Lakemont Veterinary Clinic, P.C. Introduce
For pet owners in Altoona, Pennsylvania, choosing the right veterinary clinic is a critical decision that directly impacts the health and well-being of their beloved animal companions. When exploring options for veterinary care, it's essential to consider a facility's services, accessibility, and, importantly, its reputation as reflected in community feedback. Lakemont Veterinary Clinic, P.C. in Altoona has been a presence in the local veterinary landscape since its founding in 1979 and has undergone changes in ownership over the years, most recently under Dr. Denise Nickodemus since January 2014. As a full-service animal hospital, it aims to provide veterinary medical, surgical, and dental care.
According to their stated mission, Lakemont Veterinary Clinic, P.C. is committed to providing a high standard of veterinary care for pets in Altoona. Their philosophy emphasizes delivering quality medical care in a friendly, relaxed setting, supported by informative and supportive services for both pets and their owners. They also state a commitment to maintaining a superior working environment for their employees. The clinic is accredited as a Cat Friendly Practice by the American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP) and by the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA), which indicates certain standards of care and facility management.
However, recent public reviews for Lakemont Veterinary Clinic, P.C. present a mixed, and in some cases, concerning picture of client experiences. While historical sentiments from long-term clients suggest past satisfaction, there are significant current concerns raised by multiple pet owners regarding a perceived decline in service quality, misdiagnosis, handling of pets, and emergency care. These recent testimonials indicate a growing divergence between the clinic's stated mission and the experiences of some pet parents, particularly under the current ownership. It is important for prospective clients to consider both the stated aims and recent experiences when making a choice for their pet's veterinary needs.
Lakemont Veterinary Clinic, P.C. is located at 1400 Circle Ave, Altoona, PA 16602, USA. This address places it within the Altoona area, which serves as a central hub for many communities in Blair County, Pennsylvania. The clinic's location on Circle Avenue offers a degree of accessibility for residents within Altoona itself and potentially from surrounding areas, depending on their starting point.
Regarding accessibility for local users, the clinic provides a regular schedule of office hours throughout the week. These hours are typically Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Thursday from 8:00 AM to 7:00 PM, Friday from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, and Saturday from 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM. The clinic is closed on Sundays. These hours are standard for many veterinary practices, offering weekday and limited weekend availability for appointments and services. However, the convenience of these hours must be weighed against any reported difficulties in securing appointments or receiving urgent care, as highlighted in some public feedback.
Based on information available, Lakemont Veterinary Clinic, P.C. describes itself as a full-service animal hospital offering a range of veterinary services. This typically implies comprehensive care for companion animals.
- Medical Services: This would include general health examinations, diagnosis and treatment of illnesses, internal medicine consultations, and preventive care.
- Surgical Services: Common surgical procedures for pets, which often include spaying, neutering, and various soft tissue surgeries.
- Dental Veterinary Care: Services aimed at maintaining oral health, such as professional dental cleanings and addressing dental diseases.
- In-House Laboratory: Facilities for conducting immediate diagnostic tests like blood work, urinalysis, and fecal exams for rapid results.
- Pharmacy: A well-stocked pharmacy for dispensing necessary medications, parasiticides (flea, tick, heartworm prevention), and other veterinary products.
- Ultrasound: Availability of ultrasound technology for non-invasive diagnostic imaging.
- Access to Specialists: Indication that the clinic can facilitate referrals to veterinary specialists for complex cases that require expertise beyond general practice.
- Emergency Veterinary Services: While specific details on emergency protocols are not fully outlined beyond "emergency veterinary services," one review indicates a potential limitation in providing urgent care during critical situations.
- Wellness Plans: Some external sources suggest potential for wellness plans, which often help manage routine pet health expenses.
- MyVetStore Partnership: They partner with MyVetStore to offer medications, food, and other pet products.
Publicly available information and reviews offer various perspectives on the features and highlights of Lakemont Veterinary Clinic, P.C.
