I am so happy switching over to this facility. The entire staff are friendly, welcoming, supportive and caring. My dog just had surgery and I can't express how good it felt to be in communication with the staff both front desk and assistants through out the day on the procedure and what was going on in the operating room. Although this small surgery turned into a bigger one which pushed back appointments for other patients and the workers staying late I will forever be grateful to everyone. Keep up the great work Tender Heart! Thank you read more

Our family has been dog owners for generations. My first experience with a dog was my Great Grandfather's Dalmatian mix Toby. Now it's fifty-plus years later and after two Boxers brought into our lives via my wife it was my turn to pick out a dog. So now I (we) have a three-month-old Anatolian Shepard. Along with all the things that go along with having a new puppy I had to go vet shopping. I wanted to make sure I found a vet for the long haul and I was very unhappy with the practice we had used for our boxers. I also was turned off by the national chains like Banfield through places like PetSmart. The thousands of negative reviews on the BBB website are enough to give you shivers. It turns out finding a vet with room in their practice is no easy task. In the end, I settled on a small practice in Gardner Ma called Tender Heart Vet Care PC. My decision to bring Toby to Tender Heart was based on their reviews and the initial conversations I had with the office staff. They were very friendly, professional, and seemed genuinely excited to add an Anatolian Shepard to their list of patients. With all the challenges posed by COVID-19, I was unable to go into the office with my dog for his first appointment. The staff handled the odd situation very well and Toby seemed none worse for the wear. Like every vet, I received a list of all the recommendations and accompanying pricing. First visit, new puppy, I agreed to everything and this is where this review gets down to brass tacks. After I brought Toby and my invoice home, I checked into every vaccine and treatment. I am a researcher at heart and based on my research questioned one of the treatments and asked about the future vaccine schedule. This was all in a rather lengthy email. I received an email in return; very complete, very informative, and very prompt. That is what cemented my decision to stay with this practice. They are, to my experience; open, honest, and informative, a rare combination in veterinary practices. I am comfortable recommending this practice and will no doubt be leaving follow up reviews as Toby and I use them in the future. read more

I would give them a negative 5 if I could. The office is filthy the workers are "NOT KIND" they don't call back I spoke to three different attendance that all apologize for not getting back, for Dr Woods not signing off my prescriptions FOR 3 WEEKS. Now my dog doesn't have any heartworm. Do i sue her if he gets it? I think i have enough evidence..... I've never met the woman in 2 years she's been too busy to see me...they give me to some tech!! That does a mediocre exam...my dog walker (an ex-tech) does a better job!! She found a lump under his armpit, the tech in the office said nothing...... She came recommended by my old vet (who i will be calling) and my trainer who is wonderful. I find the office help is atrocious! DONT WASTE YOUR TIME, THEY ARE 'NOT KIND'!!!! New to the area? Look elsewhere!! I am.... read more

Last year our dog played hide & seek with a porcupine! She found it's hiding spot! The staff at Tender heart was AMAZING with her. I love how they treat her with great care and dignity. They also did a very thorough job removing the quills from her snout and body. They do tend to be a bit zealous when it comes to scheduling future care appts. However, we've never felt harassed or shamed for declining. Vet care is expensive, so we've shopped around for prices, and they've got the competition beat, hands down. Plus, they're open Saturdays from 8-12!!!! Fabulous! read more

I'd like to start by saying that all the techs at Tender heart are fantastic and take their job very seriously. My dog loves the welcome that he gets when he walks through the door. Their "online pharmacy" is very convenient too, and they're priced very competitively. Are vets expensive? Yes, most of them are, but I've learned to not go to cheap vets. Tender Heart is about in the middle regarding cost. read more

friendly knowledgeable staff. i would highly recommend!! they take the amount of time needed to make my large dog at ease

Love Tender Heart. Without them, several years ago, my Cairn terrier, Max, would've died. Another vet missed Addison's disease, but Dr. Byrne (who is no longer there) caught it. My newest pup has allergies and they have been awesome treating her. I've moved and wish I could take them with me. read more

brought my puppies for a vaccine. They were so mean maded every puppy cry. And charged more then what they quoted me on the phone.

