Clinton Hill Animal Clinic

Have been going there for 3 years. Recently we brought our Rottweiler to CHAC because she was limping and Dr. Gooden looked at her. Both Doctor and his nurse were very thorough, clear and friendly. We did have other doctors we did not like as much but they are good clinic overall and my dog is well! I just wish they had more openings in morning/​evening/​weekends for working parents!

I usually don’t write a review for any place but I feel very inclined. This place is absolutely terrible. EXTREMELY OVERPRICED. I’m a poor student who decided to adopt a stray cat. They charged me over $ 300 for the most generic check up and prescription of medication for fleas. I looked online and I found the same medication for less than half the price I paid today. Is this how they treat people who had the decency to adopt an animal even with financial hardship? That’s no vet in my definition.

Always rude and dishonest. You can count on being over charged. You can also count on feeling like they are doing you a favor by treating your pet.

Back in yesterday with both of our dogs– one big, one small. It takes both my boyfriend and I to take our dogs to the vet so working out a time for us to get in was difficult with our differing schedules. It had to be late. They were able to work us in at 6:30– luckily a little later than that because I came from work late. They are super accommodating and will work with you. (I don’t get the negative reviews on the receptionist? He’s nice and does his job… Do you need your ass kissed or what??). Dr. Gooden was simply amazing. We had a female doctor last time and she was great too but my boyfriend and I were raving about Dr. Gooden on the walk back to the car. He asked many, many questions about our dogs and was genuinely concerned about their health and well being and discussed all of our concerns (I’ve had bad experiences with uncaring docs in the past– lookin’ at you Prospect Heights!). Although he suggested certain vaccines for our dogs and thought it best that we get them, he did not push us on the subject which I liked– I prefer not to vaccinate my dogs every year. I get bloodwork done for their heartworm tests and rabies vaccines yearly. Other vaccines we do every three years. We also did fecal tests as well which can get pricey if they are testing for giardia also. A MAJOR plus about Dr. Gooden that really won me over– when he came in the room to greet our dogs, our large dog barked and snapped when he tried to touch his head to greet him. We don’t know our dogs past but we know that he is uncomfortable if a new person tries to touch his face upon meeting. Once in the room for awhile with a person he is fine though. This did not deter Dr. Gooden and he was not put off by this in any way. I really appreciated that. He did not even suggest a muzzle– we did. He allowed us to come near and to comfort our animals when they were crying or unsure– so many doctors ask you to step back and it breaks my heart. So, this is a major reason why Dr. Gooden really won us over. Kudos to this place! We even decided we’ll keep coming here once we move to a different borough.

The person who runs the front desk is as rude as he is ignorant. People go here because there is no other place in the area. Splurge for a cab and get reasonable care for your pet.

I’ve read through the reviews but I’ve had a great experience at the Animal Clinic. Yes it’s overpriced but so is the neighborhood. I’d rather invest in quality preventive care for my dog versus paying expensive medical bills in the long run. Pets are expensive and if your not willing to invest in your animal then this is not the place for you. The doctor and staff are extremely helpful and knowledgable! I’d recommend this establishment !

LONG WAIT
OVERPRICED
The secretary told me a check up is $ 70 and FVRCP booster is $ 40. I go into the room after waiting for 40 MINUTES and the doctor informs me the check up is $ 50 and the FVRCP is $ 35, until I call him out on it and he backpedals and says the FVRCP is $ 50. He Apologizes for the «miscommunication.»
Here’s what the bill actually came out to…
$ 75 for a consultation /​check up
$ 45 for FVRCP booster
(they removed $ 5 because the secretary didn’t inform me of the bio waste, felt like they were trying to make me feel better or something)
Didn’t have the patience or time to fight all this non-​sense, so I left and will never come back.

I hate this place. I can’t give it less than 2 stars because my dog is alive and well after 6+ years of going here, but I am officially making the switch.
The receptionist takes his job much too seriously. He is not a doctor, but acts as though he is doing very important work behind that window. I have never seen him smile, and the wait time is ridiculous. I loathe the way he closes the glass to talk on the phone — writing down appointment details as if he is solving world hunger, and reluctantly calls me over when he is complete with his task. He has no ability to multi task or prioritize, and is insanely arrogant.
As for the doctors — they are fine. We have seen a few at this point but Dr. Dentler, most consistently. She is good — thorough and knowledgable — but has no sense of humor and makes you feel like the worst pet owner for questioning some of the vaccines and tests. But I must warn you… if you don’t question the necessity, your bill will be outrageous!!! They totally take advantage of the little amount people know about pet medicine, and make every single thing seem urgent and necessary. And how am I supposed to know?! I love my dog and want him to be healthy, so I normally agree, but always always leave there feeling like I was taken advantage of. This is especially true of emergency visits, of course.
So why have I continued to go for 6 years? It is very close to my apartment, they have all of my dog’s records, and I really like to support local business. But I’m out. See ya. c

Killed my dog, would give negative stars if possible. Board this place up and sell the furniture. There are decent vets in Brooklyn, just look at the reviews! You wouldn’t buy tacos from a business with less than three stars — why why why would you ever trust your pets to this place? Get out now while you still can.

