Vca Veterinary Emergency Service And Veterinary Specialty Center

Our older dog declined quickly last night and needed immediate care. All the individuals we worked with were kind, compassionate, and professional. It is never easy to lose a dear furry friend; however, VES made the experience as positive as is possible. Read Less

I am revising my initial review that I left of VES 8 months ago. Originally, I had such a bad experience the first time I took my cat here and wanted to avoid this place at any expense in the future. My cat was diagnosed with severe heart disease by our primary vet, but VES came to be a second home for my cat Rudy. Most of Rudy's symptoms and attacks occurred outside of normal business hours which left us to take Rudy to VES. Rudy, since being diagnosed with heart disease, went to VES a total of 9 times and although the first experience was not pleasant the remainder of them were. Each time we would call to bring Rudy in the staff made it their prompt attention to care for him immediately. He was always taken in as soon as he got there and given the needed medical attention. The vets at VES gave us heartfeldt advice on how to care for him. Even though sometimes there advice wasn't what my husband and I thought was best they never forced us one way or another to make the decision they thought was best. I commend VES staff for there outstanding knowledge and ability to try to care for my cat the best that they could. While I hope I will not have to take any of my other pets into emergency care any time soon I would not hesitate to bring them here. Read Less

My cat got sick, showing signs of a seizure so we called we were bringing him in.We got there around 15 mins later and we had to wait an addtional 20 mins before a vet saw him. They were dismissive of my concern and told me he would be fine. He DIED two weeks later from a seizure at only 3 years old. I know that every illness can't be cured but I feel if they took my concerns seriously he could have been properly diagnosed and we could have lessened his pain in his final days. Read Less

I had to bring my kitty in on New Years Day-I didn't know how really sick he was, I figured he was bad because of his behavior and not eating. Well it was really bad-- he was super anemic and had some form of cancer. Without doing more tests, we could not be sure exactly what type of cancer it was. You see...this kitty was very special to me, he was a very shy, hesitant and not a confident cat. He did seem to trust me though. He was a failed foster, I ended up keeping him! The vet (Alicia) gave us several options of which none really had a good outcome. After a very candid discussion with her, I knew I had to let my boy go. She was very sympathetic and thought that this was probably best considering his disposition and the long road to recovery. About a week later, I received a sympathy letter and Alicia wrote a personal note about "Waylon"- she too saw how special and sweet he really was. She has no idea how much that helped in my healing- especially since that was an extremely busy day. Thank you Alicia and to all of the staff, they were all very compassionate and professional!! Read Less

The staff here were great. They were extremely helpful and caring when we had to rush our dog in there early on a Saturday morning. I appreciate the kind and welcoming feeling they gave when my dog passed. Thank you to the staff that morning. You were the first to help threw this extremely tough time. Read Less

My cat and bird have received excellent care at VES. The doctors explain all the options and are very knowledgeable and caring. They call back timely to give updates when necessary. I highly recommend them for your pets. Read Less

Today, I had to make a very difficult decision. My furry companion of 13 years, after not moving from the edge of the bed for over a day, collapsed on the floor, and lay helpless, crying in pain. I picked up my cat, and layed her in a laundry basket wrapped in a blanket. Upon reaching the clinic, I was met with kind, and caring, compassionate people, who made my cat's last minutes on this earth peaceful, and painless. I would recommend this place to anyone who is faced with this same decision. Thank you. Read Less

I can't say more nice things about this place! We were there last night with our cat, we thought he was having a UTI but it was a little more than that. Everyone was so nice to him and to us! They kept updating us and apologizing that it was taking so long. We were worried about what it was going to cost because it was a emergency but we were pleasantly surprised when he was being discharged. All the doctors and the techs I want to say thank you for making this process not just easy on us but on our cat. You show that you really care about animals no matter what time of day it is. Again thank you for treating our boy so well. Read Less

I took my dog in one night earlier this month. Every staff member I was in contact with was kind, helpful, and patient - I was so worried about my dog! They explained everything, gave options, and were great with him. They even called the next day to check up on him. Love the service. Oh, and so much more affordable than I thought it'd be for an ER vet. Read Less

