Dog & Cat Vets in Athlone

## Summary Family Vets Athlone is a small-animal clinic that (based on owner reports) handles both routine care and surgery, including significant procedures like tumour removal and spays. Reviews repeatedly mention strong aftercare, including follow-up phone calls after surgery and clear explanations around sedation and recovery. Owners also highlight punctual appointments and that the team treats a range of pets—dogs and cats, plus smaller pets such as rats. ## Services Based on the website data available to us, no service list was provided. The following services are mentioned in client reviews: - **Routine vaccinations** for dogs - **Surgery**, including: - **Tumour removal** (described as a “massive tumour” removed from a dog) - **Spay surgery** (with smooth recovery reported) - **Sedation care and support**, with staff explaining the process and updating owners during procedures - **Care for multiple species**, including **dogs, cats, and pet rats** ## People - **Linda** (role not stated): Mentioned multiple times for handling dogs gently during routine vaccines and being professional; owners also describe her as consistently good with their dogs over repeated visits. - **Denis** (role not stated): Named alongside Linda in a review about a dog’s surgery; the owner reports both provided phone updates and detailed explanations during a sedation-related procedure. ## Reviews **4.7 stars from 62 reviews.** The available reviews focus on surgery outcomes, aftercare, and how clearly the team communicates with owners. “Themes below are drawn from the latest written reviews available to us.” - **Aftercare and follow-up**: Owners explicitly mention “10/10” aftercare and phone calls with updates after surgery. - **Surgical outcomes**: Reports of successful recovery after **tumour removal** and **spaying**, including a dog “moving as if she never even went in.” - **Communication that reduces anxiety**: One owner describes staff explaining sedation and recovery in detail, which helped with their nerves. - **Reliability of appointments**: One reviewer notes the clinic is “always on time with appointments.” - **Range of pets seen**: Beyond dogs and cats, one owner mentions receiving good care for **pet rats** as well.

## Summary Athlone Veterinary Hospital is described in recent reviews as a practice that can hospitalise pets overnight for serious illness and provide ongoing aftercare. Multiple owners mention rapid access in urgent situations (including being seen within about 40 minutes after a call, and a late-night emergency where a staff member arrived “within minutes”), with pets staying in-hospital for 2–3 nights. Communication during hospital stays is a recurring detail in positive reviews (phone updates, photos, and allowing visits). There is also a clear conflict in the feedback: two reviewers allege serious clinical failings in seizure-related cases, including being sent home with what they describe as an incorrect/very low medication dose for a large dog, and missing basic diagnostic checks that another vet later performed. ## Services Based on the latest written reviews available to us, owners specifically mention: - **Urgent/emergency presentations**, including contact “late at night” and being seen quickly after calling. - **In-patient hospitalisation/overnight stays** (reported stays of **2 nights** and **3 nights**). - **Monitoring and diagnostic testing** during hospitalisation for acute illness and seizures (tests are referenced but not itemised). - **Discussion of advanced imaging**: a **CT scan** was proposed in one seizure case (as reported by the owner). - **Medication and aftercare** following discharge (owners mention careful aftercare and completing medication). ## People Names mentioned in reviews include: - **Tara**: described as taking the initial call and arranging rapid assessment (“40 minutes later we were in an examination room”), and in another review being “with us within minutes” during a late-night emergency and providing updates through the night. - **Lyndsey and Moya**: credited with **updates by phone calls and photos**, and facilitating visits during a pet’s hospital stay. - **Antoinette**: thanked alongside Tara by an owner after an emergency admission and recovery. (Reviews also mention reception/secretarial staff, nurses, and vets as a team, but without additional individual names.) ## Reviews **Google rating: 4.5 stars from 234 reviews** “Themes below are drawn from the latest written reviews available to us.” - **Fast access in urgent situations**: owners report being seen quickly after calling, including late-night emergencies. - **Hospital care for very sick pets**: multiple accounts describe dogs staying in the hospital for **multiple nights** and recovering. - **High-touch communication during admissions**: updates “throughout,” plus **photos and phone calls**, and being allowed to visit frequently. - **Meticulous aftercare** is specifically mentioned after a life-threatening illness. Conflicting experiences are also present: - Two **1-star** reviews allege **negligence/missed diagnosis** in seizure cases, including claims of **incorrectly low dosing** (described by the owners as appropriate “for a cat” rather than a large dog), and not performing basic checks that another vet later used to find the cause. They also describe feeling the clinic focused on non-urgent issues (neutering/muzzling), and that charges were high relative to the outcome.