I have taken my mini-schnauzer here for several years. They helped save her life when she found a "toy" pill bottle in a visiting friends purse. They also keep great records and were able to determine her seasonal allergies based on the timing of yearly skin problems. They have ALWAYS been friendly, and pricing is MUCH more realistic than the "big box" options. Not to mention the fact that they don't try to scare you into pointless services. Although I am sure they have made mistakes in the past with some, I would like to meet the person that hasn't. When they thought they had made a mistake with my schnauzer, they went OUT OF THEIR WAY to make sure they resolved the problem. Overall, A+. Just waiting for them to start treating humans too.

I've been taking my pets to this vet since 1999 (cats and dogs). They were able to extend the life of my former dog by many years when he had cancer. However, my more recent experience with them has not been as good. The floors in their examination rooms have a disturbing amount of dirt built up around the edges, which grosses me out every time I visit. The last time our dog boarded with them, she got pneumonia. Treatment for this cost me $800, after the cost of the boarding. They used to work with online prescription services so that it was convenient to save costs by using them, but now they refuse to do so and require the owner of the pet to get a written prescription to be mailed to the prescription service. I can understand not wanting to help your competition, but their prescription prices are significantly higher and this seems to be a policy in their own interest and not in the best interest of their patients.Finally, there are several veterinarians who work at this facility. When the one who has been primarily treating my pets over the years left, the reception staff did not tell me she was no longer there. Instead, they just made appointments for me with other vets without being honest with me that she left the practice. Why not just say that Dr so and so will no longer be available here so I can quit asking for her? Overall they are a competent practice, with many convenient offerings, but they appear to be increasingly heading in the direction of being in business for making money more than caring for pets.

Dr. Hentges, the main vet at Animal Medical West, is a wonderful doctor who is brilliant and compassionate and highly skilled. He saved my dog's life when other vets in Charleston did not have a clue as to what was wrong. He also does not try to bleed you dry financially. I would not take my animals anywhere else except to him.

I had just moved here and was told by a friend to use them. We had my dog have surgery with them. They cut out two lumps and asked if I wanted them to be biopsied. They recommended I only send one out since they looked the same. I did and it came back cancerous. However I have now learned that they should have told me to biopsy both of them. When we went back to get the staples out which was part of the very expensive fee they added on another fee for the doctor walking into the room and saying "I hope he is feeling better." When I called to discuss the fee, they were rude and hung up on me. They also were pushing my husband and I to make a decision about doing chemo on our dog without giving us time to think about it. If I were you I would go somewhere else. I will not be dealing with them ever again!