my dog che was extremely sick. The doctor who saw him was very honest with me and with all the choices I had, to keep che alive longer. I decided to take che home thinking that maybe we could do something else to help him. when we got home he got worse. we decided to put him to sleep. It wasn't fair for che to suffer because we wanted to be with him longer. The next day We spent the whole day with him. We couldn't get the courage to take him in. We took him for his last walk, and then headed to VCA. When we got there they already knew. and they were very kind to us. they explained everything to us. They took che to the back so he could get an IV put in. then they took us to a very nice room and let us spend time with him before he was put to sleep. We did decide to stay with him while they put him to sleep. then they gave us some time to be with him after. They were very kind to us but they were also very kind to che. Read Less

As a pet family for years, I cannot imagine a more money hungry and less helpful hospital. Even within minutes of an exam, they will not offer advice for temporary relief unless another exam is done. An abomination in veterinary care and community membership. Pet parents beware! Read Less

Honestly don't come here ever. Unless your pet is dying and this is the only place open nearby, stay away. I have been a client of the VCA for years now and every time I take my pets there, I regret it. Most recently, I brought in my puppy that was practically screaming in pain and the nurse was extremely rude, took her sweet time to treat her, and acted as if my dog's pain was of no concern to her. Furthermore, they charged us $1700 for a procedure that they had to redo 3 times without success. After the third, time we decided to take our dog to another vet because VCA obviously has no clue what they're doing. ADDITIONALLY, we also decided to take my puppy to another vet because the doctor on duty told us that we had two options which both involved expensive surgery. The one they recommended we proceed with was to CUT OPEN MY PUPS STOMACH AND STAPLE HER COLON TO THE WALL OF HER STOMACH. When we got the second option of another vet, she told us that NO SURGERY WAS REQUIRED AT ALL. When I came the next day to pick up my puppy, they made me wait over 30 minutes to even see her. When I told them that we were taking her to another vet they refused to help me when my puppy seemed to be a great amount of pain (the nurse told me "If she seems like she's in pain, I recommend you take her to that vet soon then"). AGAIN, just don't go here. They are crazy expensive and will charge you for even breathing their air. They are extremely slow, rude, and unhelpful. Don't take their advice or recommendations. Don't let them perform any procedure on your animal. Save yourself some money and find literally any other place to treat your animal. Read Less

RUN FROM THIS PLACE!!!!!! DON"T WALK , they only want your money, they don't care about your sick or dying pet. I took my 4 lb chiuahua to this place 7/16/2012 because I thought she may have ingested coolant (antifreeze) I wasn't sure, I just thought she may have because she was acting a bit strange, not eating, hiding and just not her self not to mention when I kissed her, her face smelled like coolant, so I called poison control for pets and they directed me to take her to this place, when I got there, a young girl that had NO idea how to do her job told me at first it would be $500 to see her, after I explained that I wasn't 100% sure she drank coolant the girl went to the back to ask the doctor something, when she came back she said minimum just to even look at her would be $200, I told her I had just lost my job n couldn't afford that right now and asked if I could make payments, she said "no way"" you must pay up front or we can't help you" I mean really???? A place that is supposed to "help" animals wont see a tiny dog for less than $200? they only needed to run 1 test that would cost no more that $40 max and they REFUSED to do ANYTHING for less than $200, if you REALLY care about your pet, DO NOT take them to this money hungry place, if its a REAL emergency , PLEASE research the emergency hospital as much as you can before you take them, DO NOT TAKE THEM HERE PLEASE!!!!!!!!! HORRIBLE DOCTOR, HORRIBLE PLACE, THEY DON'T CARE ABOUT YOUR ANIMAL (FAMILY) MEMBER, all they care about is if you can pay their unreasonable fee. Read Less

Dr. Bausman performed a TPLO on our little pooch who had torn his ACL. He is extremely knowledgeable with a strong interpersonal skill set. He is very down to earth and has no ego for his years of experience. He is personable and we felt treated like a family member. He explained everything throughout the procedure/process and follow up appointments. We are so pleased that we chose to work with him. I believe he has more expertise than other doctors. He is the reason that we gained our trust in this facility again as we had a horrible experience with another vet couple of years ago. We (Luie, mom and dad) thank you and your staff for everything you did. We will refer any pet to you anytime. Read Less

Yes, the prices are on the expensive side. This is definitely not a mom-and-pop vet place. But the flip side is that our elderly cat received wonderful care. The doctors would not give up on him even though it was discovered that he had both lymphoma and a heart condition. I'm glad they just did not see his florid diarrhea as something to treat with metronidazole but sat down and explained to us why a biopsy was necessary. They offered us a cardiology eval which showed more of what we - and Gremlin - were dealing with. I feel extremely comfortable taking him to the vets (and Dr. Rackear is truly a gem). Read Less

Although things with my pet did not go well, the whole staff was very sweet and empathetic to my situation. The doctor was very nice and she comfort my family and I during a very difficult time. I appreciate everything they did. Read Less

