Shepherd Animal Hospital Duluth, Georgia

Fast, friendly, and cost effective

This clinic is open on the weekends. Office visits are very reasonable. Staff was friendly. I called two days later with questions, they called me back very quickly with vet answers and also called the next day to check on my dog. One word of concern: labs consisting of blood and fecal were around $200. This did not include parvo test as my dog had a shortlived gastrointestinal problem. Visit wound up running a bit over $300. With office visit, labs and $50 in meds.

My dog had a severe grand mal seizure around 5 pm on a Friday, and the only vet that was close and open at that time was Shepherds. They fit us in, and we’re incredibly kind and compassionate as I was inconsolable over my boy’s health. They were thorough in their exams and bloodwork, and actually discovered that he does not have epilepsy, he had dangerously low thyroid levels. I had previously spent over $10k at other vets trying to find a diagnosis and help with his seizures, and shepherds found it in one visit. A few months later and with the recommended thyroid treatment he hasn’t had a seizure since that day in August, and he is back to his old self vs being on deaths door. I am so grateful for the team at this vet.

My pet Romeo had surgery, he was taken care with lots of love.

Friendly staff Professional vet Definitely would recommend

We scheduled a new patient appointment. The process was easy. The staff that answered the phone was friendly. The purpose of the visit was to request an x-ray and trim our dog's nails. The tech took our dog for this work. About 20 minutes later, the tech and Vet returned with him and said that they could not perform either service because he was too anxious! Instead of apologizing for the inconvenience, we felt that the Vet was blaming us for the problem. This is despite the fact that we told them that our other dog (we have two dogs who were siblings) died two weeks ago and we thought that could be one of the reasons for his anxiety. In general, there was a general lack of empathy. The Vet recommended medication to calm him. The injection was $70. The pill form required us to set up another appointment. We will let the read decide whether the Vet should have been able to perform these services. We are not returning to this Vet.

A stray kitty who made our porch her home seven years ago suddenly seemed lethargic, her eye was running and she wasn't eating. I suspected an URI. My regular vet couldn't see her for five days (it was a holiday weekend) and I knew Ellie would only get worse. I heard about Shepherd from a local rescue group and that they were open 7 days a week. I called them on a Saturday morning and was able to get her in that morning to be seen. Very friendly, professional staff. The vet confirmed the URI and, with permission, checked a few other things out. Was able to get meds for Ellie quickly and affordably. I will use Shepherd again and will recommend them to others in the area.

I dropped my puppy off for boarding for two days and when I picked him up he was sick and covered in pee. Staff said they "rinsed his feet off". He had very bad diarrhea, which makes me think he was left in his crate all day and ate his accidents because he had nothing else to do. I've never boarded a dog before but due to this experience I probably won't ever again.

I had to bring in a clients dog to be put to sleep. She had collapsed at my home on Saturday. They fit us in, we'd never been there. Unfortunately xrays showed heart failure and she was suffering. I brought her back the next day. They were kind, compassionate..the vet explained the process, then asked me if I was ready to give the final shot. I LOVE that they are open on weekends. I and many wish they were 24 hours. We need that so much in our area. ..

Found this place through a friend who highly recomend to go here, The doctor is so nice and was so understanding of of my situation. Anyone and everyone is welcomed here:)

I love this place and my dog Savoy too ❤️ excellent costumer service ????

I cannot day enough good things about Shepard Animal Hospital . Dr. Val and her staff are extremely Professional and sensitive to every situation I’ve run into with my sick pets …

My Dog got spayed and they literally left stitches on him after supposed to be removed Called in because I’m concerned about it …

Had a last minute, non-emergency issue. These folks took me and my pet with very short advance notice, quickly assessed the problem, and provided a range of options for solving it. Was impressed by the professionalism, and also to the genuine concern resonated by staff for the animals in their care. Will definitely visit again, even if not local (I am not from the area)

This is an awesome place! I experienced the worst days of my life and Carly was excellent the entire way through it! Your babies will be well taken care of for sure! The entire staff is helpful and patient! Thank you all for you guys did for Dublin

It was one of the few locations I could find open on the weekend. Took my dog in and got good results. The medication provided was exactly what my dog needed to get better. Service was good.

