I came here on a Sunday afternoon because my dog was throwing up all day. When I walked in there was quite a few people since regular vets are closed. It took about 1 hour for them to call us up which was fine because it was a little busy, we were sat in a room to wait for the vet. A nurse came in right away and took down her vitals and made notes. 30 minutes later, the vet came in. We chatted, she made notes then said she was going to take our dog to get a “party hat”, not sure what that meant. She returned with our dog 5min later and said she will be right back with the plan. My wife and I sat in the room another hour before I decided to go to the front desk and see what the hold up was. The waiting area was empty now and there were a couple nurses just standing there leaning against a wall. At that point we had been there for 2 and half hours, I told the nurse that we have been waiting for so long and no one has told us anything. Then I heard someone say “O is that for Nala?” (which is our dogs name) and a nurse said “yea I’ll just take care of it” and then let me know she’d be right in. I went back to the room and within 5min she came in with a sheet of paper showing what kind of test they wanted to do for our dog. When told her I could not afford to make a payment for the long list of tests and treatments they made at that moment, she just said “O ok well what can you afford?” I told her a price I was comfortable with and mentioned I’d have to follow up with whatever that couldn’t cover. She said ok, that she will tell the vet and be right back. It really started to sink that we had already been there for 3 hours and they hadn’t done any test or anything at all. Upsetting that it takes 1 hour for the vet to print out a piece of paper with the list and costs (especially with an empty office) I could only imagine how long it would take to complete their list of tests. I also wonder how much longer would I have waited if I didn’t go the lobby front desk and ask what was going on. My wife and I believe they had forgotten us and decided to just treat her for the nausea as we couldn’t wait any longer for the vet and quite frankly didn’t trust them anymore. I walked out to the lobby again to tell the nurse we just want the shot and we will go to a different vet because we have been here for 3 hours and nothing has been done. She then said well this a emergency vet and sometimes we get busy and the doctors get held up. Which was just an excuse because the office was still completely empty (and the nurses were standing around). I am pretty certain they just forgot about us in that room, why else would they have made us sit there for over an hour after the vet decided what she wanted? To bring us a piece of paper? And only after I complained did they tend to us again. The nurse took our dog to give her the shot and the other nurse gave us our discharge papers. About 5 min later the nurse came back out bothered with our dog and said “can you get your dog she is being fussy” Which we have never heard anyone say about our dog, so maybe that was just out of spite? Even if she was fussy, what dog is happy to be at the vet. I also wouldn’t blame her considering she had been there for 3 hours. I mean, so were we after those three hours. On our way out we saw some people leaving as well and they were not the same people we saw with us in the waiting room when we first came in, even the staff was new. Pretty evident they just forgot about us in there and didn’t want to admit it. I would have been more understanding if they were honest and not full of excuses. They should not be able to call themselves an “emergency” clinic. I will 100% never return there again! Read Less

Alyse Zacuto the veterinarian here joyfully diagnosed my cat to be dead in 6 months last year. Its now well over a years now its doing fine. Stay away from this vet peole. SHE HAS NO MORALITY.Plus they took over $2,000.00 from me for there overnight servises. Alyse has zero compassion for your pets. Stay awau from this facility if you truley love your pets. Read Less

DO NOT TAKE YOUR PET HERE!!!!!! I would give them 0 stars but that's not an option. This place is TERRIBLE!!! My dog went in for a stomach issue and left with a neurological problem caused by them for giving the wrong medication. They delibritly gave him another medication when we told them not to and that stopped them from doing a procedure that would have saved him. After taking him out of this "hospital" he could barely walk. They told us it was from the pain medication and he would get better. A few hours later he was completely paralyzed so we took him to our local vet and this was not due to any pain medication. They gave him some other drug that caused permanent damage. We had to put him down after this. Please go somewhere else if u want to save your pets life. We should have known something was up when every family leaving that place was crying. All they want to do there is euthanize and move onto the next. Read Less

