Carolina Veterinary Specialists Charlotte

We have been going to Carolina Vet for almost a year now, so I feel like it is time to write a review.  Our 4 year old dog started collapsing last March and we took him to our regular vet.  After some rounds of testing, our vet thought he might be anemic and referred us to internal medicine at CVS.  After reading the reviews, I was quite nervous about being referred here.I called CVS and notified them of the referral, was able to get an appointment the next day.  Unfortunately, the Dr. confirmed it was indeed anemia, and that they are going to get Rocky on different medications.  I was informed it might take a bit for him to respond to medicines, in fact he may never respond and may need transfusions to get him by.  There was also the chance that he might not even respond to medication or transfusions and my not make it.  That was tough news to handle, but I'm glad the vet took time to explain everything and answer my questions.Since the first visit, Rocky has responded to the medications.  His medications were reduced (probably too quickly) and he relapsed in the summer.  Luckily he came out of the relapse and is doing fine with this second trial of reduction.  We are going much slower with the taper.I know some reviews mention they just care about the money, but to me it has not come across that way.  Sure the first visit was a hefty one since they ran different tests, but they suggested we could even run more tests to try and find out the underlying cause.  The vet mentioned it would be a hefty price tag and still may not be able to find out the cause, so he ultimately did not recommend it.  Also, they were very forth coming that their meds can get costly and that we may have better results going to our pharmacy or another pharmacy, which we asked for written prescriptions to take to the pharmacy.  Also, since Rocky has been doing so well the past few months, they suggested for us to only have Tech visits and will only change it to a vet visit if Rocky worsens.  Which saves us money from actually visiting with the vet every month.I'm very appreciative of this place and how they have taken care of Rocky and handled his anemia.  If you look up anemia in dogs, you will see that it is occurring often, more than you realize, and many dogs are not surviving.  My husband's uncle is a vet and prepared us to be prepared for the worse.  Rocky will probably be on meds the rest of his life, but at least we have a happy and otherwise healthy pup!My only negative about this place - the receptionists seem to be out of it sometimes.  When you call in to change an appointment, somehow it is rarely changed correctly.  They keep the old appointment in there, or they change it to the wrong date and/or time.  It would be nice if they sent reminder text/emails, or something just so that we don't have an instance where we show up and they say you don't have an appointment scheduled (yes we do, we changed it to this time). Read Less

This place only cares about your money.  They sent me a second bill, which I received two days after we had to put our dear cat to sleep.  Nice timing, CVS.This place charged much more money for services at other places that we took our cat to - for example $400+ for a sonogram. Read Less

We were trying to see how my 17 year old dog would do with the medication... on Sunday morning it was obvious she was in a lot of pain and was kind of loosing her mind, so I called Carolina Veterinary Specialists and asked how much their euthanasia services were.  We got things together and made the short drive down South Tryon Street.  They were prepared and the procedure went smoothly and quickly as I held her and thanked her for spending her life with me.  They held my baby's body until Monday morning when I could take her to the pet cremation place, and when I arrived they had her in a very suitable, sturdy cardboard casket taped securely with her name and a little red heart on it.  It felt very well done, almost military in reverence which I really appreciated.  Thanks for being there when we really needed you, and for doing such a stellar job of it. Read Less

This place is only after your money.  Paid 1400 for my dog to be checked for possible bone cancer. Doctor did not even call to discuss X-ray results.  There are other options out there please consider. This place was recommended by our vet and I would never go here again.  I will be letting our vet know as well. Read Less

Our dog had back surgery here last December and thenfrom June through October was treated for Bladder cancer until she passed away. The vet techs and doctors here were always so sweet and caring to our dog and to me especially going through all of her treatments. I can't say enough about how wonderful Dr Claudia McFadden her oncologist was. It was a difficult time but she was always a phone call away. The staff in the waiting room may seem aloof at times but I know they work hard. I would recommend this place if you need a specialist other than your regular vet for your pet. Read Less

I got here at 11:30PM. Checked in and got a room within 10 minutes. $104 paid so far. ... I was in the room 35 min and had a lady come in and took my dog out of the room to check her vitals. Dog came back in within a few minutes. Then, I waited another 15 min and a doctor came in to talk about basically a benadryl and steroid shot my dog was to get.... Now, after reading the reviews on yelp about this place I didn't want to get ripped off for essentially benadryl and some steroid I could get for $12 at Walgreens.  Nobody wants to feel ripped off. Period. The majority of the reviews have patrons who felt ripped off. After I told her I would just go get some Benadryl from the store you could see the frustration in her eyes start manifesting and she said it was only $18 to get my dog feeing better sooner with these two shots for only $18. Okay, no problem. She takes my dog out of the room again and they administer (hopefully) the shots. Nothing to my dog happened in this room, everything has happened outside of the room.... Now I am waiting to be discharged... we were just discharged and paid an additional $18 and some change. I was pleased with the process and they genuinely do care about my dog as they treated her and wanted her to get better. It was an allergic reaction that was treated. Hopefully she gets back to 100%. Read Less

