We have taken all three of our cats to Meadows for their medical care since shortly after moving to Thunder Bay. Our experiences with both the vet techs and veterinarians has always been extremely positive. We have had two instances of fairly serious health issues and were give good alternatives and advice on both counts. I really appreciated my vet checking if it was a bad reaction to food before calling for invasive (and expensive) testing. We have a new kitten in the house and this Saturday will be her first trip to Meadows.

I have dealt with Meadows for over 18 years with different dogs. Depending on the vet that you get it can be a good experience or a bad one. I had some very poor experiences with the senior vets. Seems like the profession is a license to print money when dealing with them, never giving alternatives, always recommending expensive tests which often come up inconclusive or recommending surgery or other expensive follow ups. One of my dogs had a failed ACL operation there when only 2. Of course no one explains the fact that the surgeries are not 100% successful all the time. The senior vets do not seem to be up to date on newer alternative care. For example, braces for damaged acl on a very senior dog (different dog), rather than surgery, or advising not nueter until older to help prevent this problem. I have had good experiences with some of the other vets there where they did not run tests for indigestion or small warts and growths, but gave common sense advice. I have recently after many years decided to change clinics due to another case of not offering advice or alternatives, but surgery and also not being able to renew an ointment without a visit, in spite of the fact my dog has used it for many years for her ears as necessary. Also, they once refused to renew a prescription because I took my dog in an emergency to another vet near my home in an ice storm and happen to have got her vacination at the same time as she was due. The vet continuously brings this up whenever he views my dog's chart. I did have very compassionate treatment from the female vets when my dogs had to be put down. I am not sure why I stayed all these years, as I was never quite satisfied with the senior vets and found the senior front desk attendant to be unfriendly, sometimes rude, and difficult. I guess the devil you know is better than the devil you don't know. I am relieved to have found a clinic that is more up to date, more ready with alternatives to surgery and interventions. The whole vet thing seems like a bit of a racket. It reminds me of getting car or computer repairs because you are at a disadvantage without the technical knowledge. If you are like me, you dread the vet and know just walking in the door could set you back a ton of money if they get to do all the tests they make you feel are necessary.

We've been taking our cats to Meadows for the last 10 years or more. The staff are very friendly and helpful and have always answered all my questions.

We are students so getting the most out of our visit with the vet is vital. But that did not happen. Because of the receptionists lack of care, we have to go back for a second, expensive exam $60+ for something that could have been handled in the first exam. We did our homework before our appointment and called Meadows to have our cat's previous medical records faxed over (from out of province) before our appointment. It's an easy thing to do: call and get the fax. They agreed to do so. When I arrived for the appointment and in the waiting room I double-checked, asking if they obtained the medical records. They said they did not bother to call and would do it if necessary in the future. However, it was necessary that day. We were taking our cat in for a serious condition and found her weight was only 7lbs when the doctor weighed her. The doctor looked in the files the receptionists had provided and could not find the cat's previous weight . . . because they had not called and got her medical records like requested - twice. The cat has lost an extreme amount of weight but we could not make the weight comparison that day because of the receptionists' poor attitudes and laziness. When I walked out of the vet room I, for a third time, requested they get the cat's medical records faxed over. The receptionist barely spoke a word and angrily wrote down the previous vet's telephone number, agreeing to do so. Two weeks later I called today to ask if they could let us know when we needed to come in for vaccinations (according to the cat's records) and they could not tell me because they still had not bothered to call and get her records. So today I requested they do so a FOURTH time (after I explained that the vet clinic will not release the records to pet owners, but only to the vet clinics). She called and got them within 5 minutes and called me back. Why, I ask, for something that simply takes 5 minutes, for something that is a typical service, for something that would make me an on-going patient, why would the receptionist not call and get medical records? Why did it take FOUR requests to get that done? The receptionists/vet assistants at Meadows are grumpy, unfriendly and clearly do not care to do their jobs properly. The vet was nice but her receptionists would make me go somewhere else. If they lack that much care for their patients, what else in your pet's care could slip through the cracks?

Obviously it's hard to write a positive review about such a negative thing as putting your best friend of 12 1/2 years down, but the whole crew there tried their best to soften the blow as much as they could possibly do. I've only ever had to do this once, but this hospital was recommended to me and the whole experience there definitely relieved me of any excess stress. My dog was certainly not in the best of moods, but everyone there was as patient with him as they could possibly be (it was hard to find a vein and he wasn't enjoying the probing attention). Keeping my buddy as peaceful as possible wasn't the only task that the doctor performed, he kept me comfortable too with his gentle mannerisms towards all of us in that room. Everything about that day sucked royally, but the only negative thing I can think about my experience at this hospital is just the fact it was where my dog finally left me for greener pastures. Everything from booking the sad appointment to picking up the ashes was handled so nicely. If I ever have to go through this again, I want it handled just as they did it with my buddy.