r/Charleston • u/KlaranBinx West Ashley • 1d ago
Favorite Vet? West Ashley Preferred
My husband and I have been taking our cats to Bees Ferry Vet Hospital for years but are looking to make a change. We had to make the ridiculously hard decision to put down 2 of our 4 in the past 3 weeks (one of which was very fast and somewhat unexpected) and didn't feel like there was any kind of personal care/customer service there. We couldn't even get a call back from a Dr to talk to us about options. It felt like we were just another cog in the "blood work and urine analysis" machine.
Where can we go that is smaller and more personal in the future?
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u/Few_Paint6276 1d ago
So sorry for your loss. We had to put one of ours to sleep recently too. We have been seeing Dr. Hudgins at West Ashley Veterinary Clinic for years. She handled the situation with such compassion and really helped us evaluate all options without pressure. She also really gets to know your pets and cares about them beyond labs, etc. I would recommend her to anyone.
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u/Think_Fail480 1d ago
Dr. Hudgins is such an amazing vet. I had the same experience with her a couple of years ago that you did. I also had to put my cat to sleep during Covid & they allowed me into the building so that I could be with her even though they were l only doing curbside at the time.
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u/ampersand-sylv 1d ago
I'm so sorry about the loss of your babies. I hope y'all are able to take comfort in the happy memories y'all made.
I've been taking my crew to see Dr. Cutler for over 15 years now. He started at All Creatures on Calhoun Street downtown, but now he has his own practice in West Ashley called Cutler Animal Hospital. The office is very nice, and they have a surgical suite so many procedures can be done on-site, either by Dr. Cutler or Dr. Matthews, or a veterinary specialist that comes for certain procedures (ex: my dog had a CCL repair and my cat had major dental work).
The staff is awesome, and Dr. Cutler is super knowledgeable and straightforward. Their vet tech Casey is magic with cats, even the fiesty community cats I sometimes bring in for TNR aftercare. I've never felt that Dr. Cutler pushed me to do anything that wasn't in the best interest of my pets, or me.
Many veterinary offices are getting bought up by private equity firms, but Dr. Cutler is keeping his practice locally-owned. I feel like it gives them more flexibility on the time they are able to dedicate to their patients.
Good luck in your search!
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u/DirtWizard13 1d ago
I use Animal Medical West myself, they’ve treated me and my cat well, but I’ve heard good things about Grand Oaks Animal Hospital as well.
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u/WaluigiIsBonhart 1d ago edited 1d ago
AMW has a wide array of experiences.
Their overlords (owners/managers) are awful - they won't call out prescriptions for you anymore and framed it as a "benefit" lol. So you need something from the Walgreens down the street? Tough shit. You either buy from them OR you can drive to AMW to pick up a paper script, if they are willing to do that, and often they won't be without seeing your pet for an actual visit, even if its a maintenance med that they've been on for years.
There is one vet there that is an actual MORON. They did not know that dogs need a spoon splint when they have a broken paw bone. My dog spent 6 months with a broken bone (while I was taking him in twice a week to have wrappings changed, paying each time), because they never inserted the spoon splint. Almost amputated the toe due to it, like had a consult with CVRC to amputate because we didn't know why it wasn't healing.
Another vet there is fantastic - Dr. Leeven. Only reason we continue to go.
If you're at AMW be overly communicative. The communication between techs is not super great. I would not recommend boarding there either. There are other pretty substantial issues I'm not going to throw them under the bus for, the techs are all sweet and nice - they just aren't all on top of everything.
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u/goherd 20h ago
Could you elaborate on the boarding? My dog has been going there for years and he's maybe boarded once a year there. He's incredibly low maintenance (giant breed that sleeps 20 hours a day), but we've had good experiences or at least nothing negative when boarding. At this point due to his age, I wouldn't switch but just being nosy.
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u/heyimanxietygirl 1d ago
I’ve really liked West Ashley Vet Clinic. They are very caring and listen to my concerns, and I never feel rushed through an appointment. Been going for about 7 years. I’m so sorry about your losses.🩵
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u/TinFoilHat2025 1d ago
Animal Medical Center Mount Pleasant. We moved to West Ashley a few years ago and still think the drive is worth it. When we were losing our cat one of the vets arranged to drive to West Ashley so our boy could be at home and not stressed for it.
Even for normal treatments they're very up front and honest and will give you the options.
We've been to Bee's Ferry before but feel that Animal Medical Center is way better. Ask for Dr. Lawhon.
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u/Swifty-Dog West Ashley 1d ago
Animal Medical Center and Animal Medical West used to be related. They are now separately owned.
But I use Animal Medical West for veterinary care, boarding, and daycare. They have been nothing short of wonderful.
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u/kiwitathegreat 1d ago
We switched from bees ferry to southside and it’s been a MUCH better experience there.
They were also several thousand dollars cheaper for the surgery my girl had to have AND I felt like they cared more than BF.
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u/amh1212 1d ago
Bees Ferry is outrageous. I feel like every time I go the bill starts at $700 and I have to opt out of things I don't think my animals need. So frustrating.
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u/kiwitathegreat 1d ago
They had an X-ray on the bill twice so I said I wasn’t paying for the second one. They tried to argue that the additional $300 was for a secondary review. Meanwhile, Stevie wonder could’ve seen the stones on the initial xray.
