Cascade Veterinary Referral Center

Dr Howard performed a double TPLO for my dog — her knee ligaments were torn and had trouble getting around
she is like a puppy again — and could walk completely normal after 1 – 2 months!!!

After two ACL surgeries, you would think my pup would shy away from the lobby, but he loves every trip to Cascade! Dr. Howard is extremely knowledgeable and patient, and he really takes the time to answer all my questions. My dog Arnie absolutely loves him, and falls asleep at his feet when we visit for post-​op checkups.
Despite undergoing two TPLO surgeries, I knew Arnie was in great hands, and Cascade proved it by sending me photo updates of him in recovery. They even let me call after hours to check on him! The staff is always very friendly. They remember who we are and greet us by name… a small gesture but it makes a big difference to know that my dog and I are more than just a medical file to them.
Arnie is all out of knees to fix, or else we would definitely be back to visit more often!

I’d give them 7 stars if it were an option! We love our pets to no end and when we researched places for TPLO surgery on our 6 year old lab, CVRC was the clear choice. They lived up to all the hype from the first call we made all the way through her operation! Kind, caring, and professional yet personable! We even received timely updates before and after surgery plus a few pictures during recovery that eased any nerves.

My english bulldog had a really bad cork screw tail that was always causing infections. We came here for a tail amputation surgery.
The doctor and staff were amazing. And he did a FANTASTIC job. I will never have my dogs go anywhere else. I highly recommend when surgery is needed, to take your pet to a SPECIALIST instead of having the procedure at your local vet.

My 3yr old Australian cattledog, border collie mix was hit by a car and needed surgery on his acl and mcl. I immediately liked the staff I met and my dog was comfortable. The day after his surgery, I had several text message updates with pictures. My dog can’t stand being crated and one of the staff sat with him for hours to calm him down. Hours.
Two weeks after the surgery, the bandage was removed and I noticed a pretty severe wound on the pad of his foot. As it was 4^th of July weekend, I brought him to my regular vet after leaving a ‘crazy petowner’ message for Dr Howard. He called me back that night, explained it was likely a pressure wound from the bandage and took responsibilty for the follow up care. This was an extra 4 or 5 visits that were done free of charge– and they fixed him… his wound healed magnificently. The staff is fantastic… their love of animals shows. Dr Howard was wonderful. He takes time to talk to you… he explains things, answers questions and forgave my crazy petowner tirade. This is a quality facility and I will recommend it to anyone.

Our black lab Cole tore his knee up and we brought him to Dr. Howard to get him back swimming and being himself. Cole had a TPLO procedure. This is the second one and he so far is doing great. His previous surgery went well at a different vet hospital but there was issues galore with their facility. Dr. Howard and his staff here are fantastic. Very professional and friendly. Cole is doing great, had good pain control after and the teaching for his care after was excellent. Even though Cole would be happy to never set a paw in there again, we are very happy to take him back if he needs it. Top notch!

The front desk staff seemed nice and friendly and the place was very clean and welcoming but for $ 100 for a single visit I feel like I got taken. The vet was a bit meek and didn’t really ask questions or seem to listen. I had to tell him 3 times that her licking issue was about a month old and not something that had happened the entire time we have had our dog, which was about 6 months at the time of the visit. He then proceeded to tell us that the irritation around her mouth was an auto immune issue. It wasn’t, it cleared up with in a week and had been there about as long, but again he didn’t listen to us say that. He then proceeded to go over her knee and hip issues (the main reason we brought her here) and used a lot of technical language (I’m not stupid but the last time I took anatomy was over 10 years ago and it’s a little fuzzy in my brain). And then didn’t give us any paperwork on what was discussed. We asked for an e-​mail with the details, he send he would send it but never did. It was also a struggle to get out him whether or not her surgery needed to be immediate or if we could but it off for a little bit before getting an answer and the ultimate quote of $ 4,000 per knee. Again did not feel like I should have paid $ 100 for that.

