people who deal with having to put down animals every day. They display as much concern for her as we had for her. The staff and vets at this clinic work long hours to provide exceptional care for the animals they care for daily. I am grateful to be one of their clients. If you are lucky enough to be accepted and have your furry family cared for here, give this team patience and understanding when they put you on hold or ask you to wait, you will get the same exceptional care by these wonderful humans. read more

Sunrise Veterinary Clinic - Miss Sierra the kitten, Zeus the mighty and Miss Stella the lovely - Veterinarians Near Me - Rio Rancho, New Mexico

Dr. Abernathy and staff are phenomenal. Seymour has undergone multiple surgeries at Sunrise, and we are very grateful to Dr. Abernathy and staff for their care. Thank you! read more

Friendly staff. The waiting area is big and the seating is nice and has high backs so you and your dog cannot see over them. Social distancing and masks are enforced. read more

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I recently made a decision to euthanize my ailing 16 year old dog. This clinic uses a one shot method, wish I had known before I made my appointment. read more

Dr Abernathy is the best! Yes, it is a very busy office and you may have to wait a little while in the waiting room. Trust me, It will be worth it. Dr Abernathy's knowledge and expertise has saved us both time and money . Time - because he gets it right on the first visit. Money -because he doesn't keep you coming back for unnecessary appointments also his charges are very reasonable. read more

A wonderful and caring place to take your furry family members! In today's senior dog visit, Dr. McCall took the time to thoroughly examine Ginger and explain health issues older dogs face. She was so patient and gentle with her, which Ginger really liked. Thank you so much! read more

Dr Abernathy is a Godsend. What we thought was allergies from previous Vet diagnosis and lots of money spent on office visits turned out to be a yeast infection. My dog Milo is a happy camper and so is my wife and I. Visit Sunrise for your pet needs! read more

Great animal care. Dr. Abernathy is so kind and caring. Only 4 stars because sometimes difficult to get through on the phone.

If I could give no stars I would. Staff is rude unprofessional and l ack total knowledge. I was told d to pick up my pet no later than 5 pm. It's now 730 pm. There were no emergencies that try are just slow and don't care. They won't allow me to see my pet. They overcharge and their prices are outrageous. Don't bother calling They either don't answer or put you on hold while they do personal things. Th I d place is horrible. Think twice before you bring your pet here read more

Sunrise is so great especially during this pandemic. They have a really easy system that they have worked out so you don't have to be around a lot of people, if that makes you feel uncomfortable. They are doing everything they can to get the job and your concerns taken care of. Thank you Sunrise I am grateful for your business. read more

Worst veterinarian facility ever! The actual veterinarians are okay, however, the staff is lazy, rude, have no idea how to even do their jobs, they are unhelpful, condescending, have zero concern for your pets and down right mean. read more

This place is awful. You can't talk to someone you have to leave a message and when they do call you back they are very rude. After doing research its clear that the vet is very good but the staff is terrible. What a shame. read more

Completely disrespectful front office staff and when confronted Dr Abanathy does not care how his staff treats his clients. Dr Abanathy is apparently duped by his staffs one sided stories slanted in their favor. One has to wonder if he can be this unobservant with his staffs behavior just how observant is he with an animal that can not speak about its condition. save yourself the frustration and find another veterinarian. read more

Sunrise has been our families choice for a vet, since I was a child. All pets from childhood through adulthood have come to Sunrise. We currently have 3 dogs being seen here. We have an epileptic, 8 yr. old mastiff mix receiving medication, a healthy and rambunctious 4 yr old Australian shepherd girl, and a 14 week Australian shepherd puppy boy with pulmonic stenosis. All 3 doctors have seen and treated our pets. We Love each of them and respect the level of detail and time they take for examinations and treatment. We Highly recommend these amazing doctors and their staff are so kind, personable and customer service here is fantastic. Thank too Sunrise!!! read more

