Veterinary Specialty Services Review

I've brought my dog into this location several times - on evening/weekends when the regular vet is closed. The location looks very new, and is kept spotless. The vets and techs are incredibly friendly and patient with their animal patients. The best part for me is they get you in and out quickly - I've almost always been headed home in less than an hour, even when the pup had to be taken to the back for treatment. I've heard horror stories from other pet owners about waiting hours at other local emergency vet clinics just to be seen - not at VSS!

This veterinary clinic is truly comparable to the most well-run hospitals for people, I can't begin to express how impressed we were with everyone's knowledge, compassion, abilities, and efficiency! They rehabilitated one of my dogs who had been suddenly paralyzed in rare/uncommon accident, and after months and months of physical therapy, several times a week, he was able to walk again, and then over 10 years later (just this last Christmas 2019), saved another one of our family dog's lives when she quite suddenly required immediate emergency surgery. I would never hesitate to bring any of my pets here for emergency/specialty services, or to recommended them to anyone else in need of the same services/care!

This place amazing. The stuff is on top of their game. They took great care of our boys when they needed help. DR. Anderson is also great did surgery on our boy Nitros knee and was able to walk again. Highly recommend

The toughest moment as a pet owner was putting our dog down after an unexpected diagnosis of progressive cancer. It was our first time at the clinic, but the awesome doctor and staff at VSS Made it so much easier. They were genuinely sympathetic and caring and made us feel comfortable with our decision, trusting that it was the best thing to do to help our dog. As heartbroken as we were, I am so thankful that they took care of us and our sweet dog.
I had an awesome experience calling them in the middle of the night couple years prior, by my friend's suggestion. The person that answered listened and stayed on the phone with me explaining in detail and asking questions to help. She comforted me and said to call back if I feel the need, even though we were not their patient. That call made me feel understood, respected as a pet owner. I wish other vets and vet.hospitals shared their passion.

They took care of our little YORKIE so well would recommend them for anyone will an ill pet

Terribly unprofessional. Called 2 hours prior to arrival and told them my dog was showing signs of being poisoned. With it being late in the evening, my options for emergency veterinary care were slim. After finally arriving and them taking my dog in the back they proceeded to tell me that they just ceased poison testing a week prior and could not give me answers. No tests were run and I was forced to leave with my possibly dying dog without any answers. They took my payment, but didn't tell me anything that I could do for him or of another facility that might be able to help. Had me drive there and pay for nothing. These people are not in the business to care for animals. They just want money

Took my presa canirao mastiff there on 9/14/20. He exhibited excessive watery drool, lethery, and just a over all feeling of being sick. They did exam and a few tests. When we left I could tell he was already looking like he felt much better. He had to come home with meds but should make a full recovery! Overall I'd say I was very satisfied with the service. Other than not being able to come in with my baby it went very well!

Clean, friendly and they care for your pet like they would their own.Well worth the $ spent. I would highly recommend them.

Out primary vet recommended VSS. Everyone was amazing and they took such great care of our pup.

Very Unprofessional
I had a schedule set 3 weeks in advance for my dog to be taken care of, he was to help these procedure tooth pulled and checked for cancer but when we got there no one knew what was going on, they inform us to reschedule and I said no way and I would not go back to them again.

Nina has been dealing with pulmonary problems for months. VSS diagnosed her problem and operated on her, giving her new life. Thanks to Dr. Anderson and staff Very best care for your pet. Highly recommend.

Saved my dog, after another place left him to die. Thank you.

Doctors are GREAT! The level of care is second to none.

The staff at VSS is always very pleasant very accommodating and knowledgeable they're one of our rescue's go-to for emergency needs.

Went there on a Saturday to get help for my dog who was breathing rapidly. The vet tech Francesca was outstanding as she answered all of our questions and even cut the antibiotics into my dogs dosage. Dr.Karagiannis(my apologies if spelled wrong) was also very helpful. My dog was back to normal after a week

If you like unreasonably long wait times with zero knowledge work ethics, a full staff with an empty waiting room, and watching your dog die in front of you this is the place for you....you'll love spending thousands of dollars to have this experience!

I BROUGHT MY CAT HERE ON SUNDAY MAY 5TH 2019 DIDNT HAVE TO WAIT LONG . HE WAS IN PRETTY BAD SHAPE . THEY GOT TO WORK RIGHT AWAY ON HIM . HE TAIL HAD TO BE REMOVED AND HIS WOUND HAD TO BE TAKING CARE OF AND STITCHED UP. DR . TIM KOORS DID A GREAT JOB . AND NIGHT STAFF TO LOOOKING OVER MY CAT. THEY SAVED MY CAT'S LIFE. BABY IS DOING GOOD AND IS HAPPY TO BE BACK HOME. THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR SAVING BABY'S LIFE WE THANK YOU. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS PLACE TO ANYONE. YOU'RE PET WILL BE GOOD HANDS HERE. IF ANOTHER EMERGENCY CAME UP I WOULD BE RIGHT BACK HERE. THANK YOU EVERYONE, MARIE BECNEL AND. BABY.

