Lort Smith Animal Hospital

For the love of your pet, DON'T TAKE THEM HERE. They vets don't have a heart, over charge, will chase you for money that you have already paid there is a high chase your pet would either go home in a worse stay then you took them in there or you may not bring them home.

Communication has been virtually non existent.

After several days in Lort Smith they attempted to charge an additional $800-$900 for testing for a condition that could have been done days earlier during her admission, had already been confirmed with ultrasound and couldn't be treated anyway due to comorbidities.

My pet lost over 1 kg of weight in their "care" and I was told she was only given small bits of chicken (she was starving when she got home).

She was repeatedly dosed with opioids (at 8 hour intervals over several days) without advice or consent, a medication I understand is contraindicated in renal patients and they'd already been told she doesn't fare well with and also confirmed she hadn't been given anything, yet when I found out from an INVOICE, they advised she was in pain for days despite no record of pain ever existing in the history I was given, videos of her daily and staff specifically advising she had not had any pain and never being contacted to advise about pain.

I wasn't advised about a condition that was known to Lort Smith from last year and only found out by chance in a conversation with one of the very many vets I was forced to deal with. Dietary and lifestyle changes could have been made at that time to improve her quality of life a lot earlier.

Vets constantly changed and no one appears to take ownership of your animal, its condition, tests or results etc. In fact one of the Vets didn't even know what my dog was there for, nor did she know the sex of my animal and kept referring to HIM/HE and told me I could take HIM home, told me she thought they'd overloaded my dog with fluid because it was panting (without checking heart or lungs to see if that was the case) and continued treating my animal after I instructed the practice to specifically remove my animal from her care (and was assured by a Senior Veterinarian that my animal would be removed from her care immediately). Had I known they wouldn't or that she would remain involved in any capacity, I would have taken her right then to another Vet.

I advised I was collecting my animal after a text asking for money without any context or information and following that a call from an aggressive staff member, all authorities and consents to treat were revoked and they continued to "treat" without consent and gave excuses for the reasons, that contradicted what I was told in person.

I took my animal from Lort Smith immediately to another Practice and she appeared to be so heavily sedated that she defecated in her sleep, she couldn't stand unassisted and couldn't stay awake (all videoed and documented). This made it very difficult to assess her properly.

I've had my animal for almost 16 years and I've never experienced anything like this. Failure to respond to questions relating to care, multiple requests regarding retaining CCTV from the practice ignored, dismal communication, text messages for money without even discussing what was happening or intentions and much more that I had to remove from the review for legal reasons.

There has been very little investigation or response from the Veterinary Director who initially tried to close the matter, despite now having in excess of 3 weeks to investigate and all claims being evidenced. The last communication I received was "we are considering our response".

All I can say is that I'm glad I took her elsewhere, had her assessed, got a proper treatment plan and she's still alive.

I'd been going there for years and they weren't always this bad, I have no idea what's happened!

Approximate cost: $2000

They are hard working animal Hospital workers that trying to help alot of there customers with letting them make payment plans so much that they have put there own hospital in lots of debt from customers taking off n not paying the whole bill.......

I would not recommend lort smith. I took our rescue Guinea pig in for review of a scratch to her back. As recommended I took all three bonded Guinea pigs in to reduce stress/as recommended. The vet saw us for 20-30 minutes. Briefly weighed and picked up the other two Guinea pigs. I was charged $204 on the day and fully paid. I returned a week later to renew a script to find charges had been added after I had fully paid. I have been charged $127 for each of the other two Guinea pigs that attended. Which means not only do Lort Smith add charges after you have already fully paid an account without informing you at all but they are proposing to charge $450 for a 20-30 min appt! Outrageous.

Approximate cost: $450

Since when did taking a dog to a vet become for the middle to upper class!? Total lack of care at the desk with a I dont give a $%^& attitude, if you dont like it you can leave attitude.
We ended up with a no find the problem, dealing with a good vet but charged $1500.00
I'm in the customer service industry, this place is busy however something is wrong.
The saying of a fish rots from the head down is accurate here. If you are rich you'll be able to afford your dog getting a scan.

