Animal General

Experiencing a dental emergency - our dog has a cracked tooth, exposed dentin, and is most definitely pain. Was totally desperate. Literally no one would take her for months out! Finally found Animal General. They were totally booked out for surgery but, Erica, was genuinely kind enough to take my information and promised to call back before the end of the day with at least an exam appointment.

She called back an hour later. A patient canceled so they booked us for an exam and surgery same day for the following week! After having called and spoken to so many other offices with rude, callous, front desk staff, I am SO GRATEFUL to have spoken to this kind and intelligent person who actually wanted to help! Thank You Erica, for your compassion and responsiveness to me and Sky during our time of need.

Absolutely great vets! I have been bringing my cat to them for 12 years and they have always been amazing! I wouldn't bring my cat anywhere else. They are super attentive, have GREAT follow up. And just overall perfect! I highly recommend them for caring for your pets.

I took my late senior, and now my current puppy, to Animal General, we have seen all of the vets by now, and we absolutely love this practice! All of the doctors and staff are extremely smart, professional, and have outstanding "bedside" manner with patients and pet parents. My senior was a complicated patient, but the doctors always handled his medical problems well and took fabulous care of him.

When he was sick with cancer, Dr. Pines always took my calls and advised us, and when he passed away we received calls from Dr. Pines and the front desk to express condolences and talk about his passing. It meant so much to me because I could tell that my dog was truly cared for. When we showed up, people recognized my senior, and when I call the staff recognize me and are always quick to help and so friendly.

I can't say enough nice things about Animal General and all the doctors and staff here! They truly do a wonderful job, even when I was not living in NYC I would travel to and from appointments because I trust this practice, and they deliver such a high standard of care. And of course, they are AAHA accredited!

I found a tiny little bird outside my apartment and didn't know what to do. but because of this institution, that little guy has a chance to live and fly. If I had left him there on the streets, he would have been rats food. so thank you Animal General! You are saving many lives

There is just basically nothing good to say. They treated us like we were buying a coffee or bagel rather than bringing our young dog for a check up for the first time. Or maybe worse. They rushed the visit and then took our dog away from us (why?not sure?) to look at her teeth? then they said they could not because she (a yorkie) growled at them- duh probably because they took her away.

We paid at the end of the visit though they had done essentially nothing, $275. THEN months later I get a bill from a collection agency. I called and they had written down the wrong number so it had been declined. I hope this does not hurt my credit. NO APOLOGY. They said they had called me, and maybe this is true because I might have not wanted to talk to them since I had found another vet. NYC needs better vets, that actually strive to be caring nice people.

They take excellent care of my boy. The staff is lovely and so kind to all the pets. Their hours make life easy too!

Kind and thorough. I've been taking my cat here for years and am thinking of switching my dog to come here as well. My cat can be a bit of a handful, and they always assure me that they can handle him and are happy to do so. They tend to have more convenient hours, be more flexible in accommodating emergencies, and they are super responsive and communicative - checking in after visits etc.

I also appreciate their approach to Covid compliance, though I can see how it would be frustrating for some to not be able to go inside with their pet. It really feels like they are responsibly public health focused.

I have nothing but great things to say about my experience at Animal General. Everyone I interacted with from front desk staff, to the nurses, and Dr. Stuchin we're all so kind and welcoming. Dr. Stuchin made sure to take the time to answer all the questions I had about my puppy, and I left feeling well informed and confident about the health and wellness of my dog.

We really trust the vets here, and the staff are very nice. Wish they'd stop doing curbside-only visits because I prefer to be with my elder pup on his visits.

Totally lacking in compassion and money grubbing. One woman who works at the front desk is particularly unpleasant. Avoid. Go to Bluepearl on 15th St instead for specialty vet care, they are lovely.

Not sure why I don't give five stars for service businesses, but maybe it's because I don't know enough about the service they are providing, but anyway. They're good. Pricey? A little, sure. But here's what I liked this time. My dog was slow and not as connected as usual and had three consecutive nights - but not mornings or days - of vomiting.

