Care First Animal Hospital at Oberlin

Amazing place for vet care! They have been taking care of my pup since I got him 3 years ago. The entire staff are very easy to work with and very knowledgeable! They were amazing when my dog had unexpected surgery and allowed us to visit him whenever; they called us 2-4 times per day with updates which was so comforting! Highly recommend.

I use Care First whenever my dog needs extensive testing (an ultrasound, for instance). They have the equipment on site so they are the most flexible for scheduling. Rates are also shockingly inexpensive!

Love love love Dr Joe and his team. Such wonderful people! They have care for our furry family members for nearly 25 years!

Update: 4-2023 Still the BEST vet in the area. Puppers are there right now for a much needed spa day. We are really looking forward to the opening of the new hospital!!

Update 62023. Dropped the girls off today for a spa day. Baths, brushes, nail trims, ears cleaned. They are so comfortable and happy to go off for a pampering day. Thanks Dr Joe, and Dr. Page for keeping our babies so happy, healthy, and beautiful!!!

Dr. Wages Is one of the most amazing humans out there! She is never too busy to answer questions, or give advice! THANK YOU!!!

In January, my cat was in a ton of pain and my personal vet had recommended putting her to sleep as nothing was working to bring her back to health, she was rapidly deteriorating and it was horrific to experience. Care First answered my call on a Saturday and instructed me to come in in the next 2hr for a euthanasia appointment. My partner and I went and cried so much as our first born cat was finally put out of misery. The entire staff was compassionate, friendly, understanding, and all other positive characteristics you would want a vet hospital to have. When I picked up my cats ashes, the employee handed me the sealed box and sincerely apologized for the loss of my cat. A while later I received a sorry for your loss card in the mail signed by the entire staff. Additionally, my cats name was Squirrel and in the card everyone referred to her as Sweet Squirrel, which was one of her nicknames. That touched my heart and was a nice final note to end my overall experience on.

I had a very sick dog in my car. This was the third vet I had been to as my regular vet was in surgery, and the next vet had a five hour wait time. After two strikes, I was on my way to the Vet School. But, as I exited Oberlin Road and turned onto the Wade Avenue exit, there it was – Care First. Although I lost my little companion of 13 years, I felt he received the best care possible, and am grateful for Dr. Wages and the staff for their kindness to both me and my pet.

Twice. TWICE this amazing group of people has saved my dog. The first time was 5 years ago when I brought her in for a lump next to her spine that no fewer than three other vets had misdiagnosed. It was an aggressive round cell cancer. They removed it, and for 5 years, we had no other problems. All of the sudden a growth appeared in my now 13-year-old malamute's mouth. It grew to over two inches extremely quickly. We had moved two hours away, but none of the vets in our location were either reasonably priced or even a fraction as caring, competent, and kind as Care First. They scheduled her immediately and removed the large cancerous mass without requiring a jaw resection, etc., and at about one-third the cost of our local vet hospitals. They were patient and helpful throughout the entire experience. They checked in the very next day to see how she is (that's today). We went from thinking this was the end to getting to keep our girl a while longer. Thank you.

Dr. Wages and Dr. Gordon are incredibly experienced and caring! I am so grateful how they have cared for and treated my dog. My very large dog has had not one but Two TPLO surgeries for CCL / knee repair at Care First with these amazing doctors. After the first surgery, which was the worst repair, my dog would occasionally do something to himself to cause himself to limp. I was at max anxiety. Even though it was the Friday before a holiday weekend, Dr. Wages was thorough and cared for my dog as if it were a regular day, doing x-rays and double checking him to make sure he had healed properly from his first surgery. I can’t express how grateful I was for her care of my dog and me.
In addition, my dog had continuously had an ear infection for over a year that we could not get rid of. She learned the various nasty things that were going on in that ear, and gave him a bespoke cocktail that got rid of the infections in several weeks. It was amazing … again! And she showed us what we needed to do to keep his ears healthy.
The staff are lovely too. You can tell they love and are kind to the pets.
Huge thank yous to the doctors and staff! Don’t change, we need practices like yours.

Helped me send my boy over the rainbow bridge. He was such a good boy. His name was freckles and he was deaf. He can hear now and he has wings now… 🕊🐾🤍🐾🕊we miss you baby !

