If you are dealing with a sick or dying dog, have a disability, or rely on a service dog, I would…read morestrongly warn you against using Inwood Animal Clinic.
I was a long-time client, and this last experience was disturbing enough that I've ended the relationship completely. In my view, this clinic is very quick to upsell and mark up fees when clients are vulnerable and under time pressure.
I came in on 5/5/26 for an international health certificate and USDA endorsement for my psychiatric service dog. I sent all information up front, including that I have a documented disability and a prescription for a psychiatric service dog. Instead of handling that professionally, staff repeatedly talked to me as if I was trying to "game the system," saying things like "when people come, they bring a letter," and pushed back when I tried to preserve some privacy. Once I did provide the letter I had the entire time, the owner's first move was to try to add extra, unrelated services that were not required, and then imply she'd "mark things OK" on the certificate as if she was doing me a favor.
The invoice tells its own story: $81 for the exam and $17 for medication, but then $189 for the "International Health Certificate," $238 for "USDA electronic endorsement VEHCS," and another $189 for "USDA Rabies Certificate Endorsement," for a total of $714. USDA's own fee schedule for endorsement is far lower than what they labeled as "USDA" endorsement charges, and they had already added a separate clinic fee for their services. In my opinion, that is an outrageous markup of what are presented as federal endorsement costs, especially when a disabled client is relying on them to follow the rules.
The endorsement itself was processed by the USDA the same day it was submitted on 5/5. I did not hear anything from the clinic on 5/6 or 5/7 -- no proactive update, no documents, and no word about the "refund" they had told me I might receive depending on what USDA charged. I had to chase them for basic information and for copies of documents that I needed, regardless of any fee dispute. Only after I escalated did I get a voicemail from the owner claiming they had been "disputing with USDA," which had never been communicated earlier.
The office manager also tried to tell me the VEHCS system "asks for a letter" as if that justified their resistance, when in reality the system requires the vet to answer whether the dog is a service animal and what tasks it's trained to do. I've seen the system myself. The way they handled this felt less like a good-faith attempt to follow federal rules and more like protecting their markup.
This isn't a one-off. When my previous elderly dog was seen shortly before she passed, I was presented with a workup of bloodwork, X‑rays, and other tests around $1,000, and then given a verbal cancer diagnosis almost immediately after the X‑rays, before blood results could reasonably have been reviewed. I never received a call with those blood results. Even though the same owner accommodated me when I couldn't be present for euthanasia, none of that history translated into any sensitivity or accommodation this time around.
To be clear, I'm willing to pay for the actual exam and medication. I've disputed the remaining $616 in certificate/"USDA" charges with my bank and will take it to small claims court if I have to. In my view, this clinic mishandled a straightforward request, overcharged heavily for endorsement-related items, and treated a disabled client as if they were trying to get away with something instead of providing clear, honest service.
I've since moved to a different vet who was able to handle the paperwork promptly and transparently. I would recommend anyone with a disability, a service animal, or international travel needs to think very carefully before trusting Inwood Animal Clinic with critical paperwork or relying on them for clear, upfront pricing.
