VCA Portage Animal Hospital

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CLOSED NOW - Opens at 8:00am

This office is amazing. The Doctors are very caring and professional. They take time to explain any procedures and truly love animals. The office is clean.

They have given our Pomeranian Mix, Gemma, excellent care. We feel like part of the family there. We also board her there for a minimal amount.

I have know the owner, Dr Andy Helmholt for many years. Before he had his own practice in Portage, he worked for me at the Kalamazoo Animal Hospital and the Texas Corners Animal Hospital. Dr Helmholdt is a very good veterinarian and has a excellent support staff. Portage Animal Hospital has developed a reputation of excellence. Many of my own clients board their pets at his hospital and always remark how well their pets are treated and how friendly his staff is.

Our Cockers are new patients at Portage Animal Hospital, but established patients of their newest Doctor. I have been searching for a new vet's office closer to home, and have recently discovered Portage Animal Hospital. The staff is warm, caring, and very obviously love their clients (both 2 and 4 legged!), and love their jobs. The atmosphere is wonderful, and the first time I took our Cockers in for an "intro" exam, they were excited to be there, with no hint of being afraid of visiting a new vet. On their second visit, they were so excited to be there, they almost tripped me trying to get in the front door of the clinic before I could.



If you want the best care, and most loving staff, I would highly recommend Portage Animal Hospital!

We have been with the Portage Animal Hospital for 14 years. During that time, our schnauzer Angel, received a perfect blend of clinical excellence and compassionate care. When we thought we were going to lose her 2 years ago, the doctors collaborated with Michigan State Veterinary College and were able to keep Angel in good health, well beyond the time we thought we had with her.



When Angel began to deteriorate from old age, we then faced the difficult decision of euthanasia. The caring team of physicians and staff was able to help us navigate through this fragile and delicate issue. We learned then that Angel was not just a member of our family; she was a member of theirs as well.



Thank you Portage Animal Hospital for the wonderful care you provided for our Angel!!

Portage Animal Hospital has never shown anything but the most compassionate and quality care to all of my pets. The staff is professional and courteous and their love for animals is evident. I would never go anywhere else.

I would NOT recommend this Veterinarian.



Our regular Vet was on vacation and we were referred to Portage Animal Hospital. Our cat Taylor had redness and discharge in her right eye that had started the night before. Portage Animal Hospital performed tests and diagnosed that it was an Upper Respiratory Infection (URI). We were given antibiotics and scheduled for a follow up appointment three days later.



We gave Taylor the medications as prescribed and her eye did not get any better. We went in for the follow up appointment and told the Vet that she wasn't getting any better. The Vet did another stain of her eye and then prescribed a different anti-biotic. They scheduled us for yet another follow-up visit later that week. Three days went by and she still wasn't getting any better. In fact, the infection had spread to her left eye.



At this point I was quite concerned and decided to do some research of my own. I looked online and found that one of the primary symptoms of URIs is sneezing. At both visits Portage Animal Hospital had asked if Taylor had been sneezing and we had said no. In fact she had not sneezed once since the symptoms started. Additional Googling of Taylor's symptoms showed that she likely had FHV-1 (Feline Herpes Virus). I should note that I have no medical expertise whatsoever.



I contacted our regular vet, Lakeview Animal Hospital and made an appointment for that day. At the appointment I made no mention of any research I had done and within a few minutes they diagnosed Taylor with FHV-1. We received different medication specifically for the treatment of FHV-1. Within a few days the redness and discharge in her left eye had cleared up. The discharge in her right eye took about two weeks to clear up; however, five months later she still has redness in her right eye.



Portage Animal Hospital ignored the symptoms that Taylor was having and misdiagnosed her resulting in an additional week of her eye not being properly treated and the virus spreading to her left eye. I believe that this additional week was enough time for the virus to do significant damage to her right eye that has resulted in her eye still not being fully healed.