I took my cat stu there and unfortunately I had to do one of the hardest things and say goodbye. The vet and staff were so very understanding and supportive of how terrible and unbelievable this was for the whole family. The vet took time to explain the situation and answer every question. And the staff let us grieve and say goodbye with as much comfort and peace as they could possibly give. I highly recommend as they truly care about the pets they serve, and understand the love you’ve shared with them. Read Less

I was new to the area, and my cat had an emergency...so I went here despite the poor reviews. However, I feel this location cared more about the profit than the care of my animal. They kept pushing an unnecessary surgery and a large quantity of medications that I could not afford. When I asked if there was any way to reduce costs, they basically just told me no. I ended up leaving by signing an "against medical advice" form and drove 5 hours to a known trusted vet hospital. With this decision, my cat got optimal care, and I saved over $2,000-3,000 of unnecessary costs that VCA tried to charge me. (He got the same procedure...just aspects he NEEDED) The only reason I gave them 2 stars is for the kindness of the staff. They were at no point mean or rude...I just don't think they had my pet's best interest in mind while being affordable to the owner... A nice staff is not enough for me to return. Read Less

I had such a positive experience at VCA last night when I had to rush my poor Maine Coon cat to the ER at 11PM. When I arrived home from work, Flynn was sleeping in a puddle of his own pee and had gotten sick in the worst ways on my floors. I was so scared for his life and never needed to take him to any ER before. VCA was my closest option, and I couldn’t have been more thrilled with supporting staff and veterinarian Sara Beard’s care! Sara was able to identify a kidney infection with urinalysis and recommended a shot, tablet prescription, SO diet, and prescription food! My cat Flynn has never been so calm at an animal hospital, despite the circumstances, and Sara was so upbeat and knowledgeable throughout the entire 3.5 hour process, I would recommend this hospital to anyone! I will definitely be going to VCA for all vet appointments in the future as well as (hopefully not) ER visits. Thank you VCA! Read Less

We went to the Castle Shannon veterinarian ER when something just was not right with our 11 year old dog. Dr. Moneyhun was so kind. She took the time to research a possible diagnosis and called with all the results of the testing. With such a high volume office her time spent is greatly appreciated. Read Less

We lost our dog very suddenly last night. She was fine in the morning and by dinner she was acting very strange. We just knew something was very wrong and had to rush her late to the vet. My husband rushed her in and though she went very quickly the staff did everything they could to make it comfortable for her and us. They offered testing and to try to keep her alive but we knew she was already gone. They were very delicate with my husband and let him have a moment to cry and some of the staff even cried with him. They offered us several options and asked every step of the way what we wanted to do. At the end of the evening they gave my husband our sweet girl's paw print and some angel pins for our kids. This is not easy but the staff did a great job of making it easier. We are going to miss our girl so much. Read Less