I have 6 dogs and all are rescues. the care that my babies have received there was great. HOWEVER getting through on phone calls is ridiculous. A 45 minute on hold ......something is wrong. I guess I'm stupid for holding that long but when my babies depend on me what do I do? I guess there's no such thing as customer service anymore. It annoys the heck out of me when I walk in and see the front staff socializing when there are people waiting for help. I'm not saying that they are all bad but where's the office manager? do they not take control?? I can't recommend going here anymore as I have in the past it's too bad but it's just ridiculous..... read more

Based on recommendations, my wife took our dog to Sunrise Veterinarian Clinic today. She came home crying after how she was treated by the vet. Berating her for not having the dog's information from his previous vet and made to feel like she isn't taking care of our precious family member. I assure you she gets up every morning and gives him his insulin and takes him out in the middle of the night and follows everything his previous vet in Los Alamos has told us to do. We will never, ever return to Sunrise. Nobody should come home crying from taking their pet in for care. read more

We love this place Dr.Abernathy is wonderful as all the people there. Pricing is good better than other vets. My sister had a huge Golden and they took him to another vet on the Eastside and wanted to charge them an arm and leg, so I suggested Dr. Abernathy and he charged alot less I'm talking hundreds of dollars less. read more

Dr. Albernathy is an amazing doctor and a very honest man. He's been taking care of my Girl Lua for almost 12 years. He's compassionate and has high integrity. Yes, the front desk could run a bit more efficiently and better communicate with the clients, but I chose to ignore this negative aspect and stick with all the positive. When I take my Lua to Sunrise Clinic I KNOW she's in good hands, and honestly, their prices are very reasonable in comparison to other vets. Call around to other clinics and see if ANYONE in town has a cheaper dental cleaning than Dr Albernathy, and if you find it, please let me know. read more

Sunrise Veterinary Clinic - My Girl! - Veterinarians Near Me - Rio Rancho, New Mexico

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Our 13 year old Lab is on his last leg. He has made it clear that he is ready. For those of you who've had to deal with this unfortunate situation, you know what I'm talking about. I had to do some calling around to see who had availability for euthanasia services sooner rather than later. Sunrise was the third or fourth place I called. The places before them were very compassionate. Even though they weren't able to accommodate us they came across as caring and offered other phone numbers as they sent us on our way to the next. Sunrise, on the other hand, had a person that answered the phone and showed zero compassion or customer service at all. When I told her the reason for my call and asking about availability her response was "Dr. Abernathy is very busy. Are you a client?" When I replied that I wasn't but they were one of the closest (the trip alone to our usual vet would've probably given our guy a heart attack) she didn't say anything. Literal silence. So I asked if that was going to be a problem. She just repeated how busy the doctor was and sounded to be more and more annoyed. I took that as a sign that I probably didn't wanna do business with them. I moved on to my next number and will be reviewing that business next. Sometimes the first contact you have is via the phone. Even if it's not sincere, it usually helps if the customer/client feels as if they are heard and acknowledged. read more

ZERO STARS if I could. 2 dogs of mine died while in their care. No sympathy or care. HORRIBLE call service when trying to refill a prescription or get ahold of anyone. Very rude people working front desks!! read more

This vet office is great they are not here to rip you off and charge you an arm and a leg very fair price they friendly customer service and a full-service bet they can do any and everything from surgeries to General shots read more

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Not only will you love this clinic, your pets will as well! I have had no problems here, and we have a great doctor. Dr. Powers is very passionate about her profession and takes great care of her patients, and I'm sure all the doctors here do. During all of my visits even the people in the waiting room are great, and it's fun to see all the different pets. Except after my first appointment around 3:00pm-4:00pm on March 20th, in the outpatient side there was this younger lady checking us out and that was so most unpleasant experience I have ever had at this location. She was very rude, and just rushed us out like she didn't even want to assist us. A fine institution like this does not need this negativity around, and I will refuse to work with her if I see her again. This time we were assisted by I believe his name is Chris but he is fantastic and truly an asset to this establishment! He has outstanding customer service and look forward to working with him again. This clinic is great overall and very reasonably priced! I would highly recommend this place to anyone. read more

