Alpine Hospital For Animals

I’ve been here twice with our new pug puppy.
As a nervous first time pet owner every strange poop and look is of course a potential emergency.
When the pooch started coughing I called this place and I was happy when they could see us within an hour.
I had a small amount of fear about the doglet being traumatized by the whole vet experience, but everyone was super friendly. The nurse and the doctor took time to greet her and play with her to make her feel as comfortable as possible. They use treats and baby food as distractions and the pup was so happy that she wasn’t even bothered by the thermometer in the butt.
After listening to me ramble about all the small things I was worried could be wrong with her, they gave her a thorough exam to make sure all was fine. The conclusion was kennel cough and we were sent home with some antibiotics and a scheduled time for the next round of vaccinations. The vaccination visit was just as pleasant.
I never felt that they tried to push me to pay for something unnecessary or they were trying to rush us out of the door.
Pleasant experience for both the puglet and the possibly neurotic owner.

I love this this veterinarian clinic. Dr. Mones and the staff are excellent. All of the vets there have been fantastic– even through some hard times when our dog Wilbur was diagnosed with cancer and our kitty Occie was struggling with multiple terminal illnesses. The staff is always friendly and helpful. You can tell that everyone that works there truly loves animals. If you have an emergency, they get you in right away and they are also open on Saturdays. They also do check up calls after procedures and medications are administered.
Some of the lower star reviews are because of the cost. If you are worried about the cost, I think you have to ask the questions about cost before you bring your pet. I think it is unfair to bring your pet in for an appointment and then expect it to be free.
I will not go anywhere else for vet care because they have been so good to my pets and I highly recommend Alpine to everyone I can.

This place is truly exceptional!
My big goofy pit bull managed to tear up her paws while out for a run and needed all four of them bandaged, and the staff here was just great with her. I imagine it must be pretty easy to find a good vet if you have an easy dog, but for owners like me with very particular pets, the demeanor and attitude of the staff is almost as important as their medical expertise, and the staff at Alpine is amazing.
My girl was rescued from dog fighting so she, understandably, has some quirks – she is extremely dog aggressive, is very uncomfortably with men, and is a mix of very strong and very tender. I was SO IMPRESSED with how the staff here treated us – I told the receptionist before we came in about her somewhat peculiar needs and they were more than accommodating. They made sure that only female members of the staff handled her and they made sure that she didn’t interact with other animals, allowing us to wait in a separate room rather than the waiting room and shifting some things around in their treatment area so that she wouldn’t have to be bandaged up near other pups.
Everyone we interacted with was totally comfortable with her breed and her demeanor (they were incredibly understanding of her dog-​aggression and there was absolutely no judgement of her as a bad dog or of me as a bad owner, which we’ve experienced with other places) and I would strongly recommend this place to other pit bull parents.
I was really impressed with Dr. scwartzman – she was very gentle with my girl and did a wonderful job building a little bit of a relationship with her in the short time of our appointment, and she also took the time to explain the injury and treatment thoroughly to me and made sure to answer all of my questions.
The vet techs were awesome as well – they gave my pup plenty of treats to help her feel more comfortable (they even used a frozen container of baby food to distract her, which I think is brilliant) and they did an excellent job with the bandages themselves.
Finally, the front desk staff was spectacular – they were super nice and super helpful and they obviously care about the people and pets they get to interact with.
I felt that the pricing here was very fair – I’m surprised to see so many other reviewers complaining about the cost. Also, for me, the fact that they required an exam before treating her injuries was a huge plus – I wouldn’t feel comfortable having a vet prescribe treatment or medication without first examining my dog, and at least to me, it seems far less a scam to get money out of unsuspecting owners and far more a hallmark of a responsible and well run medical practice.

Now although I have never taken my animals here I randomly called this business for some advice on some goats that I have and whether or not they should stay away from eating Pine tree’s. I spoke to a woman named CJ and a woman named Cassie and I wasn’t able to get an answer right away; They wanted to make sure they gave me credible information from further research or speaking with one of their veterinarians for further suggestion. They took down my name and number and CALLED ME BACK! I wasn’t able to answer their call but they left me a warmhearted message referring me to the two best leads that they had. I was so amazed and I’ll probably be a future customer just by that voicemail alone. Thank you to all the staff at Alpine

Alpine Hospital is awesome! They are friendly, professional, and really care about your four legged loved ones! They follow up on appointments, send reminders ahead of time, and are flexible when life happens. I received an unexpected check up call over the weekend when I could actually answer, so they even know your schedule and work to ensure life is easy.

