Valley Veterinary Emergency & Referral Center

Reviews 5

SC

Scarlett Sugar

Took my 2 year old German Shepherd here a year ago when she became extremely lethargic and unable to walk without collapsing. There were several people in the waiting room and she almost collapsed again while we checked in. They put me in a room almost immediately and within a few minutes she began to have a bad seizure. 2 vet techs came running and picked her up and as they did an surprising amount of blood poured from her nose and mouth. I was beyond hysterical. They moved me to a clean room to help me settle down and were extremely caring. Turned out my girl had hyponatremia (extremely low sodium levels) due to playing at the river all day (staying in the water playing too long), a swollen brain (from the salt levels) and lungs filled with fluid resulting in dangerously low oxygen levels. They explained to me the seriousness of the situation and that yes, losing her was a possibility but they were going to do everything they could to save her. Later when I looked up her condition online all sources said that at her level without very aggressive veterinary care death was most likely the outcome. They quoted me a price of $2500- $3500 and I would need to play $2500 up front. Is that a lot? I honestly dont know. But, what I do know is she required around the clock care from several vets and vet techs for 3 days straight till she was out of the woods. It took 2 days for her to be even able to breath without oxygen. They took INCREDIBLE care of her, gave me constant updates, let me call as much as I wanted. Let me visit several times. And when my itemized bill arrived they actually REFUNDED me $600 making my total only $1900. When I took my girl to my own vet (who had been faxed the medical file) the first thing she said when she walked in the door was "you have no idea how close she was to never leaving there." She said they did excellent work and that hyponatremia is actually very rare. Each vet had only seen it once in their careers, which made saving my girl at such a late stage of it all the more shocking. And when I told her the price she said I got quite the deal for all they had to do for her. I cant say enough good things about this place. Top notch veterinary care. Caring staff. Amazing and knowledgeable doctors. Trusted my dogs life to them, and they delivered her back to me, wagging her tail, goofy grin on her face.

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RO

Robert Stephenson

I cant say enough about everybody connected with Valley Emergency. Brought my 5 month old Lab puppy Roxy in because she was continuously vomiting and would not eat or drink. I was worried it might be rocks and other debris that she could have possibly ingested while at the dog park. It was a Saturday morning with a few patients already there. The only possible complaint I might have had was that we had to wait more than an hour to be seen, but, in reality, they were having a number of serious emergency cases that they had to take ahead of me and had just had to put down an 8-year old Lab that had become paralyzed from the neck down. You dont rush something like that with the family, and they didnt. As soon as a room was available I was immediately seen and they were so kind to my puppy. Turned out I was right and there were a dozen small rocks in her colon. They recommended hydration, observation for 24 hours, and an enema to try to empty her colon. They gave me another option to let me bring her home myself after they hydrated her to see if she passed them on her own which would cost less, but of course, I opted for professional care for her and left her with them. They called me several times throughout the day to inform me of her progress, and the next day when I picked her up I was told that the bill was half as much as the total, worst-case scenario of what it might cost estimate that they gave me the day before. What a wonderful place staffed by wonderful, caring people.

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A

A Private User

We took our 13-14 yr old cat here after he was acting like he was in pain, crying and laying uncomfortably on his side. They took FOREVER to come speak to us and explain what they thought was wrong with him. They never did give a definitive answer what their professional opinion was. Saw the vet once, briefly. The vet tech was the one who was sent to explain things. They wanted to run a bunch of tests and blood work on him ranging from $600-$1200. Felt like they just wanted to run all the tests because they could. When told all we could afford was up to $500 the vet tech returned saying that was just enough to cover the blood work. They told us to take him to the vet in the morning. We felt like we were just a number and didnt really care about what happened to the animal. The staff the next night when we brought the cat back to have him euthanized was friendly. They provide gratis a soft piece of clay that they will press your animals paws with as a keepsake. Nice people but do not take your animal here unless they are very ill and you think they may need to be euthanized, or you have a $1000 on hand.

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Stacy Shanholtz

I would recommend if money were not an issue for my friend, with most it is. I felt over 60% of my visit was financial based, the charges exorbitant & at a time when you would sell the farm just to have your pet receive help, that, no choice option was a terrible feeling. And the fact that you have to even consider not saving your pet because you cant afford that much. The center has a strong feel of being in the business for their financial gain & not first & foremost for the love & care of animals. Its ridiculously expensive & the client feels backed into a corner at a horrible time with no other option than to pay the money most dont even have. For the client its all about the love of the animal & I just remember a day when that was the very same feel that was obvious from the vet. Bottom line I am extremely grateful they helped my dog, I just did not like the feeling of you pay up now, an 80% deposit upfront for the worst case scenario estimate or your family member may die. I love that they are there 24/7 & can help!

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JA

Jamie Fox

The Valley Veterinary Emergency & Referral Center should be used with caution. While it seems like a great idea to make emergency vet service available, beware of costs and lack of compassion. You would think that personnel caring for pets and their owners in urgent situations would be versed in tactful methods...this is not the case. I was asked if I wanted to pay before or after when I tearfully told the receptionists that we made the decision to put our sweet dog down. I stuttered when I answered her (out of surprise) and she stated "I was just asking" in a nasty tone. We told the vet tech that we would take him home after the procedure and she continued to refer to his cremation as though she was not listening at all. We were also told that our sweet dog was too big for the caskets and they would wrap him up so that he would not "leak". My sons are 15 and 18 and they found this lack of compassion senseless and hurtful. I am sorry that is where our sweet boy spent his last few hours on earth.

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