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Urban Animal Hospital
Category: Pets Veterinarians Veterinarians [Edit]
1032 Davie StVancouver, BC V6E 1M3
Neighbourhood: West End
(604) 684-3632
About This Business:
What we're about... Feeding your dog right. From house-baked treats and premium dry food to locally produced raw food, bow wow haus carries healthy,… read more »
6 reviews for Urban Animal Hospital
6 reviews in English
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Review from Cheryl H.
Vancouver, BC
5/12/2009
I am the very proud owner of a miniature schnauzer who goes by the name of Bridget ;) Bridget is as precocious as schnauzers can be and overall, I have been very lucky in that she has been very healthy in the 11 years that I have owned her (she is 11 1/2 years old). Joan Lynch has been her vet since I adopted Bridget at the age of 6 months. Prior to Bridget, I had a Heinz 57 mixed terrier breed, named Jericho. Joan was also Jericho's vet, until we had to put him down 2 months shy of his 22nd birthday. As another reviewer had mentioned, the compassion and support Dr. Lynch and her staff gave during that extremely emotional time when you have to make the tough decision of saying goodbye... well, there is no better place to do this than with the staff at Urban Animal.
My most recent experience was with Bridget. It is not uncommon for schnauzers to have the trait of bad teeth and Bridget is no exception. We have had to have the occasional tooth extracted because they become loose and in one case, she ended up with an abscess. Well, I happened to notice a couple of loose teeth and I knew these would have to come out... but when Bridget was actually under the anesthetic, Joan found more... and she had to remove 8 teeth! This required extracting 8, some stitches and of course, antibiotics to avoid infection. When I took Bridget home, I was given some pain medication because it was expected that she would have some discomfort.
Well, not only did Bridget do very well (which was a relief to me), Joan and/or the staff called me every day for followup, even though it was a holiday weekend! To say I was impressed with the way the staff went above and beyond the call of duty is an understatement.
I was a little concerned about what I should do if Bridget had problems over the weekend, but I need not have worried. The staff were available for questions and made arrangements should Bridget need to change the pain meds (she didn't, but it was comforting to know that I was covered should I have needed anything for her).
I would highly recommend Urban Animal Hospital for anyone who has a pet and who lives in the West End. For the life of me, I can't understand the complaints that some folk have... I am NOT a veterinarian and if someone thinks they know more than a veterinarian because they do their own "research" prior to going in, I have to wonder why they even bother since it's obvious they have already made up their mind that they and their research is right and the veterinarian is obviously wrong. Also... I'm not sure why the complaint that they would be referred elsewhere for an xray when they are told that the clinic doesn't have xray equipment. Obviously if the situation requires an xray then you would be referred to a place that has the xray equipment... not all clinics have all equipment, and for those who do, you'll notice their costs are much more expensive.
It's comforting to know that Urban Animal Hospital still charges reasonable rates and will refer you to other resources if, in fact, they are needed.
5 stars out of 5 stars in my books!! -
Review from Tamara L.
3/27/2009
We had just gotten a new puppy, so we needed a vet for his puppy check and vaccines and such. This was only a block away from our place, so it was our go-to. Initially, for just the basic puppy stuff it was fine. The girls upfront were VERY nice. They always recognized us greeted us warmly.
If the lovely receptionist and Vet Techs are reading this--- please don't feel like this is a reflection on YOUR service! You ladies were always so gracious and lovely.
Anyway.. moving on--- So we got all our basic puppy care here and that was good. However, then our older dog got ill. Things changed. He came down with an inner ear problem called 'Vestibular Disease'... Following his bout with Vesitbular disease, I started to GREATLY suspect that he had heart disease.
He'd had a heart murmer for years.. and recently had begun to collapse when over exerted or excited. I ALWAYS do a ton of research before bringing my dogs in for care.. so I was about 99% positive that it was infact heart disease. He suffered ALL the classic symptoms. It was a text book case.
However, when I brought him into the vet for his heart problems-- Dr. Lynch kept pushing me to go see a Neurological Specialist?! Say WHAT? She basically refused to consider that he had a heart problem, would not give me the prescriptions that would help a heart condition, and just pushed me to see this Neuro specialist.
