I've been bringing my dog here for years. They have great staff that listens to your concerns and helps provide meaningful advice to care for your pets. Pricing is reasonable and they have good availability for appointments. read more

As a lifelong client I will never be returning due to them losing my cat, giving her a hematoma, and lying to my face about it and trying to cover it up. I have EVERYTHING on recording. Last Wednesday I brought my cat Boo here for concerns of possible illness due to her being more lethargic, losing weight, and laying in a way that looked uncomfortable or painful. Despite not being overdue for her rabies or the appointment being made for that reason, Dr. Linda Stroh came into the room, immediately gave her the vaccine, then asked if I had any concerns. Already she had no idea why I was there, and she should not be giving Rabies vax to potentially ill patients without knowing what is going on. Dr. Stroh was reluctant to perform diagnostics because "she looked fine" but I requested bloodwork. She unnecessarily lifted my cat off the table by her scruff to get her. My (very docile) cat was back there for just a minute before she screamed a blood curdling cry that went on for many moments. All of a sudden the busy & loud back room gets quiet and I hear hushed voices talking about my cat. It took over TWENTY minutes for me to receive my cat back after this. A tech came in at one point and told me Boo saw another cat and they were calming her down. I said I don't believe that and want my cat back. I have worked vet med, boarding, rescue, etc and know how my cat handles these things. She has never EVER been difficult, screamed, bitten, scratched, anything. I still did not get my cat back for ANOTHER TEN MINUTES. Dr. Stroh walks in laughing saying "you're not such a bad ass" to my cat. When I said I don't believe the story of her seeing another cat and freaking out, Dr. Stroh took a step towards me with her shoulders squared up and said "what do you think happened?". When I tried to explain, she just leaves the room to grab another vet and say "this girl thinks i man handled her cat and doesn't want to see me anymore". Before my cat went with her she was out exploring the room, waiting at the door for the vet. I even have a picture. After she was FINALLY returned to me, she was shaking and hiding in the corner of the couch behind me. And as I'm talking to them about the treatment of her, another cat in the back is consistently crying out over the span of multiple minutes. I called and spoke to the practice manager Christina Little the next day. She said she would do an investigation but was confused when I asked about a follow up. She asked what I wanted, and I said to know what happened back there with my cat? She said she would get back to me Friday or Monday at the latest. I called twice on Tuesday to finally hear back, and she let me know that her staff told her that Boo had seen another cat, got scruffed for the blood draw, freaked out and ESCAPED them. She was loose and lost in their back room. Allegedly it was quick and easy to get her back but if that's the case why did I not get her back for so long or after I asked, and why did I hear you all whispering about her for so long? I was then told Boo also got a hematoma from this which I was NOT informed of either. This is a MASSIVE issue not communicating to an owner when a patient is injured in your care in ANY way shape or form, especially not informing them what signs to look out for or any future care the injury may need. I feel like my cat was intentionally kept from me to hide this. Not only was my cat mishandled and hurt due to their negligence, I was treated very poorly both from the Dr. and the practice manager, who tried to tell me I was exaggerating and mis-perceiving it. When I told her I had proof, she got very mad and hung up on me. Come to find out, Dr. Stroh has been SUED FOR NEGLIGENCE that resulted in a healthy 4 year old dog dying. This is who Christina Little hires and defends as her staff. If you care about your pets, you won't bring them here. Coming from someone who used these services for over 15 years. You claim not to have cameras in the back room and that alone is sketchy enough for no one to come here. read more

NO STARS. Screaming animals does not equal quality care. Disgusting! It's all on video too! Deleting the comment only proves my point. As someone trying to go back to school for vet tech, you are my inspiration... Not to be like you read more

I brought my pet here after feeling rushed and unheard at our previous vet, and it was the best decision I could have made. My senior dog had been sad, losing her appetite, and struggling with allergies, but the doctors here are incredibly attentive and caring. Now she's doing so much better, eating well, full of energy, and happy like her younger self again. They handle her so gently that she doesn't even get aggressive with them. From the doctors to the receptionists, everyone truly cares and shows genuine passion for what they do. Worth every penny, thank you! read more

Our 14-year-old chihuahua Fernando had congestive heart failure for a few years. He was happy and loved life but had trouble breathing. Fern was feeling pretty bad recently so Thursday, April 17, we called around 5pm and made an appointment the following day, Friday, at 5pm to end his suffering. Immediately after the call, Fern's condition worsened. He started coughing blood from his mouth and nose. I called Starch back - they said, "bring him in now, we will get a room ready for you". With Dr. Green's help, Fernando's suffering was ended withing 25 minutes of me calling. I give my thanks to the staff for understanding the urgency of our needs and helping Fernando out. They have been a great support with all our pets. From surgeries, medications to end of life support - they are the best. read more

Starch Pet Hospital - Veterinarians Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

Dr Clark is wonderful. She bonds with my dogs and they love her. She always looks for the most economical option to pet problems and is extremely knowledgeable. I can't recommend her highly enough. read more

