Valley Central Veterinary Referral and Emergency Center

Reviews 3

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Randy Kucsan

Here is my story. Sorry for the length, but Im at another ER vet a little closer to where I live now and I have some time on my hands. I took my awesome cat Kitana, that I received as a gift for my 16th birthday, to this place when she had her first seizure. I remember running into the main area with her and just screamed "somebody help her". I looked like a mad man. They were quick to take her back and treated her successfully. I figured at 16 they were going to recommend putting her down, but they came up with a plan based on what I could afford (which included working with her normal vet, Stanglein Vet Clinic). She went another three years with minimal seizures using prednisone (I couldnt afford the additional tests, so I dont know the root cause. Her normal vet suspected cancer had spread to her brain and a tumor was pressing against it causing the seizure. The prednisone helped reduce inflammation and thus the seizure cause.) She lost her hearing and during the last year her vision started to go, but otherwise she was still mobile, active and a healthy eater. Sadly, on the morning of 12/19/15, she was having trouble breathing and I had a feeling this was the end. I waited a bit longer than I should have due to my denial of letting go, but I finally brought her there that evening when things didnt improve. I broke down almost immediately upon being spoken to and they were very understanding. They werent desensitized and went the extra mile to make it an easy experience considering the circumstances. The doctor immediately felt the bond I had to her. She allowed me ample time to say goodbye, saved a piece of fur (something I had wanted, but thought maybe it was weird to ask for, so I didnt), and took an imprint without me requesting anything additional. I wanted a private cremation, but didnt have all funds at that time and was denied for the CareCard. I dont believe this is normal protocol, but they were willing to let me pay what I could and the rest on my next payday. I fulfilled that earlier than promised (personal family loan) as a thanks for considering the moral aspects and not just the financial side of the situation (it prob helped that I was a mess and looked pretty pitiful, lol). I do want to thank the vet (cant remember her name at this moment) who treated her that evening. She was having trouble breathing due to fluid filling in her lungs and I remember asking if she could drain the fluid so I could take her home. She said that she could, but it was a rough procedure. I then asked how long before the fluid was back and she responded confidently "less than 24 hours". While it may have been the truth, I always suspected she was trying to help me let her go. So often doctors say they dont know, it depends, etc, but she was confident that Kitana would be back to having trouble breathing in less than a day, and I couldnt continue to be that selfish. So I was able to let go without any negative feelings around that "did I do everything I could" scenario. Death is much easier to deal with when regrets arent a part of it, so I will always appreciate the vet for that even if she was just telling the truth. The service I received was 5-stars that evening and worth every penny I paid; however, I give 4 stars because I do feel like profit comes before the animals family most times. The cost is higher than a normal vet due to the hours and limited options you have when your vet is closed during an emergency. I understand free market and supply/demand, but when its too expensive, animals go untreated. Im lucky to make a decent living and have no children that would come before a pet. Many dont have that option, so it would be nice if they lower the price to those of a normal vet (which can still be too expensive for many), but I think this is the business side more so than the staff itself who is caring and mission is to help save animals. Overall, Im appreciative for their service that night, they made a really hard night bearable.

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Gretchen S

My mother was in a Vet practice for more than 12 years. Thank God I know better. My cat is Dead because of the absolutely abusive rotten female attendants, and further, one or two were excessively mean to me. And Others I noticed too... Preying on people who desperately want to save their pets!!! I will never recommend this place to anyone. Even after I had a gold card, the rude condescending arrogant front desk clerk talked down to me as if she were punishing a kid who did something wrong! They wanted Hard cold cash! And they want it NOW. I raced the cat there on a weekend Saturday night to save her life! They didnt even want to give her fluids! After I gave them basically a gold card, then I STILL was being harassed for even more unnecessary tests as I checked with my mother and I checked with other veterinarians that I knew for years. People, trust me, I have no personal vendetta here, I just want to save you from going through the absolute pain suffering and HORROR that I did that night I will never forget that nightmare horror story so-called Vet Clinic. They have people In the office "staff" to tagteam you as they take /whisk the cat or dog away from you trapping him in the back so called "emergency treatment room (they claimed they were!)where they Claim to help him or her I watched this then they pull this fast one where they get somebody to come from the back when youve never even seen or met ... Until! Ahah! More cash!&$$$$$$$$and she is a monster , mentally and she will attack you and tell you if you dont pullout thousands of dollars like right now that they "cannot" help your pet (my quote was about 1700) please bear in mind this was in addition to the hundreds they had already received an order to just "see" the ()and you have to do it now and then the other one is on the other side of you yelling and pounding her fist on the counter where is the money you have to have cash we need cash hint they can pay people to try to bury the bad commentaries and They will have to keep doing it because theyre going to have to with that staff !!! Mean people stink they hurt other people they hurt the pets they hurt everyone I will never recommend this place no sir. staff is coached to make maximum dollar and do as little as possible to your pet so they can keep the money it is a for-profit organization be sure of it In the end I was begging her just to Give me my cat back or to put the cat to sleep and take her Poor little life because the cat was suffering I wanted her to put her to sleep and you know they wouldnt even do that theyre rotten people dont go there the woman in the front was the rudest person Ive ever encountered and I worked with countless veterinarians something Else that she did NOT know. A couple from Cornell One from PENN No this wont work. Go to a better place.

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Gina

Extremely unhappy with my experience here. I feel nothing short of ripped off and essentially used and abused at the expense of wanting to do whatever was in the best interest of my 1yr old husky. Unfortunately, my usual veterinarian was away on vacation when my dog experienced a handful of GI problems with symptoms that ranged from not eating to vommiting and diarrhea. After a few days of this I decided to take her in to (recommended) Valley Central. I assumed it was a bug or bacteria of some kind. I held a calm demeanor, having had dogs in the past and trusting that since my dog has legitimately never gotten into anything she shouldnt (shes very picky)...that it most likely wasnt a blockage or perforation. The doctor who saw us didnt even examine my dog before immediately ordering a $300 full blood work up. He went on to list the numerous things that could be causing these GI problems and what they could lead to, only invoking fear and immediate worry. He even citied cancer! CANCER! In a 1yr old otherwise healthy dog. I should of gotten up and left then. (Keep in mind her main symptoms were vommiting and diarrhea, things I would consider somewhat typical from time to time if youve ever owned a dog before). From that point it was as if one test just lead to another test. Next up was the $475 ultrasound (because the blood work still left questions unanswered). After that, the ultrasound apparently still left unanswered questions and I was lead into another test. A proposed sedated endoscopy and liver biopsy. $1500. And that doesnt even include pathology. I stopped him there and suggested we at least give medication a try before taking such an extreme measure. They gave me some amoxicillin and metronidazole and sent us on our way. All was fine until we had a follow up with our usual vet a couple weeks after this episode. A simple $25 rectal cytology showed a bacterial infection that we are currently treating with a $20 prescription and a change of food. I showed my usual vet the copy of my invoice from Valley Central and the tests that were ordered, she herself seeming very put off. In total Valley Central managed to squeeze $975 out of me and attempted another $1500, all before even suggesting something as simple and non invasive as a stool sample. I most certainly will never come here ever again and will make a concerted effort to share my story so this doesnt happen to other people. Unfortunately, people have already told me they had a similar experience. It was easy to see I was willing to do anything and everything to make sure my dog was healthy and ok and I sincerely believe they milked me for all the cash they could because of it.