First of all, allow me to begin my complaint with VCA's own words. At VCA Animal Hospital, we take our mission statement "YOUR PET'S HEALTH IS OUR TOP PRIORITY AND EXCELLENT SERVICE IS OUR GOAL'' very seriously. I want to question that statement for several reasons. The first of which is does this mission statement exclude the VCA Animal Hospital in Castle Shannon, 3610 Library Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15234? I ask this question regarding the mission statement that this company has adopted for itself and touts with obvious pride because of a recent experience at the above mentioned location. On 4/30/17, my daughter took her geriatric, diabetic cat there for the EXPRESS and SOLE purpose of purchasing fluids for him as he was severely dehydrated. He had not eaten in two days and she could not administer his normal medication of 3 units of Prozinc BID because of this situation. She did not ask for nor did she desire any other type of testing from this facility. She requested the fluids. OF NOTE: When she arrived, she was given NO paperwork to sign. No consent for treatment forms, no payment forms, not asked to pay the office visit of $103. She was not asked if she wanted any testing, X-rays or urinalysis testing done. Her signature was NOT obtained prior to her pet being taken back to the treatment room. Instead, what DID occur was that her cat was taken from her for some "unspecified" treatment. My daughter thought it was simply diabetic-related as in blood sugar and weight. It was at that point, that she was given several sheets of paper to "review" and "sign" for them. That brings me to the second question about the integrity of that mission statement. Is the "PET'S HEALTH THE TOP PRIORITY AND EXCELLENT SERVICE VCA's TOP GOAL, or is it predatory billing and taking advantage of a situation when the opportunity is ripe? It was after the consent for treatment form was initialed that the treating vet appeared to give my daughter the "bad" news. This news was that her pet was suffering from renal failure which is fatal. My daughter was given the option of inpatient hospital care, which she declined due to the expensive cost ($1000 plus) and the fact that the treating vet told her (and this is in the notes) that she would be surprised if the cat had more than a few days to live. The vet discussed the severity of chronic kidney disease with my daughter who expressed that she thought she had another 1-2 years with her pet. Again, this vet very casually stated that she would be surprised if the pet lasted more than a few days. Death at home was discussed and my daughter and her pet cat were sent home with a bag of fluids and less $462. Four days later, the pet was taken to his regular vet and all of the VCA "tests" were repeated and very different results were reflected. He was not in renal failure. He was not dying. In fact, he was improving. As a result, he was able to resume eating. Therefore, he was able to get back on his insulin. As of the composition of this complaint, he is alive and well. I have spoken with 3 people from this clinic, including the treating physician. All of whom were callous, unfriendly and tremendously unsympathetic. I was given analogies such as "if you go to the grocery store, you don't expect to leave without paying" - no, I don't expect that. However, I also don't expect to go to a vet and ask for one thing and get $462 in charges for other things that I did not request or have intent on purchasing only to be told my pet is going to die in 3 days. Let's refer back to that mission statement once more. "YOUR PET'S HEALTH IS OUR TOP PRIORITY AND EXCELLENT SERVICE IS OUR GOAL" In conclusion, I would never refer this business to anyone based on predatory billing and conduct unbecoming to a professional. I also question that mission statement and would really like to know if this is company wide or isolated to the Castle Shannon location. Read Less

First off upset that I have to even give this place a one star wish there was a setting for negative stars. My pets have been patients of this **** place for 9 years now. Always paid our bills etc etc etc....recently my dad has lost work due to health problems as well as my mother. So you could imagine the financial bind we are in waiting for his social security money and with neither working but myself at a low paying job. Well as luck would have it my cat Mufasa has abscessed teeth and the surgery would cost 1700 dollars to remove them and to keep him from becoming septic and dying. We have asked repeatedly for a payment plan considering we have been giving Dr.Shaw our business ever since he became a veterinarian and have been denied repeatedly once quite rudely I might add. As an extreme animal lover and nurturer it is destroying us we are down on our luck. I will not recommend this business or any associated with it we feel completely abandoned after trying to show our loyalty and support for this institute. So as of now we are waiting on my fathers check or some miracle...or we just wait and watch him die slowly but surely. It's extremely disheartening to give a place 9 years of business with them knowing we have always cared for our pets and never had a problem taking care of them we didn't expect all of this to happen. Please do not give this place your trust. Read Less

I could not have been more pleased by the care and compassion displayed by the staff and especially the doctors and nurses who took care of my very ill puppy- she was hospitalized several days. The doctor called me with updates often and the staff really fussed over her. They were knowledgeable and extremely caring. Top notch facility. You should be very proud. Read Less

UPDATED If you care about your pets, DO NOT GO HERE. This past Sunday I took my 15 yr old cat, which I had since he was a kitten for an emergency visit. Long story short ZERO compassion more like straight rude. Basically I wanted to put my cat down because he lost use of his back legs and was just laying in his own pee. He was in pain and I didn't want him to suffer. He's deathly afraid as it is to ride in a car and I get him there for help and they refused to euthanize him because they didn't know what was wrong without testing which is very pricey. He's 15 almost 16 yrs old. So I had to take my dying cat home. Had to pay for the visit for nothing. My cat was up all night crying and once again laying in his own pee. I called that night and the lady that answered the phone acted like she couldn't hear me. So I call in the morning and they were ignorant over the phone. I said I want to make a complaint and was told someone would contact me. Still hasn't happened. So needless to say I took my cat to a different vet. Avalon animal hospital. They were wonderful, so nice and understanding. The vet checked my cat with me in the room, unlike this facility. And said he was most likely having kidney failure and put him to sleep minutes later. He's finally not in pain anymore. No thanks to VCA castle shannon. I think I should get my money back at the least. You guys put my cat and my family through a unnecessary night of pain and suffering. Especially my cat and my children. Never Again I have spoke with her and a few other staff members. I was asked to take the review off Google and in return get my $103 returned to me. However I went and deleted the review but not the one star. I called yesterday to inquire about the return of my money and got slammed for not deleting the 1 star. So basically your hospital tried to buy me off for $103. Returning my money does not change the experience of what happened. When I expressed that to the director, she was completely rude saying that i needed to take the 1 star down and my cat needed blood work, not put to sleep. He was almost 16 yrs old and was dying. So basically called me a cat killer after the loss of my best friend I had almost 16 yrs. No compassion what so ever. $$ is more important to you than your care for animal's. So I stand by my review that this is absolutely the WORST animal hospital ever. And after reading other reviews I don't stand alone on this. Read Less

