Pieper-Olson Veterinary Hospital

i am saddened for the loss of my moms cat. he had severe bladder problems and piper Olsen helped us through the transaction of putting slapper down. they even sent a sympathy card saying they are sorry for our loss and they want our business to continue and we will continue to go to piper Olsen for our vet it is the only one we trust because they have been our vet since the beginning. more

I would not recommend this vet. First, while it used to be a decent family veterinary office, the place has gotten much much nicer looking and lush while the quality of care has really decreased. Obviously they are making money but it seems to be more from McDoctoring than from turning out quality care. A botched surgery that they said was ""no big deal"" ended in my dog needing to be put to sleep just weeks after at a really young age. You see a different vet every time you're there. The emergency side did the surgery- it wasn't an emergency they just do some of the surgeries. But the vet side did a poor just with pre and post care. I miss my dog. I should have shopped around for a better vet. The building looks nice from the road though....if that's whats important to you. It seems it is to them. more

I have been using P-O Vet for a few years and feel it is a state of the art facility. Other than being price-y, I was happy with the services. That is until the last visit - after they performed $1,400. surgery to remove a cloth toy from my dog's stomach, I finally paid off that bill. The next visit was a routine shots update, for which I was charged $130.! I only asked for the shots, but found that he also had a well-dog physical also. I did not want or need him to have a physical. So, I complained loudly, and firmly at the check out desk only to be told that it was "policy" to have a physical each time we came for a visit. After, a few more protests, they removed the charge - but who makes up a policy like that ? I will think twice before going back for a simple vaccination. more

I was referred to Dr. Hammond when our dog had lost the use of her back legs over the course of a week. Our vet suspected a herniated disc. We brought her for an MRI at Pieper, but before they did it they took an Xray and found aggressive cancer - one tumor compressing her spine.\r \r They could have still done the MRI and changed me $2K - but they did not. \r \r We would have spent ANYTHING to help our girl but he told us that by the time she recuperated, she would likely succumb to the cancer. We put her down that day. \r \r While not a great outcome, we appreciated the honesty and compassion. more

This is the first time I have ever written a review, however, after my last experience at Pieper Olson, I felt compelled to speak out. I have been taking my pets to this facility for 7 years and can honestly say, since their expansion (Middletown facility), the level of care and customer service has taken a nose dive. After my third bad experience, I decided to leave this practice for good. Here's what happened: 1. Summer 2011 - The euthanasia of my cat Beau was handled by Dr. Fratamico - a new vet to me, who was so inexperienced that it made a difficult situation even worse and more stressful for me and my cat. Beau had renal failure - a near fatal diagnosis - however Dr. Fratamico tried to sell me additional tests and services and was not honest about his prognosis. The actual procedure was awful as Beau was not given enough to take him from this world and more had to be administered. After this experience, I avoiding any bookings with this vet and had it noted in my record that I did not wish to see her. 2. April 28, 2012 - My dog Cleo was treated by Dr. Albin - a blood test to be able to adjust her thyroid medication. Dr. Albin instructed me to call him on Monday, April 30 for the results. I called as instructed and was put on hold numerous times by a front desk that seemed too overwhelmed to handle the calls. When my call was finally answered I was put into Dr. Albin's voice mail and was assured he would call me with the results. He never did. I called again the next day. I was put into his voice mail again. He never called. Later in the week I called again, waited on hold again for 10 minutes and told the receptionist I refused to hang up until someone gave me the results of the bloodwork. Finally a tech came on and told me she would have Dr. Albin call me right away. He never did. But the tech called back with the results and apologies - she said it was a very busy week and that this was a fluke. I had additional questions, but since Dr. Albin did not make the call - as he said he would - I was unable to get the answers. 3. The last straw: 5/5/12 - I arrived with my sick dog Cleo for a 2:00 appointment with Dr. Albin. I made the appointment earlier in the week. When I arrived, they had no record of my appointment and said they would try to squeeze me in. I was asked who I spoke with when I booked the appt - who the heck knows? Was I supposed to take a name? I was asked to sit and wait to see if a Dr. would see me. As I sat, I thought that the level of service and care at Pieper Olson had so deteriorated that I frankly did not want to bring my dog there anymore. I left the waiting room and took my dog home. BTW, no follow-up call from Pieper Olson about the snafu. A year ago, I moved to West Hartford, yet I continued to make the drive to Middletown to this practice. What a mistake. If you truly care about your animals, do not bring them to this facility - find a smaller practice that is able to handle their human and pet clients effectively. more