So thankful for the team at CVS. I rushed in with my dog who had a small cut on her foot. Someone came up front and took her directly to the back to be looked at. As I was filling out paperwork a couple came in carrying their dog who was hit by a car. The same staff member came up front and grabbed the dog (who was bigger then her!) and rushed it to the back. Almost immediately after that an older women brought in her cat crying to put it to sleep (all before I even finished my paperwork!) The doctor came up front and let me know they would have to sedate my pup and put a stitch or two in her foot but she was stable. She apologized for the wait and that she would get to my pet as quickly as possible. I reassured her I understood and still can not believe everything these people go through. Yes, the wait was a little long and the bill was a little higher then my regular vet but to know I got to take my puppy home while others weren't as lucky made me so thankful to know there are people working in a place that has to handle these stressful situations all the time. Thanks again! Pheobe is doing great! Read Less

Just received the news nobody wants to hear. Our 3 year old boxer has cancer. We are devastated just as everyone else would be. Dr Delles and staff were very professional and caring. Nothing can ease the pain but I just wanted people to know that we received nothing but kindness at the Charlotte location. Read Less

I love all of the CVS locations. I feel much more confident when I take my dog in for emergency or routine visits for his many ailments. Most recently he developed a nasty staph infection. I had taken him to a regular vet first, but i was still uneasy since it was still spreading, so we took him in for emergency care. The staff is always great and very thorough. I feel so much more at ease after taking him to CVS. Read Less

I went to this practice yesterday. The vet was very good. Have been trying to get them to send me my dogs lab reports as I need to take him to another vet. I am met with insolent  responses,  and total lack of professionalism. They make an already difficult situation horrible. Wish the practice would hire staff that knows how to deal with customers. Read Less

If I could give a 0 star rating I would. The receptionist at the front was extremely rude to my mother while our dog was fighting a life threatening infection in her uterus. They took the dog back after 15 min of arguing about doing paper work and paying before hand (you know my dog wasn't even functioning, her life isn't important enough) they then take her back for 30 min not allowing us back to see her while they check vitals. Then they come back saying everything is normal, we left and went to a different emergency vet (emergency vet tech clinic in fort mill) they diagnosed the problem and told us she was running a fever and was severely dehydrated (which was obvious) so not only did they lie about her vitals but who knows if they even checked. Worst experience I've had with a vet and will never take something I love back to a crooked money hungry group of "specialists" like that ever again. For anyone who cares vet tech will be performing the surgery tmrw to clear up her problem. Read Less

Went there twice my baby died and they would not let me have her body until I paid them 800.00 had already paid around a 1000.00. I begged and said I would make payments I just didn’t have the full amount at that time they refused, but I did pay it over time every month until they had there 800.00 by that time of course they had disposed of her body. On top of that someone called my house twice and ask for someone else I told them they had the wrong number finally they called a third time and said they had gotten the names mixed up with another person who’s dog was also critical. Then about 15 years later I took my son’s dog he was working and ask if I would take her there so I did and they wanted to keep her for surgery and I would not leave her after what happened with my little girl. Just for seeing my son’s dog giving her injection for pain it was 250.00. I was scared to leave her. While I was in the exam room there was a bulletin board with thank you cards but everyone of them were about there pet dying while in there care. The cards talked about they were there for there pets final days. Read Less

Horrible. My cat was scheduled for surgery and due to an oversight (which was understandable, as this was the third vet he was transferred to in a 48 hour period) we were forced to wait for over TWO HOURS before we were seen. This wait is also understandable, as they are an emergency hospital and first come first serve, for the most part, but my cat has a urinary problem, which we informed them of, and he was not given access to a litter box for this entire period of time, and the front desk staff (aside from one girl who was very chatty and sweet) were unsympathetic, and didn’t offer us any explanation as our wait dragged on. It gets worse. He was held overnight, and scheduled for surgery the next morning. The doctor, Dr. Arnold, called me in the morning to speak with me and go over the details. Near the end of the phone call he informs me that it is unlikely that they’ll be able to fit my cat into his scheduled surgery slot that day due to too many emergencies. Again, it is an emergency veterinary practice, so I tried to be sympathetic. We decided to pick him up, as holding him again overnight would be pointless if they couldn’t fit him in until Thursday. A waste of $250 while we try to mentally and financially prepare for a $3,500 surgery. Upon picking him up, no records of his stay were given to us, even upon request. They did not tell us when he was fed, or when he received his last dose of medication. We call back, and are told they did not administer his medication — the medication that keeps him out of the hospital and quite literally keeps him from blocking and dying. All they offered us were excuses, telling us they were preparing him for surgery and didn’t think to give him his medication when the surgery was called off. No apologies. We were simply bounced around on the phone while my cat lay in pain due to him being off of his pain management medication, which he most definitely SHOULD NOT BE after being recently cathertized and struggling to urinate. This place gave me a bad feeling the second I walked in the door. Stay away. Poor communication between departments and overpriced services. Terrible. Read Less

I took my 8 week old puppy that we had bought my 8 year old daughter. The puppy had low blood sugar and evidently it's very common among small breeds. They could of just told me to try some syrup or something sweet and call back.  I brought the puppy in and they charged me almost 700 dollars and said he had low blood sugar. Random people I spoke to that day knew what was wrong with the dog without even being a medical professional. Mmmm sounds like a bad place and we will never go back. They took advantage of a family at Christmas time. Bad business!! Also scared an 8 year old little to death. Read Less

