Hartman Animal Hospital

\r \r Dr. Hartman prescribed the wrong medication. I took my seven year old miniature poodle to him for emergency consult and testing of the Inter Occular Pressure of his eye because my own vet did not have the instrument to do this test. The pressure was elevated at 30 which was above normal indicating a glaucoma. \r \r However, I pointed out that I had observed this odd, uneven appearance of the eye (I am a nurse) not thinking the cloudiness was characteristic of cataract, prompted him to reexamine the eye more closely. He then announced his findings to be ""anterior luxated lens"". This was causing the secondary glaucoma in his eye as his other eye was normal. It is a painful condition and may have resulted from the trauma of a fall my dog had over a month ago that left him briefly paralyzed. \r \r He then made this matter of fact decision that I would just take my dog to Memphis for surgery and then he was no longer interested to be involved when I told him I would prefer to see a local eye specialist in Russellville. He said he didn't 'know anything about him' to recommend him. I told him I knew about him and would go there as a referral from Dr. Fulton in Greenbriar. However, he recommended to start medication to decrease the IOP in my dog's eye until I could see the specialist.\r \r I went straight to Walgreens and paid $73 for it and put it in my dog's eye. Then I got up at 3 AM to be sure he got it again 12 hours later. By the time I got him to the eye surgeon, Dr, Hodgson, in Russellville at 9:30, the pressure in his eye was 58! This medicine had made the pressure go up! Dr. Hodgson did surgery to remove the lens in the early afternoon. This medicine ended up causing my dog pain and decreased his chances of having a successful outcome of his surgery to save the sight in his eye. It's a blessing he only got it twice!\r \r Dr. Hartman knew what the problem was, but he didn't know how to correctly treat this problem. The sad part is he obviously doesn't know he didn't know what he was doing in this case. This is malpractice! I plan to let him know and ask for a refund. \r \r \r \r more

I do like Dr. Hartman. I feel that he genuinely likes animals. While I always feel like he has every moment booked, he does take the time to answer questions. I can't fault him for that at all. \r \r Except for the staff that I know from another clinic, I don't get a sense of caring from the front office. I have some issues with billing -being told one thing and billed another. It was embarassing explaining to a rescue group why the billing was more than I said.\r \r This is a very busy practice - and it feels that way.\r more

I was a patient of Dr. Carlin's Cat Clinic in Conway. I absolutely loved his services! He and his secretary were always the sweetest people and wonderful with our animals. When Dr. Carlin retired, he sent all of his patient's records to Hartman's. I was under the assumption that this meant they were a good place to take our girls. The first clue I received that things were not going to be so easy should have been when I called to make an appointment. The secretary answered the phone with ""Please hold"". I did just that and 15 minutes later still was on hold. No ""sorry, we need you to wait a little longer"" or anything. When I hung up and called back, they told me that the vet I needed to speak to had literally stepped out 5 minutes ago - when I was waiting on hold! I finally got an appointment set for Saturday morning. We arrived about five minutes before our appointment time. We had emphasized to the vet that our girls were terrified of dogs. She understood and said that they would try to make it as convenient for us as possible. When we arrived, there were seven dogs inside the waiting room. It was to be expected, as it *is* a vet on a Saturday. Fortunately, we had an appointment, so we figured it would be no more than 15 minutes before they had a patient room available for us. The lady at the front desk practically snubbed us when we walked up, acting as though we didn't have an appointment. I had not only confirmed the appointment over the phone, but had received an email confirmation as well... We took a seat two two terrified kitties and waited. In the time it took to get in, a woman with 3 dogs walked in stating to the front desk that she had no appointment. ""Oh, well, since they're just here for shots, we'll get you in."" - they were in a patient room while we still were waiting for our scheduled appointment. Another lady walked in with a teenie mewing kitten. They were turned away for some reason. We waited for a full hour. We watched dog owners come and go, but still remained sitting waiting for any word that our appointment would be honored. Finally, after it hit the 1 hour mark, my husband insisted that we leave. I couldn't exactly blame him. We called later to explain why we walked out on our appointment. The lady on the phone was extremely rude and told us that ""emergency appointments happen on Saturday!"" . I'm sure that they do, but it is considered to be considerate to let the people who had the scheduled appointments know that it will be a little longer and at least apologize! On top of that, three dogs getting their shots is NOT what should be considered an 'emergency'. I'm not sure if the lady at the front desk just hates cats or what, but I'm certainly never going back there. I can't believe that Dr. Carlin recommended them to us. Maybe the vet is wonderful. Sadly, we'll never know because the lady who represents them at the front desk is extremely rude and inconsiderate. more

I was referred to Dr. Hartman 2 1/2 years ago when I got my puppy, Blake. It was the best referral I have ever gotten! The staff is so warm and caring and seem to love Blake as much as I do! Anytime I have a question, I can call and am always treated with concern and my questions answered promptly! Dr. Hartman is always so reassuring and caring when addressing a concern! One day Blake was sick and I had made him an appointment for the afternoon. About lunch time, I got very worried about him and decided to rush him to the office. Even though Dr. Hartman was in his car already leaving for lunch, he stopped and came to care for Blake. I kept apologized for inconveniencing him but he was only positive and assuring. He did not rush his examination or treatment of Blake. After some IV's and antibiotics, Blake is as good as ever. I can't rave about this office enough. The staff is great from groomers, to front desk, to ms. susan, and of course Dr. Hartman. more