Approximate cost: $1500

Our senior dog has been to port smith numerous times, he takes 4cyte gel to help his joints and pains we always by 1 bottle at a time from LS. I went in to get his bottle $75 on 15/03 I paid for it immediately and they sent me the receipt on email, over 2 weeks later i logged in to my dogs lort smith account to make an appointment and see I have 2 overdue invoices for 3 bottles of 4cyte from the same day! Speaking to the reception staff are rude and condescending when I pointed out their mistakes the only response is a manager needs to investigate to check if it was a mistake seriously dealing with them in s worse than pulling teeth

I've just had my 9 year 10 month old dog euthanized there! I greeted my dog as normal in the morning and he was trying to throw up and was salivating at the mouth. We took him to the Lort Smith as we have before with other pets. Their initial diagnosis was he had GDV which I now know as a life threatening condition. The dog needed xrays to be sure and was put on a drip straight away. Xrays confirmed the diagnosis and I was given options. Operation and stay in hospital $4500. I asked what do the majority of people do? The answer was to euthanaze their pets due to the costs. They then advised that during an operation they can look at the internal organs and determine if they're good or bad! If they're good then the prognosis is really good. I advised to go ahead with the operation and if the internals are good continue, if not euthanaze my dog. I particularly asked what are your statistics from the operation, do the majority survive? This was a critical question I needed an answer for. The conversation became a little rushed then. The operation was performed and the internals were good and the report post op from the doctor was excellent. I advised my kids if he lasts a few days and we get him home it's money well spent as we get to say goodbye. The morning after the operation I recieved a phone call to inform me he had gone downhill and was struggling to breathe and now on oxygen. I asked if they could keep him alive so we could get into see him and they responded they didn't think he'd last very much longer. I then asked them to put him to sleep. We did not get to say good-bye! While $4,500 is a lot of money I was willing to pay it so my kids and I could say goodbye! I'm not sure how I feel. Would it have been better to have taken him to our/his vet who has looked after our 3 German Shepherds totally through their lives and only 2 blocks away but when you call can not get into see him for days! I'm sure the diagnosis would have been the same from our vet and he would have been euthanazed our dog with my kids and I there with him! We would have saved a lot of money, been there with him, bought him home and buried him at home beside our other shepherds!

14 year old kelpie with a ruptured knee. Tight knott operation. My dog has no pain and back to normal. Very impressed with everything they provided.

Approximate cost: $2000

Hi my name is Tara I just asking how much is it to get two dogs nails cut

Approximate cost: $40

I have never had such a terrible experience at a veterinary clinic like I did today at the Lort Smith Animal Hospital. My mother’s dog was in hospital for one week, over $2000 dollars in vet bills with no explanation of cause of illness. I received a call from the vet ‘Aimee’ who stated another vet tried to call me to provide an update, I advised Aimee that, I did not receive a call nor did I get one the day before when I requested an update. Aimee proceeded to talk over me and had no interest in what I had to say and eventually hung up. When I called back, the receptionist Anne was extremely rude and provided negative comments about a friend of my mothers who attended the clinic the day before which was extremely unprofessional. I requested test results from the medical history and after a short conversation and no co-operation from Anne, I was greeted with a thank you and she hung up the phone. I called back to only to get a vindictive response of ‘I thought we ended the conversation’ this is no way to respond to a paying customer who’s requests were ignored and met with nastiness that lacked professionalism. Anne clearly couldn’t be bothered providing a service which she is paid for. Anne transferred me to her supervisor ‘Jordan’, who stated they could not provide me with the blood test results I requested because it does not meet protocol. When I requested to receive the protocol in writing ‘Jordan’ advised she couldn’t do that because she doesn’t know where it is. I asked Jordan how does one enforce protocol they don’t know where to find or more importantly can’t find it so how do they know what’s written in it? After a pause in conversation, she clearly realised what she had said and advised ‘the head vet advises us what the protocol is’. Overall the service received lacked professionalism, the staff were unhelpful and had no interest in providing responses to my requests. They were rude, talked over the top of me on the phone and were unable to provide plausible explanations to back up their statements.
I certainly won’t be taking any of my pets to that clinic again and strongly recommend anyone considering taking their pet there to reconsider.

