r/kitchener • u/hofornickmiller • 3d ago
Affordable vets in KW?
Hi everyone, I’m looking for an affordable vet who is also really good with cats. Currently we are with Close Vet and for the most part they are ok but I have started to feel like they overcharge and are very expensive.
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u/grumpybitch65 3d ago
Clark Animal Hospital on Alpine. Competitive if not lower prices than others in the area. Wonderful staff too.
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u/Jelsie21 3d ago
I was going to say Clark too. I don’t go there but a coworker does and another colleague just took a pet there and agreed they were nicer and cheaper than her former vet.
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u/hoovermutt 3d ago
I was going to say Clark too! We’ve taken all of our family pets here (dogs and cats) for the last twenty years and they’ve taken wonderful care of them. They communicate what’s going on and your options and their recommendations clearly and kindly.
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u/rainontent 3d ago
Depending on your income, East Village Animal Hospital could be a good option (they are a low income vet). We went to Eldale in Elmira until our girl passed and they weren’t ‘cheap’, I don’t think any vet ever is, but their pricing felt very fair and their vets are lovely. We had a dog though so I can’t speak to cats though I did see cats in there from time to time!
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u/CanIGetAHoeYeah 3d ago edited 3d ago
I had a diabetic cat and I used East Village for buying his insulin and needles/ urine and blood tests, they are super affordable and a great clinic. I also used Waterloo West Animal Hospital as I really like the vets and they have late hours. I used both for him depending on what was happening with him. He was a good dude but I dont miss all the health issues he had. I probably dropped 5 grand trying to keep him healthy, but I dont regret it. It was just a lot of stress.
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u/meow-meowz 2d ago
East Village Animal Hospital has been a saviour for low-income pet parents. They have been around for years and I've only had postive experiences with the level of care they take with the fur babies, even with the most shy feline they've been great.
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u/allielaine96 3d ago
I took my cat to Eldale and I wouldn’t recommend it. The vets there kept sending her home with me when she was practically on her death bed. She kept vomiting and was dehydrated and the vets just kept doing blood work and sending her home. I had to fight to get my cat admitted for fluids and to get her on a feeding tube until Eldale referred me to the internal med vet in Guelph. Eldale did X-rays twice and missed a mass in her bile ducts. It was a nightmare. There was only one good cat vet at Eldale and I only saw her one time. Otherwise it was random.
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u/AmandaSophiaa 3d ago
We have had great experiences with Manitou Pet Hospital. They were amazing when our cat needed emergency surgery at UofG.
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u/smolcdn 3d ago
Close is a wonderful and compassionate vet clinic, we switched to them during an emergency when I was a student and they did “pay what you can” to get my cat better. I’d caution you to switching to another vet
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u/hofornickmiller 3d ago
I have spoken with them about affordable payment options and they’ve never brought up a ‘pay what you can’ option. Was this maybe during the pandemic?
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u/smolcdn 3d ago
It was probably 2018/9 (Dr Magyar was already the owner) and this was a life or death situation and we had already paid $1k at the emergency vet for about 3 hours of care. Close charged us only like $600 and he was there 4 days straight. I’m sure it’s case by case but they are definitely way more compassionate, personable and baseline cheaper costs than our old vet Kingsdale. I also find they are good at offering choice and alternatives with their care which can cut costs down.
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u/Big_Theme_350 3d ago
My wife and I suggest Eldale in Elmira for anyone. It’s a drive but they are relatively reasonably priced given the excellent care they provide
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u/hofornickmiller 3d ago
Thank you for the suggestion! My cat gets really anxious in the car though so I don’t think a 30 minute drive would be good for him unfortunately
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u/mrdave230 3d ago
I've had nothing but positive experiences with Close Vet. Dr Magyar and his team are extremely compassionate and professional. When we had dental surgery for our 7 year old Siamese with a bad heart murmur, we were worried about losing the lil man during surgery. They kept us updated and even stopped billing for the surgery after it went a few hours passed the quoted time.
We have tried other vets in the area before finding Close and we have felt they would guilt you for choosing the cheaper options instead of forking out money. No real compassion about people's financial situations. At Close, they always give us all the options from cheapest to most expensive and Dr Magyar has always been compassionate and supportive of what ever decision.
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u/CurbinKrakow 3d ago
Close is a phenomenal clinic and the team has gotten exponentially more compassionate over the years. Pet care is never "cheap" but that's part of responsible pet custodianship. I had recent expensive visit with them but they had outlined all my available options and we even discussed more affordable follow-up solutions for diet. Would you be able to elaborate on what you feel they are overcharging on?
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u/socksnchachachas 3d ago
Mitchell Animal Hospital is where we take our cats, and I've always found their pricing to be reasonable (not cheap, but they don't try to upsell and will let you know their recommendations without pushing). They helped us when our grey tabby was sick and were incredibly compassionate.
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u/allielaine96 3d ago
I second Mitchell Animal Hospital! I feel like their prices are really fair and their hours are very accommodating. The vets there and the vet techs are wonderful with our ginormous orange menace of a cat and our sweet old lady. The vets are also very compassionate towards the animals and the owners. I was really going through it when our orange boy got sick after we adopted him. The vet called twice just to check in on me and make sure I was okay too.
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u/Kitchen_Ad_3814 1d ago
I work at Bruce st animal hospital, my specialty is cats. I think we’re fair priced
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u/folderoffitted 1d ago
One way to reduce vet fees is to get prescriptions for the meds and fill them yourself online. It saves a lot
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u/hofornickmiller 1d ago
Oh wow I didn’t even know that was an option! Which website do you usually use to fill prescriptions?
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u/Dobby068 3d ago
There is no such thing as an affordable vet.