Terrible Experience at Colony Plaza Animal Hospital

[JE Greenwood]

Does anyone have a good vet they can recommend?

I normally take my golden to University of Florida Vet Hospital due to his chronic allergies and ear infections. We also wanted a local vet (at the request of UF) to see us in emergencies. We have been going to UF for almost 5 years and they have found exactly what works.

Today I had to take him to a local vet and tried Colony. The doctor started off saying that I had to buy the $87 bag of dog food or he would not provide any prescriptions for his condition. UF had verified over the course of the last 4 years, that Jack (our dog) does not have food allergies but rather environment allergies from dust and pollen.

I had all the reports from UF, as to what has worked in the past etc. I had spoken the doctor at UF and he asked that the doctor from Colony call him and they could discuss what Jack needed. The doctor scoffed at me when I asked him to call UF and speak to the doctor. I then said can you send UF a copy of your report, to which he rolled his eyes.

The Dr. at Colony was aggressive and I felt that in order to get my dog what he needed I had to buy the dog food. He also told me I had to take all the prescriptions or none. There were 5 of them and Jack (our dog) did not need 2 of them.

So $418.39 later....I am so disappointed in Colony Animal Hospital.

Does anyone know of a good vet in The Villages?

[MSNPA]

We are very pleased with Dr. Vance at Mulberry Grove Animal Hospital. Dr. Teitelbaum is also very good. They are located on highway 42. When we moved here we took our cats there and since 2009 we have been taking our dog. They never try to push anything and both doctors are very down to earth. Our Sophie has allergies every year around March.

Good luck. Don't settle - there are several good vets in the area.

[Sagitarius 6]

Dr. Vernon, Buffalo Ridge Animal Hospital

[dbussone]

Dr. Vernon, Buffalo Ridge Animal Hospital


I agree. And they have a good working relationship with UF referral vets.

[Avista]

We like Dr Manganaro at Park Heights Animal Hospital.
Park Heights Animal Care / Village Veterinarian (http://www.meowandbowwow.com/index.php/home)
I think you will be pleased.

[mrscrimefighter]

Agree with Dr. Vernon. She works with us in combination with the university of Florida and every visit she reviews the updates from them. My dog has had eye surgery twice but also suffers from skin allergies. She doesn't push unnecessary treatments or medicine.

[GeoGeo]

Have been to Buffalo Ridge. Liked both doctors. And like having my dog's info. already entered in the computer, as they are the after hours emergency vet, too.

[echo11]

We like country oaks vet clinic in Summerfield. We find Dr Rameriz to be a great vet. She doesn't push things. We feel heard and we never feel rushed. The whole office is wonderful.

[mixsonci]

Has anybody tried the vet clinic in Pinellas plaza? Any comments? My cat hates to get in her carrier and go in the car, so I like to stay as close as possible so I can take her right back home again after the visit? I'm in Collier. Sorry to hijack this thread but it is about finding a good vet.

[dbussone]

Has anybody tried the vet clinic in Pinellas plaza? Any comments? My cat hates to get in her carrier and go in the car, so I like to stay as close as possible so I can take her right back home again after the visit? I'm in Collier. Sorry to hijack this thread but it is about finding a good vet.


Yes. They are part of Buffalo Ridge Animal Hospital. Good staff and vet. The major difference is that their main campus has 24/7 emergency care.

[pbkmaine]

Our cats hate to go to the vet, too. So we called Dr. Angel Smith at Healthy Pet The Mobile Vet. They came to us. It is the first time that our male cat Teaser has not completely freaked out. Our old vet had to use falconry gloves to get near him. This time Teaser happily let her and her tech check him out. We have only seen her once, but plan to use her in the future.

[JE Greenwood]

Thanks everyone. I will call Dr. Vernon's office on Monday. I love the fact that she does not mind working with UF. Jack has been through so much and I hate to have to work with a doctor who does not like to confer with other doctors.



Agree with Dr. Vernon. She works with us in combination with the university of Florida and every visit she reviews the updates from them. My dog has had eye surgery twice but also suffers from skin allergies. She doesn't push unnecessary treatments or medicine.