Approximate cost: $2000

I would not receommand lort smith ever not even to my worst enemy the staff are extremely rude the nurse who took my dogs details was worried about something completely diffrent so here it is i have a staffy we rescued from staffy rescure and he had suffed a hell of a lot his owners let him get dermdex mite and poloups in his ears so he had his ear carnals removed yes both canals anyways on sunday his face started to swell so i took him to my vet they suggested he needed a ct scan so we took him to lort smith worst decision i ever made as we waited 3 hours in the waiting room while people come in went through we were still waiting while my dogs face swelled and swelled i asked reception how long they told me in gos by priority which i undrrstand but the animals going in and out looked fine then when we saw the vet he was more worried about his skin which mind you i have under control but wasnt as concerned about the swelling of the face then when we wanted to discarge him they wanted to know why. [Redacted alternate business]

Approximate cost: $400

I was a foster carer for this animal hospital, and I was very impressed. They have a program in which, whilst they are looking for a forever home for their dogs in shelter, people can sign up to be assessed as fosterers. They supply everything the dog needs and you supply the dog the love and care it needs while it's waiting. They care about animals. They save lives.

My dog was very sick, after a x-ray at RSPCA we were told my dog had swallowed a bone and would need surgery. This was in the late afternoon on a Sunday. With RSPCA this surgery was going to cost $1000, however RSPCA was closing so told us to go to Lort Smith right away. As soon as we got to Lort Smith we were told that the price of surgery was over $2000 that was before my dog was even looked at. I was in such a state as my dog was very ill and I also knew that was a lot of money. I was told the only way to safe my dog was to surrender him and they would do the operation for free. I was not allowed to take my dog home to get to another vet. I was gutted as I left my little dog so sick and never to see again. I had begged, pleaded and cried my eyes out with the nurse to please help me keep my dog, I was just met with a coldness from her. My daughter was with me during this ordeal and wrote a lovely letter (I had no idea she was doing this but she new I devastated I was to loose my little friend) she wrote to the CEO of Lort Smith but never received a message back. My doctor wrote to them at lort smith as my dog was a help to me after a tragic loss this was ignored even my boss phoned them to try to get through to them my unique situation this was met with the same coldness. Every day I phoned to see how my little fella was going, I was treated like a pest. I could not eat or sleep and I cried so much. After my husband could see that I was not coping at all without my little friend and that I needed my little dog. He organized a payment plan with Lort Smith and by this time the bill was close to $3000, I had to pay $1000 up front to pick up my little fella. My little dog came of a wreck he pooped all over him and was shaking as much as I was. When I picked him up I vowed never ever to go back to Lort Smith ever again as they do not care about the bond between pet and owner as we offered to pay $1500 upfront but they said no that they would rather give my dog for free to someone else if I was not able to pay the full amount

Approximate cost: $3000

Would not recommend. Different vet everytime, they don't bother reading history ( my dog has extensive history including stroke, vestibular syndrome, corneal ulcer... ) Vets are usually young with little or no practical experience. Not shy about geting you to come back again and again - and charged each time - even as a follow up visit to check progress. Won't release test results to owners that have already been paid for as 'it's not their policy'. Do yourself a favour and avoid this place. Take your pet to a local vet - you may pay a bit more, but you're paying for experience, common sense and a vet that develops a relationship with your pet. Young front desk staff are all bleeding hearts that parrot off garbage they confuse with service. What a disappointment! Basically this is just a vet teaching hospital for vets just out of school. BEWARE!!!!

