Chicago Veterinary Emergency and Specialty Center Reviews

Very compassionate in their care during a difficult time

Great healthcare, friendly vets administrative personnel, clean facility.

The staff is wonderful! Always willing to answer your questions and the love they have for your pets is unbelievable. Highly recommended.

staff is very nice,they explain all procedure in detail

Took care of my cat but very very pricey. If your pet can wait for a regular vet doctor, I would say go there instead.

In a time of a pandemic Med Vet was there for me and my fur baby. They of course had to keep to procedure in how to keep safe, but through it all they were professional, caring, and helpful. Because I could not be at my puppy's side, Med Vet kept me informed by continued communication, which was key.
As a first time Momma to fur babies I had not yet gotten a primary for my puppies, so the staff at Med Vet were very helpful in what how to medically care for my babies until I did get a primary. Thank you Med Vet

Really good Veterinary help at times when others are closed

Excellent customer service!!! Would recommend this place to anyone!!!

I brought my 4 year old chihuahua due to retching episodes. They had a wonderful assistant take her in to make sure there was nothing stuck in her throat, checked her vital sign, and her oxygen level. She told me all was good, and to keep an eye on my girl...take her to her regular vet for a check up. Did not charge me for this quick visit. Great service and listened to my concerns about my girl.

As much as I appreciate the vets/techs talking to me on the phone multiple times after I took my pet home, the rest of the process was terrible. Waited hours, understandable it happens at every emergency vet place. Was charged thousands of dollars (cost almost as much as 1 semester of my tuition) for no serious procedures (no surgeries or anything, although they did try to convince me to do an unnecessary surgery which would have cost 5x as much). They want your money up front too, they give you an estimate make you pay the potential maximum and say if it ends up being less they ll pay you back. It s all about the money here. Disappointing that animals lives aren t the priority.

I took my cat here. The staff was quick, kind, and explained everything concisely yet thoroughly. They were compassionate and professional all throughout the process.

Didn't really access my dog. Took forever. Not very helpful. Just taking the dog to th vet at 7 am. We got here at 11 pm and it's 11:47 pm she didn't even check his vitals just suggested a $500 x-ray.

They've been wonderful treating my dog's injured ankle.

Surgery is not cheap but necessary. This is my second surgery at medvet and they do excellent work. Thanks for making my dogs happy and healthy again.

The staff here is extremely helpful and caring. My little guy had a back trauma, and it was very touch and go for a while. They gave me a lot of comfort and reassured me through the process. My dog also has major separation anxiety, and they would sit with him to calm him while he was in a cage in back. They went above and beyond for me, and everyone else that goes here. I wouldn't hesitate to come back here!

My girlfriend was hung up on twice. Night shift staff needs better etiquette. Alderman will be contacted for that ward.

24 hour Emergency Vet hospital Convenient location for me... considering all the Covid BS..They take care of your pet as fast as possible Great Communication from the Doctors and there Support staff.Highly Recommended if your pet is sick or injured

Bright, modern facility with wonderful, caring staff. Can't say enough positive things about them.

You can hear the Ca-Ching ($) sound when you walk in the door.

I took my pet dog to this vet and im so sad that all they care about is money. Pets are like family and when I took my dog for to get checked for vomiting They released her with a medication that isn't helping. I called back.2 days later to ask for help. I paid the vets 500.00 to help my dog and when I called them to ask if I could please pay for a different medication. I was told "take your pet to a different vet".. I feel really sad that I paid my last money to help my dog and she couldn't get the help she needed. There isn't any compassion here and will definitely never take my pets here ever again! I want to have my pet to get the medical attention needed and it be effective. Otherwise why did I pay 500 dollars for?

They did everything they could for my dog, but I did have to wait 5 hours to have him seen by a doctor because he wasn't in critical condition. I wish there was more staff available.

It seems to be the only 24 hour emergency vet in Chicago. The medical staff appears knowledgeable and sympathetic. There is a small parking lot but it's almost always full. Expect there to be some wait time unless your per really needs an immediate triage.

Wound up here at 2 am with a 9-year old dog having breathing issues. Every single person we dealt with was incredibly professional and kind and we left feeling lucky that we have such a great emergency facility nearby. Have been here on several occasions with different dogs over the years and they have always been great to our dogs and to us.

