What are Clients Saying About Willow Animal Hospital?

Gilley and I met Dr. Smith on April 10, 2017 as an emergency walk in patient. I thought Gilley was having a stroke as she was walking funny and her head was tilted. Dr. Smith took one look at her and knew her neck was sprained/strained. We got on the floor in the lab and he gave her a laser treatment which brought her instant relief.  

About a week later Gilley showed us how she strained her neck; we caught her with her head tilted 90 degrees licking the grease pan from under the grill!!!

We are so excited to be able to see Dr. Smith as a regular patient now! THANK YOU!!!!!

I met Dr. Ballou when Mr. Peanut injured his leg and I rushed him to the closest vet I could find. He was a fussy little man who was fearful of many people and situations, but she treated him physically and mentally and got him back up to full speed in no time. She became his regular vet from that point. She found the best way to treat his anxiety, which was increasing with his age, especially with storms and fireworks. When my little hiking buddy was diagnosed with cancer in his elbow, she came up with the best treatment plan to keep his quality of life as pain-free until his last day.

Our family have been patients of both Dr. Smith and Dr. Ballou for over three years now and there is no one else that I would entrust the love, care, treatment and services of my three furbabies (Buster, Jax and Simba).

Dr. Smith and Dr. Ballou have the most compassion, love and care for animals that I have seen and prior to the opening of Willow Animal Hospital we were patients of theirs at their previous employment before Dr. Smith opened up Willow Animal Hospital. We are now driving approximately 45 minutes to the new practice, but the relationships we have established with both Doctors-along with the love, care, treatment and services provided Buster, Jax and Simba is more important than a 45 minute drive.

Dr. Ballou is also specialized in Rehabilitation and through Physical Therapy, Buster significantly improved and was released. Buster no longer was limping due to his right shoulder and we were able to continue the exercises at home.

To sum it up, recommend you check out Willow Animal Hospital for yourself!!! 5 stars out of 5 stars

This is an easy one. Dr. Ballou carried my family through the care and eventual end of our dog, Fritz’s life while she was practicing in Haymarket. We trust and appreciate her so much that we followed her to Dale City when we adopted our complicated rescue, Ellie. Her willingness to troubleshoot and talk through treatments is so valuable. We will continue to follow her wherever she goes!

Allison Bagnell

“Over the years we have been blessed with the privilege of Dr. Kent Smith’s care of our family members. This includes our two Bichon’s Peanut and Butter who unfortunately are no longer with us and Cocoa, our Shih Tzu. What is so noteworthy is the type of care that Dr. Smith provides. I have always found him to be not only creative in his treatment approaches but extremely thorough. His outward compassion for animals is obvious and noticeable. What is also apparent is his concern for the family as well. When our ailing Bichon Butter was nearing the end of her life, Dr. Smith truly went out of his way to ensure her transition in life was peaceful and easiest on my wife and I. This speaks volumes as to the type of Doctor he is and continues to be for our Shih Tzu. If Doctor Smith opened a practice on the moon, I would find a way to get there. He is……..that good.”

“Dr. Kent Smith is an awesome vet. We have been going to him for a year and he has been amazing.  Dr. Smith has a great personality, caring and funny. His talent as a vet is amazing also. He has helped our pets thru many a crisis. He has treated with success and when there was no hope he was there for us when it was time to let our pets go. He is very caring especially at that time.  Dr. Smith also cares deeply for our pets and does everything he can to help us afford treatment by finding alternative less expensive treatments. We highly recommend Dr. Smith!!”

“Dr. Smith is the perfect veterinarian for the routine care.  Very approachable, and one feels like you’ve known him forever. Beyond that , he is remarkable when your pet is suffering, mild or major.  This person is a problem solver, and will do what it takes to find the solution, whether curative or palliative. And it’s not a “one and done.”  My sweet Maverick experienced many health problems ( and stoically, I must say).  Dr. Smith became engaged us, performing diagnostic and surgical care, connecting us with appropriate specialists (because he is well connected in the community) , and continuing to keep us both in his mind.  There’s nothing like a quick text saying “I’ve been thinking about Maverick’s xx condition, and am reading about a new procedure/process.”  Even in the end, Dr. Smith provides compassionate care, personally and professionally.   What a joy to watch him in action, knowing he is focused on the best outcomes for your pet.”

“My association with Dr. Smith came about at the beginning of the pandemic when one of my dogs sustained an eye injury. My regular veterinarian was unavailable and at the Emergency Hospital I was informed the wait would be in excess of four hours. As I sat in the parking lot waiting, I remembered a friend who had boasted of his vet, who happened to be Dr. Smith. I called and long story short, he was able to see my pet as soon as I could get there. He treated her and assured me it was not as bad as I had thought.

From that day on he became my pet’s veterinarian and cared for both of them. I can say without reservation his caring for animals is not merely a profession but a passion.  To a sometimes anxious pet owner, such as myself, his access and willingness to answer any questions is a great comfort.”

