VCA Boonsboro Animal Hospital

We brought our elderly cat in for euthanasia and the vet and staff were so kind and considerate. They were very polite and helpful on the phone and open on Saturday. They earned a loyal customer .

posted: 09/03/2023

I went here recently for my two cats yearly checkup. I adopted Theo & Poppy from the Amherst humane society the previous spring and had gone to this location shortly after adopting them. Last year, they seemed nice, however, slightly pricey. This time though, the vet continually shamed me over my pet ownership, pushed many expensive vet procedures (a teeth cleaning for Theo with an estimate of upwards $800!), and then administered their rabies vaccines. She asked if I knew which brand of rabies vaccine they had received at the shelter and whether it was a 1- or 3-year vaccine. The paperwork from the shelter was unclear, so the vet concluded they would need an additional vaccine that day. She also convinced me that I should give them a newer vaccine that wouldn’t possibly cause cancer, unlike the cheaper version, which causes cancer in some cases. A week later, Theo is extremely lethargic, won’t eat, and has a fever. I took him to the animal ER where they tested for everything, but could only conclude he had asthma and sent us home with antibiotics. The ER dr recommended I follow up with Theo’s vet the next day. Theo’s condition worsened by the following day, as he actually peed himself because he was unable to get to the litter box in time. I rushed him to VCA, told the vet tech he had recently received a different rabies vaccine, hadn’t eaten in 1-2 days and had only received an IV the day before, she said nothing, and I dropped him off. The dr on staff called me shortly after and basically said he believed Theo had FIP, which is fatal. He sent Theo home with some steroids and no further instructions, basically a death sentence. Me and my boyfriend were heartbroken, but decided to force feed Theo and give him the steroid. After a few days, he got better, but I believe if we hadn’t taken the initiative to feed him ourselves, he would’ve passed away. At his follow up, the dr was surprised by Theo’s recovery and stated he was wrong about him having FIP. When I pressed him regarding the vaccine again, he refused to admit it could’ve possibly caused Theo’s symptoms. He just said it was unlikely and we’ll never know what caused the symptoms. I believe VCA is an irresponsible vet. What vet doesn’t verify what type of vaccine the animal has previously received before giving them additional vaccinations? For all we know, my cats received the three year vaccine from the shelter and then were unnecessarily vaccinated further, causing Theo’s scary health problems. The fact that this vet wouldn’t admit their potential screwup, made me feel crazy, and pushed expensive treatments & procedures for no reason is frankly alarming. They only seem to care about money, which they got from me and my boyfriend, as the entire experience cost us $1k+. I will not be returning to their establishment and other pet owners should be warned about how their main goal is obtaining your money and not caring for your pets properly.

posted: 06/18/2023

We have been using Boonsboro for years and love the care our cats receive from Dr. McConnell.

posted: 07/08/2023

I called this place last week concerning the failing health of our beloved bullmastiff Sasha. Sasha has been deteriorating over the last couple of months because of her age, 12, so we knew she was extremely uncomfortable and I decided to go online and find a Vet who would be able to make a house call to put Sasha to rest. I called and spoke to one of the assistants and explained our situation and I was informed that the standard price of euphanizing a dog Sasha’s size was $295.00 period. I asked if I could speak to the Vet who would be making the house call ( by the way we live off Coffee Road, less than a mile away) so I was told the Vet wouldn’t be back until Tuesday morning around 9:00 and that she would call me back to see if we could work something out with high price. Tuesday rolled by and no return phone call so I called again yesterday (Wednesday January 12) to speak to the Vet but again she was off and I left another message for her to call me back since Sasha was going down hill quickly and we were making every effort to make her comfortable. Today, Thursday January 13 at 9:00 AM Sasha passed away and approximately an hour and a half later I get a voicemail from this wonderful and compassionate Animal hospital that there’s no compromise on the price, the Vet is too busy to even talk to me and basically good luck finding someone else to put Sasha out of her misery! This is what you get when an international corporation like Mars buys up all the animal hospitals around the country, it’s nothing but big business and big money but rest assured VCA, I will never inquire of your services or use them after what you put our family through, it’s not about compassion anymore it’s about the almighty dollar.

posted: 01/13/2022

When my cats are happy, I'm happy.! With each visit I am more impressed with their professionalism,knowledge and positive attitude.

posted: 07/14/2022