This Pet Hospital was so good to us last week when we were scrambling to find some answers on our cats tail which ended up having to be amputated. After several calls to vets that left us feeling so helpless and discouraged we did not give up. We seeked their help through the ARL of Iowa after realizing this was not a surgery we could afford at the time. The Vet and her staff were all so helpful and sympathetic during the whole process. We are so grateful for all their help because our baby Galaxy is now recovering from his surgery. We will definitely recommend all of our loved ones with their furry babies to this Pet Hospital. Thank you again! read more

See all

My dog had gotten hurt, they took me in that day and helped me out with the medication. I am forever grateful to this place Dr. Takes and the other people that work there. My dog had also been misdiagnosed with allergies, which ended up being a bacterial infection. They caught that and he's cured! Thank you so much to all the people that work there! Simply the best . Kind and understanding. Simply the best! read more

Starch Pet Hospital - Harry king Schnauzer. - Veterinarians Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

If you care about your pets, I would not take them here. They made numerous medicinal mistakes including wrong vaccination schedule along with a medicinal dosing error. Thankfully, I am a nurse and was able to catch the issues beforehand. Beware, because the right hand does not talk to the left hand at this business. If you have any sort of issue, they will not take any accountability to learn from their mistakes. read more

The Veterinarian seems quiet knowledgeable. Their prices are outrageous. Their price quote was $1,200. Went to another local vet and they quoted, for the exact same procedure $712. read more

Dr. Takes went out of her way to help me when it was time to say goodbye to my good boy. She made a special house call and was so gentle and serene, and he had absolutely no distress or pain when he passed. I am so incredibly grateful. read more

My dog is extremely nervous but the staff and doctors are very patient and gentle with her. They take time to answer questions and will answer questions by phone when things come up. Good prices on preventative meds (heartworm, flea). read more

The folks at Starch Animal Hospital saved my cat's life! (Tl;dr my cat suffered a life threatening episode and the vets at Starch saved his life) About a year ago my ESA, Barty, suffered a blood clot in his lower body. It was immediately obvious that there was something horribly wrong, and I called a different animal hospital only to be told that I wouldn't be able to bring Barty in for another two days. My fiancé and I agreed that we couldn't risk waiting that long, and decided to try taking him to the Starch Animal Hospital, since it was only a couple minutes away. When we arrived at the hospital, the vet aids were so understanding, and told us that they'd squeeze my cat in between appointments. We filled out the information for them, and within ten minutes we were in an exam room with a vet. Dr. Kay took such good care of my boy, even going so far as to clean him up since he had lost all control of his bodily functions. She was honest and kind, and gave me honest advice without mincing words or giving me false hope. It wasn't easy to hear about his condition, or that he could essentially pass at any time, but I appreciated having all of the information available. When we told her that we couldn't pay the $800 to send him to a specialist, she helped us to find a plan of treatment that we could afford and that would give my cat just as high a quality of life. A year later, Barty has completely recovered. He's still on his daily medication and still has a heart murmur, but thanks to the excellent care he has received from the folks at Starch, he's back to chasing his sister and climbing his cat tree. Each time we need to get his medication refilled, Starch has been prompt and accommodating. I literally could not recommend this location more. read more

Starch Pet Hospital - My ESA Barty, fully recovered a year later - Veterinarians Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

We've worked with a couple different vets here and have always had a great experience. Everyone is very caring and their pricing is very reasonable. They don't push unnecessary services and always have your pet's best interest at heart. read more

i should have never left my sweet frenchbulldog here for an unnecessary surgery. I never saw him alive again.

My dog tested positive for heart worms, and they never told me. I found out after taking him to a new vet when they asked about the positive heart worm test in his records. They also either coded his shots incorrectly, or gave my dog double of the same type of shot in the same day. Do not bring your pet here, seems like they are too busy to care. read more

Wish I would've done more research on this place before I let me cat come here. It's -17 degrees outside. I have to force my cat into his carrier so I can take him inside and then they tell me I need to go back to my cat to fill out my paperwork. I fill out my paperwork and come back in WITH MY CAT and they tell me we're not ready we'll call you when we are ready. So I'm sitting in my car and like 2 MINUTES LATER I GET A CALL. Like really. How freaking unbelievable I have to continue to go back in forth. I just want to go home and let my cat out. read more

I have taken my pups here for the past couple of years and I love that the doctors always has my girls best interest at heart and never just do something to make money. They also are great with working with you with costs. The first time I had to take Lexi here she had to have 5 teeth removed. They were great in making sure the cost was affordable. I also love the fact that when I took my other dog Zooey to have her teeth cleaned (at the recommendation of our primary vet place) the Dr called and told me that her teeth were not that bad and the tarter on their was minimal. She advised that she wouldn't want to put her under for a two minute cleaning and personalized it even more by letting me know if it was her dog she would not do it. Love the honesty and shows they are not about doing procedures for money. I highly recommend this place. The only thing is I wish they would get on board with care credit would be even more helpful! read more

Starch Pet Hospital - Great place to take your pets! They give great service and always have you and your fur babies best interest in mind. - Veterinarians Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