24 hour emergency veterinarian for those times when your regular vet is closed. They will treat your pet with respect and they are cautious about not hitting you with a huge unexpected bill. We lost our sweet girl Xena to cancer a few months ago and they waited for family members to come say goodbye and let us have several hours to spend with our dying 12 year old pit. **I only wish I would have taken her home so we could have spent more time with her. The vet seemed to believe she was in more pain than she was. Just remember - it's YOUR pet and YOU have to live with the decision so be sure that you are the one who makes it, not the vet. Read Less

I've taken several of my dogs here, and the experience has always been a joy. The surgeons are brilliant and take the time to explain everything, the vet techs are courteous and gentle, and I've never had a problem with anything that I've needed for my dogs. I wouldn't trust any other place in Charlotte for complex pet needs. Read Less

The place is disgusting, dusty and dirty for a facility that charges $550 for an unltrasound and suggest surgery costing $5000 that my vet said they would do for $1000.  Hmmm. The dust in the airvents was black. The ductwork overhead has a layer of thick dust on top of it. The window sills are covered in dust. The clerk actually asked if I was Ok when I was checking out and I said I cant breathe due to the dust and dirt in the facility. My eyes were dry and itching, my nose was stuffy and my throat was buring and I was coughing due to my allergies of dust. I have never been in a Specialist office which was so dirty. I would not have my dog operated on there. If the front is so dirty, imagine what the back looks like. I was not impressed with this facility at all. The Doctor was very nice and friendly. Thats about the best I can say about the experience. Also, I had the same ultrasound done previously on my GSD at another vet's office for $100. Beware Read Less

I am deeply saddened after reading all the reviews for this place because I see that I'm not the only one who has been taken advantage of. My dog had an unexplained issue in his eye and had to have it removed. I was always hesitant about the office and the doctor there, but time was of the essence so we went ahead with the surgery. I have yet to hear from Dr. Treadwell for details about the suspected cause and even just how the surgery went but after one week and multiple messages, we have only been able to reach the vet tech. We spent over $3000 for a surgery that should cost less than $1000 and the doctor can't spare 10 minutes for a phone call. It's clearly just a "job" for these people. I beg you to consider taking your animals to another facility to get them the care that they deserve. Read Less

Unfortunately, we took our dog here under the impression that the doctors here are highly specialized so we would get the best care possible.  We worked with Dr. Treadwell who is a vet ophthalmologist to try and determine the cause of our dog's hyphema and paid $1000 for bloodwork and medication.  Still no diagnosis, we were recommended to have his eye removed. The risks and benefits were breezed through and we paid another $1700 for a surgery that should have cost half the price.  I can understand the high cost of a specialist, but I have barely spoken to said specialist.  After multiple attempts, I haven't heard from her at all since the surgery (1 week ago).  Plus, the surgery cost was inflated with cosmetic implants that now pose an infection risk.  I'm sick to my stomach knowing that an emergency vet takes advantage of pet owners in the worst of situations.  PLEASE consider taking your animal elsewhere. Read Less

Worst service ever. Have spent over $5000 on my sweet girl and they never answer your calls.   Took a urine sample in on Monday for an analysis which they said would take 24 hours to get a result.  On Thursday I finally had to call every 30 minutes before I got a response.  Still not happy with result.  Will be taking my sweet girl somewhere else Read Less

I'm worried for my pet - I didn't read reviews until after I came home to wait for them to do bloodwork etc. He needed to be sedated - I heard him screaming from the room I was in. To do bloodwork and give my pet antiboitics... over $500. They have no shame in trying to squeeze every dime from you - they even suggested a 500 dollar overnight to watch him. To quote my favorite show "shame (rings the bell), shame (rings the bell), shame (rings the bell). You guys shouldn't try and charge as much as you think we can afford - your holding our wallets hostage because you know we love our animals. I wouldn't torture my cat with this place again. However, I think if I had a dog it might not be so bad. They obviously don't like cats. Read Less

I took my dog there after my vet recommended them. I phoned to see if a dr was there and was told yes. When I got there I was told it would be the next day before he could be seen. He was there two days and given some generic meds and fluid. I was told he had lymphoma and they could transfer him to the oncologist in Huntersville. I said no I'll pick him up. Once there after giving them $1500.00 they said I owed another $400+. I was so devastated I got no paperwork and later requested it all. I questioned the charges and was told basically it is what it is you owe.. They would have loved for me to go on and pay more to oncologist without ever telling me he was stage V. They called me several times a day all while we had to make the terrible decision to let our dog go. I then paid them another $100. and requested to pay more at the end of August. Well they turned it over to a collection. Do not take your animal there. Every client is told the fee will be $1500-2000 no matter what is wrong with the animal and they will make sure you are billed that. According to their fees my guy received 30 some IVs... impossible in two days! Run from there. After posting this I read all reviews and it is apparent this place should be out put of business! I am encouraging all to report to the Better Business Bureau and attorney general of North Carolina. Surely there is some type of regulation on this type of business.  I will be following up with the above two entities as well as all social media! Read Less

