Cobb Emergency Vet

I called the to the Cobb Emergency Vet a few weeks ago because my chihuahua was repeatedly throwing up. I thought he was probably having a reaction to his rabies shot he got the day before. They scared me to death telling me to bring him in immediately b/c he was going to die before morning (when I could take him to the reg vet).
I took him in, and they immediately took him from me saying he had to me examined immediately. Thirty minutes later a vet came in to tell me that she had not had time to look at my dog yet, but i should be prepared for $500 of blood work and x-rays. She had not even examined him!
I wound up leaving 2.5 hours later with my dog only having been given some shots to calm his stomach, and when i called the next day to ask additional questions, (which they encouraged me to do) the only answer was, "Sorry, we can't really answer anything for you unless you want to bring him in again." No thank you.
I am very frustrated as this clinic is the only option if your pet has an emergency and I did not feel that anyone there really cared about the heath of my dog.

Posted 09/24/09 | Report Abuse

Was this review helpful to you?

took one of my cats there twice - once after spraining his paw after getting caught in a grocery bag and running around like a psycho and the 2nd time after he decided to climb a screen on my 3rd floor porch ~ you can guess what happened.

2nd time he was in bad shape and after 24 hours in their care, he was pretty much 100%.

you have to go in there knowing it is going to cost alot. it's not much cheaper at your own vet. common sense should tell you this and you need to decide what you want to do before you go there.

I got a refund the 2nd time he was there and he was there for 4 hours longer than the estimate.

I've dealt with 4 doctors and several of their other employees and they are all very caring people.

getting the money is upfront is smart business, especially in this kind of business - and don't forget their whole purpose in existing as a business is to make money.

Posted 09/15/09 | Report Abuse

Was this review helpful to you?

I am happy to take all of my pets to the Cobb Emergency Veterinary Clinic due to the fact that they are one of few clinics in Cobb County who treat strays and wildlife free of charge. They rely on donations for these services. About a year ago I took an injured Hawk into the clinic where he was treated and released by the doctors and technicians. I am pleased to know that kindness like this still exists in the world. While costs may be a bit pricey, they are nothing unreasonable and are to be expected of an emergency hospital. They have always provided us with superlative care!!!

Posted 05/07/09 | Report Abuse

Was this review helpful to you?

I have a 3 year old black Lab who has been treated by Cobb Emergency on several different occasions. During each visit I felt as though myself and my pet were treated with respect and kindness. The doctors have always explained all aspects of my pets health care thoroughly as well as taken the time to answer all of my questions. The techs have a large role as part of the medical/nursing team. They are sensitive to my pet's needs and treat him as if he was one of their own. Unfortunately I have read some of the negative comments on this site and I feel that there must have been some misunderstanding in the majority of these cases. I can tell that some reviewers felt that they knew more than the veterinarians. The sad thing is that when this happens, the pet, who is the sole reason for your visit to the ER, gets less than ideal care and suffers. As I am an RN in the metro Atlanta area, my only wish is that human ER's were ran with such efficiency and compassion.

Posted 05/07/09 | Report Abuse

Was this review helpful to you?

We recently took one of our birds to Cobb Emergency Vet because they are one of the few vets that claim to have bird emergency vets on staff. I have no confidence that the vet that saw him had any specialization in birds at all. He couldn't even identify what type of bird he was (a parrotlet). He wanted to do bloodwork, which is never recommended for parrotlets because they are so small and can easily go into shock. When we refused, he basically said there was nothing hecould do, and that Albert was "circling the drain." He sent us home with antibiotics - Albert died 2 days later.

In the middle of our exam, he was also complaining about another client that refused to euthanize her puppy with suspected parvo. HIGHLY unprofessional to be discussing another client's case with us, and really not at all what we wanted to talk about when we were there with our pet.

I have a lot of respect for most emergency clinics, because they deal with such hard cases. I have NO respect for Cobb Emergency Vet, and really encourage folks to go somewhere else.

Posted 04/30/09 | Report Abuse

Was this review helpful to you?

I am so glad they have clinics like this around! My dog had been vomiting with diarrhea for about 2 days. I didn't think of anything he could have gotten into he wouldn't eat or anything so the tech came got all my information and took my dog back to the treatment area i was put in a room and within 10 min there was a tech in there checking on me and giving me an update on him the doctor came in maybe 5 minutes later and wanted approval for xrays first off they took xrays and turns out he did eat something. they did blood-work and everything and said they recommend going to surgery i agreed, paid the bill and they were getting ready to go to surgery they let me go back to visit him and he was already hooked up to fluids and had a really nice comfy bed for him. the staff was very professional and courteous to me when i asked questions my dog really seemed at home there (as much as he could be) they went to surgery an hour later and 2 hours later they called saying they were done 2 days later he came home and was completely back to normal they didn't seem money hungry to me at all and everyone was very compassionate to me and my family!! Recommend this to anyone!!

