Vca Veterinary Referral And Emergency Center

Brought our dog for diarrhea testing, waited 4 days to call and ask for results, said they were positive and to come in and get meds. When we went in and asked for the results, they had come back the next morning and they just never followed up on them and had no excuse for why we weren’t notified of the positive results... Read Less

We brought our cat in who was unable to walk and obviously in extreme trouble. Our guy is only 12 1/2 but he has diabetes and gets a shot 2x a day and also is hypothyroid. Generally we would have brought him to our local vet but it being Christmas Eve that was not an option. We brought him here and thought we were probably going to lose him The staff went into a rapid response mode and got him all set up, we were able to come back and see him in the ICU and we were heartened to see him set up with an iv and a heated blanket. The dr explained all they would do and then the bill came. Too much for us, we talked to the dr and they were great at working with us to bring the bill down some. Three days later and we're hoping to bring our guy home with us! The staff was wonderful and very competent. They let us know what they were doing every step of the way. I can't say enough about how relieved we are that Spencer is going to come home with us! Read Less

your treatment of my 12yr old Belgian Tervuren was ridiculous. Not only did you drain my bank account of $4,000 right off the bat. As soon as that payment was made you demanded another $10,000 a DAY to keep him. He had aspiration pneumonia and some esophagus paralysis. Besides this being a Treatable condition -- you took it upon my Children to make the decision to put the dog down. I was out of the country and I cannot tell you how much psychological blackmail you used -- but you have destroyed my son who may never forget holding the dogs paw as he expired. AGAIN -- this is a TREATABLE condition. And common in several dogs who have been successfully brought out of the severe state of panic to live for several more years. Disgusting INHUMANE horrific Veterinarian care with a SEVERE case of GREED. Read Less

I had to take my kittens to see Dr Goodwin & Dr Whitney today for a six month follow up. I was nervous about the results, but every team member exceeded my expectations. The love and genuine care from start to finish helped put both my pets and I at ease. Thank you so much! Skye and Autumn are home now and resting. Read Less

How do you spell VCA? G-R-E-E-D. Folks, don't go here unless you absolutely, positively have no other choice. If you have time and can make the trip, go to the hospital in Newtown or North Haven. VCA has the area emergency market cornered, they know it, and their goal is to bankrupt you. When our "suddenly not feeling well" doggie was diagnosed with (probable) cancer on a Saturday night, we were in total, utter shock. The vet had ZERO bedside manner. After sharing the terrible news, handed us a list of treatments with an "expected bill" of over $4,000 (!) and calmly advised us that "credit was available". Seems she just expected we would agree. When we dared ask what all this intervention might do, we were finally told "maybe six weeks". Needless to say, we didn't agree to the list, and finally got them to palliative care (for $2,000). Then, they gave us (did not ask) an Rx which we found later is an OTC herb (VCA charge = $44.00). This item can be purchased online for $9.00. The box was never used, or even opened, yet when we went to return it a couple weeks later (with receipt), we were told that "because it is prescribed, it can't be returned by law". Then...they had the gall to ask us if we wanted to donate it! Trust me, this box was going right back on the shelf to be (re-)sold. VCA didn't need to "prescribe" this item, but they know when they sell OTC as an Rx they can deny returns. Buyer beware. Everything is calculated to separate you from your wallet. Trade here at your own risk. Read Less

Staff truly cares and are there to help... It's been a really difficult time for us and the staff at this hospital are amazing! Laura responds to emails and provides a wealth of information.. morning, day, night and weekends. It's a bit of a drive for us, but 100% worth the friendly treatment and support. Of course I wish we never had to come in under these circumstances, but we appreciate all that has been done, not just for our little one, but also for her crazy mama! Read Less

My dogs jaw was crushed by a bigger dogs teeth. I brought him here late at night as an emergency and they put vaccines to calm the pain. However if I wanted to help my dog I had to pay a ton ON THE SPOT to begin surgery. My dog passed away sadly and I always ask myself why we couldn't pay the bill over time :( Read Less

I wish I could say I had a good experience, however I did not. Unfortunately this place is run as a profit center. The staff is nice, as others have said, but that's not enough. My cat had a rare condition, which required surgery. They did surgery, however it was not successful. No my cat didn't die, then, but she should have. They completed that surgery when the right thing to do would have been to call me and say we can't really fix this. Your cat's life will be miserable and short consider perhaps not waking her from surgery. But no they completed surgery and then told me they couldn't fix her and I would probably be back to try to drain her cyst again. She stayed 3 days and was home for a month before she was back again in as bad a shape as when I first brought her in. They said they had to keep her overnight where she stayed and suffered until the morning and she had to be euthanized before I could even get there to say goodbye. The cost of this was astrononical, and if I had my kitty it might have be OK, but the truth is they should have let her die on the table the cost would have been half of what it was and my kitty wouldn't have suffered and the result would have been the same. This place is owned by a corporate monster that must be fed and all decisions are based on that need. Never again for me. Read Less

