The vets and staff at Avondale's physical location are phenomenal. Dealing with the Care Club itself is abysmal. I had been paying out of pocket and it's expensive but I was very happy to do so because it's convenient, the staff are good, and my dog tolerates this location well. For some reason, I decided to try the Care Club and it was a huge mistake. Had I just continued to pay out of pocket, I think things would have been fine, but after dealing with the Care Club directly, I am so beyond frustrated. I really regret getting involved with the corp side. The staff at this location were great, but having to talk to their call center over something extremely unimportant literally had me in tears, which is ridiculous. read more

After the comment left on my original review from 8 months ago, I did email the hospital manager back on June 12, 2019. I received no reply from my email sent back in June. I received a notification today stating a comment had been left on my review, so I decided to go check it out! Come to find out the email listed at the time of my original review has since been changed to someone else. Why didn't the person from before contact me back? Now you want me to contact someone else in hopes of having this resolved? I was interested before in keeping the matter private in hopes the company was truly interested in resolving the issue. I naively thought the hospital manager was going to help in some way by wanting me to contact them, but now it seems that they are just trying to hide something. Because of this, I would like to share more of my experience with other viewers to see how they conduct business. There is nothing left to do to help our situation. The lack of care from this facility lead us to put our dog down not long after my original review. She was just a science experiment for your veterinarian to play with. The amount of money this facility, in my opinion, stole in a time of despair and pleas for help is absolutely disgusting. The lack of diligent care and compassion from the staff in our time of need is disheartening. I am highly disappointed in the lack of professionalism from this clinic and now the hospital managers who say they want to hear from you just to save face. Please take my advice, take your pet somewhere else. What we experienced isn't the only thing that has disappointed me. While at the facility for an appointment before all of this mess occured, I witnessed them turn away a dying dog because the doctors didn't want to stay late to perform the surgery it needed. They would have needed someone to stay overnight to check on the dog and didn't want anyone staying. They had taken money from the man and passed him off to a hospital in Urbandale. Valuable time wasted on staff unwilling to help a sick pet in need. We should have taken that as a huge red flag to go elsewhere. I truly hope no one ever has to go through what we've been through. read more

VCA Avondale Veterinary Hospital - Main entrance and Pet Resort entrance - Veterinarians Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

I would recommend anyone considering this vet to stay away. We had been bringing our puppy to this facility for her typical early shots, checkups, etc. with no issue for a while, but I do not trust their surgeon(s). Dr. Carlo botched our dog's spay and caused uncontrolled bleeding during the procedure, necessitating a conversion from a laparoscopic method to an emergency increase in incision size and removal of extra tissue by open surgery (note the hasty/clumsy extension of the incision toward her tail end in the picture). When asked about it, the surgeon did not find issue with her technique and instead described it as one of those "rare things that happen." This type of surgery is normally super safe/routine, so I urge readers of this review to take your pets to a different vet where a screw-up will be rarer than in this facility and by this surgeon. I was also disappointed to see that they proscribed Chinese herbal medicine along with actual pain meds for aftercare (see pic). I know that this is not a human hospital, but I do not appreciate non-FDA-approved supplements (no list of exact ingredients, no convincing evidence for dubious claims of blood clotting efficacy) being given to our animal. When asking about the added costs of laparoscopic surgery and if we would be discounted due to a botched procedure and converting to open surgery, I was told that they were actually saving us money by not charging us for the emergency actions/extra meds (necessitated by their hands--hm...), implying we should be thankful for the cost savings we have actually received. We are glad our pet is alive, but we regret giving this facility our business. Did they forget they are providing a service to a customer? The facility's technique and response to frustrated customers speak volumes in my opinion. To their credit, the surgeon provided (unsatisfactory) answers to all of my frustrated questioning and we politely ended our conversation. read more

People with true passion and heart for animals. Thank you for the wonderful service and experience despite our dog's urgent condition and us panicking last Sunday. Thank you Karla and the other lady in the front office (I'm very sorry I wasn't able to get her namee), Madeline and Dr. Malakates. More power. read more