They ran tests, did a hands-on testing, and got back to me with a preliminary diagnosis of Cushings disease. And the next day, they revised it because it wasn't typical Cushings, and rather than have me come back in for a specific blood test suggested instead that I might want to take my dog for a neurological exam. I had a couple of questions, which they answered in additional emails (note the plural).

So thank you to Dr. Stuchin for checking my dog out, and thank you to Dr. Stuchin for bringing in other vets there to review her notes and give additional comments, and thank you Dr. Stuchin for answering my blizzard of emails with grace and patience.

Excellent vet, and I've been going there for four years with my cocker spaniel. They are efficient and caring, and explain costs clearly before administering any treatment. Dr Shea in particularly has been very helpful with diagnosing and successfully treating my dog's liver condition. Highly recommended.

I think if there were 6 stars, that is what I would give Animal General. The people that work there are the kindest, most accommodating people that I have ever met. The front desk staff is so warm and friendly and I can not say enough about the vets and the care that my dog received. The vets are smart, kind, compassionate and provide sound advice.

Although my dog has passed, they kept her alive a very long time. I will always be grateful to them. A special shout out to Dr. Shea. She's an incredible clinician and kind beyond words. If you are looking for a vet, do not hesitate to go there, even if you do not live in the neighborhood.

Both of our cats goes animal general for regular check ups. Staffs are always welcoming and friendly. Never had any issue. Highly recommended!

Such a phenomenal experience with Animal General. My pup had an emergency situation on a Saturday and they squeezed her into their schedule without a problem. Each person on staff who I communicated with was beyond compassionate, transparent, and empathetic. They clearly understood the stress associated with an emergency vet situation and assured me throughout the entire process that all would be okay.

From initial call to pick up, the team provided frequent and clear updates on my pup's status and I felt I had a clear understanding of everything throughout the entire process. I couldn't recommend Animal General enough! If you're looking for a place to take your pet and trust that you can be at ease, look no further.

Horrible people. They told me if my cat ever had a heart attack to rush her in. She was having a heart attack last week. I went down they said sorry we cant take her. 25+ years of loyalty for nothing. My cat was revived at Blue Pearl. But this could have been prevented!

In addition to the poor service, they were totally indifferent when I told them me beloved cat was diagnosed with lymphoma. They seemed more relieved that they wouldn't have to deal with him any more. There was absolutely no concern. This place should be shut down immediately and all the doctors should lose their licenses.

I have been taking my two dogs to Animal General for the past three years, but I will never take them back! I brought my 13-year-old pit bull in because she wasn't eating, but was acting hungry. I suspected she had a cavity or other oral problem. When Dr. Klafin called me after checking her, she told me that big dogs don't stop eating because of tooth pain and recommended bloodwork and xrays.

She told me that my dog had a heart murmur that probably indicated heart disease, liver disease, kidney disease, or cancer. Of course, I was panicked! After doing the bloodwork (we decided to hold off for a few days on xrays) and finding nothing wrong, I decided to take her back home to observe her for a few days. I discovered that she could eat soft food, but when I called Animal General, they still insisted there couldn't be anything wrong with her teeth. So, I got in my car and drove her to my old vet in Virginia.

He immediately noticed bloody saliva in her mouth, sedated her for an oral exam, and removed two teeth, one of which was severely abscessed. Why on earth was Animal General not able to spot this problem, especially when I led them right to it? Not only did I waste time and money visiting two vets and driving to another state, my poor dog was in severe pain for several additional days due to the incompetence of this vet!

The vet in Virginia also said the heart murmur was very faint, so I feel like Dr. Klafin was just trying to panic me that day so that I would pay for an array of expensive procedures. I hate to suggest that, but sadly, this isn't the first time I've felt this way at Animal General. I've emailed them twice in an attempt to discuss how this could have happened, but they've ignored my attempts to contact them. DO NOT TAKE YOUR PET TO THIS VET!

