Calhoun Paul DVM

May 2024

I had to drive 2+ hours from Jackson, MS to Hattiesburg to Animal Medical Center on April 29, 2024 for emergency surgery. My Golden Retriever, Max, was bleeding into a splenic mass and was anemic. He was 11-12 years old. I am a physician, an anesthesiologist for over 40 years, so I understood the gravity of the situation. Even before I arrived, Dr. Mayfield, II, called me on the phone to check on us. When we arrived, the employees immediately carried him out of my car for emergency surgery for treatment and diagnosis. Dr. Mayfield thoroughly discussed what we would do if the diagnosis was dire. They started blood and took him back to surgery within 30 minutes. The diagnosis was dire: he had a splenic mass full of tumor, with metastasis to his pancreas, liver, bowel, and kidney. Dr. Mayfield called me and took me back to surgery to see Max under anesthesia, and I said my goodbyes and let him go.... Dr. Mayfield then spent additional mourning moments with me and was very kind. I then made cremation arrangements and delivery of the remains to me. I also asked for histology on the tumors, as I had lost another Golden, Luka, age 13 or14, to hemangiosarcoma last year. Dr. Mayfield called me about 2 weeks later to say the pathologist reported high-grade lymphoma. The entire treatment, including the cremation, was very expensive--about $4000. As a physician, I understand the high costs of surgery, blood transfusion, anesthesia and other veterinary technicians. Everyone at the Center was extremely kind to me throughout my ordeal at their clinic. I was so thankful that there was a full-service surgery/ICU clinic available to me on that day. From the moment I arrived there, I felt that Max would be well-cared for by Dr. Mayfield and his staff, and he was.

May 2024

We brought our pet here for emergency surgery because we were told this was the only place within a couple hours drive that performed it. The vet was very kind and called me personally to let me know how she was doing. I feel like our pet was treated well and received great care. That's the good. The not so good. The post op visit was not included in the 5k surgery price. Nor was it ever discussed. Another $200 and the vet didn't even touch her. Suture removal visit- went well but I had a few questions regarding follow up care. Each question was answered with 'umm that should be fine'. The uncertainty of the tech made me very uneasy. If you don't know, ask someone that does. I will be following up with my regular vet. Lastly, and this bothered me more than anything, is they work with breeders and sell dogs! Not rescues, not shelter dogs. But they promote breeding. IMO, that shows they are more concerned with $ than animal well-being

Oct 2023

We went on a weekend trip and needed a last minute kennel for our golden retriever, Lola. Even though we've used AMC for everything since we brought Lola into our family as an 8 wk old puppy, we were a little anxious with it being her first time away from us and her home overnight. I was very happy with our boarding experience as they were very helpful and informative during the whole process. They even updated her shots and let her check in the same day. She came home freshly bathed, smelling amazing. We've since returned for other appointments, and she enters the building with her tail fully wagging, without hesitation. I will say, definitely pay for the VIP if you normally take your dog out more than twice a day. The lower tiers have them taken out in the morning and evening. I believe when we paid for VIP, the kennel techs took them three times for a walk/potty. We also payed a little extra to have them play with her and her toy during the day since this kennel has them separated from other dogs. Worth it, in my opinion. The only thing I wish they had compared to other kennels (some, not all) are cameras to check in on them. When we were out of town we were missing her and it would have been nice to just see how she was doing. We did call, however, and they were super sweet and didn't mind giving us an update. It takes a lot of trust to leave your baby in the hands of others, but I felt she was in great care. Thank you AMC! We will continue to use you guys and spread the word about your clinic and boarding services!