Insider Pages Reviews for Animal Emergency Clinic Of Capital District

1 Stars: Does Animal Emergency Clinic Of Capital District do Dog Snatching? (by Doug S.)

Doug S. — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 10:43:00 GMT

Our 8 month old AKC female and unspayed Great Dane had a broken leg. Our own vet stablized her and arranged for us to go to this place to have the ortho surgeon look at the x rays and talk to us about surgery the next day. We were prepared to spend $5k or so but was unsure of the prognosis (i.e. would she be in pain all her life given the chronic hip and bone problems of this breed, how would this affect her growth, etc.) or whether we would be able to keep the dog during the rehab period as we both work. They immediately admitted her, started planing for surgery and the surgeon refused to talk to us. The general vet. on duty told us she was just a "middleman" and could not be responsible for what the surgeon does or doesn't do, since he was with a speciality group separate from the hospital. When she started telling us the costs for the night, we insisted that we had to talk to the surgeon first before committing. She said that we could talk to the surgeon tomorrow before the surgery but that we needed to commit now to having it. The overnight bill was estimated to run as high as $1,100 and the surgery at a minimum of between $3-4K, assuming no complications. It got to the point where we suggested we may need to put her down if we did not have answers. She said that if we considering that option, she was "sure he would talk to us". She went back to the him and he still refused, telling her to tell us his cost estimates and not to worry, things would be ok unless there was a problem that we could get "mired in". It was outrageous that the Dr. would not consult with us at all. After a half hour of heart wrenching tears, we decided to put her down. Within five minutes of that decision, they tell us that they wanted to "rescue" the dog with a staff person who happened to be the surgeon's nurse. She told us she was not sure her landlord will let her keep our beloved dog but that was "okay" since she had a friend who would want her. She asked us to confirm twice that the dog was unspayed, While under absolute duress, we agreed and signed papers to never suit. We left empty in our hearts and feeling that we were denied the information necessary from the source, the surgeon, to make an informed decision. We want to believe that their rescue effort was sincere but we can't shake the feeling that we were set up. We don't know if our dog will be in a puppy mill or what. We will be reporting the surgeon to the state vet. board and have already secured legal counsel. We also talked to the Great Dane Rescue folks who told us they were never contacted and should have been, and that there were options for us if we needed help during the rehab. period.

1 Stars: Disgusted (by Kate C.)

Kate C. — Sat, 30 May 2009 18:34:00 GMT

Last night was the most horrifying night of my life. It began as I watched a man hit our cat and speed away. We rushed to this emergency clinic and the horror only continued. The first thing anyone talked to us about was money. The vet came out three times and began the discussion with... you guessed it, money. She said nothing about what she was doing for our injured pet (i.e. pain medication) only that according to the x-rays his injuries were critical and how much it would cost to operate on him (it was only after further questioning that we discovered the extent of his injuries since everyone was too interested in when and how they were going to be paid). We made the difficult and heartbreaking decision to euthanize. It was then that they brought us to a big open treatment area where we were stared at by no less than 5 staff members as we held our precious cat and said goodbye. There was no privacy and I feel that was an incredibly insensitive oversight. I am in the nursing field and witness the phases of death and dying on a daily basis and would never put someones grieving on display as they did. We were given less than 5 minutes in an exam room and then we were told, in not so many words, that we could go check out and pay. And, believe me, I am not jaded. I did not expect them to sob along with me and I know that our poor baby received competent care. I just feel things could have been verbalized and performed in a much more ethical manner.

5 Stars: They are AWESOME! (by Dee N.)

Dee N. — Fri, 29 May 2009 19:44:00 GMT

Great service, compassionate staff, they get two thumbs up.

My husband bought me a cute 12 week old pug from a pet shop in NYC and 11 days after we had him home with us he ended up at the emergency clinic, I'm glad everyone else said they couldn't take him and they were closed because Dr. Gavin and the staff at the clinic were amazing. And not just to me and my Trujillo but to everyone that walked in through the door.

Awesome people.

