This is the Vet that I am suggesting NO ONE takes their animal to. I learned the hard way why it is foolish not to do research on where you are bringing your animal. I simply googled Waltham Vet and chose the one closest to me. When I made the appointment this week, the gal who answered the phone is also the Vet (the only Vet)....a bit of a red flag, but, I still made the appointment. I told her it was an appt for a dental cleaning and a rabies vaccine. I also informed her that I had a walk to do today and would pick him up after the walk (she never mentioned at that point that they close at noon). When I got there this morning at 7:30, I noticed stains on the floor in the reception area.....and tons of dust. The desk was a visible mess.....peoples files/medicines.....you name it. The Vet greeted me and immediately showed me the room. She did NOT have me fill out any paperwork (another red flag). The room she put us in was filthy. Wally was already growling and hissing (normal for him....he hates the vet). The Vet was alone, meaning she had no help! (another red flag). She wanted ME to get him out of his carrier so she could give him a tranquilizer shot. She had tossed a urine stained towel (the urine was not washed out....it was hard/crusty and SMELLED FOUL) at me suggesting I try to wrap him in that. Well, that is impossible for me to do alone (she had left the room). At this point, I was almost in tears and felt guilty and trapped. I got Wally out, and he found an area to 'hide'.....it was visible to me and the vet, but he would not move. At that point, she came in and I said with an attitude "I can't do this alone, don't you have any help?". She then left the room and came back with those really long poles with the wire loop.....what you might see when catching a wild animal!!!!!! As she was getting it around his head, he was beside himself with fear. he was biting the pole and peeing!!!! (that's a first for him). I then noticed his mouth was bleeding. I was about to lose it. She managed to give him the shot and then we left him there. FAST FORWARD: The moment I get to the race in Swampscot ( an hour away from waltham), the vet calls saying he could be picked up at 10:30. AGAIN, I reminded her that I had a walk to do and I was an hour away. I told her I would get there immediately after. She sighed and said 'but we close at noon'.....I got annoyed and said 'I TOLD YOU TWO TIMES THAT I WAS WALKING, AND YOU NEVER MENTIONED WHEN YOU CLOSED UNTIL NOW' She then said 'fine, i will stay open and wait'. FAST FORWARD: I arrive at 12:45 and get Wally. The Vet refers to him as 'she.....'. Not once did she mention that he was still loopy....I paid $535.00 and drove home. I let him out of his carrier and he can barely walk......Ugh, I feel so bad.

We had not established a local vet yet, and were in need of one due to a bit of an emergency. They took us in and were very friendly. Dr. Merola explained everything to us and had a good sense of humor to boot. Our dog was pretty relaxed around the vet staff, though I think she was happy to get back in the car. Parking is a little tight, so we just pulled up alongside the building.

I took my cat here for what ended up being fatty liver disease and had the worst experience ever. The doctor never listened to what I had to say and I had to repeat everything at least 5 times. She prescribed Denosyl, which comes in tablet form only, and when my cat kept throwing it up, she kept telling me to sprinkle it on some food. Since it's a tablet and not a capsule, it's impossible to sprinkle in food AND according to her directions it was supposed to be given an hour before any food or else it wouldn't absorb properly. I suggested giving some Nutri-Cal to my cat to bring her weight up and she dismissed me, claiming that it was the same as Laxatone, which it isn't. Nutri-Cal is digestable and full of calories and nutrients, whereas Laxatone is a flavored petroleum product to help cats digest hairballs. HUGE DIFFERENCE, especially for someone who is allegedly a VET. She gave me very bad advice on how to treat my cat, and 2 months later I took her to a different vet and her liver enzymes had tripled. Fortunately she's in treatment now, but if we would have stayed with this vet I may have a dead cat now. Be careful! I'm not sure who gave this vet excellent reviews but I would definitely avoid this place!

Dr. Merola is fantastic. She treats our animals professionally and is knowledgable about their needs. She is easy to work with and flexible with scheduling. Pricing is competitive. Highly recommended.