Worst vetcare ever received. I took my dog in as an emergency patient, as my regular vet was closed. This was by far the worst decision I have ever made regarding my pet. The vet had no idea what she was talking about, and took my dog off her medication without telling me why or how it would help. Kept my dog overnight for observation, and wouldn't let me see her the following day. The nurses were not helpful over the phone, and would not give me updates on her condition.

The Vet also constantly referred to my female dog as he for the entire consult. When I finally did get on to staff members (after being on hold for long periods of time) each staff member would tell me a different story, ranging from 'She's fine, come and pick her up tomorrow' to 'there's nothing to do for her, she'll never walk again'. Either the staff members were looking at the wrong patient profile, and telling me the wrong thing, or they do not communicate with each other at all.

I eventually took my dog to Advanced Vetcare, and received far better service. (They also promptly put her back onto her medication, and couldn't understand why the vet at Lort Smith took her off it). I would recommend spending the extra money and going to Advanced Vetcare, as they actually know what they are doing.

If you actually care about the welfare of your pets AVOID Lort Smith at all costs!

This vet/hospital has emergency department as well as your normal vets. It was opened after a kind widow left money to the care of animals. Her hope was that every animal, not discriminating on the owners worth could have a cost effective vet to see. The place can offer you several payment options including a payment plan. The staff seem to all adore animals and there is also a rescue centre where you can purchase a pet and keep them from death row. All treatments are at least 30 - 50 % cheaper than a traditional vet clinic.

I dropped off my dog at 9:00am on a Sunday morning with a bad gash on his neck and was told he would be top priority given his level of wound by the vet I saw. Then told by the vet that I could ring at 2pm to see his progression. When I rang at 2pm the receptionist was extremely rude. Telling me that the vet had no right to tell me to ring at 2 as she wouldn't know when he would be available. I was then given a rant on the politics of the place and why these problems occur. Still not knowing what was happening with my dog I turned the conversation to where was my dog and what was happening with him. The receptionist said she had no idea and no vet was available to speak with me as they were all in surgery. I asked if she could find out more information, she abruptly put me on hold then said that he was left on a drip probably into the night or the next day at this stage. I explained that I needed more answers as to what to expect that I had bought him in on a Sunday to be assisted as soon as possible, then she proceeded to tell me there were plenty of other vets in the area that could take care of him. I was shocked and angered. At both her attitude and blatant lack of care or respect. I was then cut off mid conversation and put on hold again and told a vet would ring me. So after over an hour I was called back and told my dog who was referred to as she, who is a male, was on a drip with no definite of when he would be worked on with an open wound. That more demanding procedures were taking precedence.
After I explained that this was not mentioned to me in the drop off or I wouldn't of left him there , the vet nurse told me that legally that wouldn't of been the case. So I said ok so its about passing the butt. Realising I was getting nowhere I went and picked him up immediately and asked for medication for any inflammations or pain relief and I would take him else where. When I saw the nurse in person I explained the previous conversation with the receptionist and the miscommunication with the vet. The nurse told me they deal with people with a lot of people mental illnesses and sometimes as a result it makes it hard on the staff. Mind you, while in the waiting room I saw there was a young lass rocking a small dog with a nappy on it saying no she's not in season its just in case she dose a wee wee. Either way not really my problem. I'm a client my dogs a patient, we needed service help, care etc.... Also while in the waiting room a man came in holding a dog loudly complaining how the pin had been put in his dogs leg wrong and it was sticking out , that they had stuffed it up and he wanted it fixed right away. The nurses rushed about and scurried him into the back room. I was so disappointed and as a result of this all going on my poor dog who needed immediate attention was left in the back room on a drip. I was left with my taxi waiting for 15 mins while they bandaged up my dog. I understand that you cant get what you want when you want it in life. However for a so called professional establishment it was nothing but miscommunication, attitude and lack of personal care and zero professionalism. I would never ever take my dog or any animal there ever again. And most definitely do not recommend it at all as a reportable establishment .