4 Stars: My dog ate Adderall (by Dan H.)

Dan H. — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 14:33:00 GMT

This is not healthy. But the staff handled things quickly and compassionately. My dog was fine after throwing up and a couple hours of monitoring. And they seemed like nice people there, too. It cost me about $200. Yes, dog health care is expensive but this was no more expensive than any other vet service.

5 Stars: My dogs eye was hanging out (by Marianne R.)

Marianne R. — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 07:22:00 GMT

The staff took my Mischief and cleaned her eye socket and stitched it up and I have had her home for two years now with no complications from surgery. Yes it was expensive approx 2000.00 but my dog is worth it and it was an emergency surgery after my normal veteranarians hours. It probably would have been a few hundred cheaper at my vet but she got hurt during late afternoon play. She is a Pomeranian Pekingese and does not even know what is wrong now or that she only has one eye. I have seen other surgeries such as these done on other dogs and hers looks the most natural and her face still looks normal. We got her back the next afternoon and I appreciate the great job.

5 Stars: Considerate and Compasionate (by Janet W.)

Janet W. — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 14:33:00 GMT

I had to have my 15 year old dog euthanized after a long illness, and determining that she did not have a quality life anymore. It was the hardest decision I ever had to make. I called the clinic, and they told me to bring her anytime. The staff was so considerate and compassionate, and confirmed that we had made the right decision. Not that euthanizing your best friend is ever easy, but the kindness and understanding of the staff made an extremely difficult moment so much easier. I will be forever grateful for their kind treatment to my family, including my dog.

1 Stars: BEWARE...Not helpful.... (by Georgette U.)

Georgette U. — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 21:17:00 GMT

I tried getting a question answered tonight to try to save some stray cats, but if you are not able to travel 40 miles with a sick animal that is not yours, pay for a vet visit...just to get information about worm medicine, then you are out of luck. I am sure they are great if you can pay their "pricey costs", but I think that it is wrong that they would rather an animal remain sick then give you a simple answer to a simple question over the phone. Are they there for the animals or the money? Makes me wonder!

5 Stars: I would never go anywhere else... (by Lynn M.)

Lynn M. — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 06:05:00 GMT

I brought both a dog and a cat there; the dog had a cancer and the cat was so ill that it couldn't be helped. Their gentleness, sensitivity to our needs as well as to our beloved pets; their honesty and support as we had to make difficult and heart-wrenching decisions will never be forgotten. We have brought pets that had seizures, been injured in accidents, etc. They provided the treatments and follow-up information we needed to continue the care at home.
The doctors and staff are professionals; they are compassionate, caring; they genuinely love their patients and do all they can to make them well.
With regard to the office, it is very well maintained, open and light. There is no need to make an appointment in an emergency, and just like an emergency room in a regular hospital, it is first-come, first served with critical cases taken first, which is as it should be.
Prices are higher than most vets, but it is well worth it.

5 Stars: Excellent facility and staff (by EJ S.)

EJ S. — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 20:54:00 GMT

We picked up a stray cat today from a co-worker, and this cat appeared to have an upper respiratory infection. Our normal vet couldn't give us an appointment in a timely fashion, so we decided to use the Animal Emergency Clinic. The facility is pretty new and is very clean and well kept. The staff is very friendly and competent. They had several true emergencies occurring during our visit, so our low priority case took some time to get handled completely, but we realized they did their best to handle us, and we were not rushed when we had questions about our new cat and what courses of treatments were prescribed. We couldn't have been happier. As another reviewer said, the care is pricey due to the emergency basis, but it is top notch care.

5 Stars: dedicated , caring and professional al in one (by R H.)

R H. — Sat, 12 Aug 2006 07:19:00 GMT

I've been here more than one would desire, but not nearly as often as the people I have met in the waiting area. In the late night hours when your pet is suffering this is the vet you call. This is the vet that sees tragic episodes and millions of tears. I can only give them the highest rating because of the care they offer and the dedication they have. I've been there when I got in quick and I have been there when I waited for hours....but strangely when you see why you are waiting you understand the cases that need to be attended to first and encourage it. This is not a business that you want to visit, but if you find that you have to, be assured that they will give you the absolute best care.

PROS: service they provide, care
CONS: pricey, but understandable