Pembroke Pines Animal Hospital 130 South Flamingo Road, Pembroke Pines, FL 33027

"It can be really hard to find an avian vet. Few veterinarians are actually certified to attend to birds, and then among those, finding one that is 1) reasonably priced and 2) is generally good can limit options more. I have a rescue green cheek conure and went to Dr. Brian Garrick recently to do a checkup. I had some concerns about a strange odor coming off my well-bathed bird among other things. I have had not-so-great experiences with vets in the past, and won't name them of course, but I've learned the hard way to question vets and advocate for my pet. So while I have great admiration for veterinarians, I walked into the office a bit jaded. Immediately on arrival to Pembroke Pines, it was all green flags. The front desk was friendly and cooing at a canine patient as they left. I wasn't ignored when I arrived, they immediately confirmed my appointment. Not long after, I was taken to the exam room. We were seen right away by a tech, and then Dr. Brian. I understand this sort of speed isn't always possible when things are busy, but I've been in empty offices before where I wait hours, and the workers are chatting while I'm sitting there waiting patiently, so this was refreshing. Dr. Brian asked thorough questions. I'm used to having to take the lead with other vets because they don't notice what to me, seems obvious (poor feather condition for example). Dr. Brian noticed those in my bird right away. My bird is a recent rescue, and he noted her feather appearance without me having to point it out, and speculated it may be stress from the new home and rescue upheaval. He asked about her weight changes, and examined her right in front of me. In the past, I've had my bird examined out of sight from me, and I wait forever and start to get concerned, not hearing or seeing a single thing while I wait in silence and hope my delicate, small bird is getting through her tests ok. Dr. Brian did everything right on the exam table with me watching, was transparent and showed me everything he was doing, reassuring me and smiling, all the while expertly restraining my parrot (which is not always easy!) For contrast, I've been to vets that prohibit cameras and cell phones in their office, and don't even meet you face to face. Dr. Brian was patient with me while my fiance and I also asked endless questions, even though they were closing within the hour. With us having worked with birds in the past for research, we quickly realized we were talking to someone who we could trust with our bird's health and who was knowledgeable and experienced. In summary, Dr. Brian takes his time, is attentive, and handles birds well. He was patient with me as well, even though I walked through his doors skeptical. Where other vets might get annoyed with that, he was reassuring. I got to watch him take blood from my tiny bird, and she was perfectly fine through it all! All in all, I highly recommend Dr. Brian and will be coming back."

"I rarely leave reviews but i had to this time. NEVER go to this animal hospital. my grandmother brought her maltese a couple of months ago because she had something wrong with her eye (i was with her and my grandmother is an old lady). the doctor asked if we would like to get the heart worm pro heart vaccine. i told him no and he continued to tell me all the cons if i don’t get it but we still didn’t get it. my grandmother went back last week and a couple days ago BY HERSELF. she went because her dog maltese was inching herself very badly on her tail. they gave her a shot for the tail im assuming. he then tells my grandmother AGAIN that she should get the vaccine for her. she said no then he continued to tell her the cons to scare an elderly lady so guess what she did?? she got it. her dog is not a big dog and doesn’t even really go around other dogs. Right after she got the vaccine a day later she stopped eating and she stopped drinking water which lasted for a few days. which if you do search is the main side effects of the vaccine. then she started throwing up and doing diarrhea, then she started doing both but PURE blood. the dog wasn’t herself anymore. so we called back and told them firstly she never wanted that vaccine, the first time we denied it they shouldn’t have asked again or pushed it on anybody!! we called them and they let us go in for a free visit but obviously we had to pay for medicine. so she went back in with my boyfriend and the dog. after looking at her the bill came out to 414 dollars for something they caused. after the other visits being over 100 dollars. the NURSE even told my boyfriend and grandma that she is a small dog and probably didn’t react well to it and that we should have called to deny the vaccine a SECOND time and after my grandmother denied before the doctor pressured her into it. lost story short her dog DIED overnight at the emergency room which we had to pay 3,000 for. this dog is not even 2 years old and was such a healthy dog. NEVER GO TO THIS VET. i will make sure EVERYONE in broward county knows of you guys. if you want any animal to live DO NOT BRING THEM HERE. my grandmother is devastated. (the photo is the hospital we took her after the vet in pembroke pines) The only reason you reply with “?” is because you have nothing to say. you know you did wrong."

"I will say that Dr. Garrick cared first for my ferrets and then for my two Shih Tzus. This was over a period of approx. 17 years. He was a good vet. I say was because for the last two years he: prescribed Pro Heart to my then 13 year old Shih Tzu. We found out it shouldn’t be given to dogs over 7. She had a seizure and developed vestibular disease within a couple of weeks of the vaccine. We eventually had to put her to sleep; she became deaf, blind and had eye ulcer that wouldn’t heal and caused her pain so pain was all she knew unless she was asleep. With our other Shih Tzu, at age 15 she began peeing a lot and drinking lots of water. He should have tested for kidney disease but didn’t and diagnosed diabetes insipidus (water diabetes) and when her appetite slowed, he prescribed an enhancer. He did no blood tests until we brought her in after several months when she began vomiting. He then performed blood tests and she was already in stage 4 renal failure. He prescribed medications, one of which we were incorrectly dosing her because the labeled instructions that were put on the bottle were incorrect. Unfortunately she became very ill and we had her put to sleep at our home by another vet. When we told this vet the chain of events, she was appalled at the misdiagnosis and care. I informed Maggie of our dog’s passing. I would have thought we’d at least get a call from Dr. Garrick considering he cared for the dog for 15 years. But nothing. I will also say that I’d noticed his forgetfulness. It wasn’t unusual for him to tell you he was going to prescribe medication and by the time he’d get to the front desk, he’d forget and have to be reminded. Either he prescribed the incorrect medicine dosage or Maggie mistyped the label but either way, I only discovered it when recapping with him what meds she was on and he said the dosage was wrong and that the correct dose was under the label as if I should know to look at that. I’d gotten a Chihuahua rescue shortly before my Shih Tzu’s passing that he’d seen once. I transferred her to Laguna Isles Animal Hospital and quickly realized the difference. The office is clean smelling. Dr. Bustter is very sharp. She diagnosed my Chihuahua with Cushings and got her on a treatment regimen. We’ve since moved to Delray Beach where she is a patient at West Delray Vet and again the level of care is amazing. Bottom line, Dr. Garrick was a good vet back in the day but it’s time to retire."

"Dr Garrick has been our vet for more than twenty years. He has taken care all of our four dogs, two current, and two past. During that time he saved the lives of two of our dogs and extended the life of another. Dr. Garrick loves what he does and it shows. He is never rushed no matter how busy he is and cares very deeply for the animals. He will always do what is best for your pet. The staff is great, always friendly and very caring. We would never take our dogs anywhere else. I highly recommend Dr.Garrick and Pembroke Pines Animal Hospital."