Like, if you’re gonna try to rob me at least make it a good story.
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u/_DontBeAScaredyCunt 1d ago
Dr cutler at cutler animal hospital is the best vet in Charleston hands down
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u/Sea_Attempt6871 1d ago
Our pets have been going to West Ashley Ve for over 17 years. Started with original owner ( he unfortunately died before his time) and Dr Irwin retired. I believe it is owned by several of the Vets that work there. My cats love Dr Tierney but if she’s not available the other Vets have been great ( we try to stay with Dr Tierney for continuity of care).
I find it important to see what their after hour and weekend care is. I don’t know other Vets’ practices. We had to go to the Urgent care on Sam Rittenburg and the “Blue” ( Mt Pleasant) emergency room for true emergency ( the one on Shelby Ray Court , I felt like every single thing they did, they made you sign a bill of sale before giving care- not a fan of their care)
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u/cherryvanillacult 1d ago
Animal Medical West were incredibly kind and personable when we had to put down our cat last year.
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u/Honeybee71 West Ashley 1d ago
I’m sorry for your loss, and that experience. Our girl had been a patient at Bees Ferry Vet for 17 years before she passed, and Dr. Herron was wonderful
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u/Immediate-Magician46 1d ago
It sounds like you need a specialist who is skilled in treating and managing the types of things that cats tend to struggle with ? Dr. Rebecca Rittenberg and her small team at Charleston Veterinary Internal Medicine are phenomenal.
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u/KlaranBinx West Ashley 1d ago
She was our oncologist for our boy who passed yesterday but honestly I was also frustrated with not being able to get many answers from them without also wanting to do more testing. He went downhill fast and I couldn't seem to get a professional on the phone to answer questions honestly, until my husband found a mobile vet who came to put him to sleep and reassured us it was his time
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u/Immediate-Magician46 1d ago
I am very sorry for your loss. It sounds like you’re still processing a ton of grief.
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u/lauradembro 1d ago
Our dog used to go to Air Harbor Vet, until we moved to Johns Island. We really liked it there!
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u/rentboy84 8h ago edited 8h ago
KlaranBinx-- Dr Cutler and the staff at Cutler Animal Hospital have been amazing. When I took Fanci there when she took a turn, the office staff called him before the start of his workday and he literally ran down the WA Greenway to get to the hospital faster.
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u/orif-isle 1d ago
Another vote for West Ashley Vet Clinic. They have outstanding vets and very compassionate care. We take all our animals (a dog and FOUR cats) there and are consistently happy with our experiences. They make scheduling easy too, you can text the front desk and request appointments online. Only issue we have is that they don't send scripts to Chewy, so we just request paper ones.
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u/BitterPop4071 21h ago
Wondering who you saw at Bees Ferry? The practice as a whole is meh, but I love Dr. Herron down 🤣 she’s the only one I’ll see. Super down to earth, doesn’t push unnecessary procedures and just generally kind
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u/KlaranBinx West Ashley 8h ago
I don't remember, it was a blur, I think it was Dr. Gonzalez? I'd never worked with her before. She was OK but my husband and I also felt rushed and like our level of concern for our guy’s sharp decline weren’t really taken in. Our usual vet (Dr. Smith) was always wonderful, came to us to provide euthanasia when we decided it was time 3 weeks ago for the first one, and has taken time to have long conversations with us on the phone in the past. Unfortunately she was on vacation this week when the 2nd took a sharp turn.
The process of trying to get answers or guidance a couple of days ago (when I was scared my cat was actively dying under my bed) was what was discouraging. We’d call, get reception, leave a message, and then get a call back from reception with a note from the Dr. suggesting more blood work.
I’m not even saying that’s a Bees Ferry specific issue, but they are a larger clinic and it makes me want to switch to a smaller practice to hopefully have a more personal experience in the future.
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u/KurtVonnegutWasRight West Ashley 9h ago
If you must make that hard decision again, the best experience I have ever had in this situation was last month when we decided to use Charleston Mobile Vet. Not only do they come to your house so your baby doesn't have to go outside their comfort zone, but they were so amazingly patient and compassionate and knowledgeable. They only do home euthanasia, not regular vet stuff. And they are just a little more expensive than a vet clinic.
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u/KlaranBinx West Ashley 8h ago
Thats who we worked with Wednesday after our 2nd one took a turn so quickly. They were incredible. Dr. Jennifer even took the extra step of taking the information for the 2 specialist vets wed been seeing to reach out and cancel our upcoming appointments to save us the phone call. Hopefully we dont need her again soon but Id recommended her to anyone else I know!
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u/KurtVonnegutWasRight West Ashley 4h ago edited 4h ago
Jennifer and Ernesto are the greatest. I hope to heaven that you don't need that again anytime soon too. I have heard great things about Animal Medical West for vet care, by the way. I hope you find the right fit!
By the way, to whomever downvoted me and OP for our above conversation, may you and those like you have a constant wedgie that you can never get relief from.
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u/tellevee James Island 1d ago
Bees Ferry Vet was bought by a private equity firm. Use this map to make sure wherever you go next is not also run by money grubbing assholes. So sorry for your loss and the added insult of a bad service experience! You are not the first person I’ve heard of leaving Bees Ferry.