Charlotte location: Incompetent staff that you can not get a clear answer from. Very disorganized. Completely indifferent to you and your pet. So slow that I can't image having gone there in a truer emergency. Changed my cat's insulin and didn't explain there was a huge difference in handling between his old insulin. Didn't take the time to listen. Tried to call and check on my cat before bed and was told no one had time for that. Watched a dog pee a bucket on the floor and with a nurse right there and did nothing. Poor owner had to take her very sick dog and wait 15 minutes for someone to acknowledge her so it could get cleaned up. The doctor (who's name I still don't know and is not listed on their website but you'll know her by "basically") was so incoherent and unfocused it was like talking to a drunk. When I called to complain, they said it was Dr. Gallagher who treated me but per her picture on their website, I've never seen her. What's that about? Onto the complaint: talked to Jamie over there. Got what do you want me to do about it and round about called me a liar. No compassion, no sorry, no she's going to address it, no I'll look into it, no nothing. End of story, my cat was taken back to another ER just the next day. They failed to treat him properly and no one over there even remotely cares. FIND ANOTHER VET AND DO NOT TAKE YOUR ANIMAL THERE IS YOU CARE EVEN 5% FOR THEM!!!!!! THESE PEOPLE ARE SCARY AWFUL AND DO NOT CARE ABOUT YOUR PET AT ALL!!!!! Read Less

TOTAL CRAP! I was referred here late in the day by my very Dr Shaw (who I love) at Indian Land Animal Hospital because they were going to be closing. So Itook my 16 month old shih tzu, who had been vomiting and had not eaten for 36 hours to these guys. Impressive facility - from the outside. I was led to believe this was an ER, but the treatment I got was s-l-o-w and lackadaisical. So much so that after an hour and some obligatory paper work and only a tech weighing the dog in the back, I was fuming. I left the room they put me in to complain and there was no one at the front desk. As I started to look for some signs of life, I saw a couple of assistants laughing it up outside, while one of them was smoking a cigarette. I'm not making it up. After over an hour I had had enough. I get that this is a hospital and other animals may have required more urgent care, but I SHOULD HAVE BEEN INFORMED OF WHAT WAS HAPPENING, which could have been done by a tech. (At Indian Land they're greatI NEVER SAW A DOCTOR. I huffed my way out of there shouting there was NO ER TREATMENT. Luckily, I called Dr Shaw, explained the saga and raced over there and just made it. They stayed open long enough to administer some liquids and give me a treatment program that would get me through the night, with emergency instructions, should they be necessary. Responsible, caring treatment. Thanks Dr. Everidge at Indian Land and screw CVS. They really sucked on this occasion! The staff at CVS are poorly trained. That's a management and performance issue. Read Less

If you care about your animal please go to the Matthews location!! Not only did they neglect our dog and dismiss him saying his vitals were stable enough that he could wait it out for his normal vet but then lied saying they never said that and that we refused to do blood work. Why would I drive out of my way to have his temp checked and it wasn't normal to decided I'm just going to wait it out?! Any time something happens to our pets I always ask the vet if this was their animal what would they do. Their management is not only rude and disrespectful to their clientele but also clearly isn't an animal person. The pain medicine they sold us was $75 at the Matthews location the exact same med same dosage in the exact same bottle was only $35. Our dog ended up in critical condition and in ICU for 4 days at the Matthews location and Jamie, the office manager who's never at her office at charlotte location, had the audacity to point the finger at me. Wish I had never waisted my dogs time to suffer another day going to them. Nor the money! In other words f***  Carolina vet specialist Charlotte Read Less

I cannot thank you all enough for your outstanding professionalism is handling the passing of my beloved friend and companion of 14 years, my cat, Badger.He passed during the night of Sunday, April 30, 2017 and I had no idea who could help me or who was open.I searched the internet and found Carolina Veterinary Specialists were open 24/7. When I arrived with tears in my eyes and with my Badger,  I was greeted with care and they gave me options of cremation through the Good Shepherd Pet Services.I cannot thank you all enough for everything.  This process of loss is difficult and with your professionalism and knowledge, I was able to get through this with loving care for my sweet boy, Badger.SincerelyConny Latta Read Less

My dog had TPLO surgery with Dr.Mertens. This surgery is tedious and hours long on a small dog so I was very nervous about it. It also required him to spend the night at CVS. Dr.Mertens, Holly, and all of the other staff I've spoken/met with have been nothing but absolutely wonderful. They took such great care of my dog, answered all of my questions during our visits and during my numerous calls to them through all hours of the day/night, and put me at ease when I was a nervous mess. They made sure he was in no pain those first 24 hours after surgery, they called me to let me know when they were beginning the surgery, and again twice after it ended. I highly recommend CVS for any specialized surgery. Read Less

