VCA Countryside Animal Hospital of Howell Howell, Michigan

Very thorough and answered all our questions well. The Vet and Tech listened to all our concerns. It was a positive experience and we will be back.

After calling in to make an appointment for my cat, I explained we had recently adopted a dog and I would like to bring him in for weight and heartworm preventative on a month-to-month basis until he was full grown. I was assured this wouldn’t be a problem. When I arrived for my visit they refused to weigh my dog and allow me to buy heartworm preventative. They wanted me to make another appointment on a different day to bring him back for an exam he did not need in order to be able to purchase a heartworm preventative pill. I had that paperwork showing he was up-to-date on all of his vaccines, recently altered with a negative heartworm test. If the exam stipulation would’ve been told to me over the phone I would have made him an appointment at the same time I brought my cat in. But they refused to check him then and wanted a new appointment made. Staff seems to not know what they’re talking about. Each person tells a different story and I thought this was a total money grab, requiring an examination my dog did not need. Would not recommended!

I can not find the right words to express how thankful I am for this place. I am nurodivergant and do not process emotions very well. I am definitely not one to cry at a nice card or a sad movie.. But after taking my companion of 11 years in to be put to sleep due to severe health issues it was like a rug was pulled out from under me and I just lost it. This was the worst heart break I have ever experienced in my 31 years of life. VCA not only showed me genuine care and compassion.. They showed me angel like patience and mourned with me as if it were a member of their family as well. I expected my louies ashes and paw print.. But what i didnt expect was the heart felt hand written letter and poem that came with them from VCA and than 2 weeks later an unexpected card and ink prints of my babies paws. I am literally crying right now over this kind and loving gift. I can honestly say that VCA held my hand through my loss and that I dont think I wouldve been able to get through it if it had not been for the kind hearted staff. Thank you again VCA. I look forward to returning with a new companion once my heart is truly ready to love again.

Just left with my 1 year old kitten Well check,shot,etc.first time visit... Pleased with timing,friendliness of staff,vets accurate direction and kindness of our furry family members???? And,I believed to be very reasonable in cost.ive visited 4 vet offices in my life and can compare.

I’ve been taking my dog here since we got her. Yesterday was when I felt the MOST grateful for their exceptional service. My dog wasn’t feeling well and I didn’t know what to do so I called as soon as they opened. Izzy was extremely kind and empathetic and got us in within the hour. They let me come in with her and all the receptionists greeted my dog by name. They were thorough in making sure to check EVERYTHING and provided fantastic care immediately. Izzy deserves all the praise, doctor Warren was amazing and so were the vet techs!

I can only speak based on my own experiences and I have nothing but good things to say about the staff and doctors here. They helped me foster an abandoned and neglected neighborhood cat and they've also enabled me to provide the best of care for my "furry friend" Sophie (also a rescue). Veterinary services CAN be expensive depending on the services needed and the level of care desired no matter where you go. But the folks here have always been understanding and nonjudgmental no matter what decisions I make regarding my pet's care (even regarding the most difficult decision of all, whether or not to euthenize a beloved animal). Further, they have provided me with both information and informational videos via the VCA system to help me mitigate the costs of things like dental procedures by teaching me how to be pro-active about such things myself (e.g. after several months effort I now brush my cat's teeth every morning without any fuss, and guess what?; at her last wellness exam her teeth are looking good, no dental required). My sincere thanks to the doctors and staff here for helping me be the best pet owner I can be, but even more, for helping me give the best quality of life I can to my "furry friend" Sophie. A special word of thanks to Dr. McNeil: thanks for giving me the peace-of-mind that comes from making informed decisions and for the compassion you showed with "Mars". I will never forget. I expect he and and about a kazillion other animals will be waiting for you at the rainbow bridge. :)

My dog literally can't wait to get out of the car to see her friends here at VCA. Even my cat doesn't seem to mind going in for his vaccines and check ups. They have been great with both our pets and so patient and helpful with us as new pet parents. Even through Covid they are happy to answer any questions we have over the phone. I would absolutely recommend this place.

many bad experiences with this place with my family pets throughout the years. very overpriced for the service as well.

