Dr. Chris Yule Fort Kent Animal Hospital VET HOSPITAL HAS GONE DOWN HILL SINCE SALE! Fort Kent Maine

Dr. Yule is by far the best veterinarian I have ever been to in the 7 years I have had my feline friend. My cat, Keio, is a dwarf cat (also known as "Munchkins") and has had a lot of health problems in his life. Munchkin cats are prone to respiratory problems in particular, often having breathing problems chronically over life. The veterinarians I had been to in the past had the attitude that "We can't cure him, so there's nothing we can do". I've had several instances where the veterinarian would attempt to get me to have surgery and procedures done on my cat that would be very dangerous due to his condition, ignoring the basic fact that I wanted to provide him a comfortable, happy life to the best of my ability rather than try to fix a problem using a risky procedure that could cause him to not wake up. It was hard for me to bring in my cat with these chronic problems as the vets would have that same agreement that there was nothing that could be done to help my cat, and I ended up treating him with medications obtained through an online pharmacy if I needed them. Dr. Yule on the other hand treated his symptoms to improve his comfort, even though his respiratory problems could not be cured as a result of his dwarfism. She not only took special and considerate care of Keio's condition, but she offered a lot of great advice to try to treat his chronic problems (rather than cure them, which was not possible). She really cares about chronic cases and improving their quality of life, trying new treatments to make life easier for them and allow them to live more normally and happily. She also has a great selection of products at her clinic to use for pets, emphasizing a holistic approach to pet care (dental, nutritional, physical, etc.) rather than just providing a couple of prescription foods like the vets I have been to before. Ever since I started feeding my Keio the Eagle Pack formula she sells, he has thrived and nearly doubled his weight, and been healthier than I have seen him in my entire 7 years of owning him. I did not realize that a poor diet was causing him to have problems! She treats him as a special patient and is very understanding of my situation with a chronically ill cat. She is the first vet I have been to that has not given me the downtalking of how my cat has a lot of problems (I am aware of the fact that he does...that's why I am at the vet, duh!). Dr. Yule has a great staff that are kind, knowledgeable,  and contribute in many ways to the care of pets. I have never had a problem getting an appointment, and have never left an appointment feeling like my pet got anything less than the best care available. I personally believe that if it wasn't for the care, products, and incredible kindness of the hospital, my cat would still be very sick, or not alive at all. Whoever wrote the poor review is clearly not aware of what great care the hospital can give and how lucky this area is to have such wonderful medical care for pets. My standards in veterinarians are very high now as a result of Dr. Yule and her wonderful team, and I am eternally grateful for the compassionate and quality care that has been given to my beloved Keio. I could not get better care for myself at a hospital. Take my advice and go to Dr. Yule as your vet...especially with a pet who has a chronic case or special needs. And also get your pet food from there...there is nothing sold there except the highest of quality food, which saved my cat when he was sickly. I also want to say that sled dogs get exceptional care, and although there are people out there who aren't as kind to their animals, mushers have a wonderful bond with their dogs and I have seen how happy they are when they run. And about farm animals...Dr. Yule doesn't treat them. I wouldn't bring my chicken or cow there because that would just be really awkward. Anyways, to sum it up, Dr. Yule's practice is a wonderful facility and I am confident that my cat is getting the best care possible, without a second doubt. I know that when Keio goes to the hospital, he always leaves better than when he came. 

I have been to 3 different vets in the past year with my dog. She's a rare breed that is known for having health issues, and some vets know and take advantage of this. Discouraged of all the high-cost testing, medications and treatments that the vets in NB Canada wanted to do, I decided to give Dr. Yule a try. I have no regrets whatsoever.

On our first visit, she did a physical on my dog, checked her skin (which was giving her problems) and made very reasonable, intelligent suggestions for treatment. No unnecessary testing. She explained the elements that brought her to her diagnosis, what the problem was, and the options for treating it. Her explanations were clear and precise. I picked the option that best suited our situation, and she worked with us to make my dog better.

