Blackwatervets Reviews 22

Our jackapoo was in a very poor way B-Hol Monday at 10pm, called their number & took him to their recommended emergency vet at Manningtree, 1st class treatment, tested bloods & electrolytes both normal, gave him an injection & meds & told us we were good to go & not to even bother Blackwater, as they felt confident he would improve!!!!!!, I dont begrudge a penny of the £500 bill, not claimable on our ins, ...... moving on we get a call from Blackwater to ask us to bring our dog in for a check up??? which brings us to this morning 27/8/25 the wife took him in & Ola then starts saying there was a need for further tests???? to which my wife drew breath & said well lets see.....the retort was...."perhaps you should go to another vet then"..... No consideration as to the cost already accrued, or anxiety with situation surrounding the event, customer care with her is none existent, but the £70 it cost is ; ) So having defended the bad comments made by so many others, We will take her suggestion & "Find that other vet"..... 3 dogs now off her books/paid plan after 8 yrs.

I’ve been taking my elderly cat to Blackwater Vets for a while now. The girls on reception are always very friendly and welcoming and Ola clearly has a real passion for what she does.
She is always very thorough when checking my boy over and obviously really cares for each pet she sees. I never feel like we’re ’just another appointment’
When she saw he needed dental treatment recently, she fully explained to me what was needed and how she would proceed (although it would be clearer to see what was required once he was asleep).
I booked him in for the procedure and brought him in on the day, fully confident that he would be well looked after.
When it came to collecting Jake at the end of the day, I was very pleasantly surprised to find the final bill was less than the estimated amount as he hadn’t needed quite as much work doing as expected.
He is now a much happier, healthier cat, loving life and looking great (just with less teeth!) and I have more money to spend on treats for him. 😁

If there was a minus star rating it would be that ... I didn't want to click one star as they are not deserving of it. I don't normally leave reviews but I just had too in this instance. We Joined this vets after moving to the area 4 years ago so we knew no different. I honestly didn't even think to look at reviews, but after we Joined we had bad reviews from locals who said they would never take their pet there- Ola the so called vet apparently has made poor decisions and just likes to put pets to sleep, misdiagnoses medication, is rude and if you don't do as you are told she gets rid of you. I can not begin to tell you the unproffessional rude lying person she is - I feel so strongly about it that I am reporting her the the royal college of veterinary surgeons. we have a rescue dog that took a very long time to trust and go in the vet, he was quite reactive as he was scared from past abuse. Ola's first comment was to put him down red flag already ! we did not obviously do that and generally We excepted Ola was a rude and obnoxious person but the staff seemed to care or so I thought they did - now I know they are not nice people. Ola told my husband that she wanted to put my dog on pain medication as she believed he may be in pain- when he asked questions why she didn't like it - he said well you cant just do that on a guess if you can show us he needs it then of course we will do what's needed. she said if we didn't do it she would take us off the books unless when he came in for his booster jab she can do the assessment and start the medication ? my husband happened to mention his concerns to one of the receptionists Wendy stating his concerns, he then booked in the booster jab for 3 weeks later. 2 days before his jabs we received a letter from Ola stating that my husband had phoned up the surgery and was abusive to staff and had upset them and because of his behaviour we were taken off the books and never to go there again ? anyone knowing my hubby would know that's a lie as he isn't like that 1 bit. I phoned up and told them I think you have sent this to the wrong person,? the unfriendly receptionist told me to hold the line, she came back and stated he phoned up in support of another customer who was having a problem with them, I stated well you definitely have the wrong person as we don't know anyone that's a customer there and this is a mistake. she didn't care I was crying telling her it was not us - so shrugged me off and told me to speak with my husband- I phoned him and he said he hasn't phoned them ever and hadn't even seen anyone for weeks there, HE WAS FLABBERGASTED he told me not to worry its a mistake and that he would pop in that night. he went down there that night and the staff treated him like a criminal, would not let him in or explain it was a mistake, hubby even had a call log for the day they said he phoned showing he made no calls. they told him to leave. just dumped my dog 2 days before he needed his jabs no duty of care to him, or care how log its taken my dog to trust them all ,disgusting treatment to loyal customers we were in complete shock for 2 days- it wasn't until we sat and thought about it became clear it was a complete fabrication ! she had made the whole thing up to have an excuse to get rid of us because we dared to ask questions on why she wanted our dog on medication ! so she carried out her previous threat !!
we have since learned other horror stories from other people in the area that she did the same to or had dogs put down, or others who dared to ask questions about their Pets care when it wasn't needed, the woman should be struck off she is only out for money, has no manners, gives wrong advise, totally unprofessional- not to mention an out and out LIAR and her staff team just follow her behaviour clearly - or so I have heard go along with the lies as they are scared for their jobs !
we since have found a lovely vet who really cares - we have to start again for our dog to build trust but its a small price to pay to never go to OLA JANKOWKA again- please do not ever use this surgery if you love your pet !

