New York Veterinary Specialty and Emergency Center

Reviews 4

MA

mario patullo

Brought our cat in on a friday night. He wasnt eating and was hiding and we had no idea why. After visiting our local vet and leaving with no answer as to what was wrong, we brought him to NY Veterinary and Specialty Center. We were informed that they would have more equipment and skill to diagnose the problem. We were informed that our cat was anemic and that there was possibly a mass causing the anemia, because all of the other tests came back negative (FIV, thyroid issue, Feline Lukemia, etc). So we left our cat there overnight so they could put him on an IV to rehydrate him and to monitor him. She informed us that an ultrasound was needed but the specialist was not available until Monday. In the meantime, she performed an ultrasound, but informed us that isnt her area of expertise. From her ultrasound she was able to see a mass and guessed it was maybe 4-5 cm and most likely cancerous. But this of course was not definite and we would need the specialist to perform a more detailed ultrasound. It was now Saturday. We had a blizzard friday night, so we were understanding that the specialist wasnt there. Now we received a phone call that he needs a blood transfusion. They perform the blood transfusion and he seems to be a little more lively. We go to visit him Saturday night. Sunday morning we receive a phone call that he vomitted and was having difficulty breathing. The doctor puts him on oxygen. We speak to the doctor and she informs us that he was resting. We questioned as to why the specialist has not arrived as our cats condition was becoming more and more serious. She was beating around the bush, then admitted that the specialist was away. If we would have known this, we would have went elsewhere. We were devastated. Sunday evening she apologized told us that our cat would be looked at first thing Monday morning (10am). Unfortunately, we received a call 6am Monday morning and were informed that his blood pressure was dropping and he couldnt keep his body temperature. He was pretty much letting go. So we made the grave decision to let him go. If the tumor was benign, we would have went forward with a surgery to remove the mass and give our cat another chance. But because the fact we were not given a chance to have the issues addressed sooner, it ultimately led to our cats passing. If he was looked at on Saturday, perhaps he would have been properly diagnosed and had a chance. We were very disatisfied with the care our cat received. If they want to be called an emergency hospital, they should be prepared for emergency situations. We are definitely not returning and will not recommend the hospital to anyone else.

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KE

Kennedy

Its a shame I have to give this place one star just so I can write this review, but out of genuine concern for animals coming to this place it seems necessary. This is the furthest thing from a Vets office/hospital. This is a disgraceful, money-hungry "business" full of corrupt, unprofessional staff who claim to care for the animals that people bring to them. My father and I brought a kitten to this vet that was found lying in street, clearly in distress and potentially injured. Shortly after the kitten was brought in, we were told very briefly from the vet that the cat had low blood sugar (hypoglycemic) and its body temperature was low, so to help it they were giving it IV fluid of sugar water and keeping it warm with a heating pad, which is great and raised our hopes that this kitten would survive. Shortly after this, all this vet could offer now to continue to help this distressed cat was slapping down a nice bill, depending on how much we really cared for the cat and how much we were willing to spend, ranging from $800-$1400, which is a disgrace when you take into consideration that she was a stray cat and we were just trying to help it as much as we could. From now on, the bill was the only thing discussed by the vet and staff at this place. Not what was further wrong with this kitten or what we could do further to help it, but how much we were willing to pay for their "service" to us. After refusing to pay an absurd amount of money, which was originally brought in out of the goodness of our hearts, we quickly realized that this place was all about the money and nothing else. After we told them we were going to take the kitten home so we could take it somewhere else to get checked, the vet quickly changed her tune about the stability of this cat. As we were handed the cat, we were then told that she had blood in her eyes and it appeared to them that she wasnt going to make it. Now both our heads are spinning because just 15 minutes ago, we were told by this same exact vet that this kitten was going to be okay with constant monitoring, food, and warmth. Ah, finally, the story makes sense. They wanted to string us on for the next day, get our money, when they already knew that the cat was going to pass. They merely just wanted to keep her "stable" for the next 24 hours with our $1400. We took the kitten home and shortly after arriving she passed away peacefully in our care. I hope after reading this you all think twice about bringing your beloved pets here.

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JA

Jana Jancke

I really wanted to give a good review here as my first impression was very positive. Professional intake interview by a competent receptionist, engaged veterinary assistants. My confidence faded, however, after we were told wed have to pay an emergency fee of $125 prior to seeing a vet, then were left to wait (with what we suspected was a cat experiencing poisoning) for another hour. After explaining our previously perfectly healthy 5-year old cats decline into vomiting, drooling, head-bobbing, non-responsiveness, dilated pupils, strained breathing within a period of a few hours to the vet, and that we suspected that he was experiencing some kind of poisoning, she told us that she suspected congestive heart failure due to a thickened heart muscle instead and suggested x-rays, MRI, clinic stay and other expensive procedures to simply confirm her diagnosis at prohibitive expenses for our budget ($1,000 - 2,000 before any actual treatment which would have to last throughout the cats remaining life span). We described the symptoms and their sudden onset over and over again and eventually got her to provide an anti-nausea shot and an expectorant to expel fluid from our cats lungs and got to sign a waiver that we were taking the cat home at our own risk. The treating vet made it clear that we should not expect our cat to live through the night. Needless to say, he not only lived through the night but made a 100% turnaround within the next 24 hours. I then put a call in to the vet confirming that he was probably poisoned due to our neighbors spraying weed killer, and should I still worry about the fluid in his lungs though? I finally received a call-back from a different vet at the clinic over a day later, stating that I should no longer worry about the lungs due to the expectorant provided , but definitely should bring the cat back for a variety of tests to determine for sure what caused his illness in the first place. Say what???

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TA

Tattoo Life

I took my dog there on June 17 with a dog bite on his chest . They "operated" and put a drain tube in the wound . I paid 1400 dollars for this service . I came back every day to have his bandages changed at $30 a pop . There was a yellow discharge coming from the drain and I asked every day if that was ok and they said yes . Then on day 4 I wasnt happy with how he was bandaged the tube was sticking out it didnt look right so I went back that night and the person at the desk told me oh well its here in the notes his stitches are popping we can take him in to surgery right now !! I took my dog and left and went the next morning to my vet who looked at the wound and informed me that the yellow was infection ! that the hole should have been stitched up and then a drain inserted into a small incision next to the hole and the liquid should be red .. and now he has an issue with his liver due to the negligence of NYVSEC allowing the infection to continue to spread!! I am now paying another $1000 for a competent veterinarian to save my boys life and more visits to come .. This is a dreadful practice that clearly is just a money mill!! I am furious my boy could have died they lied to my face!!!

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