Dogwood Labradors, a breeder of English show and work lines, has been a loyal client of Big River Veterinary Service for over two decades. We have watched Big River Veterinary Service perform emergency surgeries, teaching surgeries and general maintenance with our dogs that other vets can not do! Along with this, their pricing is very fair, and we don't have to travel very far to get this "top-notch service". Their staff is friendly and we know they really care about the health and well being of our dogs. Because of the personalized service, attention to detail and quality of care we have not seen matched anywhere, we would not consider another vet in the area and could not more highly recommend Big River Veterinary Service.

My cat started losing weight when he was almost 10 yrs old. His old vet couldn't tell me what was wrong. so I tried Big River. My cat had a kidney stone. Can you imagine the pain that he would have endured if I hadn't tried Big River? My cat-buddy, Arthur's Legend, had been through many vet visits in his life, but Big River's tech man, Dennis, was the first human that Arthur had ever asked for. So, even though it was nearly an hour's drive, round trip, I switched to Big River and vet trips became easier than I had ever seen. Arthur trusted the whole team, but just LOVED Dennis, and although Arthur might still object to some treatments (e.g. the enema!) he never came home traumatized again. As Arthur aged, he needed to go in a little more often for blood tests because things can go pear-shaped quickly in older cats. Blood tests were never, ever a "big deal" with Big River Techs. As Arthur aged, Dr. Cardosa always made time for my best little buddy and ALWAYS ALWAYS was right on the money with his diagnoses/treatments. In Arthur's 18th+ year, his kidneys started to fail for real, and Dr. Cardosa taught me how to give subcutaneous fluids which gave Arthur and me an extra year and a half of joy!! Priceless! As Arthur continued to age and started to fail more, the long car ride was hard on him, and one Friday night he started showing blood in urine,so that Saturday (BigRiver is closed Sats) I took him to his old vet for an update visit. BIG MISTAKE! The old local vet traumatized him for a mere blood test. she pulled out a hunk of hair on his neck and blinded him (raised blood pressure detached retinas). When I got home, I could see that something was really wrong, so I called and her answering service refused to call her for me at 3 minutes past 5:pm!! (There is a slight chance of improvement if blood pressure is brought down in a hurry). Also, during the visit,she refused to X-ray (I wondered if the kidney stone had multiplied) and she put him on antibiotics for a PRESUMED UTI (unnecessarily). On Monday, Dr. Cardosa X-rayed and found that the blood was from many stones and crystals throughout. Dr. Cardosa was able to give me the "heads up" that this could be the beginning of the real end. A long weekend was coming up and I told Dr. Cardosa that if Arthur's end was near, I did NOT want to be driving up to Ocean State in holiday weekend traffic with a carsick and dying cat. With his usual compassion and problem-solving skills, Dr Cardosa gave me meds so that Arthur and I could decide when it was "time" and to let us say goodbye in our own home and on our own terms. Arthur was sound asleep when we drove through the holiday traffic to Ocean State for the final "euthanization". If there is any way a vet could be better, I surely can't imagine it. Price? Gosh, I'm not sure what the other reviewers could mean. Dr. Cardosa always did his very best to keep the price down, and I cannot remember all the "breaks" and "freebies" he gave us. Sure, vets are expensive, and I can understand peoples' "shock". But it is not their salary you are paying for: it is the horrific profits that BigPharm,, equipment suppliers et al. are raking in that are driving up costs. Furthermore, you get what you pay for. How happy do you think I was to pay the other vet's cheaper bill for blinding my cat, having her refuse my request for X-ray. and then pump unnecessary antibiotics into him? There are many other instances where Dr. Cardosa demonstrated his superior diagnostic skill, but this is long enough. If I get another pet, I will go back to Big River always, because I am willing to pay what I consider to be a more-than-fair price for a vet whom I can trust to give the smartest, most compassionate care to my animal companion.

All the personal at Big River are very caring individuals. I have been associated with Big River since 1995. Dr. Cardozza came to our house on a daily basis to attend to our Shepard that had bone cancer. When we got our lab Sasha he performed two surgeries on her hip. Sasha went to Big River for 16 years. We now have another lab Marley who has been seeing Dr. Cardozza for 4 years. He is the best vet around who gives extreme care to his patiences. I highly recommend Big River to anyone that has a pet.

Cannot say enough about the care and service received by everyone at Big River Veterinary Services...We become proud owners of our dog 3 years ago and sought recommendations from friends on Facebook for a local Vet. Without a doubt, Big River had the most recommendations and we have been highly satisfied from day one. Caring, compassionate and friendly people and always on schedule for Jaz's appointments.

I have been bringing my "aussie" to Big River since I got him at 12 weeks. He is now 5 yrs. old. I cannot praise Dr. Dan enough for all the kindness and care he has treated my Cosmo with. He is always available or will make time for emergencies that come up. The entire staff at Big River has been nothing but friendly, kind and compassionate to my boy, but just as much to my husband and I. I will never go anywhere else!