Horrible Customer Service. My parents went to take their cat to get her shots and heart worm check, and they weren't treated kindly. The young lady that attended them was rude and cold. She opens the door one inch, and asks their name and my elderly mother asked "My name or the cats name?". The young lady released a Snarky laugh at her and says "This is your first time huh?" in a ridiculing tone. I dont understand why the impudent attitude. My mother started filling out the paper work and then decided she would rather take her $220 to another company that actually have people skills. I notice this place has great reviews, so im assuming this person must be new. As a business owner I understand the importance of human relations and great customer service and from experience bad empolyees can kill a business. My suggestion is to treat customers with the same respect you would treat an animal. After all they are the ones paying!

Dr. Vavilapalli and her staff are amazing! Shepherd Animal Hospital is the best place to take your furry babies. When my golden retriever Peanut started panting and acting unlike her normal self, I quickly took her to her usual vet, Banfield. After many stressful and expensive testing, they couldn’t do anything for her. So I took her to Shepherd’s. Dr. Vavilapalli took one look at her and agreed with my suspicions of DCM, dilated cardiomyopathy, caused by either taurine deficiency, grain free diet, or a congenital condition. When I brought that up to the vets at Banfield, they brushed it aside and acted as if I was just another “google researcher” with too much time on her hands. Dr. Vavilapalli was very understanding and informative even though I can be a little bit of a “know it all.” Shepherd’s has a curbside service only, but seeing how Peanut was becoming so stressed with my leaving her, I was allowed into one of the private rooms with her and even in the back so she could get an x-ray. Banfield did not even take that into consideration and told me that they couldn’t even do a simple x-ray because she was turning purple from anxiety. Anyway, after the X-ray, (which Peanut tolerated fine because I was allowed to talk to her during the whole thing from outside the door) Dr. Vavilapalli was very straightforward with her diagnosis and prognosis. She told me exactly what I needed to hear in order to make the right decision for Peanut. I could clearly see in the X-ray how bad it looked. She had so much fluid buildup in her chest and belly from her heart starting to fail. She also had a collapsed lung. Dr. Vavilapalli helped me make the most hardest decision in my life. I decided to have her euthanized that day instead of putting Peanut through anymore pain and suffering. They even offer at home euthanasia, but I didn’t want to put my 3 kids through that. I could write so much more about how great everyone at Shepherd Animal Hospital was and helped me through one the worst times, but it is still so difficult for me. My husband told me we even received a card afterwards, but I still haven’t been able to read it. It’s been over 3 weeks and I haven’t been able to bring Peanut’s ashes home still. Dr. Vavilapalli said they would keep her ashes there until we were ready. I was a wreck and Dr. Vavilapalli personally walked me out the side door to my car afterwards. From now on, we only take our other German Shepherd puppy, Pepper, to Shepherd Animal Hospital. The cost is also very affordable. Thank you to Dr. Vavilapalli and all the staff for being so great!

