Arlington Animal Clinic Arlington, Massachusetts

Arlington Animal Clinic is friendly with top trained DVM's who really care. There is never any kind of hard sell and they focus on what is best for your pet. Drs. Schickler and Cole have also made themselves available last minute in emergencies.

Second update: Dr. Cole gave me a call to discuss my concerns, which I really appreciated. She explained that they use the EKG as a baseline to be able to tell if an arrhythmia during surgery is preexistent or caused by the procedure. That made sense to me. She also told me that the EKG cost is $20, so I felt better that it wasn't added as a way to increase bills. I did not know that because the estimate and final receipt did not have costs broken down. It meant a lot to have this explained to me and brought back trust with the clinic. I look forward to changing this to 5 stars once the communication is improved at the Clinic. I am not sure why I wasn't offered the chance to talk to vet when I had asked twice before about the EKG. I also ran into frustrations with communication (waiting outside in the sun for pickup only to just have a 10 minute phone call, being told one thing by the reception and another by a tech, etc.) around the socially distanced appointments, which I'd expect would be a little bit smoother this far into the pandemic restrictions. I do really appreciate the new option for online vet visits for certain issues, like when my dog had an eye issue where photos were sufficient to diagnose. Update from what would have previously been a 5 star review: I have concerns that Arlington Animal Clinic may be pushing unnecessary procedures. Within the last 6-10 months they instituted a new requirement of an EKG before all surgeries, no matter what. There was no option to decline this even for my one year old dog getting neutered. This is his second surgery here; his surgery in the fall went smooth and was before this requirement. I asked about this new policy, and was told that they have found heart issues in 10 dogs under 2 which then required additional testing. I did not hear evidence that this actually prevented any adverse anesthesia outcomes though. Just like with people, the more you test, the more "problems" you find, problems that otherwise might not have been an issue for the animal. This is one reason why most cancer screenings don't start until a certain age, and why tests like full body MRIs are not recommended. I want my dog to stay healthy and I do not want to subject him to more procedures and tests than are needed. Routine EKGs are far beyond standard of care. Talking with friends, I have not heard of another local vet that does this. It isn't even a standard before all surgeries for people. If I had been presented with something about this being a new recommendation from a respected, major national vet society, I'd reconsider. The main concern I have is that this overly cautious approach, with apparently no concerns about over testing, will spill over to all animal care here. This is a procedure I was easily able to research. What will happen if I need to take my dog in for an emergency? What kinds of way above and beyond, not really useful tests will be ordered? I feel that I can't trust the judgement of this clinic anymore, and that makes me sad given the great care we have had here in the past. I haven't decided yet if I'm going to switch vets. In the end I paid for the EKG for the surgery, because it didn't seem like the right time to switch suddenly. I am still hopeful that this requirement will change or there will be some other indication that there is not a pattern of over testing here.

Friendly and caring environment. Dr. Avery was very thoughtful and thorough in my appointment and I could tell he really cares about all of the animals he meets, even the smallest ones like my hamster Wendell. Any pet owner will be lucky to have Dr. Avery as their veterinarian.

My biggest concern for other pet owners and this place would be their lack of knowledge on simple things (or purposefully giving lack of information) I was a new cat mom when I contacted this place in fear something was wrong with a stray cat I had just found. She was meowing a lot, lifting her butt up while moving her legs up and down, begging for attention (what I thought was asking for help). Turns out its a pretty common thing as this means the cat is in heat. However I was never told this when I made a simple phone call asking for guidance. instead I was told to make an emergency appointment for the clinic to be able to let me know what was wrong with her (this was after I got a call back from the veterinarian). I was charged $180 for them to come back out and tell me they didn't know what was wrong but that I should do X-rays and Ultrasound for around $700. Since it'd be a large sum of money I took her home to think about it. By this time I looked up my cats actions, to which I instantly found out just meant she was in heat. The neutering surgery alone can cost up to 700$. Why wasn't I suggested this instead? overall disappointed and could never trust any information that comes out of this place.

What a GREAT place! Every single person that works there was super nice to me & my puppy. The receptionists were wonderful, the vet tech was gentle and kind, the doctor was also gentle and kind, plus he explained everything (instead of just saying what I should do, explained the options and the benefits of each), they were very gentle giving him his shots. Then the next day I was so amazed, they texted me to ask how my puppy was feeling after having gotten his shots the previous day! I had chosen this place simply because it's near my house, now I'm so glad I did because they're the BEST! Highly recommend!! As I always mention in my reviews when relevant, going here supports a local small business.