This is a great place.they seem to truly love their patients.dr Lisa Takes is who I've taken my kitty's to since the 90s.I won't try anyone else ever again.I took my friends kity to a "cheaper" one to get spayed.it was awful.I don't think they gave her any pain medication.something was very wrong.I will never chance my kitties with any place else,ever! read more

When my dog started vomiting and pooping blood, Starch Animal Hospital was able to fit him in with very short notice. Dr. Martz did an excellent job calming MY nerves, assuring me my dog had probably just eaten something off and explaining why he thought that. He gave my dog something to help with the nausea and some antibiotics just in case. Now the dog is back to his usual goofy self, and I'm not freaking out. Extra bonus: friendly, knowledgable staff. Extra extra bonus: super reasonable prices. read more

We have been taking pets to Starch for a long time, even before their current location. We have had only the best service. I would highly recommend them to anyone. Dr Lori Halligan is my favorite, but everyone has been great. The groomers take awhile to get you in, so plan ahead. They even gave our cat Moe a mohawk once! read more

I have been taking my dogs/cats to this Pet Hospital for over 10 years now. Dr. Lori Halligan is our primary veterinarian but all are just great and the staff is wonderful! The prices are affordable but more than that, the care that my pets receive is without a doubt the best. I cannot imagine going anywhere else. read more

We have been using Starch Pet for our puppy, Bali, since we first got her and all of the vets here are very gentle and sweet. Bali leaps out of the car when we get there and is very relaxed in the exam rooms. This week, we had her spayed at Starch and the process was so easy and the doctors were amazing. I called halfway through and one of the nurses offered to go in the back to check on her, letting me know she was just resting but out of the anesthesia. I'm very impressed with Starch's excellent customer service and their love for our pets. Thank you! p.s. There is also a sweet little office kitty that Bali loves to play with - this is the only cat I've seen that can roll and play with a puppy - adorable! read more

Only Place to take your Pet. Dr. T is amazing. She also works at University Pet Clinic. We had to put our dog after 16 years down. After 6 Months we are looking for another pup. Dr. T will be our Vet again. Very caring!! read more

It's hard to find a vet in the Des Moines area who treats small animals/exotics. We found Starch Pet Hospital when we were looking for a vet to see my daughters hamster-Dr. Takes does an amazing job. We were so impressed that all of our animals will be going there in the future. read more

6 out of 10 Vet Office Reasoning; Receptionist/ Vet techs were all very pleasant and professional. Pricing is pretty reasonable for DSM area. There are at least 6+ vets that do work at the location and the vet WILL change EVERY TIME unless you specifically ask for the same veterinarian (which I never asked if this was possible). All Veterinarians were professional and pleasant with my 3 dogs (all different ages) get puppy shot over 6+ months time span. BUT... If you get surgery, like eye tacking. I did have a vet describe that my Shar Pei puppy was getting her eyes tacked, procedure process, etc. with an estimate included; Except when I picked her up she had only had 1 eye completed which makes an obvious difference. I do not know if she was the Veterinarian that completed the procedure or not. When brought to a different vet at the next visit, she apologized and said she didn't know anything about it besides the paperwork. read more

i adopted a german shepherd (thru pet rescue) in 2003. i immediately took dakota to dr. martz (aka starch pet hospital at 22nd and university). dakota had a few health issues which dr. martz was able to resolve. over the years i always took kota to starch for health concerns or checkups. kota saw different doctors and technicians at starch throughout her life. the staff was always well trained; professional; and, affectionate with kota (a shy dog). later in kota's life dr. martz found a tumor in a rather delicate area. he was able to remove most if not all the tumor without compromising her ability to "move her bowels". it was an aggressive form of cancer that returned. dr. martz had no qualms about referring kota to an oncologist at iowa state u./lloyd center where she could get specialized treatment and chemo not typically found in a vet clinic. between dr. martz and i.s.u. kota's life was extended 3 years - 3 years of a good quality of life that i had my "buddy". kota eventually passed away but, at the average age for a g.s.d. i will eventually adopt another pet rescue dog - most like another german shepherd. the first thing i will do is take the dog to dr. martz or any of his staff vets for a checkup and vaccinations (if needed). on occasions i had to board kota at starch. i always felt confident that she was well taken care of. Dec 21, 2015 read more

oh and one mpre thing, one dr. told me my dog had liver cancer, n the next dr. came in and said the other dr. didnt know what she was talking about. that my dog doesnt have liver cancer. but they wont help me find out what he does have. again if u care about your animal....do not take them to this dump!!!! read more

Love the service I receive at Starch! Have taken my 2 Poms there for care since I have had them, and the staff is always so welcoming and warm when we visit. We have boarded with them also, and have had many great experiences. We did return home early from a trip one Sunday, and were able to go pick up the pooches outside of normal business hours. The vets are so honest and caring- my dogs are not nervous at all when we go in, and the visit is always stress-free. read more

There isn't a bad vet here, and the staff is even better. They're not fancy but they're good and treat both pets and humans well. I've been going there for 8 years now and have never considered switching. They also have a WDM location so they've got everyone covered. read more