For Pet's Sake

I brought my pet frog in for an exam a couple days ago. While the building was not what I expected... the staff was pleasant, courteous, helpful and prompt. I was greeted when I walked in the door. The office staff also took time to talk to my youngest child while we waited. I filled my paper work out and was called into a room in less than 10 min. Once in the room Dr. Hutchenson quickly followed. He was kind and gentle with my frog. He looked her over thoroughly and talked kept a good dialog with me the whole time so I knew what was going on. Gave us some feeding and handling tips and gave me a prescription. While the prices seem high, they are actually in line with other area veterinarians. I was very pleased and would happily bring any of my exotic pets back to this hospital. more

12/23/11 - 1 week post-op and my snake is doing very well! My 2yr old reticulated python swallowed her feeding tongs (about 12-14in long) and I took her to see Dr. Hutcheson by recommendation from the Cobb Emergency Animal Clinic. He was very nice and helped me stop freaking out about my baby, assuring me that it would be an easy surgery, he had seen much worse in the past and that she would be just fine. He handled her with great care and made sure that I had a price estimate and all my questions were answered before I left her for surgery. They called me as soon as the surgery was over to update me on how she was doing, which helped calm my nerves. He kept her overnight for observation (and didn't charge me!) and let me come in first thing the next day. The nurses were very pleasant to me and he explained to me exactly how he did the procedure, what to look out for post-op, how to give her medicine and instructions for her recovery. They even had washed the tongs and gave them back to me! The cost was high, but not nearly as bad as I was dreading and he even offered to allow me to write post-dated checks for whatever amount would be easy for me. Solidified by a 2nd day follow-up phone call, Dr. Hutcheson has earned a customer for life! A++ experience! more

I wish there was a negative star rating for this office. They killed 2 of our rabbits with routine spay/neuter surgeries. With the first one, the rabbit was young and healthy, and we could not understand why she died right after surgery, but we gave Dr. Shepherd the benefit of the doubt. They insisted that our 2nd rabbit, also young and healthy, spend the night there after a routine neuter surgery, but nobody was there to watch him. Overnight, his intestines came out and they found him that way in the morning still alive. Rather than call us, Dr. Shepherd euthanized him and threw him in the freezer without even telling us. I would have instructed her to try to do surgery to save him had she bothered to call. We didn't find out until we called about picking him up. When I said I wanted a necropsy done, Dr. Shepherd lied and said it couldn't be done since he was frozen and really tried to discourage me from getting a necropsy done. When I asked why she euthanized our pet without our permission, she lied and said her vet tech told her that's what she would do. Dr. Shepherd then lied again and said it was an old sick rabbit. When I said he was only a year old, her 'diagnosis' was that we were 'having a run of bad luck'. When I went to pick up the rabbit, Dr. Shepherd was walking down the hallway and then she turned around and scurried to hide in one of the rooms. I took the rabbit to UGA for a necropsy and found that Dr. Shepherd and Hutcheson didn't bother to suture the inguinal ring, which caused the intestines to come out.. The report also stated that the rabbit was young and healthy. Dr. Shepherd's and Dr. Hutcheson's negligence, carelessness and attempts to cover up their actions killed our rabbit.. Run far away from them and don't let them near your pets! more

We had a young (3 month old) lovely Russian dwarf hamster and brought her in for diarreah. I never did get to speak with the vet, but after he told me it was mild, gave me some antibiotics, her symptoms changed and got worse. I called and again, didn't get to a live vet, i always spoke to whomever answered the phone acting like an expert. THey changed the antibiotic and three days later this lovely creature was off balance, drinking profuse amounts of water and constantly biting at her bottom. I woke up this AM only to see this beloved pet half frozen in a ball with her insides protruding from her bottom. THREE DAYS AGO they called me for their customary ""how is your pet doing."" When I told them how worried I was about her, they said they would ""check with the vet and get back to me."" I asked them if there was anything at all I could do. NO ONE CALLED BACK AND I NEVER SPOKE TO A VET. I now realize this could have been prevented, it was probably rectal prolapsis, and no one on the phone there had any clue. I'm heartbroken. If you love your pet as much as I did, go to a vet who understands that and takes your pet's health seriously, regardless of what kind! more

