Buchanan Veterinary Group - Monton 170 Monton Road, Eccles, Manchester M30 9GA

"First of all, I would like to apologize for running away without saying hello on Monday. I don't remember names, I'm sorry, but I thank you from the bottom of my heart for treating me and my cat Casper, who is so important to me, so kindly at the last moment."

"Buchanan's has been our go to vet for the last 3 years in Monton. Our dog was taken good care of at first, when he developed epilepsy. Unfortunately, the vet who was our dogs primary care giver left the practice and since then, it has been a constant struggle and stress inducing exercise to get the ongoing required medication to treat our dogs epilepsy. We were originally told that we could have a prescription for 3 bottles of Epiphen (controlled drug to treat epilepsy), which would last us 63 days. Buchanan's then went back on this, although this is clearly stated in our dogs medical records. They were now stating that it was "illegal" for them to prescribe more than 28 days worth of medication (a completely untrue statement - vets can prescribe up to their discretion) and refused to prescribe more than 1 bottle at a time (lasting our dog only 21 days). If the vet practice had better communication and organizational skills, this could have still been ok, however more times than not, either our dogs prescription was not completed on time, was completed incorrectly or not done at all. On top of this and constantly having to chase them up, we would need to send the prescription off to the online service and wait for delivery. This often left our dog with little to no medication left, which again often left us with no option but to buy a bottle of Epiphen directly from Buchanan's (which wasn't always in stock) for over 4 times the price of the online store's. Which makes one question what they prioritize the most, the pets wellbeing or their own profit.. When challenging Buchanan's, they eventually agreed that their statement on prescribing more than 28days worth of medication is illegal, was UNTRUE, but said it was their "company policy" and that they were "unable to compromise". This led us to the obvious conclusion that Buchanan's refused to prescribe more medication to us at once to make maximum profit. In our opinion the primary role of a vet, a care giver, is to ensure the safety and well being of a pet in their care, and to assist the guardians of that pet in their care; to which they failed. When speaking with them with the aim of establishing a solution that would enable us to receive medication reliably and in a timely manner, whilst not being fleeced on cost, we were met with the statement "your pet is not imminently facing death - they are not our priority". What a thing for a care provider to say... This was the final nail in the coffin, so we found a new vet and within the first consultation, the vet was already asking about if we had enough medication, and how they would be happy to prescribe several months worth of medication in one go. They also identified issues with our dogs skin and a go forward strategy, showing a clear compassion for the welfare of our dog. This experience was in such stark contrast to Buchanan's that we came away feeling a weight had been lifted, and we finally didn't have to stress about our dog's health; he would finally be "prioritised". Overall in summary, we have found Buchanan's to have declined in performance; doing quick routine checks in consultations never providing clear diagnostics or treatment plans, are difficult to communicate with, are often rude and not empathetic, extremely disorganised, and ultimately are only interested in profit."

"We've been going to bucannans for over 14 years now. I wouldn't take my pets anywhere else. From the resptionists to the vets themselves, they're all so kind and caring."

"Pretty efficient and accommodating. The prices are reasonable. As a cat owner, I like the separate waiting area for cats - away from noisy dogs."

"Fantastic appointment today with one of the vets, Fraser. He was so friendly, took the time to explain everything clearly, and made sure our puppy was relaxed & comfortable whilst she had her second lot of vaccinations. He also gave us some great tips re insurance and crate/toilet training. Thank you to Fraser and the team!"