Acredale Animal Hospital: De Lorenzo Alexandra DVM

As I read the previous reviews, I was astonished that some people fail to recognize simple business practices and human nature. The animal hospital is not only a place to keep your pet healthy, but it is also a business. Services are not free and being respectful to the staff will get you the same treatment in return. People who complain about having to pay their bills remind me of deadbeat patrons. And people who complain about the staff being rude, probably walked in with a chip on their shoulder. With that said let me relate our family experience. Acredale has been our family Vet for over 10 years. In all those 10 years, we have never had a bad experience. At one time we had six cats and three dogs, all under the care of Acredale. We have spent somewhere between $7,000 and $10,000 in medical expenses. We have had three animals die of cancer of which Acredale did an absolutely marvelous job of diagnosing, treating and easing our grief through their compassion and loving care shown in our time of need. With our last one Twinkle, Acredale performed surgery on two lumps on the right leg. Stitches were put in. Stitches popped out. But we know it was NOT Acredale's fault that the stitches did not stay in. Unless you sedate an animal 24 hours a day, you cannot keep an animal totally inactive. Stitches pop out. Staples pop out. Blaming the Vet is ludicrous. Finally, when it was time for Twinkle to be put down due to her suffering, the Acredale staff met us at the door and carried Twinkle into the exam room. They made Twinkle comfortable and consoled us while Dr. Alex DeLorenzo prepared the final syringe. Having experienced many Veterinarian Services over the last 30 years and the loss of pets, I have found Acredale Animal Hospital professional, competent, affordable and compassionate in handling my family of pets for the last 10 years. And more importantly, I will continue to bring my family pets to them, because they care! Pros: Courteous, friendly and knowledgeable Staff more

I have been taking my cats Jade and Jasper to Acredale since I got them four years ago. At first, the staff and doctors were wonderful. I have noticed a decline in their customer service as well as their attitudes. Recently my cat Jade became very sick. She is only four years old but her health was rapidly declining. At first, I had my roommate take her to Holland Oaks but they recommended a specialist. I wanted Acredale to take a look at her just to be sure that the specialist was what needed to be done. The doctor I got barely looked at Jade and when I told her that Jade could no longer stand on her own, she snapped that it was because she wasn't eating. She gave me vitamins, appetite stimulants, and food...$160 later I brought my baby home. The next day she was worse than I have ever seen her. I still could not get her to eat and my heart was literally breaking. We called the vet to see if we could bring her in to feed her. When we got there I was snapped at to take a seat and someone would be with me. When they finally called me I asked if the urine analysis results had been returned. They put me in a room to speak to a doctor (the one who saw me the day before was not there). Imagine my horror when I heard the doctor who was going to come in yelling in the hallway that this wasn't her case and she didn't want to talk to me. Long story short, they did nothing. All they volunteered to do was ""shove food in her mouth."" I had to take her to Tidewater Emergency Hospital and two hours later, my baby was gone. I will NEVER recommend Acredale to anyone again. I am not sure they could have done anything to save her, but they could've been more compassionate, they are supposed to love animals but they clearly do not. Pros: Clean Office Cons: Rude, Discourteous Staff, Doctors Talk Down to Patients more

I have been using the facility for the past 4 or more years and find service fabulous especially during an emergency. They have been great to us anytime we have a crisis especially with a new litter. Also, when my little pomeranian was attacked by a bigger dog, one of their technicians took him home during the night so he could be monitored. I love Dr. Alex and Kenny DeLorenzo husand/wife team and Dr. Gordon is a wonderful surgeon. This is the ONLY clinic I would use in this entire area.\r \r Ellen\r Goldenspur Cavaliers Pros: best ever for critical care situtations Cons: parking lot is a little too small more

