Desert Sage Veterinary Clinic

Things have definitely changed in the last year or two. Firstly, all of their staff have left for other jobs and the new people they hired have no people or animal skills. Secondly, Dr. Thurman leaving, temporarily, has made a bad situation worse. Yesterday was my first time there since the temporary vet took over. My dog needs surgery to remove a lump they found in her chest yesterday. Unfortunately money is tight and just not there for the surgery at this time. I was told by the vet to sell more houses. It breaks my heart I can’t afford the surgery right now, but the insensitivity of the vet was a complete shock to me. One visit with the temporary vet has ended years of loyalty to Dr. Thurman.

i wish this clinic would accept Spay\Neuter Vouchers.

Today I had an appt for a general check up for my newly adopted pet. I’ve been petless for 8 years and was super happy to be able to find the vet who I used back then. I have to say. I’ve never had a better experience with a vet office. Everyone clearly loves animals and their jobs. I give them the highest recommendation.

We have been seeing Dr. Thurman for about 8 years now for all our pets. She is the most amazing vet and all of her staff are incredibly sweet and helpful. They’ve helped us with everything from routine visits, to puppy packages to even having to put down a pet recently. They handle EVERYTHING with the most amazing respect and professionalism. No matter where we move to in the valley I will always take my furry loved ones to Desert Sage and Dr. Thurman.

I am from out of town but spend a lot of my time in the Phoenix area for work. My boyfriend and I recently adopted a dog that will be our ‘travel buddy’. I made an appointment here with recommendation from a friend to have her spay sutures removed and kennel cough checked out.
It is very hard now days to find a caregiver for your pet/​family/​kids that are time efficient, professional, friendly, and caring. I would say Dr. Thurman and her staff all gave off that vibe. The nice and knowledgeable male vet tech was very gentle with my lil’ lady and Dr. Thurman spent time with me answering all of my questions and was sweet with the pup as well. I feel like the cost was what you would expect for quality care (maybe even a bit less).
My only complaint? That I can’t take these guys with me wherever I travel! If you are looking for a great small practice with staff that cares, this is your spot!

Always very friendly, always thorough, and they don’t push you into doing a ton of tests, that may or may not help. They take good care of our whole crew!

Dr. Thurman and the entire staff at Desert Sage are just wonderful. My first experience with this clinic was in 2011 when I accompanied my then-​boyfriend on a visit for his (our) dog Roxxy. We didn’t spend a long time there, so I was astounded when, a year later, I returned with Bryan, now my husband, and Dr. Thurman remembered me! Her good memory has nothing to do with her skill as a veterinarian, but it certainly made me feel as though she really cared about her clients and tried hard to make everyone feel welcome and important.
I have since been back many times with each of our four pets. During each visit, Dr. Thurman is friendly, thorough, knowledgeable, and really great with our pets. She also remembers details from previous visits and follows up without prompting. It’s really great to feel confident about the care provided to our pets.
All of the techs are just great with the animals (and with nervous pet-​parents) and the front office staff is always courteous and efficient. All of our pets (read: the cats) don’t appreciate going to the vet, but we actually look forward to going since we’re always treated so well. While it’s not the main reason we take our pets to Desert Sage, we are glad that their prices are far cheaper than other clinics (and Petsmart), and we appreciate that we’re never bullied into getting services we don’t absolutely need.
Thanks, Dr. Thurman & staff for taking care of us and our pets! :)

Dr. Samantha Thurman is the cornerstone of this place. I first met her over ten years ago at another practice, with another pet and unbelievably, when I brought my ailing chow chow in, she remembered me. That might not sound impressive, but honestly, I didn’t remember her and if you compare the ratio of vets that I have dealt with to the number of clients she has over the years and you start to figure out at that her attention to detail is amazing.
The office is housed in a converted home, which honestly is one of the only downsides to visiting this practice because it results in an odd parking situation. But really that is quite minor.
The office doesn’t have that «I’m in a vet’s office» smell (hugs thumbs up) and is always clean. The staff is very nice and you actually believe they care about your pet. They have this really cool service where they take a picture of your four-​footed baby and provide you with an ID card for each one that contains all the critical information you might need (age, vaccination history, weight, etc). The card is unbelievably helpful if you ever have to fill out one of those tomes at another office, because all the information is right there in your wallet. The service is free and they will provide you with your ID card on your first vaccination visit. If they don’t, ask and they will do one up for you.
The things that make this practice stand out to me (in no particular order):
*Dr. Thurman herself. She is amazingly attentive each and every time I am there. She always asks about my other pets after she has completed her work up on the patient of the day. She NEVER makes me feel rushed or hesitates to respond to any of my neurotic pet-​mom questions. She has an amazing circle of colleagues and has been able to put me in contact with leading specialists for my one little girl.
*There is always a vet-​tech present during the exam. This may not sound like a lot, but I am always nervous about holding someone still or how they will behave during an exam and with the tech providing this support instead of myself, my pet is not picking up on my bad mojo.
*I don’t feel overly pressured in to services. Don’t get me wrong, she is incredibly thorough, but she doesn’t make me feel like a loser when I opt-​out of electives. She is also very good about providing all the information, in terms that I understand, so I can make an informed decision.
*Individualized treatment and care for special needs. I have one pet with some rather obvious social anxiety issues and Dr. Thurman offered up several options to help minimize the stress of his visits. I’ve grown used to his quirks, but who does this?!!
Overall — I am a huge fan of Dr. Thurman and Desert Sage. Prices are in line with what you would expect to pay for similar services and they have recently added one other veterinarian to the practice, but I haven’t seen him, so I cannot comment on that. If I had any critique, it would be that it has more limited hours than I would prefer. This may change with the addition of the new Dr., but honestly the individualized care you receive is more in line with a boutique Clinique, so I can’t complain and realistically, I have never had an issue with getting an appointment in a timely manner.
If you are in the central valley and in need of a great practice, give Desert Sage a try. I’m quite sure you and your furry /​feathered /​scaled one will be very pleased. :)