River Mill Animal Hospital - Dr. Tammie Hodge

4.6 (96)
10936 Cross Creek Blvd, Tampa, FL 33647, USA

Hours:

Monday: 8:00 AM – 5:30 PM

Tuesday: 8:00 AM – 5:30 PM

Wednesday: 8:00 AM – 5:30 PM

Thursday: 8:00 AM – 5:30 PM

Friday: 8:00 AM – 5:30 PM

Saturday: 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Sunday: Closed

How to Save Money at River Mill Animal Hospital - Dr. Tammie Hodge

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 2024
Rating Provider Total Review
4.4 AKC 891
4.5 ASPCA 11,682
4.9 Embrace 16,346
4.9 Fetch 7,632
4.2 Figo 2,594
4.7 Hartville 164
4.9 Healthy Paws 9,949
4.9 Lemonade 805
4.6 ManyPets 2,323
4.0 MetLife 615
4.8 Nationwide 21,403
4.3 Pet Assure 12
4.5 PetPartners 112
4.3 Pets Best 12,014
4.6 Pumpkin 1,406
4.6 Spot 6,737
4.9 Trupanion 64,967
4.8 Prudent Pet 125

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

Thinking of insuring your pet?

Get Quotes & Compare

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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Colleen Gagnon

We took our special girl Delilah here this morning for a wellness visit as a new patient. We got the best service. All the staff were super friendly and very knowledgeable. They made recommendations and let us know that we could wait on testing if we wanted. Dr. Hodges was so friendly and informed us of the best options for our fur baby. We felt so welcomed as well.

posted: 08/26/2023

Jorge Andre Figueredo Alves

I'd like to describe my experience with this place. I have rescued two Huskies about 6 years ago and they have no medical history. Luckily they never required much care, only regular stuff, but when Kurama developed a nasty cough, I was referred to Banfield Pet Hospital by a close friend. I thought their website and page were great and didn't really think much ob how rude they were on the phone, big mistake. Those clowns don't know how to read a simple X-ray. One whole year they were trying to diagnose Kurama, yet they took an X-ray of Kurama and it clearly showed she had Bronchitis, yet Banfield never caught it and had me calling around for a colonoscopy which they don't perform. I found River Mill while searching for colonoscopy prices and upon explaining the situation over the phone, they took their time to hear me out and said she probably wouldn't need a colonoscopy, that I could bring her for a free appointment, which I did. Upon arriving, I felt a very good vibe from all the staff, they treated me very well. After the vet techs screened Kurama, Dr. Tammie came and spoke with me, showed me the clear signs of Bronchitis on the old x-ray and asked to get a new one to compare progression. The new one was a lot worse which made sense since Kurama's cough was also getting worse. Dr. Tammie prescribed some pills to see if it would work, it did, then we got our diagnosis like that, one visit. The second visit she decided to change treatment because those pills are not good for the dog on the long run. Dr. Tammie and all her staff are great, I have NOTHING bad to tell about them. MAYBE the only thing I felt kinda awkward was on the second visit I called one hour ahead to let them know I'd be 10 minutes late for my appointment and I felt like the girl was a little rude not acknowledging my apologies, however I was calling one hour prior to let them know I was going to be 10 minutes late and mess up their schedule a bit, so although I understand, I am extremely big on Customer Service which is the only reason why I am even mentioning this, but it's not heavy enough to draw any stars out their rating. But my wife and I agreed that the girl made it clear she didn't like we were 10 minutes late, it was just awkward/weird for me to apologize twice for being 10 minutes late and not hear an acknowledgement. I own a business and I understand the client is not always right, there are many instances a client is in the wrong, however, if you work with the public, you gotta know how to deal with little things and still provide a good customer service because we only get pay because of customers. I just wanted to mention this to be used as feedback for future training. With that being said, Dr. Tammie and all her staff have been so great to me and my pups. Their first visit is free and their prices are very good! I am forever grateful for their amazing team including Stephanie from front office, Christian vet tech, Dr. Tammie and everyone else! (sorry I'd like to name you all but my memory fails me, however everyone is great and deserve a raise LOL).

posted: 06/29/2023

Nicole Steinbergzak

one day in July when my baby was really sick and my regular vet was closed, I called to see if she could fit Sammy in. Her office said yes and they were very welcoming. Her office is open most days, and I love how we can take our babies inside with us instead of having to wait in a bit car worrying about our munchkins. Today we had his vaccines and physical. As you walk in there's a cute sign showing all the names of our kids. Then she we went to a room they have a nice sign with your baby's name on it - what a sweet personal touch! Her staff is warm and congenial. She takes her time with all her patients. I especially enjoyed speaking with her about how she will fit in emergency patients as she knows that it's very difficult to get in to VEG or Blue Pearl This warmed my heart. She is truly a vet that cares about our precious babies. I'm so glad I met her and her staff and look forward to continuing my baby's care at her practice. Dr. Hodge you're an amazing woman doing heartfelt things for us. Thank you for all you do.

posted: 07/09/2022

Cord Barnes

Dr. Hodge and her staff, including Kim have become like extended family due to our familiarity with their practice. Beyond being empathetic and available for all emergencies that we’ve ever had with our pets, they are friendly, caring and go above and beyond what I’ve ever experienced from a business much less a veterinarian with tons of clients. We have close family in Tampa and make regular pilgrimages from NYC-metro with our cat in tow just so he can be cared for by Dr. Hodge. Even though we know our emergency options here in NY, from the very first time we had Rocky seen for a regular check up in Tampa, we decided that no mountain was high enough to keep us from getting to River Mill. Rocky doesn’t like the vet and he gets a little on edge to say the least when he’s out of the house, but Doc and her staff take it in stride and they always get the necessary work done that Rocky needs. Have never had an issue getting in touch and even after-hours when two of our aging family pets have passed, Doc and staff were so warm and supportive. I must mention that under Doc’s watchful eye, two of our family pets outlived their expected life spans. After we began seeing Doc, we even learned that by happenstance, she trained under the surgeon that helped save our cat’s leg after a fall years ago (the only surgeon that was even willing to perform such a surgery.) Reputable network and training, check; bedside manner, check; welcoming staff with clean facility, check; ability to deal with a maybe possibly sometimes neurotic cat that pretends like he has no home training, check. Kitty concierge and willing to fly to New York to take care of Rocky; working on it🤣 let’s start a petition. Highly recommended.

posted: 06/25/2022

Linda Butcher

I highly recommend River Mill Animal Hospital. We have been taking our Chihuahua there for care since December and have had nothing but excellent treatment by Dr Hodge and the staff. They all have gone above and beyond to give Megan great care. We appreciate this group very much. Linda Butcher

posted: 01/26/2023