Animal Care Clinic

4.9 (155)
148 Walkers Village Way, Walkersville, MD 21793, USA

Hours:

Monday: 8:00 AM – 8:00 PM

Tuesday: 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Wednesday: 12:00 – 5:00 PM

Thursday: 8:00 AM – 8:00 PM

Friday: 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Saturday: 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Sunday: Closed

How to Save Money at Animal Care Clinic

Schedule Regular Vet Visits

One of the best ways to save on vet bills is to prevent expensive health issues before they develop. By scheduling regular wellness checkups, your vet can detect health issues early, helping you to avoid costly treatments and surgeries down the road.

Price Shop for Pet Prescriptions

Oftentimes our fur babies are prescribed human drugs off-label. Your vet is apt to charge more for these medications than you would pay at your local pharmacy. In fact, big-box or chain pharmacies can offer steep discounts. So it’s best to price shop.

Pet Insurance

Most pet insurance providers will pay between 80% and 90% of the vet bill. You can even get coverage for routine care and things like vaccinations and dental cleanings. If you do the math, you’ll most likely find that pet insurance makes financial sense in the long run as well as gives you peace of mind.

How Do You Choose the Right Pet Insurance Provider?

Pet Insurance Review makes it incredibly easy for pet parents to select an insurance provider they feel good about. You can use our handy comparison tool to get the gist of what a company offers. We’ve also collected over 150,000 reviews of insurance companies from real pet parents like you to rank the top providers in the market. Here is the current ranking of each:

Top Pet Insurance Providers of 2024
Rating Provider Total Review
4.4 AKC 890
4.7 ASPCA 11,646
4.9 Embrace 15,682
4.9 Fetch 2,669
4.4 Figo 2,646
4.7 Hartville 164
4.9 Healthy Paws 7,521
4.9 Lemonade 805
3.2 ManyPets 2,356
4.6 MetLife 577
4.8 Nationwide 21,398
4.3 Pet Assure 12
4.7 PetPartners 112
4.5 Pets Best 7,244
4.3 Pumpkin 1,340
4.7 Spot 6,404
4.9 Trupanion 60,501
4.8 Prudent Pet 125

Or, you can simply get a fast quote from multiple providers and go from there.

Thinking of insuring your pet?

Get Quotes & Compare

Getting to Know Your New Vet: Essential Questions to Ask

Choosing a new veterinarian is an important decision for any pet owner. You want to find someone who is competent, compassionate, and a good fit for you and your fur baby. To help you get the most out of your first appointment, here's a list of essential questions to ask your new vet:

Tell me about your experience with [pet type].

Different vets have different areas of specialization. Some are experts with cats, some dogs, some pocket pets, and some horses. Knowing that your vet has vast experience treating your specific type of pet can bring you peace of mind.

How do you handle emergencies?

You must know what to do in case of a pet medical emergency. Inquire what after-hours policy the clinic has, whether they have on-site emergency care available, and if they have a relationship with any nearby emergency animal hospitals.

How do you communicate with pet owners?

Good communication is key to building a trusting relationship with your vet. Ask how they prefer to communicate (phone calls, emails, online portal) and how often you can expect to hear from them.

Are there any breed-specific health concerns I should be aware of?

Some breeds are predisposed to certain health conditions. Knowing what to watch out for can help you catch problems early and get your pet the treatment they need.

Do you have any questions for me about my pet?

This is a great question to ask because the answer will show that the vet is interested in getting to know your pet as an individual and is willing to listen to your concerns.

Bonus question: Can I take a tour of your facility?

Getting a feel for the clinic's environment can help you and your pet feel more comfortable during your visits. Remember, you’re not just looking for a veterinarian, you’re looking for a partnership. Do not be afraid to ask these questions and any others you can think of. Any vet worth their salt will be happy to answer them. Because the more informed you are, the better equipped you'll be to make decisions about your pet's care! And that should be every vet’s top priority.

Reviews from Google

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Lauren Barnard

Dr M is a cut above! We had a bad experience at another local vet who didn’t take my concerns seriously with my boy cat peeing on us and our closet doors. They kept saying it was behavioral but turns out it was the start of a blockage and Gilbert needed immediate surgery. The ER vet wanted $4,000 on top of the $2,300 we already spent to keep him there for 2 days before they knew exactly what was wrong and I called over a dozen vets and Dr. M was the only one who would take Gilbert last minute. I told him our entire story and told him what we could afford and he honored the amount I said we could do. We immediately switched over to his practice and have loved him ever since. I completely trust him! Our old vet said they wanted 4k to extract 2 of our cats teeth and he said that she’s not there yet and he’d only do 1 for a fraction of the cost. He’s not out to take your money but to actually help your pet and we appreciate that! He truly saved Gilbert’s life!

posted: 04/03/2024

Lynda

Dr. Mecenas has been our vet for 12 years, caring for our animals and being there in our most vulnerable moments as we said goodbye to each of them. I am convinced there is not a more compassionate vet in all of this part of Maryland. He goes above and beyond the expectations of care and handles all parts of pet ownership with kindness and dignity. I cannot recommend his practice enough and five stars is not sufficient for all he has done for our family.

posted: 04/29/2024

patricia hamilton

Very kind staff and doctor at vet clinic. Always get you an appt. When needed.i give them a 4 star for the great service they Offer to our pets. Pat Hamilton

posted: 07/13/2024

Nichelle Smith

I've been going to the animal care clinic since 2017, as well as my other family members. We love Dr. Mecenas. He's an amazing vet who really listens to you and provides great care for our pets. However, the other staff at this clinic are not great at all. After they shadily removed a beloved employee at this clinic (and lied to patrons about why they left) the quality of customer service has dwindled completely. The people on the phones have a major attitude problem and are regularly rude. Also, the cost of services has increased dramatically, making it near impossible to afford vet care. I'm so sad to be switching to a new vet but it has to be done.

posted: 03/07/2024

dawn bellinger

Dr. Mecenas comes across competent but he is quiet and maniacal. He can barely find and stick a vein and he doesn't know his patients. I am filing my complaints with all interested parties. I have time today! I tried getting my script for one week and was lied to about being emailed and passed around on the phone by incompetnent and shady staff. If you tried to email me a script and I called and let you know I did not receive said script, why did you not simply go into the email account and look in their sent folder to verify and resend it? I don't like to disparage the youth because I was once young.And I know that the youth has been dealt a bad hand, but what does that have to do with problem solvingsomthing very simple. It's not complex which is how I knew that they were playing games with me. I admit to losing my patience but in the face of dishonesty it's hard to maintain compusure sometimes. The staff tried to force me to use their pharmacy which is against the law. Just like a shady optometrist office. After I used direct language to explain my consumer rights, I was told that I hurt people's feelings. I don't have to coddle your feelings. There is no other way to say I need my script except to say it directly. They make my brain hurt. He has young inexperienced people working there including his son, Tristan, the "office manager" who is a mushmouth troglodyte but thinks they have a high IQ. Delusional. I decided to drive 35 mins up there instead of resting before work to speak to Mecenas in person because not going to let people be dodgy and hide behind the phone. He proceeds to tell me there was an admin cost to working with an outside pharmacy and I may have paid it but I wasn't explained any of this beforehand. I'm not doing this shady business with them. Instead, I received a script in hand and took my medical records with me . I didn't have any of these issues with the prior staff. Always genuinely pleasant and helpful. What a loss but a gain for another practice.

posted: 07/02/2024