New York Press Every petophile has a horror story about a veterinarian. Usually about some evil beast carelessly slaughtering or absent mindedly misdiagnosising their furry friend, then adding financial insult to emotional trauma by presenting the grieving survivor with a huge bill. But then, we have to admit it takes a very special person to spend their lives giving enemas to pit bulls and still retaining a regard for animals.

The folks at Riverside Animal Hospital are such individuals, and they mix competence with compassion. The office teems with the stray cats they've nursed back to health; sit there and two legged clients will regale you with stories of the miracles performed. Something about the place makes even the patients reasonably comfortable, so that they rarely cower in terror when confronted by members of the staff.

At Riverside you can expect an accurate assessment of how much a procedure will end up costing and how effective it's really going to be. Unlike some of their greedier colleagues, they'll tell you the truth when it's time to abandon hope, not soak you for you last penny. They're good at handling worried humans as well; the cold, hurried treatment you get from many vets is entirely absent here. These guys will actually take the time to explain what's wrong with your animal companion, going so far as to draw rough diagrams for those who need a truly exhaustive anatomical depiction of, say, their canine's prolapsed rectum.