Shawsville Veterinary Hospital

You could not find a more caring or professional vet anywhere. Dr. Margaret is the best and loves animals. She really cares about my dog's well being. I have looked for a long time for someone like her to take care of my pets. Amazing person and vet.

The short story - Very unprofessional staff and veterinarian, filthy facilities, and discriminatory against Pit Bulls. Same Procedure -- $200 for a Lab, $400 for a Pit Bull.



The long story -



We noticed a growth on our dog's hind leg that concerned us, so we went to our regular veterinarian. After a thorough medical exam, our vet in PA said it is odd for a one year old dog to have a skin tag. They said it was most likely innocuous, but we didn't want to take a chance. We went to Shawsville Veterinary Hospital because somebody told us they had a similar procedure done for around $200, which was considerably cheaper than our regular vet. I called them and explained the situation, and they said they could remove it and biopsy, and that he just needed the vet to take a look at it first.



When we took him there, the receptionist was staring at him and giving him a nasty look. I had to get her attention and let her know we were there for an appointment. When they weighed him, they refused to touch him and help get him on the scale. They expected my fiance, who had recently given birth, to lift a 50 pound dog on the scale. I had to stop feeding my 6 week old because they wouldn't touch him. They treated him like a maneater. He was scared at this vet (probably picked up on their negative attitudes through body language). He has NEVER had a problem at any other vet. Everybody loves this dog. He is the quintessential man's best friend.



We get to the exam room, and the first thing I noticed was the used swabs with brown-red stains sloppily strewn on the counter top, next to the other medical supplies. The floor was filthy and everything was coated in a layer of grime, which tells me they don't clean very often, or very thoroughly. This place is like no vet I had ever been to. It shocks me that they would ever do surgery in facilities this unclean.



The vet came in, leaned against the table, and didn't even touch our dog. She, too, had an attitude about him from the moment she saw him, which was evident from her demeanor. He, again, was scared, shaking, and had his tail tucked between his legs. She made my fiance' get on her knees and pull his fur apart instead of examining him like any other vet would have done. Overall, she and her receptionist were very unfriendly to our dog and us. The vet condescended me when I tried to comfort him to get him to be less afraid. At our other vet he lays down and lets them do whatever they want to him.



She ended up saying she would have to put him under anesthesia to remove the small growth, when every other vet we spoke to about it said they could just numb it and remove it in the exam room. We felt very misled. They either baited us so that they could get an office fee from us, or they lied about not doing local anesthesia because of the type of dog he is. Either way, it was very unprofessional and unethical.



I hope my dog didn't catch a disease just being there. I will not be bringing my animals to this place ever again.