I have been taking my dogs to Arlington Animal Clinic for 43 years. The last 18 years were for my service dogs which along with an electric wheelchair, I relied on for assistance and independence. They always received excellent care from their check ups to when it was time to put them down. Because of my disability I always requested that when it was time to put the dog down if it would be possible to do this at my house. I always made the request well in advance. I understood this was not their policy, but they always honored my request. I lived less than 5 minutes from the clinic and transporting a dying dog can be difficult in a wheelchair. My first 2 service dogs were treated with kindness and compassion right until the end. The first week in August my current service dog suddenly became ill with a kidney infection. She was treated at the clinic, then hospitalized. Antibiotics didn’t work and she was given a finite time to live. I made the decision to keep her going until she refused food and the clinic agreed to care for her til the end, and I thought, with assistance euthanizing her at home. I took her twice a week to the clinic to have her hydrated by injecting water under her skin. She was treated compassionately every visit, but was visually going downhill. The last Saturday in September she stopped eating. Her stomach hurt so much she wouldn’t lay down. When I got her to lay down, she would not get up. It was very difficult to watch this young, once healthy dog suffer like this and not be able to help her. I was waiting for Monday morning to call the clinic and end this. When I called, I was told the doctor on duty had not agreed to come to my house, and that the other doctor should not have made this agreement. Also, I was informed that she was too busy to help me. The only assistance I was offered was a few phone numbers of vets that will come to your house. None of these vets could come to help me. I went from having a dying dog to having a dying dog with no way to end her suffering. It's hard enough to put a dog down, but being turned away like that made it 10 times worse. Why wasn't I offered a chance to somehow get her to the clinic? Why didn’t my dog’s suffering take priority over any agreement that the vet had in mind? I feel like this doctor made this about her instead of my dog. I don't know why we were treated this way. My last memory of my dog is now more painful than it should have been because someone I relied on couldn't take the time to help me out.

Very patient with my high anxiety dog! Accommodating to whatever he needed!

Been coming here for over a decade, two different dogs. Doctors, technicians, and staff are top grade. They truly love the animals they care for. I wouldn't go anywhere else.

Amazing group of staff, it was my first time at AAC, they made me feel so welcome and so special, they toke the time to really listen to my concern regarding my pet, and the Love and care that they showed really touched me. Keep doing a great job. Dr Avery, Thank you so much for how you took care of Kimmy.. Thank you all!

I have always had a good experience at the clinic. Smart vets and very knowledgeable and personable vet techs. Knowledgeable and courteous receptionist.

Overpriced and you’ll often wait days for even urgent visits. The care *is* good but you’ll pay $68 just to get your dog’s glands expressed when other local vets charge $20-30 tops. They also never do anything in front of the client, the pet is always taken into the back room for shots/procedures and the owner isn’t allowed to go along which is sketchy to me. Sticking with them mostly due to proximity and the fact that other vets aren’t taking new clients during the pandemic.

Compassionate care at the end of my cat's life. Every person in the office is caring.

Wonderful staff! Doctor kindly explained all of our options for our guinea pig. He was very good at explaining what he was checking for, what he was seeing, and why each test was necessary.

Louie had a significant cough. I called in the morning and was able to make an appointment that afternoon. Dr Avery couldn’t have been nicer or more professional. He checked Louie thoroughly and assured me it was not serious

The doctor and nurse took very gentle care of my pet .

I've been taking my dog to this clinic for about 3 years. They are very competent. My only complaint would be the time it takes to see a Dr. but that's every vet these days.

Knowledgable, compassionate care. Our thanks to every one at the clinic.

Had an exceptionally wonderful experience with our first new puppy wellness exam. Percy is a wild tiger and the staff and Dr. Oppold were enthusiastic, supportive and knowledgeable. I think Percy genuinely had a good time despite getting his 3 month booster shots! I appreciated all of the advice I received about diet, behavior, and Percy's specific health needs. Looking forward to future visits!

Our 12.5 year old chocolate lab sees Dr. Cole at Arlington Animal clinic. We are very happy with the service and the care Dr. Cole and her staff gives our dog. Dr. Cole thinks out of the box and recommended acupunture for our dog's arthritis in stead of a lot of medicine/pills.

They took care of my pet ,the doctor and nurse handled her with care .

Amazing staff, incredibly gifted vet (speaking specifically about Dr. Schickler, assume all are great!!). Dr. Schickler is extremely knowledgeable, caring, and has a wonderful way with our dog(s) and cat. Far beyond any other vet we have ever been to in the 3 decades we have have had pet family members. All service clinic - during Covid they rose to the occasion and didn’t skip a beat. Truly a rare find. 10/10!!

Dr. Avery is a very good Vet.

A little difficult to communicate during this pandemic. They’ve always been wonderful to our pets!

Always very reliable and professional your love for my big boy Thunder is very much appreciated ????

We love Dr. Cole, she is very knowledgeable and makes our puppy feel safe, and the tech are also very nice and sweet, which makes the cost of the visits worth it. Unfortunately the receptionists are not very polite and we truly dread making calls to the office because we know we are going to have a bad experience. We have dealt with theme enough times to know it is not a bad attitude on a bad day kind of situation so we hope there is a change there because we really like our vet.

Brought my poor rocky there today and got some of the most outstanding care and service possible, between the doctor and the staff they answered any of my questions and concerns

Awesome people who love animals

I have had 3 cats and all of them have gotten fabulous care at The Arlington Animal Clinic on Broadway. I trust them completely. One of my cats was unfortunately diagnosed with cancer and she had to be put down because she was in so much pain. As any pet owner knows this is incredibly difficult. The staff was so professional, they handled the entire process with such kindness even making sure we were ok. I highly recommend them to all pet owners.

Minette wanted to say thank you for taking care of her.

I love Arlington Animal Clinic! My pup is always treated so beautifully and the staff are all so incredibly sweet. They are very easy to get in touch with and they always know it is me and who my pup is. I could not recommend this vet enough!