Forest Animal Hospital

37 years Dr V has tken care of our family pets. He is the Greatest Vet on Staten Island. My family has grown and moved to build their own families and drive hundreds of miles to get care for their pets. We had 8 dogs 1 cat , 1 rabbit in our immediate family who have lived good healthily lives because of Dr V. The most dedicated, caring, skillful Doctor ever. we keep him in our prayers. Comments on the office: you don't need a fancy office you need a good Doctor. You want fancy go to others but bring your life savings. ecitimike more

Dr. V is a sweetheart and honest ! He actually Cares About the Animals well being and offers Decent Pricing! The staff I met are great .. (Diana, Frank, Maggie, Melissa) .. DO NOT DISCREDIT THIS BUSINESS .. no its not decorated state of the art and yes it smells like what it is An Animal Hospital .. BUT I PERSONALLY WITNESS The Sanitizing and Disinfecting after each animal visit. I will definitely stay with this vet from now on !!! more

I found a stray kitten outside and I have small children who wanted to keep her. I was looking for a vet to bring the kitten to so that I could have her checked out and it would be safe for my kids. I found Dr. V. I brought my kitten there and it was the worst mistake ever! The place was old and dirty, it was over crowded and the people are rude. While in the exam room the tech was holding and playing with the kitten. she was putting her hand in the kittens mouth and petting her. The kitten was playing back and nipped her playfully. It was very hard to understand the Dr. After the office visit we went home. 3 days later I get a phone call saying they need to quarantine my kitten because she has rabies. They told me my kitten viciously bit the tech who was 9 mo. pregnant. I find out that the tech herself had never gotten any vaccinations!! My kitten did not viciously bite the tech she was playing like kittens do, the office got very nasty and told me they would take legal actions if I did not bring the cat to be quarantined for 15 days. I was so upset, my kitten had not shown any signs of having rabies or any other sicknesses and I told them that she was already separated in my house being watched because I had another cat and was waiting for her bloodwork to come back to see if I could allow my two cats to interact. They refused to give me my blood work results for my kitten. They told me if I brought the cat back in they would "TEST HER FOR RABIES", and they would observe her for a few days, they would give me the bloodwork results, and then let me take her home. I refused. Thank god I did because the only way you can test for rabies is to Kill the animal! You CANNOT test for rabies without killing the animal! To this day my kitten is very healthy and happy. Shame on them for having a technician/assistant work in their office without vaccinations. They are not a respectable vets office and I would not recommend them to anyone. It is not safe there or clean. You don't know what they will do! more

I know people sugar coat these reviews. But The plain truth is "I feel" He is good Doctor. Unlike some of the others.First off , The waiting room isn't fancy. So if your looking for a Hollywood waiting room forget it The place is cozy. Kind of like a down home doctors office should be. He's an honest Doctor. That really Does care about helping animals. Doctor V "In my opinon" is a caring doctor. And when you talk to him he doesn't give you alot of fancy medical jargon. He just tell you like it is. So try him. And "in my opinon". you'll like him too. more

Good: The service is great, the way the doctor explains everything is unbelievable! He cuts right to the chase and gives no BS! THE PRICES ARE TO DIE FOR!. Bad: At times the smell... lol. Improvements: NONE.. I would love to know where im going when he retires!. Other: STAFF IS UNBELIEVABLE!. more

and yes it may be a bit ripe on the nostrils upon entering, but you will NOT find another Vet on SI that will afford your pet the best care for a reasonable price. I have a dog that weighs over 100 pounds. He was to be neutered and all other vets on the Island were well over $700 dollars. Dr. V took it down to below $300 including all his shots. Just go beyond the smell and you'll see love and kindness from Dr. V and his staff. more

After reading some of the reviews I can not understand why there are negative reviews. Dr. V and his staff are the best We have been going there fr 15 years. Dr. takes out his pad and draws diagrams and gives you notes on your pets medical needs. He speaks to you as a person. (yes he does speak English.) I would never go to another vet. He has saved my pets in the past. When we go away we also board our dog there. Our last vacation we boards our dog that was old and had many medical issues, I felt confident that he would be taken care of while we were away. Dr. V and his staff are the best! more

My dog Beau had a two tumors removed at different times one beign within 2 months. Cost was very very high. He then developed another tumor; my daughter said to take him to Dr. V. After his examination he told me that giving my so much anithesia was dangerous because of his age that a local should have been administered. I looked it up on google and he was right. Never again will I take Beau to the Brooklyn Vet. more

i have been using Dr v since 1985 i just read some of the negative reviews and feel i must comment. anyone is human and it is a busy practice. we have had to have two dogs put to sleep and one was killed. Dr v and his staff could not have been more caring and thoughtful more

