Good Veterinarians in Jefferson County, WV (Martinsburg, Charles Town: mortgage, work, hospitals)

[7th Direction]

Hi all,

I'm looking for recommendations (or warnings!) for vets in the Shepherdstown area.

I've seen a few Animal Hospitals along Martinsburg Pike (Rte. 45), but I don't know if they are any good.

I'm looking for a vet who genuinely cares for the animals they treat and won't charge an arm and a leg for uneccessary procedures.

My cat, Heidi, has been sick and I have enough money saved to get her checked out. She's been vomiting about 9 hours after eating. She's eating normally, drinking normally and has normal litterbox habits, but since she is vomiting most of what she eats, she has lost weight.

With these symptoms, the diagnosis/cure can be pricey. It could be as simple as an allergy (though I've switched food a few times with the same result), diabetes, parasites, intestinal blockage, renal failure, IBS or more serious issues, but I need to find out.

I don't want the vet to perform and charge me for unnecessary procedures - I want them to target the most likey problems and then move on from there.

Ideally, I would want them to work out a payment plan if more expensive procedures are deemed necessary (not that I'm broke, but I have a mortgage and with the rising food/gas/etc. prices, I've been stretched very very thin).

Can somebody make a good recommendation?

Thank you. (from both of us)

=^^=

[Threerun]

We had for years taken our pets to Norma Inqui at Appletree Animal Clinic in Ranson.

She is an old country girl, knows how to treat animals well.

We had a male Basenji that had some issues digesting food many years ago. He got shocked when he ate through an extension cord and for some reason he couldn't digest his food. He'd eat and then an hour or so later he'd upchuck his dry kibble.

She diagnosed that the shock disrupted his ability to generate an enzyme used to digest food and she got him some med's that fixed him up in days.

Good luck!

Oh and Norma seems like the type of person that would accept payments. Fortunately we never had to do that, as her prices were always fairly reasonable (nothing more than a couple hundred bucks).

[7th Direction]

Originally Posted by Threerun

We had for years taken our pets to Norma Inqui at Appletree Animal Clinic in Ranson.

She is an old country girl, knows how to treat animals well.

We had a male Basenji that had some issues digesting food many years ago. He got shocked when he ate through an extension cord and for some reason he couldn't digest his food. He'd eat and then an hour or so later he'd upchuck his dry kibble.

She diagnosed that the shock disrupted his ability to generate an enzyme used to digest food and she got him some med's that fixed him up in days.

Good luck!

Oh and Norma seems like the type of person that would accept payments. Fortunately we never had to do that, as her prices were always fairly reasonable (nothing more than a couple hundred bucks).

Thanks. Yeah, I have a few hundred set aside for this... if it runs into more intensive tests, I'd expect it could cost more. Heidi had X-rays done once in Maryland and the vet bill was over $200 to board her for a few HOURS and pay for the X-ray.

I'd expect this time they'd have to watch her for at least a day - to get samples and observe her behavior. I saw Norma Inqui in the yellow pages, I might give her office a ring.

BTW: her diagnosis of your dog sounds very ingenious, which gives me a lot of confidence in her knowledge.

[Threerun]

Some say her 'bedside' manner is alittle abrupt. Just be forewarned that she'll 'tell it like it is'.

She owns a big farm with horses, cattle, goats.. Like I said, she's an old country girl, born and bred Shen. Valley type..

[7th Direction]

Good to know.

[Katie1]

Yep & her office is FULL of Cats lying all over!!

[Threerun]

That used to drive my Blue tick nuts seeing all those cats lying around. All she could think of was 'LUNCH', hahaha.

[Katie1]

Avoid Hilside Vet Clinic...he only likes money not animals!

[Kwhit]

Go see Dr Allara in Charles Town,the very best..the very best.Direct message me for more details,please.

[damonwv]

isnt there a BIG vet clinic just down 340 out of charlestown where 340 turns from a double highway into single lanes, there on the right hand side. Big big building on huge amounts of land, with a wooden fence all the way around it.