Lakeland Animal Clinic

I wish I could leave zero stars for the appalling treatment we received at Lakeland Animal Clinic. We brought in our beautiful retriever after he started acting scared, having trouble eating, and eventually lying in pain. We explained over the phone that we couldn’t afford a hefty vet bill, but they reassured us to bring him in, saying, “Don’t worry about the money—we’ll figure it out.” Desperate to save him, we rushed in. It turned out he needed emergency surgery for a blockage in his stomach. We were heartbroken, cried our goodbyes, and even told the vet that if we couldn’t afford the surgery, they could keep the dog to rehome or sell if it meant saving him. The vet assured us, “You’ll get him back, don’t worry,” and we left without signing anything. The next day, we were called back to pick him up and were overjoyed to hear a donor had covered most of the bill. We thought we’d been blessed by a kind gesture, having only paid for the initial check-up. However, the treatment quickly turned sour. After bringing him home, a few weeks later we called to ask about follow-up care, like when his stitches should come out. The front desk staff was beyond rude, accusing us of giving a false address and skipping out on our bill. This was shocking because we were never informed of any balance owed or given paperwork to sign. The vet had told us a donor covered MOST the bill, but now they claimed we owed nearly $4,000! The staff’s unprofessionalism was unacceptable—condescending, nasty, and completely unhelpful. To top it off, the clinic itself was dirty and poorly maintained. We deeply regret trusting this clinic with our beloved dog. Their behavior after the surgery was cruel and deceptive, and I wouldn’t recommend this place to anyone. Please avoid Lakeland Animal Clinic if you value honesty, professionalism, or basic decency.

posted: 01/26/2025

I recently had my cat spayed here. I had never been to this vet, but they came highly recommended to me by a friend. I chose to follow through with the appointment despite some of the really questionable reviews. The vet himself has been practicing for many, many years, so I trusted him well enough. The other staff was pretty nice and they seemed somewhat knowledgeable. That being said, I also worked in the animal care field, so I cannot help but be bothered by their extremely outdated practices. They sent my cat home with me after her procedure without any instructions whatsoever. I had to explicitly ask while they were trying to rush me out of the door, even though I already knew. It just felt weird that they didn't give me any info. My cat didn't get a cone and I wasn't given any supplemental pain medicine/sedatives to give her after the surgery meds wore off. In fact, they outright refused when I requested it because she "doesn't need it; cats don't experience that much pain after being spayed". This was accepted practice many years ago, but current scientific knowledge has deemed this incorrect and incredibly inhumane. I hate to think about what happens here behind-the-scenes. I ended up having to spend even more money than I saved by choosing this clinic on a second appointment at another place to get her antibiotics and pain medicine. I understand why they do what they do. It isn't inherently wrong and they honestly may not know any better. Just something to consider if you're planning on scheduling an appointment here. Edited to add that I’ve spend an additional $500 at this point attempting to fix the mess that this vet caused. I think this clinic blocked my phone number, I’ve been unable to get ahold of them.

posted: 01/20/2025

We use the Groomer here. She does a great job shaving and washing our bernedoodle every 6-8 weeks! I’m thankful for how affordable her prices are too! (Every other place I checked was quite a bit more expensive for our medium sized dog). My only issue is with the cleanliness of the building. It’s dirty, smelly, looks like it’s never cleaned, and there are cats roaming around everywhere. The office is very cluttered as well. I would up my rating if they took some pride in and cared for their space and did a good deep clean.

posted: 10/04/2024

This is Coco she has seen Doc since she was 8 weeks old . He knows dogs- he is a no frill vet. Charges you fairly and always has the answers for my questions. If you want a vet who knows animals and loves them he is your guy . If you want wonderful bedside manner and a new office environment this is not your vet. He is old school and knows animals and gives great care

posted: 12/28/2021

Would give zero. Numerous accounts of what seems like neglect and/or abuse. This one really gets to me... How do you mistake an cat for being owner less while operating on them?! What happened to reviewing paperwork and not just guessing and doing whatever to whichever cat? Do you give random Medications to random cat patients too?

posted: 09/27/2024