North Avenue Animal Hospital

We have been taking all of our animals to North Avenue Animal hospital for years now and can say without any hesitation that the standard of practice and service is EXCEPTIONAL. My pets are the love of my life and I would not trust their health to anyone else. I have seen many of the veterinarians there throughout the years and they are all great and compassionate especially during the most difficult times. In addition, the facility is spotless and the staff is super friendly and accommodating with appointment times. They always stop, come around the desk and approach my dogs with love and endearment which gains their trust in them. A HUGE plus is that they offer free parking which is hard to come by in the city. Love this Place - would NOT take my pet anywhere else. more

Best of the best - definitely recommend. The entire staff is very friendly and attentive. We've seen a few vets over the years - all have been awesome - very knowledgeable and take the time to listen and answer questions. Most recently our dog went in for a dental and had to have a few teeth pulled. Dr. Cherrick took great care of her and also took the time to follow up to make sure everything was going smoothly. I would definitely recommend this animal hospital. You won't be disappointed more

DO NOT go to the north avenue animal hospital!!! more

She is our vet of choice...We have six dogs and as is oft the case, when one gets ill, it ""goes"" through the rest of the pack. We always, only go to Dr. Aldridge. She is an awesome vet and really helps me to take care of the monkeys. Recommended. Pros: Awesome bed side manner Cons: Everybody wants her more

I took my 2 year old here to be treated for MILD skin allergies. He was given a hefty steroid shot and is now permanently diabetic. Sound like a good place? NO! Go to Gold Coast and see Dr. Katz and Robert. Save your wallet, and tears. Pros: Nada Cons: Uhhh...permanent damage! more

My dog Sasha has had quite a few problems over the past year, and Dr. Aldridge has been very helpful and attentive. She answered all my questions, followed up by phone, and showed genuine concern for my dog. I definitely recommend her. more

Great Vets, Great staff. \r \r I have been using North Avenue for at least ten years. The place is spotless and modern, but not a sterile design. Dr. Roman is fantastic. And importantly, if he is stumped, he will say so. One of my guys was limping/head bobbing and we thought it was something in the foot, it wasn't arthritis...it took a while to figure out. Arthritis medicine didn't work. Aspirin didn't work. Eventually, we did figure it out. \r The staff is often training new people - how to fill in the charts, etc. Otherwise, the staff is very friendly and knowledgeable, and importantly, they remember people's names and their pets. The medicine use and their techniques are classic, modern medicine - no funny herb mixtures. They don't push ""product lines"". If a medication is prescribed, that is offered. \r \r I do wish they would be stricter on real leashes; flexi-leashes, while filling out a form or signing a releasal seem to get longer and longer and then ""Oh, Fluffy, don't do that"". Pros: great vets, understand how animals move and age Cons: sometimes the outside doors slams, before the inside door is open... more

The doctor was great - she even called a few days after the visit to check and see how my cat was feeling. I was very disappointed with the girl behind the counter; she was rude and acted as if my very presence was a huge inconvenience to her. Not sure if I will return. Pros: Parking, Doctor follow-up Cons: Rude front desk staff more

i've had nothing but great experiences with the staff and vets at this hospital. i initially went to north avenue hospital because i had found a stray dog and was looking for a nearby vet that could scan him for a microchip. when he became very ill the next day, i took him back. he ended up staying for 6 days. \r his vet, dr. hammer, and the staff all were very kind and knowledgeable. they saved the little guy's life, and now i have a dog. the staff have always been so kind and accomodating, i'm really surprised to see such bad reviews. i would highly recommend this hospital and dr. hammer is fantastic! Pros: location, great staff, very clean Cons: maybe a little pricier than other vets, but worth it more

Don't try to get a DFA permit from this front office staff - uninformed and surly. The ordinance is clear, the staff there uninformed. Go to VCA-Lake Shore Animal Hospital, 15 minutes and your walk out with the $5.00 permit. Uninformed, unfriendly if not somewhat surly or officious staff, and ignorant of the ordinance. more

My dog has been going to North Avenue for several years. He initially saw Dr. Kayson who was awesome, but has since left. Now I'm left with whoever is available. Whenever I take him, in they charge me an arm and a leg for bl00d tests that never identify a problem. I'll pay anything for my dog - and perhaps they know this - but I have a real problem paying $500 each visit for them to tell me that they can't find anything. (And these are different issues each time!) I've decided to take him somewhere else at this point. I can't take these unecessary tests and continue to watch my dog suffer. Pros: Location Cons: Expensive and can never identify the problem more

I moved into Wicker park 6 years ago and couldn't imagine taking my 2 Berner's anywhere else. The doctor's are honest, trustworthy, welcoming, and clearly love what they do. They treat my dogs exactly as I would hope. Despite a little higher cost I recommend this place to anyone. It's not unaffordable. Check it out. more

I have been coming to this hospital for many years & have nothing but great things to say. The doctors are knowledgeable, competent & compassionate with my pets; the front desk staff is polite & accomodating and the technicians are gentle with my pets & have much good information to share. It truly shows that everyone there loves pets. The place is extremely clean with no bad odors. I have recommended this hospital to several friends & neighbors & they too have had positive experiences. Prices aren't cheap but they are fair-you cant get good quality with cheap prices & I want good quality for my pets. I make it a point to be polite to everyone there & have received the same in return. In my opinion kindness & respect go a long way and are returnted to you as well. I have received great service at this hospital and am very pleased. Pros: great staff, clean place, good vet care for pets Cons: parking can be tough more