From the tender age of 19 now 44. 11 animals later , when you really are in a great time of dispare find a caring vet for your pets needs not the vets pockets, get compassion for your animals not for only the care of monies at this day and time, they once were great. Good doctors yes but no bed side manners now, because today it's all about the monies fact. They denied an 18 year old dog 140 in dog years ,meds because of 300 dollars owed on visit & stapel removel.-$ 4000.00 paid for in full or no care to begain with.on the surgery & the care. and the follow up were visits= $300.00 more and a three hour wait for an animal in pain as well for an appointment made in advance The poor animal was very late on dinner as well & water who knew three hour wait, why make the appointment?. Also when in cash I have spent 30 to 40 thousand dollars if not more"" IN CASH"",. In my time there! with full intenisons to pay as again as allways, pain meds,"" get that pain"" $100.00 pain meds. I tried to pay in cash & was refused because I could not afford everything at once fill two precrips-$160.00 & paying on bill more & the gas to get there, they went up in on meds as well, we think to build onto the building to make what more monies Go some where else.Thanks to you Dr.Evan & his staff & In my great time of need & my pet first & formost, When your down don't count on him or the staff they will embarass you in full view of anyone as well of all that are in the waiting area & at the counter or on the phone. No compassion or thought to you or your feelings, "" It's Inhumain 1st on the animals behaif & horrible! It's hard times right now on everyone.not just me they don't CARE.I called a begged & cried & got mad All he will fill do is fill the antiobic not the pain meds In cash in which I had the day we were turned away in public, embarrased & shocked. They could of told me on the phone when I called them in, they pulled up the file to fill them It makes no since all these years later HURT Pros: great surgan Cons: poor compassion for your animal long run better be rich or die. more

I've been taking my dogs and cats there for many years and have been thrilled with the level of care, professionalism and concern that my pets and I have received. The staff and docs are great!!! Pros: great vets and staff, clean rooms, late nite hours Cons: small building and parking lot, but they're adding on more

I started taking my puppy there when I got him and one of the things the vet noticed was there was a lot of ""gunk"" in his ears. The vet said oh, he probably has mites and took a swab of his ears to check it under a microscope. She came back and told me he didn't have mites BUT I could take the mite ear drops if I wanted. I asked if it isn't mites would it help. She responded with ""Well, it won't hurt"". \r Anyway, I was always a little uncomfortable with this as the drops never really cleared up my dog's ears and the vet obviously pointed out something wasn't right with them. Well something happened and I wanted to get my dog looked at immmediately. I took him in to Acredale but they couldn't see him that day or for several days out. I was worried about my dog and decided to take him somewhere else. The vet I took him to was able to see him that SAME DAY and this was our first visit. \r When we got to the new vet, one of things I asked was if they could check his ears as he had been scratching at them a lot. The vet immediately said WITHOUT even looking yet that more than like it was a yeast infection as this was typical of floppy-eared dogs do to moisture build up in the ear canal. He said the other two possibilities were bacteria or mites. Well like Acredale he took a swab of his ears and found out sure enough he had a yeast infection. He even let me see it under the microscope and pulled out a book to show me exactly what he had. Acredale completely missed that and it is so common that the new vet didn't even have to look at them before correctly guessing what it was. That is just plain incompetency on Acredale's part.\r I could go on with a few more things like this (and yes there are a few more) where they really don't know what they are doing, don't play close attention or care about what they are doing or are prescribing but hopefully this makes a point. I love my boy more than anything and am thankful nothing serious came up while I was still using this Vet. Pros: Didn't hurt my dog, that I know of Cons: Too many to list, rude, rushed, wrong, careless to name a few more

I am shocked by some of the comments about Acredale.\r \r I have been coming here for about 3 and 1/2 years. I have found the staff and vets friendly, courteous, helpful and extremely humane. Our entire family has been using Acredale. The vets have been on top of all of the issues that we have had with our three dogs. We have also used Acredale for grooming of our pets. They have been wonderful with them. Acredale has also taken a great deal of time with my sister when she had to put her dog down. We have just recently lost our dog of thirteen years and they treated the situation with much kindness and dignity. I have lived thoughout the country in my lifetime. I would say that Acredale is the best not only in the Hampton Roads area but also the country. Thanks Acredale...when I left Max and Luke with you, I never had to worry. Pros: Vets listen, great facility, excellent diagnosis, cordial staff, real conversations with vets Cons: The waiting room was crowded but the building is being enlarged by 5 or 6 additional rooms more