In the end the needs of my pet were met. Dr. Dohanich and the vet tech Christopher P. that cared for my dog were kind to us and very polite and helpful. Both were diligent at explaining instructions and encouraged me to call with any questions. That said, every single other individual that I dealt with in that building were the rudest and most disgruntled I have ever encountered at a vet. I have been to many vets including this one in previous years and typically people that work with animals are the most pleasant I deal with. There is a massive difference in the attitude of the people that work here in the last 2-3 years or so since my last emergency visit. The front desk people specifically are awful. Truly the worst I've encountered at any business. I expect to be "gouged" so to speak at an emergency 24 hour vet but for a $1600 ear laceration I don't expect to be treated like garbage. I will obviously not be back. University Veterinary Specialists in McMurray is my 24 hour vet of choice. Read Less

Today I had to take my little 15 year old cat in. We knew something was wrong and needed immediate care. The staff was so helpful and so compassionate. They explained everything from finances to all our care options. They didn't push us to do anything but explained everything honestly. Sadly we arrived with our precious girl and left without her. They gave every option and were honest about what treatment would and wouldn't do. I highly recommend these vets. I couldn't have asked for anything more. They are wonderful. Read Less

Meow! Staff is friendly. Our pets(of the feline kind) benefit from visiting here. BTW....even though it is "Big business" national chain...the people at THIS location treat your pet like it's thier own.Read Less

We brought our dog Bella to the emergency service on Sunday March 20. She had a seizure and was very sick. Unfortunately she had so many problems going on that they were unable to save her. She was only five and it was a huge blow to us. I just want to say that Dr Della Penna was wonderful. She was very compassionate while explaining exactly what was going on. I know it has to be the worst part of her job to tell people that their dog isn't going to make it and I just wanted her to know that we appreciated her expertise and understanding of what we were going through. She is an excellent veterinarian and I'd recommend her to anyone. Read Less

my 3 month old puppy max started throwing up and got really sick could not eat or drink water . i took him here they did 260 worth of tests and told me he had a blockage in his intestines and that it would range in 4k to get it removed with a 4 day stay.. they said he would die if i did not have it done and i was declined for the credit service. so they advised i have him put to sleep a beautiful 3 month old puppy put to sleep because i could not pay the fee .. well long story short i left that incredibly rude cold place took my baby max to big easy where they did the surgery a micro chip and nurtured him for 1200 with a payment plan he was back home in 3 hours Read Less

I am a long time client of this hospital, over 20 years. From my original vet Dr. Bell, to my current vet Dr.Lopez, I have experienced nothing but compassion, excellent medical services and kindness. Thank you for the care you give during the annual visits and scary emergencies. Bless you all.Read Less

VCA Castle Shannon saved my dog's life not once, but twice, and she made it almost to 18 as a result of their efforts. If you search Google for "My Little Gabby" you can find her site and read the stories to see for yourself. The veterinarians and vet techs were always attentive, compassionate and caring and went above and beyond. As she got older we were there a lot, so I have had experience with probably every veterinarian there and all were great. This is a good place and when I see some of the negative reviews I wonder about "the rest of the story." People don't like bad news and proper emergency vet care is expensive, there is no getting around it. In my case, it was worth every penny I ever spent here. They always did right by us and I am grateful. Read Less