Monce Kevin, DVM, Diplomate Acvim

Dr. Monce was recommended to me by a friend/​colleague when I got my puppy at 8 weeks old. My coworker had been taking his cats and dog there for years, so I decided to give them a go. I have not been disappointed! They are always attentive and thorough whenever we go for whatever we go for! My dog has had his annual checkups and vaccines here as well as been treated for ear infections and had nail trimmings. They strive to make it a stress-​free environment for him (he HATES nail trimmings) and are concerned with making sure he gets the best treatment and care. They remember us by name and even remember some of his history, which is impressive to me given the volume of patients they seem to have.
They have managed to work me in last minute on several occasions and are never short or snippy, even when I can tell they’re quite busy. They’ve even recommended training programs/​trainers and recreational activities to address some behavioral concerns I’ve had. Facilities are clean and well maintained and the staff is excellent. Can’t say enough good things about this vet!

I took my rescued dog in for an annual exam by Dr. Blackmer last week. The exam was ok, but just ok and underwhelming compared to the exam conducted last year by Dr. Monce, who seemed much more concerned and was willing to give us than just the few minutes we were given this time. My dog is (quite obviously) handicapped and this time her condition barely came up during the exam. Besides looking in my dog’s mouth and running hands over her belly, the exam was far too brief for the fee. At the exam’s conclusion I was told that my dog needed a teeth cleaning. Her teeth looked like stalactites, so I expected that. We discussed the price of a cleaning and I established expectations. I asked that I be contacted if the ~$ 200 cleaning (which I learned later is expensive) yielded any need for more procedures, and therefore additional costs, and all obliged. Then I went to the front desk to book the teeth cleaning for the following week. Again, I spelled out my expectations: I expect to incur the $ 200 charge for the teeth cleaning (which included anesthesia, IV fluids) and reiterated to the front desk staff that I be phoned for approval should anything beyond the cleaning itself be deemed necessary.
I had my phone on me all day, anticipating a call. I even ran four miles during my lunch break with my phone in my hand so I wouldn’t miss a call from PetSound. No calls came. At 3pm I called, as instructed, to see how things went. I was briefly told everything was fine and to come get her at 4:30.
When I arrived, the front desk staff was friendly enough, but I was really rubbed wrong when the gal checking me out said to me in a weary tone, «Soooooo, are you ready to hear your total?» Nice delivery… She tells me I owe over $ 350. OVER $ 350?!
Why? Because they pulled out two teeth.
Back and forth we went as my blood boiled. When I explained the multiple conversations that I had with several staff members about the protocol established, I got: «Well, who did you talk to?» Really?! Is it the Customers’ job to manage vet staff to ensure that the left hand talks to the right hand? None of their staff wore a name tag. Her approach seemed to be to find a scapegoat on staff to blame for the confusion. At this point a brunette I’ve not yet met comes out from the back to discuss all this and offers me a 10% discount, which was just insulting. When I told her that would not do, that I’d be paying only what I was set up to expect to pay, she went back into the room behind the desks and had an inaudible conversation with someone (s) that never showed their face (s), and then explained that yeah, they’d give me a discount, and this time she says it’s 20% off and I say, «Well 20% beats the 10% off originally offered» and then she says, «Oh no not 20%, I did not mean to say 20%, just 10%».
Unbelievable.
It got worse.
Out came the nurse/​vet assistant person to explain to me what was done to my dog. She showed me a diagram of a dogs mouth and teeth, on which are two arrows pointing to the two teeth they extracted. I look at the invoice they’d presented and there were charges for 3 extracted teeth, one of which is for a canine tooth to the tune of $ 48.00. I look at the invoice — charging me for 3 teeth, and back at the diagram, which shows that there were two teeth removed.
At this point any remaining faith in this company or a satisfactory resolution has been snuffed. I ask, «Are you sure you’re even talking about MY DOG?! Come on guys!»
I was coerced into paying the teeth cleaning fee, so I left them a $ 200 check, grabbed my dog and got out of there and I will not be back.
There are far better, more professional veterinary outfits in the Triangle. This morning, just to put some checks and balances on pricing, I called several vets to gauge the cost of a teeth cleaning and learned that $ 200 is about twice as much as other vets charge.
Take your fur babies elsewhere. Pet (UN)Sound was a disaster.

I just want to thank the enire staff for their kindness and compassion. It is very diificult to find a facility where everyone seems to operate in the best interest of the companion animal and family. I can call with a simple question or an urgent need to see the DVM and my concerns and questions are always addressed in a timely fashion. Both Dr. «B» and Dr. Monce are genuine in the care, concern, and treament and more importantly always try to be conservative in the cost and ordering of unnecessary tests, etc. I travel from Durham to this hospital and would never consider going elsewhere. Thank you and keep up the excellent work!

(1) We really trusted Dr Monce’s practice for accurate diagnosis and decision regarding course of treatment.
(2) We trust him for not over prescribing medicines or carrying out unnecessary procedures. In fact you may be left with the feeling sometimes whether he is being aggressive enough. Example: Banfield would suggest a teeth cleaning procedure every time, and would recommend it to be done annually. Dr. Monce told us that the procedure is done under anesthesia and that is not a good thing. Think about it, would you carry out such a procedure every year, if it was your child?
(3) Rightly priced too. And we trust him for surgical processes as well.
(4) So nice to talk too !

My entire family takes their dogs and cats to Dr. Monce. I personally drive from Chapel Hill to Cary just so my Swiss Mountain Dog and Chihuahua can see him!
My parents have had two major heath issues with their pets – a cat with insulin-​resistant diabetes and a very young dog with lymphoma. Dr. Monce was extremely knowledgeable about both conditions and worked around the clock to fight the diseases. He also was conscious of the costs and worked with them to pay their bills off. He is extremely compassionate and can figure out the source of weird problems, like when my middle-​aged Swissie developed incontinence. He also does volunteer surgeries on shelter animals and trains veterinary students. He is amazing! My dogs will never go to anyone else!