Westside Animal Clinic Worcester, Massachusetts

These people are so ignorant that they almost killed my dog. They failed to diagnose my dog properly when he had diabetes for a year. It took us to do our own research on the internet to find out the symptoms point to diabetes. Then our dog went into a catatonic state. West side told us our dog was drinking copious amounts of water and peeing for 5 minutes straight “just because it’s hot out and he’s just tired”. We were told his foot irritation was completely normal and just to “Leave it alone”-Westside animal clinic. I wouldn’t take my pet here if it was the last thing I do.

From the moment you walk into Westside, you and your animal companion are greeted with friendly receptionists. We were seen quickly by Dr. Palermo who was just wonderful. There is a strong loving and compassionate energy flowing through the entire building - just walking in on our first visit I knew Westside was going to be great. They were conscious of our wallets, as before every test or vaccine during Nova's wellness exam we were asked if we would like to proceed with it. We needed x-rays for a specialist on short notice and Westside was able to squeeze us in, which we are so thankful for. Just great communication, accommodation, and compassion at Westside. Both myself and my dog are looking forward to our next visit! :) You all are awesome!

Service and care have dramatically gone down hill since the business has changed hands.

I cannot recommend Westside Animal Clinic enough. The entire team is kind, compassionate and extremely responsive. Most importantly, our dog is extremely scared at the vet and requires extra precautions. the entire practice has been understanding, accommodating and most meaningfully to me, nonjudgmental. Your animals are in very loving and knowledgeable care here!

My family has always had pets, this is the best practice I’ve used, and have been with them for a few years and plenty of well visits, sick visits and a neuter surgery. You don’t get referred to specialists for basic stuff and office staff and techs are so professional, organized, and it’s well run. I have 2 large dogs and a cat. They see the same Dr for routine care and I’ve been very impressed with the Dr’s my dogs have had for sick visits as well. They are very up front with their treatment plan, recommended workup and costs. Veterinary care isn’t cheap no matter what, and all of their Dr’s have been spot on. My younger dog’s surgery for getting neutered was impressive. He came home comfortable and his recovery was perfect, very well managed.

If there was a way to give negative stars I would definitely give that after the unprofessional way we were treated this morning. When doctor Murphy owned this business it was all about the health of the animals exactly how it should be. I already know what their going to say when they read this so I'll go first...I haven't brought my dog in for a while. During covid I kept him home and safe, we did clinics and as long as he wasn't sick he didn't need to go into a vets office. I adopted titan from Westside and dr Murphy and have always brought him there because I trusted them with him. Titan git a bad cut on his head the other day while playing with our younger dog. We needed him to go in and be seen and possibly get antibiotics for him. When we called a very rude person informed us that because it's been a while and they dropped him as a client and have no time for "new" clients! He's not a new client...it's the only vet he's actually a client of except for the clinics that I have mentioned. They told us to take him to tufts and hung up rudely. We actually called another vet and he's being seen in a couple of hours by a vet who has time for new clients. I am so disappointed in the path that this clinic has taken after it was sold by wonderful people who really cared about the clients and not the money. I can tell so many compationite stories about how Westside used to be when the owners cared. Titans files will be transferred to another vet, if they still have them because you know "he's not their client anymore ". Very unbelievable...don't ever bring your pets here!

Very helpful information, treatment, and hope.