We have had Acredale Animal Hospital for the last three years for our dogs. I have never found a more compasionate group of Doctors and Staff anywhere. We Had a 13 year old Westie that we finally had to put to sleep because he was suffering. As you know this is a very hard decision for anyone. They spent over an hour with us until we made the decision to go ahead and then spent another half hour after with us. When we were ready to replace him they were very instramental in helping us get another Westie, through the Westie Rescue group of Mid-Atlantic. \r \r They also have the greatest Groomers in the Business. I would not take our dogs anywhere else. They are the greatest. Pros: Excellent Vets and Staff Cons: Have not had any negative experiences more

I have been taking my three dogs to Acredale Animal Hospital for almost seven years. Acredale Animal Hospital is the reason my border collies lived for over 15 years. The vets, techs and staff care, monitoring and guidance have helped give my dogs the quality of life they deserve. When my dogs have had a procedure I have received a call afterwards to let me know their condition. I have had to wait to see the vet at times but the quality of care is worth the time and emergencies take priority. I do buy products (pill pickets and food) while I am at the Acredale and compared the price at other pet supply places; Acredale was always significantly lower. This has been a great convience for me since I work full time. When you call in a refill on medicine, I have always been able to pick it up on the same day. I tell ALL my family and friends to use Acredale; I will trust no one else to take care of my dogs!!!!! Pros: wonderfully knowledgeble, caring and compassionate vets, techs and staff Cons: sometimes you have to wait a bit more

I have used Acredale Animal Hospital for years. I am a breed rescue person (Pekingese) and have taken over 60 dogs to Acredale. The care I have received is incredible. I would not use another vet for my own dogs or my foster dogs. The vets at Acredale are very knowledgeable and caring. They have gone far beyond what many vets would do. I trust them completely with my dogs. I would VERY highly recommend this animal hospital for anyone who really loves their pets. Pros: extremely knowledgeable and caring more

This animal hospital is great - yes, it's busy, but it's worth the wait. Try to go during the day hours. The doctors are very personable, and understanding and good with my dogs. The prices are very reasonable, too. Pros: great docs more

I am glad i read the reviews; i had an appointment scheduled for my dog to see about Acredale becoming her new Vet after reading what previous customers have written, i will keep looking....thanks for sharing!! more

the dr's are rude and the staff acts like they are chickens with their heads cut off running around. They are over priced and do NOT look out for the comunity only themselves! \r I would never tell anyone to go their !! Pros: just want your money Cons: not nice, and a very stressful environment! more

I had been going to acredale for the past 6 years and i dealt with the unfriendliness and indifference of the staff because I trusted them. I wasted hundreds of dollars there and am now paying thousands in vet and surgeon fees elsewhere because my worries were totally ignored and the problems kept progressing. The past 3 years I have tried to convince them that my dog was having serious problems with his leg. I was told my dog did not seem to have any arthritis and that he just needed a special diet when he actually needed surgery and treatment for a serious illness. If they would have ran tests in the beginning he would have been able fully recover. I just want to warn people that this clinic tends to rush people in and out with little regard for the customers and pets. Pros: Location Cons: Staff more

I use to be a faithful customer until i took my pups in to get their dew-claws removed and tails docked and 1 pup is now in puppy heaven. I will not go back there ever! Pros: Close to my house Cons: Let puppy die more

We have been going to Acredale for nearly 15 years. They have always been spot on...until the past three years or so. \r \r It started when they missed a hyperthyroid condition in a cat a few years ago. Then they missed a few other things.\r \r This summer I tried calling for about two solid weeks several times a day and got a busy signal. When I finally got through, I demanded to speak to someone in charge. Since that person was busy, I left a message. A few days later I got a message from the office apologizing and saying to call back to discuss the issue. When I tried calling back, I got a busy signal. Needless to say I wasn't amused.\r \r This is not a BAD practice, per se. It's just too busy. If a human doctor gets too busy, he/she will stop taking new patients. It seems this should have been the practice's policy a few years ago. They are so overwhelmed that the quality of care and customer service have declined. Perhaps if they stopped taking new patients for a while it would free up the office a bit more to take care of their customers who have faithfully stayed with them through the years. Pros: closer to home Cons: Exceptionally long wait, sloppy work, rude front desk folks more