We have used their boarding services for two of our dogs for over 15 years & are very happy with the service we (& the dogs) have received. The employees are kind and helpful. Our dogs come home as happy & healthy as they were when we dropped them off. read more

It was unfortunate the Dr. Carlo lied to us that she was qualified to do othro. She permanently deformed our puppy show dog, caused him to have a plate that failed, needed a rod placed, handled him dirty and gave him MRSA, he spent from age 6 months old and the next 10 months in a crate only out to go potty on a leash. After the U of Missouri declared he was deformed Dr. Carlo changed his calming meds to acepromazine without the proper follow up and regular blood work. he got very very ill and a vet tech in Louisiana on facebook saw he records. she said he needed ER care now. a spleen should be 1" high and 8-9 inches long. Blue Pearl gauge his to be 4" high and 17" or longer only because his spleen ended up folding instead of rupturing and causing sudden death. the acepromazine caused a severe spleen enlargement which Dr. Carlo knew the drug would do. I my opinion she intentionally tried to end his life. He got MRSA and tested positive and the waited 1 week before starting medicines that could have saved his life. the MRSA got in the plate screws in his bone and traveled throughout his blood system. He died at age 2.5 from staph infection which rotted his organs per the necropsy performed at Iowa State. Avondale accepted the malpractice and their fault but feel no need to compensate us. We took 4 trips to their facility in omaha and travel expenses to Columbia, MO and a cancelled vacation due he needed to be cared for. As a promising show dog we also lost future breedings, not to mention his and a our suffering. Avondale and Dr. Christine Carol are disgusting. read more

When our beautiful dog Grace needed to be put down, I was inconsolable. Moments afterward, I was reminded by staff to pay my bill on the way out. To say this was insensitive and unprofessional is an understatement, especially considering we were obviously upset and had spent - and paid - hundreds of dollars there in the previous few weeks. I will never return here. read more

Our experience at the Avondale Vet Hospital has been wonderful. We are so thankful for Dr. Woodruff, Dr. Carlo, all the veterinary assistants and each of the office staff, we could not have asked for better service! Our dog had two torn ligaments as well as a folded over meniscus in his back leg. .. and it is through Dr. Woodruffs expertise that our furbaby Reggie is on his way to a remarkable recovery. Each and everyone there have been wonderful to Reggie and us. They came highly recommended and we are very appreciative of how they were able to help Reggie.. We can not thank them enough!!! read more

Amazing staff Everytime we go! They are very professional and explains everything that is going on with your pet! So good with my pitbull, she actually loves going to see them! read more

My name is Michael Graham. My wife and I had a 10 year old siberian husky that meant the world to us, he was everything to us and might has well as been one of our kids. In febuary we took in in to avondale for coughing up small amounts of blood from time to time. They ran all kinds of tests and decided it was acid reflux and put him on steroids for the cough. Later he developed worsening diarrhea and they then put him on a high dose (40 mg) of steroids. It continued and I did some research and suggested he may have ibd which they then tested him for and discovered that he did have ibd. But kept him on the high dose of steroids. A couple months later we took him back in because he was getting week and having trouble getting up and his muscles were shrinking. Really noticed it in his head. So they said he may have another issue and left him on the high dose steroids but sent us to an internal specialist. The first thing they wanted to do was get him off the steroids. We took a vacation for 2 weeks in September and took chevy with us as usual but ended up coming back early because he was getting worse. Mind you when we took him in to avondale in febuary he was full of pics and vinegar. 4 days after we got back we had to put him down because he had gone septic. He was bleeding inside and his intestines were leaking and had no usable liver left, all from the steroids. Avondale didn't even know all the effects of the steroids. Will never ever set foot in there again, they killed my baby and it cost us thousands of dollars on top of it. read more

