- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Movies |
- All
Animal Medical Center
Categories: Pets Veterinarians Pets Pet Services Pet Boarding/Pet Sitting Veterinarians, Pet Boarding/Pet Sitting [Edit]
8343 Skokie BlvdSkokie, IL 60077
(847) 673-2616
- Hours:
Mon-Thu 7 am - 6 pm
Fri 7 am - 4 pm
Sat 7 am - 3 pm
stacy r. said: "We used Pets Like Us to watch our very nervous cat and Tatiana took extra special care of him. She even came all the way out to Roscoe Village for us. I will definitely be using her services again! What was especially great was that…" read more »
13 reviews for Animal Medical Center
13 reviews in English
-
Review from Katrina R.
Chicago, IL
2/28/2012 1 Check-in Here
I've adopted two cats from Orphans of the Storm in Deerfield; Animal Medical Center is OoS's default vet place.
While my first cat had a multitude of kitty issues when we first adopted her, Orphans agreed to cover her medical bills and she was quarantined here for about a month. When we got her back, she was chipper as can be! I was pleased with AMC and Orphans.
I just adopted my second cat from Orphans on Friday. Orphans sent her to AMC to be spayed and vaccinated, and I picked kitty up this Monday. Kitty has been in good spirits and everything seems to be going well.
This isn't my primary care vet, and so I don't know anything about care beyond what my two kitties had-- but in spite of the pretty ubiquitously negative reviews, I can't say I had an unpleasant experience with AMC. Everything has worked out quite nicely for me; I just don't hand out five stars unless I'm so floored that I intend to visit again.
Parking is around the side, and they take American Express.Comment from Andrew M. of Animal Medical Center 2/29/2012
Dear Katrina, Our mission at AMC is "To provide the most… More » -
Review from jeff c.
Lincolnshire, IL
Updated - 4/22/2012
Its obvious by all your other bad reviews that you have quality of staff problems at your clinic.
Anyone would swear when you see someone swinging your sick cat back and forth like a rag doll.
There are 2 other great vets in Skokie why would anyone that loves their pet go see you Dr. Muz. You were not their to watch and I can understand defending your employee....
But there is a reason your getting all these BAD REVUES. Your clinic stinks.
Go to Riser they actually care!!!!1 Previous Review: Show all »
-
4/13/2012
I brought my sick kitten to this place and watch the blonde pregnant receptionist swing my sick cat… Read more »
Comment from Andrew M. of Animal Medical Center 4/22/2012
Dear Jeff, I am sorry for your loss of Monte. Although your… More » -
-
Review from Elizabeth M.
Hoffman Estates, IL
3/7/2012 1 Check-in Here
I love the whole staff at animal medical center. My family have been going to then since I was a little kid so I have to say over 15 yrs. they have always gone above and beyond the call of duty and can do no wrong in my books. Haters gunna hate but I love animal medical center!
Comment from Andrew M. of Animal Medical Center 3/13/2012
Hello Elizabeth, It is a pleasure to care for your family… More » -
Review from Brenda H.
Chicago, IL
5/27/2009
I like coming here because they keep good records of my dog's health and send me postcard reminders when his shots are due. I am not convinced that it's worth the expensive price tag though.
I noticed that if my dog sees a vet he's seen before, I don't pay for the visit. But if he sees a new vet, it's an automatic $40 charge. Either that or they sometimes charge, sometimes don't charge for that office visit. Sometimes I get a new vet when I see my regular vet there, what's the deal? If I have an appointment and still wait an hour to be called in, do me a favor and let me see our regular vet instead of someone new.
The shots are super expensive, more so than what my friends pay elsewhere. And God forbid my dog gets sick, I can expect to spend at least $150 on the visit (medicine, all sorts of 'exams' that I never get results for) and then another $50-100 bucks on a follow-up visit.
And another con is that they are SO far away from me! I only went because I was given a free health exam when he was a puppy and I thought they did a good job.
In this bad economy, I have to look for a better option. I can't say anything negative about the vets, the staff, or even the prices of Heartgard.. it's just the prices for services, too much for my blood. -
Review from Cee C.