Brought my Cat in because I thought he had swallowed a sewing pin. Wouldn't see him because I was short about $40 for the services (xrays and office visit) $300 ?? I was greeted with go some place else that might help. While I understand you are in business to make some money, you could show some compassion and kindness toward everyone. I am a senior and on a fixed income. I did find a very nice compassionate vet clinic. They treated him, no pin which was great! They gave me a 10% discount as a senior and my bill was literally half of what this clinic was going to charge. In addition they kept one of the blankets I had in the carrier when I went to retrieve it they could find it. I had phoned and they said it would be at reception. HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE WITH THIS FACILITY!! Read Less

It has taken a lot of time and $$, but our girl seems to be doing a lot better. We still dont have all the answers but maybe we have the answers we need for now I think if we had sought a second opinion earlier, we would have had more trust in the process. When things are looking grim, it is easy to feel taken advantage of. Read Less

On Sunday January 28, 2018 I brought my 12 yr. old Golden Retriever mix, Sophie Ann to the hospital in dire condition. They brought out a gurney to bring her in and Dr. Melissa Cody had to give me the bad news that she would need to undergo 3-4 days of intensive treatment and without a definite good outcome. I made the decision to euthanize her and Dr. Cody supported the decision. I really appreciated her professionalism, care, but not overly fussy sympathy, which I did not need. My dog hates going to the vet and I knew this had to be done quickly for her sake and frankly for me too. Thank you for making a hard time a little easier for me and my beloved girl. Read Less

One week ago, we had to take our sweet 15 year old cat Sasha to the emergency vet. She was quickly deteriorating, and we were devastated. We knew what it meant to walk into this building, but the minute we did, we were warmly greeted at the front desk. This put us at ease immediately. From that moment on, all processes and upcoming steps were outlined in detail including wait time, cost and expectations. The Dr we worked with was Dr. Tracy Goode. She was honest, compassionate and handled both us and Sasha with sincere warmth and concern. The news wasn't good and we made the difficult decision to say goodbye to Sasha that night. As absolutely devastated as we were, the entire staff remained compassionate and professional. They let us dictate how we wanted to the process to go and made a horrible situation a little bit easier. My husband and I want to sincerely thank all of the staff that we interacted with on 01/09/18 between the hours of 9pm - 11pm. Although the outcome of that night will be a negative one, we will always remember how wonderful you treated us and Sasha. Thank you. Read Less

My 1-year old puppy likes getting into things and shredding them. When my parents came for a visit, my mother left some styrofoam plates sitting in a bad on the floor in the kitchen, not really thinking much about it. We left to go to dinner and came back, and my dog had shredded the plates. The next morning, my dog was lethargic, and he had puked and kept heaving every few minutes. I called my vet, but it was a Sunday, so I had to go to this place, which was on the voicemail at my vet's office.We went in around 8am. We had to wait around for a while before anybody even saw the dog. I didn't mind the waiting itself so much, since I figure a vet emergency room is much like a human emergency room: if you're going to go, you are probably going to have to wait. We saw the vet, I told her what happened, and she said let's run some bloodwork and get an xray, and thank you very much it's 600 bucks. I asked her how long everything would take. She said two hours. I had family in from out of town, so I went home to wait. Two and a half hours later, I had not heard from them, so I called them and asked about the dog. they said sorry, it was a really busy day, they hadn't gotten to him yet, when they are done they will call me. Two more hours later, still nothing. I call back. They put me on the phone with the vet, so said she was just about to call me (coincidence much?) Anyway, she said that the xray showed that there was no obstruction, so eating the styrofoam was fine. But, she also said that his bloodwork came back showing really, really high liver enzymes, and recommended that he be hospitalized overnight and also get an ultrasound of his liver. At this point, I was an emotional mess. I was worried about my dog, and also worried about my wallet. If just a few tests had already cost me 600 bucks, how much would an overnight stay cost. On the other hand, do I want to weigh money against the life of my fur baby? I asked the vet how the dog was doing, and whether he had continued to throw up. After a bit of hemming and hawing, she finally admitted that she didn't know, because she hadn't checked on him for a while. (So I guess he wasn't that much of an emergency?)At this point I called some friends to ask for advice, because I knew that I was in no emotional state to make this decision right then, and because I had no experience dealing with sick pets. One of my friends convinced me that an overnight stay at an emergency vet would be no small potatoes, and that there was nothing they were going to do for him at that hospital that couldn't wait 12 hours until Monday. I called the vet back, told them that I would not be hospitalizing the dog, and asked for him back. It took another two hours to get him checked out, and in that time they also came in with recommendations for additional outpatient treatments, and told me that he was dehydrated and needed fluids. I felt like I was dealing with used car salesmen. Long story short, my friend and I took my dog to her trusted vet the next day, and had his records at this place sent over. My friend's vet looked at the dog, looked at the test results, and wondered whether the test results weren't wrong, since the numbers didn't match the observed behavior of the dog (he was getting his energy back by this time). We just ran blood work again today for the dog, and EVERYTHING CAME BACK NORMAL. My friend's vet concluded that the labs at the other place were just plain wrong, and they should have retested and then released him instead of recommending hospitalization and additional tests. An emergency vet implies that it is a place for people to bring their animals when they are in dire need. At these times, I would guess that pet owners are more vulnerable emotionally, and it is a shame that a place that is supposed to help animals would prey on their owners and recommend tests that are not needed for the $$$$. Read Less