The front desk receptionist seems like a nice person but he takes forever with very simple tasks, I’ve shot myself with an imaginary gun about a thousand times dealing with him. He’s just not very good with multitasking, but he’s polite.
As for the vet, she’s a bit careless «oh you’re concerned about your dog? You’re overreacting, relax». She’s told me that I’m overreacting when I mentioned some notable concerns about my pup after a recent surgery. Yeah my dog would probably have died if I relaxed when she had bladder issues, bleeding when she peed etc. Had I relaxed then I’d have nothing to worry about cause she’d probably no longer be with me. Thanks «doc», I’ll relax knowing another doctor acknowledges my concerns, responds and takes good care of my pup.

The negative reviews really shock me. I was just there today, for a walk-​in, emergency appointment, and Dr. Dentler was absolutely amazing! She was polite, nice to my dog and me, and she even gave me a cheaper and equally effective alternative when I said I needed to save money anywhere I could. She also clearly knows what she is talking about. I waited a while, as it was a walk-​in, but I am incredibly pleased she was even able to see my dog that day. I will absolutely go back here, and I really hope the previous negative reviews don’t discourage anyone from bringing their pet to Dr. Dentler!

I am a big fan of Dr. Dentler
I find her to be a very caring person and you can tell the pets trust her and feel at ease.
She has been our little French Bulldog’s (Chloe) vet since she was a puppy.
Chloe always is excited to visit dr dentler you just say Dr. Dentler and she gets so excited.
My one and only issue is with the gentleman working the front desk.
He is very pleasant and nice but he seems just so overwhelmed and checking in and then paying after the exams take forever.
Dr. Dentler is always busy so perhaps she needs to find this gentleman an assistant

The guy who manages the front desk wants to feel important, so he makes people wait for no reason… every time. I buy a special prescription dog food, and I only buy it here because I live down the street. Every time I go in, he makes me wait and says he has to check with the doctor to approve me buying the food I already have a prescription for. I have put up with this nonsense for years, but I’m finally done with this place. Last week, I was in a rush to catch a flight when he pulled this $#!+. I told him I was in a hurry and asked how long it would take and he said there was no way of knowing because the doctor was with patients. So I’m just supposed to hang out for no reason whatsoever? I’m done with this place. Also, when I brought my little dogs to this office once, years ago, I discussed dental cleaning with one of the doctors and expressed my concern about putting them under anesthesia (they are 4.5 lb. Chihuahuas). I asked the doctor if she’d ever lost a pet during a dental cleaning, and she said «I don’t remember.» Obviously I didn’t do the dental cleaning there!

I really do not understand the negative reviews. I have found Dr. Dendtler to be warm, professional, knowledgeable and responsive, as are her staff (including the reception). They do push testing a little bit, but I honestly do not think it is grossly disproportionate.
They send my insurance form in for me; they let my son pet the bunnies; the office is clean; my dog runs right in the door without a problem and has gotten good care. Will continue to go there as long as I live in the neighborhood.

I’m also at a loss for all the negative reviews. Dr. Dentler was the only one (after seeing three other vets) to diagnose my cat correctly. She was the only vet to take me into the back and have a look at X-​rays for my cats intestines. I completely trust her and the staff. During examinations Dr. Dentler is great with my cat and takes the time to listen to me with patience about his history. The technicians are friendly and great with my cat. Yes, it can be pricey, but the add ons are what helped diagnose my cat with different issues on two separate occasions.
Dr. Dentler and the staff of CHAC totally rock and is the only place I’d ever take my Peetee. I moved out of Brooklyn and to Long Island and I still travel to CHAC.

WOW I dont get the negative reviews. I brought my little rescured kitty there since I got him and the service has been excellent. Both the Vets are very knowledgable and have given me excellent advice. When I went away I boarded my kitty there and they loved him, so much they didnt want to give him back! lol! I knew my cat was well cared for by his attitude when I took him home… he was completely calm and chill and very loving to me.
I will agree that the costs are high. But I think I got great service and you get what you pay for. I dont know, my experiences have been very good with CHAC.