This clinic was one on the list from the shelter that gives a free wellness exam for a shelter dog. The receptionist told me that the list is wrong and they do not to that. I find them a little short-sighted to reject a potential new client with a dog that may need more care down the line and the potential of more pets that they may acquire. It's just too bad. I'll let the shelter know to take this vet off their list. read more

No stars if I could. I cannot call and schedule an appointment without having to leave a message and wait. And when you go in you have to wait to wait. I called to get a price and the person that called me back said I was flagged. No work can me done on my pets since a bill went to collections. I since paid and now they have no record. That's ok. I will go to Northwest animal clinic. They actually answer the phone and talk to you. None of this screening for non emergency bullshit. The sun has set over at sunrise. read more

I take my pet here and the staff in front are awful, rude, make you feel stupid for asking questions, if they answer the phone they are so rude. Thankfully the vets themselves are great at what they do and are super nice. Hate having to interact with people at the front desk though read more

I have been going to Dr Abernathy for about 15 years and he is the absolute best. The care my dogs get is the best. He loves animals and truly cares about his patients and not just the money. His fees are very reasonable. If you have ever sat in his waiting room then you have observed how many phone calls they receive and that should help you to understand how hard it is to reach them on the phone when they literally are receiving multiple calls every few seconds. It is posted in every room that if you are trying to get an appointment or have a question, you have the option of emailing them. They always get back to me very quickly via email. I would not dream of going anywhere else. I have had emergencies at night and Dr Abernathy is always available to help. If you are a newer customer, stick around you wont find a better Doctor for your pets. His staff is very easy to work with, just treat them with the respect they deserve. read more

Huh. Interesting how the reviews on this place absolutely nail the upsides and downsides of my experience, hence the reason I'm stuck in the middle. So here goes: my ancient cat appeared to be suffering, badly, from an abscess on her neck and jaw. I called my vet, they couldn't get her in, and they recommended I call three other places. They stated that for emergency visits, Sunrise was likely my best bet, since it was a large facility. Sure enough, Sunrise could take her. We boogied on over (a 25 minute drive from home). The waiting room situation really should be handled better. It's kind of a barber shop policy: enter, sign the form, wait your turn. Our first wait lasted about five minutes, no biggie, but the second visit we sat more than 30 minutes before anyone acknowledged our existence. There's a peace of mind in acknowledgment, it isn't complicated, but knowing that the business knows you're waiting is comforting. This is a super simple policy to implement, guys, and it'll earn you more stars. Another negative reviewer states that this place isn't good for cats. Arguably true. Look, Rio Rancho is simply chock full of dog owners, hence, this facility is constantly, endlessly barking. Yapping. And definitely Yelping. Not a cat's cuppa tea, nor mine, but don't blame the business. My old maid of a feline likely spent every excruciating moment of her time in this clinic freaking out, but on the flip side, she's very much still alive. I thought Dr. Abernathy was thorough and professional and talented, from what I could surmise, and most of the staff were cool, especially the tech who told me my daughter was beautiful. She was right, of course. And that made our lengthy wait for the cat meds tolerable. Acknowledgment, guys. It's a winning concept. read more

very impressed with this vet clinic. Dr. Stuart was wonderful and patient with my drama queen pit bull, other vets I've worked with quickly judged him for his breed. I have been a vet tech for 13 years at another clinic but had to retire for personal reasons. I was very happy to find a vet clinic that was affordable and willing to work with clients by letting you arrange a payment plan. My babies surgery went well and he recovered well, removed his sutures and the area looks wonderful great job on his multiple mass removals! very thankful for dr Stuart and sunrise vet clinic.when i went to pick him up he had a nice fluffy blanket and water i can tell he was defiantly cared for well. also clinic was very clean. a++++ read more

Sunrise Veterinary Clinic - my love - Veterinarians Near Me - Rio Rancho, New Mexico

Took my healer snoopy in because he was sick. They ran a million tests, of course racking up my bill. However, the main reason I am giving them three stars is because of the wait time. When I picked up my dog, they where slammed. So I expected to wait, but for two hours? They didn't bathe my dog as all other overnight stays I have done do so. He was covered in his own pee, and that really upset me. read more