Chicago, IL
7/24/2011
I'm Sad to say, I really trusted this Vet. They recommended my 1 year old dog Undergo surgery to corrected her knee cap costing $2000 each. I decided to go to for a second and third evaluation before sending her under the knife. Both vets said it was unnecessary. Five years later, (she is now 6) she is perfectly fine with only diet and exercise relieving any pressure of weight on her joints. P.S. I later find out they work directly with Puppies R Us, Previously owned Lets Pet Puppies a HUGE Puppy Mill Pumpin Pimpin Business. Which by the way they DO get a "Kick Back" off Profits on the Puppy's Exams....SWEET!
Comment from Andrew M. of Animal Medical Center 3/13/2012
This individual posted a false statement and the following… More » -
Review from GeminiGal D.
Chicago, IL
2/27/2010
If you love your pets and want them to live, please, I'm warning you, do NOT take them to Animal Medical Center in Skokie, IL.
I started taking my dog here when I first got her years ago, back in 1997. It was fine for a while--the staff members are courteous and her doctor at the time, Dr. Miz, was terrific. However, as the years started to progress, and the health problems started piling up (as they do with elderly pets), and the more scarce Dr. Miz became, the worse and worse this place became.
My dog was diagnosed with a chronic illness back in 2007. I took her in for all of the proper lab work and tests, and not only were they incredibly expensive (I'm aware of the fact that pets--especially ill pets-- are expensive, and was more than happy to give her every test under the sun to make sure that she would live a long life, but considering the fact that these tests could be done at other, more reputable places for a fraction of the cost just speaks volumes about the ethics and/or business practices here...but I digress), but the wait time between the actual test and the results were ridiculous. (BTW, those wait times were also peppered in with various calls I made to the vet, which were met with absolute BS excuses about how her lab specimens were "stuck in Boston and in transit". Yeah. Not buying it, "Dr". Butenko).
And to add insult to injury, the doctors were also incredibly unsympathetic with us and our pet when we told them about our concerns and how we were managing our pet's disease with medication. I won't get into too many details, but let's just say that refusing medication to a pet with a CHRONIC ILLNESS after performing SEVERAL TESTS which confirmed the disease shouldn't have been the correct action. I also don't take accusations of overdosing my dog with medication (again, EXPENSIVE medication--how does $150 for 30 pills sound?) very lightly.
Anyway, the story isn't completely awful. My dog was able to get terrific care at a different animal hospital, Riser Animal Hospital, also in Skokie, where the vets were more sympathetic, more knowledgeable (in my opinion--it feels great to get an answer without having to call someone 5 times in order to get it), more willing to make pets feel more comfortable (never have any of the pets forced my 60-pound dog to get into a high table) and overall just had a better grasp of how to treat an animal with an illness. I'm glad she was able to experience care at a different veterinary hospital instead of dying on someone's surgical table at Animal Medical Center.
AVOID THIS PLACE AT ALL COSTS. I'm surprised this place is still in business and would wholly support its closure. -
Review from Steph L.
Melrose Park, IL
11/3/2011
I adopted a cat from orphans of the storm that ended up having ringworm, upper respiratory infection and some major bathroom issues. I took Calcifer to this vet because the shelter said they would cover the bills since he was already sick. This place did everything in its power to drain the shelter for every penny. They kept him at the vet for 6 weeks to do sulfur baths for ring worm. He ended up losing all his fur and living in my apartment was unbearable with the hair. Other centers we contacted didn't understand why they didn't just use a pill instead of torturing the cat for 6 weeks (he had an extremely mild ringworm). They piled on expensive medications for his bathroom issues and cold then prescribed some over priced iams. none of it worked so logically they would try the same ones again that didn't work the first time. One medicine they wanted to try was 300 dollars. they actually knocked him out and put a scope up his nose. He was sneezing blood for the whole day. I didn't get one test result form them. after 6 months of getting no where he got extremely sick and i thought he was going to die that night. So i brought him in and they wanted to do all these xrays and procedures. The shelter already dished out a ton of money that made me sick and I couldn't afford something like that but this was the vet they said they would cover. So now i was already paying for the medications myself but couldn't afford a 400 dollar lump sum with no guarantees considering the past. this was over a year!! So I told him to give him fluids and I took him to a holistic vet called rising sun in des plaines.