Approximate cost: $330.00

After previously having good experiences here, I was so disappointed with the way they managed our recent emergency. Our cat was in the ICU for 5 days, we were told he could possibly die but it was a struggle to get anyone to contact us regarding his condition over the next several days. Didn't hear from a vet for nearly 48 hours despite calling many times. When I called, the nurse told me he was 'fine', he was on Hills CD diet (which is for the other cat, not him, they couldn't even look at the right patient records!) and that his belly was not distended (why would it be? that was never an issue or relevant to his condition!). But when I finally spoke with the vet, she said we may need to put him down as he was dying. Then got a call last night at 6pm and were told by another vet that he was ready to go home and was 'fine'. However, he couldn't until the next day since they didn't have the time or staff to discharge him at it was too late in the day. Which meant I would be charged another nights fees for the ICU (even though he apparently didn't need to be there!), they just didn't get around to calling me until it was too late. When I did pick him up, no vet to discuss anything, I asked about further tests, they told me they didn't do them because I "insisted" on picking him up.

The vets contradicted each other, staff were rude and condescending, and no one seemed to care that we were worried about our pet. After 5 days at around $300 a day, with no answers and contradictory advice, we are going to a new vet. Either understaffed or just lacking compassion, I would not recommend taking your animal there in an emergency.

Approximate cost: $+$1500

I have taken my vet to Lort smith for two different emergency type situations, one she needed stitches and the other she was on her death bed after being hit by a car, I am extremely pleased with the great service and excellent care she received during all of her visits, the price is also very affordable and they can arrange for payment to be made in installments which is fantastic in an emergency or otherwise when vet bills can be quite expensive, the Lort Smith also offers concession rates to pensioners and unemployed, in fact I'd be surprised if they ever really turned animals away. After a few visits and a few months in a cage being confined Fluffy did recover, if I need a vet again I will go to Lort Smith.

Approximate cost: $-

just got my kittens first and second needles and the nurse was fabulous with him he didnt flinch.He is now booked in to be desexed as i feel comfy in knowing hes at ease with them. Lovely staff and looks great since being renovated.

Lort smith is the best vets I have ever been to the staff are really nice and compassionate they are the cheapest I've found and they let you pay off your account which is something I've never found at any other vet

I use the Lort Smith as my back up option as I just want to avoid the city traffic otherwise this place is fantastic. The vets and nurses are caring and affectionate towards your pet and cost is cheaper than most vet clinics including discounts for pensioners/students.

Approximate cost: $40.00

Our 16 yr old cat had kidney failure. We took her to the animal hospital in our area on a friday night. Saturday afternoon we took her to Lort Smith because it had already cost us $1000. The Vet we saw initially was excellent, friendly & gave us hope.
She was admitted where she was treated immediately. She stayed 8 days. I visited every day, by appointment. I got to see how caring the staff there are in the cattery with the sick cats.
I was even allowed to take my cat outside for 10 minutes to enjoy some sunshine & fresh air. She had an IV drip in the whole time, ultra sounds & a lot of blood tests. The final account came to aprox $800. Less than a day at the private animal hospital. We took her home, even though we knew she would pass away, we wanted her to be home with us. The staff were so caring, they said they were sorry, they thought she
would pull through.
We have a great local Vet, but in this case with a long hospital
stay Lort Smith was a good place for her to be. I felt our cat received the highest level of care by experienced caring staff and volunteers.

Approximate cost: $800.

hands down the best vet clinic in Melbourne.
best price. best care for you pets.
actualy care about your pets doesnt try and rip you off.
open everyday even public holidays. open till midnight for emergencies.
i wouldnt use or trust any other vet clinics again

my dog had an operation there recently after a dog attack and treated him (Tyson) like a king, and showed so much affection towards him.