Blackwater are terrible vets. The vet is only interested in taking your money for medical conditions which routinely do not need medication. We sought a second opinion who was critical of nearly all the previous treatments administered. Unfortunately, Blackwater vets have a monopoly over mersea residents.

I’ve rarely left reviews, but after my experience with Blackwater Vets, I feel I have to share this. I was absolutely shocked by the way I was treated when trying to ask just three simple questions about my cat’s care.

To start, I called to double-check the time of my cat Charlie’s appointment (was it 8:40 or 8:50?) and also to clarify the need for the blood tests, as I had already opted out of them. I had previously requested pain medication for Charlie about 10 days prior, and I was told that if they performed the blood tests at that time, I wouldn’t need to repeat them for his surgery. However, when I called to confirm that I no longer wanted the blood tests redone, I was treated dismissively and told that my concerns were irrelevant. Despite clearly opting out of the blood tests, they were still carried out against my wishes, which was both frustrating and upsetting.

Furthermore, when I became upset they asked if someone else could bring Charlie in so, I advised that my mother would accompany Charlie. Despite me opting out of the blood tests, they went behind my back and had my mother, who wasn’t fully informed, sign off on them. This is completely unacceptable as it disregards my instructions and my right as a pet owner to make informed decisions about my pet’s care.

When I went to collect Charlie and asked about the blood tests, Holly, the receptionist, was incredibly rude. As I became upset, she tried to rush me along, mentioning that my being upset wasn’t a "good look" for their next patient. There were also other small but concerning microaggressions, such as slamming the door behind me while I was in the room collecting my cat. These actions made me feel disrespected and disregarded.

To add to the stress, just 18 minutes before Charlie’s scheduled surgery, the vet, Ola, threatened to cancel it, which was completely unnecessary and caused a lot of anxiety. Throughout the entire process, the receptionist, Holly, was unhelpful and dismissive.

I have since moved my cats to a vet that actually listens, cares, and treats both pets and owners with respect. I wouldn’t trust Blackwater Vets again, and I wouldn’t recommend them to anyone looking for proper, compassionate care for their pets

My little dog is very nervous and hates other dogs. The whole team at black water vets were so accommodating one of the lovely reception team come and got us from the car park when they were ready for him. Made him feel relaxed and even checked the coast was clear when the kind vet finished his general check up he got treats for being such a good boy. Thank you ladies, we now can’t even go past the vets without him wanting to come in!

Amazing service from Ola and her team. My cat has been really struggling I thought it was the end 😪 but Ola has started to treat him with an arthritis medication and my cat is like a kitten again. I trust her 100% with my pets and love how she is transparent with her fees. Been using BV for 12 years and would not go anywhere else. Keep doing what you do team 💪

I can only say that we have used Ola and the Blackwater Vets for several years and, for both dogs and stray cats, we have always found them to be kind and compassionate and all have been treated well.
The main complaints seem to be about the charges, well these people have never had to deal with a syndicate and they would then have extortionate bills.
We have always insured our pets and we have not had any problems

I’ve thought about writing this review for a long time. My pets were under the care of Blackwater for many years. Then I moved off the island and when I returned to Mersea, I registered my 2 cats. Initially all was well and I was told by Ola I was “one of their good pet owners”. Then my cat needed a tooth out and following this I was told the pre op blood test revealed a problem and that we would need more tests. I found it hard to believe as my cat seemed so well. I agreed to the extra blood tests and asked for the costs first. Then when it came to pay, I was charged significantly more. I questioned the difference in price as there was such a discrepancy. I did pay but despite this, I received a phone call from Ola accusing me of being rude to her staff (I was not - I did not even raise my voice) and stating that, as I wasn’t following her treatment plan, I had to find another vet. I said that I didn’t understand as medical science is not an exact science and that there are always pros and cons of any treatment or procedure and that I merely wanted to explore the best option for my cat (who I thought had just needed a tooth removing, and I was now being told needed expensive thyroid medication and very regular check ups at the surgery). Ola became aggressive and shouted at me and essentially told me I was sacked from the surgery. I was stunned at her behaviour and I told her so however by this point I realised that there was no way I would trust her to look after our pets.