Posted 04/07/09 | Report Abuse

Was this review helpful to you?

Doyle Johnson and this clinic just want your money. I gave them $1081 up front to work on my dog. They euthanized her and would not give me her remains. After asking a dozen times they told me I had a bill to pay. It was the euthanization charge. This clinic and Ms Johnson should have their license revoked.

Posted 03/15/09 | Report Abuse

Was this review helpful to you?

I was very impressed with the cleanliness of the hospital when I visited my dog during the day hours of the clinic. I have been to other veterinary hospitals as well as to other emergency clinics and this was by far the cleanest hospital I have been to.Unlike the other hosptials I've been to this one did not have the typical smell that I can only describe as a "doggie" smell. The floors and cages were immaculate! The staff was very professional and helpful when I asked questions about my dog's treatment. I could not have had a better experience.

Posted 09/21/08 | Report Abuse

Was this review helpful to you?

Over the past two years, I've taken several different pets to Cobb Emergency Veterinary Clinic about a total of six separate times, and my heart really goes out to the reviewers who've had bad experiences with their pets there. However, all six of my visits have been very good.

The condition of my visiting cats has varied considerably: from severe cases of calicivirus, to intestinal blockage, my pets have received thorough and conscientious care by the staff at CEVC. After my pets' stays, they also never fail to update my regular vet with the tests run, condition, diagnosis, so that the situation is well known and supervised after my pets are discharged.

Having visited other emergency vet facilities in other areas, I've found this one to be run in a typical fashion, in that estimates are drawn up for your pet BEFORE treatment. Presumably this is because we're not regular visitors, so CEVC needs some measure of assurance that we'll all be able to pay the bills we're accumulating.

Please, please, PLEASE go into this facility knowing that you will have to pay $100 just for your animal to be seen, roughly $300 - $500 just for the diagnosis (X-rays and simple blood tests, for example), and then surgery can cost roughly $1500 and up. If you know for sure that you must have this kind of money available, it helps you get your pet treated faster, and also helps you not feel so surprised when a doctor brings in an estimate.

Please also keep in mind that any part of the estimate not used will be refunded to you within the next 60 days...I have had several hundred unused estimate dollars refunded to me over the past two years. A good example is when admitting my kitten overnight: my estimate was about $555.00, which is what I paid, but the vets only used about $350.00 of that payment, so the excess $200.00 was sent back to me by check.

Posted 08/31/08 | Report Abuse

Was this review helpful to you?

My dog Nitro was very sick on March 14th 2008. I had taken him to a great Veterinarian group at Town and Country Clinic on Gresham Road.They immediately examined Nitro with the possible diagnosis of pancreatitis. He was running a high temperature and administered fluids right away. They advised me to take him to the Cobb Veterinary to continue his fluids. I wasn't happy with that decision since we had to put our previous dog, King, down on 3/27/2005. I had a bad taste in my mouth right away. Now I wonder if I had to euthanize King. They said he had a ruptured spleen possibly due to a cancer which I was told by them was common in German Shepard's.Well anyway. I refused to take Nitro there so the Vet advised me to care for him at home since it was Friday evening. With a friend (vet tech) and I continued to care for Nitro at home. I was advised that if his temperature was to go, up to bring him to the Emergency Clinic for fluids where he still had a catheder. My Husband and I rushed him there and advised the Emergency Clinic of his visit to the Vet and his requirement for fluids because his temperature increased to 104.7. After several hours and The vet advising me we should do ex-rays on him. The vet spent several precious minutes telling me what the cost would be. He wanted several ex-rays, and a endoscopy procedure done by another vet at another location. The price $2000. I was appauled by his actions because all this wasted time of 3 hours, Nitro still had no fluids. He even told me that his temp. was 105 and he was still discussing us going to see his vet. He also wanted $50 just to read the ex-rays. I paid reluctantly and cared for my dog at home after I yelled at the vet for not giving Nitro the fluids he needed which was the main reason we brought him there. I took the ex-rays and Nitro back to my vet the next morning, where the ex-rays clearly showed no throat obstruction to warrant a endoscopy. I have told everyone I know who love their pets like we do ,NEVER GO TO COBB VETERINARY EMERGENCY CLINIC.Thank you for reading this and please pass the word. I will be filing a formal complaint to the Board of Veterinarians

Posted 03/26/08 | Report Abuse

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Was this review helpful to you?