Can't say enough good things about this practice. Between my two dogs, they have undergone three surgeries, with the most recent being a pretty risky liver lobectomy. Every time, my dogs have recovered flawlessly. The doctors are phenomenal (especially Dr. Gallagher and Dr. Arnold, who did the surgeries [and Dr. Smith, who is unfortunately not working here anymore]). The staff is terribly accommodating, and obviously care immensely about the animals. I have no doubt my dogs are in the best hands when at CVS. Read Less

This entire practice is a sad excuse for a specialty vet practice.  For starters, the front desk staff are rude and seemed to be bothered by anyone walking in the door or calling in to check on their pet.  The first time I came in they were even bothered by me asking for a bowl to give my dog water in saying we don't have any bowls to give you.  How do they give water or food to the pets staying there? is what I was asking myself...  More importantly, the vets are unbelievably  incompetent and our 2 year old dog was completely misdiagnosed and ended up passing long before his time because of this.  We are beyond heartbroken!  I HIGHLY recommend you take your dog(or cat) to CARE or another specialty or emergency clinic so you don't end up having to say good bye to your dog too soon like we did.  I am writing this review in honor of our sweet baby hoping no one else has to experience their incompetence and mistreatment of their furry family member.  I could go on & on and describe all the things they did wrong that ultimately lead to the day we had to say good bye because of what they failed to do early on.  Then to make things worse, they went on to aggressively test & treat him which we did based on their suggestions & this just made things progress even more quickly.  If we had known we would never had let them touch him again.  and YES-they are ridiculously overpriced so if you want to spend thousands with nothing to show for it, this is the place.  We are clearly one of very many that has had a horrible experience with this vet practice if you continue to read the other reviews. Read Less

The fees they charge here are very high. We brought our pet in there a few months ago and it turned out he needed a procedure done.  The price they quoted me was $600.00 and it seemed high for what sounded like a minor procedure.   It was not an emergency so I decided to check with our regular vet.   Our regular vet quoted $21.00 to do the exact same procedure.  Yes that is correct CVS animal hospital wanted 28 times what our regular vet charged us.I know they are an emergency facility so they probably have higher expenses than a regular vet so I could understand them charging 2 times, maybe even four or five times as much as a standard vets office.  I would not have thought twice about a $100.00 charge from them for the procedure, but 28 times what I ended up paying elsewhere?Judging from the other reviews we are not the only ones to have them try and charge jaw dropping fees to keep pets healthy.  I would suggest, unless it is an emergency, with no other options, avoid taking your pet here simply due to the exorbitant fees.  Making lots of money seems to be their main goal. On the other side of the coin though is the fact that they were very nice there and made me feel like they really cared about my pet.  Maybe that is to lull you into complacency so they can get away with their ridiculously high fees. Read Less

Since we had a pet emergency we really did not want to be at this establishment, but let me tell you the employees could not have been kinder or more caring. Everyone was so friendly especially being so late at night (or at least late at night for me). I hope we have no reason to go back soon, but I would recommend this place. It is a little pricey, but for an emergency visit it was cheaper than we thought it would be. Read Less

Had to take our beloved beagle to Carolina Veterinary Specialists over the weekend. The front desk staff was great!!! They took our dog back to be checked and when she couldnt be seen right away they brought her back to us so she didnt have to be by herself. Dr. Venzke was nice, professional and honest about our grim situation but yet she still gave us options. We made the hard decision to let our sweet dog go. Dr. Venzke and the staff showed compassion and sympathy towards our dog and our family. Read Less

Our fur baby was literally dying in front of us and if we had not of been referred to Dr. Quigley for further care I'm sure she would not still be here.  A simple video of her behavior at home and he diagnosed her immediately.  Also the receptionists, techs, and everyone at this establishment was very accommodating, professional, and caring.  Thank you all for being there for us! Read Less

If I could give this place of BUSINESS less than one star I would. I capitalize 'business' because this is exactly the feeling I got when I got there, and when I left. Two hours and almost $400 later with no treatment whatsoever I grabbed my 4 year old lab and left. My lab had been vomiting for 3-4 days with minimal eating and drinking, as well as multiple trips to his regular vet. Long story short after many x-rays it was determined that "more than likely" he had eaten something that had become lodged in the intestine. I was then referred to Carolina Vet as a precaution that he may need surgery. I pay the $104 fee to just be able to be seen, and immediately more x-rays follow. The vet and vet tech come in to explain to me that it is apparent he has swallowed a foreign object, but it has moved down the intestine since yesterday. They say they are going to send the x-rays off to a "specialist" and will let me know what the radiologist says. After about an hour of waiting I am notified again the obvious of he has swallowed something. I have had many dogs and they have eaten many things you would not believe a dog could pass without surgery. At my regular vet I got different options on paper that are down to the penny of how much each procedure would cost. The vet walks in with a post-it note after saying she had talked with the surgeon and has an estimate for exploratory surgery costing somewhere between $2500 and $4000 with absolutely no explanation of where these costs are coming from. The other option is that he could stay from 24-48 hours given nothing but anti-nausea meds and fluids costing $1200 not including the $260 I just spent on x-rays. Keep in mind this is all while they are GUESSING what is wrong. I say to give me a few minutes to make some phone calls because I simply cannot afford to drop somewhere between $2500-$4000 without them knowing the exact procedure cost. So, I call my hometown vet (one of the best vets in my home state by far) and he tells me that he can do the whole procedure for less than $400. I immediately tell him I will be there by morning. I explain this to the vet and vet tech that I cannot afford their price, but my hometown vet can do it much cheaper. The vet was understanding, but the vet tech was very rude and kept rambling how I needed to do this procedure right now, and that he will not make it if I wait til morning I should really think about him not the money (while they were offering care credit). It was very obvious they really wanted to perform this procedure and make some quick cash. I say no thank you I will be heading back to my hometown to get the procedure done. My dog is obviously dehydrated, so I ask if it would be possible to just give him some IV fluid to get him through the rest of the day to possibly perk him back up and maybe he will pass it on his own. She says it will not help he needs to stay overnight, and then again keeps rambling about how I need to reconsider. I leave and call my regular vet (fort mill is great) she completely understands my decision as well as agrees to give him some IV fluids to re-hydrate him enough to get home and some anti nausea meds. About an hour later he is much better and not nearly as lethargic as before I came. We get on the road for a 5 hour drive, and after about 2 hours I pull over to let the dogs relieve themselves. There it is... he passed a large squeaker he had swallowed I had not even thought about being possible. He is a completely different dog and immediately starts drinking water and jogging around. By the next day it is as if it had never happened. Consider a different emergency clinic if at all possible. Read Less