I have been registered with another vet for a while now and they are great. Friendly, caring and professional - everything Ola was not. It’s such a shame as ideally I would prefer my pets did not have to undergo a car journey to Colchester every time they need to go to the vet. I wish the vet would read all of these reviews and think about her actions. Mersea people want to use Mersea businesses… there’s a reason why people are not ‘shopping local’ for their vet. So many people with similar negative experiences cannot be wrong.

We were on a week's break down in my partner's birth place in West Mersea. We took our dogs out for a walk in East Mersea when one of our dogs was viciously attacked by another dog...to cut along story short, we rushed out very injured dog to Blackwater vets who, after assessing Miellas injuries, said A:that she might not
make it, and B: that her right leg had the muscles torn from the shoulder and may need specialist surgery in Newmarket as and that could cost £6000! But then said that they might have to amputate. As you can imagine, myself and my partner were absolutely devastated...but we were going back to Bristol the following day and made sure she was going to be ok to travel..in the meantime, this 'so called' vet, charged us £1600 up front!! Evan though we are covered by insurance...we travelled back to Bristol and took her straight to our own vets....2 days later, Miellas is back home with us and walking fine... albeit still a bit sore...Evan our own vets couldn't understand why Blackwater vets charged us what she did and why she asked us to pay upfront....our own vets in Bristol also said that what we had been charged doesn't match up for what she had done...

Stay well clear of this vet practice...the main owner (Orla), who is Polish, is just a money grabbing sharlaton....she caused my partner and I additional stress and upset that was completely unnecessary

Awful experience

Our 10yr old black lab hasn't a nasty bone in him, never growled or been afraid of anyone...until visiting Ola at Blackwater Vets! We left without any assessment or treatment when Ola said she was going to put a muzzle on him to examine him. The surgery room was so small and she cornered him, towering over him with little or no empathy and he whimpered a little. In his 10 years he has seen many vets for yearly boosters etc but always with a waggy tail. She then charged us £57.00 for 'Professional Services'. Never met a vet as awful! Certainly not a professional animal lover in our opinion. Reception staff were very nice. It was a terrible experience for our lovely dog and also for us. I hope this will not have a lasting effect on him for the future. Will never return to Blackwater Vets.

awful place!
a dog was found and we were called through a friend of a friend to foster the dog with her being signed over after 7 days!
she was 'checked over' and we were told don't think she has had puppies. If she had had puppies that wouldn't have affected us keeping her.
the next day first thing I went to get her groomed as she was matted and the smell was another level. After the groom you could tell she was so much happier, she settled here so well and was loved a lot.
I was concerned she had a water infection so took her in for treatment the next day. She wasn't even put on the table to be looked at it was 'we need a urine sample' we were sent away with no pee pot, am I supposed to use a cereal bowl?
I got told to take her back in the next day with a sample, whilst there they told me 'theres been a complaint from another vets' we need to take her back. First lie.
I was sat on the floor in tears holding her as in such a short time she was such a big part of the family! the vet then took the lead walked her out and I was sat on the floor in tears was told to leave we need this room for the next patient.
since then they have lied to various charities\organisations.
avoid this place, no compassion, they could care less and will lie to cover there backs

I don't understand the criticism that this vets get! Absolutely incredible service every time we attend with the whole team being so caring to all my pets. Ola and her team are the creme de la creme and are one of a kind. All my pets adore everyone at the vets and the bond they have with all animals is amazing to see. I would always recommend Blackwater Vets as my experiences have always been 10/10.

I took my little kitten there today for his jabs. All happy and ready to sign the pet plan. The vet called me in. She is also the only vet there and the owner. She asked me about my previous cat. I explained he died 5 years ago which was straight after seeing her. She asked if I had used another vet after her. I said yes. She then literally wanted me gone. She said anyone who uses another vet is not allowed to go back to her! She said it was lack of continuity. I explained this a brand new cat! She asked me to leave again! I was so embarrassed! She was so aggressive! She frightened me to be honest.