Dr. Mones went way above the call of duty, compassion and kindness with my daughter’s pet. Knowledgeable, sweet, patient, and extraordinary in every way — Dr. Mones has won our hearts. The staff was also very friendly and helpful. And I’m so excited to hear that the docs at Alpine are also certified in veterinary acupuncture!

Exceptional care and customer service. We have had many pets and seen quite a few veterinarians over the years. Dr. Mones is THE BEST!

Can’t say enough good things about the doctors and staff here. When we first moved to Boulder, my dog suddenly began showing symptoms of Lymes Disease we assume she contracted on the east coast.
After work, I let my dog out, and her back legs had suddenly grown stiff and unable to move her. She was stumbling around and falling over. I called the nearest vet (because I don’t have a car and would have to walk) in a total panic… And luckily enough it was Alpine. They got us in immediately without an appointment and within minutes, and cared for her so gently and wonderfully.
I’ve been back since for her annual check up and vaccines — and each time they are so wonderful and gentle and caring.
I highly recommend this vet every time I talk to another dog owner!

Every single time I’ve brought my cat to Alpine, the veterinarians, the technicians, and the receptionists have gone above and beyond to make us feel welcome and comfortable. We’ve visited two of the vets here, Dr. Dan Mones and Dr. Tory Wunder, each with the same awesome result. :) They’re knowledgeable and make sure to go over every option with you, as well as explain health information in a way that is approachable and understandable for those who don’t know much about veterinary medicine. They also explain all costs and the various options so that I’ve been able to make the best informed decision.
I can tell they truly care about my kitty’s wellbeing. They allow him to get to know them before jumping into diagnostics, let him sniff around and get comfortable in the exam room, etc. In fact, his very first visit, Dr. Mones had my cat sniff him and be fed by him before he began to examine him at all, making sure he felt familiar with him.
I appreciate that I know I can trust Alpine Hospital to help me make the best decision for us, both for my animal’s wellbeing, as well as financially, and that I can be rest assured he’s in good hands. Thanks, Alpine!

They helped us find out what was wrong with our dog. They had never seen her before (we have a vet who makes house calls) but they treated her as if she was important to them.
They were compassionate when they had to deliver bad news and supportive of our choices. For that, I’m a fan.
later…
Unfortunately, I had to find out that they also do at home euthanasia which was a blessing.
Andrew is one of the best vets I’ve come across — in his knowledge and demeanor.

Absolutely recommend taking your dog here! Hands down best vet office I have been to. Dr. Mones has taken such good care of my dog over the years, through thick and thin. He truly cares to put in the time and effort with each person (and animal); no matter the occasion, I never feel rushed out without all my questions answered thoroughly. His kindness, astuteness, and professionalism goes unparalleled in my experience with vets. He always puts my pup first, and I never feel he is trying to just tack on the medical fees, as I’ve felt has been the case at most other vets I’ve seen. I have truly appreciated his integrity, hard work, thoroughness, and compassion. If you want a trustworthy and well-​qualified vet for your pup, Alpine in Boulder is most certainly the place!

I will echo a prior review that Alpine charges $ 62 for a «physical exam» when it is not needed. I took my dog in for an ear infection only one month after they did an annual exam which cost $ 400. Dr. INGRAM listened to my dog’s heart and nagged me about her weight BEFORE she would even look at my dog’s ear. Then she insisted on probing both ears until my dog cried. It was an infection in one ear only as my dog has every summer and I asked for the med and that she stop probing her ears. The ointment, which cost only $ 24, cleared up the ear infection. Total bill $ 112. Not going back.

This is the last time we visit Alpine Hospital for Animals.
Schedule a $ 29 shot to board our dog, and are told we can’t have the shot without the $ 62 physical exam (which lasted about 2 minutes), and then are told they «need to do a heartworm exam». for another $ 39. My dog takes monthly heartworm meds and we even said we don’t need it.
Total rip off — never again.