We brought our Rhodesian in for vomiting. Dr Andrews was great. She spent at least twenty minutes with me while I was here showing me and explaining the X-rays, coming outside to get me while I was walking the dog, giving me sample food my dog could have instead of having to go to the store to buy chicken and rice on the way home etc. she was also clearly not out to run a bunch of tests and my costs. I'll definitely come back if my dog decides to eat another bone! Read Less

My dog is sleeping at the floor by my feet because of their help. Was it pricey? You bet. Was I thrilled that there was a surgeon that was on duty on a Sunday night to help her? You bet. I'll pay for that without griping. I have to go, she wants her walk, and I am so grateful that I can spend the time with her. Read Less

I would be weary of this practice if you are bringing your pet in for entropion or to see an ophthalmologist. However, this is my one and only experience with Carolina Vet so my opinion may not accurately represent them as a whole. I was referred to Carolina Vet from my emergency vet, my dog had severe entropion in both eyes and we were told we needed to see an ophthalmologist immediately . We drove two hours to Charlotte and were admitted under emergency as his eyes were in critical condition. Once we got there we were seen by the tech fairly quickly, women at the front desk were nice however the tech was rude and condescending to me the entire time. We were there for five hours, what was accomplished was an eye exam and prescribed medication. The entire time we were there I did not get to see or speak to the ophthalmologist once, instead information was relayed to me. "She said, she says". The ophthalmologist would not do the surgery to correct his eyes because of a skin infection, she offered to do a $1700 temporary surgery to help until the skin healed, at which point she could do the final surgery quoted at an additional $3000. I opted not to do the temporary surgery because of surmounting cost and try and manage discomfort at home until his skin was healed. I made an appointment at my normal vet back at home to help manage his skin, we went today and learned entropion surgery does not require an ophthalmologist and that he could do the entire surgery for $500. My regular vet, Dr.Johnson of Animal Hospital of Boone, said that Carolina Vet used to be a great practice, but as they have gotten so big they have too much overhead to offer reasonable prices to their clients.Lesson being, if you need to have this procedure done, consider an alternative to Carolina Vet. Read Less

OnThe people are friendly I guess. Haven't seen much of anyone. My dog has been acting strange sk I took him to the emergency room, thought maybe he got in some kind of poison or something. Constant whining and pacing. After they took my dog and checked him out for like ten minutes they left us in this small room and have yet to return. I've been in this room for 2 hours. I've asked to make sure they haven't forgotten me. Someone came in one time about ten minutes ago to say the doctor was busy. No one has offered my dog water, or a treat, or shown any sort of decency to acknowledge we have been in this to for 2 hours. I'm almost debating just leaving, apparently he's not dead yet so I guess it wasn't poison. Hes still whining though. Who knows? Maybe I'll find out sometime tonight. If its nothing, they can take the 104$ and I'll be in my way that's fine. But if its something then there needs to be some communication. BTW. There are literally only two other people here.Time of arrival 930. Current time 1142.I'm not looking forward to the rest of this process, and neither is my dog. Read Less

Over the years we have used CVS many times for several different types of dog treatments. One dog had a tiny sliver of wood in her eye and we were referred because our regular vet was nervous to perform the extraction. The CVS opthomologist removed it expertly in just moments! Our other beagle at age 5 herniated a disc in his back and needed expensive surgery, or to be euthanized. The vets and techs kept us informed about the procedure, what to expect, and gave us confidence that we could handle the aftercare. The office staff helped us arrange a special credit card to pay for the surgery, which was $3200 (this was several years ago now). The surgery went beautifully and our beagle came home. We followed the directions to a T and after 12 weeks of crate rest, medications, careful hand-walking with a support strap, and gradual increase in steps per day, our boy made a complete recovery. You would never know today that any of that ever happened. It was amazing. Yes, it is more expensive, but being able to provide the most modern treatments and employ specialists, as well as be open all the time, is not cheap. I am so glad that there is a place you can go any time of the day or night or even on holidays, since things seem to so often happen at those times. Read Less

