Shafer Laura R

I had an emergency with my dog who was not a regular patient there. Unfortunately his normal vet recently closed & I hadn't established with a new vet yet. Several other local offices said it would be months before he could be seen. They got him in the same day at Vestal Veterinary Hospital. Dr. Heartmann was outstanding & so compassionate towards our Scooter.

Unfortunately we had to make the heartbreaking decision to end his suffering. Dr. Smith assisted Scooter and us during this very emotional time. Every single employee we encountered was not only professional, but so caring & compassionate towards our furry family member. I can't thank them enough for their help in such a horrible time.

I had been seeing another vet for my cat Lucifer, now 3yrs old, who was the runt of a litter that always seemed to have some kind of respiratory issue that they couldn't determine an exact cause of. This vet gave him 2 treatments for URI, both of which did not seem to help him and offered no other solution. I never felt like they listened to his medical history or take into consideration anything I was concerned about. An emergency situation arose, they wouldn't see him, which brought me to Vestal Veterinary Hospital.

The experience I had here was a complete 180. I truly felt like they cared, that they listened to me about his medical history and what has been done that hadn't worked, and felt fully involved in his treatment. The vet offered options as to what could be going on and also why it wasn't one thing versus another. I felt informed and educated. What I appreciated most was the vet asked me what I wanted to do that would help both him and myself to feel more informed what was happening to him.

She offered imaging and lab testing, rather than just throwing medications down his throat, putting a band-aid on his symptoms, and hoping it works. They were upfront about what it would involve, the cost, how long to expect results, and some things at home we could do to help him, without keeping him medicated. I highly recommend this hospital. My cat and I have not been treated better at any other veterinary clinic and I truly feel like he got the best care possible.

And to the clerical staff member who spoke with me wholeheartedly about euthanasia when his condition escalated so quickly and horribly that I was at a loss and I didn't know what to do. thank you so much. Without having that conversation with you, I don't think I would have overcome the distraught feeling between my heart and mind in order to make a decision in his best interest.

Though it was difficult and so painful to think about, I'm grateful that you took the time out of your day to give me your honest opinion, your insights on personal experience, and your deepest sincerity while discussing it with me. Thankfully he had a remarkable turn around after three days of looking like a zombie cat. but I feel more prepared and sound minded after having that conversation with you should that situation ever come up again. It's never going to be an easy decision, but you made it a little bit easier by just that much. Thank you so much.

Fantastic Vet. Emergency on a Saturday. Treated very nice, efficient and clean. Very happy. And. Not bad price at all.

My dog has severe stranger danger. She became extremely sick last year and we ended up here as it was the only emergency vet available to take us at 4pm on a Sunday when she was vomiting blood. They took amazing care of her in a time that we felt completely terrified and helpless, and so we continued to come with our puppy as well. There have even been a few times that we've had issues with one or both of our dogs, and the vets have called us personally to help.

My girl just recently had her annual visit, which was a struggle in the past at a different vet with her stranger danger. We made it through the entire appointment without her needing a muzzle, trying to bite anyone because she felt threatened, and she even accepted a treat towards the end, which she is normally far too anxious to do. I will never go anywhere else!

We drive almost an hour from Pennsylvania to come here, and it is so worth it every time. I am so thankful to know that I can bring my dogs here and can trust that they are safe and happy each and every time.

I will never go to another vet. This is the only place I will go. Dr. Baker is an Angel. She treats my animals like they were her own and has helped my rottie on many occasions The staff are always so kind and talk to my dogs like I do, like they're family. Whenever I have a question they always answer to help me understand. Even when I call their office they respond to me quickly. I never have to wait by the phone all day. The facility is always clean and ready for our pups. I've been to other Vets in the area an none compare to them.

