Walton Lodge Veterinary Group Reviews 

Walton Lodge Vets in Harlow
Receptionist are all very friendly and helpful always happy to see Garfield (cat). I even got shown around there operating facilities by the owner absolutely amazing. Vets are just brilliant especially Emily Moxom and has been spectacular through the whole process of my cats health. Prices are reasonable but the insurance I get most of it back. Highly recommend.

My dog Buster has recently been in for castration. He had a pre op, the surgery and 2 follow up check ups. So the vets have kept a check on him to make sure he is okay. He also was sent home with 4 days worth of pain killers and special food that is easy on his tummy. I have been so impressed with the vets that is based in ware. They have really cared and the receptionist has been lovely too asking how Buster is too. They have taken the time to get to know my dog and genuinely care for him. He’s not just a means to money for them either as the fee was really reasonable I recommend Walton Lodge in ware. They are doing a great job! Thank you :)

Let me start by saying this vets used to be the best vets around for their knowledge, compassion and service.
However both our dogs have been seriously misdiagnosed within the space of a month. We were told both had a cruciate leg injury (highly unlikely both had the same issue) so we took them to another vets for a second opinion and one was diagnosed with spondylosis of the spine which is a degenerative disease affecting mobility and the other with epilepsy. We were booked in for an ultrasound costing £650 to investigate a lump in our dogs bladder (the one who was suffering from spondylosis) but we were told we had to wait a week to be seen as the lady only came in once a week! This caused our dog unnecessary stress and suffering as he was not eating by this point so we couldn’t wait that long. No attempt was offered to see him sooner. Meanwhile money kept being spent on irrelevant things that were not even related to his condition. We took him instead for a private ultrasound costing a mere £45 and were told the devastating news that it was a tumor. We made the decision to euthanise but Walton Lodge would not allow us to be with our dog when he was put to sleep and said it “wasn’t their policy due to coronavirus”... this caused immense distress and upset to us. We then decided to book with another vet who was far more understanding and allowed us to be with him at this very difficult time to say our goodbyes. We will NEVER be returning to this vets again and feel let down by their inaccurate professional opinions and their sky high costs which are quite frankly disgusting. When trying to complain it falls on deaf ears. It leaves us questioning what has happened to this once fantastic vets practice and how many other owners are being fleeced with their pets not receiving the necessary care. Another thing that’s worth noting is that every time we visited we saw a different vet and had to explain everything all over again which was stressful and we were unable to establish a relationship with one vet. It seems vets do not stay here very long before they move on, which says a lot.

I telephoned the Ware branch of this practice a few times regarding pet passports. The replies were confusing to say the least. Anyway last Thursday I was told that at the moment we only needed a Rabies injection and a pet passport. The fee quoted for our 2 dogs was just over £80 each. I proceeded to book in and took our dogs in yesterday for the injection. Following the treatment the receptionist requested payment of £320 !!!!! I questioned it at the time and was told it was correct even though I had been told £80 per dog over the phone! I sat in the car shell shocked and googled the price of a pet passport and rabies injection and the prices are considerably less! I returned to the vets and showed the receptionist the online figures and she said yes but that’s not us is it! I ended up getting an itemised bill. A pet passport has a fixed price of £60 pounds but Walton Lodge charged me £70.88 + vat! The rabies injection has a price of £32.60 but Walton Lodge charged me £62.54 + vat! This outfit are only interested in money, they are greedy rip off merchants. How can you quote £80 per dog and then charge £160 per dog after the treatment? I have complained over the phone and via email with dismissive responses! If you go online and check prices you can find them even cheaper but be very aware that these vets can charge what they like, when they like. The labour is minimal as the dogs were both in and out in a few minutes! Disgusting service, disgusting attitude and ill informed receptionists! Avoid this vets like the plague, get every quote in writing! I am awaiting a call back from Helen the practice manager/owner but watch this space. Only interested in ££££££££££££££!

Update -
1. No aftercare advice given!
2. Didn’t tell us that even though both dogs have a pet passport you still have to check with each country visited what the requirements are! Eg if you got to France then you will need your dog to be administered with a tapeworm vaccination 5 days prior to returning to the UK!
3. I planned on visiting France, Amsterdam, Denmark, Belgium, Germany with our 2 dogs but this may not be possible!!!!

I am very disgusted with the way me and my pet was treated. They take no responsibility in their wrong doing. They ONLY care about the money !! THEY DO NOT CARE FOR YOUR PETS!!!
AVOID AT ALL COSTS !!!!!!!!!!

Awful practice. The company owner fails to ever admit any fault regarding issues faced, nor compensates for them. I took my Cat to the Hertford branch after an accident and they did not carry out the correct tests. They told me to feed her on telling them she would not eat and forced her to walk and do things she clearly couldn't on examination. No xrays were suggested, I was just given an injection and pain Killers. The next day she was having seizers and I was forced to do the right thing for her. All of this could have been avoided. The main priority for this group is money. Not care. I would take your pets elsewhere.
- ORIGINAL REVIEW POSTED JAN 2019.

