Gunbarrel Veterinary Hospital

I researched for the best place to take my 13 year old cat, Jade. I was moving to the area and didn’t know anyone else in the area. This place came up every time as THE BEST. So I went in with pretty high expectations. I ended up arriving a few minutes late because my GPS brought me to the wrong area. They still were incredibly friendly and got Jade in only a few minutes after I arrived. I met with an incredibly sweet and knowledgeable vet tech who very patiently listened as I rambling on and on about how precious my princess is and how I want the best quality of life for her. Because I admit I did end up rambling about my cat.
She weighed my princess quite delicately and didn’t force Jade to do anything she didn’t want to do. Then after giving the history of Jade and her life story the head vet came in. She was just as sweet and patient and kind to Jade. They both complimented Jade on how well behaved she was and she got a huge piece of tartar out of Jade’s mouth. I never learned to brush her teeth growing up.
Also I came in with a bunch of things I wanted the vet’s opinion on using for my cat (like a gel to help with hairballs, and whether a cat toothpaste and brush would be appropriate or if it was a gimmicky one, sometimes it’s hard to tell if you’re getting the real deal or a gimmicky thing) but she was very patient and listened to all my concerns. She was familiar with the products I brought in and then compared them to the ingredients in the ones she recommends. Which I truly appreciate. Luckily I bought good stuff.
Also they didn’t give me the run around with prices, they asked if they could do something, like blood work and let me know the price up front. I felt the prices were incredibly fair. At least compared to the human equivalent. I got her blood work, the consultation, and x-​rays without breaking the bank. Try doing that with human care without insurance, it’s just not going to happen.
This was only my first time, mind you, but I felt my expectations were really exceeded here. Everyone was friendly and they treated my cat like the princess she truly is. Oh, and they trimmed her claws for free. Which is good, they were getting long and if they didn’t do it I would have to get Jade to get her claw trimmed. I do plan on learning eventually though.

Doggie Day Care:
I’ve been taking my pup, Stella (the three-​legged mutt) here for daycare for a year now. She goes very sporadically — I wouldn’t consider us «regulars», but everybody always knows and loves on her. When I pick her up, her tail is always wagging, and she always falls asleep on the 5 minute car ride home. Dropping her off/​picking her up is always so easy and the system they have in place is very convenient for people like us. Half day offers are a blessing when I don’t necessarily need daycare but need her to burn off some energy.
Vet:
Because her vet also doubles as DDC, she doesn’t exactly know the difference when she comes to the building so getting her into an exam room is easy. We just had her yearly exam last week and the vet tech was so sweet to her, but our vet herself was the nicest I have ever interacted with (We had seen Dr. Welcome last year and weren’t impressed). Her name is Dr. Vail — I couldn’t recommend her more. She was very professional, yet spoke to Stella so well. I had a million questions that I had built up over the year, and she didn’t look rushed to answer all of them despite how long it all took.

I’m writing this to balance the negative reviews of Gunbarrel Vet Hospital – I have been going to Gunbarrel since 2011 and I have always been impressed and grateful. I am now taking my second dog to Gunbarrel for care after losing my first to cancer in 2012. Going through that process was horrifying and Drs Michelle Feller and Jon Gustafson were totally there for me with thorough medical information, advice and compassion (indeed, I should have written this review back then.) Further, the front desk staff has ALWAYS been incredibly professional and accommodating – I’m really shocked by some of the comments I’ve read. To be completely fair, very early on there was one vet I did not like but she is no longer working there from what I can see. I just made sure I never went to her again. There are several other vets closer to my home but I know I am getting the best care for my pup at Gunbarrel.

I’ve had nothing but bad experiences with this clinic, when I was 17 I took my boxer there because I found a couple lumps and an older women vet who looked homeless told me she had cancer and I needed to do surgery right away, I was 17 and helped support my family and I said I would have to save up for a couple months and she told me that maybe I should rehome my dog to someone that could afford her care, first of all who wants to adopt a 7 year old boxer with cancer? So I saved up for a couple months the $ 1200 for surgery and had it done at Boulder Humane Society and the cancer never came back. I’ll never forget how rude this women was in my life, I think her name was Dr. Welcome. Before this I took my old dog in for incontinence and the pills they gave me didn’t work so I went to Arapahoe Animal Hospital and they suggested adding estrogen pills and that worked great. Save yourself the trouble and go to Arapahoe Animal Hospital where they give great care. And have a better doggy daycare.

