Circle Veterinary Clinic: David Wilkins, V.M.D.

Apr 2023

I have used this vet for a bit over a year, when I moved to the area, and have always had great experiences, both in terms of their pricing, scheduling and treatment and management of my large dog. I have mostly seen Dr. Wilkens, and sometimes Dr. Weiss (I'm pretty sure, but I could be wrong) and had no complaints. I've referred my mother here for her dogs, and several friends for their animals, who have all had the same experiences. My complaint is (mostly) with Dr. Rife. I found a lump on my dog's back foot. Obviously, this was a very expensive appointment, almost $500 but a lot was done - office visit, sedation/reversal, nail trim, blood work, and $241 for the outside lab biopsy of what they took from his foot. While my dog was basically an unconscious sack on the floor, she seemed alarmed at his heart rate and pale gums and said that it could be due to internal bleeding (??!!) which rightfully freaked me out, so in the moment she did some blood work to compare to his previous labs from a month ago and said everything looked fine, he probably just had low BP from the sedation (thanks for the heart attack, doc). In hindsight I now realize her statement about internal bleeding and freaking me out like that cost an extra $48 for bloodwork that otherwise wouldn't have been done, but again, whatever, it happens. I am told that it can take 3-7 days for the lab work to come back with results. My appointment was Wednesday, April 5. I of course spent the weekend stressed about my dog possibly having cancer. I called the office on Thursday, April 13, since at that point it had been over a week and I figured it's now acceptable to call and ask at this point. The lab tech that answered the phone said she could see that the results were received the day before (Wednesday April 12), but that Dr. Rife wasn't working that day, so she would call me on Friday (April 14). Okay fine, at least the results are in. Friday afternoon, no call, so I call the office again close to closing time, and am told by the front desk that she is busy with appointments but will be making calls when she is done, before the end of the day. Nothing, no call on Friday. Now it's Saturday, April 15, I call at 9am when they open and am told by the front desk that Dr. Rife isn't back in the office until WEDNESDAY, and she will call me then. Now I have a problem. Not only has this doctor had the biopsy results for at least one full working day (NOT counting the Wednesday the results were received), but now I am told I have to wait more days to get results that the office has now had for 3 days? And I am also told that the other vet in the office, since she has never seen my dog, won't read the results or call me. Now my opinion of this vet, Dr. Rife, has tanked, and my experience with this office is terrible, which is a shame because that's never been the case, and I know offices are incredibly short-staffed and take a lot of flack, and I certainly don't want to contribute to it more, but I don't think I'm being unreasonable since now I've been told multiple times that I will receive a call, and then don't, and I know the results are in the office. So I go into the office to get my dog's records, since obviously at this point if my dog has cancer, Dr. Rife sure as hell isn't going to be the person treating him. I am told that I can't even get the lab results, because they haven't been interpreted yet, the part that Dr. Rife only is apparently able to do. So now I can't even get a printed copy of whatever they do have, and again, that I've paid $241 for? And honestly now the attitude of the vet techs is that I am a nuisance, so they aren't inclined to be very helpful now either - I sat in the front lobby and heard them talking to each other about my case ("I don't know what she wants"), and I know when I've been made the bad guy in the situation. You can't come back from that. So now I'm out of a vet's office, and $496 dol

Mar 2023

we have used them for 30 years and have zero complaints. They have given our dogs and cats excellent care. When our animals quality of life has deteriorated due to serious illness or aging they have been kind in delivering the diagnosis and, when the time came, euthanizing the animal. On the one occasion one of the vets could nit find an effective treatment for one of our dogs, they sent us to the University of Pennsylvania. It turned out there was no effective treatment as the poor girl had been severely neglected, to the point of cruelty, by her previous owner. We highly recommend them.

May 2022

We have been coming to Dr. Wilkins for years but in the last year with his only working part time, the quality of service has plummeted. Today, i stopped by to pick up a prescription for my dog. I waited at the counter while a receptionist completed her Facebook posts on her cell phone (I watched), then the first thing she said after I said "can you help me?" was "do you have a mask?" While she was looking up my dog and not getting the job done, another tech came into the reception area, grabbed my prescription and said here you go. The girl at reception was still staring at her computer as I walked out. Dr. Wilkins, please get some front desk staff who better represent you.