Dobbs Ferry Animal Hospital

"Our seemingly healthy dog had what was billed as a comprehensive check-up for diarrhea with Dr. Mendolsohn in December. Blood and stool tests were done and results were normal. We were given a prescription for diarrhea, when it was not effective we were prescribed two more over the next couple of weeks (turns out that was an attempt to treat the symptoms rather than the cause). Two weeks later the diarrhea was still present and we observed drooping and inflammation in his groin and felt lumps in his neck. As his hair was very short, we think that what turned out to be cancerous growths may have been detected by the Doctor during the exam. We returned and asked Dr. M to check these areas. He informed us that a likely cause was lymphoma, which was confirmed several days later by cytology. Other than informing us of treatment options and that this cancer was terminal but not painful we were told little about other symptoms that we might expect as it progressed. We had a check-up scheduled for Jan. 20 at 10 AM, when suddenly (that morning) he refused food and could no longer stand- but was not in pain. Accompanied by my husband and son, I brought him into the office. Upon examination, Dr. M recommended euthanizing him immediately. Devastated and struggling to come to terms with the situation, we asked if he could wait an hour and a half (until 12:00 PM) for the arrival of our other son who was alerted to the situation and had begun driving here immediately. Dr. M refused, saying that he would be leaving at 12:30 PM, which is when his office typically closes on Saturday. We begged him to reconsider, but he would not budge. Because we were distraught and not thinking clearly- we did not think to ask him for a referral to an alternative provider or emergency facility that could euthanize him with our other son present. Feeling helpless without options, we agreed to go ahead immediately. Dr. M injected him and he was gone in a minute. The door to the waiting room was opened at once and we were observed crying over our dead dog by another customer. We were not given a few minutes of private time to grieve our sudden loss. As my son sobbed over his childhood companion, Dr. M quipped "he's not there, he’s chasing squirrels now" with an oddly light-hearted tone. All in all, our appointment began around 10:05 AM and we were out of the office by 10:25 AM. This tragic outcome was made much more painful by Dr. M's failure to suggest an alternative facility to his performing the procedure or a few minutes of privacy afterwards. Our other son will never have the closure that he could have had. I returned to pick up our dog's ashes a couple of days later and asked to speak with Dr. M. His office assistant said he had stepped out and offered to take a message. I asked her to tell Dr. M that he made this so much more painful by not suggesting an alternative facility when he refused to delay the euthanasia by an hour and a half. Dr. M did not return the message and we have nothing further to say anyway."

"Have been with practice for 23 years 4 dogs. Dr. Mendelsohn and his staff are the most caring knowledgeable and committed people I know. They have always gone above and beyond when caring for my pets and I trust them implicitly. Highly highly recommended practice."

"Dr Mendelsohn is really wonderful. I trust him completely with my cat, Jack. He's friendly, smart and returns phones calls when he says he will. The office staff, especially Susan, is also to my liking. Highly recommend."

"Dr. Gary Mendelsohn is amazing, smart, caring, and compassionate. I have been a client for over 25 years with various pets and he's always made the right call and done the right thing.Jose his vet tech is also the best. Incredible, knowledgable, kind people. I would never go elsewhere - they are family to me."

"Such a great experience at Dobbs Ferry Animal Hospital. Dr. Mendelsohn was awesome, teaching me ways to handle the puppy stage, educating me on the vaccines and timeline for my puppy, and walking me through everything. Made me feel so reassured about it all. The whole staff was helpful and courteous! Definitely recommend this vet if you need one in Westchester."