- AAHA and AAFP Accreditation: The clinic is accredited by the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) and is a Cat Friendly Practice by the American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP), indicating adherence to certain industry standards for care and facility management, particularly for feline patients.
- Established History: Founded in 1979, the clinic has a long history of serving the Altoona community, and for many years, had a positive reputation among some long-term clients.
- Transition in Ownership: Since January 2014, Dr. Denise Nickodemus has owned the practice. A letter from the previous owner, Dr. Piper, speaks to Dr. Nickodemus's compassion, trustworthiness, and experience, and her striving for continual improvement.
- On-site Diagnostic Capabilities: The presence of an in-house laboratory and ultrasound allows for potentially quicker diagnostics.
- Comprehensive Offerings: As a full-service animal hospital, they aim to cover a broad range of medical, surgical, and dental needs for pets.
- Customer Service Concerns: Several recent reviews highlight significant concerns regarding customer service, including reports of a rude receptionist/vet tech, a lack of compassionate handling of pets, and issues with communication.
- Concerns Regarding Diagnosis and Modern Practices: Multiple recent reviews express serious concerns about misdiagnosis or failure to diagnose obvious conditions, suggesting a potential lack of current veterinary medical practices or thoroughness in some cases.
- Issues with Paperwork and Follow-up: Some clients report no longer receiving paperwork for visits or blood work, and questions about the accuracy of tests performed.
- Emergency Care Limitations: A notable review indicates that the clinic may not be equipped or willing to handle emergency surgical needs for existing clients during critical times, even after stabilization by an emergency vet.
Lakemont Veterinary Clinic, P.C.
Address: 1400 Circle Ave, Altoona, PA 16602, USA
Phone: (814) 946-4676
Mobile Phone: +1 814-946-4676
For pet owners in Altoona, Pennsylvania, seeking veterinary care, Lakemont Veterinary Clinic, P.C. presents itself as a full-service animal hospital with a long history and accreditations. While their website and historical information emphasize comprehensive care and a client-focused approach, recent customer reviews paint a more concerning picture regarding service quality, diagnostic thoroughness, and client interactions. These reviews specifically mention a decline in standards since the change in ownership, issues with misdiagnosis, a lack of empathy from certain staff, and unresponsiveness during pet emergencies. Given these serious concerns from multiple local users, it is crucial for any potential client in the Pennsylvania region to thoroughly investigate and weigh these recent experiences against the clinic's stated mission and accreditations. For those prioritizing compassionate handling, accurate diagnosis, and reliable emergency support, seeking additional recent testimonials or exploring alternative highly-rated practices in the Altoona area might be a prudent step to ensure their beloved pets receive the consistent and quality care they deserve.
Lakemont Veterinary Clinic, P.C. Photos










Lakemont Veterinary Clinic, P.C. Location
Lakemont Veterinary Clinic, P.C.
