Veterinary Specialty & Emergency Center

Reviews 3

BR

Brandi Blank

Our Penny, a three year old rescued Great Dane, was diagnosed with spontaneous pneumothorax. We first took her to CARES because of a good friend that works there. When we were told that the only option to save her was a $10,000 procedure, it was obviously a tough decision for us to make. At that point, we had only had her for 10 months, and while we absolutely love her, it was still a huge financial burden to undertake for a dog that had only been in our lives for a few months. The doctors at CARES made us feel really bad for not jumping on board with this surgery that wasnt guaranteeing her a long life, as her condition could reoccur days after the surgery, years, or never at all. When we did decide (three days later) to do the surgery, we were informed that CARES had no surgeons in until the following Tuesday, and it wasnt sensible to keep her there, just draining away our money until they could have someone do the surgery, so they referred us to VSEC. VSEC was absolutely wonderful to us. When we got there, Penny was taken right away. We saw an emergency vet, who walked us through what was going on with Penny and gave us far more detail about her condition. They gave an estimate for the procedure that was about $3000 less than CARES. They also were very understanding about our financial concerns and made sure we knew that opting out of the procedure would not make us bad people, which was really comforting. The very next day, the surgeon, Dr. Harriman, called me and talked me through Pennys condition one more time and walked me through the procedure step by step.They had discovered that her condition was worse than they had originally thought, discovering that she had two bulla in her left lung and one in her right, meaning that theyd have to to a double lobectomy. He once again assured me that if we didnt want to go through with it, it wouldnt make us bad people. When I told him that we decided on a DNR, he told me that he agreed that that would probably be best for Penny (whether he truly belied that or not, I dont know, but it meant a lot to me that he made me feel good with that decision). After the procedure, Dr. Harriman called me right away and gave me a very detailed account of what happened. I truly appreciated that he didnt try to dumb things down for me and allowed me to ask as many questions as I wanted. He also called me the following day to give me an update on Pennys condition. The support staff at VSEC was also amazing. Walking in there was like hanging out with old friends. The girls at the desk always knew who I was there to see (even though Penny was only there for a few days). Whenever we go for follow up visits, they also know exactly who we are. While we were scared for our dog, they joked around with us and made us feel like we were surrounded by friends who cared just as much for our girl as we do. It was like we were part of their family. My mom and I have joked that we would love to just go and hang out with them. Since the surgery, Penny has had difficulty getting her wound to fully close because of the shape of her abdomen. VSEC has been seeing her once a week to monitor the situation and has not charged us once for any of these follow up procedures, even though they had to staple her and then restitch her. While Id obviously prefer not have to visit VSEC again for emergency services, if I do need them, we will be hightailing it up there first thing.

JO

Joe Lupinacci

6-1-17. Still no 20% refund for overcharging and ordering tests that were not needed! Be careful with this place!!! 5.19.17- As of today I still have not gotten my 20% refund . It only goes to show you that they wanted me to change the rating to give me the 20%. Not only do they overcharge you and try to get extra tests just to rack up the bill but then when they tell you theyre going to give you some money back because they got busted they dont unless you change the rating. I will keep you updated it and see what happens . I would like to give everybody an update as to this Veterinarian Hospital. After I had brought my dog in and was totally disatisfied with the service and outrageous costs! I had called to complain about the way things were handled. I spoke to one of the employees on the phone about my dissatisfaction. She informed me that she would have a manager call me at the end of the day. I had never received a call back. After I posted a one-star rating on Google the following day I got a phone call from the office. It took a 1 star rating to make them reach out to me thats how much they care about their customers. After a lengthy conversation they told me they would give me 20% back off my bill. Its about two weeks later and I still have not gotten my credit on my credit card. Its amazing how they failed me at the first visit with my dog and then they cant even credit me when they told me they would give me 20% back. This will be the first and last time I will ever use this hospital again. I will never recommend this hospital to anybody with a sick animal. I was charged almost $900 for blood work and another procedure that wasnt even needed. Then it took them 5 days before they reached out to me to give me some results and told me I had to come back in for more testing. So I decided to take him to my regular vet and for $109 total cost he was treated and is back to his normal health.

LA

ladeevah

I think what made me angriest about VSAC was the Almighty Dollar vibe I got from the place. I mean, its an animal hospital, and the building and its interior decor (at least the reception area and consultation rooms) are nicer than the offices of the multinational company where I work! I took my cat to VSAC on July 12, 2015, on my veterinary office staffs advice. My cat was having a chronic problem with constipation - into his fifth day without "going" - and it looked as if he could get much sicker. Before I knew it, I had an ER vet trying to talk me into blood work, an ultrasound, and other diagnostic tests that I felt were totally unnecessary to anyone but VSACs bottom line. I refused all of it on the grounds that I didnt have $2,000+. My poor cat and I finally left after the cat had to endure his fifth enema in three days. Fortunately, he finally "went" today, and things are looking up - and it didnt cost me $2,000+. Would I like to know why the cat was ill? Sure, but I certainly dont have $2,000+ to search for an answer. And when push comes to shove, I want my pet treated, not analyzed. Its disheartening that the primary focus of an "emergency vet" service is profit, and not animal care. VSAC is mercenary and opportunistic, and as another reviewer wrote, the only game in town other than UPenn. The more I think about it, the more I realize they have no compunction about separating worried, uneducated and vulnerable people from their money. The "why" of your animals illness may be important in some - many! - cases, but the first order of business is treating the animal, not robbing its caregivers.