AMAZING PLACE. Well my decision on just fluid was correct. They wanted to rip me off with all the big tests instead of just checking if he was dehydrated first. His bathroom problems and vomiting was too much for him and it would have been a logical answer for any other vet. So I got to this new vet clinic and they gave me a natural remedy that even people take called slippery elm sludge. By the next day everything was GONE!!! he was perfectly healthy! it cost me 30 bucks total. for a two year supply of the supplement AND the check up. I gave him the supplement for a month and now he is in perfect health. this skokie animal medical center ripped off the shelter and made my poor cat suffer through miserable procedures for their own selfish gain. My cat would have died and all he need was a 15 dollar supplement. BEWARE taking your pets to AMC. They do not care about your pets suffering as long as they can make a buck. I do suggest going to this rising sun animal clinic in des plaines if your looking. they are amazing! and have the best prices i have ever seen. It is a husband and wife who run it and are the only vets. it is by appt and there is never a wait. I recently took in my grandmothers pug from TN when she passed and found out it had heartworm. They really modified the treatment even though they lost out on a lot of money doing so but they wanted to make it easier on him. The doctor even offered many times to come to our house after work since our pug has dangerous panic attacks in the car. He is now happy and healthy sleeping with the cat. But seriously. I know that there is helpless feeling when your animal gets sick because you don't know if the vet is good and if your pet is safe so you got to blindly trust them. but this is not the place to go. get a second opinion.Comment from Andrew M. of Animal Medical Center 3/9/2012
This individual posted a false statement and the following… More » -
Review from Rose C.
Skokie, IL
5/26/2011
I came to know about this animal hospital from a neighbor who has been quite satisfied with the care and service they give to her Maltipoo so I decided to bring my then 9-week old puppy here. I find the place very clean and the staff quite friendly . The fact that the hospital is AAHA accredited makes me feel confident that my dog will receive excellent medical care.
Dr.Butenko, the vet who saw my dog on our first visit, answered all my questions and concerns and offerred information I needed as a first time puppy owner. The staff is great giving reminders for our appointments and booster shots schedule. When my puppy was 6 months old, Dr.Miz (who is probably their director) accommodated my request for a traditional spaying procedure even if their standard is now laparoscopic spaying. After the surgery, Dr.Butenko called me right away to inform me how my dog is doing and how the surgery went. When I picked up my dog the next day, the vet tech gave me a report on how my dog behaved overnight (with regards to incision-licking, etc.) and gave me very concise post-op care instructions.
Their lab fees are slightly higher than other animal hospitals but considering that other hospitals may charge slightly higher on some of their medications, total visit cost generally just evens out when compared to other excellent animal hospitals in my area. Vaccination fees are comparable to others. If you are just coming for booster shots, you do not need to see the vet nor pay vet fee (granted they have seen your dog at least once before).
The only thing is that your dog is seen by any vet on staff on that day and I wasn't impressed by some of their vets. One time, I asked a question which I felt was a basic Canine Anatomy and Physiology 101 question and Dr. E.F who saw us that day gave me a response she obviously was unsure about. Another time, I brought in my dog for an eye infection and mentioned that she probably also has an ear infection as there was some foul-smelling brown drainage coming from her ear. The vet tech swabbed my dog's ears but after Dr. S.S. saw my dog, she obviously forgot about my report on my dog's ear drainage. I had to ask her what the ear swab showed and she said, "Oh, it's okay." Two days later, my dog's ear was extremely inflammed and I had to bring her back in and this time, the same Dr. S.S. put her on ear drop antibiotic and an anti-inflammatory pill . . . then she had the nerve to charge me another full $48 vet fee that day for an infection that was already present on our previous visit two days ago which she failed to treat.
They have a very nice and clean facility, friendly staff, and perform updated procedures and their hospital is only a 3-minute drive from my home but I do not have confidence in some of their vets. -
Review from Carolynne M.
Chicago, IL
4/15/2010 1 photo
The shelter I got my cat from recommended this vet 10 years ago. I normally would not travel this distance for a vet, but they were always pretty professional and good with my cat's checkups and basic care.
And then, right after this past Christmas, my 19 year old cat started acting funny. AMC diagnosed him with hyper-thyroidism and arthritis. They put him on a regiment of drugs which, when purchased through them, was going to stress my wallet by $100 a month. I bought their medicine, and immediately went on line to investigate cheaper options. I found that 1-800-PetMeds offered the same medicine, but for half the price. When you place an order with them, though, they require an approval by the vet. AMC refused to approve the order, and their excuse was "that site is TERRIBLE, TERRIBLE, you will get nothing but grief and locusts and plague from them." Really? Because every time I called PetMeds, not only did they ask how my cat was doing, but they shipped another part of my order (vitamins) for free when I was frustrated by what was going on. Frankly, I couldn't have been more pleased with their customer service.