[duffysmom]

Our cats hate to go to the vet, too. So we called Dr. Angel Smith at Healthy Pet The Mobile Vet. They came to us. It is the first time that our male cat Teaser has not completely freaked out. Our old vet had to use falconry gloves to get near him. This time Teaser happily let her and her tech check him out. We have only seen her once, but plan to use her in the future.

Dr. Angel Smith helped me say goodbye to my beloved Maltese Duffy. He would freak out when we visited the Vet's office so having Dr. Smith come to our home was a blessing.
She was loving and compassionate and Duffy felt comfortable with her.

[Floridagal]

I would highly recommend Country Oaks in Summerfield. They are right off 441. Very easy to talk with and don't push anything on you.

[mac9]

Another vote for Dr. Angel Smith!

[CFrance]

We like Dr Manganaro at Park Heights Animal Hospital.
Park Heights Animal Care / Village Veterinarian (http://www.meowandbowwow.com/index.php/home)
I think you will be pleased.
I so agree. In fact, she sent me to UF for our golden's allergies after several attempts at giving him relief failed. He's now allergy-free due to desensitization shots. She actually called the derm vet and explained his situation, sent them the blood work and a follow-up description by email. I knew it wasn't food-related, and she did too. Nobody tried to sell us expensive food.

Just recently our golden tore ligaments in his fight front wrist. Again she conferred with the orthopedic surgeons there, fashioned a splint for Crosby because we can't have the surgery done for a week due to travel, and has done follow-up pre-surgical tests for him and sent x-rays, etc.

I am sorry for your experience. I have recommended Dr. Manganaro to others, and they are pleased as well. She has no qualms about conferring with specialists. Park Heights is in Fruitland Park on 441, next to Neerly New Furniture. Good luck with your puppy.

[Skybo]

Does anyone have a good vet they can recommend?

I normally take my golden to University of Florida Vet Hospital due to his chronic allergies and ear infections. We also wanted a local vet (at the request of UF) to see us in emergencies. We have been going to UF for almost 5 years and they have found exactly what works.

Today I had to take him to a local vet and tried Colony. The doctor started off saying that I had to buy the $87 bag of dog food or he would not provide any prescriptions for his condition. UF had verified over the course of the last 4 years, that Jack (our dog) does not have food allergies but rather environment allergies from dust and pollen.

I had all the reports from UF, as to what has worked in the past etc. I had spoken the doctor at UF and he asked that the doctor from Colony call him and they could discuss what Jack needed. The doctor scoffed at me when I asked him to call UF and speak to the doctor. I then said can you send UF a copy of your report, to which he rolled his eyes.

The Dr. at Colony was aggressive and I felt that in order to get my dog what he needed I had to buy the dog food. He also told me I had to take all the prescriptions or none. There were 5 of them and Jack (our dog) did not need 2 of them.

So $418.39 later....I am so disappointed in Colony Animal Hospital.

Does anyone know of a good vet in The Villages?

Wow, I'm very surprised to hear this. I also have a dog who I take to UF for specialist treatment, but my local Vet is Dr. Drum at Colony. Dr. Drum has always respected my relationship with UF Vets and has never questioned their protocol. He does have strong opinions, but he takes the time to explain his reasoning, and in the end, he has (so far) trusted me to make the final decisions with regard to meds. But I agree with others...If you choose to go to Buffalo Ridge, Dr Vernon is the one to see.

[lovinganimals]

I also use Dr. Drum and have for a few years now. He had found a problem with one of my cats in one visit after numerous tests with another vet. My husband and I agree he is a good vet and there must have been some misunderstanding. He has never pushed me to do anything I did not want and always offers a second choice so I can decide which path to take. He has even suggested cheaper paths when the choice is there. I know you have your opinions, but I hope your post doesn't dissuade anyone from going to Dr. Drum. He really is a very intelligent and caring vet.

