Portage Park Animal Hospital & Dental Clinic

It all comes down to which vet you see. Some are excellent. Once we stuck with the ones we know and appreciate, things were much better.

My wife and I took our cat Marty here and it was a great experience. Very professional staff, from reception to the nurse and the doctor. Our cat is very stubborn but the nurse and doctor were very patient. They gave us a diagnosis and helped us with understanding the medicine for treatment. Great visit, not a long wait!

Recently my little senior dog became very ill and I had to make the very, very hard decision to let her go. I cannot say enough of the kindness and compassion expressed by the staff. They were with me every step of the way from the first day I brought my little Blossom to them and to her last moment. She received the very best and loving care from Dr. Garcia and Dr.Kate. Jessica and Jacob were heaven sent.
I have been taking my pets here for almost 18 years and have always had the finest of care. My pets have always loved everyone at this office. Wonderful caring people.
Thank you for caring for my Blossom and all my gang.

Client Services Manager responded and I really do appreciate it. My family and I have been going to Portage Park Animal Hospital for many years. And we like the care that is provided for our pets.

Although I no longer live in Chicago, I relied on Portage Park Animal Hospital for my dogs healthcare needs from 1988 to 2013. The vets there are very knowledgeable about veterinarian medicine and have a good bedside manner with dogs. Even my Chow/​Lab mix who trusted maybe only 16 people in the world was good with the two vets who gave her annual vaccinations and tended a few late life medical issues that I credit for her living to almost 14 years olds, long for a 97 lb. dog. This is the best animal hospital I’ve seen, bar none!

This has been our vet since we moved to Portage Park a few years ago. We have five cats, and we have found the doctors to be very knowledgeable and kind. The entire staff is helpful and organized. Pricing is fair and they are flexible with appointments. Having a great vet means the world to us so we are very grateful we found them.

Brought in my sick cat they were able to see him the same day I called. Everyone was super friendly and patient. It was on the pricey side but I also had a lot of tests done so it would’ve been pricey anywhere. Definetly making this my new vet for both cats.

Dr Garcia is the best! great staff and great service! I been taking my dog Mindy for more than 2 years they always do a great job!

I never would have thought that the first family member that would need emergency care in our new neighborhood would be Charlie, our family dog.
We have only been our neighborhood for 7 months and still needed to a establish a regular vet in our neighborhood. So it was kind of scary to just to kind of pick a random animal hospital and hope for the best.
I am so happy I chose Portage Park Animal Hospital for Charlie’s emergency. I called them first and they told me to bring her on in, giving me instructions that it was ok to park in the «loading zone» in front of the Hospital to help with the ease of transporting my girl.
The staff were all friendly and genuinely seem to care about their patients. They quickly took Charlie in the back for treatment and Dr. Tobin kept me up to date with the treatment and progress.
I have a medical background so many of the treatment terms vets use, even though they are treating animals, are the same whether the patient is human or animal. So I was very happy at the lengths they took to explain every single thing in layman’s terms. I could have easily told them they could use medical terminology to save time, but I always like to make sure medical personnel (for humans or animals) aren’t skipping any pertinent info.
While I was there (2 hours) I noticed the clinic is super busy, there were many dogs and cats coming in for surgery, check ups and medication administration. I don’t know if it was because of our emergency, but it seemed like appointments were running a little late. And when I came back to pick her up (they told me to come back at noon), I still had to wait about 30 minutes before they brought her out to me.
The clinic waiting room is open/​airy and pretty modern looking. Someone was keeping the waiting room clean, dusting and mopping despite the slush all of us were bringing in. Plus they had a single serve Keurig for our use. NICE!
Charlie is as happy as ever, my 3 year old son still has his BFF and we have found our vet. All is well.

We took our 2 dogs here when we lived in Chicago and they were great. Friendly staff, lower pricing, good care. The only bad thing was parking. There’s only street parking and if you go after right before or after work it’s always impossible to find a spot. They are very affordable, one of our dogs was a puppy when we went here and they had a very affordable puppy plan. The doctors were very knowledgeable and helpful. I’d highly recommend this place for your veterinarian care.

