It's been a few years so I thought an update was in order for this team of amazing people…read more When we moved to Lake County from McHenry it was a really hard thing for us to change vets. But logistically it just made sense to have a closer hospital relationship with our aging Bernese. Well...luckily we did that, because I cannot imagine life without the AHLV team now. Not just for their cute videos, the community fundraisers for socializing with other pups/people or the love for their team, but the utterly amazing intense respect and appreciation they have for the animals that come into their lives. Tear jerker time...Our oldest girl Tonka three years ago contracted Lyme disease. The full big girl version with lameness starting. We do not have human children, she is our little love filled fur baby. Dr Unger, Grace and Matt all gave me updates and not just "updates" it was with so much understanding and genuine care for our family that my scared/angry/sad/panicked momma heart actually felt comfort in our decisions and the best course of action to treat. I knew and understood everything that could and should hopefully happen. Their amazing staff brought my girl back to nearly untouched health and I still tear up thinking about it. We were lucky. But luck is only a very small part of it. AHLV is the rest of that piece. We are now a few years later and have our new "little" Leonberger pup that is of course going to them. With covid it's been interesting to say the least not being able to walk in with our pup. But I tell you what, when Grace's smiling face and Brittani's bubbly self bounce out of the door they are definitely aware that a 70lb 5 month old Puca is ready to rocket out into their arms with kisses coming very shortly after! Thank you everyone at AHLV for helping US through an incredibly scary thing with grace and patience and for all the care you show for even the normal appointments. I can't imagine in any way taking our Tonka and Puca girls to anyone else's arms.

I am writing to share my concerns about the care my cat received from Dr. Levin and my overall…read moreexperience with the clinic. My cat was recently started on a hyperthyroid medication at the lowest available dose. After beginning the medication, my cat went from eating approximately two cans of food per day to not eating for two days. During my visit, I was extremely concerned about the sudden loss of appetite and hoped for guidance on how to help my cat eat. Instead, I felt that the focus was placed primarily on additional testing and prescribing an anti-nausea medication without fully exploring the cause of the problem. After seeking a second opinion online, I learned that my cat may have developed a food aversion because the medication was causing nausea. This explanation fit the situation and helped me better understand what was happening. I was disappointed that this possibility was not explored during my appointment and that I was not asked questions that might have led to this conclusion. I was also uncomfortable with several aspects of the examination. Dr. Levin grabbed my cat by the back of the neck without first speaking to me about it or attempting to build rapport with my cat. The handling appeared to cause discomfort, and I found the interaction upsetting. Additionally, Dr. Levin stated that my cat had cancer despite no testing having been performed to support that conclusion, citing the lack of appetite as evidence. Given the number of possible explanations for a cat suddenly refusing food, I found this statement premature and alarming. To be clear, I am proceeding with the recommended diagnostic testing because I want to do everything possible for my cat. However, the experience left me with serious concerns about the quality of care, communication, and clinical judgment I received. The following day, after obtaining new information from another veterinarian, I requested a second opinion within the practice and asked for a prompt phone consultation to discuss a day-to-day care plan for my sick cat. My request was denied by the clinic owner. As a result, I have decided to seek care elsewhere and have scheduled an appointment with a new veterinarian. I am sharing this feedback because I believe these concerns warrant review and because I hope future clients and patients receive a more thoughtful and collaborative experience