I used to love this vet office. They have drastically gone down hill. The office was empty so I came in as a walk in - and I waited... and waited.. and waited for 2 hours.. and there were no other clients in the office! The front desk staff seemed very untrained, they were very rude and made negative comments about the VBSPCA (which is an organization I highly respect- I used to work there and I adopted all my pets from there) \r \r The prices are TOO HIGH. Ive gone to the emergency vet on Lynnhaven in the middle of the night and paid $150 less than what I paid for my service today. They dont even seem like compassionate animal lovers. The vet came into the room and was very ""stand offish"" she didnt get near my dog. She talked down to me like I was an idiot. She acted like my dog was going to attack her at any moment. Hes a very sweet dog. He doesnt look scary. He just got into a fight with my other dog - its like teenage boys getting into fistfights.. its just happens sometimes. She just acted like she didnt want anything to do with him. My dog was so afraid of her he pee'd all over himself. \r \r I currently have four dogs and a cat and I have had many other animals growing up and I often foster animals. I have spent a lot of time in the vets office - and this was the worst experience I have every had. I left feeling like a bad dog caretaker, embarassed, dumb, unwelcome, and ripped off. I had a very horrible experience. I will be finding another vet - and I would suggest you do too. Pros: Clean Cons: Rude Staff, High Prices more

My family and I have been taking out pets to Acredale Animal Hospital for treatment, boarding and grooming for 12 years. They have taken the utmost care of our pets. When our family cats were diagnosed with diabetes, they did everything possible to take care of them and get them the proper treatment. When our two cats passed away eight and ten years later, they were sensitive, kind and understanding. And when our dog passed away, the same care (all three were elderly; one had an advanced, aggressive cancer). The veternarian care was extremely wonderful. The staff is friendly and sensitive. They have gotten to know us by name. I felt as if they veternarians, techs and staff took the time to listen to us and take care of our beloved pets. The facilities are always clean and well maintained. In twelve years and five pets, I have never had a bad experience there. \r \r Though I have gotten married and live several miles from the hospital, there is no question where my husband and I will take our two cats. Pros: Caring & friendly staff, excellent veternarians, clean facilities more

I've taken my cat there a few times. They're great with your animal and give good advice for fixing problems. Your animal WILL be ""prescribed"" some Science Diet food---they have a reason for it for EVERY animal that comes in the door. This must be how they make a big portion of ther profits. The office staff isn't very friendly anymore--the office is usually too busy for any individual attention, they don't even greet you when you come in the door any longer. Pros: Great Vets, clean office Cons: Just want to sell you food, unfriendly office staff, too busy for you. more

We orignally began bring our dog here because it was close to our home and was told that it was good. The first experience we had with the the vet yelled at us and told us we were bad pet parents because our dog growled at him when he tried to put a thermoeter where the sun don't shine. When we got her fixed her stiches came undone and we had to rush her to the emergency vet because her stomach was litterallly hanging out (that wasn't cheap and they refused to reimburse us for it.) After that we requested not to have that vet and all went well for a while. We boarded here and they were great with our tempermental mutt. When we got our second dog however, twice I had to wait for 2 hours to see the doctor even though I had an appointment and with no apology. Today my husband called in their med order and was told it would take 3 hours to get ready (it was sentinal and advantage, seriusly it take 30 seconds to grab it off the shelf). So my husband shows up 3 hours later only to find out it wasn't ready yet, when the girl finally brought it up it was the wrong stuff. Again no apologies. They're rude and expensive; we will be taking our pets elsewhere next time. Pros: Close to my house Cons: Expensive, Horrible customer service, Long waits more