For the last four months, our dog was suffering from liver disease. Dr. Jordan Jaeger and his assistant, Amanda Ryan went above and beyond to care for our dog and our sanity. We fought the good fight and our dog did not respond to any of the treatments and succumbed to the illness. We cannot thank CVS enough for the kindness and caring of the entire staff who helped us through this nightmare. Read Less

I'm with many other people when I say if I could give this place zero stars, I would.  We ran into an emergency situation with one of our cats and our vet wasn't able to help us. He said if we just got her up there, that she had a strong chance of surviving and that they would be waiting on us. We got in our car with the cat and drove the fifteen minutes up there. We walked into an empty waiting room and no one around but the receptionist who was so obviously flirting with a man with a black lab.  We waited. We tried to get her attention. But she kept laughing and flirting with this man and actually gave us the "just one minute" hand gesture. Finally, after around ten minutes she broke away from her social hour and took our cat back. Less than a minute later, a vet came out and said "I'm so sorry, she's gone."  To add insult to injury, we had to pay these crooks $100 to tell us that our cat was dead. I can't help but wonder, would my cat be alive today if the chatty receptionist had just acknowledged the panicked people running in the doors with a cat wrapped in a towel in their arms?  It was a seriously traumatizing experience and it's difficult to even write this review. Reliving that night and the horrible treatment we received is painful. Not to mention the weird lighting and the bulletin board of death. Now my mother is in a situation where her vet has referred her cat there. After my horror story (and many others from people we know) she's doing her research and will take her business elsewhere. Read Less

We had a horrible experience at this clinic and will not return. Our regular vet referred it to us for a nasal blockage. After paying a $104 "emergency fee" we checked in at noon and left after 4:00. We thought we were waiting to see a doctor. Instead an intern popped in 3 times: once to examine, then diagnosis, then to tell us they couldn't do anything that day. She said we should schedule a future appointment for a CT, rhinoscopy, thoracic radiographs, and platelet count at an estimated cost of $1500-$1800. And we thought it was just a stuffy nose! Of course they wanted a $1500 deposit to make an appointment.They treated us in a dismissive fashion and generally showed no concern for our excessive wait or our dog's condition. We are looking for another clinic. Read Less

After waiting 32 HOURS for the Internal Medicine physician to SPEAK with me regarding my Pug in Intensive Care, including the 3 times we were at the facility I  received a call. A DOCTOR informed me that she had BAD NEWS, that she was sorry to tell me. My heart sank. I fought back tears, thinking my sweet baby had passed away. No, it was a call for a SECOND PAYMENT on my account. I told her I would be right there. I made full payment, picked up my Pug, to transfer him to Long Animal. On discharge from CVS,  they told me that the Internal Medicine Physician would be speaking with me about my Pug's condition..AT LAST. But  NOPE,  Instead I was handed a bag of personal items by a tech and instructed that, though it was quiet,  the physician would not be coming out to speak with me.UNACCEPTABLE.Long would be my first choice and CARE on Latrobe my second. If cost is a thought, go to Long on South Blvd. Dr Messenger was WONDERFUL at Long Animal! Read Less

Horrible.  They performed disc surgery on our MinPin in 2013.  They told us that he had other bulging discs but they shouldn't be a problem so they only repaired the disc that had protruded into his spinal canal.  Two years later our little guy is in pain again with buckling feet.  The cost of the surgery and related charges exceeded $6,000 and is still being paid off through Care Credit.   Due to their incompetence we will most likely have to tell our little guy good bye.   Our finances will not allow for another surgery and it's sad that he is suffering now due to their lack of better judgment.  I consulted other Vets and they said that a good surgeon would have corrected all the discs at the same time to alleviate any future problems.  They should offer to do another surgery for free because they did not do what they should have done in the first place.  Instead, as I'm sure they expected, we will try to find a way to get the money needed for another surgery.  If not, we will have to tell our family member good bye to end the pain.  Senseless!!!! Read Less

Doctor's are good but way too expensive for the services they provide. Tell you pet is ready, they take your money real fast but pet celebrates two birthdsys before you get them back. Do not go there!!!!! Read Less

I was referred by my vet to come to this hospital to have an ultrasound done and possibly a blood transfusion for my dog. He's very sick and wanted to try and save him. I called before coming and they told me the ultrasound would be $348. I walked in paid the fee up front to see doctor. They then told me ultrasound would be $600! They said it would and emergency feel! The test is the same if it's any emergency or not so why cheat people by doubling the price! I will not return if I can just save my dog on this visit! You would not get one star if I had that option cheaters. Read Less