Took my puppy into this clinic for her regular puppy vaccinations and on the first visit I was told they "recommend" a vet check ($50) 3 times during the first 16 weeks of the dogs life. Today I went in for her final set of shots and the vet decided that they "require" the vet check in order to give her her shots, now mind you I have no problem paying the money so my problem isn't that. My problem is that all of the sudden when I decided that I don't really feel like my dog needs that final vet exam they simply denied me the shots. The vet said that it was her policy to have the checkup before doing the shots at which point I asked what happened to "we recommend" the vet check. She said she simply wouldn't give her the shots without doing a vet check first and that she wouldn't be bullied into doing it....... What? Bullied? So because I questioned their practice of not disclosing what's recommend and what's required I am bullying her? What a joke. I guess she's used to people just going along with whatever they say without questioning it and the fact that I asked about it took her by surprise. The staff at this clinic is friendly and helpful but the second I questioned their practice of not fully disclosing what they require (not recommend) things changed. Some were shocked that the professional vet reacted that way to my question and others became cold. Karen was the only person that understood what I was trying to say and helped me along (thank you for that). I will not be returning to that place and cannot recommend them to anyone else either. read more

Took my 17 year old Dog in for an annual exam and was told she had Dental Disease and would require Dental Surgery. Long story short she suffered for the next two months after the Dental surgery and I lost her yesterday. I took her to the Emergency Animal Hospital in Deerfield and was in shock at there Diagnosis. read more

I cannot say enough positive things about Tender Heart Veterinary Care! Our dog recently had surgery to remove a mast cell tumor. As you could imagine this was an upsetting and scary time for our family. The staff at Tender Heart are kind, friendly, and compassionate. Dr. Normington was wonderful! She took the time to clearly explain the procedure and discuss the results and treatment plan with us. She treated us with respect and understanding all along the way. I highly recommend Tender Heart Veterinary Care and will continue to bring our dog there for her care in the future. read more

We have been going to Tender Hearts for about 6 years. All the Vets and Vet Techs have always been friendly. Jennifer Woods the owner has no "tender heart" that I know. It all changed last year when we had our dog neutered and he also had a herniated umbilical cord that needed to be repaired. I believe the cost was $385. My husband forgot to bring his Care Credit card in and said he would be back, but like any guy he forgot. I mailed them $200 right away and was planning on mailing in the rest the next pay day. But my Grandmother died and I got sidetracked. A couple weeks later we noticed that the stitches were still in and becoming swollen in that area, so we called Tender Hearts. They told us they wouldn't treat our dog (per Jennifer Woods) because we still had a balance of $185. Well I had no problem paying. Jennifer Woods should of said, " just a reminder when you come in could you please pay your balance?" I would of said "sure no problem". I think it is very un-tenderly to refuse treatment on a dog you did the surgery on. So we left them. My Dad left them. People know we take very,very good care of our pets and come to us to see where we take our pets. We have this past year telling them NOT to go to Tender Hearts. Jennifer Woods has a egotistical problem and it shows. read more

I have always really liked Tender Heart, and have brought all of my pets to them. However, today I had one of the worst experiences there, and am happy that I no longer have to use them. Initially I called them because I am taking a cross-country road trip, and I wanted to get something for my cats. They got me in for an appointment, stating that they needed a double slot. It was about a week or two out from the time that I called, but I figured that at least it was before I actually had to leave, and at least they could go in together. When I got there, they had only actually signed up one cat, so they had to scramble to fit them both in. Virginia, the receptionist, said it was no problem and that they could make it work. They got me in for my appointment, and when I got into the room, the Dr. (Dr Hunt) stated that she did not believe in sedation, despite the fact that I was told they would come in for an appointment and get something for the ride. I do not mind that she does not believe in sedation, and frankly I would rather not. However, before they brought me in for an appointment, I think they should have said something over the phone about their practices and beliefs. Eventually she did prescribe something for my cat, however they were going to originally give me syringes with needles that would be placed between her shoulder blades. That seemed really dangerous for a road trip, and I think they saw my surprise, and gave me the oral medication instead. Before they brought me the medication, the vet tech (who I have never met before) brought the estimate. They estimated 140.00 for the day and that included Feliway, which they recommended for the trip. Since they didn't have any in stock that would bring the estimate down to 110.00. No problem. Finally I was able to go and pay, and Virginia calculated everything up and the cost was 182. When I said that the estimate did not say this, she got visibly frustrated. I told her I did not mean for it to be a problem, and she said that if it was a discrepancy that she had to rectify it. This is when things went completely downhill. Frustrated, she stormed from the office, slamming doors, and stomping all the way down the hall. When she finally came back out, she was short, annoyed, and told me it was because they had not factored in one of the cats rabies. What actually happened (looking at the paperwork) is that they actually only gave me an estimate for one cat. Regardless, I paid them, and am glad that I am leaving the area. Vet has gone completely downhill. There are plenty others in the area that are much better. read more