I LOVE Portage Park Animal Hospital. The staff is fantastic! The front staff is friendly and very helpful. The vet techs and doctors are well versed and very knowledgable and caring. They really care about all the pets and the families. I live in Huntley, just over an hour away and wouldn’t go anywhere else. Thank you Portage Park for taking care of my family!!!

Awesome, as always!
One of my biggest regrets at moving out of Chicago is the loss of these extraordinary veterinarians.
I’ve been going to Portage Park for about ten years. Anyone that knows me knows I have VERY strong opinions on how companion animals should be fed and cared for. It took me a long time and several visits to several vets to find PPAH. I’ve loved several of the veterinarians there. They are willing to work WITH me. They’re comfortable with the fact I’ll do my own research, and don’t get defensive if I ask about alternative treatments. We discuss options and they give me information to make a decision. No «our way or the highway».
To top it off, convenient hours and now that I have a dog (rather than cats), being across the street from the park means my dog looks forward to every visit — as it starts with a walk thru the park, then a visit to the nice people at PPAH, then another walk thru the park back to the car.
Yes, there’s often a wait. Emergencies can’t be predicted. I tolerate the wait because I know when it’s MY beloved companion that needs some extra time or an emergency visit, they’ll be treated with love and care.

I don’t understand why this place even makes appointments when they can’t even keep the appointment time they make for you. This is not the first time I have had to wait for more than 30min. I should not have to wait no more than 10 min in the waiting room for my dog to be seen.

The wait time can be a bit long, but their staff is very friendly, thorough and accommodating. I’ve taken dogs, cats and ferrets to PAAH and received 5-​star service every time. They empathize with any problems you and your pet are going through.
Other perks:
–Gorgeous view of the park
–New patient only parking right in front!
–Keurig coffee machine for your wait!

The receptionists are not very friendly. The clinic is nice, but that’s pretty much it. I took my cat to have his teeth extracted and when i came to pick him up, the vet (Hispanic male doctor — I’m Hispanic so please don’t get the wrong idea) didn’t take time to see me. I thought it was snooty. I had the technician greet me instead. Prior to my cat’s surgery, I called and the receptionist on the phone was completely clueless to my question. They are expensive. Will not return.

Great vet clinic! They are always very courteous and kind. It’s very clean and nicely decorated. Parking can sometimes be a pain but usually I can find a spot quickly. Reasonable prices and what I love is that they are not pushy with their suggestions. I recently had to put my beloved dog down to old age and a failing body and I refused to go anywhere else except Portage Animal Hospital for it. They were very sympathetic and helped ease me through the process.
The receptionists are great and whenever I’ve called with questions about appointments/​refilling prescriptions they have always called me back in a timely matter if they had to consult with the doctor first. I’ve also seen the back room where they kennel the dogs after surgeries etc and the animals are kept comfortable with blankets and towels. I can tell they take pride in their work. 5+ stars!

Last year my wife and I adopted a new family member from Harmony House For Cats, and although Portage Park is not our regular pet-​care facility, they are the clinic associated with Harmony House. So when our middle-​aged bundle of joy had a couple of problems right out of the gate, we took her to Portage Park. Harmony House «warranties» any outstanding health issues for their adoptees, so most of the costs were covered by the shelter. Our new girl was apparently getting over a kitty cold when we took her home, so when it lingered into her second week with us, we contacted the shelter. They sent a purchase order to the hospital, and after that the hospital took very good care of us.
Everyone that I dealt with, from desk staff to veterinarians, were warm and courteous. The vet tech on the first visit was particularly wonderful; I’m sorry that I did not catch her name. Having been at Harmony House for several years, our girl had been a regular at Portage Park, where she was apparently a staff favorite. I sure appreciated that they knew her by sight and really cared about her well-​being.
We ended up getting a couple of prescriptions, and when I called a day later with a question, all the information was available to the staff member who answered the phone. Also, the doctor himself called to follow up after one week; we had about a seven-​minute conversation about Penelope’s progress, and he recommended next steps to continue her care.
Shortly after, we took her in for a dental exam which led to a couple of teeth extractions, plus a follow-​up checkup. In total I believe that we visited Portage Park four times over a couple of months, and the experiences were all very positive. Our last interaction with them was to request Penelope’s records to be transferred to our regular veterinarian’s office, which they did just as cheerfully as everything else. I highly recommend them to anyone who lives in the area.
PS. They have evening hours – until 8pm Monday through Friday!