FRAUDULENT & SCAMMERS
Recently moved to the island and was excited to try black water vets. However I am left disgusted and appalled at their behaviour especially from the main vet Ola. I took my elderly dog in to see them as since moving and due to the hot weather she has developed some hot spots on her back which needed antibiotics. Her behaviour from the moment I saw her was over the top and dramatic even mentioning putting my dog to sleep and telling me how expensive my bill would be. Having a background in veterinary nursing and also hydrotherapy for small animals I am well aware of vets that like to be overly dramatic to get you to pay more than you should be. I was told my reception that a consultation fee would be between £40-£60 so you can imagine my shock when I was charged £80 for a basic consultation. When questioning why I was charged this her exact response was ‘I am paying for her time’. I had to wait 25 mins after my appointment time to even be seen, and was only in there for 10 mins. I’m not happy to pay for someone’s time when they cannot even respect mine in the first place by being on TIME. I tried to query this at reception and I was met with three receptionists ganging up on me saying basically it’s the vets discretion what she decides to charge and if I was in a hospital I would have to wait hours to be seen. I simply told her you cannot compare a free NHS healthcare system to a veterinarian practice for animals I have to pay for. I left feeling like I had been totally ripped off with a £400 bill. I was charged for 3 injections when my dog only had one, a £80 consultation fee and expected to give my dog 9 tablets a day over some small sores on her back. I then left and was phoned to come back in again to pick up some more tablets for my dog. As soon as I walked in Ola was shouting at me saying I am disgusting, I have abused her staff and I am banned from ever coming back. I was utterly confused when I had been nothing but nice to the receptionists even though I had 3 of them trying to argue with me. I was simply questioning what they had actually charged me for as it didn’t seem right. After reading the other reviews of her exaggerating dogs conditions to other owners I can see it is a repetitive cycle and I feel really sorry for any owner who ends up there and gets scammed by these people. It is clear they are just trying to get money out of people and not in this profession for their love of animals.

MONEY IS ALL THEY CARE ABOUT!
I’d rate this place 0 if I could. Worst vets ever.
I recently moved to the island and had my wife and i’s elderly dog treated at Black Water Vets. Unfortunately, I was left appalled by the experience she received, particularly with the main vet, OLA JANKOWSKA. My wife had taken our dog there due to hot spots on her back caused by the hot weather and was in need of antibiotics. Right from the start, OLA’s behavior was dramatic, even suggesting the possibility of putting our dog to sleep and emphasizing how expensive the bill would be. My wife’s background in veterinary nursing and small animal hydrotherapy, she has encountered vets who tend to exaggerate to inflate costs.
The initial shock came when she was told that the consultation fee would range from £40 to £60, but ended up being charged £80 for what seemed like a basic consultation. When she questioned this, Ola's response was, "You are paying for my time." What's frustrating is that she had to wait 25 minutes past her appointment time for a consultation that lasted only 10 minutes. It's disheartening for her to pay for someone's time when they can't even respect hers by being punctual. When she raised this concern at the reception, three receptionists confronted her, suggesting that it's entirely up to the vet to decide what to charge. They even compared it to a hospital visit, which didn't make sense since shes dealing with a paid veterinary practice, not a free healthcare system like the NHS.
She left the clinic feeling ripped off and with a hefty £400 bill, including charges for three injections when our dog had only received one as stated on the itemised bill, an £80 consultation fee, and a prescription for nine tablets a day for minor sores on her back. To make matters worse, she was called back to pick up more tablets for our dog, and when she returned, OLA started shouting at her, accusing her of being disrespectful and banning her from returning. This left my wife utterly bewildered since she had been nothing but polite to the receptionists, even though they were trying to argue with her. After reading other reviews about OLA exaggerating dogs' conditions to inflate costs, it's clear that this is an ongoing issue. I genuinely sympathize with other pet owners who may find themselves in a similar situation and hope they aren't taken advantage of by this practice. It appears that their primary focus is on extracting money from people rather than a genuine love for animals. This practice is not run in an ethical way and OLA needs to learn some serious customer service skills.

I had been a client and supporter of Blackwater Vets for many years until recently. Unfortunately the rudeness and attitude of the vet/owner forced us to move our Labrador and cats to a different practice. This was not something we wanted to do and was done with a heavy heart.

My elderly parents who struggle to travel any distance also had to leave this week. Their young dog was taken there with what appeared to be a skin rash. The vet gave the dog an injection (without discussing it with my mother) that resulted in a serious adverse reaction. Less than an hour after leaving, the dog swelled up to twice her size, was struggling to breathe and became extremely distressed. My mother rang the vets immediately. The receptionist told her she would ring the vet for advice as she had left for the day. The vet lives 2 minutes away from the practice. The receptionist told my mother the vet would not re-attend. My mother informed the receptionist that the dog was extremely unwell and was told that “if she was that worried about it she’d have to take the dog to the emergency vet”. This is 15 miles away in Colchester. I then had to collect the dog and my parents and drive at breakneck speed to Colchester. Fortunately the emergency vet gave the dog an injection that reversed her symptoms. Oh, and it cost several hundred pounds. When I collected my parents and the dog I was shocked and not sure the dog would survive. She was in a terrible state. It took three days for her to recover. When my mother attended the vets the next day to inform them she was moving vets they told her they wouldn’t transfer the dog’s medical notes to the new practice until she paid £17. She was told that if she cancelled her medical plan direct debit she would owe them this even though it was for medication she wouldn’t get, but she paid it. She then received a letter demanding more money or they wouldn’t complete the claim form form for the fiasco they’d created.