The team at Animal General is truly wonderful. Dr. Yang is thorough and compassionate, and extremely patient with our many questions and concerns. Dr. Shea is also wonderful! The techs and are also great - they clearly love animals. When we lost our beloved dog, the entire team was extremely caring and took great care of him and us. I can't recommend them highly enough!

Animal General did a great job with our dog's mammary tumor removal (lumpectomy). They got our dog in for surgery quickly, treated her well, and were true to their word on the price quote. Dr. Shea clearly is extremely passionate about animals and did a good job of explaining everything to us.

Animal General doing great job! The team is responsive and my dog Rex, is super comfortable going to see all the vets. He loves his vet Dr. Shea. She is personable, patient with us as owners, and very thorough without being anxious. During Covid: Great efforts on part of staff! They are successfully able to see pets safely. You simply call from Outside the entrance and an attendant takes your pet inside.

Then once in, the attending vet rings your cell to discuss the presenting issue, treatment etc. Then, when complete, they bring your pet outside to you and process payments by cc on file. It's streamlined and quick ( actually faster than pre- covid :).

Wonderful group of professionals who genuinely care about your furbaby. We've been going there for decades. The vets follow your animal's case carefully and call and do outreach/education to make sure you know how to do everything (eg giving insulin shots). They discuss with you all of your options. We've had routine care visits, some serious illnesses with our pets, travel documents to be processed, and sadly cremations that they have handled with professionalism and compassion. Highly recommend.

I left an honest review last week. IT HAS BEEN REMOVED! Obviously, they don't like negative reviews! OOPS! Now I see the review I posted IS here!

I first started bringing my cats to Animal General as they were right down the street from me. I did think they were pricey at first and depending upon who you see I feel like certain tests are pushed more often than with others. However you cannot beat how thorough they are and I feel like they really care about the animals in their care. I've since moved to Queens and I still drive across the city to the Upper West to bring my cats there. The new vet there is awesome and made me feel like I could ask a million questions and spent loads of time with me and my cat. Overall I am very happy with Animal General.

Great vets who are easy to get a hold of in the event of an illness or emergency. Highly recommend to anyone living in the neighborhood.

My cat, Orangina Holloway, recently had blood work during her annual exam and it indicated that she had a heart murmur which in turn indicated that she needed an echo cardiogram. Gina also was in need of dental work so we brought her in a couple of days ago to get the work done. I, of course, was nervous and so was Gina. I can't begin to express my appreciation for the nurse who me us at the door.

Her name was Jennifer and by the time I left, I was totally at ease. The next day I received a call from Jennifer telling me that everything had gone well; Jennifer took the time to answer all of my questions and when I picked up my precious little Gina - Jennifer once again met me and reassured me that she was in pretty good shape for a thirteen year old. : Animal General has taken care of all my cats for the past twenty years. The staff is always so kind, the doctors are excellent and in particular, I salute their incredibly sensitive nurse, Jennifer. Thank you, Animal General.

Dr Shea is Xena's FAVORITE DR EVER! Meaghan is amazing and so is the office manager (I want to say Theresa), please forgive me. They have ALWAYS been good to me and my baby girl. I would NEVER go any where else. If you EVER have a issue with your animal, I swear by this place. They really care! My baby girl is a blue nose pitbull and they have no fear in the world thus I know she receives the proper care. I love them and they are our family.

As a cat rescue volunteer, I have been to a LOT of various vets around NYC. When one of my own cats became sick and I was disappointed with two other clinics I had been using for my personal cats, I brought him to Animal General. While they aren't the cheapest by any means, you are paying for great, compassionate care, competent staff, and vets who listen to you. Dr. Shea and Dr. Klafin both took a lot of time with me during the process of diagnosing, performing surgery, and supportive care when my boy declined. I am grateful to have found them through my rescue travels.

I'm going to play out exactly how things happened so you can make an objective decision. My dog injured her knee on a Saturday in the park. On Sunday I brought her into Animal General as an emergency visit. Paul, one of the founders of the clinic, was very kind and suggested she come back in when their surgeon was in the office. What is important to consider is on the way out the woman at the front desk said that he undercharged me.