I used to be happy with this clinic until Jennifer took over as the office manager. She is so hostile and unstable when u have to speak with her. I have taken my fur babies out of this clinic after 20 years of taking them to this clinic because of how Jennifer and Michelle their front desk lady has treated my and my animals. It is such a sad case too because my animals have loved going there for the last 20 years. I guess this clinic has gotten to the point that they don't feel like customer service is important anymore. Another vet will get my money now and I won't have to deal with the rude and disrespectful staff. Responding to your message. I did speak with the doctor. I must say the doctor care is wonderful and I have felt a very trusted relationships with the doctors at this clinic. However you have to deal with Jennifer being hostile to you and calling in repeatedly to get to the doctors. After having to deal with this behavior from their front desk staff and their office manager it is in the best interest for my animals to be seen at another clinic. Unfortunately the staff that you have to deal with before you reach the vet doctors break peoples trust in the clinic itself. After reading many reviews I have noticed I am not the only one that has left this clinic due to the same reasons. It is sad to see a good animal hospital go down hill Best wishes to the doctors there read more

We take our two pups to Avondale for pretty much everything - vet care, boarding and grooming, despite being all the way across town. We left our little Charlie there over a long weekend recently, and he came home so happy - I wouldn't hesitate to leave my dogs with them! It's apparent the staff and vets all care a great deal about the animals in their care. They take time to answer questions and even give lots of loves and cuddles to our dogs. The facilities are very clean and modern. I'm not sure if I'll go back for grooming for our Wheaten - they pretty much just chopped his hair off with no regard to a breed-appropriate hair cut, and they put BOWS on his ears - but he looked nice and neat and smelled good:) Overall, I'm glad they're our vet. They are a bit more expensive than some other clinics, but that is part of being an AAHA hospital, and I would pay more for the designation every time. read more

We have used this facility since we adopted our first dog. I appreciate their hours and having it all under one roof. I wish they could get another groomer because booking has to be done a long time in advance. read more

I came to Des Moines to see the State Fair (one of the top ten must-see events). I was having lunch at Easter Lake when I asked a passer-by about animal boarders. She suggested Avondale so I went there because it was nearby. Two things I did not like: 1) required fecal test (I have never experienced that my two dogs that I have had over the past eight years AND a shot for the flu; are these just profit enhancers? 2) I left two pieces of old clothing and a roto-molded frisbee with a dog's bone on the top; when I asked for the stuff I left, one of the staff said she could not find anything. So, now I have to find a new frisbee that my dog can't chew to "oblivion". I can find a few old rags for her but a frisbee is really tough to lose in a dog's cage. I strongly feel that the staff takes what it wants when the opportunity is available, SADLY. Bottom-line: 1) do NOT bring anything for your dog that you do not want to LOSE. 2) read the requirements for tests that you probably have not had to provide elsewhere. read more

I've been a client at Avondale for a number of years and until the last couple of years have been satisfied for the most part. This past week, however, I received a notice from the company that Avondale contracts with to deliver prescription pet food to my door advising me that they can't fill my current order due to Avondale requiring me to bring my cat in for an exam. That's right..in the middle of a pandemic, they are requiring me to bring my cat in so he can be examined before they will approve the prescription food that he needs in order to stay alive. I'm in a high risk group (over age 60) for COVID_19 and will NOT be taking my cat in for the foreseeable future. Will be trying to find something else to feed him that won't cause his urinary issues to recur. Way to go Avondale!! You just lost a client. read more

Wonderful and loving facility! Couldn't ask for a better facility to care for my very sick dog when we were visiting. It was very easy to see a doctor during their convenient weekend and evening hours, very reasonably priced compared to other facilities. They offered a tour of the state of the art facilities. Staff is patient and caring! I strongly recommend this facility as the best I've seen! read more

staff are great and they know to keep the animals calm during the physicals. i take my cat Fiona (fka) sunny there as they are close and animal lifeline also takes the dogs and cats there i give them a 10 and recommend people in des moines iowa there read more