We have been going to Gunbarrel for everything– vet, boarding and day care. We couldn’t be happier! The people are amazing– Dr. Gustafson is who we choose to see and he is the best. He truly cares and always offers great advice– our two dogs have had a host of medical issues as they have aged and we completely trust Dr. G.
The boarding and day care staff is simply amazing– I don’t know where they find such a consistently great group of people! Our dogs are high maintenance as far as health issues and we feel so lucky to board them with people that we know will take great care of them. When a health issue did arise, the staff went above and beyond to transfer our dog to specialists that could help her with heart issues-​we were out of town and this gave us great peace. Our little dog loves day care and they give cute report cards when we pick her up.
The front desk staff is extremely kind and wonderful– they make it such a great experience to work with them. We really can’t say enough positive things about Gunbarrel– we wouldn’t go anywhere else!

I wish I could leave ZERO STARS — or better, NEGATIVE STARS.
I started going to Gunbarrel Veterinary Hospital for convenience — had just moved to the Niwot area and they have such a wonderful facility.
I left Gunbarrel Veterinary Hospital because my dog got attacked in their lobby and the staff showed little/​no concern about the situation and did not reprimand the client who allowed her dog, Rosie (a Rottweiler) to enter the lobby unattended.
The catalyst for this review is the new article I saw recently (
)
Here’s what happened: I was sitting on the couch in the lobby waiting for my 2^nd dog to have his shots administered in the back examining room. The dog with me was leashed and well attended. In walks Rosie, trailing her leash. Her owner, at least 15 feet behind Rosie, was yammering with the staff on her way into the lobby.
Obviously, she and Rosie were «regulars.» For some inexplicable reason, Rosie decides to charge across the lobby and lunge at my dog’s throat, scaring him to death. Rosie’s owner saunters over to the couch after the attack and says «Rosie never does that.» Well, she did. I just witnessed it.
The staff simply leaned over the counter and asked «is your dog alright?» I believe a pat on the head and a quick check to SEE if my dog actually WAS alright is not to much to have asked, given the situation.
A veterinary lobby is the LAST PLACE one should expect their dog to get attacked. Rules should be in place — AND ENFORCED: dogs on leash and attended by owners AT ALL TIMES. I was abiding by that best practice. Rosie’s owner was not. And the staff at Gunbarrel Veterinary Hospital in no way appeared to be inclined to enforce such a rule.
I would NOT RECOMMEND that anyone take their dog to Gunbarrel Veterinary Hospital. It is the most convenient veterinary facility in my area and I will never return. Two dogs. Lots of years left and lots of money to spend on veterinary care.
The recent article showing yet another incident of lack of attention, is simply reinforcement of my decision. Dogs will be dogs. You never know how they will interact. That’s what leashes and careful attention/​interaction are intended to prevent. And, veterinary facilities should be the most diligent purveyors of such best practices. It appears that Gunbarrel Veterinary Hospital has not figured this out. If you care about your pets, DO NOT take them to this vet.

I lived in Boulder for four years and this was my vet for the entire time for both my cat and my dog. I received very mediocre care and the physicians were very rude and unprofessional. The vet techs and the receptionists were extremely nice and accommodating, despite the incompetent veterinary physicians.
During the holidays I boarded my dog, whom of which has hip dysplasia, and I made it a point to mention that to them multiple times. I told them that I didn’t want my dog to play too much because of aggravation he gets in his hips. When I picked up my dog he was a bit off. He was bleeding from his nose from multiple cuts, limping to a point where I had to carry his 95 pounds to my car, and was overall very sad.
When I don’t see my dog for just a day, he is so excited to see me. I hadn’t seen him for a week, and he just limped up to me, bleeding from cuts on his nose, and was the saddest I have ever seen him since I owned him as a puppy.

These people are great! We have been taking our two cats to Gunbarrel for vet services for years even after we moved to Denver. They are honest, knowledgeable and always excited to see Kiwi and Waffles in their clinic :)
We have had several incidents which could have been very costly at a different clinic but Gunbarrel never tried to take advantage or over charge us. Once we thought our cat Kiwi had eaten a poisonous lily flower and we took her in and they evaluated her and gave her an IV and determined she had not been poisoned BEFORE trying to do more drastic and expensive services. Our other cat Waffles came down with ringworm several years ago and they were very helpful in giving us useful info about ringworm along with low cost treatments which cured him completely.
As long as we live somewhat nearby we will continue coming here

I can’t say enough great things about Gunbarrel and the people that work there. Everyone is extremely nice, knowledgable and caring. We board our dogs at the kennel when we are out of town and see Dr. Gustafson and his staff. We have had medical issues with both of our our dogs as they have aged, and the peace of mind that we have by knowing they are in great hands in invaluable. We are so grateful for Gunbarrel Veterinary Hospital!