After a call from the practice owner, I’ve returned to update my review and scrub it for cost complaints since I can’t fairly claim to have comparative information on everyone’s local charging practices.
I would like to point out that during the entire experience that I outline below, no veterinarian ever commented on the conduct of any other veterinarian or the correctness or incorrectness of their treatment. What you get here is the dog owners’ opinion, based on personal experience colored by my own experience and several decades of non-​medical engineering experience.
We used to love Alpine– and we took our dog here regularly for 6 years, but the practice was sold over a year ago and our experience since then has left me less enthusiastic than I previously was. The final straw leading to this review is that our dog suffered a broken bone in her foot, which went undetected by the emergency clinic visit on a Wednesday, so we went in on Saturday to Alpine. They were able to squeeze us in despite a call that same morning, which has generally been one of the features of Alpine for years.
The entire experience goes something like this:
(1) Dog gets physical examination
(2) Dog gets x-​rays
(3) Veterinarian shows x-​rays to owner; veterinarian talks about how you expect the (rear leg) foot bones to look in x-​ray, points out an area that doesn’t follow the smooth line you expect, intimating it’s a break, but doesn’t identify it as such. Veterinarian offers to send x-​rays to radiologist to read– owner declines because I’ve had enough breaks and x-​rays (due to high intensity hobbies) that I felt confident this was an obvious break, and was mildly annoyed vet offered to send it out to radiologist.
(4) Veterinarian offers «we could do nothing or we could splint it»; at this point was when I committed a major error. I didn’t ask the follow-​up question: «what are the benefits and drawbacks of each course of action?» As an over-​protective dog owner, I suggested that we should splint the break, imaging a short little splint that would likely cover the adjacent joints (toes and over the hock). I was asked to wait until after the next appointment since there was only one vet in the office and we had chewed up a lot of time a that point.
(5) ~45 minutes later dog goes into the back for splinting; dog re-​emerges with her entire leg up to the hip encased in vet wrap with a hard plastic splint underneath. Not quite what I imagined for a break equivalent to breaking a long bone in your foot, below the ankle– but thought we would head home and see how it went. Instruction sheet says «check toes (for coldness/​swelling or something similar– basically ensure splint not cutting off circulation)”– toes were not actually visible in the splinting configuration, so hopefully it wasn’t too tight.
(6) 15 minute drive home, dog is barely able to maneuver with splint (dog is tall and long-​legged like a deer).
(7) At home, dog clearly can’t lay down comfortably and get up without awkward-​looking maneuvering that spouse and I worried would cause damage to ligaments & joints on other rear leg. Call to vet’s office to express concern. Spoke to vet tech who relayed concerns to vet; response from vet tech was «try it til Monday to see if she adapts and we can take it off then» sent vet tech back again with our structural concerns (strain on other rear leg) was told «vet says this is her best chance for recovery»…wait…WHAT? The person who told me 45 minutes earlier we could do nothing or we could splint is now recommending against her other option? Very unsettling. Eventually the unhappy owners convinced them to remove the splint.
(8) Return to office, remove splint. Spend weekend frantically figuring out where we could find an orthopedic specialist we trusted to get a second opinion, finally got in one week later with specialist who was comfortable with the «do nothing» option.
My irritation in this whole experience? Not getting the explanation behind the recommendation and getting the vet tech runaround when we called back with concerns. Researching vet books, I find that splints are not necessarily harmless– there are risks due to too-​tight splinting, and with covered toes we would presumably not have insight into whether the splint was too tight and cutting off circulation. I wish I had been informed by the veterinarian as to these risks (as well as the enormous size of the splint) prior to making a choice. Alpine used to be really good at informing patients, and I think they’ve lost that skill. Because of this experience and two previous regular vet visits with the current practice owner, I’m uncomfortable recommending Alpine these days.

We love out vet hospital. The front desk staff is always SO nice and friendly to our little ones. They explain billing clearly and make scheduling appointments and keeping track of medications so easy for us. We have 3 dogs and they take such great care of them. Our pug comes in every 2 – 3 weeks for nail trimming and we only take him here because they do a great job for the same price as a groomer, who makes us hold our dogs down while they trim.
Dr. Mones is a great vet and is honest with us about the health of our dogs. We recommend Alpine to anyone looking for a great vet.

LOVE THIS PLACE!
We just adopted a rescue dog who is a bit skittish, and brought him in for his first wellness visit. The entire staff, including Dan (the vet) went above and beyond to make him — and us — feel comfortable. We were impressed by the amount of time and care spent both on our dog, and answering all of our questions.
The next day we found out that he had tested positive for hookworm and we were contacted immediately, all of our questions again patiently answered, solution presented, and our pooch is already on the road to recovery.
Because our dog is a bit skittish they recommended bringing him in for friendly visits so he can get used to the office and exam rooms without freaking out. We have already brought him in for one of these friendly visits, and again, everyone who interacted with our dog acted like they were SO excited to see him. They were very accommodating in going through the motions of an actual visit so he could start to get used to the place, since we need to bring him back soon for a «real» visit that involves a needle.
Alpine came highly recommended by two of my friends with dogs, and the experience lived up to their recommendations. I feel like we’ve found our new lifetime vet!
And p. s., while we were there we also met one of their new vets, Janie, and she seemed awesome too!

