Nice staff and vets
While traveling in the area our dog continued to get sick even after a previous visit to a vet a few weeks back when we were in PA. Picked up our dog (Dakota) after his one night stay at Fall River Veterinary Clinic in Hot Springs, SD. Unlike the Vet back in PA .... this Veterinarian definitively diagnosed him with pancreatitis. Lots of meds and a new diet of special dog food. Our dog is back to his ole self again. Very pleased with Fall River Veterinary Clinic.
Later, when it was time to remove her stitches, the male vet handled her impatiently and quickly snipped the stitches away, causing her to bleed once more. About a week later I noticed her obsessing over one of her legs. I checked and found that he had left a suture in the swollen wound which had developed a minor infection. There is another area on her other leg that shows sign of an infection under the skin and I now have to make an appointment (with another vet) to make sure that there isn't a suture under the skin in that area. Use utmost caution and situational awareness if you intend to take your animal to this veterinarian.
I have been offered a free follow up, which I was informed is standard at Fall River. This is a great gesture that is appreciated. Their prices are exceptionally affordable and their customer service is to be applauded. My experience here may be singular and, all things considered, this the only negative review they have received so likely you wouldn't have any issues if you chose to bring your animal here. The only thing that I advice is caution and vigilance.
EDIT: Second, I was informed during the follow up call that the sutures are dissolvable, which I was not made aware of previously. The person that was with me also does not remember being informed of this. I was advised to wait for the sutures to dissolve on their own, but if I wanted to bring her in for a follow up there would be no cost. During the follow up call I was told that the way I perceived the treatment of Zora was incorrect, which in the case of these dissolvable sutures may be correct, but due strictly to a lack of information.
Very caring and professional staff who treat you and your pets like family.
May 7 2013 Our 5 month old pup, Nonie, was bit twice by a prairie rattler. Arrived at vet after hours with dog in convulsions. We had been in cell phone contact with her during drive in from Wind Cave. Doctor arrived when we did. She let us park RV in her parking lot for the night. Came out about 11:00 PM and said Nonie looked liked she would make it. A Vet Tech would stay with her overnight. Came out about 6:00 AM said she was doing well we should be able to leave about 10:00 AM. At that time we asked her to look at eyes of our very old Labrador. She gave us some medication for him as well. I did not know what to expect for a bill. On line Antivenin is listed as $700 to 1500 not including any charges for administration or other care. The total bill was $869 including the Labrador. Showed bill to my Massachusetts vet he said his charges would be 2 x that without antivenin which he does not carry and did not know what it cost. The bill was a pleasant surprise but I am writing a review a year latter because of the level of service and care we received as strangers after hours. The care took a disaster and made it one of the best memories of that 2 month trip.
EDIT: In a follow up discussion I was informed that she most certainly did not bleed from her toe claws, and that it was blood from the surgery that had leaked down to each of her toes. I was told that clipping the claws so far back was common practice as a method of receding the quick of her nails to make her claws grow in shorter and at a more manageable length. While I understand that this office is trying to cover each base and I truly appreciate the follow up, I have some arguments. First, there wasn't any blood running down between her toes, only on the spots directly adjacent to the ends of each clipped toenail. I have always been under the impression that you do not clip an animals claws back into the quick, the same as you would not clip a horses hooves too short to try and shrink their hooves. Admittedly, my experience with this is limited so I may be wrong. Zora's nails were not overly lengthy and constant running tends to keep her rear claws worn down. I have made calls to several area veterinarians and an out of state vet that has worked with Zora before and thus far I have been told that the way her nails were trimmed is not common practice. Again, I will state that Fall River Veterinary Clinic Veterinarians have stated that the blood stains I saw were due to runoff from the surgery she went through to remove her dew claws. Please draw your own conclusions on that point, but I do not believe this due to the positioning and isolation of each of the stains.
The customer service here is superb and everyone is extremely polite. However I would caution pet owners to pay very close attention to the treatment their pet is receiving and to closely monitor interactions between the male veterinarian and your animal. I left my dog there for the removal of her dew claws, when I returned to pick her up, the claws on her rear feet were clipped so far back on each toe that at least a mm or so of "meat" was visible and it was clear by the stains on her paws that she had bled severely from each.
Fall River Veterinary Clinic is a US Veterinary Care based in Hot Springs, South Dakota. Fall River Veterinary Clinic is located at 27618 Scenic Road, Hot Springs, SD 57747, USA.
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