After taking my dog here for the past three years and giving them too much of my time and money, I have decided to finally take her to a different vet. They never once remembered our name on arrival. The receptionists are not always the friendliest and make you wait at the counter after your appointment is over to pay. Every time I made an appointment I had to wait at least a half hour to be seen. Then after the tech leaves the room you have to wait another ten minutes minimum for the doctor to see you. We always saw a different doctor, none of them really listen to what you have to say and always seem to be in a rush.
I used to arrive a few minutes early but after realizing they are never on time I stopped and would even get there a few minutes late. I just don’t understand what the point of scheduling a time for an appointment is when they still make you wait? I can understand if they are busy, maybe running behind or have an emergency, but from what I could see majority of the time there was nothing like that happening.
The only thing this place has going for them is it is newly remodeled and Dr. Tremlova. She was the only doctor that actually seemed to care and listen to my concerns. We only had the pleasure of seeing her once over the years, but unfortunately it is definitely not enough to make us stay.

I love Portage Park Animal Hospital. My cats see Dr. Olsen regularly for acupuncture, and they have also seen Dr. Morrison and Dr. Tremlova on a walk-​in basis for minor emergencies. All three doctors have given excellent care at each visit. Dr. Olsen gives great care and is always available to answer questions as they come up in between appointments. She is also great with her furry patients; my cats aren’t always enthusiastic about vet visits, but she puts them at ease when they see her.
I am also a volunteer at a local shelter that works with PPAH. In that capacity, I have had appointments with Drs. Tremlova, Schwartz, DiCiuala, Olsen, Schrock, Morrison and Garcia. They are all excellent doctors that treat our shelter cats with compassion and as if they were any other client. Each doctor in the practice is thorough, consults with us each step of the way, and makes sure that we understand the medical issue, the recommended treatments, and any other options.
Because of the number of times I go to PPAH with shelter cats, I spend a lot of time in the waiting room. The receptionists are always very warm with those who come in and have incredible patience, even when someone is giving them a hard time. I also appreciate that they make sure that if an animal comes in that is suspected of having a cold, or some other contagious illness, they get that animal right into a room. That keeps the other animals in the waiting room from being exposed to whatever the illness might be.
One of the best things about PPAH is that they are advocates for every furry patient that comes their way. One of my (now) cats was originally found outside as a kitten with a severe abdominal injury. He was brought to PPAH. Dr. Olsen did emergency surgery to save his life and then arranged for him to be brought to the shelter where I volunteer. I adopted him a few weeks later. WIthout PPAH, he would not be alive. Had he been taken to any number of other animal hospitals, he would have been euthanized or sent to Animal Care and Control and then euthanized. Today he is a happy, healthy one-​year-​old cat, thanks to Dr. Olsen and PPAH.
I am so grateful to PPAH for saving my cat’s life, and greatly improving the health and quality of life of my cats and the many cats at the shelter where I volunteer. I definitely recommend PPAH to any friends looking for a vet in the city.

They have now failed me three times.
First was when they misdiagnosed a brain tumor for a cold, one cat down.
Then after repeated failing of being able to see my other cat at the time of his appointment (he was terrified, after fifteen minutes would not allow anyone to examine him) thus having to wait a year to be seen. Other appointments were made in that time; and after waiting over an hour every appointment, we finally had to have him put under to be examined. I can’t help but wonder if they had actually listened to me (the person who knew him best) and saw him at his appointment time, they might have found his oral cancer in time enough to have it treated.
This will be the last time they will see my pets or my money. My 17 year old cat was given medication that was supposed to stimulate his appetite and instead knocked him out for over 20 hours. I called three times and it took over six hours for the doctor to call back.
Why after the first huge mistake did i go back? That is a question I will torture myself with forever.