The vet recommended I take my Labrador for hydrotherapy to help with a shoulder injury. When I booked him in for a session at the hydrotherapy centre in Colchester I was told that he needed his vet’s consent to undertake treatment, and Blackwater had sent a one-line email informing them that the vet did not “authorise” hydrotherapy treatment, even though it was the vet’s idea. I saw the email response from the vets saying “Ola does not recommend hydrotherapy at this time”. It transpired that the only hydrotherapy centre that Blackwater Vets will “consent” to you using is one in Ipswich - a 3 hour round trip. I subsequently found out it’s because one of the vet’s friends owns it. We had used the one in Colchester a few years ago and the same vet had consented then. Since when does a vet have to “consent” to which hydrotherapy centre you can take your pet to? When I rang to complain I was told that it was Ola’s decision and there would be no point in me speaking to her about it.

After some very upsetting and unpleasant experiences with this vet (including being told I wasn’t looking after my dog properly and was cruel and irresponsible) - this was the final straw. He had been prescribed pain medication for his shoulder injury which wasn’t making any difference, and the vet wanted to give him more injections as well (and if I didn’t consent I’d be guilty of animal cruelty and would be expelled as a client) - his new vet put him on alternative pain medication that solved the issue immediately. We had also previously agreed to let the vet remove several of our young cat’s teeth - at huge expense - as we were told this was necessary. We were also told that if we got a second opinion it would be viewed as mutiny by the vet and we would be expelled. We have since been told it was completely unnecessary by another vet. I have since been told that other local cat owners have been told their cats need expensive dental extractions.

Blackwater Vets used to have a superb reputation and could easily be a centre of veterinary excellence, after all it’s the only vet on Mersea Island. The fact that people travel miles to go to an alternative practice says it all. Their business model appears to be to try to get you to part with as much money as they can, and if you question their decisions or disagree, the vet then threatens to sack you from their practice for animal cruelty. Because there is only one vet who is also the owner, there is no way to get a second opinion or view. It’s the owner’s way or the highway. I hate writing negative reviews and was very upset (after all my years of support) to be ultimately treated very badly, but until the current management change their attitude towards their clients, I can’t see how it can improve and get their former excellent reputation (that was built up by the previous owner over many years) re-established.

Black water vets are purely about making money, certain staff and the vet do not care for your pets! I was signed up to the puppy pet plan for both my dogs, paying a monthly fee which included their vaccinations, 6 monthly health check, worming and flee etc. They were supposed to call you in for weight checks when worming and flee treatment is due to ensure correct treatment however they did not do this which resulted in one of my puppies getting worms and becoming very unwell. The vet Ola tried to blame us stating it is our responsibility to ensure our dogs are on the right plan. How are we supposed to know the correct dose of worming treatment for the weight of our dog, we are not vets and that was the vets responsibility. What’s the point in having the plan! The vet was rude and made us feel that we have not cared for our puppy! After trying to make numerous appointments to get vaccines like kennel cough, each time we went to the appointment the vet insisted they could not vaccinate our dogs and told us they had some sort of infection or skin condition, resulting in us paying a hefty bill to be treated as we took the vets word! I regret this now as our dogs appeared perfectly fine and their skin is amazing! I strongly feel this vet is just trying to find problems to treat for money. As a result we have changed vets but they would not release our dogs medical records until we paid a fee which was an error made by Blackwater vets. The receptionist was very rude when questioned what this payment was for and told us once we leave we could not come back. Gladly! Our two dogs are now thankfully in the hands of vets who actually care about them and not just about making money.

Bad experience. Not the first time...
My dog was administered an injection for her allergy without informing me about the hideous price of almost £88, and I was told she needs to get it every month. No alternative treatment was offered. What's worse, the injection was given without informing me about the cost first, which is a breach of the customer's right. After I complained, the practice director (the same vet who once shouted at me in the past) gave me notice and refused to treat my pets.

There are some great vets and lovely nurses there, but the practice is managed by an arrogant, disrespectful person, who has completely no customer service skills and no ability to deal with problems in a constructive way.

UPDATE: My dog's allergy and skin infection problems were COMPLETELY resolved with a spray for £9 from Pets at Home and never came back...