tl;dr: If you're considering taking your pet(s) to Westside, PLEASE read recent reviews before committing. As others have noted, the client experience at Westside has shifted dramatically since the practice changed hands a couple of years ago. Our four (now three) cats have been patients for just over a decade, and we always had positive experiences. In the past two years or so, however, we've noticed the following: 1. Difficulty scheduling a short-notice visit when we thought our cat seemed out of sorts. - Example: We were told that the office books two months out; unfortunately, once we were finally able to get our cat into the office, our only remaining option was euthanasia or a blood transfusion, which we were told likely would not succeed. (Though we appreciate the condolence card that the office sent out afterwards). 2. Encouraged to order expensive tests that would put a great deal of stress on the pet, even though the doctor admitted that the test likely would not be conclusive. - Example: Sedation and an $800+ ultrasound for a cat who lost weight since his last visit, and has no symptoms of illness. - This new "upselling" tactic is evidenced, too, by the subscription service they now offer. 3. Abysmal communication between clients, front desk, and veterinary team. There are a number of new front desk staffers who vary in their empathy and competence. - Example: We were told to expect bloodwork results within 24 hours. A comedy of errors ensued ("actually, that lab can take up to 48 hours", "The doctor is out of the office today", "It looks like someone called you yesterday", etc.), and we finally acquired the bloodwork results after 8 phone conversations over the course of 5 business days. As a concerned pet parent, this was distressing and raised concerns that the office either had not actually drawn blood or that they had lost the sample. - Example: New, automated appointment reminder system that staff evidently have not been trained to use. We regularly receive erroneous texts and postcards encouraging us to come in for vaccines that we are up to date on, despite multiple phone calls to the office asking to correct the error. Obviously, this raises a concern that certain vaccines were never actually administered, even though we were charged for them, and that our pets are not adequately protected from preventable illnesses. 4. Concern over quality of care: - While the office has excellent COVID-19 safety protocols in place to protect its staff, because we cannot go into the exam room with our pets, it's not possible to know whether a vaccine or test was actually administered. - After a vaccine appointment, we dealt with lethargy, no appetite, shivering, and a limp with two of the three cats. We were not warned about these side effects, which lasted for about a day, and while all cats are fine now, it was understandably concerning. **UPDATE July 2021 (original review from May 2021): Transferred Ollie, Patrick, and Marvin's records to VCA Abbott, who have been nothing short of amazing: responsive, communicative, and empathetic to our concerns. They offer same-day sick pet visits (see #1, above--no more waiting 2+ months!) and they quoted us just $400 for the same ultrasound procedure that Westside wanted to charge $800+ for (see #2, above). Such a relief to have trustworthy veterinary care providers after so many recent missteps at Westside!

Staff is always caring and professional. Doctor's really care for pets. It's more than a paycheck. Both owners and pets are treated with the care and understanding, that has been the tradition at Westside.

Horrible experience at this clinic. They do not respect your time and blame you for their mistakes on their part without trying to make it right. I had a scheduled appointment, weeks in advance and arrived on time. When I tried to check in I was told that my appointment was at a different time and I had the wrong time and that nothing could be done. I was so annoyed that I drove back home to retrieve the card to be sure that I had not made this error and drove back to Westside with appointment card in hand. I would understand if there was a pet emergency or if they acknowledged their error; instead they blamed me and assumed that I was trying to "get over". I have used this establishment for over twenty years and I'm not sure if it's new ownership or what... but there has been a significant decline in customer service and respect. Save yourself the frustration and find a more professional establishment.

I was referred here by my coworker and I am very pleased with my visit. Dr. Kawai was amazing and took her time(20 minutes) over the phone to thoroughly explain everything going on with my fur baby, Cookie. She answered all of my questions and I did not feel rushed which I am very grateful for. Thank you all for being professional and providing great service.

R.I.P to my best friend and child ???????? forever loved so heart broken, Thank you westside animal clinic for all the years you took care of my baby wonderful staff!

I love this animal clinic; they are very good about getting you in if your animal needs a visit. Their COVID protocol is very good. Additionally, when told that I had a reactive dog, they brought her out another door to lessen her stress.

I have been taking my dog to Westside Animal Clinic for 7 years + and has be always had an extremely positive and professional experience. The staff there are always friendly. The Vets are amazing and have always been completely honest.

They are extremely caring, attentive and willing to help in any way. We receive the best care, the best service and the most useful advice for our beagle. We can't do it without them and we are extremely grateful to have them on our side. Evita our beagle is one happy and healthy little pup!!!

Love the staff working there, nevet had an issue with them. Always responsive, very friendly, and very professional.

Used to be good, but expensive. Known for too many tests, and will not tell you the whole story of what happened to your pet. My Boston was limping after the last curbside service, I will not bring her there again. I used to recommend to my adopters as I am a foster volunteer, no more.

