Village Vet - Highgate

My dog has been seeing the lovely Alison for hydrotherapy. It has helped build up strength in an injured back leg. She is not a huge fan but Alison has been so patient and kind

The Village Vet Highgate is always there when you need them offering long opening hours and helpful staff. The reception area is comfortable and well-organised with separate spaces for dogs and cats. Our cat needed dental work last year and the operation went well. The Village Vet provided excellent after-care including pain medication and follow-ups. Our cat is happy and the cost was very fair. We are lucky to have access to such a good service.

I've recently moved area and joined this vet about five months ago. My elderly cat has transformed under their care. He's put on weight (he needed to), he has new-found energy and is living out a whole other level of 'diva' now he's re-found his mojo. It's wonderful. The veterinary staff are kind and compassionate, and include me in decision making for my cat's care. I feel well informed about my cat's needs and medication.

Excellent service for my cats - we didn’t have their full history as they were rescues - it turns out that they both needed extensive dental surgery. The staff were extremely kind and kept us up-to-date at every stage of treatment. 6 months on, no further work is needed - thank you so much to the whole team, and especially Sheldon who completed the surgery. They are far happier cats! :)

Super vets, caring, kind and knowledgeable. My dog loves them, they are very welcoming, the practice and consult rooms are immaculate. It is a nice environment despite the stress owners might have. I love them and know my dog is in the right hands.

We recently had to say goodbye to our elderly cat, Rupert, at this veterinary practice. The procedure itself was handled smoothly, but unfortunately the aftercare we received afterwards was deeply upsetting and lacking in compassion. When we collected Rupert’s ashes, the paw prints that were supposed to be included were missing. My partner returned to the clinic to ask for them and they were simply handed to him with no apology, no conversation, and no sensitivity whatsoever. When he arrived home and opened the handwritten sympathy card included with the paw prints, we were shocked to find they had written my partner’s name in the card instead of Rupert’s name. “We are incredibly sorry for the loss of Brian-he was a sweet boy” At a time when we are grieving the loss of a much loved family member, such a careless mistake was incredibly hurtful. We phoned the practice to raise our concerns, hoping at the very least for some understanding or empathy, but received only a cold, robotic one-word “sorry” and nothing more. We understand mistakes can happen, but compassion and care should be part of veterinary aftercare, especially when families are dealing with the loss of a beloved pet. Sadly, this experience added unnecessary hurt to an already difficult time.

I have just had a very upsetting experience here. My dog was in great pain so i rushed there for an emergency appointment. In my haste i forgot my phone (with Apple Pay) so i asked them to let me pay for the pain killer over the phone when i got home. They refused as they said they do not give "credit". The medicine was £30 (£3.59 on line). We are a member of the practise and are on their health plan so they have all my details. I even offered to leave my very valuable watch as surety! They were prepared to let my dog go home while whimpering in pain in order not to give "credit" for what can be bought for under £4 for the 20 mins it would take me to get home. (It was too late to go home and come back again that day ). When i questioned this , i was told that it was my fault i forgot my phone and it was unacceptable that i was making my dog's suffering their responsability. I know that there are a lot of complaints about the greed of these vet chains and Village Vet are amongst the most guilty here, but the lack of care and human kindness is a whole other story. I have obviously left the practise now. I could not have anyone look after my dog who has so little care for animals and so little kindness. The reception was empty otherwise i am sure a stranger would have offered to cover me as i would if i were to witness this. Not many people would be able to watch a dog suffer unnecessarily, but Village Vet did not seem to mind at all.

This ‘vet’ clinic does not care about animals in the slightest. They put profits over basic compassion. They will refuse basic care for a suffering animal. They would rather see an animal sick and in pain than get paid one second late or one penny short despite a prove track record of paying their exorbitant fees on time without fail. I will be moving to another vet and strong urging people not to go here. Besides, they charge double the going rate for animal ‘care’.

I rang a couple of days ago to enquire about getting my dog's teeth cleaned. I was quoted £1000-1500. After I regained consciousness, I rang the vet where we're registered outside London. They quoted £250-400. I then rang the Beaumont Sainsbury Animal Hospital at the RVC, where our cat is registered. They quoted £550 with the caveat that that might increase if extraction was required, though they said that was unlikely given my dog's age. I've also clocked that I can buy 3 months' worth of my dog's Nexgard and Millbemax tablets from Pet Drugs Online for less than £30. Today I paid Village Vet £112 for these. Insane. In fact, I left Village Vet years ago when I discovered that every passing thought about my cat's health had been added to his record, which made him uninsurable, even though he was never investigated or diagnosed with any of these hypothetical concerns. I returned during Covid when they were the only vet I could find who could offer the puppy vaccinations we needed. While reception staff always sound mildly irritated, I've had some good care here, in particular when my dog had an eye injury. But the prices are insane, extortionate and unjustifiable and it's easy to see why private equity are buying up chains of vet clinics: they are pure profit centres. There's something acutely unpleasant and cynical about cashing in on people's love of their pets and their worry about their pet's illness or injury, and the lack of options other than these chains, especially in central London. So I'm leaving once again.