St. Augustine Regional Veterinary Emergency Center

Reviews 5

KA

Kathy S

I am giving this four stars because I had a great experience with the general staff at this ER Vet and also very thankful that they are available and I dont think the facility is a bad facility. My complaint is with the vet I saw, Kristen OConnell, the vet on staff that day. I have since found out she was a relief vet and not part of the regular staff which is the reason for the four stars. The vet is Kristen OConnell and I came in on Memorial Day weekend (Sunday) with a 5-week-old kitten who was having seizures. The vet told me to euthanize her. We had an appointment with our regular vet on Tuesday and I asked for medication to keep her comfortable until then and she refused and told me the only option was hospitalization and IV meds or euthanization. She did give me ONE vial of valium to be administered in the case of a prolonged seizure (only after I asked for it) and she specified she would only give me one vial. She immediately got an attitude when I told her I would not be euthanizing the kitten and we wanted our own vets opinion. Subsequently, the kitten suffered for 48 hours with seizures every 2 to 3 hours until we took her to our vet. The diagnosis the ER vet made is correct but her treatment plan differed from our vet. He prescribed small doses of valium and phenobarbital to hopefully control the seizures. I also found out that everything Kristen OConnell told me about the treatment for my kitten was not true. She can be given oral medications to control her seizures and she told me that oral antibiotics (which i had to ask her for) would not effectively work on an infection that had crossed to the brain. I have since had two vets tell me that is not true. Since the visit with our vet, the kitten has only had one seizure and is resting peacefully. Her prognosis is guarded but she is at least at peace now with the medications given and has a chance of recovery. At the end of the visit at the ER vet with Kristen OConnell, I mentioned that my husband wanted to go to the Sugar Mill in Deleon Springs for pancakes in the morning but that we wouldnt be going now with the kitten and her seizures. OConnell replied to me, and this is verbatim, "I would rather eat pancakes than watch a sick and dying cat." It was at that moment that I knew I couldnt let this go without a complaint. I called the ER Vet and they were very receptive and apologetic to my complaint and said I was not the first person to complain about her. I do want to reiterate, my complaint is not with the hospital itself, but only with the vet on staff that evening. My suggestion to anyone going to this ER vet is that if Kristen OConnell is the vet on staff when you have to go, please dont let her treat your beloved pet. If I had not listened to my gut with her, my kitten would have died at her hands because of her atrocious recommendation. I am not sure how she could be so cruel as to not give a suffering kitten medication to help keep her comfortable during a holiday weekend.

---

A

A Private User

This is a REAL review. Last October, we called this vet when our Golden needed emergency care. Rather than asking about the core issue of a bona fide emergency, the first thing the receptionist asked was this: "Is you dog up to date on all her vaccines?" We responded that we were calling about emergency care, not vaccines. Again the receptionist pressured us about bringing in "all the vet records and vaccination records," [even though this WAS an emergency]. We did not go into this vet. We know a LOT about Dogs, and know that OVER-VACCINATION with ANNUAL "vaccines" like rabies etc. are highly suspected of causing cancer in Dogs. A rabies shot will last the LIFETIME of a Dog. The web has enlightened millions of loving Dog parents like us! These people want to sell dangerous vaccines. Never going in to their place. BTW the office visit quoted over the phone was $80. We went to another emergency vet who charged us $35 for the office visit and did NOT ask a single question about GD vaccines/shots etc, but instead treated our baby. If the ONLY concern of a vet is "shots/vaccines" etc. a/k/a profit, at the expense of the longevity of your Dog, then get another vet!!!!

---

NI

Nicole Johnson

No Would Help Me But These Kind People Here At St.Augstine Regional Veterinary . I Told Them My Situation They Listened To My Situation . They Were Very Kind & Very Helpful. My Dog Dutchess Was Very Sick I Needed Get Her To A Vet. They Opened Their Doors For Us. My Dog Had To Be Put To Sleep. But They Let My Finacee & I Say Good Bye To Our Best Friend & Baby. The Staff Was Excellent With The Care Of Our Dogs Final Hour . The Staff Had A Angel Banket Over Her As She Layed On The Table During Dutchess Final Hour. That Gave Me Relief That Dutchess Was Put To Sleep Peacefully In Her Final Hour As Tears Flowed Out Of My Eyes Down My Face. God I Never Thought I Would Be Wearing These Shoes . I Use To Think A Person Crying Over A Pet Was Stupid. But Until U Walk In Those Shoes U Will Never Know How It Feels. Now Here I Am Today Walking In The Same Shoes . I Now Know The Pain Of Losing A Pet. But Yet The Staff Gave Me Great Comfort & They Were Very Truthful With Telling Me My Dog Could Not Be Saved. They Are A Staff That Care About The Well Being Of The Pet. I Say Thank You To The Staff.

---

TA

Tammy Evans

After speaking to Sheryl the vet tech at this ER center, I will NEVER EVER bring my dog there again. She is rude and the most insensitive person I have ever crossed paths with regarding animals. She treated my concern for my dog as a joke, even laughing on the phone!!! I had felt loyal to this center when Dr Genzier,(who is wonderful) sent me there when we did not think our dog was going to live but Dr Genzier and two other vets, that Sheryl informed me are no longer there saved his life. She also said that Dr Genzier is no longer on the board. And to top it off, after asking her to please have the vet, Dr Goode, call me instead of me speaking to her, the vet chose to have the tech call me back and say just bring him in, are you kidding me? This place is a joke!!! Needless to say, I would never trust a person like Sheryl or Dr Goode, who could not even call me to answer a question, to ever be around my dog!

---

JO

Joshua Galster

Yesterday our 2 year old dog was in serious pain and we werent sure if we could wait until our regular vet office would open up. We have never had to take our pets to the emergency vet and asked what we needed to do before we got there, which was met with nonchalant answers that were borderline rude. We gave all of the information that we could think of as to the cause of our dogs problem, to which the doctor made a sarcastic comment that the information we gave him didnt help his diagnosis. He immediately told us that our dog had nerve damage and that we would need to take him to a specialist to get an MRI. I gave them 2 stars instead of one because we did have them administer a pain killer which helped our dog relax a bit. We took him to Banfield and they told us he twinged his back and just needed to rest with medication. He is almost back to his normal self today. We will not be taking our pets here again.

---

---