Would have given this place 5 stars but after my last visit i was deeply concerned about their procedures due to covid19 and thought they were a little too much to the point where it fealt unwelcoming

They were quick, knowledgable, and friendly. Treated my dog with care and kindness. Great place and staff!

They took my dog. the doctor called and explained exactly what was going on with him and how he was going to address the issue and treat my dog Jackson. The tech was very respectful and very knowledgeable and I do appreciate all that they did.

I want to thank everybody at this facility for taking care of my little baby Lola. it was very notable that the people that work there love what they do always smiling.

I brought my dog there about four years ago and he had to stay in intensive care overnight.
They saved his life.
I am deeply grateful to them.

Rudeness reception person is the norm here.It amazed at the rudeness and arrogance persrnal .was disappointed in the service ..greedy for money,

They took good care of my dog, which is the most important thing. But they aren't even letting people inside. You have to stand outside, freezing, and give them the information over the phone. And then wait for them to come get your dog. For someone who doesn't have a car it was highly inconvenient and we were absolutely freezing. Its an emergency pet clinic I don't see why people can't come inside and stay distanced. Its not like you're going to wait there for hours while they treat your pet. Just go in and give the information and drop them off... I just think it could be done safely..

My fiance took my pet here this past week to discover what type of allergies he has and when I received the itemized invoice, the invoice was very confusing. There were 2 separate line items of charges and there was little or no explanation provided to my fiance when she left about the 2 columns of charges.

When I spoke to the office manager about this a few days later, she claims that she has never seen 2 separate line items charged when an invoice printed. Plus, they charged me a separate $45 to ship the test they had performed (instead of them just indicating next to the description of the test that shipping was included and including this charge with the charge for the test). So, basically, I am paying for their costs to ship the test out (its terrible and a joke). The office manager told me how no one has ever called to discuss this, but I thought this was a terrible excuse. I asked to have it removed and she said they couldn't because it was a "vital" part of the test. Imagine that, they couldn't take $45 off of my bill because its their cost to ship it after spending over $700 with them for my 1st visit (and I still have to go back in 3 weeks for a follow-up).

If you decide to consult with them first, get a line-by-line item description of all possible tests to be performed, including any products they give you before taking your pet here. As good as the initial exam and their thoroughness may have been, when you plan on spending this much money, you want to know what you are spending to take care of your pet. I will NOT RECOMMEND or REFER others to them because all it seemed the office manager cared about was their bill being paid, not keeping a good customer over $45.

Well let's be honest, no one wants to have to review a place like this. Our beagle pulled a muscle and luckily for us these emergency vets exists at all. We were able to get him I'm and they were able to see him within 15 min.

Excellent care. Through and careful. The only reason I don't give them 5 is because I did have to put a pet down here.

This is a great place! Before my dog came to animal dermatology center, he was miserable. His skin was inflamed and itchy. He scratched constantly. His regular vet tried antihistamines and steroids which did nothing to help him. Dr. Friberg gave him a patch test and determined his allergies. Now, he gets 2 squirts of allergy meds in his mouth. Voila! NO MORE ITCHING!

Wonderful experience during a stressful time. If you have an emergency with your pet during the night, this is the place to take them to. Excellent, compassionate care at regular vet prices.

They took care of my pet. They are double the price of a regular vet visit, but when you have an emergency price is not an issue. The wait can be long late at night but you can leave your pet and they will call you with diagnosis. I was unable to go in because of Covid 19 protocol

Wound up here at 2 am with a 9-year old dog having breathing issues. Every single person we dealt with was incredibly professional and kind and we left feeling lucky that we have such a great emergency facility nearby. Have been here on several occasions with different dogs over the years and they have always been great to our dogs and to us.

I had a great experience at the Chicago Veterinary Emergency Center. The service was very prompt. The staff was knowledgeable, friendly, and able to serve customers in a crisis. All of my options were thoroughly explained to me and I felt supported in making a decision.

Very busy but worth waiting.All the staff so nice and understanding. Highly recommended.

Long .. loooooonnnnnngggggg wait, but this is the only 24/7 vet on the NorthSide. The vets are awesome.