“We met Dr. Smith completely by chance. Our 12-year-old Papillon was struggling to stay alive and my wife and I rushed him to the local emergency vet. Besides his superior veterinary skills that saved my dogs life and eventually diagnosed his Addison’s disease, his ability and compassion to work with my wife and I to help make decisions was even more amazing. We treat our dogs as our children and Dr. Smith understands that and helped guide us through a few difficult weeks. The result was a chance to live with our Rufus for three more years; well worth the cost for us. Dr. Smith is loved and admired by many and we completely understand why. He treats us as family and we feel the same about him.”

“I remember the first time I took our lab, Ellie, to Doctor Smith. He immediately sat down on the floor and played with her and made her feel so comfortable. Since then, both of our labs have become his patients. My husband and I have often discussed how blessed we are to have found Dr. Smith. He is a caring, compassionate veterinarian with all the animals he treats, as well as their owners. He is a skilled surgeon as he repaired a very torn-up pad on our dog’s paw… it was not a matter of “stitching a straight line and all is well.” It was a challenging ordeal and now there is no evidence she was ever injured. One important thing I’d like to add is, after Dr. Smith performs surgery, he has always offered his cell phone number in case we have any problems or questions afterwards… and he will answer our texts or call us back to ask further questions. He is very involved during the healing process. He truly cares so much for the pets he treats. Dr. Smith is an excellent communicator and explains things in detail. He is very patient in answering questions. Lastly, he is extremely knowledgeable and an excellent veterinarian.”

“I have been a client of Dr.Smith for over 15 years. He and his staff are so friendly and knowledgeable. I feel he treats my pets as his own. He takes time to explain each and every concern. I highly recommend Dr. Smith.”

“If you love your pets like I do and want the best care for them, you owe it to yourself and them to visit Willow Animal Hospital and meet Dr. Kent Smith and his wonderful and knowledgeable staff. Over the past 35 years, Kent (as a veterinary technician and vet asst) and then Dr. Smith has amassed an incredible amount of expertise in emergency and routine veterinary medicine. He has treated no fewer than ten of my pets, always listening to my concerns and often providing me with less-costly, less-invasive options for treatment. Other things I appreciate about Dr. Smith: he listens to clients and patients and often sits on the floor with the pet. He also believes in alleviating the pain of my senior dogs and, when necessary, has helped— but not rushed—me make the difficult decision to say goodbye to them. He is honest, caring and compassionate and works with clients to figure out the best treatment plan for you and your pet. In my experience, Dr. Smith is everything you need in a veterinarian. I highly recommend you give Dr. Smith and the Willow Hospital a try.”

“I have had the pleasure to have Dr. Smith care for both my cat and dog for the past several years. He saved dog with an emergency hernia surgery in the middle of the night;  and ensured her care for more happy years before I lost her this year at age 16. Dr. Smith also personally consulted all the way through the emergency room stay for the cat with Pancreatitis. He solved a mystery ailment with the cat by engaging Cornell University for a case peer review. As with the dog, Dr. Smith was with the cat all the way to the end at age 17 when I lost him the same week as the dog. Dr. Smith was very caring and supportive through my grief losing both of the babies at the same time.  He also sent me a personal note of encouragement when I asked him about adopting two rescue kitties from Homeward Trails. There is absolutely no other Veterinarian that I would consider caring for my babies! Dr. Smith is just the best. I rave about him to everyone I know who has fur babies.”

“Dr. Smith has been my cat’s veterinarian for a few years now. He has helped them through simple routines such as administering vaccines and exams to more in depth procedures such as treating sprains and caring for reoccurring  paw wounds. He is compassionate, gentle and has wonderful bedside manners. He takes the time to explain diagnoses and treatment options. He always gives me options with different price points of treatment plans and I find that very helpful. I also had a brief opportunity to work with Dr. Smith as a veterinary assistant and that’s where I really got to see him in action and his love for animals. He went above and beyond for every client, even bringing in his own cat to the clinic to administer a blood transfusion with a critically ill patient.  He goes the extra mile (marathon) for every single owner and their pet. Dr. Smith and his team are the best! “

“Dr Smith provides the highest standard of care for his patients, while also trying to stay within the client’s budget. He is compassionate, caring and explains procedures in layman’s terms. Dr. Smith understands that pets are part of your family. You and your pet not only become a patient, you become family.”

“Dr. Smith has been seeing our dogs since his days as an ER vet, well over 15 years. When he went into private practice we transferred all our dogs to his care and have never looked back. He has always been extremely thorough and compassionate. We respect that he teaches us things along the way and gives us resources for further education about our dogs care. He listens to our concerns about our dogs and he is straight forward and talks to us in a language we can understand and absorb regarding each of our dogs health and treatment”

“Dr. Smith has been our exclusive vet for the Rescue for about 20 years. He treats them with the same respect and compassion as a personal pet and never lets them go without anything they need. When we get to the clinic and the dogs meet Dr. Smith, they become instant friends and they remember how well they were treated if they have to go back. The Rescue truly appreciates Dr. Smith and staff and looks forward to this new adventure!”

“When you are happily willing to drive over an hour to see the vet, at any hour and short notice, you know you have someone special! Dr. Smith has been treating my dogs for 20 years on a routine and emergency basis. He is compassionate and understanding and always does the best for the animals.  I wouldn’t go anywhere else!”