Had I read the horrible reviews online about Dr. Mimi Shepherd and this vet, I would have never given them my business. If this review saves ONE person the HEARTACHE and EXPENSE I went through, it is worth writing. Recently my husband and I bought 2 baby lovebirds from a breeder, and after only a couple of weeks one fell very ill on a Sunday evening. The next morning I took him in to For Pet's Sake after finding them on a web search, and, long story short, Mimi Shepherd MISDIAGNOSED the bird saying it had a virus that could be ""any number of viruses"". Her bedside manner was flippant and coldhearted...I felt I was no priority. She also misquoted the price of an x-ray, and when I asked her about it she argued with me. The staff was also very rude, with the exception of Debbie. 2 hours after bringing my bird in and Mimi treating him with antibiotics, he was dead. The real cause of illness, I later determined through research, was the liner I had used in the cage (and approved w/ the breeder.) Hardware cloth is extremely toxic to birds, and I had explained to Shepherd exactly what I used in the cage and even showed her a photo. 2 days later when I realized what the real problem was, I immediately took my other bird in who had been showing symptoms since Monday evening. It cost $370 more, and she survived but has no muscle control in her feet (now a month later and very little improvement). When I asked Dr. Hutcheson about making concessions to the bill, he gave me major attitude (despite the fact that my 2nd bird would have been treated in time had the 1st not been misdiagnosed days earlier!!!!!) PLEASE do yourself a favor and find another vet. The good reviews written about this place were clearly added by their staff to compensate for the bad ones written by real customers. Pros: n/a Cons: Extremely poor service, bad attitude, incompetent!!! more

hi everyone....\r i have taken my ""furry babies"" to Dr. Jason and Dr. Mimi for about 6-7 years now.... my beloved bunnies- my bearded dragons, my parakeets, my foster 'tiels, my foster guinea pig, and my ratties...\r i have the utmost respect for the doctors- as well as the staff...\r \r i had been to a few other ""exotic"" vets.... i don't even wanna go into that- just know i was dis-pleased on many levels...\r but i gotta say- I recommend this hospital 100%....\r thank you for the love and care you have shown, not only to me, but to my ""kids"" Pros: great care, great staff, they know what they are doing Cons: rush hour traffic! more

Our recent experience with Dr. Sheperd is still giving my husband and I nightmares. We brought our sick ferret into see Dr.Sheperd several different times and each time she was cold and uncaring-the last visit a few weeks ago- She said our ferret would need a common procedure which might help rid some of the fluid from her swollen belly. Before the visit our ferret had loose bowel movements ..but was eating and drinking and alert. When I picked her up not only was she covered in feces and had red body fluid dripping down her stomach(she looked mutilated-bruises on her entire belly)..I asked Dr.Sheperd what to do if she didn't stop bleeding and she had no answer for me. For the next and last 2 days of ferrets life she was peeing and poo-ing red-not eating not drinking..and she died. Dr. Sheperd had given me 3 perscriptions 2 days before...which weren't cheap. I left a message for the owner who has yet to call me back. Pros: nothing Cons: mean doctor/bad treatment more

Our Bunny came in for a routine checkup and was seen by Dr. Mimi Shepard. Dr. Shepard appeared tired and uncaring, and would not tell us anything about our Bunny unless we asked. She eventually talked us into buying a pen and new food. What Dr. Shepard failed to mention is that rabbits needs to be gradually switched from one food to the other. When we put Bunny in his new pen with his new food, he would not eat or do anything. We took him in again, and our Bunny was diagnosed with 'gut shutdown.' We entrusted our Bunny to Dr. Jason Hutcheson. When we received our Bunny back, we were given a medication that was at the time suspected to CAUSE gut shutdown. In a day, our Bunny was dead. Devastated, we came back to see Dr. Hutcheson, he tried to pawn off the problem on another physical problem the Bunny was having. I left a note with the secretary asking Dr. Hutcheson to call me. He didn't. I wrote him a long note explaining the situation and how Dr. Shepard was to blame for not explaining everything clearly to us. I received no response, and called in and got him on the phone. I have never heard anyone his age behave like such a child, explaining he would not grant a refund because his staff was completely competent. A few weeks later, we received word that For Pet's Sake had done away with another bunny with shutdown, evidencing to me that their staff haven't the slightest clue what they are doing. For your own pet's sake, stay away from For Pet's Sake. Pros: None. Cons: Unintelligent, Uncaring, Unfriendly reception and vets. A blemish on the vet community. more