We don’t live in Raleigh and had to come here on a whim while on a visit, when my dog (Zelda) hurt her leg. We had the best care and were treated like family/valued clients. Dr. Geis helped explain what had happened to our dogs ACL and the next steps for when we get home. So thankful for her and her team. Doggy injuries are sooo scary and I left feeling confident. (((Shout out to the lovely vet tech that assisted her 💜))) (((a pic of our beautiful Zelda happy and healthy, like she will be one days again!!!)))

My dog Meira attends day camp regularly and loves to play with her puppy pals. Recommend Care First at Oberlin highly.

Our kitten is already doing better and we are so grateful for the care! She's been to this vet's office twice, and although she hates new places, she seems genuinely comfortable here. She lost her voice and we were very concerned it might be something more serious -- Care First got us in the same day and took great care of her. She's already back to singing for us, and is recovering quickly. Thank you!

PS -- Although I usually take the kitten to the vet and reviewed Care First based on my experience, these photos are from my husband's trip with her. He clearly let's her explore *wherever* her heart desires!

There is a reason the lobby is bustling with activity, pets & their owners/parents arriving for appointments, awaiting check in or check out. THE REASON: the veterinarians are top-of-class professionals, caring, knowledgeable, thorough and compassionate.

Over the years, the vet team at Care First have cared for the cats we have lovingly referred to our "kids". The vets have greeted each as "first time" kitten patients and they have comforted us as we said good-bye before each took the last breath.

Care First consistently delivers remarkable care!

We brought our puppy to Care First to get neutered because of the voucher program—it’s not our typical vet. Given this, I was nervous! However, everyone we interacted with was extremely kind and helpful! The surgery was quick and seamless, and the communication before and afterwards was excellent. I received a follow-up text the day after the surgery asking how he was doing, and a personal call from the vet when I had just a mild concern. I would highly recommend this vet and would bring back my dog regularly if we lived closer! Thank you to the team!

First Animal Hospital at Oberlin has cared for our beloved pets since 1996. Dr. Gordon and Dr. Wages and all the caring staff are, simply said, the very best. They have our highest recommendation.

Care First at Oberlin will always be our preferred vet. Every time we go we have the most amazing people working patiently with us and our peculiar pups. Our big rescue pups are anxious about everything and they are always handled with care here. Prices are more than fair and we have yet to have a bad experience. I will continue to recommend this place to anyone looking for a vet!

This whole team is so incredible. My sister originally found them when she found a tiny baby kitten severely dehydrated and malnourished on the brink of life that required intensive care. They did everything they could and one of the staff members even took it home with her for constant monitoring. Unfortunately the kitten didn’t make it, but they waved all medical expenses for this little stray. We now have a 4 month old kitten and everyone has been amazing. Everything is explained so well, staff is kind and enthusiastic, and everyone really takes their time to explain everything which is great for us (first time pet owners). Could not recommend a better place to take your animals.

I always have the best experience with CareFirst in every area of care: Vet checks, vaccines, day camp, grooming, etc. All you hear from other people is complaints about how they are unhappy with their animal services. CareFirst has a great staff, great service and reasonable pricing. I always recommend them to others.

Phenomenal and affordable services to the community of Animals and their owners. The vets here did an excellent job of getting us in and out of there smoothly. They're very compassionate and loving towards the Animals. They do their job tirelessly, humbly, and with devotion. I will forever remember our Dogs final hour with loving memories and a commemorative paw print provided by CareFirst.

The team at Care First are so kind and compassionate. We had the unfortunate experience of having to help our dog over the rainbow bridge. They let us take all the time we needed, never rushed us, talked us through the process, and made it as comfortable as possible. Everything was so well thought out on their part from putting us in a room as soon as we arrived to giving us paw print keepsakes. They even sent us flowers a couple of days after. We will never forget how well they treated our dog and us. Thank you Care First team! ❤

We have a very vet anxious dog and our experience with Dr. Moats and the vet technician (didn’t catch her name but she was great) was absolutely amazing. They took extra time to comfort our dog and make sure they didn’t exceed his comfort level during the exam. This was the best vet experience we’ve ever had in the three years we’ve had our dog! The price was more expensive than the last vet we used but the care and patience made it completely worth the few extra dollars.