VCA Smoketown Animal Hospital

Caroline Weisser _{on Google}

Feb 18th, 2024

My neighbor recommended VCA Smoketown a few yrs ago and we first saw Dr. Shellenberger who was great with my dog, Liam. We moved out of Lancaster and I never switched vets because I love the people there. When Liam had all kinds of GI issues recently, after 3 ER visits, Dr. ONeill saw us for what was supposed to be a wellness visit. All I can say is that she was meant to be a veterinarian. I dont know how she maintains such calm, patience and empathy. She spent 45 minutes on the floor with Liam and the second visit came out to answer my questions after his subcutaneous fluids were given. She saw him sitting at the door and said he probably needs to go out so I can walk outside with you guys. She also said she would like to know how he is doing the next day and eventhough she was not working to please contact her. Thank you is not enough to express how grateful I am for the care weve received at VCA. Liam is acting like his old guy (almost 12) self again:)

F Edwin Welch _{on Google}

Feb 16th, 2024

Very Caring and Expert

Reed _{on Google}

Jan 29th, 2024

I WAS CHARGED NEARLY 350 DOLLARS FOR THIS PLACE TO MAKE MY CAT WORSE AND CLAIM HE HAS CANCER WITHOUT DOING ANY TESTS WHATSOEVER TO EVEN CONFIRM SUCH A DIAGNOSIS.
I brought my cat here to be treated for his eye and the first thing they did was recommend an ophthalmologist, and then they rattled off several different possibilities as to what *could* be the cause including it potentially being cancer, which lead to them suggesting euthanasia, to which I immediately said no to because hello, I didn't even have an actual diagnosis and it's not like my cat was on his death bed, he was behaving 100% normally (eating, drinking, playing, purring, snuggling). Regardless of me saying no, they still brought out a paper with prices to euthanize my cat on it.
They told me I'd have some time to think about it and then eventually told me they would take him in the back and give him a trans-dermal pain medication. They also sent me home with some eye drops as well.
The pain medication they gave him caused him to go completely off the freaking wall when I got him home. He was slamming his head (aggressively) against everything. He stopped eating completely, he stopped drinking, and he was 100% in worse condition then what he had been when I took him in there. For what it's worth the only warning they gave me was that the pain medication could cause drowsiness...which it also did not, but rather my cat couldn't get comfortable enough to even sleep. He was absolutely WIRED. He also did not want me to hold him, which there has not been a day in this cats 13 years of life that he hasn't wanted me to hold him.
I immediately went out and spent almost 100 dollars on cat food trying ANYTHING and everything to get him to eat; which again, he had ZERO problems eating or drinking before I brought him to this place.
When I called to voice my concerns they basically said it wasn't their fault and that it was simply his cancer progressing...which keep in mind there were NO diagnostics tests done to even confirm any kind of cancer diagnosis but they were stating it like it was something 100% set it stone.
After an EXTREMELY STRESSFUL week, my cat FINALLY started eating and drinking again and is now thankfully back to his post-visit self. Playing, purring, all of it!
I will NEVER ever take any pet of mine to this place again. Absolutely insane that I was charged hundreds of dollars to not only NOT help my cat whatsoever but to instead add a horrific week to both my cat and my life.