These people try to tell you what they THINK is wrong with your pet. Something is very wrong at this place. If you love your pet, take it to a real vet Stay away from Cobb or Cherokee Clinics. I know from experience..they are quacks,if they can't figure out whats wrong with your pet they try to convince you to euthinize it. Don't!!! There are Dr's out there that can help!! One dr. there tried to convince me to put down a perfectly heathly pet because she was lethargic..because they couldn't find what was wrong with her. I waited until morning, took her to my vet, found out she was having a difficult pregnancy. She was there for 1 day before going home and resuming a great life!!! That was 8 months ago.

Posted 02/08/08 | Report Abuse

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Was this review helpful to you?

After reading these reviews I was shocked to see the same thing has happened to others. I went to Cherokee emergency clinic with a sick dog back in July 07 and before they even did tests on my pet I was given the option to euthanize him. They said treatment was going to be expensive. My dog was 7 years old with some type of dehydration from a possible heat stroke, but I'm no vet so I didn't know. Money was of no concern..well to me it wasn't..to them it was everything. I would have given the place any amount of money to diagnose and treat him. But they gave me very little hope. Even though they had not run any tests on him yet. I agree with Bonnie, time is of such importance in getting treatment started within minutes..yet we had to wait an hour before we finished the "estimate and payment portion" for just the tests. Another hour passed before they even started treatment because in between the tests we had to have another "estimate" and payment in advance for treatment. I have no qualm about paying someone for services rendered. The problem is shouldn't they do something for the pet before they ask for money? I had a driveway put in at my house and wasn't even asked for payment until it was completed. And when you are standing there knowing your pet is in desperate need of help why are you put through this stress prior to them even looking at your pet? My dog died while in their care. Or noncare as I should put it. Those hours spent haggling over whether he should be euthanized, and how much it was going to cost..actually cost him his life. My regular vet told me he could've been saved with immediate care. To this day they were never even able to tell me what was wrong with him. I spent over $3000.00 for a bunch of "I don't knows and "you should euthanize him". I wouldn't recommend them to anyone. In fact I'd run the opposite direction if anyone ever suggested you take a pet there. Their staff is a bunch of untrained, uncaring students.

Posted 01/26/08 | Report Abuse

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Was this review helpful to you?

My heart goes out to the writers of the unfavorable reviews....It is so hard when your pet, who is like your child is, sick and does not make it..Unlike them, I have had excellent care and compassion from the Cobb location . On Jan 20, I brought my cocker mix to this hospital when I noticed her gums were pale and she was not eating very well. They took her back right away, did some tests, and immediately diagnosed her with Immune mediated hemolytic anemia (IMHA), something that cockers are predisposed to. The vet that night was honest and told me about its poor prognosis but that treatment, if we choose to do so, was needed to be started right away to give her a chance. Of course, they informed me of the costs and to me, that was no issue. My dog's hospital course has been a roller coaster so far, and we've had to take it day by day for the past 6 days. We've had interaction with Drs. Smith and Gaudry (mostly Dr. Gaudry) and they have been excellent and compassionate. The techs who have been taking care of Bekah have been great. At the end of our daily visits with her, we see our dog weakly wag her tail when her techs or Dr. Gaudry come into the room to take her back, so that reassures us of her excellent care. Although Dr. Gaudry has been straightforward with us about our dog's declining prognosis, she has continued to be hopeful and wants to exhaust all our options, if we agree, before we give up. Of course, the bill is not cheap, but I do not get the feeling that this is a money making scheme. Everyone seems genuinely concerned about our dog, and I can tell that Dr. Gaudry shares our frustration and has verbally told us so. Our dog has refractory disease, but she does not appear to be in pain, so we keep trying the treatments. Nothing seems to help so far, and if and when the time comes that nothing more can be done, I know that this hospital and its staff have done everything in their power to help bring my baby home.

Posted 01/25/08 | Report Abuse

Was this review helpful to you?

