VCA Chicago North Animal Hospital

4.3 (221)
3631 N Elston Ave, Chicago, IL 60618, USA

Hours:

Monday: 8:00 AM – 7:00 PM

Tuesday: 8:00 AM – 7:00 PM

Wednesday: 8:00 AM – 7:00 PM

Thursday: 8:00 AM – 7:00 PM

Friday: 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Saturday: 8:00 AM – 2:00 PM

Sunday: Closed

How to Save Money at VCA Chicago North Animal Hospital

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 889
4.7 ASPCA 11,392
4.9 Embrace 14,179
4.9 Fetch 1,995
4.4 Figo 2,561
4.7 Hartville 164
4.9 Healthy Paws 7,475
4.9 Lemonade 781
3.2 ManyPets 2,145
4.6 MetLife 487
4.8 Nationwide 21,391
4.3 Pet Assure 12
4.7 PetPartners 110
4.5 Pets Best 7,194
4.3 Pumpkin 1,131
4.7 Spot 5,194
4.9 Trupanion 60,280
4.8 Prudent Pet 124

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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Ryan Seitz

Love George the way he cuts our dogs nails - she’s super nervous and we always request him because he calms her down. Our vet is also great. Only knock for the star is its a bit on the expensive side for the trim

posted: 05/16/2023

whitney welch

Unfortunately after our last visit with a dog of ours we’ve come to the conclusion the wellness visit cost/vaccines are no longer affordable for our family. A 40% increase for a wellness visit exam is shocking as it was $75 in 2022. It’s disappointing that vet care costs like VCA in chicago are pricing out working class families such as mine. Highly recommend checking out your local places in this are. Other private practices charge $80 for wellness exams and $60 for heart worm texts. This place is absolutely exploiting pet care costs.

posted: 05/15/2023

rick robles

Thank you so much for the sympathy card, I appreciate the personalized message from your staff, Bibi will always be in our hearts 💕 . You guys did everything you could have done for our precious baby, but she is I'm a better place.

posted: 05/24/2023

Lindsey Nelson

I found that the treatment at VCA was sub par for the price they charge. The front desk staff (with the exception of Kimmy) is pretty miserable. They wanted $500+ for an X-ray and $114 just for a “exam fee.” Please instead consider Heal on Rockwell. Excellent care, clean facility, at half the price ($72 for an exam fee and $225 for an X-ray). VCA has nothing but the name and their facility on Elston is old and dingy and they care more about charging a fortune than the genuine care of your pet. My cat was in pain and went home with nothing to actually treat the pain, which to me is cruel. There are such better vets out there and I will never consider VCA for any of my pets again.

posted: 02/24/2023

Rebecca Camacho (Becca)

My baby boy was urinating blood and they send him home with medicine and he's doing great also they did the red cell test for free 🐕🐾🐾🐾💞 my fur baby is happy I'm happy😊

posted: 10/16/2020