I brought my 1.8 lb puppy in for I thought constipation or over ate and his belly was just full. They told me they need to do surgery he may of had an extended tubing in his throat or intestines or a blockage. I said no just fluids. they took xrays but when I ask to view them they said no..NO blood work taken at this time..took forever..I said he ask cat food with outside greens mix in...they said we need to keep him..at 11:40 pm they called again to say surgery I said no..Finally they decide to do a test with dye to see if he had a blockage he DID NOT .quote 1200 dollars Fri night So they said they will watch him..At 4 am they called now to say he said he had seizures..little did they know I heard him barking when the receptionist was in the back..I called at 7 and he was fine..then at 9 am the vet called to say he had a seizure and this was the first one..Never saying of the other one..I wanted to know what was causing this..no answer then they thought distemper.Sat i finally called more

We have two dachshunds who both suffered from herniated disks. When it appeared that they were having problems walking, our vet highly recommended Dr. Hammond at Pieper-Olson Veterinary hospital for a second opinion. Dr Hammond is a vet who specializes in neurology/neurosurgery. He saw that my dogs spinal cords were compressed and needed immediate surgery. After the surgery, within a few days the dogs were walking perfectly fine with no pain. In both cases, Dr Hammond fully explained the pre-op and post-op specifics of the surgery and took much time to answer all our questions. He and his staff were so kind and reassuring , there is no doubt that we put our Zippy and Bruno in the best care. Thank you again Dr Hammond, techs Erin, Deanna and all the rest of the helpful staff at Pieper-Olson. more

I love the vets at the Middletown Vet Office. I bring my Guinea pigs here when they are sick and for wellness checks. I live about 40 minutes away but feel they are worth it for the care of my furry crew. Dr Albin and Dr Robbins are excellent exotic vets they are caring compassionate and put the best interest of your pet first.Guinea Pigs shouldn't be seen by vets not experienced with exotics as they have special requirements for medicines and surgery care. I would highly recommend this office for your exotics health care. more

I was referred to Dr. Barrat, a specialist who works at Pieper Olson once a week. I had heard that he was a very good veterinarian, albeit expensive. I made the appointment through his assistant, Jessica. When I asked her for a ballpark estimate for the surgery she sort of laughed and said I was ambivalent about my pets' health and if I was going to ""nickel and dime them,"" I should go elsewhere. \r I was so offended I didn't know how to respond. I consequently cancelled the appointment and wrote Dr. Barrat a letter explaining why I was going elsewhere. Ridiculous!! more

CONCERNED PARTY: I TOOK A NEW BORN PUPPY THAT WAS IN DANGER OF DIEING TO THIS FACILITY FOR CARE.RIGHT AWAY THEY WANTED MONEY UP FRONT OR THEY WERE NOT GOING TO HELP HIM.THEY CLAIMED THEY DID EVERYTHING TO TRY TO SAVE HIM BUT COULD NOT SO HE PASSED AWAY THERE.WE HAD INSTRUCTED THEM IN REGARDS TO THE HANDLING OF THE BODY IN WHICH WE WERE GOING TO TAKE HIM BACK FOR A PRIVATE SERVICE.THEY DECIDED ON THEIR OWN TO PUT IN FOR A GENERALIZED CREMATION OF HIS BODY & SCATTER HIS ASHES IN A LOCAL PARK WHERE HE WOULD BE WITH OTHER LITTLE ONES WERE SENT TO BECAUSE NO ONE WANTED THEM.THIS HOSPITAL HAS A HISTORY OF MAKING DECISIONS WHICH IT PROFITS THEM 100%.I WOULD ADVISE ALL PERSONS WHO ARE CONSIDERING THIS FACILITY FOR EITHER EMERGENCY CARE OR OTHER SERVICES TO RECONSIDER 100% BEFORE YOU'RE THE NEXT VICTIM OF THIS PLACE.BE AWARE THAT THIS DOCTOR HAS OTHER FACILITIES IN CONNECTICUT SO BE CAREFUL WHEN CHOOSING A PLACE FOR YOUR LITTLE ONES.THIS DOCTOR HAS ALOT TO HIDE IN REGARDS TO THE CARE & DOCUMENTS BEING GENERATED & FILED FOR PATIENTS & INSURANCE COMPANIES.STAY AWAY FROM THIS FACILITY IF YOU LOVE YOUR LITTLE ONES. more

Our dog children love boarding at Pieper Olson.\r Amber is terrific, she is always happy, and knows\r our family by name. They enjoy their stay, and we\r are very at ease knowing that they are getting great\r care. We have been using Pieper Olson for at\r least 30 years and never had any problems.\r Recommended highly. more