On the morning of February 19, 2013, I brought my cat to CHAC because it looked as if her paw was bleeding. My cat is an indoor cat and like most, she is terrified when leaving the house. When we entered the examining room, my cat cowered in the corner. As the technician asked how she reacted to fear, my cat reached out to scratch him. When Dr. Dendtler came in to examine her, the technician put on gloves and held her down. My cat was resistant, but Dr. Dendtler was able to see that she had a tumor that would need surgery. Dr. Dendtler explained that my cat would need blood tests and x-​rays before any surgery could be performed.
When they attempted to draw blood, my cat became even more resistant and scared. The technician began to use a lot of force on her to keep her still. I was really uncomfortable with this and began to get upset. Dr. Dendtler asked me to leave the room and against my better judgment I did.
About an hour and a half later, I was brought back into the examining room to a horrifying and heart-​breaking sight. My cat was on the floor with spots of blood on her fur. Her tongue was hanging out of her mouth, her eyes were glossed over, she was moaning, and she wasn’t moving at all. Dr. Dendtler and the technician looked at me as if they didn’t know what happened. She said that my cat struggled a lot and the blood was from biting her tongue. I sat on the floor with my cat and she remained in a catatonic state. As I cried, I remember Dr. Dendtler stating that she was concerned that my cat might have injured her spine in the struggle.
After about two hours of me on the floor with my cat, talking to her, cradling her, willing her to move, she started to show signs of recognition. She began to move a little and her eyes started to focus. I was able to bring my cat home that day, but it has taken her weeks to return to her normal self. I’ve come to the conclusion that she was in shock that day, exhausted from her struggle and literally terrified of Dr. Dendtler and her staff after her ordeal.
Although Dr. Dendtler expressed concern for my cat, I don’t understand why she continued to run tests and x-​rays on my cat if she was in such a resistant mode. When I questioned her about this she stated that she wouldn’t ever sedate an animal that they didn’t have current blood tests. I understand this, but I counter this with the question of why didn’t she send her home and hold off on the x-​rays. Dr. Dendtler does not feel that she did anything wrong and expressed that she would do the same thing again. I find this appalling, especially since I’ve read her notes from that day and she uses phrases like «cat went beserk» and «she really went ballistic».
I regret that I ever left the room that day, but I thought my cat was in the hands of a caring professional. I post all of this to warn other pet owners about the care my cat received at CHAC. By the way the quote at the top of her bill says «We treat your pet as if they are our own.»

Unlike a lot of the other reviewers, my cat wasn’t sick when I took her in. I just brought her in to get her claws trimmed. I figured it’s better to find a good vet when my cat ISN’T sick just to see how the staff is and how well they handle a simple task.
CHAC failed me. Her nails are splitting badly and she’s «filing» them on the exposed brick in my apartment. But what really left me shocked was the cost. Like many others, my experience was that they will use any excuse to nickel and dime you. I thought $ 25 was already overpriced for such a simple service, but then they had the nerve to tell me that they were being GENEROUS, and that this I was actually receiving a discount because normally they’d charge $ 35 for a «difficult» animal. I realize my kitty isn’t the best patient, so I don’t resent the additional charge – but I definitely do resent the base charge. I have never paid more than $ 15 to have a nail trim. Give me a break. I shudder to think what they might charge if she was actually sick, and from the sound of the other reviews, my instincts are spot on.
I think they definitely take advantage of being conveniently located for Clinton Hill residents, but the location isn’t worth the price. I’ll gladly travel a little farther to Park Slope.

I really wanted to like this place since it’s a clean, local Vet office and not a big corporation.
The service here is terrible and the Veterinarian’s information is conflicting. No one seems to talk to one another internally and is easily confused. It’s almost as if they expect the owner to know everything about Vet practice — when actually that’s why you are going to one!
I felt «nickeled & dimed». Every visit was about a week apart and each routine exam ran between 45 – 75 $ Plus whatever cost you had the appointment for. They would never give me a clear amount as to what I would look at paying…
They are really disorganized, and with modern computers and Google these days, there’s no excuse for poor communication, planning, booking, etc. They snail-​mail reminders for appointments and use a written ledger for appointments. Which would be OK if they stayed on top of things. I walked in for an appointment and they didn’t know why I was there since the person writing it in only penciled in half my information. This happened a few times. They don’t like to plan appointments in advance. Appointments were always confusing; eg, they don’t plan out a vaccination schedule for you. And when you arrive for your appointment they don’t know why you are there!
We had a previous record from a Vet and they couldn’t understand how to amend it to our pet’s current records. It was so confusing for them. And forget about asking for records to send to other offices or trainers! I received chicken scratch on paper.
It’s a shame because the people are nice, but really clueless and disorganized, and expensive!!! They want you to come in all the time to make money.
We’ve since moved to Banfield Animal Hospital; part of PetSmart. Really happy we did.

It looks like most of the reviews for this Vet are a little older, so I’m suspecting that things have changed. After Bacon, my little/​big bulldog, had spent more than 24 hours puking all over our apartment, we decided to call the Vet. Anyone with an animal knows that you begin to become extremely medical and crafty when you have a sick animal. You try all sorts of home remedies, rely on any fraudulent website, and pray to any deity you can conjure (Are you there dog god? It’s me, Donna A), just so you can avoid the exorbitant fees you have to pay, all so that they can tell you: «She’s fine. Looks like she may have eaten something funny.» And that is exactly what happened with Bacon. Anyone with an animal also knows that though fees may be steep, resting assured that your beloved animal is healthy and safe is well worth the money spent. Who cares if you eat baked beans out of the can for the rest of the month since you’re dead broke. You still have your slobbering buddy by your side eating those baked beans right there alongside of you
We usually go to their other office, 6^th Ave animal clinic, but they had not Vets that particular day. I’m still wondering how that works. It was our first time here and the staff were incredibly friendly and took great care of her. They gave her a thorough exam and I felt at ease when I left. I’m even thinking of transferring her care to this location.
As for Bacon, well she’s resting peacefully right now next to me slobbering and snoring, so I think she’ll be just fine.