Sarah Lavelle, DVM - Ark Veterinary Practice Belgrade, Montana

My bill was more than I expected so I talked to her about it and she was extremely rude to me. I was honestly baffled about how rude she was to me. And she wasn't helpful about explaining the charges and I didn't want to ask further because I just wanted to leave. Needless to say I won't be coming back.

They were more concerned with upselling products and services (deworming, flea and tick meds, heartworm treatment, nail trim, etc) than helping our poor dog that was in pain. We waited for over a half hour in the exam room for a treatment plan/estimate for supposed sedation and xrays. Tech came in and told us to take our dog outside for a walk cause the estimate wasnt ready yet. I jokingly asked if we were being kicked out cause they needed the room and she admitted thats exactly why. I said its way too cold to go walk outside and she said well go wait in your car and we will call you when we have the estimate ready. RIDICULOUS!!! We were done at this point, paid $57 exam fee for a total waste of my time, all while my poor pup was in pain with a tail that wouldnt move. Took her to another vet the following day and she was examined (no xrays or sedation), diagnosed with limp tail and given pain meds and steroids for inflammation. Our girl was feeling better in less that 24 hrs. Dont waste your time with an unprofessional outfit like this, sad when money is more important than the animal.

I'm so glad I was referred to Ark Vet. Dr. Lavelle is absolutely amazing, kind, and patient. It's clear everyone there takes a genuine interest in your pet, and goes above and beyond to make sure you're equipped with all the knowledge you need to care for your pet. I took my hognose snake in, stressed to the max as I was overwhelmed with caring for my first reptile, and left feeling way more calm and confident than I expected. I even had a minor panic attack recently concerned with a sudden change to my little hoggie, and I got an immediate response from Ark. I didn't even have an appointment (this was over the phone) and I'm sure they were busy, but they took the time to help me out in that moment. I can't express how grateful I am for that. The only downside I have is the wait time for my actual appointment was a bit long, but otherwise, I'm 100% sold. I wish I could rate more than 5 stars, I very much recommend going here.

Fantastic place with great vets, everyone is always professional and nice. My dog max has gotten to see the same vet each time and he's really comfortable there. They even squeezed him in for an emergency on a bad day for them. Really nice location too.

Dr. Sarah and her staff are absolutely amazing! They will go above and beyond to make sure that your animal is getting the best care. They will get you in as soon as possible and take the time to answer any questions you may have. I highly recommend Ark Veterinary Practice and wouldn't go anywhere else!

Dr. Sarah has been nothing but a blessing to our family ♥️ Our boy went to see her for what we thought was an abscess tooth. After her great care and love we found out weeks later it was bone cancer. Dr. Sarah came to our home on a Sunday morning to help our boy Porkchop pass. She was so wonderful and explained everything to our children and I can’t thank god enough for her ♥️ She is truly an amazing person and Vet.

I live in western Washington state and drive to Ark Veterinary Practice in Belgrade MT. because I know that I will received the BEST care for my little dog Louis.

I was visiting Belgrade when my yellow lab puppy was hit by a car. Dr. Lavelle and her staff saw us immediately although her practice had just closed for the day. Dr.Lavelle and her tech were both extremely gentle, kind and compassionate. We received excellent care in a very stressful situation. Both Dr. Lavelle and her tech also followed up with me after I was able to get my pup home via phone. I would highly recommend this practice!

Dr. Lavelle was recommended to me by my previous vet after moving to the Bozeman area. She has been absolutely awesome working with my dog who, soon after moving here, developed some unexplained jaw issues. Dr. Lavelle and her staff were patient, professional and did not hesitate to contact other specialists when my dog's case turned out to be more difficult to diagnose than expected. I would highly recommend Ark Veterinary :)

I went to Ark Veterinary, even though I am from Helena and Ark is in Belgrade, because I am the owner of an adorably spoiled bunny. I have always gotten the best medical care available, but something has always been lacking. I want to be there when my bunny is seen. I was to be able to ask the vet questions and be able to ensure my girl is getting the best care medically as well as at home. I sure did make the right decision on this one! My experience at Ark was like a breath of fresh air! Dr. Sarah Lavelle examined my bunny in my presence. She asked me questions regarding care and also made excellent suggestions. Also, she is the only or one of the only vets to acquire the vaccine for rabbit hemorrhagic fever, thus keeping my little girl safe from such a heinous disease. Both her and her staff were kind, personable, and knowledgeable. In short, Ark was just wonderful! Anyone would be very lucky to have their pets seen by this practice.

We brought our very sick rabbit to Ark veterinary and we were very grateful to find a vet who knew rabbits. Dr. Lavelle helped us determine what was wrong with our rabbit and helped control the cost to neccessary treatments and not extra treatments. Our rabbit now is much better and we would recommend this vet to anyone. Thank you!

