Separately, both Dr. Ava Redig and Dr. Laurel Rhodes are friendly, patient, and respectful of the wishes and directives of pet owners. Both Dr. Redig and Dr. Rhodes have treated my dog for separate and unrelated incidences. They both listened to my concerns and helped me decide an appropriate course of action and level of treatment. However, my experience with Dr. Dickerson was very different, and has demonstrated to me that he is brute, forceful, unsympathetic, and unwavering. After my positive experiences with Dr. Rhodes and Dr. Redig, I returned to LVH for a neuter procedure. During the pre-exam, Dr. Dickerson was forceful about an optional pre-anesthesia blood work panel. I declined this procedure to the point where I had to say "no thank you, I understand the risks" several times. Dr. Dickerson also requires that animals stay overnight in the hospital after surgery. In this case, this was an overnight stay from an early morning neuter. This treatment includes additional exams and fees. Despite my protests, my insistence against this treatment, and my acknowledgement of the risks, Dr. Dickerson refused to obey my wishes. I later spoke with the LVH office manager, Robin (who is wonderful) to schedule picking up my dog. Robin expressed "Well, we have to wait until Dr. Dickerson gives the green light." To which I responded "Dr. Dickerson did not approve this, I am waiving this treatment, I will pick up my dog today."
Unfortunately I did not have a good experience with this vet, nor can I recommend them.
It seemed like selling their highly-marked-up products and services was a higher priority than the health and well-being of my pet. I felt nickeled and dimed, and the cost of a checkup apparently only covered walking in the door. The worst inflated fee was their in-house testing, specifically blood testing for us. They charged us almost $400 for a blood test that costs less than $100 at every other vet I have been to, even vets in Bozeman. I asked the doctor why the blood test was so expensive, and I was told they "had to pay for their blood machine". From what I know, a lot of businesses do in-house testing in part to mitigate the cost for their customers, not blow up the price and put it as heavily as they can on individuals.
They have taken excellent care of my senior kitty cat Henry for the last 3 years. Always called back after his visit to check on him. Awesome crew, very caring. I would recommend them to all.
My review is directly related to my experience as a patient of Dr. Dickerson.
While the Livingston Veterinary Hospital does provide excellent and quality care for animals, they are a bit on the pricey side and (in my opinion) strong arm their clients into unnecessary treatments.
I'm rating the LVH as a 3 star because of the kindness, respect, and excellent level of care provided by the other doctors and staff. And while Dr. Dickerson is a wonderful doctor, and I would whole-heartedly trust the health of my animals with him, his bedside manner is atrocious and I will never, ever, willingly choose him or his business again.
I gave them two stars because some of the staff was nice and helpful. However, overall my experience was poor. I would like to have had them be more upfront about their prices. A regular checkup for a healthy pet should not cost almost $500 in my experience and opinion.
Now this isn't my first rodeo or neuter. An early morning neuter with zero complications on a healthy dog does not require an overnight stay. I would understand if there were complications or the dog had other underlying risks, but this was not the case. Also, had I been informed of this "necessary hospitalization and treatment" prior, I would have elected to have this procedure performed elsewhere. As pet owners, we should have the right to choose or not choose certain medically unnecessary levels of treatment. Keeping a dog overnight after a neuter with zero complications is rare and unnecessary. As a professional, Dr. Dickerson is difficult and refuses to consider the opinion of owners. Furthermore, which only added to my distaste of the entire situation, Dr. Dickerson was behind the counter when I arrived to pick up my dog, and refused to speak with me or even look at me. This is not the behavior nor treatment I would expect of a licensed professional.
I greatly appreciate the customer service that my 2 dogs have received here. The staff is excited when greeting my pups and go out of their way to make time for us when the pups get boo boos. I trust the knowledge of all of the staff and love how genuinely they provide care. My pups are actually excited to go to the vet and we look forward to utilizing their services for a long time to come.
Dedicated staff and excellent care!! My 6 yr old lab Abby had to have emergency surgery and she would not have made it without the constant attention she received from Dr. Dickerson and Dr. Redig. The clinic is a class act from top to bottom!! As a repeat out of state visitor it's great to know these guys are there!!!
I did not feel like the vet spent adequate time with the checkup and answering questions, I felt like my concerns were dismissed and I was treated as if I was stupid and inept. I do not like giving my business to get treated that way.
Livingston Veterinary Hospital is a US Veterinary Care based in Livingston, Montana. Livingston Veterinary Hospital is located at 1104 E Park St, Livingston, MT 59047, USA.
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