West Loop Veterinary Care Streeterville

TL;DR Took my dog into the vet for an infected toe on 1/6/25 and walked out with a $520 vet bill and was told my 1 year old dog may have arthritis or cancer when there was no clinical evidence of either and I should spend $200-$400 more on X-rays to confirm. Got sent home with way over priced meds and a used IV bag cut open from 12/19/24 to be used as a temp bandage for her foot. My dog is fine and has an infected toe that only needs oral antibiotics and anti inflammatory. I’ve already called to speak with the office about this and am waiting for a call back to discuss with one of the higher ups but from what I have read on here that is not likely to happen. My dog had a split cuticle on her toe that became infected and I felt it was time to get it checked out because it was warm to the touch after walking out in the cold and I noticed some swelling and crusty gunk around the nail. My normal vet was booked so I checked around and found this one near by. I brought her in and the vet recommended several X-rays to rule out a foreign object like glass or splinter. I opted for one because my dogs toe likely was injured a week or two ago so if something did get stuck in there it would explain why it hadn’t healed yet. (had no idea it was injured, she didn’t limp, no excessive licking, no loss of energy or other common signs. If my toe looked like that I would be limping!) For some background on me, I’ve had a number of dogs and horses and can do basic vet care. I’ve seen all manner of X-rays and what foreign object look like on them which can typically be seen easily if you know where to image when taking the xray. With my dog there was a clear split at the top of the nail so a good indicator of where to image. The scan came back clean from what the vet could tell but she told me there might be signs of arthritis and the swelling could be an early sign of cancer which was typical for that area of the body and really recommended that I get the additional imaging because the radiologist would likely say they would need more to confirm. Later in the day the vet called to confirm that the radiologist gave my dog a clean bill of health and only some soft tissue damage from the cut and swelling from infection were present like I had originally thought. I have no issue with getting the xray but the goal of any healthcare is to do the basic work up and see where that leads you. If there had been a foreign object that needed to be removed then additional imaging would be warranted. I agreed to the one xray because I felt it was warranted (and I felt bad because it took so long for me to notice) so I have no issue with that. But don’t come and try and scare me into spending an additional $400 on useless scans that are not clinically indicated. I have never been to a vet that has pushed for excessive testing like this before. It is fear mongering and praying on people to get them to spend more money on unnecessary testing. The vet I had down in southern IL for my old dog did a CT scan of her head, and removed two shattered teeth under full sedation for $250 which included an overnight stay, here that would have been thousands of dollars! The meds that were dispensed to be were charged 3-4x the price of ordering them online. But since I didn’t see the receipt (emailed) until I got to work, I couldn’t return them (this is something all pharmacies do for safety since they can’t confirm the medication wasn’t tampered with after it leaves) When I was leaving the vets office, I had asked for them to wrap up her foot so it didn’t get dirty when I walked her home. They cut open a used IV bag and tied it around her foot! You would think $520 would at least get you a real bandage. See image below for IV bag booty from December! The itemized list was never shown to me just the estimate of cost which I had agreed to. I had no idea the $25 med was being billed to me at nearly $90. I was just handed the meds and told I was free to go one I tapped my card. Order your meds from chewy if you can get them for a better price!

West Loop Veterinary Care Streeterville is a special place. The staff’s warmth and professionalism make every visit a pleasure, and it’s clear they genuinely care about every pet. The doctors and technicians are incredibly knowledgeable and compassionate, always going the extra mile to ensure the best care. I’m grateful to have found a team where I know my pet is in the best hands.

This place is great for wellness care, however, for emergency/urgent care it was an absolute nightmare. My pup had a dislocated tail w a big wound very clearly causing a lot of pain, and required bandage change every few days,even if the bandage did not last 24hrs they still charge us even if it is a technique issue.. they had no problem w me dragging my distressed pet back and forth. Their policies will run you for your money, money absolutely out-powers care here, especially because much of that care could absolutely be done at home and Ik because every other professional opinion I got from their surrounding competitors was confused by their ways . We have pet insurance so clearly the issue is within the principle! Our last appt there was super frustrating and after verbal argument with their tech over, I am appalled not one manager reached out to me until I requested termination of care! They absolutely lacks consideration and desire to retail their clients. What an overwhelming experience.

Vets are very nice and smart. However, DO NOT buy medications through them if you can instead find them on Chewy or elsewhere. They tried charging me 80 dollars for what would’ve cost me ~20-30 online. They excused themselves by saying they’re a small practice so they upcharge on medications. This was never disclosed until I called out the price discrepancy. TDLR: good care, stupidly expensive

Took my new kitten in for her first shots and the front desk was absolutely helpful, the vet tech was amazing, and the vet was fantastic. I hope nothing changes with this location, we need this so badly in this part of the city!