S C Veterinary Emergency Care

We saved the life of a sweet little tabby from the Shop Rd. Animal Services Center (aka the pound) and all was well until one night when my girlfriend tripped over the cat and unintentionally broke its leg. I wanted to wait till morning so I could take it to Sunset Animal Clinic as I am almost like family with the people there.

My girlfriend, who has a heart so big to a fault, could not stand sitting around and not going to the Emergency Clinic. So I reluctantly took our cat and my girlfriend to the Clinic at 12:00am on a Sunday night. With little apparent compassion and a lot of waiting, they finally took an x-ray and showed us the break in his femur bone. They said the leg could not be wrapped due to where the break was. They handed our poor, broken cat back to us, still in the same exact condition it was in when we brought it in the door and charged us $300 for basically nothing but one x-ray. I thought $150 would have been more than fair. The next morning we took him to Sunset Animal Clinic and guess what they were able to do...they wrapped the damn leg like professionals! And get this! They also discovered a much bigger issue with the cat that the Doctor at the Emergency Clinic totally failed to see. Besides the leg, he had a major GI problem that needed surgery right away so we had all that done for a fair price. Sunset does not overcharge people like the Emergency Clinic does.

To be fair, I guess Im glad there is somewhere people can take their pets to at any hour, but that clinic has major issues. I will not be taking my animals to them again unless they are in some SERIOUS pain, or have had a really bad injury that we would not be able to clean and/or wrap ourselves. Cats can and do tolerate a lot of pain well, so if there is a next time Im going to keep him clam and wait for my vet to see him. Im sure the Emergency Clinic has saved plenty of lives, but I think the owners should take another serious look at the doctors qualifications and experience levels.

Posted 12/03/09 | Report Abuse

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I just got back from taking my Golden Retriever to this clinic. The experience from the beginning was entirely reassuring and I was very happy that I took my dog there for what I thought was an extremely dangerous condition. I was expecting huge expenses and bad news but was pleasantly surprised when the vet (Dr Quick) told me that it wasn't as serious as I thought and she would keep the costs to the absolute minimum. She was awesome! I've been to the other emergency clinics in town and had bad experiences at both.

Posted 10/23/09 | Report Abuse

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I took my pet there, and unfortunately, was treated very poorly in a time of great crisis. I can not recommend their services to anyone, especially in a life threatening situation. They are very matter of fact and show very little compassion. Luckily, there was another emergency veterinary care facility in the area that was able to save my animal.

Posted 06/26/08 | Report Abuse

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On a Sunday, I had a veterinary emergency and presented myself to this facility. There I sat for 94 minutes without seeing a vet tech or veterinarian. In desperation, I left and went to the other veterinary emergency facility in the Columbia area, although I had not gone there previously since this place was closer. I was seen and treated immediately at the other place. Perhaps SC Veterinary Emergency Care does too much business and cannot keep up with it's demands, but to me an emergency should be seen a bit faster.

Posted 08/21/07 | Report Abuse

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In responce to the 16 year old cat. Blame your self lady. No Tag!, Left Outside alone! Who should you realy be pointing the finger at?

We brought our Dachshund in with a slipped disk in his neck. We were able to see a doctor within 10 min. of arriving. They were all very pleasent to work with and had our dog up and running again in one week! This is the second Dachshund they have saved for us and we wouldn't take our dogs anywhere else. We live 1 1/2 hours from them.

Posted 07/07/07 | Report Abuse

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My 16 year old cat was taken here by a neighbor (who didn't know me) because he thought she was a stray. She wasn't wearing her tags and I left her sitting outside enjoying the sunshine for a couple of hours while i ran errands. This "new" neighbor took it upon himself to take my cat, surrender her over to this place as a stray, without any investigation. While I searched for days, my cat was tested, poked, left in a cage, force fed and then killed for "not eating" explained to me by a semi-sweet, uncaring vet. My personal opinion, they felt she was to old and to costly to keep alive. If they had just waited a few more hours i could have saved her. I am completely devastated. Please anyone who is trying to help an animal, DO NOT sign them over to a place like this that euthanizes animals.

Posted 05/17/06 | Report Abuse

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Twice, I've had to rush my dog to the emergency clinic due to a bad allergic reaction, and both times (years apart) the staff was extrememly caring and concerned, and made me feel instantly at ease. The veterinary techs were excellent, and the actual veterinarians were kind and very informative about what was happening to my beloved animal. No one approached the dog or tried to do anything (temperature, bloodwork, etc.) without first speaking to him in a calm voice, and this meant a lot. They reassured me of what to look for, what was not serious and what was, and he said to call him if I had any further questions, or needed anything. They are wonderful, and I have, and will continue to, trust the well-being of my animals to these lovely people.

PROS: Caring, compassionate, professional, open 24hrs
CONS: Expensive due to after-hours fees, location

Posted 12/09/05 | Report Abuse

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