Very helpful and compassionate, patient and caring

Friendly & personable, I truly feel these doctors and the veterinarian assistants care for our furry family members.

We’ve been going to WAC for over 20 years, are animals are cared for and loved by staff. You get personal and highly skilled care for your pet. Amazing staff!!!

I've gone here forever for each and everyone of my dogs. Once the place was sold everything went downhill. They tried to sell me on meds that didn't apply to the problems my pup was having, almost gave my dog DOUBLE the dosage on rabies (I realized while he was in there), and even tried to sell me on a SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE. Now after I switched vets they reported to the city for dogs that I do not own. What a joke of a company. Now I have to take my time to go to city hall in a city I no longer live in just to get these imaginary dogs off my back. F you guys

Thank you to everyone at Westside Vet. Clinic for all the care and compassion you have shown over the last 30+ years for my pets. Hopefully sometime in the near future we will be able to accompany our pets in but until then Thank you all for your help and care

I’ve been brings by my pets to Westside Animal Clinic for years. They have always been professional, great with my animals, sensitive to our feelings and our dogs’ when it has been end of life. Westside has been our veterinary clinic of choice since the early 90s and we have never been disappointed.

Westside Animal is awesome for your pets health needs, big or small. We recently took Effie there for some stomach distress and they’re so attentive, the vet calls the next day to see how they’re feeling and they really care about you and your pets. They’re super responsive with phone calls. We are so glad we found them and wished we had sooner! They take the stress out of going to the vet cause their staff is so helpful and they make curbside drop off and pickup a breeze.

Very Caring Professionals whom had taken care of my cat .. Molly

I have a 5 year old dog who had his annual visit on October 2020 at the West Side Animal Clinic. During that visit Dr. Taddei suggested he needed his teeth cleaned because of a significant amount of tartar. In fact, she made me believe that it should be done ASAP. Leaving his appointment that day, I made the 1st available dental appointment for him on January 14th, with blood work done a week earlier. I was told he would have to be under general anesthesia and stay in the clinic until the end of the day to make sure he is doing OK. Fast Forward to January 14th: I dropped my dog at Westside Animal Clinic around 7:30am. About noon, I got a call from the vet, saying that the procedure went well, no teeth needed to be pulled and that my dog’s teeth were “the best I’ve has seen in a long time”. Hm, I thought it was an interesting statement since I was told in October how urgent it was to have my dog’s teeth cleaned. I picked up my dog about 5 pm, after paying slightly over $600 for the procedure in addition to the $75 I paid for the blood work a week earlier. That evening my dog was definitely groggy still feeling the effect of full anesthesia. I was told that was to be expected. Later in the evening I received an e-mail from the vet who did the dental cleaning- it was the post-op report. The following is a direct quote from this report: my dog “had a dental procedure today. He had a minimal amount of dental tartar. All the teeth were scaled and polished. Full mouth x-ray were obtained. Dog did not need any teeth extracted today.” Where is the urgency I was told about on the October visit? The following morning I called West Side Animal Clinic and talked with both the manager and Dr. Taddei. It appears my healthy dog underwent full anesthesia for a procedure that was NOT an emergency. To add insult to injury, the only excuse/explanation that they could provide me was that I did not understand the first vet’s explanation. Seriously, is it because I have a slight accent that I must not have understood? BTW, my English is just fine! My family has been bringing our dogs to West Side Animal Clinic for over 25 years. We never had any issues, particularly when Dr. Murphy was there - he was compassionate, understanding, and only provided necessary care (providing all options at each visit). When we adopted this dog, a little over 2 years ago, we never even considered other vet clinics. I learned a hard lesson today: if you want to be taking advantage of financially with little regard to your pet - West Side Animal Clinic is your place.

ALWAYS A WARM AND FRIENDLY WELCOME,CARING AND HONEST.HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, YOUR PETS ARE IN GREAT HANDS.

They are very caring and attentive to the needs of the clients and their pets.

Now owned by Pathway Vet Alliance. Dr Murphy & Dr Trom are no longer there!

Even during an unprecedented pandemic WAC continues to provide excellent patient care.