First things first: this is a good and competent veterinary practise and they've been very good to…read moremy dog. From an animal care perspective, this vet is a five out of five.
That said: if you take your large or small animal here, be prepared for extremely expensive visits, murky pricing, and unapologetic billing with absolutely zero consideration as to how a working person will afford their prices.
Case in point: I'm a farm hand on a horse and cattle farm. My dog got on the wrong side of a bay mare and got stepped on, resulting in a fairly deep puncture wound. So, called ahead and let them know what happened and I them take my pup to Westwood and explain to them that I want an X-ray of the joint to ensure nothing is fractured.
At this point they take my dog for "triage" and will not allow me to attend. A little while later a tech comes out to tell me that they have to sedate her, do an X-ray, and perform a small incision below the puncture wound to create drainage and allow the wound to properly heal. Turns out the wound was pocketing at the joint. Not good because we want wounds to drain, not have the goo collect and create sepsis. Ok, solid plan. About an hour or so later they bring my dog back out, explain the aftercare (cold hosing twice a day; keep her sedate for 10 days, antibiotics, etc.).
Up until this point, I'm happy with the care and professionalism my dog and I are receiving. And then they presented me with the bill: $530. For an X-ray, incision, and medication. $530. I was shocked, to say the least. The kicker was when I explained that I'm a farm hand and $530 was just about all the money I had in the world, the woman at the counter just straight faced me and told me the cost was the cost. When I asked about maybe breaking the payment up into two instalments, it was suggested I apply for some kind of third party credit company.
What. The. Actual.
All I can say is that this is a great practise if you have the money. I was extremely frustrated with the absolute and total lack of empathy or consideration for a working man, the fact that they do all this stuff and rack up a gigantic bill without EVER advising on pricing or options, and then they act as if they're entitled to a month's rent because they did an X-ray, an incision, and dispensed a few medications.
I don't know, maybe this is the way with the unregulated world of veterinary medicine, but my experience with other vets has not been nearly as problematic when it comes to pricing.
TLDR: if you bring your animal to Westwood in a Ferrari you'll probably be able to afford Westwood. If you're a working person with limited funds, ASK THEM WHAT THE COST WILL BE UP FRONT because they will gleefully empty your pockets.