Although the staff was nice and seemed to care for our cat, they did not care about our wallets. Last July our cat was diagnosed with a blocked urinary tract and had crystals. After visiting them about 5 times at horrible morning hours within just one week, our baby was FINALLY better (the total cost of our visits reached $5,000). Let me say that again... $5,000. Just a year later, yesterday in fact, our cat was having the same symptoms. The regular vet was not open so unfortunately we had to come back to this place. The kept telling us different things we can try (the least expensive being $1,000 with a heavy chance that it wouldn't work). So sadly, we decided to put our 4 year old kitty to rest. Guess how much that cost? $330 and we didn't even get the ashes to take home. I am heart broken. How can a facility charge us SOOOO much just to lay our pet to rest. I know if I get another pet in the future, we will not be coming here. I understand they cared for our cat, but to charge struggling customers an arm and a leg after they're already struggling to put their pet down is heartless. A total of $5,330 within a year just to have to put our cat down. Didn't even get to bring home the ashes because guess what? That would have cost us even more.Thank you for making this tough time even tougher. Read Less

The staff seemed nice and quite responsive but the prices are beyond outrageous and they want the money upfront. I can't help but feel they are taking advantage of emergency situations. They'll take every penny you have and then offer you a vet-services-only credit card so you can pay even more. It feels very much like opportunistic price gouging. Read Less

This is a terrific facility.    My dog had a deep cut to her left leg, and the veterinarian went over all options & risks & costs.     The surgery result was excellent, follow up care was great, & the facility is extremely clean.     The administrative staff is very helpful & compassionate.     The waiting room is very wide, so pets can spread out without hassling each other.    For an emergency facility, the waiting time was much shorter than I expected.      Plenty of parking immediately in front of the facility. Read Less

Not sure if this is the same place. However my Dog kept getting sick. We knew it was something wrong. My family and I decided to take her here and they helped us through the transiton process. I miss my dog dearly but I'm glad the staff was there and professional and honest which helped us make all the right decisions. Read Less

It's one thing to wait in an ER lobby until your turn, and quite another to wait 45 minutes sitting in the exam room AFTER the vet has seen your pet, awaiting a visit from the front desk clerk with your "treatment plan" and fees on paper. In the meantime, my dog was whisked away to the unknown back area until I agreed to a treatment plan. Then I was told it would cost over $550 to run blood tests, a urine test, and an electric scan for stones. I said, why would we not start with the blood tests and urine and see if the other is necessary? "This is what the doctor recommended". No it was not. Four and a half hours it took to run blood and urine tests, and only 30 minutes of that was spent in the lobby before the exam. Take your pets elsewhere. Read Less