My family has only had to use their services once, fortunately, but the care our kitty received was beyond top notch. We were sent to Veterinary Emergency Service after another vet stated that there was nothing that could be done for our cat who was having respiratory distress. We were beyond fortunate that Dr.Day was on shift when we arrived and his experience and expertise met us with a much different response. Dr. DAY was able to diagnose our cat and get a plan in motion to save our  cherished pet's life. The staff was beyond friendly and understanding toward my family keeping us informed each step of his treatment. I am relieved to say my kitty is alive and happily running around my house because of the care and knowledge demonstrated by the staff of this hospital. Thank you all for saving a beloved member of our family. Read Less

I took my dog here last year after he had undergone surgery and had aspirated.  My main complaint was not their medical expertise, because the doctors that were there seemed knowledgeable and they cared about my dog and our situation. I also understand that my emotional attachment to my dog probably clouded some of the information that they were telling me and caused me to hang on longer than I should have. My huge complaint against them was the fact that my dog was so ill that we had to put him down. That was not their fault. However, I tried to pay my bill prior to leaving the clinic right after I had to make that decision. They told me not to worry about it and that they would have somebody contact me in a couple of days to settle up the bill. They also knew that my husband who was working at the time would be stopping in to see my dog's body and say good bye when his shift was over. When he did that, one of the staff people came in and started harassing him relentlessly about the fact that we had not paid our bill for the services that we had incurred. I will be honest, that was a deal-breaker. I was happy to pay for everything that they did to try and help my dog. But the fact that they did not even have the common courtesy to respect a grieving person - when they gave me one story telling me that I could take care of the bill at a later date and then treat my husband that way - that was completely unacceptable. I might go ahead and mention that they had my credit card number on file so it is not like they had any realistic fear about losing any money. Losing a pet is a horrible experience and they made it 100x worse. I complained to the manager (?) about all of this and they apologized but I didn't receive any kind of token acknowledging that they took a horrible time in our life and made it that much worse. To be honest, if you live in a place where UW is an option I would definitely take your account there if you have the financial resources instead of taking them to this place. Please, if you have an animal that needs emergency care, take them to UW. I have my own complaints about UW, but that generally has to do with the fact that they have a lot going on and there are a lot of student doctors there. While it may be difficult for me to always get updates on my pet's condition and know what is happening at every point in time, I at least feel confident that they will make sure that my pet stays alive and they won't treat me like shit when I go to pay. Read Less

We brought our dog in to be euthanized on a Sunday. He was aggressive and had issues with both people and dogs. I'm thrilled with the hours and ability to be seen right away. However, I'm less than thrilled with some of the practices of this clinic. First, you would assume vets and vet techs know at least some animal psychology, and stepping over an aggressive dog, even a sedated one, is just not a great idea. Not only does it put them at risk, it stresses our the dog, and the owners who are already pretty stressed at this point. Secondly, when you check on the status of the sedation and the dog is still awake and coherent, it shouldn't take another 20 minutes before someone comes back without an answer. Lastly, when I'm on the floor, sobbing over my dog, my best friend, how dare you step over my dog and hand me a bill to sign. I'm sure there's a lot of red tape and beauracracy when it comes to medical clinics, animal or otherwise, but when I'm saying goodbye to my best friend, trying to sooth him and convince him to just let go and fall asleep, that is exactly NOT the time I should be pulling out my credit card. Or filling out paper work. All the compassion and understanding offered by the vet and techs was wiped out by the poor standard practices exhibited by almost all staff members. Please, please, work on your timing. No one should have to sign the bill for their pet's euthanasia, over top of their sedated pet. Read Less

Always know your options, and which one to take before making any decisions. They have effectively doubled my bill because i was unsure of my options. I feel as though they should have been told me every choice to begin with, rather than just put keep him here and "monitor him" for over two days wracking up $$$ or death. There clearly were more options. Now hes getting surgery at another location when that should have been the thing to do initially or at least sooner. Read Less

My dog was involved in a fight with another dog and we rushed the dog to this emergency hospital.  We saw Dr. Lovejoy and she was amazing!  She was compassionate, efficient, competent and very respectful of the situation. Thank you! I will be referring others to her care!!! Read Less

Had to take our dog here when she swallowed a needle. Everyone was very helpful and kind to us and our pup. It was expensive but reasonable given that she had to have surgery and stay overnight. After we brought her home we got nervous about her stitches twice and took her in... They looked at her free of charge and eased our worried minds with patience, compassion and kindness. Read Less