Having been pleased for the most part with our experiences at Alpine Animal Hospital, we were disturbed when Dr. Mones bought the facility, concerned that his presence would change the positive environment at the all-​female practice. We are elated that he has retained the good aspects of the practice, like the general milieu of the office and Emma who handles administrative affairs. And contrary to our fears, he has done nothing to negatively affect the business, but instead has even improved the service and care provided at the animal hospital.
The doctor himself spends as much time as necessary with the patients and their caregivers to ensure they feel comfortable and comprehend any issues. He is patient and never makes his clients feel like they are asking too many questions or that he doesn’t have the time to answer them all. The other doctors are competent as well, and it is always nice to have more than one practitioner to choose from, which also provides greater flexibility with scheduling and coverage.
We have patronized many of the veterinary practices in Boulder, and without hesitation feel that Alpine Animal Hospital is the best.

The facility itself is nice, the staff are friendly and treat my puppy very well. The vets are highly qualified. Having said that, I would not recommend that you bring your animal to Alpine unless you expect said animal to be in perfect health and only need wellness visits. We have had our puppy for 5 weeks and have been to 3 appointments to this clinic (3 to another that was emergency– out of town), and have been with 3 different vets. I feel as if the vets are not in communication with one another about my animal and are not up to speed on his records when I see him. I feel buyer’s remorse when I leave this place, and will not be returning.
I cannot claim that my puppy is the most important patient in the clinic, but I want the staff to make me feel like my puppy is the most important animal. I want to feel valued and I want my animal’s health to be their number one priority.

I’ve been coming here for 3 years with both my (now deceased) elderly cat and my younger English Cocker Spaniel.
I’ve NEVER had a bad veterinarian, vet tech or receptionist at this office. Everyone has been professional, kind, and some are downright charming.
I’m horrible at remembering names, so if the staff are reading this — I apologize for not naming you, especially the vet that performed my cat’s euthanasia.
Overall, I think that my pets receive really quality pet care here. The exams are thorough, the vets explain things clearly and I just feel 100% comfortable coming here. I’m moving in a month and I am so stressed out about finding a good vet. If you read my other reviews, you’ll know why I might feel that way!
The incident that endears me most to this clinic, though I loved them already, was having the vet come to my house to perform the euthanasia of my 17 year old cat, Caspian, who had been one of my best friends and a huge part of my life. I chose to pay extra for in-​home. A friend came with me. It was sort of farcical really. And, actually, that made it easier. My cat fought the drugs 100%. Apparently, she told us, some tiny, tiny, tiny percentage of animals are resistant to the drug that knocks them out. She told us she used to work at a clinic where she would euthanize 4 – 6 animals a night and she worked there for several years — and she never had to use a dosage as large as she gave my cat EVER. Caspian was a stubborn, contrary bastard right to the bitter end. She stayed with us. She never acted impatient. She was honestly bewildered and I found it refreshing. She was so kind to me, my friend, Caspian — she kinda admired the old bastard. So do I, he was an original.
He finally passed out of this world while laying on my bed with me petting him. In a few days, I received a condolence card. Maybe a month later, a notice from the Humane Society saying Alpine had made a donation in his memory. THAT is a class act and full of empathy.
To anyone who has given a 1 star review because you disagree with one employee, I implore you to reconsider bumping it up a star or two. If you are pleased with the overall service, the rating should reflect THAT (the norm, not the extreme).
I highly recommend this clinic to everyone I know.

Yes, the vets in general seem friendly and know what they are doing, but the same cannot be said for the rest of the staff. When my cousin called them frantically about her dog breaking out in bumps/​hives and having breathing issues, they told her that the dog would be fine, don’t bother bringing her in… No one in my family suffers from ANY allergic reactions, so we don’t know what they look like or how to react. (We didn’t even know what the heck Benadryl was for.)
So, my cousin goes to work and two hours later, I get home to find a nearly comatose dog. Rushed her over to the vets and THEY yelled at ME for not bringing her in sooner. Hello?! They were the ones that told us she would be fine. This dog is also very skittish and won’t let people she does not know near her. Every time we bring her in, we let the staff know that to get ANYTHING accomplished, we have to come with the dog. They have never once believed us. So of course, they take her into the back room only to come out sheepishly 5 minutes later to ask one of us to come back there and help them. I can’t believe my cousin STILL uses this office. I would never bring my animal there.