I have never in my life been to a better vet. The whole staff is lovely. They all act as if they're always having a good day, and that makes me feel great when I interact with them! after not being happy with a few other vets in town, I've now been going to Buckman for a few years, and have not had a single negative experience.
I never feel like we're just another appointment to them. I feel like costs are reasonable, especially with the level of care and the positive attitudes that come with the care. I never feel nervous to ask questions, and I always get thorough and written up answers. I take my senior cat to Valori primarily. As he gets older I want a vet that is compassionate and that I feel like I can trust, and she's it for me. The best.
UPDATE: During the follow up dental, the Dr determined that the sharp upper teeth left in place by Dr. Lord were digging into their lower gums and causing the open sores/lesions. After removing them and suturing up the gums, cats are back to normal. What's most troubling is that Dr Lord didn't check their bite and was dismissive when I specifically mentioned that the upper teeth were sharp and appeared to be causing the issue. Glad I listened to my gut and ignored Dr Lord when she said that their mouths just needed time to "re-mold".
After moving back to Portland, I was excited to find Buckman. Reviews were stellar and the practice staff had terrific credentials. The wait was a bit longer than I expected, but I took that as a sign of a full practice with happy clients.
Dr. Lord saw my cats, Lily and Oreo, and determined they needed dental. Their bloodwork was normal with the exception of the kidney values. They were a bit of a mixed bag, with elevated Creatinine (for both), Bun (for Lily) and normal SDMA. Dr Lord insisted that they had CKD and that we start on a renal diet right away. She also wanted visits every 3 months to monitor their values and blood pressure.
I felt this was premature and suggested we wait for the post dental bloodwork but she was insistent. When I suggested that we didn’t need blood pressure every 3 months, she was inflexible.
We went ahead with the dental and there were 13 extractions in total. I was surprised that they were not sent home with antibiotics. At our follow up visit 10 days later, they both had infections. They both required 2 courses of antibiotics and 2 additional follow up visits. At the last visit, Dr. Lord didn’t prescribe additional antibiotics. I’ve had 6 cats that have had all their back upper/lower teeth removed. All had post-surgery antibiotics. None had infections.
In addition, Oreo has a granuloma on her tongue that Dr. Lord refused to treat due to the CKD diagnosis.
I sought out another practice for follow up. It was determined that both cats need additional dental. Lily still has an infection and Oreo has additional teeth that need extraction. Based on the bloodwork, Lily’s kidney values have dropped into the normal range so no CKD. Oreo’s were slightly lower so we’ll have to check them post surgery to see if they’re still elevated. In any case, the CKD diagnosis for Lily was premature.
Lily is currently on another course of antibiotics (for a total of 34 days in 5 months). They also informed me that there were options for treating Oreo's granuloma that were easy on the kidneys, in case CKD is diagnosed.
I did reach out to Dr. Johnson before publishing this review. She was incredibly gracious and thanked me for sharing my experience. She indicated that they will review for any practice adjustments but did confirm that she is aligned with Dr. Lord and would not prescribe antibiotics post surgery.
My hope is that they start telling clients about their antibiotic approach before surgery so they are made aware of the potential time and money involved if an infection occurs and can choose another practice if they don’t want to take the risk.
I own a beautiful brown Newfoundland and she loves this place and I do too! The staff is friendly, knowledgeable, and kind. I feel welcome and cared for whenever I am there. The doctors are very thorough at every visit, and incredibly patient with me and all my millions of questions. I never feel rushed or dismissed. The service has always been top notch at Buckman and they have been there for me even for last minute emergency situations. I highly recommend this clinic if you're looking for a long term clinic.