They were busy that night. January 21 2008 around 10 pm. I took Otis in because of vomiting and worrying about him dehydrating. First they had us wait..then the "doctor" came in and told us we should put him down he's "old". Otis was 13.(I lost a 15 year old lab to cancer a few years ago) I had 2 estimates for tests, then 1 for treatment,then asked to pay before they could do anything. Meanwhile Otis lay back there somewhere dehydrating, and in pain for over 2 hours.The staff lacked any compassion. The "doctor" was no different. After paying out over $4000.00 the bottom line is Otis died the next morning. Noone could tell me what was wrong with him, after all the tests, xrays, and the suffering they put him through. Otis had just been at home that morning drinking water, but vomiting. No blood, no nothing that would indicate something serious. Over and over they tried to convince me to have him put down. With no explanation of anything he might even have wrong with him. I said I wanted to take him home with some antibiotics and pain medicine for him. The "doctor" said he might have cancer. We should put him down.He told us he'd had an uncle who died of cancer and it wasn't pretty. Might is a very big word when there is only vomiting and weakness. All the questions I had...he could answer none of them. My regular vet sent me to this clinic after he had worked with Otis that day and told me he needed more fluids and more antibiotics. So I asked they put him on fluids and antibiotics and maybe do an ultra sound for an obstruction. (Otis had gotten in the trash 2 days before). It was like something from the outer limits dealing with this clinic. They called throughout the night saying he was in cardiac arrest once, then they called and said they think he had brain damage(???!!), and that he was having runny stools that were "stinking up the whole building" were the techs exact words. And that maybe I should consider putting him down. At around 9 a.m. they called and said he was in cardiac arrest again, did we want them to bring him back, we just said no. We were so desperate, and exhausted from the entire experience with them. We begged them to help him. Then we wanted to take him home where if he was going to "die" as they said, he could be at his own home with us. They talked us out of it. Saying maybe there was an obstruction and they could do surgery. That "doctor" was so intent on him being put down. It is obvious to me now that the cloud has lifted somewhat. Otis was so strong and healthy, he fought so hard, it took them all night to kill him. The doctor at that clinic has an obsession with putting down older dogs. Especially if he thinks they have cancer. I asked over and over "can you be positive he has cancer". No was the answer. I don't know what happened to Otis that night. I might never know. I don't even know what was wrong with him. But I have lost 2 dogs to cancer. And if he had it, he wasn't dying of it that night I know. Both dogs I lost to it, died at home with me. Another man in the clinic that night was talked into putting his older dog down. In fact in the waiting room, it was all the talk. "They said I should put him/her down". It was sickening. They will never touch my family again thats for sure. One more thing about their compassion..when I went to pick Otis up to bring him home to bury him, they had him literally STUFFED into a blue plastic bag. His neck and body contorted into an unGodly manner. My heart is heavy from the whole thing and I hope this warns some people about going through anything like what I've been through with that place. I intend to warn others and take further action. I feel robbed. Robbed of one more spring with Otis, or one more summer. Or even 1 more day.

Posted 01/25/08 | Report Abuse

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Was this review helpful to you?

I brought my cat in and it was extremely obvious it was an emergency when minutes can make a differene. Instead of
taking my cat for immate care, the doctor had to write up an
estimate of the bill and have me sign it and pay before they
would look at my animal. They should not be in the business
of caring for animals if it's money they care about more than the
animal. I call my vet the very next morning and they said my
cat's life probably could have been saved. These people did not
do any type of x-ray, mri - just a blood test and sent us home
where my cat died within hours.

Posted 11/22/07 | Report Abuse

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Was this review helpful to you?

I've dealt with this facility both on the phone and in person. In both cases they provided excellent care for the animals and helped to calm their humans. I had a lab mix that was doing poorly suddenly. We brought her in because it was after hours at her regular vet. They took us right away. It turned out she was having internal bleeding. They kept her overnight to do tests to find out what was causing it. It was a tumor that they could do nothing about, but due to their care, her life was extended for 3 months and she had good quality life as well. I would highly recommend this vet to anyone. Prices can be a little high because it is an emergency service, but they will work with you on payment and for me, it was well worth it.

Posted 02/13/06 | Report Abuse

Was this review helpful to you?

Cobb Co. Emergency CLinic has helped us out with a few visits and always taken the animals immediately. bills can run high with the fees for ER visit but the care is wonderful and we've never had to return with a followup b/c of a problem!

Posted 09/07/05 | Report Abuse

Was this review helpful to you?

I brought my cat in one evening when it was obvious he was doing poorly. It had come on suddenly and I was slightly panicked...the staff at this ER calmed me almost immediately as well as diagnosing my cat's helth problem. They were able to treat him and worked with me on payment of the services. They truly saved my cat's life!

Posted 09/04/05 | Report Abuse

Was this review helpful to you?