Vets Near Me > Iowa > Iowa City > Gentle Heart Pet Clinic

Gentle Heart Pet Clinic

4.7
1125 Shirken Dr, Iowa City, IA 52246, USA

Best Pet Insurance in Iowa City, Iowa 2025

Hours:

Monday: 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Tuesday: 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Wednesday: 8:00 AM – 7:00 PM

Thursday: Closed

Friday: 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Saturday: 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Sunday: Closed

How to Save Money at Gentle Heart Pet Clinic

Schedule Regular Vet Visits

One of the best ways to save on vet bills is to prevent expensive health issues before they develop. By scheduling regular wellness checkups, your vet can detect health issues early, helping you to avoid costly treatments and surgeries down the road.

Price Shop for Pet Prescriptions

Oftentimes our fur babies are prescribed human drugs off-label. Your vet is apt to charge more for these medications than you would pay at your local pharmacy. In fact, big-box or chain pharmacies can offer steep discounts. So it’s best to price shop.

Pet Insurance

Most pet insurance providers will pay between 80% and 90% of the vet bill. You can even get coverage for routine care and things like vaccinations and dental cleanings. If you do the math, you’ll most likely find that pet insurance makes financial sense in the long run as well as gives you peace of mind.

How Do You Choose the Right Pet Insurance Provider?

Pet Insurance Review makes it incredibly easy for pet parents to select an insurance provider they feel good about. You can use our handy comparison tool to get the gist of what a company offers. We’ve also collected over 150,000 reviews of insurance companies from real pet parents like you to rank the top providers in the market. Here is the current ranking of each:

Top Pet Insurance Providers of 2025
Rating Provider Total Review
4.4 AKC 895
4.5 ASPCA 12,059
4.9 Embrace 20,318
4.9 Fetch 27,453
4.1 Figo 2,791
4.5 Hartville 177
4.9 Healthy Paws 10,767
4.8 Lemonade 815
4.6 ManyPets 2,428
4.6 MetLife 5,950
4.8 Nationwide 21,417
3.9 Pet Assure 15
4.4 PetPartners 117
4.9 Pets Best 14,149
4.7 Pumpkin 2,574
4.6 Spot 9,917
4.8 Trupanion 62,992
4.8 Prudent Pet 2,475

Or, you can simply get a fast quote from multiple providers and go from there.

Thinking of insuring your pet?

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Getting to Know Your New Vet: Essential Questions to Ask

Choosing a new veterinarian is an important decision for any pet owner. You want to find someone who is competent, compassionate, and a good fit for you and your fur baby. To help you get the most out of your first appointment, here's a list of essential questions to ask your new vet:

Tell me about your experience with [pet type].

Different vets have different areas of specialization. Some are experts with cats, some dogs, some pocket pets, and some horses. Knowing that your vet has vast experience treating your specific type of pet can bring you peace of mind.

How do you handle emergencies?

You must know what to do in case of a pet medical emergency. Inquire what after-hours policy the clinic has, whether they have on-site emergency care available, and if they have a relationship with any nearby emergency animal hospitals.

How do you communicate with pet owners?

Good communication is key to building a trusting relationship with your vet. Ask how they prefer to communicate (phone calls, emails, online portal) and how often you can expect to hear from them.

Are there any breed-specific health concerns I should be aware of?

Some breeds are predisposed to certain health conditions. Knowing what to watch out for can help you catch problems early and get your pet the treatment they need.

Do you have any questions for me about my pet?

This is a great question to ask because the answer will show that the vet is interested in getting to know your pet as an individual and is willing to listen to your concerns.

Bonus question: Can I take a tour of your facility?

Getting a feel for the clinic's environment can help you and your pet feel more comfortable during your visits. Remember, you’re not just looking for a veterinarian, you’re looking for a partnership. Do not be afraid to ask these questions and any others you can think of. Any vet worth their salt will be happy to answer them. Because the more informed you are, the better equipped you'll be to make decisions about your pet's care! And that should be every vet’s top priority.

Reviews from Google

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Alexis Bowder

Great clinic. Compassionate, experience care!

Abigail Cronin

We LOVE the Gentle Heart Pet Clinic. Dr Mary is very kind and compassionate. She answers all of our questions, and listens to our concerns. She is quick to educate us on how to better care for our dog. The whole staff at this clinic is just so wonderful. I look forward to continuing have Dr Mary as out veterinarian.

Amber Marie Alberts Winterhalter

I appreciate the system that allows us to wait in the car until it is time to go in. It really helps keeps the anxiety of my dog down. He is much calmer when going in. The vet is very friendly and respects my dog without providing unnecessary intimidation. She is honest about what is needed to help keep us informed and educated on recommendations for small dogs. After advising commercial tick prevention over the Lyme disease vaccine, I did more research and was so grateful for her advice. She knew what she was talking about!

Nev Sloan

My dog has some sort of allergy or something going on with his eye. It’s all puffy and swollen. I saw a few little cuts around his eye. I went to this clinic yesterday because it’s where he usually goes and they turned us down because the doctor isn’t there. Didn’t even say a time or day we could come back or even looked at him. This morning I noticed that his other eye is starting to get puffy. He’s been biting at himself especially his paws. It’s most likely an allergic reaction to something but the way they didn’t even come out and look at him.

Desiree Bennett

Was denied flea & tick prescription and told pets needed to be reseen when they were seen 4 & 6 months ago respectively. Solely because some of their vaccines were done through vetco clinic. I was also asked to wait a day to get an answer on why prescription was denied due to them being busy. They call me back in the morning during my working hours (I work at a hospital) and did not leave a voicemail. I call back after I am off work and am told they're too busy with appointments to look at my pet's account/history. Had zero interest in helping and only concerned with future appointments. If reception is so busy you refuse to help clients, then there needs to be more staff.

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