I offered to pay the difference and she said, "don't worry about it, we'll make up for it. We're expensive" (I'm quoting because I remember that exact moment). Paul called the following Monday and suggested Thursday when his surgeon would be in. Moments later he called back to say he wasn't sure the surgeon would be in but I should bring my dog in anyway.

I asked if there would be any value in that visit given he felt the surgeon should see my dog and he assured me there would be. I brought my dog in and he examined her again, suggested I bring her back the next day when the surgeon would be there for a another opinion. There were 2 possible knee surgeries. He said it would up to me but that the surgeon would make a recommendation.

On that Thursday they sent me 2 estimates via email, one for $3,084 and the other for $3,359. The next day (Friday) I bought my dog in expecting surgery. The person at the front desk sat down and asked me to sign a piece of paper, on top of a stack of papers she said were the estimates they sent me. That was to acknowledge that I had received the estimates.

I signed and after the consult, the surgeon suggested the more expensive option and I agreed, expecting the $3,359 estimate they emailed me. Later that day she called to say the surgery was a success. Then she handed the phone to one of their accounting people who asked for my credit card number for a $1500 deposit. I said I wasn't comfortable giving my credit card number over the phone and she suggested that since the operation was complete, their policy required a deposit.

I reluctantly agreed. Moments later my credit card company emailed me an alert that $2000 had been billed to my card. I picked my dog up a couple days later and the front desk said they didn't have the final bill but offered to call me once it was ready. Later that day my credit card company emailed me an alert again that $3500 had been charged to my card.

I called Animal General to get a copy of the bill and they emailed me a final invoice for $5200 which was $1500 more than any estimate I had received. I called to question the bill and sent them the emails they had sent me with the 2 estimates they had previously provided. They called me back claiming that I signed for this $5200 estimate when I dropped my dog off.

Apparently they slipped a higher estimate in the pile of papers I signed when I dropped my dog off and never said anything. On top of all this, they gave me discharge papers that said no activity for 8 weeks. After 4 weeks I found a rehab facility and called Animal General to get their approval given insurance required it and they refused (I got the impression they were not happy given this was their competitor) referencing the discharge papers. On week 6 I brought her to the rehab facility anyway who called her surgeon directly who said she should have had rehab starting at week 2 or risk muscle atrophy.

I made an appointment for my cat and the woman on the phone was very calm and reassuring. I had to leave a credit card on file, and they require 24 hours' notice for cancellation. The waiting room is pretty spacious and clean. There is an office cat that walks around and did come sniff at my cat in the carrier, which she was fine with but just FYI if you have a nervous pet. Dr. Howell was great - very calm, didn't require unnecessary testing, positive about the situation with my cat.

My only reason for dropping a star is that the front desk have no sense of urgency or rushing - I was the only one in the waiting room for 20 minutes after my scheduled appt time and had to ask before they notified the vet I was there. I also had to wait quite a while to get my prescription after the appointment. Great overall experience but perhaps not in an emergency or rush situation.

I really wanted to like this vet, but you can only be so patient: - the service is ok, doctors seem pretty nice and knowledgeable - the usual vet stuff like doing tests or procedures without warning you about the cost is standard here (but so is everywhere else on the UWS, so no surprise here) - but what was the deal breaker for me is I scheduled several weeks in advance a dental cleaning procedure which was estimated at a hefty price of $1300. the day before the appt while I'm at work Ms Mary leaves me a voicemail that I have to come immediately for blood work test or they'll cancel the dental thing.

There was no sorry, no acknowledgement that they screwed up and never warned me about this minor detail, not in the voicemail, not on the phone when I called back. This was a simple order to drop everything and come in otherwise don't bother coming in tomorrow for the procedure. I can handle crappy service but if you made a mistake - don't try to cover it us with rudeness. Honestly, I would have stayed a client shall someone have offered me that apology but that's just not the practice at animal general sadly. Thousand $ goes elsewhere.