EDIT: CONTACTED ME FOLLOWING THIS OCT 2021 - The practice has asked me to confirm my review was legit. This is because they want the review removed, I know this is their intention because I work professionally with trustpilot and I am very aware of this process. Years after loosing my pet, they only decide to chase my review and take note of this. Clearly, they wish to upgrade their rating without any thought how this may make me feel. I did raise a complaint, I still have the emails to prove this. I have provided you with my name, email address and phone number as you asked via trustpilot. (when you attempted to get this review removed) If you really wanted to address this review, you would contact me directly. After years of you ignoring this issue and not reaching out sooner for the neglect you showed my beloved pet - it is an insult to contact me now! This just shows how little the practice really cares & even more so now then before. Do not take your pets here.

EDIT OCTOBER X2: They tried to get my review removed again. Apparently the content was illegal. I feel as if they are constantly at war with me for writing an honest review of my experience rather then doing all they can to correct it. I have forwarded my complaint over to them and they are yet to get back to me. Although, no complaint or correction in the world is going to bring my precious animal back!

ANOTHER UPDATE: -
Following the update as above, they have finally reached out to me again. With the exact same response in my orgional review years ago providing so much incorrect information. They don't care about correcting their errors. They care that I have wrote a 1* review and they've only just seen this. So much stress has been caused the last week or so as they dragged up this pain and hurt again. My opinion of this veterinary group is even lower then before. They don't care. - 0* if possible!

I had been taking my beloved rotty here for years. The last time I took my baby here was for blood in his pooh, he was examined intensely and we were prescribed antibiotics and told if was just and infection and contacted repeatedly for another for appointment but they would not tell me what for. I had already changed my dog to a new vet in hoe lane and took him a few weeks later for a check up and he didn't seem to be recovering properly. Once at the new vet she was shocked, gave my dag a scan immediately and diagnosed our beautiful boy with a mass him his stomach that she strongly believed to be an aggressive cancer and told us that unfortunately at the his age (10 nearly 11) he was now beyond help. I asked her the blunt question.... Could we have done more if the vet at Walton Lodge had done his Job and seen what she saw immediately? She said yes!! I now know why chestnuts wanted me back for another appointment, to continue to force me to pay £125 for more antibiotics that was doing nothing for my baby and could well have possible made him worse!!! GET YOUR PETS CHECKED ELSEWHERE!!! I WILL NEVER FORGIVE MYSELF FOR TRUSTING THESE PEOPLE WITH A PRECIOUS MEMBER OF MY FAMILY!!!

I had Been taking my dog here for years and always come back with beingreat told something new is wrong with her she needs tests and tablets.... after my dog was spayed she got a really bad blood blister on the stitching... I was told this was okay and made to pay £117 for antibiotics and dressings.. ( later found out this was as the vet did not use the correct stitches even though he knew she was a very sensitive dog but yet I still had to pay ) my dog then seemed to keep getting uti's and I was continuously given different reasons why and tablets to give her. It cost me over £670 with her being spayed and treatment afterwards (3 months time frame).. my dog was still bad and I didn't think she was getting allot better at all so I took her to another vets. I have now found out my dog has permanent kidney damage from the uti she had from being spayed and as the last vets had not given her the right treatment to clear it up completely (only giving me weak antibiotics so I have to keep going back for more and more tests cost me more and more money £££) she will not live long in to the future. She is only 7 and my children are distraught. STAY AWAY FROM THIS VETS FOR YOUR PETS SAKE!!! They are not for the love of pets at all but for what money they can make ! the reception staff are rude if you question prices and make you feel like crap for even thinkinh about getting the perscriptions elsewhere. the owner is a waste of complete space and does not care at all as long as she gets her money.

Be aware .. The fee if £26 consultation is fair , if u do see a vet ( not a teenage nurse ) the place is set up to TAKE YOUR MONEY . Unnesaassy test to tell us out pet has a temp and blood in her water - £30 ..that's why we went there ! Then the cloak of sales and 1/2 truths start . At no time were we given or charged for a prescription .... Pain killers their price £22 ( on line from uk vets with a prescription £1.80 Antibiotics - wait for it £65. Again on line with percsripiion £21
Stupidly even though I asked why so very much I was told in unison from the reception and the girl nurse " they are prescription drugs " why didn't I just ask for the prescription. I would have been able to save £60 and more so now to think about it the glee that they had to take a tiny wee sample and within under a minute add £30 to my bill
Don't try to complain later - the response will be we DONT TALK TO CUSTOMERS WHO COMPLAIN and just talk Down to you. u must fill in a form that goes to God knows where !!! I got owners name. Called and she refused to come to the phone. I tried 3 times.
In all I say make sure a real vet is in hand - get prescription go to uk vets on line save the RIP OFF PRICE