Tail-wagging dog happiness for Furry Face and peace of mind for me. That's what I get from Dr. de…read morela Fuente. I'll happily deal with fussy dog-averse Uber drivers and a 20 minute commute in order to bring my 8 and a half year old boxer girl to this vet.
Dr. de la Fuente recently took over this practice of FamilyVets. It was previously under the direction of Dr. Stephanie Torok, who was our vet for the past year and a half, since I moved back to Paris.
We could see right away that Dr. de la Fuente is a dog-tastic vet (that's chien-tastique, en français)! Understanding, knowledgeable, gentle, fun, compassionate, present, practical, and honest -- and we say that with tail-wagging enthusiasm.
For example:
1. Dr. dlF connected with my pup. She didn't start grabbing or poking at her, but instead let Furry Face come to her, then spent time petting her and talking to her in French doggy-speak, which made Furry Face comfortable and relaxed.
2. Dr. dlF didn't over-diagnose and recommend a bunch of expensive treatments. We came in because Furry Face had her first major arthritis episode. She was limping horribly, walking on three legs. I had no idea what it was. Dr. dlF could have said she needed x-rays and MRIs and all sorts of stuff, and I would have believed her. But she didn't. She was honest. She gave her an anti-inflammatory and asked me to call her the next day to see if Furry Face needed further evaluation. Honesty -- that's worth a bunch of stars, right there.
3. Dr. dlF (actually, her staff) followed up by calling me on the phone the next day to see how Furry Face was doing. Again, gobs of stars for that one.
I've taken Furry Face to a couple of other vets in Paris, including one in my old hood in the 7th. They were all adequate and okay, but not exceptional.
As for Dr. de la Fuente? She's great. Dog-ceptional, in fact. You'll see the difference when you bring your furry kid in to see her. I highly recommend her. I moved out of the neighborhood and it takes an Uber ride for me to get her, but I wouldn't dream of going to another vet.
For me, when my little Furry Face gal is having a tail-waggin', relaxed good time, and I'm getting straight, honest answers, I know I don't need to look any further. It's Dr. dlF for as long as I'm in Paris.