I have been using Piper Olsen for 8 years after a horrible expience with another vet in Middletown. The staff is wonderful. My only suggestion to new patients is to ask consistenly for the same vet, otherwise you will get a different vet everytime. I recently had to make the decision to put down my dog and their staff was wonderful and caring, even calling me later that week to check up on me. I highly recommend them. more

i have been going to piper olson's for over 20 years and feel that that that their prices and services far outweight any other vet that i've used in the past for my animals. they've always treated both me and my pets with compassion and respect and the staff are always friendly and courteous. i wouldn't just trust any vet with my animals, they are part of my family and deserve the best medical care. i wouldn't go anywhere else!!!!! more

The quote over the phone was quite simply 100$ my usual vet said that pieper olsen would be able to handle it better than them. So I brought it to them and the over the phone price of course balloons which you can expect from going to the vet but after I went to grab more money and grumbling a bit about the near 300% jump in price the veterinary tech, decides to tell my fiancée' that owning a pet is a privilege that some people just can't afford. not too mention there were other charges on the slip that were entirely unrelated to his emergency visit. after his op. they decided to bring him out in towel that still had blood on it I assume from him. very unclean and very rude people I wouldn't recomend this place to a person who I don't like and just in case the management reads this the tech's name was heather luce, although I doubt I will ever be returning to this place to find out if they take any action about it. more

I found out that my puppy had the Parvo virus.I was told that she would need round the clock care. The veterinarian who diagnosed my puppy recommended that I go to Pieper Olsen for her care. The staff at Pieper Olsen was waiting for her when we arrived. They took her right into the back, and answered all questions that I had. My puppy was only 3 months old, and 4 pounds. Her chances of survial were very slim. The veterinarian called me every morning with updates on my little Peanut's status. I also called every night to check on her status. Pieper Olsen has a specific option when you call their number for checking the status of a sick pet (which I really liked). I was always given a thorough report on how she was doing, and if I had any questions they were always answered with no hassle. I finally received the call that she was able to come home, and it was the best feeling ever. That meant she was out of the woods. She beat the Parvo virus. My little baby stayed at Pieper Olsen for 6 days. It was the longest 6 days of my life. I think we were both equally as excited to see each other when I picked her up. If it weren't for the staff at Pieper Olsen, I don't know what would have happened to my sweetheart. They saved her life. And for that I am forever grateful to them. I highly, highly recommend Pieper Olsen to everyone to bring their pets (family members)to. They gave my doggie excellent care, and considering all they did the price was so reasonable. My baby is now 1 years old. She is the most sweetest, loyal, cutest, fun loving, (I could go on and on) puppy in the world. Thank you so very much Pieper Olsen.\r \r more

had taken my dog here for a simple surgery on his acl,, right here was the start of a terrible experience they tried three more times after the fact and ruined my dogs leg,,they had no problem taking the money.. bottom line is if you care for your pet you will not take him to this place cause they will destroy him and lie to you on what they do.. the worst vet in ct .. stay far away from this butcher block!!!!!!!!! more

I live 35 miles away from the Middletown office butI wouldn't take my dog anywhere else. Doctors are awesome. They're great with my dog who is a nervous wreck about going to the vet's office (because of previous experiences with another vet) and they're very respectful toward me. The staff is pleasant and efficient.\r \r I've used Boarding Facility twice and had no problems. They gave my boy report cards for each day he was there along with his activities and who he hung out with during doggie daycare. Very agreeable staff to my special requests. more

TWICE I brought my cat in for a simple ear cleaning. One of those two times my cat was put out. My cat STILL has bad problems with her ears (even the very next day after the procedure).\r This left me with a bad taste in my mouth as to Piper-Olsen's agenda. Rush the animals through to increase their PROFITS, their bottom line.\r I am now looking for a Vet that CARES for animals BEFORE their PROFITS. Pros: ? Cons: Profits before CARE more

They did a decent job when my dog broke her leg, but boy did they mess up with the boarding! I boarded my 1-year-old huge large-breed dog at their kennel for a week, and when I went to get him, he charged out of his cage in a completely desperate fashion and pinned me against the wall, urinating all over the floor. After urinating quite a bit inside the facility, he urinated for a full two minutes (I timed it) when he got out of the building. It was pretty obvious he hadn't been taken out in ages, and he had 7 days worth of pent up large-breed puppy energy. Furthermore, when I got him home, I found two engorged ticks hanging right off his face. A letter of complaint to Pieper-Olson Veterinary Hospital was not answered, and I will not be using their boarding facility again. more

Rude doctors who contradict each other.\r Unlcear about procedures to charge you more money. \r Unsympathetic manager. more