Richard Natoli-Rombach

Review of Monroe veterinary associates

My review is regarding Veterinary Specialists and ...

My review is regarding Veterinary Specialists and Emergency Services which is part of Monroe Veterinary Associates. First, I will say that yes, it is expensive, but they are specialists and it is 24-hour emergency services. Not everyone will be able to afford their costs and will have to make difficult decisions. They do offer some plans for payment if you qualify.

My first experience with them was when I brought in a dog in distress and he was diagnosed with pervasive liver cysts. They were upfront and honest with me and told me most dogs do not survive this. They let me take him home with medications and fortunately I was able to keep him going for another year and half until he was 16/17. I later had to bring him in when he was in respiratory distress and unresponsive. I decided I did not want to put him through any more medical interventions and chose euthanasia. They brought us into a separate room and were kind, caring, patient and compassionate. Nothing was rushed and they gave me all the time I needed.

The second experience was for a cat that had been hit by a car that resulted in a totally broken rear leg and ruptured diaphragm which required intensive surgery. They put a bar on the bone in her leg to reconnect it and fixed the rupture in her diaphragm. They also used internal stitches which I have only seen used on humans, so I was impressed with their surgical skills. She made a full recover and six years later doing very well.

The third experience was with a cat suspected of having either a brain infection or lesion on the brain stem. It turned out to be probably a lesion on her brain stem. They let me take her home on medications where she rallied a bit, lived another several weeks, and died peacefully with me at her side.

Their services are comparable to Animal Companion Hospital at Cornell University and that is saying a lot. Unfortunately, veterinary services have become increasingly expensive over the years but their veterinarians go through their own residency type program training with those who have a high level of expertise in their specialty.