Have been going to Vestal Vet for 20 years. Dr Durham excellent vet. Great pet hospita l and care for many years while under Doctor Schaffer's ownership and guidance. Unfortunately, prices are now exorbitant and can no longer afford them on a fixed income. Veterinarians still provide quality care. Clerical staff uncaring and rude. VET Assistant s are young and inexperienced. Need to find other care for my pet.

Great caring staff, I think the whole visit was good. I cannot think of anything that they can do better. Escort in is comforting to the pet- as there is just you and the tech, no other pets to scare my pet.

Dr. Hartman was great with my dog. She explained everything in detail and was very professional and courteous. The only downfall to this appointment was that being a new customer they didn't explain the procedure when you arrived at the office. I went to the front door and they told me I had to wait in the car until I was called. Of course as soon as I got back to my car they called.

I have always had excellent experiences at Vestal Vet. Everyone is very helpful and compassionate when caring for my sweet old girl. She needs a little extra time and patience to acclimate and she has always gotten it at Vestal Vet. Her treatment options and care plans have always been fully explained by the Vets and Techs and all questions have been answered in a very timely manner. I appreciate the entire team there!

The staff at Vestal Veterinary Hospital are amazing expedient and so friendly as they took my 12 1/2 year old Yorkie in as an emergency because she ate rat poisoning. All while I was visiting in town to take care of my mom after her surgery. Dr. Shafer, Alexa and Lukas were so incredibly nice and I highly recommend them.

I gave Vestal veterinary hospital the benefits of the doubt after reading all the bad review. well now i am here writing my own bad review. the first time I went to them with my three dogs, I had blood work done on all three dog, spent big money, they call me the next day to tell me they lost the blood work for one dog can i bring her back. I live 1hr away from the hospital.( not there problem I get it) i did not question it, I brought her back my next day off.

Then a few month later, I bring in a urine sample to be tested because I know my dog has a Urinary track infection because she's peeing little drops all over the house, I bring it in at 10 o'clock in the morning, did not hear back from them until 36 hr later. an I had to call twice, They said some one will get back too me. If they're too busy to take care of the clientele that they have, then they shouldn't be getting more clientele. I spend big money on my senior dogs that I rescue, for the money is spend I should get a quicker response for just a urine test. Thanks but no thanks I find another vet.

Vestal veterinary hospital was the only facility that was willing and had an opening to see my little dog who had suffered a leg injury. Our own vet was closing at 1pm, I had called then at 8am. None of the offices recommended were willing due to it being a Saturday. Vestal was a Godsend. Literally. Dr Hartmann moved mountains to find a surgeon for my girl when even Cornell University was unable to take my girl. I HIGHLY recommend Vestal veterinary hospital above any other. They are our new go to! I can not thank or praise them enough!

Lady who answered the call was rude, I understand that they may be overworked but to take it out on their customers who are long term clients definitely leaves a bitter aftertaste. Ending my relationship with the vet because of the unprofessional I've experienced during a emergency call. How a business receives their customers is vital to the overall experience.

Called to schedule an emergency visit and the receptionist Angela was incredibly rude and dismissive. After checking the "system, " she said that our dog was not a client and they couldn't do an emergency visit for non-clients. After checking again and confirming that both of our dogs are indeed clients, she said the office doesn't take emergency visits period. The Facebook page and website both say nothing regarding this change, and emergency visit is still an option on the call menu. Very confusing and not worth the hassle.

I've wanted to like Vestal Vet. I really have. I began going to them about a year ago for our three dogs. I ignored all the poor reviews because I thought it would be advantageous to have our primary vet also be the local emergency clinic. Even after numerous frustrating situations with them, I've avoided writing this review. First, they're not an emergency clinic. I've loaded a seizing puppy into my car and sped in their direction only be turned away at 4:30pm on a weekday.

They said that all the vets were tied up at the moment. I begged to speak to anyone there who might be able to tell me what to do about the seizures. They wouldn't even put a tech on the phone. I'm not unreasonable. Places can get busy, maybe they didn't want to give wrong advice over the phone. But what killed me was the level of apathy in the receptionists voice.