For years I used Dr. Shephard's service. Over that time, from the early 1990's to 2003, I lost many favorite pets. I believed in her. My belief in her resulted, I think now, in the needless suffering and death of my precious pets. In 2004, I switched to Banfield in Pet's Smart. I have not lost a single pet since making the switch. Also, not only has the quality of service been an improvement, but the friendliness is also much better at Pet's Smart than at For Pet's Sake. I would recommend Banfield at Pet's Smart over For Pet's Sake.\r \r Just my opinion.\r \r Cons: Frequent death of beloved pets. more

I had to leave in a rush for a family emergency and was able to drop off my two budgies (Sam and Tammy) for boarding. The staff took excellent care of them while I was away. \r \r Though they were glad to see me back and I could tell they were quite happy just being there too. Apparently Sam had taken a liking to another boarder while there.\r \r Overall - great, friendly staff! Excellent and accommodating! They treated my birds as if they were their own...with sweet and gentle care. Pros: Friendly staff, fed fresh fruits/veggies along with bird food Cons: Nothing. more

This only pertains to Mimi Shepard. Doctor Hutcheson was great.\r \r We're new to the Atlanta area and have two ferrets, one of which was recently diagnosed with Adrenal Disease. We were told he would need three monthly shots of Lupron. The first one went well. The doctor we saw was knowledgeable and kind and handled our ferret well. This was not the case with Mimi Shepard who gave the next month?s shot. She came into the examination room, did not look at my boyfriend or I, did not introduce herself (we had never seen her before), she just scruffed our ferret and jabbed a needle into him. She realized the needle did not have enough Lupron in it, picked our ferret up and took him out of the room. Not once did she ever acknowledge us. When she brought him back I tried to engage her in conversation about shot aftercare. She thrust our ferret into his cage and then threw his bedding in after him. She still wouldn?t look at us and even began looking at the window while we were talking. She was beyond rude and absolutely should not be handling animals. Pros: comfy place, good staff, Doctor Hutcheson Cons: Mimi Shepard more

One of a kind vet in the Atlanta area and very reasonably priced! Fast friendly service, clean office. Specializing in all birds and parrots, reptiles, turtles, rabbits, etc. There is always a DMV available that specializes in birds and is trained espessially in the knowledge of all parrots, and a regular vetenarian also. You must bring your birds to these guys for a yearly exam or anytime because they will really do a thourough examination for you and not charge you too much. I like to go on Saturday's when appointments arent neccessary and I have always been seen very quickly, even when it was busy. The office is always spotless and the staff is very friendly! Highly recommend!! Pros: affordable pricing, nice staff, knowledgable and very helpful in every aspect. Cons: nothing at all come to mind. more

I live about 30 minutes from ""Pets Sake"" and decided to bring my cockatiel there because his crop would not drain and I didn't want my baby to starve. There is not a lot of Avian Vets in the Atlanta area and the ones that they do have will not see birds or do not specialize in exotics. ""For Pets Sake"" have licensed avian vets and specialize mostly in birds only. They do take all animals and are very good with reptiles, rabbits, dogs, cats, and etc but are the absolute best for birds! I have only one local Avian vet and they are closed on weekends and there is not any where else for me to take my cockatiels but ""For Pets Sake"", or I would have to drive a long way. The doctors and nurses there are very very nice and they help you to clearly understand what is going on with your pet. I have never met doctors who are so caring and nice as these guys, please give them a try for your birds. There was several people there with cockatiels and parrots when I went but I didn't have to wait long at all before the nurse took me back to the room. The doctor was very professional and he took good care of my baby bird. They also have a large bird store located in the office and sell everything for birds including toys, food, books, and much much more! This is a top avian vet and very clean place! I love all the framed bird pictures on the walls of there office! Pros: THE BEST VET AROUND FOR BIRDS/EXOTICS! ALSO GOOD FOR OTHER ANIMALS ALSO Cons: NOTHING... more

I've been taking my guinea pigs to For Pet's Sake for over two years and am delighted with the professional care they've received. Because most general vets only really know dogs and cats, you really need a specialist, which Dr. Shepherd and fellow vets are. Whether you have a love bird, a parrot, a hamster, a guinea pig, a gecko, or some other ""exotics"" (if a bunny can be ""exotic"") -- this is the place. In addition to vet care, For Pet's Sake also does animal boarding and has a nice little specialist pet shop, with food, supplies and toys for birds, rabbits, reptiles, etc. They also can arrange for pet foods, like parrot food, to be shipped directly. For Pet's Sake is located next door to North DeKalb Mall. (Tip to MARTA riders, it's reachable via the 123 bus.) Pros: specialized, walk-in hours Saturday, facilities for surgery more