Edit: Response to owner 10/26/2020: I don't need any correspondence with you, my animals are not your patients. I would have rather you guys were compassionate and understanding in the first place. Please just be mindful of your Howell location and work to be better now and in the future so no one else has to have an experience similar to mine. Thank you. Please NEVER take your animal to this Howell location if you suspect they are dying or have to be put down. I waited an entire year to post my review, but I still hear bad things about this vet when it comes to putting your LOVED animal down. I know the Hamburg location is way better for that. I brought my cat in last fall because he was jaundiced and he was obviously having some issues with his organs because that’s what jaundice means- He was a very light tan color naturally so it was difficult to tell- I only noticed because I was looking at his teeth and his gums were jaundiced. I called the vet immediately when I saw it and they let me take him in even though they were set to close about an hour later. When I took him in, they were nice at first, doing a blood test and the vet told me his kidney, pancreas, and liver were shutting down and she wanted me to go to an emergency animal hospital but it was a grim diagnosis. WELL this regular appointment was a couple hundred dollars already and she told me this emergency visit was going to be $2,000+ that I did not have. It was also very unlikely any meds would help him since he was already jaundiced and 3 of his organs were shutting down. I had just watched a friend with a cat with a similar diagnosis give her cat meds and he ended up withering away over a period of weeks and dying on her floor alone (she had to work). I did NOT want that for my baby, so I told the vet I could not let him go through that and I decided that he needed to be put asleep so he didn’t have to suffer like that. Once I made that decision, the vet’s demeanor changed completely. She was rude and rushing me. My friend was also there to be with me, and even she noticed the mood the vet was in, so it was not just me. She was very short with me and she wasn’t even clear when she was giving him the meds to put him asleep that he was about to stay asleep- I thought it was the pain meds but she had given him that shot moments before and didn’t let me know. She rushed me, didn’t give me a second with him before she picked up his body and put him in a box for me. She rushed me out the door with him and that was that. I took him home to bury him. I did not get a foot print, which is customary when an animal has to be put down. I did not even get an “I’m sorry, this is hard to do.” I got nothing from this vet except attitude and feeling like a burden. If it was such an issue with her, if she just wanted her day to end, if she just didn’t want to deal with it that day- then she could have given me the option to give him pain meds and take him home for one more night. Anything would have been better than her attitude towards a completely obviously grieving cat mom. I was obviously emotional the whole time because he was my emotional support kitty for 9 years- since he was a kitten. I was shocked and disappointed when the girl at the front desk saw me crying and she had the gull to say “Aww she’s crying!”- NOT professional and NOT what you should say to someone who is obviously in emotional distress. I still think about that girl and hope she doesn’t continue to say things like that currently. To make matters worse, or to me at least, a couple weeks later I got a sympathy card from the vet (not the same location) that was so extremely sloppily written that I could barely read it. WHAT IS THE POINT of sending something if it looks like chicken scratch? If it was done in a rush and so much trouble that it couldn’t even be written nicely, then don’t even bother.

I have never been shown more compassion and care. This was my first experience with VCA Howell, but the staff and doctor were incredible!!! Thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking such wonderful care of my Murphy.

Our first experience here was unfortunately having to put our 14 year old dog down. They were able to give us a couple more days with her where she was comfortable before we had to take her back to be put down. They were fantastic throughout the whole process. We've continued to come here with our current dog who just had her first litter of pups. Our most recent encounters have been with Dr. Kennedy who is very compassionate and caring. They squeezed me in the other night an hour before they closed because I was concerned about our 2 week old puppy's breathing. I'll be recommending them to family and friends for their furry family members.

This vet office has been great for me, each location has a friendly staff and Dr. Kennedy is by far the best and most knowledgeable vet I have seen. We have been frequent visitors over the last year and a half, Dr. Kennedy has always been so caring and great with my cat and goes above and beyond. Thank you VCA Countryside for everything!

First time coming here, called in a panic and they got me in within 2 hours of calling. Everyone I spoke with in the office was so friendly, caring and courteous. We were called back almost immediately and the tech and doctor were wonderful. Great pricing as well! They go over everything with you beforehand. Thanks again VCA countryside!

I just put my fur baby down at 6 years old he had cancer. Everyone there was so kind and thoughtful. I have been going there for 13 years and would never go anywhere else. The vet was very kind . 13 years ago I went somewhere else to have a dog put down and they were mean to me. I wish I could name the place but I don’t want to get in trouble. It was here in Howell.

We had our Papillon neutered at VCA. They took very good care of him. He healed quickly with zero complications. They were also very sensitive to our needs -- concerns, follow up care, and schedules. We highly recommend VCA of Howell.

I recently accompanied my friend and her dog to her vet office in Hartland and could not believe how unfriendly, apathetic, and uninformative the staff was... which made me realize that my vet office deserved a shout out. My family has been taking our dogs to Countryside in Howell since I was 7 years old. Now 32, both of my dogs have exclusively gone to this office even when I would have to drive from Ann Arbor (I would honestly drive there even if I lived much further). When my last dog got sick with cancer, Dr Kennedy let me cry to her on the phone and made herself very available to me during a tough time. She is brilliant, and I trust her completely with my little loves. I have also seen each one of the other vets during emergency situations and have complete faith in them as well. When I lost my boy on the worst day of my life, the entire team was so caring and empathetic. I later received a beautiful card with kind messages from both Dr Kennedy and Dr Warren who was the vet with us on that day. The entire office is full of dog lovers. The receptionists are constantly in the lobby loving on the dogs. The office is always very clean. Special shout out to vet tech Casey and receptionist Bethany for being wonderful humans.