Well the workers were nice but that doesn't help. My puppy got in there for 1 day and a half and I did not see any improvement. The prices are crazy |Realy Really crazy| I paid more $2000 for basically nothing and they could not even tell me what problem he had. Read Less

I DO NOT recommend this place. The quality of my cat's life has definitely declined after his visit. Although he was already sick, he was not limping or lame before his appointment. The staff was rough on him, and his leg has been bothering him ever since, affecting his walk and his ability to go down stairs. When I called to ask about what happened during the procedure, the secretary, Virginia, was unsympathetic and denied all culpability. My regular vet, however, had examined him 2 weeks prior and had found no evidence of a leg injury. After his visit here, his pain and discomfort was made clear. I would not take my cat here again. Read Less

IF I COULD GIVE THEM ZERO STARS, I WOULD. They are "specialists" in being the worst in their field. If i would have known how incompetent they are there I would have never taken my rabbit there. I have no doubt that my rabbit died because of their incompetence. My mom took her dog here with a puncture wound with a stick in it after an accident. She was told that there was nothing wrong. Which is surprising considering one could move the foreign body around under his skin. Every experience I have had with them has been a waste of time and money. If you love your pet, please heave my warning and find yourself a different, more compassionate, vet clinic. Read Less

In the last year I've made 3 trips to the ER with my dog. Two of the three trip were around midnight,and the most recent was a Saturday morning visit. I have had great experiences with the staff and doctors. 'My dog was treated with exceptional care & compassion. The wait times vary due to the types of emergency. Two of my visits required immediate response, the third was about 30min. Truthfully I don't care about the cost so I haven't made comparisons. They offer a line of credit using a "Care Card.," I also have pet insurance. I highly recommend this Emergency Pet Clinic and will not hesitate to return if the need arises! Read Less

After they had my dog for about 10 minutes the girl came out and said it would cost us 500-1000$ just to start. My dog is old and was lathargic and not eating. How they figured the cost without any sort of diagnosis is beyond me. They wanted to do a bunch of unnecessary tests in the hope of finding something wrong. What happened to the vets that only treated what was wrong not racked up charges guessing. I was very disappointed with the service. Read Less

May 22nd, my little girl was gone. The staff at the hospital was very nice to her and to me. Special thanks to Sarah at front desk and dr.Rodriguez, they both were so supportive at this difficult time . I miss my girl Tina so much! She was our Sunshine for over 15 years. Read Less

Took my cat to my vet for an emergency on a saturday. He had urine crystals, got his X-rays done, put a catheter and IV in him and gave him some pain Mesa. Unfortunately my typical vet couldn't accommodate a weekend stay so I had to take the cat the Pet Emergency of La Mesa just for Saturday night and Sunday night. Upon transferring to here my cat had a catheter, urine bag, IV and IV bag. All they needed to do was monitor his urine to be sure there wasn't more blood, and if there were, then check his kidney levels, and change the IV bag. They charge a BASELINE of $386 every 12hrs to keep a cat there. This does NOT include anything, this is just the housing fee. Dropped him off at 6pm on Saturday and had to pick him up at 7:30am to transfer him to my normal vet. It cost over $1200!!! They changed 2 IV bags and ran 1 Blood test. That is it. These people play you against your fears. Either you pay, or put your animal down. No payment options available either. They gave us 2 estimates had us pay the low estimate up front, of course upon pick-up, the cost was the higher estimate. Which I knew it would be before we left that evening. Also we were just transferring him back to our family vet that doesn't open until 8 am. So they charged us extra for the 2 hr difference. Which the nurse the first night told us since we were transferring him back to a vet it would be waived. The vets there are not on the same page. 2 different vet techs called us to give us updates both stating different "updates" The holding facility is also in clear shot of the surgical table. Can only imagine what's going on in your pets mind when it's in a kennel watching another animals surgery... 36 hrs in holding there. Cost almost $1300. And the paperwork just doesn't add up to the cost. At $380+every 12 hours for holding care it should be all inclusive treatments. This place is a rip off. Read Less