So. I did what any half-intelligent owner would do-- I got a second opinion. I took him to see Granville Island Animal Hospital... The vet there started with a physical exam, of course.. She put the stethoscope to his chest and said "Oh, this dog has heart disease! Just listen to that heart! He absolutely has heart disease!". A few more tests were run, an Xray, etc.. and sure enough, his heart was about 3x the size of a normal heart. He was put on the appropriate medication, and I am happy to report that today he is doing great!
So here's my complaint-- Doctor Lynch simply does not LISTEN. You go in there with educated information.. you tell her that your dog is suffering from these symptoms, which (in 99.9% of cases) indicate HEART FAILURE... and she absolutely refuses to hear it. She has her own ideas of what things are, and will completely blow off what your concerns are.
Fortunately I was smart enough to advocate for my dog and trust my gut.. But SO many owners aren't as educated or sure of what their dog is suffering from.. And how many hundreds and thousands of dollars do these people end up spending on unnecessary diagnostic tests? And, more over, how much unnecessary stress is the animal put under?
Oh-- and they also don't do any Xrays on location. They have to refer you to a different clinic for that. They also never run on-time. I've waited an HOUR In the waiting room to be seen, even when I had an appointment.... I could go on forever with how completely dissatisfied I am with this clinic and could absolutely not advocate against it more strongly. I suppose if you need very very basic care (a vaccination, let's say) it is adequate.. but Doctor Lynch is an infuriatingly TERRIBLE veterinarian. -
Review from Sam B.
10/2/2011
good vet and easy location.... i dont understand what the complaining is all about. I go here all the time and have been treated well and never taken advantage of.....So my dog and cat are super healthy... thanks urban vet...
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Review from Kreag S.
Vancouver, BC
1/23/2009
Alright kids...you may need to grab your tissues for this review....
One of my dear sweet cats, Checker, was very ill and diagnosed with liver failure...not a very pleasant thing for her to go through..so I had to make the tough decision to have her put to sleep...this was seriously the hardest thing I have ever done in my life...I was too distraught to decide what to do on the spot..and so the Vet advised me to take her home for the night to think about it and to say my goodbye.......it was a long night let me tell you...I laid with her on the floor all night while she slept and just snuggled her and cried...but I knew what had to be done...
I called the next morning to let them know I was coming back...the Vet was so kind..she assured me I was doing the best thing and when I asked about what would happen to her she was very compassionate with the details and told be not to worry..they would take care of her...
I couldn't bring myself to take her so my partner...the amazing man that he is...took her for me....
A few days later I received a very sweet condolence card from the hospital..I was so impressed that they care so much...and take such great care to ensure you are ok...
I still use them for my cat Gromit...for her yearly check ups and such...and while I hope no one has to go through making the decision I had to make...you can know that Urban Animal Hospital will hold your hand through the process with great compassion...Listed in: Super Great Service.
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Review from cheryl m.
Vancouver, BC
10/23/2009
nice techs, scary vet ... if you love your pet you would not allow this woman to perform any operations ... if you need something simple it might be okay like shots or something ... check with other vets, i have yet to find someone who would recommend this woman
EDIT: scary woman vet finally retired ... new vet seems great ... the techs are friendly and professional so i must up my rating of this clinic ... i brought my dog in and she require several expensive tests which i could not afford on the first visit ... and they did not try to charge an exam fee every time i came back for the tests which tells me they are not all about the money ... -
Review from lisa b.
Vancouver, BC
4/18/2011
I came to UrbanAnimal Hospital as a poor student when I moved to the West End with my two cats - mostly because it was within walking distance of my apartment.
Pretty soon after arrival in town, my boy cat got crystals and needed to go in overnight. The vet warned us about how high the bill might get depending on what treatment he needed. It was possibly going to add up to a lot, but we told her we'd find the money. In the end, she saved our cat and gave us a pretty discounted bill total, and in doing so, earned our loyalty.
Update - please note that Dr. Lynch retired in 2011 and the business has a new vet - so previous reviews may not apply.