Our 7 month old kitten swallowed a threaded needle. ( live and learn). We called ahead and they took her in within 5 minutes of our arrival. They asked for permission to sedate her and do an ex ray. The vet, Chris Schatz, was kind, compassionate, and explained everything very well. He was very careful, asking about the length of thread, and explaining where the needle was and how he removed it. With the meds for home, the entire bill was 373.00. We were pleased with the whole experience. Next morning, our little gitzinta was her regular silly self. Whew! Read Less

I've used this clinic twice. The first time was a Sunday night when my cat hadn't had a bowel movement in a week and was becoming lethargic. We brought her in and the experience was just OK. The vet wanted to keep her overnight to give her fluids and ran a panel of tests that our regular vet could do for $40 but they charged $180. After a night of getting fluids and having some tests done we had to pay over $700. Fine, we love our cat and thankfully were in a position to pay for it. Unfortunately, it seemed like nothing was enough for this vet (a woman in her 50's or 60's with short to medium length brown hair). We should keep her there longer, we should do x-rays, more tests, etc. Now, my cat was 18 at the time and not in the mood for this so we took her home and our normal vet was able to continue treatment. The second time was when we ultimately had to put our cat down. She was stumbling, unable to stand and meowing loudly. We called as we were leaving the house so they were ready for us when we got there. They said she had thrown a clot to her brain and presumably another to her lungs. We saw a different vet than the time before (this was a man who looked VERY young, like I suspect he still gets ID'd for alcohol) and he was excellent. He cut his exam short when he realized our cat was distressed and was very honest about the options and letting us know that in reality she would never make a full recovery. He talked us through the process of putting her to sleep and then left us alone to say our good-byes. They had given her a mild sedative and had put her in a cat bed and wrapped her in a blanket, so she was comfortable. The euthanasia was fairly quick and the vet and staff were all incredibly sympathetic. They even made us a memorial paw print and wrapped up her remains for us. I won't say it wasn't a rough night but they made it the best possible experience it could have been. If it hadn't been for the first vet, this would have been five stars. Read Less

Our dogs tail broke open from wagging it and hitting the wall. It got infected and we took him to the vet. He has a skin problem as well. The vet came in and started talking about his skin, we were there for his tail and that was it. After wasting our time talking about it, it seemed like he was trying to get more money out of us, he finally addressed his tail. Told us to give 4 prescriptions, get a collar/cone so he can't lick it and then to see our regular vet. So a day after they have us the cone, it breaks. They use a hard plastic which is not flexible at all. We called to see if we could get a replacement. They said only if there were no dents on it from running into anything. This was a 30 dollar piece of plastic that can't cost more than 5 bucks to them. How would a dog who has never had a cone before not run into anything??  We also had to wait 20 after we were done seeing the vet to get the  items prescribed. Will not go back there. Had a better experience at the vet off rim rock after his acl surgery. Read Less

Luckily, I have only had to use their services once. I took my large dog into VES on a sunday after he had an allergic reaction to... something. I called ahead of time to just get a estimate on how much it would be just to "be there" and I was pleasantly surprised with such a low cost. I knew it would be higher once he was examined but I was thinking it would be a few hundred dollars and expecting the worse (when it came to my wallet). When I called, I gave the woman all the general info (breed, age, updated vaccines,  phone number, address) and when I came in, they were all ready for me and my pooch. Granted, they only had 2 people in the waiting area and it didn't seem that busy.Everyone was very nice and animal loving people, as expected and the doctors answered my questions. I think we MAYBE there for an hour. Not very long. And when I went to pay, it was only $100 so I was very happy. Now, he didnt have surgery or anything major so I can't tell you anything about those situations.Not 5 stars cuz I've never been at any other Emergency Vet place before and didn't have another experience to compare to. Read Less

I had to bring my cat in for an emergency surgery.The vet tech was really nice, calm and friendly. My cat tends to bite people she doesn't know when they try to interact with her, but she tolerated the various indignities the tech did without even a hiss. The girl was very patient and gentle, and could tell when my cat was reaching the end of her tolerance.The vet was pleasant, brisk and informative. She explained what was wrong, the various options available, gave her recommendation but didn't push one option over the other. She answered my questions and concerns without making me feel pressured. The surgery went fine and took about as long as she said it would. Before releasing us, the vet tech explained the various medications, what they were for and how to administer them.Everyone I dealt with here was compassionate and reassuring. My cat is now back to normal, with only a teeny scar to show for the ordeal. Read Less