She is very patient, soft-spoken, professional and knowledgeable, and her and her staff always greet us warmly. We have returned to the clinic a couple times to make sure the treatment was working and a final exam showed my dog was back to her old self. Contrary to the vets in New Brunswick, re-checks with Dr. Yule aren't billed as full exams, and tests as well as treatment options are discussed fully, including the cost of each, and risks and benefits, before anything is done. Even with the exchange rate, I ended up saving a lot by going to see Dr. Yule instead of the vets on our side of the border. And it only took one visit to figure out my dog's problem, something the vets on my side couldn't do.

All in all, I am very satisfied with Dr. Yule and her staff. Their passion for the well-being of animals shows. My dog couldn't have a better vet.

I have taken my pets to Dr. Yule and am glad that she has made the changes that she has to the office.  She has educated staff at the front desk, not just a small minded, small town face. 

The waiting area is more comfortable and spacious.  I get tired of the small town people that can't handle change and can't handle someone succeeding, especially when it comes to being a female. 

We all have options and your option is to not burden these educated employees with your ignorance and go across the border if you need to. 

You get out of life what you put into it and maybe you are not the most polite person to deal with so change your small town ignorant ways! 

I'm a little late to this discussion, but I took my animals to Dr. Hunter for years as well and I was also sad to see him leave. Dr. Yule took over his part-time practice (he didn't even live in the area) and has turned it into a full-service operation. Dr. Hunter had to refer my animals to the vets in Presque Isle for surgery because he was only here a few days a month. Dr. Yule has been taking care of my animals now for 7 years and I have no complaints-on the contrary, she has shown nothing but compassion and professionalism when caring for my beloved pets, putting in overtime to stay with them at the clinic when they were very ill. The people of the St. John Valley are lucky to have such a dedicated and talented vet to care for their pets. The clinic is always clean and I have observed the staff being friendly, helpful and courteous even when customers have unreasonable requests and may be very rude.

What I see in Lisa's complaint is the belief that Dr. Yule should give up her entire life to serve the residents of the area. 7am-5pm 6 days a week, and on call the rest of the time. Would Lisa want to put in those kind of hours?

I don't know if Lisa has changed her mind over the years, but I'd recommend her giving Dr. Yule another chance. Her pet(s) would benefit from her care.

Like Doc said, animal hospitals are not human hospitals, staffed 24 hours a day. I am a tech studying for my DVM while working at a hospital. Our hours are 8-5, but we typically stay until 6 or 7, sometimes 8pm. Many clients must think that their animals are the ONLY animals under the DVMs care and should be treated accordingly. Clients should realize that animal hospitals are privately owned, NOT state-run. DVMs can also "fire" clients as needed - something to think about when you have a limited selection of healthcare providers for your furry friends.

I know how you feel Doc. My dad's a vet himself and he's got very little time of his own. Generally, half the customer complaints are caused by their own idiocay, refusal to listen, or take proper care of their animals. "Wait..you said take the bandage off after the first day.." Dad's response "No, I said don't take it off untill after the first WEEK." So, trust me, I know what you're talking about. Paged at dinner or while helping me move into my new place, and he'll go and answer it. I'm not complaining about it, I'm just saying I empathize.

Your concerns about my office hours are questionable. When Dr. Hunter owned this establishment, it was a part time clinic open 5 days each month. There was no emergency service - anyone with a problem on other days was forced to travel across the border or an hour south to the nearest U.S. full time veterinary hospital.

I have greatly expanded the office hours during my time here, but as the only veterinarian I am forced to limit those hours to prevent burnout. Please understand, when my office hours are listed as 8-4:00, that doesn't mean those are the only hours I work. I am frequently in the office caring for hospitalized patients, writing up medical records, returning client phone calls, etc. for several hours after the office has closed. If I stayed open longer, I would finish even later.