I have been struggling through an undiagnosed, roller-coaster condition with my dog for the last two months. Leading up to my experience with CVS, I spent hundreds of dollars at another well-established, highly-recommended local vet clinic here in Charlotte. Those hundreds of dollars only bought me weeks worth of sleepless nights and very little by way of answers. My dog was prescribed extremely high doses of prednisone (which comes with a host of unfortunate side-effects) and his condition still "wasn't stabilizing" according to that vet. After their failed attempt at an abdominal ultrasound to try and further diagnose his condition, I talked with an out-of-town vet friend who immediately suggested I ask for a referral to CVS. She warned that there would be higher costs associated with seeing a specialist, but explained that the advantage is their expertise and board-certification. Upon referral, I was pleasantly surprised that I was offered an appointment with Dr. Lidia Pallo as soon as the following day. (unheard of when it comes to specialists) I scheduled for the end of the week and began to limit my spending in preparation.Then my dog decided to throw in a monkey-wrench. Two days before his scheduled visit he woke me up at 2:00am with labored breathing and a fever. I called CVS' emergency line and was told I was welcome to bring him in right away. I was greeted by a very friendly vet technician who quickly took our information and got Max's visit started. Dr. Alissa Gallagher, the emergency medicine vet had assessed Max within 10 minutes and promptly came out to speak to me. She explained that he was indeed running a fever and offered to let him spend the rest of the night in their care for just $11.75. She was patient with me and my infinite questions and actually adjusted Max's price quote 3 seperate times as we continued to negotiate the line between what treatments were immediately necessary & what funds I had available. She told me she would make sure he was seen by Dr. Pallo as soon as possible in the morning. I received a call from Dr. Pallo pretty early in her work day which was unexpected & refreshing. She had managed to squeeze Max into her already booked daily schedule. She was also incredibly patient and talked me through everything step by step & made sure I gave the go-ahead before performing any treatments or testing.I was able to pick Max up later that day with all necessary testing complete. I was fortunate to have good news as well as a clear, concise plan of action. I got the much needed answers that I've desperately (and unsuccessfully) sought out for almost 2 MONTHS under the care of other veterinarians. How long did it take Dr. Pallo & Carolina Veterinary Specialists? 4 HOURS. Our final cost was about half of what was initially quoted, another huge blessing and relief. I cannot thank them enough and would highly recommend this clinic to anyone experiencing problems with their precious fur babies.*as a side note: I agree with the other reviewer about the "bulletin board o' death". In an attempt to distract myself as I paced around the emergency exam room at 3:00am, I was less than comforted by reading the greeting cards prominently displayed on the wall. "Thank you for trying to save my dog, its just too bad he died.""Thanks for the nice gift you sent after my dog died."I understand that CVS is only trying to show that their patients love them, but I personally don't think this is the best place for that display. I had my emotions in check until I read just two of the cards...and then I fell apart. Maybe moving it to the waiting room or just typing them up for their website would be a better idea. Read Less

I ended up taking my cat here on a Thursday around 8:45pm. Although it looked dead when I arrived, the wait time they said would be anywhere between 1-3 hours. Doing my best to understand, the staff was very accomodating, upfront about the costs and went over several options for my cat. They were very considerate about having to sedate my cat before doing the exam and asked if I would help out in order to reduce his stress, which I appreciated. We finally left the hospital at 12:15am after completing the exam and sending me home with some meds. All in all, I was thankful that they were able to determine that nothing serious was happening and aside from the inital $99 fee for walking in the door, I only ended up paying around $35 for the sedation, exam and medication. Not bad. Read Less

Its difficult to rate a place like this. Although it seems that others have tried in the form of cards hung from a bulletin board. At least I thought that the cards were tokens of thanks for curing their pets. That thought stayed with me till I started reading the cards & discovered that they all said the same thing... Thanks for the diagnosis, we put Fido down. I thought to myself why would anyone have a board filled with cards thanking a vet for killing their animals?I pondered this question as the vet was examining our toy poodle. He had gone out in the backyard with his brother on a Saturday night a week ago to play & came back on three legs. His left rear leg was up in the air. We went to Carolina Veterinary the next day, a Sunday, to understand what had happened.The staff was very polite & professional. The waiting area was clean & comfortable. We didn't have to wait very long to see the doctor. She told us that he had torn the ligaments in his knee. She gave us pain medication & told us that he would need surgery. She said that the surgery would run between $1500-$3000!!! Thankfully we did not immediately whip out a credit card. We took our dog to his vet in Bessemer city where they told us that the surgery would be $750.I think that they are a godsend when you need help on a weekend or an evening when your vet isn't open. They are also fairly close to our house.Oh that's right... The cards on the board. I asked the vet why they had the cards displayed since they were so morbid & she said something about people being grateful that they could put their pets down without them suffering. I know. It made little sense to me either. Read Less

So the new dog.....less than a week home....was provided a type of food little doggies shouldn't have.......she got sick and had an overnight stay at this location.They were busy, but the folks behind the counter are nice and helpful and very understanding of the folks coming in with pets that were injured or ......and I hate to write this.....dying.  I mean as we walked to the examination room there was blood on the floor.  They primarily deal with emergencies only as we inquired about follow ups on shots and they indicated we need to find a regular vet as the prices for them to do it would be higher.They even took a certain credit card I had that was special to medical bills so that made it easier on my checkbook.I wasn't happy about going here, but was happy after I got here with the staff and help they provide to the pet I brought in. Read Less