I have been bringing my 13 year old black lab to Lakeside for 8 years and we are now driving from Saco so she can continue to be seen by the people who know her best. Know this: I TRUST DR. SABEAN AND HER TEAM IMPLICITLY. I am grateful beyond words for their compassion, responsiveness, and commitment to their patients. They take our concerns seriously, take the time to explain and offer reassurance when I am panicked about something (usually after I have read something awful on the internet even though I know better), and have always made it a priority to see our pets the same day or very next morning when there is an issue that needs attention.
Dr. Sabean and her staff have seen us through 2 major surgeries, a tooth extraction after our dog cracked a tooth on an indestructible toy she proved wrong, managing arthritis that is slowly spreading, one very embarrassing episode of mange several years ago caught from another dog, at least one sprained paw, and a few random infections here and there from licking places dog sometimes like to lick for reasons we humans will never understand. The quality of treatment and services provided to our dog has been exceptional every step of the way.
With our dog's first surgery, Dr. Sabean and the other staff provided a tremendous amount of support and checked in with us by phone at least once or twice a day for the first few days between the time Josie returned home and was seen for her follow up appointment. Over the least 2 years, they have been providing medication management and treatment for age-related arthritis which has allowed our dog to continue to do the things she loves to do without pain and with very few limitations.
Our dog's second surgery was a very big and scary deal for us. I originally brought her in to have increased leg weakness/lameness and limping checked out. Typically, it's either been a strained/pulled muscle from playing too hard or a need to increase her medication to manage the aches from the arthritis. They had me drop her off the day after I called so the doctor could look at her between appointments/surgeries rather than wait 3-4 days for an available appointment. I received a call from Dr. Sabean a few hours after dropping her off. Josie had a large mass on her spleen. Splenetic tumors generally have a very poor prognosis and we discussed all our options. She was kind, compassionate, gentle, and most importantly, realistic about possible outcomes for each option. Further testing revealed no visible spread, which meant Dr. Sabean could move forward with surgery. Dr. Sabean and her staff - Lauren, specifically - went above and beyond what I could have ever expected in making themselves available and supporting me during the worst part of her recovery because my husband was out of state for work at the time and I was alone in caring for her. It was scary, but they made sure I never felt alone. And, against all odds, the tumor ended up being benign.
Most recently, they have seen us through laying our rescue cat who was FeLV+ to rest. Her initial decline happened rapidly and unexpectedly. This was the first time both my husband and I have had to make this type of decision and it's still too fresh for me talk about, but what's important to know is that we received tremendous support from the team at Lakeside. When our cat started to show some signs she was about to decline again after a hopeful, brief period of treatment and recovery, we called the clinic late that afternoon to see how soon we could get her in. Dr. Sabean came in early the next morning so our cat wouldn't have to wait any longer than necessary to be seen.
So, maybe we didn't have $30k of breeding money to be made when our pets have gone in to Lakeside, but we have had our pets lives on the line and in their hands. Maybe if you're looking to make money off your pets, this isn't the right place for you, I don't know. But if you consider your pets family and want to be treated as such, then this is unquestionably the place I would recommend read more