I call back AMC and say I am extremely annoyed and angry about what was going on. They tried to argue that their pricing on medicine was just as competitive, and they were not going to budge. Since my cat was out of medicine by this time, they made me drive over there, pick up and pay for more medicine, without even so much as a sorry, discount or offer to remedy the situation. I said I would have to reconsider using them in the future. I get a shrug in return.
Then a week later I call to ask them to transfer the records to another vet. They say "OK, does this mean you are closing out your account here?" I say yes and they say "OK!" and hang up.
NOT ONCE during this ENTIRE time did they ask how my cat was doing. NOT ONCE did they express concern, question why I was making the decision I was making, or try to offer me any sort of apology or compensation for my trouble. To me, this says only one thing, and that they only care about the money they are bringing in. Not about you or your pet. And that is a horrific, terrible shame. I am only glad I found out about this now and not when my cat was in a more dire situation. Beware.Listed in: Pet Stuff!
-
Review from Ellen D.
Chicago, IL
1/14/2011
As a huge dog lover, I find it surprising that anyone can give this place a good review. Maybe I've seen different doctors here - the only one I would ever trust with my pet's life again would be Dr. Miz, and I see that a lot of people point out that he is a great doctor - but I would never come back. And to the reviewer below who said they never forced their 65 lb dog onto a high table? They did that with my 65 lb dog when she was about 5 years old (I held her front end, the doctor held her back end). The result? She freaked out and peed all over the doctor (who is no longer there according to their website...but hey, looks like they have a doctor who went to school in the Carribean. Would you trust a doctor who went to Ross University? I wouldn't. Not even for my pet). Guess she was onto something.
-
Review from Daniel H.
Chicago, IL
6/9/2009
We initially started going to this place cause we had our initial visit covered by the pet shop if we went here. I must say that the vets can do their thing. They've always been able to diagnose our problem and help us get our dog, Yoshi, back to destroying things. My only problem is that the place is pricey. We have had to seek alternative options for certain things just to save costs. We definitely are open to finding a new main vet for our dogs.
-
Review from Sarah D.
Chicago, IL
2/8/2008
I have not been here in a couple of years because we moved out of town but.... My dog was hit by a car, we took him to an over night vet who took x rays and said he had a torn ligament, it was best to fix it but we did not have to, it would heal on its on. I spent the next day looking up vets and calling around, cost was a concern because I was in college. I found Dr. Miz and he was awesome! Opie healed sooner than expected, and the vets office gave us a discount. I tell everyone that I know to go there. Now that I am back in town my animals will be visiting Animal Medical Center. I noticed every time I was there there were plenty of people with their animals there.
-
Review from Mark S.
Glenview, IL
6/30/2007
I originally used them in 2005 when my dog had an emergency. My regular vet was closed and AMC was open and did not take appointments. At that time the vet was knowledgeable and personable. I returned in 2006 for a checkup and again was satisfied. I originally liked their no reservation system-first come-first served
In 2007 I had a serious problem with their newest vet on staff. He did not examine the dog in front of us and was very brusk and impatient. When I requested a written RX for Heartgard he started giving me a hard time. He said that Internet pharmacies are not reliable and they sell products that are "stolen or fall off a truck" He claimed that only veterinarians can dispense drugs. This is a blatant and self-serving lie. When I asked him why his prices were substantially higher, he responded: "I HAVE SCHOOL LOANS TO PAY OFF". He still refused to give me a RX and I had to call their Director who willingly gave me the script. This clinic has lost all credibility with me.
I ORDERED MY HEARGARD FROM PETCARERX.COM AND THEY WERE TERRIFIC. I SAVED OVER 50% COMPARED TO THE VET'S PRICE. I QUESTIONED THEIR PHARMACIST ABOUT THEIR CREDENTIALS AND I CONFIRMED THAT THEY WERE LICENSED BY THE STATE PHARMACY LICENSING BOARD. DO NOT LET A VETERINARIAN INTIMIDATE YOU WHEN YOU MAKE A REQUEST FOR A RX. HE'S JUST PROTECTING HIS PROFIT MARGIN.