This company keeps removing my review. Take your pet elsewhere. This vet killed my cat by…read morenegligence. * Repost because the review was removed within 24 hrs.* This place is negligent. Meanwhile my family is suffering the loss of our 13 year old cat who was perfectly fine in April. We took Sox in due to no interest in food and rapid weight loss. His original vet is Fox Lake and unfortunately we had to switch to a different vet that allowed appointments. This vet did multiple lab work ups and it was clear that his wbc (24.4) and neutrophil (22448) was continuing to rise. In addition, his labs showed precision PSL 39 which is pancreatitis. On top of that, they revealed an abscess and tooth decay so severe that his tooth was split in half. (Sox continued to lose weight at each appointment and we continued to stress that he was not eating despite appetite stimulants and nausea/vomiting medication administration). They couldn't perform surgery to remove the decayed teeth for an entire week, despite they already had Sox under anesthesia for the oral examine but weren't staffed properly to remove the infected teeth at that time. So Sox was given another steroid on July 3rd to help get him through the holiday weekend. Unfortunately on July 5th, we had to take Sox into an emergency vet in Crystal Lake and his labs were all out of the norm, he was lethargic, they couldn't retrieve a blood pressure, his temperature was 93.6. They gave him fluids iv bolus to help restore his BP and that helped, then the second iv bolus he coded, CPR was done, Sox had a heartbeat again, and then coded again leaving us no choice but to put him out of his pain. Weak blood pressure, lethargy, low temp are all signs of acute pancreatitis. The labs that were done on 6/26 indicates there was something going on with his pancreas. However, the vet overlooked it. Nonetheless, Companion RL gave Sox a total of 3 steroid injections just in a few weeks to try to stimulate his appetite and 'reduce inflammation.' Nonetheless, a steroid suppresses the immune system. Despite all these cues, they still did not speak about antibiotics and in fact they continued to tell me it was not necessary, all of this is stemming from "stress." I would strongly encourage everyone to look into a different vet. This place is negligent, expensive and inadequate. They would rather perform test after test after test before they begin doing any interventions to treat the problem.

My disabled son took in his service dog to get care At the Volo location…read more This hospital sold him products that he did not need. They added lots of unnecessary meds and expensive foods to his bill. My son did not understand why his vet bill was so high. I called to dispute the bill, question why they didn't review his bill with him so he could decline meds. I called and explained that my son has a disability. He brought his service dog in, and they did not care. I will be taking my to a different bed where I appropriate care. They told they cant take the items back do my disabled son is stuck with the bill! If you don't want your bill to go through the roof because they are up selling multiple medication's and food at their high cost versus what you can get it elsewhere stay clear of this place!

I love Dr.Mattar and staff! I have been coming here for years now. Everyone is so friendly prices…read moreare fair and they take care credit.

Absolutely do not come here. I came here because the price was a $1000 lower for a surgery but now…read moreI am understanding why. My dog had his ear wrapped post surgery and got him back Thursday evening. Saturday morning woke up and his ear was bleeding and the wrap fell off while he had the cone on. I called Saturday to ask the vet to rewrap it because it fell off and below are the responses I receive l... "He said to go on Amazon and buy head a wrap", they work great"- why would I have to spend more money when yall didn't do your job.? "Dr does good work so we can't control what you guys do. We can't believe if he was wearing the cone or not" - obviously not great work if it fell off in 2 days and woke up bleeding. Plus I wouldn't lie about him wearing a cone or not "We close at 2, can't fit you in. Then later stated should've called earlier, I called at 10 to let them catch up and she said we open at 9" - he should own up to his poor work and stayed past 2 to fix his mistakes. This is complete bs, horrible service and not worth it. Pay a little more for a cleaner and understanding place that takes accountability for their poor quality.

Very caring staff at all levels. Everything is explained, and they follow up to ensure stuff gets…read moredone. I feel very secure having my dog looked after by these folks.

I was a loyal client of Wauconda animal hospital for years, despite repeatedly paying final bills…read morethat were often higher than the original estimates. I accepted those costs because I believed I was paying a premium for the highest level of care. Unfortunately, my recent experience made me question whether the clinic prioritizes quality care or maximizing revenue. I brought my cat in because he was straining in the litter box. After charging me nearly $300, I was told they could not determine what was wrong. For the prices this clinic charges, I expected a much more thorough evaluation and a greater sense of urgency. Trusting my instincts, I sought a second opinion elsewhere. The second veterinarian immediately diagnosed a urinary blockage--a common but life-threatening emergency that required urgent treatment. They were surprised that such a serious condition had not been identified during my initial visit. What is especially frustrating is that the second clinic provided the same, if not better, level of care at a significantly lower cost. The difference in both pricing and quality of service was impossible to ignore. I spent years paying premium prices under the assumption that they reflected superior medical care, only to learn that a nearby veterinarian was able to provide more competent treatment without the inflated costs. My cat ultimately required emergency treatment and hospitalization, resulting in thousands of dollars in expenses. While I am grateful that he survived, this entire ordeal could have been far less traumatic and costly had the problem been properly diagnosed from the start. Based on my experience, I would encourage pet owners to ask questions, carefully review charges, and seek a second opinion if something doesn't feel right. In my case, that second opinion likely saved my cat's life.