1400 Circle Ave, Altoona, PA 16602, USA
Lakemont Veterinary Clinic, P.C. Reviews
DO NOT USE LAKEMONT VET. DO NOT USE LAKEMONT VET. DO NOT USE LAKEMONT VET. DO NOT USE LAKEMONT VET.I am sad to write this. Lakemont has been good for many years (or so I thought), but under the ownership of Dr. Nickodemus, this practice has significantly declined. Not to mention the rude larger blonde receptionist/vet tech who YANKED our dog Quinn around by her neck because she "wasn't listening" after she had JUST woken up from being under for surgery.We've been taking our new 13 y/o cat Andy to Lakemont since January (it's now June) because he looked malnourished, has a constant runny nose, throws up water, and had an eye infection. We were led to believe he was doing well for the most part, just not gaining weight in the right places.I just got back from Sylvan for a 2nd opinion. (I will be switching vets)Our 13 y/o cat has:1. A significant heart murmur that Dr. Brad said is extremely obvious to anyone with a stethoscope, he could even hear the murmur in his breathing.2. Possible heart worms.3. A distended stomach.4. Feline Alveolar Osteitis - a condition in cats where the bone around the tooth socket becomes inflamed and abnormally forms new bone, often due to chronic periodontal disease. This can cause a hard swelling that pushes the tooth out of the socket5. All of these plus Lakemont prescribed Neo-poly-dex for an eye infection, which Sylvan has informed me can cause a significant allergic reaction and other issues in cats. We were not informed of this possibility.I would say that LVC misdiagnosed our cat(s), however that would require them to be good vets and diagnose them with ANYTHING in the first place.Our cat had a bad tooth removed shortly after we had got him, and Dr. Brad was shocked that any legitimate veterinarian worth their weight in salt would NOT also remove his two front canines, which are likely causing him extreme pain due to his Feline Alveolar Osteitis.Sylvan will have my business from now on. Lakemont is not the practice that it once was. I do not feel that they actually care for pets and try to find the root cause of issues. They just refuse to get with the times and stay current on Veterinary Medicine practices. Dr. Yeager is the ONLY vet in this building that I would trust with an animal after this ordeal. We also just realized that we have stopped receiving paperwork back for blood work, tooth removals, and other visits like we have received in the past. I am having Andy's blood work redone by Sylvan because, even if I had the paperwork from Lakemont, I doubt its accuracy.I pray that Lakemont reads their reviews and makes changes with their practice, however unlikely that may be. Also fire the larger blonde vet-tech/receptionist. She was and is rude to every customer. Just look at the reviews.
Jun 18, 2025 · Dustin MarlinI’ve debated on writing this because frankly I am not one to leave negative reviews ever, but I’m still just blown away by the whole situation. I’ve been using Lakemont vet for my animals my entire life, literally. My family always brought our cats there and never had a bad experience. After their one vet retired, who was AMAZING, it seems to have gone downhill.We’ve been struggling with medical issues with my daughter, she was hospitalized for 14 months and needed to get our cat in for a routine check. my daughters condition started to decline and we were unable to bring him in as we had to urgently be with her. They charged us $90 for the cancellation even after explaining our situation. At this time I was like whatever, rules are rules, I can understand- I work in the medical field & time is money. There are also animals that need seen urgently and at the time this was not our cat. That situation is not what this review is about but this was definitely a precursor as this was several months ago.On sunday this same cat ended up at the emergency vet for a blockage, they were able to stabilize him and encouraged us to get to our vet for emergency surgery. When I called them, once again explained our situation, including my daughters condition and that our cat desperately needed to be seen, they informed me there was nothing they could do and hung up the phone. Actually hung up. I was in tears at this point begging them for something and was literally just hung up on. I called back asking for recommendations, resources, a different vet or anything and was met with “sorry we can’t do anything” and was hung up on again. I am still just blown away and disheartened by this whole situation. I couldn’t believe that this was the office that was so good to my animals for all these years. If you’re considering them for your animals care please consider my recent experience—I would not wish that hopeless feeling or experience on any pet owner especially during an emergency.
May 13, 2025 · Abbie GabrielI didn’t have a good experience last time at this location because the receptionist was horribly rude. I still remained kind and asked nicely if I could have my records to transfer them over to a new vet. Apparently they’ve deleted everything? I got both cats spayed here, and took them for yearly shots. So, overall 10 years of my cats medical history is just gone out of pure spite. Not to mention all of this is after many years without any problems.(Edit) After I threatened legal action my records were magically found and emailed immediately LOL
Mar 12, 2025 · Halie MullinsThe doctors, technicians, and all the staff are nice and caring people. They always put your pets best interest and your feelings first. They are very helpful even with the toughest decisions.
May 21, 2025 · John StrayerWe love Dr. Yeager here at Lakemont! We've been bringing our animals here for 20 years and wouldn't trust anyone else with our babies. Rachel out front is kind, efficient and compassionate. The Tech's are knowledgeable and gentle. Thanks for all your support over the years!
Feb 14, 2025 · Wendy Thompson
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