Really good with animals and lets you stay in the room with them. Even gave my Cat a shot, and No-one died ! read more

Atherton Veterinary Clinic - Veterinarians Near Me - Salina, Kansas

Dr. Atherton was my parents vet, and they loved their pets very much. In turn when I moved to Salina I went to Dr. Atherton on my parents recommendation. The care my dog received was equal to or better than the Vet College Training Hospital that I had frequented for years. Smart, directed to the problem, and effective. My GSD can be aggressive, and through out my dogs life the Dr. has not only provided the best care, but heartfelt advice. Even with the challenges my dog brings his staff never turns us away. They accept the challenge and do it very well. Good people, that deserve your patronage. read more

I call to have my cat spade, she asked if my cat had it's shots, I said she will need them while she's there, (I'VE DONE IT THIS WAY BEFORE). She wanted to make a separate appointment so the Dr. can examine and look her over, (extra office visit). So I did. Took her in, after a very long wait in the examining room Dr. Atherton came in pulled her out of the carrier and slammed the shot in her...didn't examine or look her over or anything! NEVER WENT BACK AND NEVER WILL! read more

It is with so much grief and sadness that I am writing this in hopes of saving someone else the heartache and loss that I am experiencing. I took a farm cat that I had adopted to Dr. Atherton to be spayed. When I made the appointment, I explained that she had gone into heat and may be pregnant. The woman on the phone said "oh sure, it's no big deal it may just be a little more expensive". I followed the pre op instructions and took her in the morning of her appt. They did not have me fill out any paperwork on her whatsoever. I received a phone call from Dr. Atherton later that afternoon telling me that she is not coming out of anesthesia and that maybe if I came my voice could help her out of it. When I asked him if she was going to die, he raised his voice and said loudly "no she isn't going to die". When I arrived at his office the girl at the desk was very cold and put me in a room. He came in a said, "I'm sorry she just passed". I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I reached out to another vet office and told them what had happened. This is their response: "Wow, that makes me really angry at that vet. Spaying IS a big deal. It is a MAJOR operation. Our vet clinic doesn't do any surgeries without blood work to test liver/kidney functions and to test for infection and clotting issues. We also do a catheter in case of an emergency we have direct access to the vet to administer drugs. Spaying in heat is a lot more risky as everything is enlarged and inflamed and there is more bleeding. I am so very sorry for the loss of your kitty. This doctor also admitted on the phone to me that when he saw her he knew NOTHING about her except that she was in heat and may or may not be pregnant. WHY WOULD HE PERFORM SURGERY ON HER THEN???? I was misinformed and misguided and an innocent animal has lost her life. I will never forgive myself for trusting a horrible, horrible person as this with a pet that I loved so dearly. Karma will definitely rear it's ugly head with someone so evil. read more

I took our dog in because she had suddenly become unable to stand, vomited, and wouldn't eat or drink. Dr Atherton walked in, glanced at her, and said she had arthritis. Didn't even touch her or get near her. When she still wasn't drinking two days later I had to pay for a weekend visit and tests. Still no answer. Switched to a different vet who examined her and said she'd had a stroke. Gave her steroids and now she's great. I was so disappointed that Dr Atherton gave her so little consideration on the first visit. I called the office after she was better. They said Dr would call me back but he never did. Take your animals somewhere else. read more

Dr. Atherton has been our vet for 10 years now. He has always taken great care of our animals and has provided us with all the information we need. Our dog began eating the fur off of his back leg and Dr. Atherton put him on thyroid medicine and he stopped! I highly recommend him as a great advocate for your pets. read more