I honestly couldn’t ask for more loving and responsible care. Every aspect of this business is kind, professional, compassionate and knowledgeable — from the reception desk, to the vet techs, and up to Dr. Donovan, the renal specialist that cares for our dog with renal dysplasia. This is a 5-​star facility, and I feel blessed to have been referred here.

The doctors and techs at CRVC have been wonderful to work with. My dog was diagnosed with Cushings disease about a year ago, and my regular vet referred us to CRVC for treatment (they’re a little more specialized). We loved Dr. Ramstedt, who has since had a baby and decided to take some time off indefinitely, but the other doctors have been great, and the tech staff is fantastic. We go out there every 6 – 8 weeks to make sure Peggy is doing okay, and hang out (the ACTH stim test takes about two hours to complete). The atmosphere is nice and quiet, I can get work done, and they are happy to let me bring my other dog along for the ride. They’re also fabulous about completing the pet insurance paperwork, which enables me to pay for the treatment. If my dog has to have a chronic disease, at least there’s a treatment and smart doctors nearby who are staying on top of the latest research. Five stars!

I’m giving Cascade a four because Dr. Flynn sliced and diced well and that’s really what matters, and the front desk staff were great. Our dog had a rapidly growing tumor in what seems to me at least to be a very complicated spot, the back of her tongue. They were able to fit us in quickly, and he did a fantastic job with the surgery.
I was not particularly impressed by anything else. His consultation was a repeat of the exact information that had been relayed to be about three times before we walked through the door, and supplemented with literature, and he gave exactly zero fucks about that. It wasn’t a conversation, it was a lecture and mostly a waste of my time.
I was certainly not impressed with how we schlepped back out to the hospital to have him make a half-​assed attempt at checking the surgical area. He completely missed her god-​awful breath that was the result of the fact her stitches didn’t dissolve and became infected. What is the point of a follow up exam if you miss basic things like the presence of stitches at the surgical spot that should no longer be there?
I was not impressed by the fact he felt it was at all appropriate to tell my boyfriend that the oncologist (who is the only licensed vet oncologist in the state, to give you an idea of just how specialized she is) was wrong and that she did not need radiation. Last time I checked, you’re a surgeon not an oncologist. I could give you my opinion on your retirement portfolio, but simply working in the marketing department of an investment firm hardly makes me qualified, now does it?
They are a referral center after all, so I guess this is all moot, but being really good at the main part of what you do shouldn’t allow you to have such an inflated ego and lazy approach to the rest of your work.

Dr. Howard performed a TPLO on my golden retriever and I was amazed at the outcome. We were told by Dr. Howard they have a very high chance of rupturing the other side. Sure enough she ruptured her other side and CVRC was the first place I called. I could not imagine taking her anywhere else for this surgery.

I took my dog there for his cancer treatment. Dr. Ramstedt was wonderful and she came to the house on the weekend to help him cross the bridge when it was time. All the staff there are very caring. They do charge a high fee (about $ 100) for the initial visit, but after that it is reasonable and they use the Fred Meyer pharmacy to fill the prescription, saving me lots of money over vet filled prescriptions.
I highly recommend them!

I have been spending anywhere from $ 500– 1500 in vet bills on my cat for 5 – 8 years. Then I moved to Portland in January 2008 and her stomach issues just got worse. I thought we were going to have to put her down. We went to a local vet that didn’t have any new suggestions of what had been done before.
They recommended Dr. Tobin at Cascade. She went over the 20 pages of history for our cat and said we can do some tests to see if she has cancer or she might just have IBS. Either outcome we would treat her with the same medicine. The cat was 12 years old and after the thousands I had spent on her I went for the medicine and no tests. Well the prednisone was a miracle drug for her and we are kicking ourselves that we didn’t find it sooner. So instead of having to put her down because she couldn’t keep anything in her tummy she is now 13 and healthier than she has been since she was around 6. I just did her annual visit at Cascade for a new prescription and should be able to just get my regular vet to continue from here.
This place was great didn’t push unneeded tests, very caring, comfortable atmosphere. IMHO the best vet techs I have ever met too.