We took our dog last night around 9pm. Everyone we interacted with was exceptionally nice. Reception staff and the Vet. I would definitely go back! We are so thankful to have this hospital right here in Norwalk. Read Less

Our dog Ringo spent the entire night having severe seizures. We realized it was his time to be at peace so we called the VCA center to let them know we were on our way. They met us at our car with a gurney and compassion, immediately took Ringo to the back and made sure we were ready. They were kind and very caring before, during and after he was gone. Yesterday we received a clay paw cast of Ringo's paw print, with his name. The vet took the time to write a lovely note expressing sorrow for our loss of Ringo. I highly recommend this vet and clinic! Read Less

2nd time we took our dog to this ER. The vet. seemed to have no idea what they were talking about. Said they would check dogs anal glands among other things when they took him in the back and we believed they did. Problem still persisted the next day and after several attempts to call and get a painkiller after more than 3 hours we gave up and took our dog back to our regular vet. They said anal glands were HUGE and cant believe VCA didnt empty them. Our regular vet did twice the amount of tests and solved the issues at half the cost and less than half of the time. VCA receptionists are wonderful, the vets and other employees are super niceand patient with our dog, and place is spotless BUT they overcharge for everything!! $600 for xrays and emergency visit examination fee...that's all they did! Read Less

When I relocated to CT, I was very concerned about finding a quality vet clinic again. Knowing how crucial this is to my pets wellbeing, I was not looking forward to the process. I tried some but much to my dismay, left due to poor service and soaring prices. I needed to act quickly because my Cattledog was showing odd signs and the vets I tried were blowing it off because they couldnt diagnose the problem. I knew something was wrong so I looked for a specialist and found Dr. Dianne Kittrell at VCA Animal Hospital in Norwalk, CT. I first met with her assistant, Laura Dotta, who was amazing from the get go. Not only did she attend to us in a manner I felt very taken care of, she has continued to do so over the years. She goes way above and beyond, faxing info to me, researching labs, teaching good injection sites everything to ensure my pets get the best care. I just love her! Then I had the honor of meeting Dr. Kittrell, who in my opinion is the best vet I have ever worked with! She is an Internal Medicine Specialist and was able to diagnose my Cattledog in an instant. She had Acute Cushings disease. Dr. Kittrell order an ultrasound to get a baseline of the tumor and weve been doing one a year ever since to make sure the tumors stay small as well as the liver health remains constant. She is amazing! Even though she couldnt be my everyday vet because shes a specialist and doesnt do annual visits/shots, she referred me to Dr. Ragan out of her sister site in VCA Darien who is equally talented. This year, when my dogs blood work showed anomalies both he and Dr. Kittrell were in close contact watching it. After a few months and blood values rising, she had another look at my pet and diagnosed a serious tumor that needed removal from her parathyroid gland. I was floored because my pet had been through enough but Dr. Kittrell alleviated my worries and concerns and set up everything. The surgeon, Dr. Matthew Palmisano was outstanding, after care doctor, Dr. Lacassagne, who made sure she stayed stable and Stella, surgery liaison who made me laugh when I needed it. The teams, as a whole, made people hospitals look amateur! My pet recovered perfectly and the team got us ready for the next relocation to FL. I was sick to my stomach leaving this incredible clinic and Dr. Kittrell and verbalized my dismay to Dr. Kittrell about starting my search again! Both she and Laura offered to do it for me so I could pack and start my move free of worries. These ladies are a class act! There are few times in life you meet exceptional people you know you will remember for a lifetime. Dr. Kittrell and Laura Dotta will always be two of those people for me. I am so grateful for their compassion toward my pet and excellence in knowledge that I always felt and knew my Quigley was in the best hands ever. Thank you Dr. Kittrell, Laura and the entire VCA Norwalk staff for being remarkable! I stand in awe of you! Read Less

We took our dog to this emergency hospital , and I have never felt so pressured to purchase something in my entire life. Complete salesmen , my dog had a SIMPLE STOMACH BUG which required a bland diet and small amounts of water at a time , and these people tried selling us x rays, blood work and a $100 for a small shot to put water under our dogs skin to keep her hydrated for a total of $700 ( not including the $110 examination fee we already had to pay for ). We chose to take the shot for the time being and take her to our personal vet the next day. The diagnosis from out vet: small stomach bug, don't feed her for 8-12 hours , give her a bland diet after the 12 hours, and small amounts of water at a time. Cost from our vet: just $30 for the visit. If you like throwing around money and going to salesmen vets this place is perfect for you.Read Less