I feel very comfortable that my three dogs and two cats are getting great care at Del Ray Animal Hospital. I have seen all of the vets in the practice and have found them to be great with my pets and nice to work with. I have never had any issues with the front desk staff. All of them have been personable and easy to talk to when wrapping up my visits. Every time I call with random questions about the care of my pets, I have found the staff to be concerned about the actual outcome and it makes me feel good to know that their health means so much to those at the clinic. I have used at least three other clinics in Alexandria and have found the care to be questionable or the bedside manner to be quite subpar. Not the case at Del Ray Animal Hospital, where both are excellent. Five stars!

Great service for your pet, but make sure you understand what's going to happen in writing, not verbally. We discussed a treatment plan over the phone the day before our appointment and had an understanding of what would be done, and an estimate of how much it would cost (~$200). When I dropped our pet off, I went through a written check list of "extra services" and selected two more (adding ~$50) to my expected total. When we picked up our pet later that day, we received an itemized list including additional services totaling $491 that we did NOT request, were never told about, and weren't medically necessary - just convenient to perform while our pet was anesthetized. After several heated discussions, we had to pay the full bill to get our pet back and avoid small claims court or collections actions. Our pet is recovering well from the operation, and the medical treatment seems top notch. However, make sure you don't leave a pet with them unless you have a written estimate of exactly what will be performed.

I am a bit surprised by other reviews. I have to agree that DRAH is not cheap, however, no vet clinic is cheap. Pets health care is expensive!!! A suggestion to help with the finances is to invest in pet insuranse (VPI). Also, as I have 4 pets I opt to attend a "shot clinic" sponsored by Luv My Pets given on the weekends at local PetCo stores (call store for more information). I am also able to purchase heartwom and flea medicine at prices comparable to the internet. I find DRAH to be a perfect fit for my pets. I think the staff is very attentive and professional and both Dr.(s) Hergen and Marsico well educated, professional and always takes the time to answer my "endless" questions either in person or by telephone. Unfortunetly, that kind of personal service comes at a price. Therefore, as mentioned above I try to save money on the routine issues. If you want a cheaper alternative give Banfield a try......one visit and I was horrifid.

My dogs are cared for by Del Ray Animal Hospital and I really appreciate them. They're very helpful, have a great rapport with the animals, and really take the time to talk with me about behaviors they are exhibiting as well as any medical issues I've come in for. The staff is all so helpful and so kind and very professional. While Del Ray Animal Hospital isn't cheap, their rates are similar to other vets I have known, and the quality of the offices, the staff, and the services provided is well worth it.

I brought my cat in because he was urinating outside his box and vomiting about once a week. I told Dr. Mixson about these issues. When she weighed him I was happily surprised to learn he had lost about four pounds in fours years. Which is a great thing because he was very overwieght and now he is just mildly overweight. Next thing I now she takes him out of the room to draw blood which I assumed was to resolve the urinating and when I get up to the desk I am given a bill for nearly $300. I walked out of the clinic without any resolution to the urinating or vomiting issues but instead with over $200 in blood work. I asked the front desk for more information which they didn't have and the doctor had moved onto another patient at this point. So I called back to find out how the blood work was going to resolve the issues and the doctor told me it was to screen for a possible thyroid problem?!?! Why Dr. Mixson wouldn't have tried to treat him for a UTI and hairball problem FIRST and THEN if that wasn't the problem move on to any number of other less likely diagnosis was beyond me. After speaking with a friend who works at a vetinary clinic, I declined the blood work. Asked for an antibiotic regiment for his UTI and low and behold ten days later he is no longer urinating outside his box. I never received any resolution to the hairballs from the clinic. I went to pet smart and for $10 bought a different flavor of hairball treatment and now the vomiting is resolved as well. Dr. Mixson did nothing to resolve any of my cats issues without my direct instruction which didn't inspire a lot of confidence for me. I was VERY disappointed. And yes as alluded to in previous posts the front desk staff was not particularly polite or competent.