Great Lakes Hospital for Animals

Dr. Rinzler operated on our beagle, Oliver, for a torn ACL. He was amazing and Oliver has full use of his leg! I would highly recommend Dr. Rinzler and his staff. The fees were extremely reasonable.

I have a 5 year old Jack Russell/Terrier mix who had been seeing the same vet since she was a puppy. I was taking her to Coit Animal Clinic every time she began limping for more than a few days and every time I got the same thing... she's fine, take the anti-inflamatory, out in 5-10 minutes, pay the bill. This spring she received her distemper vaccine and began limping progressively worse and after 3 visits to Coit in 2 weeks I decided to look for a new vet. I found Great Lakes and have worked with both Drobrish and Smith; what a breath of fresh air compared to the old vet. After seeing them we began to realize that Ali's wrist joint is dramatically different then the other and there was muscle atrophy from favoring it for so long. Ali got to the point where she couldn't walk, this simple "limp" was spreading to other joints. It wasn't until we started working with Great Lakes and Wintzler (the ortho guy next door) that we realized Ali is having some sort of polyarthritis. Drobrish and Smith answer all my questions and listen to my concerns (I research and ask opinions), the appointments are thorough and last about an hour. They have not pushed any un-needed medical treatment on us... it's more me, a paranoid dog owner, asking for tests that might not be necessary yet. Lots of people complain about prices but I was paying the same price at the old vet for poor care that was in and out. Running lab work and tests cost money but I would pay it for my health and I will pay it for my dogs health; it's being a responsible dog owner. Do your research before going to the vet so you know what care might be necessary to treat and then you can help make decisions for your pet. Ali will go to Great Lakes until the day she is gone and so will our future animals because the vets and staff do care.

We have been bringing our dog here for the last 5 years. Seemed like every time we brought her in there was a different vet. Didn't really have any problems till last year. I had my wife take our dog in for her regular check up and vaccinations plus to get her heart worm meds and flee and tick control. The price was more than double what it had been in the past. I never checked or asked as to why. This year I got a chance to go in with my wife and found out why. While the Dr might be very good he is very pushy to the point of insulting. We take very good care of our dog and get lots of compliments on how well she looks and how active she is. The Dr appears to have an agenda to push the expensive food he sells and got very defensive when I made the comment that I was looking into purchasing the heart worm meds and flee and tick preventive elsewhere due to the cost. Tried pushing the warranty is only covered if you buy the products from the vet. I found a very reputable pet pharmacy to purchase the products at a substantial savings and the Dr didn't make it easy to do. The place I found usually gets the prescription from your vet via a phone call or a fax. Great Lakes refused to provide the prescription to the pharmacy and force me to come back in to get it. I called in advance so it would be ready when I got there and showed up about 3hrs after I called and they hadn't done anything yet. They made me wait when they could have had it ready for me. I hadn't decided till this experience to change vets or not but now I have made up my mind. Now to search for a decent vet.

We have been going to Great Lakes for over 15 years. There were a couple bumps in the road after it was sold in 08 or 09. But, I have continued to go...Im glad I did!

I had to put down my 15 yr. old dog. She was a family member. I loved her so much! I called Great Lakes and talked to Ashley. She told me how every thing would go. I made an appt. for a Sat. morning. When we arrived, My dog and I were immediately taken to a private room. The staff and Dr. Drobish were incredibly sensitive and patient. I was told every thing before it took place. There was no rushing and I got to be with my dog the entire time. They gave her a sedative first and left us so I could say goodbye. After she was euthunized, Dr. Drobish said I could stay with her as long as I wanted. He informed me of all my options for cremation, burial. We took our dog with us, to bury her ourselves. Dr. Drobish carried her body out to our vehicle, himself. They all made this very difficult process, easier...I could not have imagined it any better. A week later I received a very nice, hand written card from Dr. Drobish, along with a heart shaped clay piece with Roxy's (my dog) paw print and name imprinted on it. All of this care, and not expensive at all....$75!! If you need a vet and staff that cares, you need to come here.

I was hesitant to take my dog here with the bad reviews but it was 6pm and I had no one else open. They fit me in at 620 and i was in and out within an hour. Dr Drobish was phenomenal! Never had such a through, caring vet before. All of the staff was competent and extremely nice. I don't know why someone said they treated their staff bad... I could hear them talking to the girl training that messed up and they were so nice to her. Maybe a disgruntled employee??? Fabulous experience for us....

This place is a scam. The employees know know nothing about dogs. The girl that we got stuck with the last 2 times time we took our puppy in to get shots tried to hold him with his feet during the injection. Is that going to hold a dog down while he's getting shots? The week after, lumps showed up where the shots were because they had to give the shot twice due to the poor handling, and they took my dog in the back and forced a stool sample. I never asked for the sample, but got charged for it. This same girl tried to weigh our dog, who stood still on the scale, and told us he lost 10 pounds. He was, in fact, a puppy and had nearly doubled in size. I asked her to please weigh him again, and there it was, his real weight. Inaccuracy is the norm at this clinic. I was also told I would be paying one price for my visit, and ended up being charged an extra $42 from that in "office charges." When I spoke with the manager, she said she could not refund me because my dog was vomiting. My dog has not vomited in the time that I had him! This was either a lie on their end to cover something else, or another dog altogether. This company has tried to pull off a bait and switch, as well as unethical procedures. The girl that handled our dog got fired, but the fact that this business hired someone like that in the first place, and continues to employ several other similar employees, makes me question the judgement of the person that hired her. I will not be visiting this facility again.

this isn't the business it once was- the doctors who cared and were good are now located in ada- no one wants to talk at g.lakes...

be aware

I just lost my beloved golden retriever ten days ago to liver cancer. I had taken her to Great Lakes since she was a puppy. They did a great job when she needed to be fixed, have a hematoma on her ear repaired, and have a benign fatty tumor removed, but they are extremely expensive. She had a cataract in her eye which was evident, but they wanted to confirm it. After looking in her eyes, they charged me $25.00. I was not impressed. They want to do all of the "extras" for a price. Last Christmas I took her in for a swollen gum. The vet said she probably had a cracked tooth and put her on antibiotic. I went north to my parents house for the week and the next morning woke up to my golden's face being completely swollen. Took her to their local vet and her tooth needed to be extracted plus the vet at Great Lakes had her on an improper dosage of antibiotic. Last week, she became very ill early in the morning. I appreciate that they got me in quickly. After taking x-rays I was told she had an enlarged spleen and needed surgery at almost $1,800. After talking to my parents I decided I needed a second opinion. Took her to their vet and after an ultrasound, was discovered to have inoperable liver tumor. Knowing she would be gone in 24 hours or less, I made the decision to have her put to sleep so she would not feel pain or suffer. Hardest decision of my life. Thankfully, I did not put her through an unnecessary surgery as Great Lakes suggested. Informed Great Lakes she was deceased and for three days straight have received a phone call on my answering machine asking me how she was doing. Update your records please! One thing I will say, everyone seems to care there, but they are in it for the money. The vets change constantly. Will not be returning there with a new puppy.

I totally agree. It seems like there is all new staff, I wonder what happened there? I don't want to take my pets to an unstable business.

Great Lakes is a rare gem. The quality service and information they give to pet owners like me make me feel as if I was the only patient that mattered! From the moment you walk in, you are greeted with smiles. I recently went in to get my dog vaccinated and walked out feeling more educated and informed on what I can do to make the best out of my pet's life.These vets know their stuff. I would highly recommend them!

I have found that the staff at this vet clinic does not treat the employees well. Why bring your animal somewhere that can't even treat fellow human beings with respect. I recommend Bridges in Ada.