Harbord Veterinary Clinic

I have been going to Harbord Vet for about 6 years. I used to see Mark, whom I trusted and seemed to care a great deal about my pup.



2 years ago when it was time for vaccinations, I ended up seeing Jo who commented on my 5 year old's teeth, telling me they were getting pretty bad and it could be time to start thinking about a teeth scale and clean. Not in a financial position to do so at the time, I told her I would wait to see how they are next time i'm in. Revisited again a few weeks ago, in with Jo again, and told the teeth were really bad and the time for a teeth scale and clean was now. Hesitantly I agreed, knowing that Covid hadn't been kind to me financially, but wanting to put my dog's health first. I was quoted anywhere from $450-900 depending on how many teeth extractions were needed.



I went to drop my dog off for the clean 2 weeks later. It was only then that Jo mentioned that given his age (almost 7) that it was highly encouraged that he have a blood test to check kidney/liver function, and that he needed to be put on a drip while under general anesthetic given his age. An extra $165 not ever mentioned to me in my last appointment!



Then, without even looking at Barney's teeth again, Jo tells me that his teeth are really, really bad and that it's likely that the teeth clean + extractions will START at $1000 and be upwards of that. She notes this figure on a piece of paper i'm about to be told to sign (likely so she can remember how much she had decided to rip you off at the beginning of the day). I questioned this, given that I was told 2 weeks earlier the fee would start at $450. Only at this point did it cross her mind to check his teeth again to give an estimate based on his actual teeth decay, to which she said that I was right, they weren't as bad as she remembered! The piece of paper is changed to starting at $450 and ranging up to $1000 dependent on teeth extractions. Still more than originally quoted..



Thankfully Mark was the vet to complete the clean and only a few small teeth had to come out. But I must say, if Jo were completing the clean, I couldn't say I trusted her to not pull teeth just to get the extra cash.



Upon pick up, I asked the vet nurse how to better look after my dog's teeth to avoid having to get this done in the future, specifically how to brush his teeth. The response I received was "oh, his teeth weren't even that bad, anything he can chew should be fine." After being persuaded on 2 occasions to get the clean done when I was clearly hesitant, to then be told they weren't even that bad and that maybe it could have waited, has left a super sour taste in my mouth. Sadly, I don't feel like this is a vet I can trust anymore, and so I won't be returning.



Since then I have spoken to a number of other vets who have told me that they provide a free dental check and give an exact quote for a teeth clean before they get in there. I would highly recommend shopping around for a dental scale and clean before coming here!