First Coast Vets Affordable Animal Hospital

I recently brought my cat to this vet to get spayed. Before I get into that a little back story, my kitty came to me from the streets. I asked the owner of the house she was in front of if he knew who she belonged to and he informed me that she’s the neighborhood cat that everybody kept an eye on but she never let anybody touch her. She was being very sweet to me so i saw it as a sign that she wanted me and I took her home. As a new cat parent I saved up to get her up to date on shots. During my appointment I asked if they could tell if she had been spayed. The vet checked and said he was unsure but it didn’t look like it. A few months later I come back to get her spayed. The advertised price for an adult cat is $280. I was told the vet had not made the quote when I initially dropped her off. I was surprised that the quoted price I was given AFTER she had already been dropped off was $580. I know. The only added charges were trimming nails (I had requested) and chipping. I informed them she did not need to be chipped. That brought the total down to $463. Fine, whatever, my cat was already there, I’ll pay extra. I get a second call a few hours later informing me that my cat was currently on the operating table at the maximum time of being under anesthesia (45 minutes) and the vet could not find her reproductive system. Meaning he had her under the knife, digging for 45 minutes. The vet tech then tried to put it on me for not going door to door asking if anyone had her spayed. At this point I am distraught at the thought of causing my baby girl all this stress for nothing. I am appalled that it took the vet 45 minutes of digging around in her little tummy to finally call me. When my sister went to pick her up she asked the obvious question “do we still have to pay the full amount if the surgery was incomplete”. She was met with rudeness beyond belief. They told her that we did not receive the spay “package” (didn’t know that was different from “hi I would like my cat to be spayed”) which would have been cheaper and they were doing her a favor by not increasing the charges because if she wanted an itemized bill it would be much more than what she was paying. Now I wasn’t expecting a free trip after this ordeal. I know they still used equipment, time and labor. But $463 for the vet to butcher my baby girl should be illegal. I’m sick to my stomach know my girl is in pain because of something that could have been avoided by doing an ultrasound that I would have been more than happy to pay for. I had told them when I made the appointment and when I dropped her off that I was unsure if she had been spayed given our background. My honest review is that this vet is the absolute worst place I have ever been to. And I want to sincerely apologize to my baby girl for trusting them with her.

I had a healthy vibrant 7 year old Labrador retriever. I took her to be spayed. 8 days later, we took her back due to lethargy and no appetite. Up until day 7, she was drinking and moving about... ate small amounts. They told us she was dehydrated and nauseous due to the take home meds and her blood work showed signs of infection so they gave her fluid, take home meds for nausea and oral antibiotics. The next morning, she collapsed and was unconscious. They told us to take her to the ER. They did an ultrasound and bloodwork. The diagnosis was sepsis, a large blood clot in her abdomen, and fluid in her lungs. They recommended euthanasia. There was nothing they could do at that point. The response from DR DILL was, "Sorry for your loss, she was an older dog." She was also an emotional support dog for my nonverbal ASD grandson. We are heartbroken and certainly didn't see this coming. They didn't even try to help and I still have $3000. to pay on the credit card. After receiving her records, they state we were told she was septic the night before and she should be treated in the ER. That is a lie. They spoke to me on the phone and my daughter is the one that took her. Nothing was said. I have reason to believe the records were altered afterward. This animal "hospital" is the worst place I've ever encountered. Dr Dill couldn't even bother to introduce himself and talk to me when I picked her up after the surgery. Also, I have to add that she was examined and had bloodwork, prior to the surgery, and was deemed to be in great health. Do yourself a favor and find another vet immediately.

Absolutely terrible experience. I would never trust this practice with another pet. We brought a healthy dog in for what should have been a routine spay procedure. Pre-surgical testing was performed and we were told everything looked good. Within days of the surgery, our dog's condition began to decline. She became lethargic, stopped eating, developed discharge, and got worse every single day. We voiced our concerns to the clinic and were told to stop one of her medications. When her condition continued to deteriorate, we brought her back in. Bloodwork was performed, we were told she was severely dehydrated, she was given fluids, and sent home with medications. We were not told that her condition was life-threatening. We were not told that she could die. We were not given discharge paperwork explaining the seriousness of her condition. The very next day, she collapsed in our kitchen. We rushed her to the emergency veterinarian, where we were told she was critically ill. Their testing revealed severe abnormalities, and the emergency veterinarian ultimately suspected a severe infection and septic process. We were forced to make the heartbreaking decision to euthanize a dog that had been healthy and full of life just days earlier. What makes this even harder to accept is that after her death, we obtained the records and found documentation discussing concerns such as sepsis, peritonitis, and stump pyometra. Yet our family was never left with the understanding that she was facing a medical emergency. Had we been told that our dog could be suffering from a life-threatening condition, we would have gone directly to an emergency hospital. Afterward, the clinic claimed they had recommended emergency care. They most certainly did not. not only did they talk to my sister, they also spoke with my mother over the phone. Neither of them were told this info. Instead, we were left believing dehydration was the primary issue and that the prescribed treatment plan was appropriate. A healthy member of our family went in for a routine procedure and was dead a little over a week later. The emotional damage this has caused our family, especially our autistic nephew who depended on her as an emotional support companion, is impossible to put into words. If you love your pets, ask questions, get copies of every record, and do not assume that you are being told the full severity of a situation. Based on our experience, we would never bring another animal here. Also, if you cant do simple things like Xray, Ultrasounds, or overnight observations then you really shouldn't call yourself a hospital.

Cheap and affordable? Sure. Compassionate and reassuring? Absolutely not. I came here in a panic with an emergency for my dog on Saturday because my vet was closed, and while I thank you for fitting me in on a short notice, if you were too busy and stressed out, you should have said no when I called to schedule the appointment. The vet walked in the room and asked me "what do you want me to do about this" while I was actively hysterically crying like I should have any idea how to treat a sick animal. I'm not a vet, I didn't go to school, that's why I came to you. I expected an exam and then for you to tell me your suggested next steps. She barely even touched my dog and wasn't even nice to him. I was also shamed for not having my dog on a medication for an unrelated issue when my usual vet who knows his medical history and I have been working with the condition for the past two years and they said it is safe to monitor his bloodwork and symptoms. I know there should never be any promises or guarantees in medicine, but I was absolutely assured his blood work would be back by Monday or Tuesday at the latest, I called personally three times, and my vet called twice, and I received no call back even to tell me they weren't ready yet or that they couldn't find the records. When my vet finally got ahold of them on Wednesday, they said they had no record of my dog under the name or number provided and I had to provide an invoice number for them to pull up the receipt and realize they didn't have my contact information even though I gave it on the phone when booking the appointment. To be fair, the Dr. I spoke to on the phone at this point was much more caring and sympathetic than the Dr. I had the appointment with and he wanted to bring him in for treatment right away. I have been worried sick that my dog is going to die in his sleep for the last four days and have been to the emergency vet twice, and the lack of communication and care from this office made an already incredibly stressful situation much worse. If other vets are more expensive, I know now that I'm paying for the compassion and peace of mind, and I'll choose that over affordability in the future.

I had an excellent experience at First Coast Veterinary! From the moment we walked in, the staff greeted us warmly and got our information extremely quickly. We were taken to an exam room right away, and everyone was so kind and gentle with my baby girl, Molly. She’s an 8-year-old Golden Retriever, and she received a full exam, CBC bloodwork, her annual vaccines, and a heartworm checkup. The way they treated Molly was truly amazing. The doctor was incredibly nice, took the time to explain everything clearly, and made sure we felt comfortable throughout the visit. This was by far the best vet visit we’ve ever had, and we were out in just about an hour. Highly recommend!