Dr. V and his entire staff truly care about your pet and you will not be overcharged or have your pet subjected to unnecessary tests to up the bill. What I love about Dr. V is that he will explain in detail and even draw diagrams regarding whatever issue your pet is having. There's a reason why folks keep coming back to him even when they've moved off the Island. Sometimes you might have a long wait, but often that is due to emergencies, regardless the care here is worth the wait! I am a boxer breeder/exhibitor who also owns 4 cats and I have been going there for well over a decade, thus I am speaking from experience. more

I brought my cat here based on the good reviews. When I dropped him off to be neutered, they whisked him away from me so quickly that I didn't get to give him one last pat before he was taken in. When I picked him up, I wasn't given instructions and had to listen to what was being said to other people. I understood they were busy and didn't hold it against them. I went back recently with my cat for a checkup. I got there when they opened and waited for two hours. My cat became more and more agitated because of all of the dogs around and was not happy. The exam itself took about five minutes and I felt rushed. The doctor also wanted to put my cat on double the normal dose of Prosac because of his behavior. Prosac should only be given in extreme circumstances. I have never seen my cat act like that before. He is normally very friendly and calm, and they put a muzzle on him, leading him to make awful noises I have never heard before. I was literally in tears at the sound of it. I will never bring my cat back. more

Good: The staff at this vet is without a doubt the BEST!!!!! I have been going there for years with my dogs. And there's always a smile and a loving word. There treatments ALWAYS WORK! Dr. V and his staff are thee best in the world at caring. When my dog had to be put down . They were so helpful and kind. Dr V let me stay right until the end. I will go there with all my pets. Please Dr. V don't ever leave.. Improvements: How can you improve on Perfection. Kep up the GREAT WORK GUYS!!!. more

Good: Dr. V has cared for my pets for over 12. I have bred Rotties and now Yorkies and her has cared for ever litter we ever had. I moved from SI 7 years ago but year after year and litter after little Dr. V is our choice. Would never go to another vet to care for my babies.. more

Although I no longer live on Staten Island, I still travel with my dog over an hour to see Dr. V. He is by far the BEST vet. He is extremely thorough and is right on target with his diagnosis. He is honest and truly cares about his patients. He will Never mislead you or "guess" what wrong - he just knows!!! I highly recommend him. He's the one and only vet that gives "Dr. Dolittle" a run for his money!!!!! Dr. V gets 6 stars from me. more

We had a older dog (age 18 years old). He wouldn't eat, drink, could not walk, and could not hold his bowels or urin. We were new to the area so I called around to vets. Many of them wanted to to exploritory surgery or put the dog on iv and see what happes. My family knew what had to be done, which was very hard for us. Went went to see Dr. V, his staff was great they put us in a private room and let us spend time with our Baretta. After visit hours Dr. V put him to sleep., Baretta looked at us and smiled as he closed hs eyes. The staff was great. We had him cremated. (Dr. V went over everything with us.) We told him if we ever get another dog we would bring him to hi,. Well the next day we got Comet. We only had Comet 2 days when he got sick, we brought him to Dr. V. After he examened him , he said he had strep (we got him from Northshore). Dr. V savd his life. For the past 16 years Comet has been seeing Dr. V. I would never trust another vet. We also board him there when we go away. Dr. V treats our dog like his family. Dr V and his staff are the best. I would never trust another vet or staff with my dog. more

Caring and compassionate. His diagonosis is right on the money. Gets right to it without any bs. Don't have to worry about inflated bills. Staff is a pleasure to deal with. They are very helpful and kind. Danielle Cruz more

Good: MY SON'S CHOW HAD A HIP PROBLEM. HE WENT TO 2 OTHER VETS WHICH BOTH RECCOMMENDED SURGERY. WENT TO DR V FOR OPINION AND HE SAID NO SURGERY WAS NEEDED. THIS IS 7 YEARS LATER AND THE DOG IS FINE. THANK YOU DR. V. Bad: OFFICE NEEDS AN UPDATE. more

I can always depend on Dr V & his wonderful staff. I always used to feel Vets took advantage of our love for our pets & gouged the price of good care. Dr V always does everything possible to keep costs low. I have 5 pets and I really appreciate that very much. He's a godsend. more

The doctor is a wonderful and caring person. On a number of times he has kept his office open late so I could bring my pet to him. His staff are kind and understanding and extremely helpful. He's doesn't run a money business, he care more for the animal. more

Good: reasonable rates and no inflated bill. northside and staten island animal hospital wanted to charge me over 300 for neutering my cat! i paid 68 here and that included a rabies shot.. Bad: i suppose i could have used a 10 am drop-off as opposed to noon.. more