Dr Sarah has been great with our dog with cancer diagnosis. She is very helpful and listens to my questions. Highly recommend Ark Veterinary!

Words cannot express how much gratitude I have for Dr. Lavelle and her entire staff. When my fuzzy little monster, Cody came home with multiple injuries, my heart was crushed. I can't afford to fix my boy... This year cancer became a frequently used word; the hospital, like a second home. Leaving us without the financial stability we once had. The empathy and gratuity that Sarah shared with our family is something that will never be forgotten. Doctor Sarah is the most competent veterinarian I have ever come across and I would never consider putting my boy in anyone else's hands. To all of the staff at Ark- We are forever grateful.

Dr. Sarah and her staff are AMAZING! We've been going to her since 2013 when we moved to Montana with our 2 lab mixes and she now sees my 3rd rescue who is 2.5. I cannot say enough about the utter professionalism and top notch care all my dogs have gotten through this practice. She diagnosed a malignancy on my yellow lab mix's anal gland when she was 11 and that quick action gave us another 2 wonderful years with Mia. And when it was time for Mia to go over the Rainbow Bridge, she came to our house one very snowy evening and compassionately helped us with one of the most difficult decisions any pet owner has to make. My current rescue Tucker is 86lbs of beans and rubber bands and he adores Dr. Sarah and her staff and LOVES staying there when we have to go out of town. I cannot say enough or recommend this practice highly enough--you will receive undivided attention from ALL the staff and Dr. Sarah and incredibly thorough exams that are fully explained and all questions (I mean ALL) thoroughly answered. Dr. Sarah and her staff are true gifts and I wouldn't go anywhere else--even if I moved!

Dr. Sarah and her staff are so wonderful. They have been so helpful and amazing with my new puppy and when I lost my baby Bear last year. I will recommend them to anyone and have done so. I am so grateful they are there and so willing to give the best care possible to my fur babies.

Ark has been amazing to me and my kitties! After discovering strange health issues with one of my kitties, Dr. Sarah was more than willing to help determine the best choice of action as well as price various options out for me and answer any and all questions I had. She was able to thoroughly explain everything she did or will do when my kitty comes in. Her instructions and findings are very clear and very well thought out. She is true to her word with respect to procedure and costs. She truly cares for the pets and owners. I have been very impressed with the knowledge of all the employees. I would highly recommend Ark to any pet owners!

We recently moved to Montana with our 10-year-old Siberian husky. She had a good 10 months here when all of a sudden her health started to go downhill. Although we were never able to come up with any definitive conclusions in the early stages of her illness, every stone was turned over in exhaustive searches to find out why her Liver was failing. Many outside professionals were consulted...other Lab Techs, Internists, and heads of departments, but unfortunately to no avail. Unfortunately she deteriorated to quickly in the chase to uncover what the root cause of her illness was. However Ark Veterinary Practice & staff as well as Dr. Sarah Lavelle went the extra mile attempting to uncover our Siberian Husky’s source illness but unfortunately, time wasn’t on our side. Even though we lost the battle, we were very appreciative of the extended efforts on her behalf. I can’t say enough about the compassion and care the staff and Dr Lavelle gave our family and our beloved Husky. I highly recommend her services. Mark Bolten

Dr. Lavelle is by far the best and so knowledgeable. As someone who is not only a client but has worked at Ark I can attest to how well Dr. Sarah and her team take care of her clients. She has done several surgeries on my dogs and every time they make it so much less stressful than other vets I've been to in the valley. Take your babies here, she'll treat you like family!

We have been going to her for months as I was hoping our first few experiences were perhaps an anomaly, or that they were in flux due to covid, but after 6 months, and numerous visits with our different animals I think they are in fact just awful. Dr. Sarah is extremely rude just as several other reviewers have said. Our dog was sick the day of a scheduled procedure, so I called at the listed scheduled opening of their business. The phone went the voicemail, so I was going to leave a message, but it said the voice mail was full. No problem I thought I will just try calling again in 30. Phone went to the full voicemail again. At this point I figured they would just notice my dog wasn't there when we never checked in. Finally 4 hours later they called, and were extremely rude, and accused me of lying when I explained I had called 2x, but they didn't answer and their voice mail was full. I rescheduled the procedure anyway though. We have had two labs spayed with them only 6 months apart. We asked for a quote both times, and were given the same quote. Just as other reviewers have said quotes mean nothing, and your bill is always way over. The first one was $100 over the next one was $200 over. When I asked why this spay neither matched the quote or the pricing of the procedure I had on the same sized dog I had brought only 6 months ago the tech said she didn't know, and would ask Dr. Sarah who of course never got back to us. Again like other reviewers have said visits take FOREVER. We did a puppy package, so went in for 4 visits to get their shots. Every visit took at least 2 hours three of the four visits they didn't even take our dog until 45 min after our scheduled appointment.

