Animal and Bird Medical Center of Palm Harbor - Palm Harbor, Florida

Morgan Stauff

Extremely compassionate Doctor. Without establishing with this vet office at all, I reached out to them the morning they opened back up after hurricane Milton. They got me in immediately at 11 am due to my older ferret having a severe seizure the night before. They welcomed us with open arms and were so gentle and informative. The doctor kept it honest with us that the best course of action would be to put him to sleep and was super caring throughout the appointment. The doctor was very educated and experienced even with being young, its really inspiring to know how knowledgeable she is. Finding a doctor that treats "exotic" pets is already rare. However, to find one so incredibly empathetic and educated is impressive.

After making him comfortable and putting him to sleep they respectfully gave their condolences and gently informed us of the next course of action. After we got home, a few days later we received a card in the mail of sympathies for our loss.

The staff and the doctor was incredible and treated us as if we have been established for years, just on our first appointment. When the time comes we will be formally establishing other pets here. Top notch care, and honest compassionate people.

Luisa

I moved to St Petersburg from California with Toto and I was looking for the best avian vet in Florida. And I found him!! Dr. Joel Murphy is so knowledgeable, caring, and thoughtful. During our first visit, he went over his diet and history. He gave me excellent recommendations on Toto's diet, probiotics, and herbal supplements. I don't like to travel much because I don't like leaving Toto since caring for a bird can be complicated. Luckily, Dr Murphy offers boarding for birds and I have left Toto with him during a work trip. Dr Murphys staff went above and beyond, they sent me pictures and email updates each day which calmed my nerves. And per Toto's report card, he didn't miss me while I was away ?. Which honestly made me very happy and made me feel secure that Toto was being treated well. Toto loves Dr. Murphy and we are so lucky to have found him!

Karina Rios

I really want to thank Dr. Schroder and the staff at the center. They're always so helpful and caring whether I'm calling with follow-up questions or trying to schedule a last minute appointment when my budgie is really struggling with his health. Despite being a busy office, I always feel like my budgie is given proper attention and I really appreciate how knowledgeable and empathetic Dr. Schroder is. You can tell she really cares about her patients and takes the time to help pet owners make informed decisions about their animal companions. Thank you all so much!! ❤️

Ann Franchi

I have good news to report. We brought our Amazon parrot Mieko in on 25 June, and the prognosis was not good. But since then she has been eating just about everything we can feed her, and she is actually gaining weight! She is also more lively and interactive, and stronger as well - she is climbing about her cage a lot easier.
She is still very underweight, but not by as much as she used to be. And she is eating right now!

Sara jean

I brought my 2 yr old Quaker Parrot to Dr. Murphy. I just wanted a basic exam and to gain knowledge on how to best care for our new addition. He was so kind and knowledgeable. I really appreciate how he took the time to educate me on care. He went over feeding (we're switchingto pellets) , and housing and entertaining our bird. He educated me on proper nutrition. I never felt pressured to receiving anything I did not want. They gave me a tour of the back. I saw the bird hotel, for future use. I couldn't have imagined a better experience. Everyone was so kind in the office.

Kathryn Harvey

My family exclusively brought our pets to Dr. Murphy for almost 30 years, and only stopped because none of us still live in the area. I cannot stress enough how little one review can possibly encompass almost 30 years of incredible veterinary service, but I'll do my best.

When we first moved to Florida, one of our older cats' health started to rapidly go downhill, to the point that within a week or so of our move we needed to track down a vet to help her pass on. We happened to find Dr Murphy's practice and brought her in. The next day, Dr Murphy and his office sent flowers to our home after how distraught my sister and I (who were very young children back then) were about Paris.

Dr Murphy saw a total of 10 dogs and 4 cats of ours since then, most of whom he treated across their full lifespan into their senior years and eventual passing. Our dogs were always safe in his or his vet techs' hands, and he always gave reliable and accurate guidance. We also always appreciated how willing he was to provide options but defer to how we wanted our pets' care handled; for example, he has holistic or alternative care options available, but it was never something we felt pressured into or something that we felt was used at the expense of traditional veterinary medicine.

Personally, I also always valued how willing he was to take into consideration the realities of pet ownership on a budget; there were many options for some of our more "medically complicated" animals that he explained to us in detail but also advised would not be cost effective considering the small benefit we would see. He NEVER performed veterinary services just for the sake of billing us, and in fact on multiple occasions offered to waive the cost of diagnostic tests or treatments that did not pan out, under the logic that he shouldn't charge us for his theory being incorrect. He's not unwilling to say "We can do XYZ if you'd like, but I don't think it's going to work" or "We have ABC option, but it's only going to buy a little bit of time and it'll cost a lot of money to do it."

Our pets and every single member of my family were always recognized by name and appearance by everyone in the office, and they would actively remember quirks of our pets' behavior or moods or details about our lives. My father is an avid birder and bird photographer, and has on multiple occasions been late getting home from a vet visit because he and Dr Murphy got into an extended discussion of a recent rare bird sighting or birding trip. If I had a question while picking up a medication, Dr Murphy would without fail personally call me back to check in about it the very same day, even if our pets hadn't had an appointment or if we had seen another vet at the practice.

As the last member of my family to move out of the area, I would be lying if I said that the idea of having to find a new vet wasn't a strong motivator to stay local, and I am still disappointed that I couldn't make that happen. Even then, despite not even being part of the same household anymore, it was still important to me that we schedule an absolute last minute appointment literally a couple of days before I moved so that Dr Murphy could meet and evaluate my own dog, as with my family pets.

Animal & Bird is the single best veterinary experience you can arrange for your pets in the state of Florida, and you cannot find another practice that compares. If you want your pet to have the best medical care they can get, this is where you take them.

Nicole Gordon

We had such a great experience! Dr. Murphy took such great care of our little one. The team was great with after care check-ins and snuggled our little Alfie after his surgery.

Don & Mary Compton

I met Dr. Murphy last November when my beloved Abby was diagnosed with cancer. Dr. Murphy and his staff aided Abby to a peaceful and dignified departure. He also spent upwards of 20+ minutes just talking to my daughter and I to make sure we were okay. Because of his compassion and empathy, I returned today with my husband and two puppies that my family has adopted. Once again, Dr. Murphy spent time with us discussing our new pups and educating us on their needs. All of his staff was wonderful! I am so excited to have found his office. I look forward to introducing our three cats to him as well!