Treats employees like the animals they treat. Cannot recommend such a business.

Dr. Hellman and Dr. Shaner are excellent vets. The Doctors and the staff are competent, friendly and compassionate. I travel 1/2 hour to utilize their service even though there are a number of veterinarians much closer to me. They usually charge less than other vets in the area, perhaps due to the fact that the hospital is well established and probably not saddled with a huge debt. The hospital may not sport an ultra fancy waiting room, but it is clean and sanitary. I have raised dogs for years and now find myself as more of a retirement community for my dogs. With an aging population of dogs, I find myself visiting River Oak with greater frequency. Occasionally a problem is difficult to diagnose. This has nothing to do with the competence level of any vet. The same thing happens with people and their physicians. Two years ago I almost lost my 15 year old terrier. Late one evening I found him struggling to breath. I rushed him to the emergency clinic. After oxygen, sedation and x-rays it was determined that he had something obstructing his windpipe. The emergency clinic was unable to perform this type of procedure. The recommendation was euthanasia since respiratory failure was imminent. I wasn't ready to give up on my friend and at my insistence, they found a specialist. Having just spent $400 at the emergency clinic, my husband was reluctant to pour a huge amount of money into a 15 year old dog. The moment River Oak opened in the morning, I was on the phone. Dr. Hellman would see my boy. He performed this very risky surgery removing an inflamed polyp that was severely restricting his breathing. The cost was less than half of what I was quoted as a base price for a specialist. My friend died on Monday at the age of 17 1/2 years. I'm grateful to Dr. Hellman for the two additional years. Both of these doctors have diagnosed and effectively treated my many dogs and cats. I'm sorry the last reviewer didn't have the desired outcome with her cat. Pet ownership can be expensive. Outcomes with health issues vary. The Doctors and staff at River Oak are truly the best in their field.

Came in 3 times with our cat with a upper respatory problem. Months and hundreds of dollars later she is still sick and they want more money and tests. Thought I found a good vet but no. She will probably die soon can not afford this place or any other vet any more. Update: about 3 weeks later, a friend has been giving her pennicillian shots twice a day and the problem is gone. Cost us nothing. Now why didn't these vet's just give her pennicillian????? Instead we got $160.00 blood test that told us nothing!!! For shame!!!