I'm not even sure where to begin when it comes to reviewing the incredible staff and fantastic care that my animals have received here. It's never a good night when you and your beloved pet find yours... Read More
I'm not even sure where to begin when it comes to reviewing the incredible staff and fantastic care that my animals have received here. It's never a good night when you and your beloved pet find yourselves on the way to the emergency vet, but SAVS has always been able to put my mind at ease, ensure that my pets are well taken care of, and in a way that is actually manageable for me. My first experience with them was about 8 or 9 months ago when my Mastiff Tawny developed a large abscess on her neck that caused her face and neck to swell up and she could not breath well. It was after midnight, so this place was our only option. I did have to pay a $75 emergency checkup fee up front. After the doctor looked her over, figured out what the problem was, we waited a few minutes for them to return with an estimate. They decided that a small surgery was necessary to drain the abscess and drains should be put in. We were expecting it to be a lot of money, because it is an emergency vet, and it was. We upfront told them that we can not afford it. They came back with a second estimate, doing their absolute best to cut the costs, and it was significantly better, but still outside of our budget. The doctor returned as they could see we were not ready to let go of our pet just because we couldn't afford her care, which would have been heartbreaking. The doctor offered, at no cost, to drain as much off of the abscess as she could with a needle and syringe and that should hold us over until the morning where we could see our normal vet for a (most likely) cheaper price. We were extremely appreciative of their help, and we did wind up getting it taken care of the following day for less.A few months later, our cat Tyrion came down with an abscess of his own between his shoulder blades, and it was again late at night. We turned again to SAVS to help us. Tyrion was in bad shape, he had not been eating, was limp and barely conscious, very much not himself. They saw this immediately, and rushed him to a back room. The doctor saw him immediately. We went through roughly the same process as before, but this time they were insistent that surgery had to happen tonight. He had to stay the night in recovery. First estimate was very high, second was significantly better, but still too high. Third was stripped down as much as they could, really the absolute bare minimum they could do and removing all fees and extras. It was doable. We signed off, and then the doc came back, and explained that she would feel more comfortable giving him better care than what we could afford, and that they would just take care of it. It was more important to them that the surgery be done right than to line their pockets and my wife and I could not have been more appreciative again. Everything went smoothly and we had our little boy back to normal within a week. One week ago, we were heartbroken to find that our mastiff had passed while I was at work. She was 12, a good bit beyond her life expectancy, and we had been having talks about what we would do when she was gone. We simply did not know. We had at one point looked into cremation, but very few places around town would accept a dog of her size, and those that would were exorbitantly priced. Several hundred dollars at minimum. Now the day was upon us and we had no idea how to handle it. On a chance, I called SAVS because I knew they would be open--maybe they had some advice? The lady on the phone, before I even stated my name, knew from the fact that I mentioned my mastiff who she was. She said, "Oh no! Is this Tawny?" "Yes," I said. "I'm so sorry, she was such a sweet girl."Yes, she was.That level of care and personal service is something that is not easy to find anymore. It was so touching to know that someone else there was sharing our loss with us. That our sweet dog had made an impact on someone else out there too. She informed us that they could have her cremated for us for $100 if we do not keep the ashes, and $165 if we did. We chose the latter. We wrapped her in a blanket and headed over. Upon arrival, the lady offered to have a paw print made in clay for free as part of the service. We thought that would be nice. After taking care of the paperwork, we went to their back door and they came out with a gurney, placed her gently on it, and then wheeled her off after we had a chance to say a final goodbye.I can not express how appreciative I am of this place and the people who work there. They have made so many tough times so much easier for us, and truly helped my pets as if they were their own. Thank you, SAVS, for everything you have done, are doing, and will do for the family members out there who are just a little more furry than the rest of us. Read Less