Animal Emergency & Specialty

Reviews 4

A

A Private User

This past March, my Australian Terrier, Oliver became very ill over a period of weeks and then suddenly nearly died at which time I frantically looked on the internet for a nearby hospital. I luckily landed here and Oliver was promptly diagnosed with severe pancreatitis and a blockage of his stomach by a foreign object. He was very, very sick and I was literally in deathwatch mode because he seemed so far beyond help. I agreed to emergency surgery and could not believe the swiftness and competence of the staff in how they took him to surgery, operated and managed his post-op care. By the way, surgery was very difficult due to a lot of damaged stomach tissue and other complications so the owner of the clinic was called in in the middle of the night (around 2am) and helped the doctor on duty with the operation. I wasnt charged a penny extra for this extremely personal care. They really cared not just for Oliver but for me and my emotional response at the time. After a few days in the hospital they gave me complete instructions on how to care for him along with all the medicine and tools I needed to do so. In the next week I called the clinic frequently with questions and concerns because Oliver was SO sick and needed SO MUCH care. I felt I was in this WAY over my head but every time I called I was instantly recognized by all the staff, my questions were politely answered and I was NEVER made to feel like I was being a pain or calling too often. They were caring, responsible and extremely competent; every single one of the staff and doctors I interacted with. Oliver made a full recovery. In June my other dog lunged after a squirrel and after jumping landed on a piece of rebar sticking out of the ground about 8 inches up. She ripped the skin off her abdomen and had a large patch of bare muscle showing with blood and gore. I immediately took her to AES. I knew she would get the best care. She needed surgery and overnight care and I honestly didnt worry at all because of my previous experience. She recovered fully and is back to chasing squirrels. (rebar is now gone) Two days ago, Oliver again became very sick with vomiting and pain. Back to AES! It was another difficult diagnosis but they got it just right and removed a green martini olive from his stomach! I dont have any idea how he found this olive as I dont like green olives. Oliver is sitting at my feet right now recovering. I have the utmost respect for Dr. Kissenger for this one and I am extremely indebted to her for saving Olivers life. I really cant say enough about how good my experience with these people has been. They are competent, sensitive and (I think) fairly priced. The ONLY negative I could say is that they are a little difficult to find but thats minor. I HIGHLY recommend AES!!

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A

A Private User

I had a sick puppy exactly 1 year old that needed emergency service for an infection. Being a Sunday, this was the only place I could get my Lhasa Apso seen. After refusing me service because I would not be able to pay until a few days later, I finally got a family member to help me out and get my puppy seen. Upon arriving early that afternoon, Dr. Jane McGough told me that my puppy needed blood and fluid tests, which would cost $135, and I agreed to. After they ran said test, the vet told me it was actually going to cost $200 on top of the $85 fee I had already paid to be seen (a slight mistake more than doubling what I thought I would be paying). I was told that my dog would need an emergency spay or she would not make it through the night. Upon pleading with the doctor, she offered no leeway in my desperate situation, even though I could pay for the procedure in full 4 days later. I was told the prognosis for my puppy would be excellent if the surgery was preformed, yet they would not so much as budge a day or dime in helping me. Upon finally working out the details on how I could pay for the surgery and gaining hope that my best friend would live, Dr. McGough then informed me that they would need to watch over her for 3 days, escalating a $3000 bill to unattainable amounts. I was informed that the only procedure they would accept payment plans on was euthanasia. Funny how they can credit you to end a life, yet not save one. In the end, as my girlfriend and I sat in the lobby saying goodbye to our best friend (yes, the lobby, they would not give us a private room to grieve), I asked the vet if we were doing the right thing in our situation, and she smugly replied “Personally, I’d find someone to take care of the dog”. How ironic, the only person that could possibly help us in our situation was the one counting pennies in our time of need. I understand that in these tough financial times it is unrealistic to expect a payment plan regardless of whether or not it can be paid off in a handful of days, I do however find it unacceptable to not have the slightest bit of compassion or bedside manner when a precious life that could have easily been saved is put to rest on her first birthday over a four day wait. Thank you Animal Emergency Service East and Dr. McGough, you made a difficult and heartbreaking situation an actualized nightmare, with a $500 bill as the cherry on top. We love you Melo girl and will never forget you, Heaven just wanted their little angel back too soon.

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M

M Stewart

I would not recommend this facility at all. I took our sick cat in and had to transfer him to another animal hospital (just down the road) a day and a half later because AES did not have the knowledge or the equipment to properly diagnose him. My main complaint, however, is the support staff. When I arrived and was waiting while they did tests on my kitty, the support staff was complaining to each other about the owner doing triage work because he is a DVM and I guess they thought he should be doing a higher level of service? I personally think its great when an owner/manager tries his/her best to understand all levels he is able to of the business. The kicker, though, was when I picked my kitty up to transfer him in the middle of the night, paid $1100 to AES (for nothing) was sitting in the waiting area of the new hospital, and they called me, said that they had miscalculated my bill and I still owed them $35. $35 on top of the $1100 and you have to call me ten minutes after I leave, while Im super upset about my poor kitty and waiting to get him admitted to a different hospital because you didnt do anything to help me figure out what was wrong?!? So angry with them!! And BTW, AES did blood work and told me they ruled out cancer, only to have the new facility do a biopsy and diagnose him with cancer. I have no idea whether the blood work shouldve shown that, but dont tell someone that youve "ruled out all the dangerous stuff" (thats a direct quote) only to be wrong.

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A

A Private User

My bad experience is not with MARK OHANLON, hoever, its with one of his vets Dr. Karee. My mom took her dog there because she had a bad ear infection. She did treat the dogs ear with a flush and ointment and if it ended there, it would have been fine. HOWEVER, she gave the dog a shot of a 72 hour pain relief, that made the dog so limp by the time I took her home, she was out of it. She wouldnt eat and was just in a gaze for two days. To boot when she gave the dog the shot, she bled all over and asked my mom to clean her up. Again, this should not have happened if given the shot properly. She also gave her pretizone. Why? Who knows, which also made her sick. Luckily my took the dog to her own vet THANK GOD and told her to stop the pretizone immediately and the reason she was out of it was because that shot was like a morphine. Not necessary for a ear infection. There were better alternatives. Her doctor also said the reason the dog bled for the shot was because she hit a main vein and said you need to know exactly where to put the needle. Obviously, she was clueless. My mom is elderly and she just thought the doctor knew best and didnt question anything. Well, live and learn. You take your pet who you love so much to a vet you think is going to give your pet the best care. Well, not the case here. My mom said the vets attitude was colder than cold to top it all off. I would not recommend this place and be at risk of getting Dr. Karee.

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