Yesterday I took my dog in for a rash. She was diagnosed with severe hip dysplasia previously. When Dr. McNeil was trying to see the rash she forced Kiah's hips down. My daughter said Kiah was shaking as she was forcing his painful hips. When she got her hips down she pulled her front legs forward to get her to lay down. I've been SO upset since I left the appointment and that I sat there blindly trusting her because she was a vet. But why would you EVER do that to a puppy that you know has hip problems. Why wouldn't you use a treat to get her down? I've seen Dr. McNeil before and she always seems annoyed that she's there. Not warm and caring like I'd expect from someone working with a puppy! This is NOT my first bad experience there either but I've been stuck because we paid for the puppy plan. Dr. Warren was also awful to us previously. I took my cat in because she was losing weight. I knew something was wrong!! He was very rude and said I wasn't giving her enough attention. He was VERY mad that she wasn't up to date on her rabies. And basically forced me to give her a shot. Even though she was very sick and I had to put her down a few days later! I should never have had to pay the $50 for her shot as she was that sick!!!! At the very least he should have waited to se her test results. She was an indoor cat Very loving! There's many more like that. The staff is amazing but the vets are awful!!!

The receptionists are so nice Dr. Walling was very informative and educated me regarding my dogs issue. I really would recommend him highly. He is as nice as he is professional.

I trust them, it’s clear they love animals, and are sensitive to people’s feelings towards them. Sometimes a vet visit can be scary and upsetting (for pup and their owners) and they handle it with grace and clear answers, couldn’t ask for more. Thanks countryside.

My family took our 1 year old dog to be neutered by them. Their vet cut our dogs urethra completely severing it from his bladder and also removed his prostate INSTEAD of a second ball. The vet then sewed up our dog and sent him home. Two …

The VCA Countryside Animal Hospital of Howell team has been caring for our Rat Terriers, Bob and George, for almost 6 years now. We are treated like family. Everyone is very friendly and caring. Recently, our dog Bob has been experiencing digestive issues. Dr. Kennedy has been so compassionate and supportive through the whole ordeal. Even answering questions after hours! She has been a God send. I'm overwhelmed by her kindness. We are so grateful to have such great care for our furry family members. Looking forward to many more years of great care at VCA!

I would not recommend this vet to anyone. I recently moved to Howell from east Lansing and my cat does not deal with vet visits well at all; has to be sedated to even get a temperature reading. My old vet, East Lansing Veternary Clinic (who I HIGHLY recommend) knows my cat does not deal well with visits, called in a prescription food to VCA Animal Hospital because they are closer to us now and my cat was having tummy issues. We picked up half the prescription and were told that we could pick up the other half later if our old vet called it in again. Our old vet called it in and VCA told us they could not fill it unless we brought our cat in-a non option (after throwing a fit-which we hated doing, they finally gave us the other half of the prescription but told us if we want more we will have to make an appointment ). We called our old vet and they said that all vets usually work together and they were shocked by how VCA treated us. Moral of the story, VCA puts money above the care of your animals. Do. Not. Go. Here.

I have been a client with Countryside vets for 13 years. Since the conversion to VCA, labwork prices have gone up by around 4 times the cost and the quality of care has gone down. It was never a concern with my dog when they had the …

Amazing, amazing, amazing. Really caring and truly passionate staff. I had to put down my little baby cat Missy, and will continue to return here for my other healthy fur babies!

They are so friendly and so fantastic..I'm very glad they're so close to home

Truly the best veterinary staff. Dr. Walling and all the staff were truly wonderful every step of the way with our french bulldog, Dracula. Would never go anywhere else.

I called Dr. Dawn Kennedy in a panic at her after-hours emergency number because my little doggie had picked up a toad after a rainstorm, spat it out, and began to foam at the mouth! She was so nice, just called herself "Dawn" without any attention to her well-earned DVM alphabets relating to her profession. She calmly told me that poisonous toads, like the Cane Toad, don't live here in Michigan (yet), that the little toad just left a bad taste in Daisy's mouth that can be alleviated with a rinse of water, or food. All is well. Thank you Dr. Dawn, we look forward to being your brand-new patients!

Rates have increased drastically so needless to say, I will be finding another vet.

They were compassionate and caring when dealing with our sick cat from beginning to end. They helped us as much as possible and were so sweet with my wife and I when we had to put our cat down. I guarantee when I get another pet, it will go to these veterinarians.

Not even patients here but now I am! Red barn vet wont even put my cat to sleep today no time, no emergency service. My new vet came highly recommended and they are able to help us today. Finally a vet office that really cares about our family!