Cedarcrest Farm & Equine Clinic: Hicks Steve DVM

4.6 (26)
16999 TX-19, Palestine, TX 75803, USA

Hours:

Monday: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Tuesday: Closed

Wednesday: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Thursday: 9:00 – 11:30 AM

Friday: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Saturday: 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Sunday: Closed

How to Save Money at Cedarcrest Farm & Equine Clinic: Hicks Steve DVM

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 11,409
4.9 Embrace 14,230
4.9 Fetch 2,045
4.4 Figo 2,578
4.7 Hartville 164
4.9 Healthy Paws 7,477
4.9 Lemonade 783
3.2 ManyPets 2,153
4.6 MetLife 493
4.8 Nationwide 21,392
4.3 Pet Assure 12
4.7 PetPartners 110
4.5 Pets Best 7,196
4.3 Pumpkin 1,163
4.7 Spot 5,259
4.9 Trupanion 60,296
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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Megan Elliott

Took my aged gelding to Steve to put him down, he had RAO and medication was no longer effective. Paid for euthanasia and left because I had owned and raised the horse from a weakling and was too painful to watch. I knew Steve for years and trusted him. Came back months later to find my horse alive at the clinic extremely emaciated, hooves split and extremely long and suffering from chronic coughing and discomfort from RAO. Steve told me he used him to tease his mares so he could study them and was going to euthanize him soon, then changed his story another time or two. The whole thing is just unbelievable. Needless to say - I would not recommend this guy.

posted: 08/31/2021

Dawn Chai

Dr. Hicks and family are experienced veteran horse vets. They are very patient, answers all your questions, and you don't feel rushed! Pricing is fair and scheduling was fast and easy!

posted: 03/09/2023

Sheilah Lewis

He is awesome. I took my 2 minis to him and he gave his dx and explained everything. Highly recommend.

posted: 03/11/2023

Annette Jones

Dr. Hicks is a kind and compassionate, knowledgeable Equine Veterinarian. Thank you for helping my Rose , I'm truly grateful!

posted: 12/30/2022

Elizabeth Nichols Gruning

I do not recommend this clinic. My initial appointment with Dr. Hicks was for my 30 year old horse to have her teeth floated. First impressions were that he was caustic and old school. Not a pleasant man but no big deal. I came for my horse, not a social call after all. He was unable to do her teeth due to her age(could have told me over the phone instead of forcing her to travel as it is very painful for her). He prescribed some bute to control her arthritis pain and it really helped a lot! I was able to place a refill for the drug via an online pharmacy one time. However, he absolutely refused to fill the prescription again because he didn’t like that I wasn’t buying from him. My husband and I live in Louisiana because he is in the Army and the horse lives at my family ranch in Palestine. Dr. Hicks proceeded to argue with me over the phone that I should be able to just come pick up the medicine from him-even though I live 4 hours away. Or force a family member to even though it isn’t their responsibility, nor does anyone have the time. My mom cares for her elderly mother, my father who has recently had surgery, and will be helping my sister who is about to have surgery. The medicine at his office was $15 more expensive anyway so I preferred to order online and have it mailed directly to my mom for her convenience as she is the one who feeds the horse(as a huge favor to me). His tone was incredibly condescending and he behaved as though he didn’t believe that he’d prescribed the medicine in the first place. To make matters worse, he hung up on me before I could ask if he’d try to work with me on the issue because my horse still needed the medicine! The conversation was honestly very confusing. It’s hard to believe a veterinarian would be so unwilling to work with a client remotely. So now my elderly horse will suffer because he cares more about money than animal welfare. I absolutely do not recommend anyone use Dr. Hicks. He is rude, unprofessional, and does not care about the military or the wellbeing of his animal patients. I am embarrassed to call him a fellow Aggie!

posted: 09/02/2019