I have a 11yo min foxy called Lucky; whom had an open pyometra in January 2011 and our normal vet failed to advise me of the future dangers, but said he never operates on cats or dogs over the age of 8yo as the risks are too high. In July 2011 Lucky missed her next heat and became very sick, so I rushed her to another local vet, whom suspected a closed pyometra and wanted $900 up front to operate which I could not afford so I rushed Lucky to the Lort Smith hospital where they did an ultra sound and found no sign of a pyometra; but said I need to urgently have Lucky speyed to prevent a pyometra and death in the forseeable future and said I can pay the speying bill gradually overtime. This initial visit costed only $71 including consultation and ultrasound. I had to wait 7 weeks for the speying appointment and then on the day Lucky and I tavelled 2 hours to get there at which time the Lort Smith hospital demanded FULL payment of $260 before Lucky was to be speyed. Upon saying I was told I can gradually pay the bill in instalments they refused and said it must be paid in FULL in advance. After pushing them, they accepted a minimum of $160 in advance and the balance in 2 fortnightly payments. Apart from this problem I found the staff to be helpful, friendly and they really care about animals, however, the written "surgery" aftercare letter they hand you does not give much aftercare information; so anyone having thier dog or cat speyed should go there prepared with a list of questions to ask them and should seek further surgery after care information from the internet. Considering the local vets wanted $900 up front for the speying surgery and the Lort Smith only charged $260, the Lort Smith is much better, cost wise. One other vital fact is that the initial ultrasound showed no sign of a pyometra and the blood test 3 weeks later showed no signs of a pyometra, however the surgeons notes after the surgery stated "suspected" pyometra; due to the uterus being enlarged at the time of surgery; therefore ultra sounds and blood tests DO NOT always show the underlying problem.

Each time I have taken my pets here the procedures have been reasonably priced. I suppose there are both good vets and bad vets that work here. Half the time we get someone great, the other times we have had a vet who clearly does not care about their work and comes across as cold and disinterested. I'd advise people to suss out who they do and don't feel comfortable with, and request that vet each time you visit.

Approximate cost: $cheaper than most

My beautiful baby (Dog aged 8) had a cruciate ligament in his back leg. He had to have surgery. One vet want to charge me more the 2 thirds more than what Lort Smith quoted!! The day that I had to drop by beloved baby off for surgery the lady who checked him in was wonderful, as I was crying because I hate leaving him. The surgeon who was doing the surgery called me before he did the surgery to confirm everything and then rang again after the surgery to let me know all fix and operation went really well. When we went to pick him up the man who checked him out was also extremely helpful and explained his rehabilitation and went through all his medication. The approximate price quote was spot on – no nasty surprises with the cost. 10 days later we had to take him back to get his stickers out, I was really surprised that a surgeon took the appointment and look over him.
I cant speak highly enough of all the staff that we have been dealing with, everyone has been compassionate, caring & helpful.
Thank you all so much.

Approximate cost: $550.00

Really great clinic especially for the financially challenged as after a deposit you are able to pay off weekly

Their "Mission"
To provide quality care for lost, abandoned, mistreated, sick and injured animals
To provide care for animals of people with limited means
To promote responsible pet ownership
To foster an awareness of animals and the benefits they bring

Also lower costs than most vets especially neutering.

Also really good for pet adoption and re homing of orphaned and stray pets

The only problem is you generally never see the same vet twice

They also cater for wild and exotic animals

I rescue injured wildlife and always take the poor critters to Lort Smith...they offer a great service that allows me to surrender the injured animals there for treatment and the system allows me to follow up on their treatment if I want to. A while ago I had to get my dog neutered and my local vet was going to charge me over $600 but my friend who works as a vet nurse at The Lort Smith Animal Hospital offered to book her in there instead at a cost of only $170! Wow...what a saving!! And they truly did an amazing job...the surgery went perfectly, the stitches were nice and neat, the wound healed quickly, and Kaia (my Husky) recovered beautifully and was bouncing around again in no time. Thanks Lort Smith...you rock!