Dr. Feller has been an outstanding vet for our two dogs. Whether she is seeing them for routine check-​ups or for medical emergencies, she gives us the time, the attention, and the information that we need to make good decisions for taking care of our pets. She is also careful with our money, which we really appreciate!

Boarding is low quality. My dog has come back either injured or covered in urine and dirt both times she has stayed there and when I voiced my concern to Isaac, the manager, he didn’t care at all. I would definitely not recommend this facility for boarding.

After traveling to Boulder with my senior pet and her prescription food not making it with us, I was frantically looking for a vet who carried it and Gunbarrel was it!
With no questions asked they set some aside for me and it was ready to go with my name on it when I arrived shortly after calling.
The staff was very friendly and even kept me in the system incase I ever ran into this situation again. The facilities were clean and there were several dogs having fun in the back at doggie daycare.
They are truly lifesavers for me this week!

I can only speak from our boarding experience, not veterinary care. Boarding is expensive here and if you want to include doggie day care, it breaks the bank. Both times we boarded our dog here, the staff lost several of his belongings, even though we had labeled them clearly. We lost a padded doggy bed and several toys. The second time, we mistakenly came home with someone else’s expensive-​looking puppy blanket. Additionally, his traveling crate was chewed apart on the outside, leading us to believe he was either unsupervised outside of his crate or crated with another dog that was trying to jailbreak him. On our first visit, they returned all of his soft food to us un-​opened, even though there were clear instructions that he needed it every day in addition to his kibble.
I’d recommend Cottonwood Kennels over this place. Wonderful staff and day care is included if you board.

Poor urine test follow up. Expensive. Spaced out female DVM. Front desk staff not professional. Will look for another vet.

I’m agreeing here with Daniel L. My most recent experience was far removed from my past dealings with DVC. I was thrown a phalanx of tests, procedures, and other possible medicines for what is otherwise a very healthy dog. I walked out with a tab that was MUCH larger than in times past. Overall, the vibe was to sell-​sell-​sell… It’s time to look for another vet.

This review is for the doggie daycare.
We take our 3 year old dog here about once a week — she loves it and we love it because she is exhausted when we pick her up after work! They let the dogs play all day in a supervised area that is shaded. The people at the front desk are super nice — we have had some great chats! They are conveniently located right off the Diagonal, so drop off and pick up is a snap/​not out of the way.

New in town, I came to Gunbarrel veterinary hospital as I was referred to Dr. Welcome by a local. Having a cat with heart complications it is important to me that the veterinarians we see are not only knowledgeable but caring and sensitive to me and my pet’s needs. I found Dr. Welcome to be all that I ask and more. She took the time to really explain to me in lay-​terms what my cat’s heart conditions are, as well as let me listen to my cat’s heart murmur. After our appointment she went above and beyond by not only forwarding my cat’s records to the local cardiologist we will be seeing this summer, but also speaking with the cardiologist on the phone regarding today’s exam findings and my cats current medication regimen. I cannot stress how excited I am to have found such a wonderful veterinarian.

They gave my cat the best «lion cut» ever! He is happy and so am I. Great groomers!!!

We had an awesome experience here a couple of months back when our dog got bit… We’ve been taking him to Gunbarrel Grooming which we really like and which shares a parking lot with the vet, so we thought we’d give the vet a try.
The receptionists were super friendly and stuffed our puppy full of healthy treats, and handled getting all of his and our cats files faxed from Savannah. We saw Dr. Gustafson, who actually listened to what we had to say, rather than doing that thing that so many vets (and people doctors, for that matter) do where they sort of seem to tune out what you’re saying while they’re doing their examination. He was very thorough and a took the time to answer our questions in a way that really made us feel like he cared.
While paying, we asked if they boarded rabbits, and were then swept along on a tour of the whole facility, which was so clean and full of happy puppies.
Very glad that it was so easy to find a vet that we like and trust. Would 100% recommend.