She could not have cared less. More recently, I called in a medication refill. They notified me that it was done, so I went to pick it up during daytime hours. Nope, I was outside the "medication pickup time, " so I would have to return in an hour. The only thing that keeps me coming back is the vets themselves. They are nice and take their time with you, but I can no longer ignore the careless support staff and the ridiculous rules. Having animals in several different states, I've been to many different vets. I've never had any complaints about any of them until now. Seriously, Vestal Vet is like the DMV of veterinarians. Now that I think of it, I've probably received better customer service and friendlier staff at the Endicott DMV. Choose a different vet.

Sometime in 2021 this place became a horrible place to take your pet. Disorganized, disinterested And almost appearing annoyed by its customers. take your pets elsewhere. after 10 years, we're finding anyplace else To go.

Our dog ingested antifreeze. We had to call poison control and were on hold for an hour before we received a case number and call back number to give to the vet. We spent the whole afternoon on a hot day in the parking lot waiting and waiting. The vet induced vomiting, tested our dog and his levels appeared normal but recommended that we take him to Cornell Companion Animal Hospital to receive the MP 4 antidote.

We drove an hour and a half to Cornell and here we are two hours later still waiting for our dog to receive his first dose. We can either leave him here for two days or bring him home and have a local emergency vet administer the subsequent second, third and fourth doses. We have done nothing but wait all day. The staff at Vestal is young with no sense of urgency.

The veterinarian seemed competent but giving our dog charcoal created a positive test that required the antidote. Cornell isn't much better. You are put on hold indefinitely and no one has a sense of urgency to a life threatening situation. As a post script two weeks later, I am happy to report that our puppy received three MP4 antidote treatments and a final antidote consisting of 80 Proof Smirnoff vodka (this is NOT a joke) at our local emergency veterinary hospital.

Our puppy received a clean bill of health and he's doing great. The entire experience was frightening and frustrating not knowing what would happen but at the end of the day, Vestal Animal Hospital and Cornell Companion Hospital helped save our puppy's life.

If you are reading this you are smart to do some research first. Keep in mind the fee schedule for this office is comparable or more than that of Cornell. They do not take weekend emergencies even for established pets undergoing current treatment. I was given the wrong prescription dosage TWICE. Recently my pet was being treated with pneumonia. I called with a question about the dosage as it seemed like too much.

And with the past history of issues with dosing instructions, I called to question it. When I called, I was told "hopefully" they can get back to me that day regarding the dosage. They did not call back for another 5 days and the pet had to be taken to Cornell. Unfortunately it was too late and the pet passed away. This is a very money driven office that doesn't put care first. The amount of charges I incurred over the past year are astronomical. I wished I had read the reviews before choosing this office.

They killed my dog without permission. Even though I was the owner. If your dog is deathly ill don't send them with somebody else who can make decisions.

They are prepared for COVID and extremely professional, from my experience. That part is nice. As vets, I don't think I will take my pets anywhere else. My dog has a lot common problems for her age, and some are terrifying to handle, but no matter the situation or how busy they are, they always make my dog a priority. I can not express how much I appreciate them. My dog might not be here if it hadn't been for their diagnostics and treatment that no one else could seem to provide.

Be careful of the bait and switch tactics this business uses. Sent me emails, mailings and texts that my dog needed a rabies vaccination. Called and made an appointment to get the vaccination and his nails clipped. When I got there they informed me that my dog didn't need a vaccination as he was still up to date. When I inquired about notifications they said "their computer just does that".

Still wanted my dogs nails cut. They took him in and than wanted to charge me for a bunch of other stuff like an examination, blood work ect. When I questioned those they refused to cut my dogs nails. The Better Business Bureau should look into these bait moves and strong arm tactics. Take you pet anywhere else but here.