I carry a pager at all times for emergencies, and I spend an average of 50 hours a week on patient care. I spend additional time keeping the business end of my business in order and it leaves me very little time for my own life as is. I hope to be working with this community for a long time, you see, and working 24/7 with no vacations and no relief just isn't compatible with that.

I know that is difficult to understand when your pet is ill and you're seeking assistance, but please keep in mind that this isn't like a human hospital, with multiple doctors and nurses taking on various shifts. It's just me. I can't LIVE at my office, but I try to be ready to drop everything when someone needs my help. I am only one person and that's the best I can do.

I can understand the concern here. I just think that maybe the first posting was a bit rough, but I agree that things are very difficult since the business was sold. People seemed much nicer before and the hours were much better.

I recently saw an ad in the local paper that gave the vet's hours. It was like 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM except on a full moon, or something like that. Of course that is not serious, but the point is that the hours are so bad now why do you even run a clinc at all? The place is closed all of the time and it is usually impossible to figure out when you are open and your hours get shorter every month.

If my dog gets ill I would really love to be able to actually get a visit. Of course, the way things are run now I would need an appointment well in advance and not on Wednesday, Three Saturdays a month, or before or after hours, or, or, do I have the schedule right? I wish the dog would get ill on a schedule.

If you are the only vet in town I think it would be nice if you had more hours. I must confess that Dr. Hunter and his staff were nicer and more available. I did not see anything unprofessional about their behavior or lax in the way they helped pet owners. I wish they were back.

I take our dog to Canada. Besides, they are both available and cheaper with the current exchange rate.

It is not possible to please all of the people all of the time, although we do try. I am building a veterinary practice which strives to provide high-quality medicine, stress client education, and keep up with today's medical standards.

Your negative comments are vague enough that I can't really address them in detail, but let me assure you that the ONLY time my hospital smells is right after a pet has defecated (it takes a few minutes to air out, even with prompt cleanup and exhaust fans)and my staff members do their best to be courteous and professional at all times.

Is it possible that some of the other "several changes" you've mentioned are related to requiring an exam before medication is dispensed? How about requiring vaccination prior to elective surgery? Or is it paying for services when they are performed? These are all my policy, and I believe each one of them contributes to the health and well-being of my patients.

There is a small segment of Fort Kent's population that seems to prefer the old days, when they could come on a walk-in basis on Wednesday, the only day of the week the clinic was open, wait in a crowded room to have their pets seen and receive some unknown inexpensive medication to make everything better. That's fine by me, but that's not the type of service I am prepared to provide. I diagnose problems, offer medical advice and treatment options, and the client chooses once I've explained the benefits, risks, and costs of each option.

My staff and I stress good overall health care. We explain in detail what we do to a pet and why, what an owner needs to do at home to maintain a pet's health, and how to approach a medical problem that arises. We all care about the animals in our care, and most of the pet owners here seem to realize that and are grateful. Some others prefer ignorance, and we do our best to provide only the minimal services they request in an effort to make sure the pets at least receive that much care.

As for "my" dog sled races, I participate in the CanAm Crown not as a fan of dog sled racing in general, but in an effort to be sure that these dogs are well-treated, well-supervised, receive good medical care, and as an effort to build good relationships with mushers who do most of their own medical care. By teaching them how to care for their dogs on the trail, I can help ensure the well-being of these animals that never see a vet except as required during a race. I do not see them as "beasts of burden" and have watched many mushers who are quite bonded to each of their dogs as a friend and companion as well as a team member.

If you prefer not to return to my establishment as a client, my staff will be happy to fax your pets' medical records to whatever hospital you choose to move on to. If you decide to stick with us for your pet care, I would appreciate it if you take up any future dissatisfaction with me personally. If your complaints are specific and justified, I will do my best to correct any problem I can.

Dr. Chris Yule
Fort Kent Animal Hospital