I will never bring a pet to Avondale and will make sure that I can save anybody else from taking their pet to this sham of an office. We have never used Avondale but when our 10.5 year old boxer got extremely sick (seizures, biting our child, vomiting, & diarrhea) and our regular vet was closed, we brought him to Avondale. We had decided to put him down as he was clearly in pain and was losing the ability to use his back legs. After crying all morning, we took Tyson in. The "vet" proceeded to come in and tell us that she did not feel comfortable putting him to sleep as she felt that we had not done enough on our part to make him better and that he could still have a good life. She stated that we could run blood tests (that were already done at our normal vet), put him on seizure meds, anti- nausea meds, & anti-diarrhea meds. My husband let her know that she was making us feel like bad pet owners and that we had been trying to help him with anti-inflammatories. After all of this they proceeded to charge a $63 office exam fee that was not agreed to. I don't know how you can charge a fee for coming in, moving a dogs back legs, and refusing to put him to sleep. While paying this fee, my husband was complaining to a very nice front desk lady (Jenna?). He said something along the lines of "this fee is f*cking stupid" when the other receptionist chimes in and says "Oh now you are going to talk like that in front of your child?" So not only were we considered bad pet owners but also bad parents. She also called my husband white trash and lacked any sort of professionalism. As soon as we got home from their office, Tyson had yet another seizure and then proceeded to vomit up all of his breakfast that he hadn't digested. We called another vet for a second opinion and were told exactly what we thought. Our dog would not benefit from epilepsy medicine. Seizures that do not begin until a dog is older is not epilepsy but most likely a brain tumor or something along those lines. The other vet also stated that the medicine would not have taken effect for 30 days so my poor dog would have had to suffer through 3 seizures a day for the next month. This office about nothing more than money instead of thinking about the animal. A vet should be comforting in such a sad time and instead made our family hurt even more. read more

Avondale staff are all about providing a caring and helping environment. They were nice on the phone, when we visited and the Dr. even called us back to follow up a couple of days later! The clinic is clean and bright with nice bench seating in the waiting room for you and your pets. We were pleasantly surprised by the level of care and very pleased with every aspect of our visit. We'll continue to go to Avondale for the life of our dog. read more

I am mostly happy with the Service that I have received here. However my dog is starting to decline and for some reason they will not come to my home to put my dog down. That would be a huge service. At this point of my dogs life I don't want to load her up in a car and take her somewhere she doesn't really like to go to have in our dog put down at home would be more comfortable for everyone. read more

I have now had 2 not positive experiences. 1) We took a diabetic cat there for allergy testing. We were told over the phone that it would be about $250, and included food allergy testing. We went there instead of our regular vet to try and save $$, as we are several thousands of dollars in on the cat we took in just 4 months ago. We took our cat there and were then told there is only HESKA environmental testing, and food allergy testing was not available. We went ahead with the testing as he has has several skin issues. We got the results faxed to our vet, who contacted the HESKA folks for more information- and found out that no only do they offer allergy testing for food, they had enough 'serum' from his blood draw to do it- for another $135. So it was useless for us to go to another vet. NOT happy. 2) Same cat's blood sugar dropped dangerously low (25) one night after our regular vet closed. Since they had all of this cat's records at Avondale and would work him in, we rushed him there. They wanted to keep him overnight and administer dextrose in an IV solution to ensure he didn't crash over night, going into a coma or seizures. We reluctantly agreed, and rushed out before work at 7am when they opened to drop off insulin if needed, food (as he was indeed allergic to many common cat food ingredients) and visit. Poor kitty was grumpy as they just switched his IV to another leg, but seemed OK. They finally called me at 9am to say his blood sugar was up to 467!!! The idiots had put him through putting in a new IV and shaving another leg without even checking his blood sugar, and given his insulin shot over 3 hours late from his normal time of 6am- and why we rushed out there to get his shot there as soon as they opened. And I'm STILL waiting for a vet to call and explain what the heck happened and why he wasn't treated properly, and it's now 6:41pm. I will say that everyone is nice, customer service wise. And they are willing to work you in. But still, if the quality of care is this poor? And they charged us over $235 to give him sugar water- we supplied food and insulin. We left at 9pm- they were to call us before leaving at 11pm but they called at closing time, so I suspect they weren't there as late as they originally said they would be- and left him unsupervised with a still very low blood sugar of 43. We picked him up by 10am. NEVER going back. They are simply not competent. read more

