we have taken our dog spike there for about a year now, and whilst the receptionist is rude and not very friendly we found the vet to be lovely kind and caring and willing to give us advise when we asked, they even rang and checked on spike after his operation, i also found them to be the cheapest when it came to sterilization and mircochipping.

I used to use this vet all the time, we live nearby (owner of cats) but have now gone elsewhere. For several days we had a very mangy-looking stray cat hanging around our house, it had obviously been in a fight and didn't look well. I rang this vet to ask for the advice, and they told me to try and capture it (not an easy task) and bring it and and they would take it in.

Eventually we did this, and finally got the struggling, upset kitty up to the vet. Te lady on the counter was very rude, and told us that they would not take the cat. When we explained the call we had made, she brushed us off, saying that *she* was in charge, and it was her decision. She also started ranting about how she'd had a bad day, she didn't need this sort of thing etc. etc. Eventually she said that they would take the cat but that it needed a lot of medical attention and we would have to pay for it. We explained that much as we would like to, we couldn't afford to pay the vet bills for a stray cat, and had been given the impression that this vet would take the cat in. She was very rude and snippy, and ended up telling us that they would take the cat, but it would be euthanased. Sadly we decided this was the only option, the cat was quite old and in a bad condition. I will never forget the heartless, callous attitude that this woman had. She had no interest in the animal's well-being, she was more concerned that it wasn't 'financially viable' for them to accept the cat. This is not the kind of vet practice I want my animals to go to, we have since found another vet.

Sorry I have to disagree with Lucy on this one.
I have been to them many times with a variety of native animal in distress and domestic pets needing treatment.
It is true that they showed me how to get bush tics off bob tails at no cost but when I took a magpie to them they clipped a wing incorrectly which caused the bird to land badly and hurt a leg. When this happened a second time the poor little magpie could no longer walk and eventually died badly - My 6 year old daughter and I were very upset by this, I had always wanted a maggie for a pet since I was a young and this baby bird had an awesome character and was part of our family.
We also have a German Shepard that got her tail caught in the gate and degloved the tip. $900.00 later on a Saturday afternoon thank-you-very-much-for-coming and they are telling me how the dog needs this product and that product and if I don't buy them what a bad dog owner I am.
That brings me to the biggest peeve - this business is always trying to sell you stuff - they care more about you buying accessories and other products than caring for your pets. The prices are way more expensive than the other pet and garden stores a few minutes drive away.
I did by an ear irrigation product for our dog that they claimed I must use weekly and when I did use it the dog got ear infections in both ears immediately after use that then need treatment with antibiotics.
The vet of course claimed it couldn't possibly be the product they recommended and they were in no way responsible - just an amasing coincidence that there were no ear problems before the product and there have been none since not using it anymore!!!
We now drive to Edgewater where we have found a vet not quite so commercially motivated.

Approximate cost: $1,500.00 + dead pet.

Very caring, compassionate and thorough staff. They make follow up calls to see how your pets are going and even sent a sympathy card when we had our 16 year old dog put down.