Greater Staten Island Veterinary Services

Reviews 4

EL

Elena Scan

My young dog suffered from seizures for the past 5 months.She was put on meds that were not working, even with much tweaking. Our plan was to keep trying until she either had too many seizures and no meds would help, or she had a seizure that she was not recovering from. This happened last night. After an hour of her being left disoriented, walking in circles, we decided it was time to euthanize. Since it was after hours, we took her to Greater SI Vet Services, based on the recommendations, as well as our familiarity with Garden State Vets for our previous dog. I called them first, to let them know we were coming in to euthanize. I have had 3 pets euthanized before, so I am very familiar with the procedures. When we got there, we were put in a room and waited awhile, but then were told they would have to take her away from us to put in the IV catheter. I have never experienced a euthanasia where the pet was not with us at all times. The dog was already stressed, we were already distraught, and did not want her taken from us. PLUS I told them that we were trying to avoid her having another seizure, and added stress would make her have one. We needed this to be done as fast as possible. They took her into a room for over a half hour. I could hear her making sounds she would make before a seizure, so I peeked into the room and saw her sitting on the tile floor with techs doing other things. I yelled that she was going to have a seizure, which she immediately did and banged her head on the wall, then floor. They rushed around her but made me leave and closed the door. After waiting about another half hour, with me or my husband constantly asking what is going on, they finally brought her into our room WITH A CONE AROUND HER NECK!! I yelled that she hates cones and her head and neck are extremely touch sensitive in this state, so they removed the cone, saying it was so she didnt bite if she had another seizure. SHE NEVER BITES, during seizures, and I hold her head when she has them to keep her from hurting herself. I said I did not understand why this is happening since we took her here to euthanize so that she does not have to suffer another seizure! Her IV was in, but she did not yet have her sedative, so she was still trying to walk and was very distressed. Finally the doctor came in to start the euthanization, and in the middle of giving the lethal dose, something got stuck and he could only give half. He had to call in a tech to help finish it. There we were with our dog half dead, still breathing, waiting for the job to be finished. This whole process from when we got there, until we left was 2 hours of pure horror. The next day, the head of the hospital even called to apologize and said she would make sure this didnt happen to anyone else. Over $300 to euthanize which is much more than Ive ever paid for an experience that I will never get over, and all the research I did to make sure my dog had a peaceful ending, turned out to be stressful and violent for her.

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SE

senada Pelinkovic

I agree with Jack. The overnight vet seemed inexperienced and incompetent. Majority of the questions I asked her she answered with "I dont know". After the first few minutes of speaking to her I honestly wondered if I was speaking to the vet or if this was a tech that they sent in. She was extremely nasty. NO bedside manner whatsoever. The receptionist came in to tell the "dr" she had a phone call, the "dr" then said with a nasty face "tell them Ill be done, yeah Ill be done, Ill be out of here" with a laugh afterwards. After she left the room she popped back in to tell me the ONLY difference in treatment would be that she would start my dog on strong pain medication. I handed my dog over not to keep her from her treatment for too long. An hour and a half later I get a phone call "Im so sorry we found her with no heartbeat would you like us to proceed?" I said "Proceed with what?!? Does she have a heartbeat?!" "Umm I dont know, *shouts* does she have a heartbeat?! No Im sorry she does not have a heartbeat" WTF is that?! I went in and asked how my dog was alive when I left and the only thing that changed was YOU giving her pain meds, the "vet" then said "I never gave her the pain meds I didnt think she needed them". Ohhh okay, so one second youre telling me my dog is in extreme pain and that youre putting her on pain meds, then she dies and you call and ask if you should proceed, and then you tell me you never gave her any pain medication. DO NOT trust your dog to stay in this facility overnight. I do believe that my dog was meant to survive had she been taken elsewhere.

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JO

Jon Byrne

Our recent visit to GSiVS was actually wonderful. The care that my Italian Greyhound, Lulu received was exceptional. From the moment we walked in the door being very upset of course, we were immediately greeted by Matt at the front desk. He was calm and very professional. Sara the vet tech came out and helped Lulu become immediately relaxed which made us feel the same. We met Dr. Susan Meeking who was very knowledgeable with the care for our Lulu. The next day we met Dr. Pedro Bento and he was very thorough with the explanation of the course of treatment and further testing to make sure nothing was amiss. We immediately knew that we had come to the right place. Prior to leaving, Barbara the office manager helped us with getting all the paperwork over to our insurance company for a faster payment. She also was very kind and professional with us. There were other assistants and techs there and you could see they really care about every animal that comes through their door. There was not one person in that office who didnt care or act like it was just a job. I will recommend this office to everyone I know. Thanks for helping our little girl and us as well in such a trying experience.

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KA

Kayla

I brought my dog to Dr. Scavelli after the advisement of my vet and a second opinion from another vet. She had torn her ACL and I was advised that surgery was the only option. My consultation with Dr. Scavelli was thorough and he answered all my questions. It was his professional opinion that I do the surgery for my puggle Isabelle. We scheduled the surgery. She stayed overnight. I called a few times throughout the night to check on her and they were happy to give me an update and let me know how she was doing. I picked her up the next day. The vet tech explained all of the aftercare as well as a different surgeon that was there. My dogs incision healed immaculately and I can say she is fully healed today thanks to the great care at Greater Staten Island Veterinary Services. The staff as knowledgeable, friendly and professional. Office is supremely clean, so clean that my dog slips and slips on the floor because its precisely waxed. I would absolutely recommend Dr. Scavelli and his staff for an ACL surgery. I was very happy with their services. I hope I never have to return, but if I did I would put my full faith in their care once again.

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