Having been in this neighborhood for a lot of years, I've got to say, this place has changed. It saddens me to read so many negative reviews about a great hospital, written by ""go-go"" people without any idea of how good a place this is. I've been going here since it was a little place across the street and I wouldn't take my pets anywhere else, and I haven't over the years. Sure, they might not be able to see you at the exact moment you want to be seen, but that's anyplace! I've had nothing but great experiences with the people that work there, and all it requires from me is an ounce of patience. I love the Doctors and the smiling faces that great me when I come through the doors. Overall, a great place to take your pets! Pros: Compassion, quality care, super-clean, attentive Cons: a little pricey, some busy-body clients, sometimes hard to get in on a moment's notice. more

First and foremost, I should say that the vets here are actually quite good. I enjoyed talking with the vets, when I saw them, and they seemed to know what they were doing. That's the good part of this place.\r \r However, this is COMPLETELY overshadowed by their front-office and technical staff that is rude, uncaring, and down right mean. Everytime I go in there I feel like I have to beg for this place to accept me, my dog, and my money - it is always a hassle. I have two stories to share as to why I'll never go back to this place:\r \r My dog had worms. I picked up a stool sample that had worms so large in it that I could clearly and easily see them. I took the sample in to be tested so I could find out what kind of worms it was and treat it. They never called me back. After a couple of days and a number of phone calls I finally got a technician that told me the test came out negative and that my dog did not have worms?!?!?! I asked him if they included the big worms that I saw in the sample in their test, upon which he promptly hung up on me.\r \r Not long after that, I went online to buy Heartgard. The online store needed to verify the presecription so they called the North Avenue Animal Hospital where my dog had been heart-worm tested and treated less than two months prior. They were told that my dog does not have an up-to-date heart-worm test and that they would not verify the prescription. In other words, they won't let me buy Heartgard elsewhere because they enjoy selling it to me at $8 a pill (the online store was less than half that). So, on top of having astronomical prices for things you can get online, they specifically create obstacles to you going elsewhere. It will be interesting to see what they do when my new vet location asks for records.\r \r In all, I think this place is criminal and unfriendly. I would highly recommend against it. Pros: Good Vets Cons: Terrible everything else. more

This animal hospital should be closed down. My dog suffered a stroke just prior to 9:00 a.m. in the morning (North Avenue Animal Hospital in Bucktown opens at 9:00 a.m.) We live just blocks from there so we quickly put Bailey in the back of our SUV and drove to their front door. I entered the waiting area crying, asking that someone please help my dog that is dying in the back of my car. They told me they are by appointment only and that I would have to take my dying dog to a hospital that is 30 minutes away - in the middle of rush hour traffic no less. I explained I just moved to the neighborhood and that this is an emergency situation. My dog was dying and needed immediate help. They refused to help Bailey. We drove to the other hospital, listening to our dog gasp for air, terrified. By the time we arrived, our dog was beyond help. Bailey died minutes later. This hospital should not be caring for animals. They allowed a dog to suffer needlessly, because ""they are by appointment only."" DO NOT TAKE YOUR ANIMALS THERE! They DO NOT care or have any empathy for their safety and well being. Words cannot explain how ghastly the experience was...knowing that North Avenue Animal Hospital in Bucktown allowed my dog to suffer to such great extend during the last minutes of her life.\r Pros: None Cons: Insensitive, no empathy more

I've been taking my cats here for 3 years and I have to say this might be the best Animal Hospital in the city! They have amazing attention to detail and the doctors are so knowledgable and patient! Their location and hours can not be beat and they have the most amazing staff to deal with, I can not compliment them enough! They remember my name when I call and are always happy to see me and my pets when I come in! When my one of my pets died, they were very very compassionate and took the time to send a pawprint in the mail! Don't look any further for your vet! Pros: Good Location, Clean Hospital, Friendly Staff, Awesome Veterinarians! Cons: A little Pricey, but worth it. more

I have brought my dog here since he was a puppy and he has always been very healthy. Now that he is getting older he has developed some skin and other minor issues. I had to go back 4 times for the same issue. They never ran any diagnostic tests and kept telling me all they could do was to treat the symptoms. The vet (Dr. Larson) was very rude to me and became argumentative when I asked him what the symptoms could mean and what tests could be done to locate the problem and resolve it. He referred me to another Dr. After FOUR office visits, shampoo, suplements (that I'm sure they have their own motivation for recommending if you know what I mean) and lots of $. The bottom line is they were rude to somebody who was worried about their precious pets health and did not seem to care in the least. That is enough to send me elsewhere! Pros: Convenient location Cons: Rude, not helpful, uncaring, not thorough more

This vet treated my kitten for 6 months and told us that the cat was a female. They performed surgery on the cat to spay only to find out that the cat is male. Their gross neglegence is shocking and I am appalled that a veterinarian cannot tell the difference between a male and a female. Please, I beg you, do not take your animal to this clinic. more

We brought home a new puppy and really needed some guidance. We took him to North Avenue Animal Hospital where they were friendly and very helpful. They gave us a ""new puppy pack"" and answered all of our questions. Our puppy was even diagnosed with a virus that we did not notice, but was keeping him from gaining weight. The staff and doctors are wonderful, I would recommend them to anyopne looking for a vet! Pros: NOT crowded, Friendly Staff, Easy to make an appt. more