The past 3 weeks had been tough. We brought our furkid Gizmo in for what we thought was a urinary infection. We conducted some reasonable checkup procedures related to what we thought were GI issues, but the medication was not helping the situation. Over the course of 7 days we visited Shepard 4 times, and every visit was granted despite only a few minutes of advance notice. We were only charged for lab work and meds for follow up visits. On the last checkup with Shephard, Dr. Vavilapalli suspected something else was amiss and found the lump near the prostate. She immediately gave us guidance on emergency next steps, as she suspected something dire was afoot and believed that time was of the essence. She knew about the COVID vet care scheduling back log, and found us a workaround through UGA's ER center. She expediently processed the referral AND vet record/ultrasound/Xray transferal at 4pm on a Friday, and Gizmo was at UGA ER by 6pm. UGA had Gizmo's records before we arrived. Later we learned that Dr. Vavilapalli suspected prostate cancer but didn't definitively give us the prognosis, as not to press us into a state of unnecessary panic (UGA took 2 days to firm up a diagnosis) - thoughtful and appreciated. The following days at UGA had highs and lows. Gizmo tried to use his cuteness to be adopted by the hospital staff - and he nearly succeeded. Dr. Vavilapalli coordinated with UGA's staff on care. Together, Gizmo's cuteness and Dr. Vavilapalli's persuasion helped us get a next day (after labor day) appointment for Gizmo in Oncology - incredible since the earliest appointment we could get through normal means was 21 days later due to COVID back log (unacceptable since mean survival time of prostate cancer was 30 days). Dr. Vavilapalli answered our calls and talked with us throughout the process. Once again, she gave us the "low down" real talk. She told us what she thought of the situation, and what she would do if Gizmo was her dog. We were split as to next steps because the UGA Vet internalist (who fell for Gizmo) thought Gizmo was an excellent candidate for radiation, but Dr. Vavilapalli thought Gizmo was in pain and too small to have to endure the treatment. Despite Dr. Vavilapalli's reservations, she deferred to who she declared "the smartest minds in veterinary medicine" - the Vets at UGA. She never once tried to convince us one way or another. During the oncology appointment the following day, Gizmo's health took a turn for the worse. Unfortunately, Dr. Vavilapalli was spot on about little dogs and cancer: organ failure soon follows - Gizmo started experiencing acute kidney failure :( Gizmo had a week at most - and the end would be painful. We took Gizmo home and planned to make his next day as wonderful as possible before we helped him on his way. The next day, we took Gizmo to a spot that he enjoyed high up in the mountains - he seemed happy and found his final resting spot overlooking the valley and hills below. On short notice, Shephard animal hospital provided us a long uninterrupted time slot in the middle of the day for the passing ceremony. Despite mostly curbside vet service due to COVID, they provided us a room indoors, even allowing our other furkids to join us. Dr. Vavilapalli let us hold Gizmo while the final injection was delivered. Gizmo passed in seconds. The process was peaceful and felt natural. Upon Gizmo's passing, we were provided privacy for our other dogs to say goodbye and some time to grieve and try to collect ourselves. The total treatment time elapsed was unfortunately a short two weeks. However, we were fortunate in that Shepherd provided us with undeniably personalized, attentive, and compassionate service. They provided us every opportunity possible to help Gizmo in his time of need. Shortly thereafter, we received the fateful but thoughtful condolence card - signed by their entire staff. Gizmo Born 12.01.08 / Adopted 07.04.16 - 09.10.20 Rest in Peace little one Thanks for all your affection and happy butt wiggles. Till we meet again.

Great vet office! Had to have emergency surgery on one of my fur babies on a Sunday afternoon and my regular vet was closed. Their service was amazing! Pricing is very reasonable, and they call to follow up on your fur baby a few days later. This is my new vet office for all my fur babies from now on.

For me it is a very satisfieed place for my puppy and is in really good hands .

Brought my cat with respitory issues...I kept being turned down by all the vets I called until I found Shepherd Animal Hospital. I was given an immediate appointment the check in process was fast, due to covid I had to wait and stay in my car while my baby was being checked but right away I received a phone call from the vet giving me details and options for my pet's care I was out the door in a blink of an eye with my cat and her medicine, I was surprised that the consultation and medicine fees were reasonable (I was expecting a high bill considering the emergency, but that was not the case) the staff and vet were very friendly, polite, professional, and handled my baby with care. I highly recommen Shepherd Animal Hospital...Thank you all for the great service!????

I visited this facility to do wellness checkup for my Dog! I met with very nice staff. Dr. Vavilapalli was thorough and very transparent while providing me option for his next heart worm and tick medication. She provided me few good tips to check my dog weight under control . Their prices are very competitive with online pharmacy and much better than other vet shops. I would go back again!

The dr and staff took time with my dog, listened to my concerns and were very thorough with examination and testing prior to dispensing any medication. A thoughtful and professional office, I definitely recommend.

I was very impressed with Dr. V at Shepherd Animal Hospital in Duluth. Unfortunately our sweet 12 yr old cat Chico was in liver and kidney failure probably due to thyroid issues. We had to make the hard decision to put him down.Dr. V is very knowledgeable and compassionate and I’ve decided to make her our regular vet.

Shepherd Animal Hospital has been great to me and "Miracle Boy Oliver"....Dr. Val & staff have a wonderful beside manner! They are compassionate, efficient & fast...They took great care of our little boy! We would highly recommend...

This place is great! Our doggo, Mimi, is 80 years old & I called because she was limping and visibly in pain; avoiding walking and stairs. From the first phone call to the initial visit, the staff was wonderful! They were so sympathetic …

Very kind and understanding vet and staff. My animals seem much more comfortable and less stressed there than the previous vet office.

The staff there are amazing - very nice, calm, and caring. DMV Vavilapalli took a lot of time to examine my dog and explained everything to me. They gave me the price of the procedure prior to performing it, without me having to ask, which is great. The prices are reasonable. I plan to use this place as my regular vet.

This place was awesome! Great staff, no complaints. Highly recommend