What a God-send Dr. Atherton is! I had a kitty that fell off of a balcony, landed on some stairs, and had a tibia-fibula break (in her back leg) two days ago. I cannot describe the weight and stress that just evaporated off my shoulders when I found Dr. Atherton! After it happened, I rushed her to my current vet in Clay Center (Dr. Salava- bless him) but they are not equipped to do orthopedic surgery. He attempted to splint it, but my kitty pulled the splint off overnight, and it became obvious surgery would be the best option. So I began calling around. Dr. Salava had recommended KState or Abilene Animal Hospital, and I called both. Abilene wouldn't be able to see her until NEXT THURSDAY (6 days away) and KState wanted $2500, $1500 of which would be up-front payment, and I do not have those kinds of funds laying around. I was heartbroken. I felt like I couldn't do any thing for her while she was in so much pain. I began searching the internet and calling local vets. Several mentioned Dr. Atherton. I searched him out, and found the other review that is listed here. I was wary, but I also work in healthcare and I realize that any time there is anesthesia used, there is a risk. Blood work is an option, but it can get really costly, really quickly. I asked a friend in town about Dr. Atherton, and she highly recommended him, saying that he is a great veterinarian that has been practicing for years. I called his office and they got me in within an hour. When I got there, Dr. Atherton met me in the lobby and immediately began assessing my cat. He was open about every part of the procedure, including the cost of EVERYTHING. He really put me at ease. I have not yet picked Quidley up from the vet, but before the surgery he quoted me around $500-600 for the entire thing. WHAT A RELIEF! (He also offered more expensive options involvind screws and plates, but he explained that in her case, a plate was not necessary and was much more expensive- $700 for the hardware alone!) He did an x-ray right there in the office and within 10 minutes, we were able to look at her injury. He walked me through exactly what he would do (including where each rod would be inserted in her leg, and what it would look like when she came home) and what to expect afterwards. Dr. Atherton is incredibly professional and I had no problem trusting him with the surgery and my pet. That afternoon, (while I was asleep- I had been awake for over 24 hours because of all the stress and running around) he personally called me and left a voicemail about how my kitty's procedure went and said that she came through with flying colors. I can't say enough what a wonderful veterinarian he is, and what stress and heartache he put to rest for me. read more

Great service and reasonably priced with hours on Saturday morning! You can't go wrong seeing Dr. Atherton

My dog stayed two nights at a different vet and when I brought him home he was still very lethargic, I thought he was dying. Within 24 hours I noticed a very large, infected sore on his tail. I took him to Atherton's and they cleaned him up and put him on a different antibiotic. Also boarded him very inexpensively since I had to go out of town for a family emergency. It took a few days but my dog is back to his normal active self now. read more

When my dog was very sick, and couldn't get surgery elsewhere, Dr. Atherton saw him the next day, completed the surgery, and helped us out tremendously. read more

DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT have Dr. Atherton provide end of life services for your pet. I witnessed him put down a friends beloved family dog recently and was appalled by his lack of compassion and technique. He did not sedate him prior to administering the euthanasia shot, so the dog tried to stand up, and fight the drug. He gasped for air several times until he finally died. At the end Dr. Atherton had the gall to ask if we wanted a plastic bag to put him in. He showed no compassion and seemed to just want to get it done. This vet will NEVER touch my animals. read more

I have had multiple negative experiences with Dr. Atherton in the past few years. Atherton has been practicing for 27 years --- and it seems he still uses the exact same medications, methods, etc. as were used back in 1970's. Despite the fact that there have been tremendous medical advances since then, he sticks with old medications and procdures which have now been replaced with improved and better tolerated medications. My most recent NEGATIVE experience with Atherton came when I requested medication in order to calm my dog down during the 4th of July. She is terrified of the loud booms and typically hides, shakes, and acts completely unlike herself until the noises have subsided. Atherton decided to prescribe a medication known as "Acepromazine". This medication was first discovered way back in 1950 and has NO anti-anxiety, anti-fear, or calming effect. Instead, this medicine INTENSIFIES noise sensitivity and acts as a dissasociative, causing confusion about where an animal even is. The resaon why Acepromazine was once used as a sedative and was thought of to help calm animals down is this: It prevents the animal from exhibiting (on the outside) the fear, anxiety, and confusion they are experiencing, but THEY ARE STILL EXPERIENCING IT INSIDE THEIR MINDS! Therefore the animals we love appear to be "calm" and "relaxed" but inside they are full of fear and hightened anxiety. All of the information on the medication "ace" can be found easily online and can be verified by nearly any EXPERIENCED vet. I am SO THANKFUL that I chose to research this medication before giving it to my pet (she is like my child). Instead, I recommend either looking for an all natural way to control the anxiety during storms, times of loud noises, the 4th of July, etc, or to find a Vet that will provide you with an actual medication for these negative reactions to loud noises and chaos such as diazepam (Valium), alprazolam (Xanax) or clonazepam (Klonopin). All in all, AVOID ATHERTON AT ALL COST! I will NEVER SET FOOT IN HIS OFFICE AGAIN! read more