South Trail Animal Hospital

I have taken ALL MY DOGS (Astro-Great Dane, Sweetie-American Bulldog/pit terrier, Sam-bull mastiff, Tatertot-English Bulldog and now MillieMo-English Bulldog) here for over 30 years! Dr Gillaspie was always our vet and he was the Best. We were soooo worried that no one else would live up to him…., but we found Dr. Calloway to be just as kind and gentle and sit down and explain and listen just like Dr Gillaspie. We are positive in our move forward during transition and we both really appreciate her kindness. MillieMo is a challenge but Dr Calloway is sooo patient with her and knows how to draw her in. Thank you Dr Calloway! Thank you for your patience and explaining things. And Dr Gellaspie, we will be forever grateful for the care you gave all our babies. Thank you SOUTHTRAIL! And a special thank you to a doctor we’ve never seen but helped my baby get the meds she needed in a bind and urgency, Dr Demonarco. So grateful for your care! ❤️

Both of my cats have seen Dr. Calloway in the last 2 weeks and I have been blow away by her kindness and consideration she has shown me and my cats. For one of my cats this was the first time he has ever been to the vet and was very shy and Dr. Calloway instantly knew how to approach him and allowed him to be shy but so comfortable with her-which is unheard of for my younger cat. She is so personable and gentle with both of my boys. I have recommended her to everyone I know, and given her the highest praise. She is truly someone that you can tell loves what she does and makes it abundantly obvious in her care. Thank you Dr. Calloway!

New to the area so was weary about finding my dog (German shepherd) a new care provider. I had a very pleasant experience here. Very quiet and clean space, and I got to be with my dog the whole time. Dr Demonarco was thorough in her examination even though I brought her in for a possible tumor. She left no stone unturned when it came to my dogs health. Best vet experience I’ve ever had.

Our pups, Moose and Meka, were treated at South Trail for several years. Care was initially great, but we experienced a frustrating situation when Moose was misdiagnosed, leading to a painful condition that required additional treatment at our expense (~$500), even though they admitted to the mistake. However, we continued using South Trail because we understand medicine is not perfect and mistakes happen. Approximately nine months later, another incident occurred in Sept/Oct 2024, ultimately ending our relationship with South Trail. During our pups' annual visit on Sept 21, South Trail recommended the lepto vaccine. Initially, we hesitated, as we were unsure the treatment was necessary, and the vaccine was expensive. Ultimately, however, we trusted their judgment and agreed to the vaccine. We were told we must return within 21 days for boosters and scheduled our appointment for Sat, Oct 12. Hurricane Milton brushed by SWFL Oct 7 but South Trail still confirmed our appointment for Oct 12. When we arrived Oct. 12, the clinic was closed due to a power outage. No one tried to contact us beforehand, despite later learning the power had reportedly been out since the previous day. It was several hours later before they sent a generic email to all customers announcing the closure. We requested they accommodate rescheduling us after work, as the 21-day booster window was closing, but they refused, indicating “other customers already have appointments.” There was no effort to fit us in, even when considering the urgent nature to do so, and so we were forced to reschedule during a workday, creating a difficult work conflict. After the boosters were given, my wife was surprised with a $200+ bill. We were taken aback, as no one informed us during the original visit that the booster would require a second office visit charge and additional vaccine fee. At every other prior appointment, South Trail not only provided the treatment cost before rendering services, but they also required payment before doing so. However, during this visit no price or request for payment was provided prior to rendering care. I respectfully raised my concerns regarding the undisclosed charges, the cancelled appointment/lack of communication, and for failing to fit us in. We asked them to send us a bill so we could discuss further; however, we never received one. A few weeks later, I proactively emailed them requesting a copy so we could review and provide remittance of some kind. Shortly thereafter, I received a call from one of the owners, Dr. Ford, and asked whether we could meet halfway on the disputed amount. Dr. Ford responded, "You won't receive a bill, and you won't be welcomed back here again." We were bothered Dr. Ford took this position after years of caring for our pups, but we respected their decision and sought care elsewhere. Recently, our pup Moose reached the end of his life. He was elderly, suffering from multiple chronic medical conditions, and suddenly in distress. His regular vet was unexpectedly unavailable due to illness, leaving us scrambling to find help with euthanasia. Despite having previously been told we were not welcome back, given Moose's condition, I called South Trail, explained the situation, acknowledged the prior disagreement, and asked whether they would be willing to help bring an end to Moose's suffering. The staff placed me on a brief hold, and returned to tell me that Dr. Ford was refusing to provide care to Moose. We were simply asking to help a suffering dog and were shocked by the lack of compassion shown to us during such a painful and vulnerable time. Veterinary medicine is about caring for animals. Billing disputes happen. Miscommunications happen. But we cannot understand refusing to help a suffering animal, even though we worked proactively two years earlier to solve the disagreement. This situation speaks volumes about Dr. Ford’s culture at South Trail Animal Hospital. Based on our experience, we felt others should know what happened before entrusting South Trail with care of their beloved pets.

Easy to get to as it's right off S Tamiami Trail. Usually no problem getting a same day appointment, we are established there, not sure how hard it is to get a quick appointment as a new patient. They communicate with our vets up north. Dr Cooke is very thorough and takes her time examining pup, The staff is very nice. It's a clean place and they wipe everything down between patients.