We went to Lyon Veterinary Hospital for the better part of about three years primarily out of sheer convenience. Having been in business as long as I have, I know a money-grab when I see one. Lyon is right next to one of the most affluent neighborhoods in Springdale, and I believe this is the reason they can get away with their current business practices. To be frank, rich people tend to not ask questions and rarely have a problem with spending $50 on a test. Their veterinarians seem very young, presumably directly out of Veterinary school or coming in with very little experience. They often couldn't give me coherent advice on what to do with my dog, and always seemed to be in a rush. On more than one occasion they gave my dog a vaccine without completely explaining to me what they were giving my dog, and in other cases, they wanted to run "precautionary" tests that were ultimately unnecessary given the circumstances of where and how my dogs live. They also give these vaccines before (this is important, emphasis on before) they actually see the animal for the specific malady they are in the office for. Your dog could have an incurable brain tumor but they will get that vaccine in before they see the dog about the tumor. If for whatever reason you don't believe your dog needs a specific test, they will call you monthly until you finally give in, and get that test. On one occasion, the vet missed an anal gland tumor on my dog. Thank god I didn't trust the young vet at Lyon and took my dog to Stanton's or she may not be with me now. We were able to catch the tumor before it spread but had I just stuck with the advice i got at Lyon, we would have never caught it. The straw that broke the camel's back for me, was on two occasions I ordered heartworm medication for my dog through Chewy but they denied the request until they ran an annual heartworm test. This is not a federal or state requirement, only a Lyon Vet requirement as per the office manager at Lyon. In this way, they seem to remove the decision making ability from the owner of the animal and frankly, this upset me terribly. As a former military officer and a highly educated person, I do not like not being in control. For most professionals, we live by our outlook calendar and I have standing, recurring calendar reminders for both flea & tick as well as heartworm meds. Taken together, one would believe they paywall substandard care behind unnecessary vaccinations and expensive tests. To conclude this already-too-long review, I want to leave you with another option. There are a lot of very good veterinarian hospitals around the area, specifically, one of the best, and the oldest is Stanton Animal Hospital in Fayetteville. We've been taking our animals there since well before I was born and we are now going back. It is not as convenient, but Derek Stanton and his father have never tried this stuff. Not only that, but when we take our animals there, the doctors actually take the time and the price is favorably comparable to Lyon. read more