Do yourself a favor and take your animals elsewhere. This practice is run solely by greed, everything they do here is grossly overpriced which I wouldn't mind if the quality of work and expertise matched the hefty price tag.it doesn't. With the number of animals that have died in their care, and completely wrong diagnoses over the years I'm shocked people still give them business

Dr Hartman was very good. She helped us through a tough time with our dog, Dice. The techs were also very helpful. With Covid, the process is a little more difficult, but these are tough times overall. 5-stars to Dr Hartman and her team.

What an amazing, caring and dedicated team! Thank you for taking great care of Muffin!

Went to this place because they were one of a few that did dental work. Well come to find out the dental vet is a traveler so they are only there on certain days of the month. We made an appointment for my Shi-Tzu which once cancelled 3 times and each time they NEVER contacted us so we dragged the dog down there 3 times for nothing which by the way she hates riding in cars. There were 3 different phone numbers plus 2 e-mail addresses to get a hold of us and then they acted like it was our fault! DO NOT GO HERE.

Worst place I've ever been too. They practice great medicine but the owner is most manipulative, greedy, repulsive, and down-right trashy person I've ever met! Most of the employees are amazing there but the management is the worst I've ever seen! They care more about the money coming in then your animal!

We had an emergency with our dog on a weekend and we had to have her seen immediately. When we arrived we were told we owed a previous bill which we had forgotten about because of the flood we lost our house. We paid bill and then th hey allowed our dog to be seen, after all said and done $$900 we were told they were going to do xrays we never received a call back and the same issue happened again and wont even answer our calls. I would NEVER GO to this vet again. It seems as long as they got th here money they want nothing to do with us. Assholes

They used a weekend to do a bunch of nothing, charge a huge bill, make my dog suffer and ultimately kill him. None of the doctors work with each other, so if the dr on Friday night says she wants to do some treatment, but leaves without doing it, when you finally are able to talk to the weekend dr, she will say your animal is not her patient. 'I only work on emergencies', which is strange because that's why your dog is there, for an emergency.

So there will be days with no treatment, just monitoring by a tech ($$). A terrible experience for my dog, heartbreaking, and cruel. You're better off trying to get your animal to Cornell.

I will never bring my dog to such an incompetent place again. This is by far the worst veterinary experience I have ever had in my 20 years of pet ownership. We brought our dog in for an emergency visit. Our dog is a rescue with a strong trauma history. Just imagine puppy PTSD. The vet tech muzzles her, which is fine. She has a history of biting. But it was completely unnecessary to put my 6 pound dog in a choke hold while the DVM does a physical exam.

She has had several physical exams in the past and never was this necessary! The terror in my dogs eyes brought me to tears. THIS IS NOT THE WWE. She is six pounds and this physical nature he was holding her was not necessary. At one point, my dog got her foot stuck in her mouth and I went over to help, as the vet tech was obviously not paying attention.

The DVM proceeds to stick her hand in my face and says "I need you to step back". EXCUSE ME? You are practically torturing my dog and her hand is stuck in her lip and your tech has her in a choke hold. At the end of the physical exam the DVM claims she can't find anything wrong and refuses to draw blood work because my dogs behavior. Again. She is terrified by the way you are man handling her.

So even though she can't find anything wrong she prescribes anti-inflammatories. For what? You don't even know she's in pain. Both professionals I interacted with were cold and disrespectful. Never in my life have I met veterinary professionals this ill mannered. Biggest waste of $190 ever. Nothing accomplished and still have to take my dog somewhere else. I hope the next place will have caring and warm people who actually know how to do their jobs.

I took my senior cat there after she had a heart attack the evening prior. The man that treated us, did absolutely nothing but charge me for the office visit. I had to take her to another vet to be treated. That was my last visit there. I was told he was the vet/owner. Shame on him for not doing his job. My cat is on medicine and doing well no thanks to him. I would not take any pet there. Other hired vets there were fine, but if u get him he cares less. It is all about the money.