I brought my almost 4 month old schnauzer puppy down to the Banfield Clinic in PetSmart because that is where he got his first round of vaccinations at 6 weeks old. They did a few tests and they indicated that he was too sick for their facility and told us to take him to the Pet Emergency & Specialty Center in La Mesa. It was April and I had just gotten my tax refund so I luckily had a few thousand dollars to get our little boy taken care of. First they gave us a few sheet of paperwork to fill out and they took him in the back. I asked to go with him since he was very scared and so, so sick and they said told me that CA state regulations forbid non-personnel from the back clinic. Finished the paperwork and she promptly asked for my credit card so they could make a charge of $3000 to cover any and all tests and procedures that he would need to have done. I asked if it was going to cost that much, did he need surgery and did they know what was wrong with him besides unable to keep food or liquids down? She said the vet hadn't even checked him out yet but they are not a free clinic and either I allowed the charge or I needed to take him home. I agreed and then waited in the general area. After 3 hours and not a word I asked if they could check and see if the Vet had seen him and how he was doing. She said that he had been seen and the Doctor will be with us shortly. After another hour we were taken to an office and handed another set of release papers so they could do every test from urine, worms, xrays AND C-scan, blood work, allergy tests and so on. I had allergy tests as a kid and they poke you with a pad of needles with various agents to see your reaction and I swelled up like a balloon and stopped breathing so I questioned whether this test was wise with him so sick and he could have a bad reaction. She told me it was necessary and that with all the tests he needed the $3000 dollars was not near enough to be able to cover they charges and an additional $3000 was needed to be paid before any further tests could be done. I asked what had they done so far and she said we have him on a saline solution and thats all they can authorize until I pay my bill. I was astounded at the charges and they hadnt done anything YET except saline IV. I could call a few friends to lend me some money and one friend suggested that I take him to Vet in TJ the $3000 deposit would get him the best care with change to spare. I asked the clerk to get the Vet NOW after 7 hours and get our little boy so we can wait with him. She advised he shouldnt be taken off his IV which could kill him. I wanted to hold him so he knows we didnt abandon him. She brought him to us and he was so weak. I was crying and felt so helpless to do anything to help him and all this place was focused on was getting the money. I told the clerk I need to see the vet NOW or was walking out the door. She went in and after a few minutes the guy comes in eating a hamburger and talking while he was chewing stating that when you take ownership of a dog that its a commitment and I shouldn't take be so concerned about money over his life. I said we are leaving with him and to get my bill. She returned with the bill of all the charges for tests they didnt do. I wanted my $3000 credited back and the vet said regardless the daily fee for bording and care was $3000 so no refund. As we left I notice no shaved hair for the IV, they never gave him an IV, no treatment at all. We got to TJ and they rushed him in and he died as I put him on the examination table. I think an investigation from State Board is necessary at PE & SC Read Less

For 7 years We've had numerous animal emergencies. PESC has performed exceptionally in every circumstance. It can be expensive but professional health care for your family member is always worth it. My Puppy (that's his name, Puppy) was bitten around the torso by a coyote without our knowing it while we were gone on vacation. The bite became a large abscess and our poor house sitter was saddled with the emergency on New Years Day. I DON'T UNDERSTAND THESE OTHER REVIEWS. They are directly opposed to our experience. Puppy is shaved and grumpy. AND ALIVERead Less

We took my 5 yr old dog in for severe allergic reaction. The front desk lady greeted us and even checked on my dog to make sure she wasn't life threatening, after about 30 mins we went back and they took my pup for antihistamine shot and a steroid to calm her. We left her for an hour to make sure she didn't react badly and picked her up afterward. The vet and the front desk staff were very friendly and helped me stay calm about my dogs condition. Read Less

