Alton Main Animal Hospital

JianYi Chen

Dr. Shim and the other vets are great. The vets explain everything very thoroughly but there are a few concerns after a few visits here. The workers there don’t seem to communicate with you or each other well. They bring your pet into another room to do the examinations and vaccines. We got our dog microchipped and got all the paper work for it and certificate but at the next appointment the tech gave us a ‘SPAYED/NEUTERED’ certificate. She handed it to us… and I told her we never scheduled to have that done for her. She looked at us confused and took the paperwork and immediately threw it away and said “ohh I meant to print out the microchip paperwork” (which we already got during our last visit). Another tech asked us to weigh our puppy. We told her 10.2lbs. She put down 10.6 lbs… We asked the tech for flea medication and wanted the same medication our pup had last time. Instead of asking us if it was okay to switch to a different one she proceeded to switch to a different one. And she said they didn’t have the previous one in stock. Again, no communication here. The tech asked us if we paid for the full puppy package already.. we told her we paid in full the first visit. (We asked them to itemize certain things for insurance purposes).. again, there seems to be confusion here. We see dogs puke and have accidents in the office they just simply wipe it up with a paper towel. No additional cleaning or sprays/cleaning materials used which is also concerning. Our pup got the rabies vaccine. As we were walking out and getting in our car to go home the tech comes out to tell us side effects like diarrhea and allergic reactions our pup might have and that they close at 6 (1 hour left) Shouldn’t she tell us before giving the vaccines? Or during our previous visit so we could have booked an earlier appointment. Again, poor communication here.

Sarah Jay

Dr. Shim is the best of the best! I have a hard time putting my trust within a veterinarian but Dr. Shim goes above and beyond. My cat was in the ER and the next day they took her in immediately. No matter how busy they were throughout the week they continued to see her to give her treatment and tests. Dr. Shim actually cares about the animals that he treats. My cat had high levels of toxicity in her body and a blood infection, I was extremely scared but they did their best no matter the circumstances. He is very knowledgeable and even though we didn’t know her test results rite away he suspected what kind of treatment she needed and I’m so happy that he did because it couldn’t have waited. I ask a lot of questions and he is always patient with me and answers them thoroughly. He even called on his day off to see if I had any more questions and just to check up on her. Thank you Dr. Shim and your team for taking good care of my furry family, we couldn’t be more grateful for you all!

Kathy Gorman

I recently visited Alton Main A.H. for my dog Cooper's eye issue, which I suspected was infected. Cooper also had enlarged lymph nodes behind his jaw bone and swelling under his chin. After finishing the course of eye medication, I saw only slight improvement in Cooper's eye, of which I reported to Dr. Shim. I returned a couple of weeks later for a scheduled surgery to remove a small cyst on his chest and a couple of other minor growths. When I came to pick up Cooper at the end of the day, I was told 2 meds were being prescribed to Cooper for his post-surgery recovery: an antibiotic (2 bottles - one was 500 mg; the other was 250 mg. Dr. Shim opted for 750 mg to also make sure his possible eye infection would improve); and the other med was Rimadyl, which the front desk person told me was "for pain." I was never scheduled for an appt to return 2 weeks later to have the stitches removed and for a post-surgery check-up!!! I had to call to complain about it, and only then did I get scheduled. (The front desk told me: "we forgot to schedule you for a check up b'cuz we are so busy" - which is what they always tell me!!) When I did arrive, Dr. Shim noted one lymph node appeared to be slightly smaller in size from my prior visit 2 weeks earlier; the other lymph node slightly larger. Dr. Shim asked if I was giving both med's to Cooper. I told him I only gave 1 Rimadyl pill to Cooper b'cuz he didn't seem to be in "pain". Note: I later was told by the front desk that the Rimadyl was also an anti-inflammatory, which made me furious and was a *serious* error on their part (for neglecting to give me the proper info about the medication.) As soon as I resumed the Rimadyl medication, Cooper's swelling under his chin subsided, but the lymph nodes behind his jaw bone remained the same size. I suspected lymphoma, common in (older) Boxers, b'cuz of what I read online and the symptoms Cooper was having and the fact the meds were not reducing the size of the lymphomas. I even brought in my own online research w/ notes that I typed up and discussed w/ Dr. Shim, but he ended up keeping my notes! (Maybe he thought he could learn something from them?) Not getting anywhere w/ Dr. Shim and not seeing improvement in Cooper, I decided to get a 2nd opinion from Greek & Associates (Dr. Greek re-named his practice to "Greek & Associates Veterinary Hospital" and moved to a new location in Yorba Linda 12 yrs ago). On my first visit, I explain Cooper's recent history and symptoms, and the doctor suspects lymphoma right away. They noticed enlarged nodes on the side of his neck, causing his larynx to be pinched, which was causing Cooper to have difficulty breathing (NEVER discussed by Dr. Shim). Greek & Associates prescribed an appetite stimulant (NEVER mentioned as an option by Dr. Shim). Greek & Associates then suggested a biopsy to confirm lymphoma and learn best treatment options (NEVER mentioned as an option by Dr. Shim). When I dropped off Cooper 1 week later for his biopsy, they took a precautionary chest x-ray first (NEVER discussed by Dr. Shim), only to learn of an area of concern that showed up as a small "white area", which should've been a "black area" on the x-ray. 3 of their doctors looked at the x-ray, and all agree it most likely is cancer, and told me the biopsy was not necessary, and instead, prescribed Prednisone, that will shrink the nodes and give Cooper "more time" (NEVER mentioned as an option by Dr. Shim). The appetite stimulant pills and the Prednisone is only $1/pill at Greek & Associates (much less than Alton-Main's prices, as the front desk had told me, "the cost of our medications have really gone up in price!" But ALL of their prices have gone up, and Greek & Associates told me their prices have NOT gone up!). Save yourself money and headaches, and go elsewhere, b'cuz this place is too busy to care for your pet properly!) I have moved on from Alton-Main and officially am "back home" w/ Greek & Associates in Yorba Linda and am very pleased w/ their professionalism, knowledge, and pricing!

Liz Sánchez

The Dr. Is amazing, he is very effective, nice, and shows that he truly loves and cares for your pet. I always take my dog with this vet. My chihuahua is 3lbs and 7 years old, she had tumors on her belly and the Dr. put her down for surgery and thankfully everything went amazing. Their staff members are very nice and efficient.