If I could mark NEGATIVE stars I would. This is by far the most awful vet clinic I have ever been too. They do not genuinely care about animals and their well-being. The staff is extremely rude and very judgmental of dog breeds. They also falsified my dog's medical records. We went in for a wellness checkup and they did not even touch my dog once. Then when I requested to see the records they put down that they took her temp, weighed her, looked at her teeth, looked at her coat, and checked her lymph nodes. What kind of vet doesn't even weight your animal at a wellness visit?!?!?! Their staff actually hung up the phone one me when I tried disputing this with them. They over charge you for everything since they can't bring in enough business. IF YOU CARE ABOUT YOUR PET AT ALL I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND TAKING THEM HERE. YOU WILL REGRET IT! read more

Don't send your pet here. They charged us extra for meds that they said our dog NEEDED, but they didn't do anything to help. She was also ravenously hungry and thirsty after her 3 day visit there, and she is unusually skiddish around this facility. I don't recommend this place for the price and the fishy way they do everything. read more

The facility was clean and well-maintained, but I will be shopping for a new veterinarian. My cat became ill and it took 3 visits with 3 doctors and $1700 to diagnose what ended up being simple constipation. It felt very "car repair shop" to me trying to upsell on a variety of very expensive tests. Of course, they had me over a barrel because when it comes to my pets I want what is best for them. I think they knew that and took advantage. Coincidentally, I was discussing Avondale with an acquaintance who took his dog there that very week and was charged over $300 for something he was expecting to pay $60 for. One of the three doctors I spoke with the most has a very childish sounding "Valley Girl" voice, which does not command much respect. She graduated less than a year ago. I understand that she needs to start somewhere, but maybe her first step should be learning to speak, like um, a mature adult. The receptionists seem very uneducated (one had to use a calculator to know that half of $1000 is $500) and their smoker hacks on the phone are very off-putting. So while *eventually* my cat did feel better, it shouldn't have taken 2 weeks and $1700. We will not be back. read more

We took our 2 dogs here for the second time and the last 2 months ago. Jodi up front acts totally put out to help customers, acts like she hates her job, and never once acted polite and willing to help with a smile on her face. You need to get rid of her Avondale. This is the first person you deal with up front and they should be respectful and cheerful around customers. She is one of the worst customer service people I have ever dealt with in my life. Both times we left our dogs here, they called us while we were out of town they called us and informed us that unless we bowed down to their demands and went along with a vet bill and med's they wanted to give one of our dog's, then we would have to have someone pick them up immediately. They will back you into a corner where you have no choice but to let them do what they please. Our dog came in healthy and left with a bacterial infection. Probably picked it up at the kennel. They also REFUSE to let you see where the dogs are boarded in the kennel. What are they trying to hide? This place is nothing but a fancy fassad up front and a website that paints a rosy picture to fool the customer. Check other boarding places in Des Moines for quality care and no tricks with extra unneeded charges added to your bill. Also lower costs for boarding your animals at the competitors. Avondale is all about the BUCK and could care less about your pets. PATHETIC!!!!! read more

Myself and my three dogs just moved to Hartford from St Paul, MN. Within days of moving, I started looking for a vet. I spent a day driving around the area vet clinics, asking my questions, and getting a vibe from the staff. Avondale was very sweet with my shy dog that I brought along and answered all my questions. What inspired me to write this review though was what happened a couple weeks later. Another of my dogs got sick. She was pooping blood and vomiting, frequently. Dr. Groos took great care of her during our visit, as did the tech Courtney and receptionist Sarah. They all ran the tests and got answers as quickly as possible. It ended up being pretty serious, but I was adamant on taking her home with me as I thought a hospital stay would just add to an already stressful situation for her. Dr. Groos called later in the evening and again the next morning to check on her. Amazing service!!! read more