We LOVE Dr. Hartman and Dr. Bilby. We've been going there ever since we got our shih tzu, Gibson, about two years ago. Today we took Gibson to get his yearly check-up and shots, and he's never had a problem until this time. By the time we got home, his face and eyes were so swollen he couldn't see, and his little lips were swollen shut. I immediately called the office, and they had me bring him right back in. Although there were other people in line, someone was waiting at the door for me and took Gibson back immediately. Dr. Hartman had given Gibson his shots, but he was with another patient. Dr. Bilby dropped what she was doing to treat Gibson. She gave him a benadryl shot, steroid shot, and then watched him for a few minutes to make sure he was okay. She then brought him back to us, explained everything that had happened, and gave us some medicine to take home (an oral steroid, and some nausea medicine, just in case). She reassured us that everything would be okay. While we were waiting, the staff was just as reassuring, as if they love Gibson as much as we do! It was so nice at a time when I was so scared. When they were all done, we went to check out, and they didn't charge us a dime for treating his allergic reaction. They even flagged his chart for next time, so they can prevent it from happening again. I was so pleased!\r We love everything about this clinic. It's almost like taking your dog to see members of your extended family. Gibson loves to go see the staff, because he knows they'll pay him lots of attention! more

Very helpful and caring staff. There is a new doctor on staff there. She looks young but she was very professional and good with my pets. She took care of all of my pets problems. I have used Hartman Hospital for a few years and I am very happy at that clinic. I would highly recommend using this clinic and both Dr Hartman and Dr Bilby are great vets and I would trust either one of them completely with my animals. Pros: attitude and facilities Cons: none that I know of more

I was boarding my dog there frequently when I would have to go out of town and then I started to notice when I picked my dog up that she was stressed and had diarreah and would hardly eat. After a few times of boarding I asked to see the kennels and I noticed that it was really noisy. I asked for them to place my dog in a quiter place, which they agreed to do so. I would suggest you not to board your dog there if it is old or sick or has stress related problems. They are a really busy boarding facility which is good for them but bad for your dog or cat. Pros: Vet care is great Cons: Boarding is loud and noisy more

My wh ole family AND everyone we have recommended to DR. Hartman is nothing but impressed and very greatful to Greg Hartman, his wife, and all of his staff. Moving from Texas a few years ago we NEVER thought we would find a vet as wonderful as the one we had. Dr. Hartman loves what he does! He has saved several of our animals who were sure to die and the ones we lost- OF NO FAULT OF HIS, he mourned with us. Never have I found a more caring practice that will do everything they can to know you and put your pets as priority. His office is busy but I can see why. I still NEVER have a problem get my pets in even on short notice. Every problem is a priority with his office. I am greatful to him and his office in so many ways. I can't do them justice in mere words. I'll NEVER trust my animals to another vet! Try him. You'll probably never go anywhere else after and tell them Annette Niederhauser sent you! Pros: everything more

I have been using Dr. Hartman as my vet for almost 3 years now. I have 2 cats. Pepper is 3, and Bogie is about 5 months old. They are both rescues, and I bottle fed Bogie from 3 weeks. So needless to say there is a huge, deep, and very loving bond between my companions of the feline persuasion and myself. Dr. Hartman seems to truly understand this and cares strongly himself. I trust his advice, and opinions. He takes the time to listen, understand, & research everything. This Dr. and his practice are a blessing in so many ways. We are a middle income family and sometimes the unexpected does happen. Sometimes you are not always able to pay in full, but Dr. Hartman is great. He lets you pay what you can when you can. If it wasn't for Dr. Hartman, his staff, convenient scheduling, and ease of pay options I would not be able to give the care to my animals that they need. Dr. Hartman gets to know you on a one on one relationship. You and your entire family. This is not just means for living for him. It is so much more and it shows in everything they say and do. Pros: Can make payments, open Saturday, I love this place! more

Dr. Greg Hartman is a thorough diagnostician, patient with pet and owner - has their best interests at heart. He CARES! He understands the bond between the owner and pet and helped us through a very difficult time with our terminally ill dog. He gave excellent medical care to her and enormous support to us as he thoroughly explained what was going on and kept us informed of our options throughout the ordeal. He went above and beyond what other Veterinarians I have used in the past have ever done and took a genuine interest in this particular case - as if it were his own beloved pet. My heartfelt thanks cannot be expressed appropriately! I most highly recommend Dr. Hartman. \r \r The hospital staff mirror Dr. Hartman's professional persona - they all seem to love what they do and geniuinely care about the pets - and their owners. They are always courteous, display positive attitudes, and a determination to make sure that the animals left in their care are well-treated and happy.\r \r Last, but not least, their grooming staff are among the best you'll find anywhere!!\r more