This used to be the best Emergency Veterinarian service in Chicago until Medvet monsters bought them BEWARE TAKE YOUR PET ANYWHERE BUT HERE these people have become monsters with greed there sole motivation for their predatory practice they will not even release a dying animal to go home and die peacefully if they think they can xray them over and over without your permission and for the only reason just to hike your bill worst vets and veterinarian technicians I have encountered in over a half century of owning pets these people are MONSTERS

Very kind and efficient staff. They take good care of your furry family with great care.

My dog paw was cut in grooming place ,they put tape on her and I thought she is ok ,but the next day it start bleed again and tape cause a pain,I went to emergency and was wait no longer then 5 min ,they were able to remove the tape and make sure she didn t broke her nail and didn t charge us anything.Thank you so much!

Took care of our pup without nonsense. Great service.

Very knowledgeable staff. Doctors are very friendly. It's like the Mayo Clinic for pets

They saved my dog but made me feel like I was broke and they would hold my dog hostage

Were told on arrival wait time is going to be an hour or two, three hours later were told it is going to be another three hours, our dog was in pain the whole time, will never go there again.

Typical ER setting, lots of patients, treatment according to severity of condition, therefore long wait. The staff is friendly, reassuring and competent. Being a nurse I understand triage. I do not understand people coming into the vet ER although their pet has a non-emergent condution that coyld be treated by their vet. Over all and in spite if the 4-6 hour wait a positive experience.

Excellent care wonderful staff the best Veterinarian

been sitting here for 4 hours and nobody can tell me when they will be able to see my dog. staff here are completely incompetent.

They were fast, up front with the price and showed genuine concern for my pet.

I LOVE Chicago Vet. My dog had TPLO surgery. Dr Holmes and all staff so considerate, responsive and professional. 8 weeks later and Daisy healing is on target.

Professional, caring and when you need them, they're there!

Not as expensive as I thought it would be. In and out in less than a half hour. Doggo doing great

Our cat was ill, and they were very compassionate with end of life care.

Hate going here with my dog because it means she's sick but we've gotten top notch care

They took very good care of my baby. Unfortunately the medicine they gave me with syringes was an issue. The syringes were too big to fit in bottles. I had to cut the top off bottle to use. Hmmm they should have figured that out. A little pricey but it was an emergency. So they helped her and cared for her.

They took care of my fur baby with the utmost care.

I did something irresponsible by playing fetch with my dog in the snow for about an hour. When I got home, I noticed that her paws were very red, and I was worried that it was frostbite. I spoke to 2 vets on the Banfield app, and they both said that I should take her to emergency care because frostbite can progressively worsen, and her paws may become necrotic. At the same time, I noticed that the redness was going down a lot, but the vets still said I should go to emergency care.

I went to this pet hospital at 2 AM, and it was the most relieving experience of my life. The triage nurse, I believe his name was Vince, is a blessing to this Earth. He took my dog in no problem. My dog hates leaving me, but the nurse got her to follow him with ease. I think he noticed immediately that her situation was not serious as he allowed us to skip a 2 hour wait to see the doctor to confirm that she did not have a serious case of frost bite. We were in and out within 15-20 min. My girlfriend and I were very worried that this visit would break the bank because of some of the reviews left here. However, this visit cost nothing; the hospital did not charge us anything. They took her in, checked her, and saw that there was no problem. I was ready to pay hundreds of dollars just to get peace of mind, but the hospital generously did not make us pay anything. I cannot comment on the price tag of the treatment here, as my dog did not receive any treatment, but I will say that the professionalism, generosity, and kindness are unbelievable and unmatched. This was truly an unparalled experience.

(Also, shame on Banfield for making me think that I might have to amputate my poor pup's paws for playing in the snow a bit too long)

Terrible place. People who answered the phone were arrogant and not answering any questions

Excellent care of my baby girl. Would have given five stars but had to wait outside, no car, and it was very cold very little shelter from wind.

Not good at getting back to you in a timely manner when you have questions.

A dog who could not walk was told the ER wait was 4-6 hours. Outside or in your car. What is the purpose of an ER? Since MedVet took over the quality has plummeted.