While the care here seems to be good and the staff is dedicated and caring there are many issues with their pricing and quote system. Compared to other service providers this place is highly overpriced. The current issue is that our cat needs a rear leg amputation. The price from VCA Vet. Specialists was 3.7 times more expensive than their competition!! My suggestion would be "Buyer Beware" and price compare before having any procedure done here if possible. Obviously price comparisons in an ER situation are difficult but it was well worth our time and money to shop around for surgical procedures. Background: Our cat needed ER services for a major rear leg injury (ultimately requiring amputation). When we took the pet in at 2 am, the initial paperwork they gave us said the deposit would be $500. Next thing we know we are asked to sign an ER admission authorization and the amount due upfront goes from the $500 deposit to ($1661-$1950). This price did not include any surgical procedures! Apparently they estimated all conceivable scenarios and adjusted the upfront quote without much of an explanation. This included overnight care @$250 per shift 2 shifts, a consult fee $103, Dr. referral fee to the surgeon the next day $98, fluid IV and x-rays bandages and pain meds. The good news was that the next day they adjusted the $1661 bill down to $630 for actual services rendered. The real issue now is that the animal needs a rear leg amputation. The price from VCA Vet. Specialists was 3.7 times more expensive than their competition!! We spoke with one staff Dr. 12 hours after the ER visit and got one quote then spoke with two different surgeons on two different days and received two different quotes ranging from $2800 to $5200. Once we decided to move forward with the procedure coincidentally, there was no mention in the records of the lower estimate amounts and we were told the price was going to range $4800-5200 for a twelve pound cat! We had done some additional research and found another vet in the Mid Valley that would perform the same procedure for $1400-$1600 which included the consultation, surgery, anesthesia, overnight stay, follow-up visits and suture removal. My suggestion would be "Buyer Beware" and price compare before having any procedure done here if possible. Obviously price comparisons in an ER situation are difficult but it was well worth our time and money to shop around for surgical procedures. Read Less

Don't waste your time with this vet, or any other vets like this for that matter, they're in it strictly for the money and just waiting for customers in a terrible situation so that they can profit hugely from your tragedy. You'd be better off flying your pets to Denver, CO, it may be a hassle but your vet bill, hotel stay, and airline tickets would still be less than coming to this place. Also, don't trust the 5 star ratings, this vet seems to only get one star or five stars and very few in between, which tells me that many, if not most, of their 5 star ratings are probably generated by someone internally. Read Less

This place is so amazing, expensive but amazing , the staff and the vets are so profesional and on point I highly recomend it , I wish it was a regular vet but it's just for emergencies.We brought gaia in around may of this year , 2016 , because she had eaten a squeaky and it was stuck in her intestines , surgeon Soto was so helpful and kept us updated even during surgery , gaia stayed for a few days here recuperating and the staff was so helpful and kept us inform at all times of how she was doing , being patient and sweet with us. She made full recovery and lost all toy privileges lol. Although I was skeptical after reading some reviews here , I left very happy and very grateful for them saving her life. Read Less

Every experience we've had with front desk staff, doctors, and technicians has been exceptional, whether it was during the middle of the day or overnight for an emergency. Would highly recommend this office for their emergency staff and internal medicine specialists! Read Less

They did such an excellent job working with me when my one year old cat had her hind quarter de-gloved by a dog. They are extremely professional, patient, and sympathetic. I'd never go anywhere else in an emergency. Special thanks to Dr Wu, Dr Hunt, and Karla for working with me through my situation.Read Less

I've been to this hospital with my rescue dogs so many times I can't count. I have always received the very best service, with an exemplary staff, fantastic vets and wonderful facility. My animals have been treated lovingly and respectfully. I would recommend this hospital to anyone with an emergency with their beloved pets. Additionally, I will say that their charges for most of the procedures my dogs have required have been more than fair, and so far, haven't been exorbitant. I'm very grateful for that. The hospital is very well run and well staffed. Ive never had to wait. Read Less

One morning my Sashie seemed a bit limpy but she tends to play hard and sprain limbs sometimes so I waited for her to come 'round. But the next morning she seemed to be limpy on a back paw and a front paw and also seemed a bit 'out of it' like she was high (!?). I brought her to my regular vet and she said something was really wrong so I remembered Rackear who'd helped me with specialty problems before. I made an apt at Rackear's clinic with a neurologist. They fit us in same-day and by the time we got there a couple hours later my dog couldn't walk at all. Stumbling and falling on her face. When they touched her paws she couldn't feel it. The neurologist went over options with me and a staffer brought in a Care Card application form for us since we would not have been able to afford surgery otherwise. They did Xray then MRI and sure enough there was a hard bad of scar tissue which had slipped into her spinal area. They operated early the next morning and warned me it can take weeks to see what the result will be (in some cases a dog will never walk again, even with surgery)... however when Sashie woke up from the surgery and they took her outside to pee she tried to jump and run and have fun! They had to hold her back LOL. I have been to Rackear's clinic several times over the years. I brought Buddy Bear to her for a year; he had many issues and was difficult to stabilize but Rackear is knowledgeable and creative. I also brought my eskie in when she suddenly had a breathing problem and Rackear's facility has an oxygen bed (enclosed space) and other specialized equipment, plus they had a team and equipment there for reviving when my eskie went into cardiac arrest... Indeed this is a pricey facility but this is THE BEST CARE, plus UP-TO-DATE EQUIPMENT, so that whatever happens, I will always know that I did everything possible for my pet.Read Less

I have been doing work experience at VSV and nearly died when I read some of these negative reviews. Yes, this place is high end and their prices reflect that, but you are getting well-trained, experienced staff. The emergency veterinarians are so caring and really go out of their way to do what is best for your pet. They don't order tests that are not imperative to diagnose. The specialists that I saw, the Surgeon, the Neuro specialist and the Internal Medicine specialist all were amazing and really knew their stuff. I find it amazing that people don't want to pay up front for their pets yet, what human doctor lets you not pay. One of the reasons for getting money up front, that you may not be aware of, is that people sometimes leave their animals for good if they haven't already paid. It's for the sake of the pets. You are also not getting techs that are trained on the job. At VSV you are getting mostly Registered Veterinary Technicians working with the Veterinarian to take care of your pet. This is the equivalent of an RN in human medicine. I know from the back end that all these employees care deeply about your pets and do their very best to treat them. Unfortunately in emergency medicine there is a higher rate of fatalities due to the nature of the medicine. I hope this explains a little to those of you who have not been happy with your experiences. Read Less