Dr. Barcus and her team are excellent. I have been bringing my dogs there since around 2010. They…read morealways take time to answer all my questions and give me great advice.

Dr. Barcus and her team have been a blessing to our family for years. She saved my parent's dog's…read morelives twice. When it comes to caring for the individual dog, there is no better veterinarian in Lake County. Highly recommend.

While most of our visits here had been positive our most recent visit has changed my mind…read morecompletely about this practice. Dr. Kindra did not communicate with us at all about pricing and misled us in the test that he would be providing for our dog. When I called the clinic to get some clarity about the difference between the two tests that were done on my dog the receptionist got off the phone with me and put the Vet on the phone only for him to get on and tell me that I was giving her a hard time. The bill was $300 which was a lot more than was anticipated. He then tried to use unnecessarily large medical vocabulary in what seemed like an attempt to confuse me. When I told him that the appointment had been made for something different than what was on the receipt he told me he was trying to save me money. That's all well and good but it should've been communicated before the test was even done. The receptionist then got on the phone again and told me I owed an additional $50 for the test that I had originally wanted. I had clearly made the call because financially, $300 was Way out of our price range for what we were looking for. To consider the solution to this problem, charging me additional money lacked any empathy. There is a certain level of respect and decorum that you should have when working directly with people; especially people who are in difficult financial situations, trying to make sure that their pet stays healthy. The lack of respect that these people had for me this evening while simply trying to figure out what blood test my dog had and why she had it is not acceptable. Update: we got our test results 2 days later, though we were told they would be ready next day. The passive aggressive voicemail stated that my "back and forth" with which test I wanted caused the delay. Asked for the medical records and see that the results were, in fact, ready the night the test was done and was reviewed 8am the next day. An outright lie to try to blame me for his tardiness in calling with results. While I know Dr. Kindra has many positive reviews, and by our account he was good with our dog, the games he's played with this situation have been the most unprofessional behavior I've seen from a veterinarian.

You need to only have the on staff dr service you. They had a guest vet. Or something and I was so…read moredisappointed. On other first visit about 8 months earlier was a good experience and that was a routine physical. This trip was a sick visit. I was not sure if my dog had worms. After much investigation we do not think she did. But I went to the dr and he did not explain anything. I got medication and no help. I realize I had a question after I left and was half way home. The front staff was more helpful then the dr or the assistant. The front desk answered all my questions and even got the main the phone to help me with what the dr did not while I was in office. So I think it was Dr kindly, or nicely, kinder, or something I can't think of his name. He was amazing. The guest dr Dr Lee I think not so much. The other staff has always been great. So keep up the good work and thanks for all your help.

First visit today. New to area so we were a new patient. They squeezed us in which was great and…read moreappreciated. Clean place, super friendly staff and vet was amazing. I hated to leave our old vet but it was an hour drive each way. This place is as amazing as where I came from. Jack received great care and lots of love and attention. This is definitely our new vet!

It took 3 visits to diagnose my dog with ringworms. To add insult to their misdiagnoses they…read moreproceeded to charge $90 per 3 month medication. I checked Amazon during the 2nd cycle and it cost $30 per dose. I was upset and I let their new, unexperienced vet know how I felt. Fly forward 15 years and my current boy had been experiencing rashes and scabs. The owner of the richmond vet clinic told me on a phone call that he wouldn't offer care for my sick dog because I "upset" one of his new hires over 15 years ago. If you feel like being ripped off, by all means, frequent this fraud of a veterinarian. Personally, I wouldn't trust them with a garden slug.

They have taken amazing care of my pup, Sophie, since she was just a baby. She had many issues when…read moreI first got her. And they helped her every step of the way. She is almost 5 now, and she is thriving!!! They are the kindest people, and show so much compassion. I wouldn't go anywhere else. The one time I did, I ended up back at Lakeview begging for their help. They did everything they could and got her back on track. I LOVE LOVE LOVE Dr. DiCarlo and her entire staff. Sophie and I thank you so very much.

Dr DeCarlo and staff are amazing. I have had nothing but good experiences here and will not take…read moremy pets anywhere else.