I ve had to come here a couple times for dogs at end of life. Never the happiest times, but when it comes it s nice to know there is a place open 24 hours.

It took two hours for them to see my puppy, who had been scratched in the eye by a cat. And they charged 15 dollars for a cone i could have made myself at home.

Very good service and they were very attentive of my dog and his surgery and everything they did for him was an amazing job. My dog is very scared and picky but they made him feel at home and took good care of him.

Quick and seamless experience.
Covid measures are excellent.

Took my dog with a slightly bleeding gash to get stitches. Dog was shaking and in pain. Place was packed and vets seemed to be in no hurry. Someone came out and examined the dog and said a vet come and stitch the dog up. I waited an hour with the dog shaking and whimpering before asking the staff when the vet will see my dog. Staff tells me my dog is eleventh in line. I leave and take her to a different vet. Five hours later they call and ask if I'm still there as it is finally my dogs turn to see the vet.

Took care of my dog who had been chronically vomiting. Thankfully my pup is okay, my only issue is they seem severely understaffed at the moment. As other recent reviews mention (and because COVID has put other measures into place that seem to increase wait time), I dropped my dog off at 4:30 and was told he would not be seen by a doctor for 4-5 hours. We were called about 3.5 hours later around 8:00PM saying he was getting moved up on the list due to "declining at a fast rate" with an extremely high temperature and heart rate. I did not receive a call back and had to call myself multiple times asking for an update. I was not able to get an answer until 1:15AM. They luckily did everything they needed to and got him through being in shock, and he was released to us the next day. I just wish the communication had been better as the phone call at 8:00PM was made to sound very critical and we would have to prepare for a potential emergency surgery, and then not hear back for 5 hours. Also, an overnight stay is a costly $2,500.00 before any additional testing costs. I recognize not everyone can afford this, but they do have payment plans. So just be aware.

Overall I am very thankful for their services and for keeping such a keen eye on him to know he needed to be moved up on the list and to treat him for shock. Not sure what would have happened without their attention and care.

Really prompt service and thorough in explaining my options. Communicated really well with my primary vet, pretty much instantaneous.

It's expensive but they are very good at urgent animal care.

Very busy EmergencyVeternarian
hospital well organized Dr Jackson diagnosed my Cat with CA.

Clean, well lit vet but the wait time take the stars down. I understand, we had 3 emergencies before my family member visited. Damn 24hrs vet first come first serve is how you feel.

Do NOT take your pet here. My family cat passed away earlier this week. I understand that this is not their fault, and the vet who administered the euthanasia was very kind to us. I was obviously devastated that he passed. Prior to this, this vet charged my family thousands of dollars within just a few days, and he wasn't even there the entire time. He was in perfect health prior to this but deteriorated rapidly. They also had us wait an extremely long time for the procedure (which was at 3am because they couldn't stabilize him) and waiting in that room was hell. But my real issue with this place occurred a few days later. My cat's death was very unexpected and beforehand I was in the process of adopting a kitten. I finally was able to adopt him and I was very happy, but because of my other cats passing I became paranoid about everything. I was watching him late at night and I saw him ingest something that wasn't his food. I didn't know exactly what it was so I thought maybe it was just a small piece of string from clothing or a little ball of fuzz. Because I was so paranoid I looked up the dangers and I found out that it could potentially be dangerous. I called this emergency vet and explained the situation, including the fact that I was paranoid and grieving, and the woman on the phone was EXTREMELY rude to me. She said "Well just monitor him and see if there's any GI issues and you can follow up with your vet. But you can bring him in if you want." She gave me SUCH an attitude. If I want? I want you to tell me if this is an emergency before I spend a thousand dollars for you to not do anything. I asked her if she thought I should be freaking out and she told me "Well you seem unsure so you can definitely bring him in if you want" with the biggest attitude you could imagine. What is this places problem? Why would you give an attitude to a woman who has explained she's upset and grieving and just wants to know the severity of the situation? I hope this woman never talks to someone the way she talks to me again. I work as a retail manager and have thus seen some HORRIBLE attitudes, but this was unimaginable. I will forever hate this vet and I strongly discourage anyone from wasting your money here.