OUT FOR YOUR MONEY!!!!!watch out for this place they are more concerned about how much $ they can get out of you and how fast they can get your pet into surgery before you have time to second guess what they are doing! They want to run extensive unnescessary test at top dollar on our pets when they are not needed. Very disappointed with the service and my normal vet will NEVER be referring another client there due to my experience!! So disappointed. Read Less

I have brought my cat there late at night and the service was unbelievable! They treated my cat like he was their own...from the front desk staff to the doctor. I will go back again and again and again!Thanks Pet Emergency & Specialty Center! Read Less

I feel lucky to have found a pet clinic where the staff was so thoughtful and understanding, regarding my distress over my cat's sickness. Unfortunately, my cat was diagnosed with cancer but their doctor took the time to explain the options that were available to us, leaving me to make an informed decision on how to proceed with treatment. With their help, I was able to extend our time together and keep him comfortable. I truly feel that my "best friend" got the very best care possible. When my friend's dog became ill on a Saturday and she panicked, I suggested the Pet Emergency & Specialty Center to her, as I would to anyone. The fact that they are available 24hrs daily and weekends is priceless when you're concerned for your pets' life. Read Less

Our golden retriever, Mandy, has had numerous health challenges. Thank goodness for this wonderful verterinary clinic. The staff and doctors give wonderful care and the pricing is fair. I only wish human doctors were this caring. Read Less

I found the clinic to be very clean and the staff to be very friendly. They were very sensitive to my pets needs and took the time to be thorough and as informative as they could have been. The great thing about this clinic is that they do it all here. Their surgeons are board certified and they even have an oncology specialist. I know that Animal care is expensive and that the Specialty Center offers some of the highest quality Pet care available. Dr F and his staff took great care of both of my pets and treated them with dignity and love. I would highly recommend Dr. F and his clinic for the best in Pet Health care. Read Less

Thank you to Dr. Feinswog and his staff for saving the life of our "fourth" child. Chloe hadn't eaten in 2 days nor left her mat , not even to go to the bathroom. When she began to dry heave, we knew something was terribly wrong. I drove her to The Pet Emergency Clinic, where the staff took over. After xrays and a thorough exam, surgery was recommended. We trusted Dr. Feinswog's experience and agreed. That night, they showed us a partially disintegrated bone found lodged in her intestine. Chloe recovered beautifully and we couldn't have made it through this ordeal without help of their entire staff.Many thanks!!! Read Less

My first experience with PESC was when my long time dog had cancer. The diagnois was accurately obtained after my personal vet was uncertain, and all my options were explained, including cost, in a very sensitive and humane manner for both pet and pet owner. I never once felt like the staff at PESC put their economic interests over that of the best decision for me or my pet. There is no question that continuing care of an animal that is seriously ill is an expensive proposition, and one that each owner must make based on his or her own. But I will never forget or regret the additional six months that continued treatment of my dog gave me, and it was certainly worth it to me. I had priced similar care at other facilities and found PESC to be more reasonable than other options, and better equiped both professionally and in terms of its facility. I suppose that if an owner goes there for the garden variety ailments, her or she may end up paying more than their normal vet would charge, but that's what you get for a 24 hour facility that will always be available. I have since used PESC for other dogs of mine, and was recieved excellent care even in the middle of the night. I would not hesitate to reccomend them to anyone who either has a seriously ill animal or who needs immediate care when their regular vet is unavailable. If its my animal on the line, I would want only the best, and know that's what I will get with them. Read Less

I was there a few months ago with my dog who was vomitting. I spent over 900.00 on tests and kept requesting medication for my dog. On the second visit, I finally received medication for my pet only after I kept refusing their expensive 2000.00 watch my dog over night option. Fortunately their costly scare tactics did not work on me. My dog got well after a few days on the antibiotic. Read Less

Believing that they were professionals with the requirements to operate and take care of my dog. The hospital did not act in the best interest of my dog BUt instead acted on the financial gain for themselves. Read Less