I don’t even know where to start with how much I LOVE this practice ! I am so grateful to have been introduced to Dr Lavelle and her wonderful staff ! I have 2 very small dogs and one of them needing mammory gland tumors removed along with a few other things. I don’t know how many people know about small dogs, but it takes a special person to put them through anesthesia safely . I had previously gone to a different vet and did not feel comfortable after my visit, and felt like they were more interested in money then care . That was NOT the case with ARK . Dr Lavelle spent quality time with my dogs and me . She answered all my questions and there was just a sense of calm, confidence, and genuine care when talking to her . I immediately knew she was the vet for my dogs, and someone I knew I could trust . Ended up signing both my pups up for surgery (one for dental and the other for dental , spay, and mammory gland removal ) . Big surgery for little dog but everything went successfully and they even sent me pictures of my babies after surgery so I could see them , and know they were being loved on by all ! I have met a lot of vets, and my best friend in another state is a vet, and I can say hands down Dr Lavelle is one of the smartest and most caring vets out there . Not that any of the negative comments on here deserve attention , but I can say there are always two sides to a story . People complaining about cost and my response to that is ... wouldn’t you want someone to do all they could to keep your furbaby healthy and make sure they did all they could despite the cost ? I felt comforted knowing that they had , and will always have my dogs best interest in mind when making decisions for their treatment !

Best vet experience we’ve EVER had easily. Just moved to area and the Ark had the most enthusiastic word of mouth I had been waiting to hear ????. My dog has always hated going to the vet and started trembling when she realized where she was. Staff were gentle, kind, knowledgeable, and incredibly generous with time, treats lol. They went above and beyond in their education, recommendations, and evaluation. A 12 year old pup has a lot to check out and be worried about but we left feeling more confident and so taken care of. Thank you!!! -Adam and Bodhi

Great vet, especially for exotics. Only vet I'll take my snakes to.

The best vet and great workers who really care.

unfortunate that the owner is flaunting COVID guidelines and is exposing clients and coworkers

Couldn't be happier to have finally found a knowledgeable veterinarian! My pup has a less familiar auto immune disease that requires very specific care and she happens to have treated 30 prior patients. So thankful to have her helping me through this chapter of my pups life's. She also has a team of specialists she is able to consult when questions arise.

Thank you Ark Veterinary in Belgrade!!!!!Queenie made it!!!! She survived a near death sentence medical issue. A huge thank you times a million to the amazing staff at Ark veterinary!!!! I caught it early this time and they were able to make emergency room when I called in on my way. Even though Dr. Levelle hadnt seen this problem before she called on her expert friends at Washington State University for a second opinion that saved her life. After a long intense day not being sure if she could be saved or not, the amazing surgical skills of Dr. Lavelle came through to do a tiny surgery that saved her life! Last time this happened to my rat, Gabby RIP, All West said the only option was euthanasia... Dr. Lavelle made it possible to save her life on a reasonable budget. She was kind and caring and determined throughout the whole ordeal! I will be taking my animals to her in the future for sure!!!

They've done great by us with our dog, our senior dog who passed away and our new rescue with anxiety. We're thankful to have Ark on our side to help us!

Our dog had a very large growth on the side of her face. We took her to some different veterinarians that told us that it was too big and without chemotherapy, our dog would die. We were recommend to Dr. Sarah Lavelle. She took the time and studied several x-rays. After careful consideration, she decided to operate and removed her growth. No other veterinarian would touch it. She performed an incredibly difficult surgery flawlessly. Her skill level was absolutely incredible! Our dog is now happy and healthy. I believe that she is the best veterinarian I've ever seen. I'm not overstating the fact when I say that she is the reason our dog is alive and well. We will never see another veterinarian. She is absolutely extraordinary!!!

Dr. Lavelle is the kindest knowledgeable vet I know

Dr. Sarah and her staff are so friendly and extremely helpful and knowledgeable! Dr. Sarah has spayed our King Charles Cavalier, done ear surgery on our Cocker Spaniel and removed a very infected eye and growth on the back of our guinea pig. Sarah is very concerned for the animals wellbeing and takes all precautions necessary to insure the best, healthiest results with her procedures. She goes above and beyond for the pets and her clients! I cannot recommend her enough! She will forever be our veterinarian! We and pets are very blessed to have her as our vet. Thanks Sarah and the ARK team! You’re the best!!!