[lovsthosebigdogs]

I so agree. In fact, she sent me to UF for our golden's allergies after several attempts at giving him relief failed. He's now allergy-free due to desensitization shots. She actually called the derm vet and explained his situation, sent them the blood work and a follow-up description by email. I knew it wasn't food-related, and she did too. Nobody tried to sell us expensive food.

Just recently our golden tore ligaments in his fight front wrist. Again she conferred with the orthopedic surgeons there, fashioned a splint for Crosby because we can't have the surgery done for a week due to travel, and has done follow-up pre-surgical tests for him and sent x-rays, etc.

I am sorry for your experience. I have recommended Dr. Manganaro to others, and they are pleased as well. She has no qualms about conferring with specialists. Park Heights is in Fruitland Park on 441, next to Neerly New Furniture. Good luck with your puppy.

We also use Park Heights but we use Dr. Valdez and really like his down to earth, normal treatments for our dogs. He isn't reactionary and doesn't just prescribe crazy expensive things without cause. We had a bad experience with Mulberry Grove Animal Hospital and Dr. Teitelbaum who tried to charge us for things that shouldn't were unnecessary (coming back each day for a bandage/wound 'look' when she knew I could do it myself and the bandage she put on kept falling off and I had to do it myself when I got home anyway). I asked them about it and they got a little testy so we just never returned many hundreds of dollars later for a scraped leg. The office is tiny and no-frills at Park Heights but the care is great.

[Rita M]

After having the same vet for our animals for twelve years we found the Vets at Mulberry Grove to be the Best!

[CFrance]

We also use Park Heights but we use Dr. Valdez and really like his down to earth, normal treatments for our dogs. He isn't reactionary and doesn't just prescribe crazy expensive things without cause. We had a bad experience with Mulberry Grove Animal Hospital and Dr. Teitelbaum who tried to charge us for things that shouldn't were unnecessary (coming back each day for a bandage/wound 'look' when she knew I could do it myself and the bandage she put on kept falling off and I had to do it myself when I got home anyway). I asked them about it and they got a little testy so we just never returned many hundreds of dollars later for a scraped leg. The office is tiny and no-frills at Park Heights but the care is great.
Last year when we had a tumor removed from our golden's belly, it was very tough to heal because how was he going to sit without sitting on it? It took many weeks to heal, and many re-visits to change the bandage. There was never a charge for the re-visits. This year, with the upcoming fusion surgery, we have been back three or four times to have the splint examined. Also no charge.

It is a no-frills waiting/examining room area, but as Redwitch has stated, the equipment in the back is state of the art. We are very happy with them.

[snowbird22154]

Does anyone have a good vet they can recommend?

I normally take my golden to University of Florida Vet Hospital due to his chronic allergies and ear infections. We also wanted a local vet (at the request of UF) to see us in emergencies. We have been going to UF for almost 5 years and they have found exactly what works.

Today I had to take him to a local vet and tried Colony. The doctor started off saying that I had to buy the $87 bag of dog food or he would not provide any prescriptions for his condition. UF had verified over the course of the last 4 years, that Jack (our dog) does not have food allergies but rather environment allergies from dust and pollen.

I had all the reports from UF, as to what has worked in the past etc. I had spoken the doctor at UF and he asked that the doctor from Colony call him and they could discuss what Jack needed. The doctor scoffed at me when I asked him to call UF and speak to the doctor. I then said can you send UF a copy of your report, to which he rolled his eyes.

The Dr. at Colony was aggressive and I felt that in order to get my dog what he needed I had to buy the dog food. He also told me I had to take all the prescriptions or none. There were 5 of them and Jack (our dog) did not need 2 of them.

So $418.39 later....I am so disappointed in Colony Animal Hospital.

Does anyone know of a good vet in The Villages?

This is "exactly" why we need these post. You can bet I won't be going there! I am presently (trying) "Village Veterinarian" as to my Yorkies allergys and this is 2nd time around as after taking meds it came right back. If it had been the case "you had" ($$$) and the allergy returned, one of us would have needed a real Dr !! Thank you for sharing your experience :cus:

[villager]

We use Dr. Teitlebaum at Mulberry Grove. Have nothing but positive comments for her!