I took my friends dog to her own vet for a minor issue, that snowballed into a bigger issue and the recommended that I take him to VSS. Her vet called ahead with info about the dog, and they printed off his medical records for me to take with me. When I got there the receptionist asked me if The dog had ever been there I told her I don t know and explain the situation. She was very rude , also her nails were very impractical and obviously difficult to work In. She said that the doctor must ve talk to another doctor and then I needed to fill out paperwork, this being my friends dog I didn t have all of her information or all of the dogs information. As well as I didn t really understand why I was there other than the regular vet had Kinda explained what was going on, but they called VSS to inform full information. My friend called and gave necessary info for the receptionist, and from there I was made to wait 2 hours while they did testing and x rays. All while they were in contact with my friend. The doctor and tech staff were friendly but kept asking questions I had answered previously as well as telling them it wasn t my dog and I have no history with him. In the end they were tired of playing phone tag with my friend since she was going to be there that afternoon to pick him up so then I was OK to leave... they had verbal authorization from her after I was there for 15 minutes but was made to wait 2 hours.

I do not recommend this hospital. I spend lots of money on my two puppies and never save. The first dog never recover from surgery, before the surgery they said chances are 50/50 but after we pay they say the chances only 20%. The second puppy spends there for 8days without seeing us because of COVID we pay lots of money they diagnosed vitamin D poisoning. We transfer to the other hospital, after checking all the records (blood examination that the Vss did almost every day when my puppy is there) our new vet find out that it's not vitamin D poisoning. They never found vitamin D poisoning in there. My dog has bone cancer. We spend almost $10,000 bill for two for nothing, they don't even once call to check my dog at all. This hospital only cares about money.

Wonderful people working there!!!! They are attentive, kind, and really kno.

We brought my dog in today. Dr Sutton did what he could and we appreciated that. The lady that assisted us outside during the end was phenomenal despite the poor choices of her coworkers. When it was time to put our dog down, we were told they would wheel him outside so we could all say goodbye since we were not allowed in the building. After calling three times because they never came outside for us to say goodbye and waiting 45 MINUTES, they informed us that they were too busy and trying to find a tech to bring him outside. At that 45 minute mark of waiting, the doctor called to inform us that the dog had passed A MINUTE OR TWO AGO. Then when they wheeled out our dog that was already deceased so we could have somewhat of closure, Dr. Scott had the audacity to tell us that we needed to get in our cars when we surrounded the dog on the cart outside of their building. This was a horrific experience. I highly do not recommend this facility.

My golden retriever Buddy was a patient at VSS a couple of times. The first was a broken leg and Dr. Gorse was amazing. He resumed his playful self in no time. Then a couple of years later he developed some neurological problems and became a patient of Dr. Wininger. Unfortunately, Buddy lost his battle, however the staff at VSS was AMAZING. The compassion, caring, thoughtfulness and professionalism is unbeatable. I have another golden who has just been diagnosed with lymphoma and we are headed back to VSS next week. I'm sure she will get the best care possible. Thank you everyone at VSS! YOU ARE THE BEST!

I took our cat here to be euthanized last night. Always a terrible thing to have to do.
Jamie at the front desk and Dr. Kelly Joseph were above and beyond professional.
Highly recommended.

They were friendly quick in seeing and evaluating my dog They took excellent care of her expensive but understandable. They made My Candy Better. That's #1. I Thank them. Awesome and Loving Service

Was told 4 week waiting to get in. I AM GOING ON WEEK 7....no follow up phone call to update me or anything. Can only use the COVID excuse so long b4 you have to give a better explaination. My dog needs surgery, is in pain daily, guess isn't emergent to VSS. If you are under staffed or overly busy, you could at least call those people who have been patiently waiting to get invand update them. When I try calling I get 2 options on recording. 1. If I am in parking lot now, and 2. Directions to facility.

So glad this place is always there for us when our dogs are injured, unwell, or dealing with elder care concerns! Professional, caring, and helpful.

Staff was super friendly, the place was very clean. They surpassed our usual vet of 11 years in just 1 visit. We will be choosing them with our future pet from now on.

An excellent facility for those who need to go this route. My dog managed to have his spleen fold over on itself. We were sent here by our normal vet for a 2nd opinion X-Ray. We showed up at 7pm on a Sunday, and were gone by 830. Excellent crew and facility.

Didn't make a physical visit, but I called the 24/7 line late night on a weekend and Makayla answered and provided advice on whether or not I should bring my dog in for an emergency visit. She provided some guidance on how to treat the issue and said she didn't think it warranted visiting the office. Great service and no oversell to come in and spend $$. They'll be my first call/visit if I need anything urgently in the future!

Needed our dog put to sleep in an emergency situation. They were very kind and understanding of our emotional trauma, even at 11 pm.

The staff here is so kind a d truly understand that our pets are part of our family!

Dr.Anderson did a great job with our pup Oscar! He is also very down to earth and reasonable.

Excellent cancer treatment center for my dog. Skilled staff and friendly doctors made an unpleasant situation more manageable.

My dog Jerry started exhibiting signs of focal seizures and was acting very odd. I took him in one night, he was taken right back with a nurse/tech to be evaluated. I was seen roughly 30-45 mins later by Dr. Lee. With it being an ER I was grateful for a relatively short wait, i know they can be busy. Dr. Lee spent around 15 minutes with me discussing what needed to be done with Jerry. He stayed the night, was given meds, etc. I picked him up the next day, and he started exhibiting similar signs/symptoms, so I decided to pay another visit. Jerry's luck had it that Dr. Lee was working again and we were seen again (for free! If you return within 72 hours they dont charge exam fees). And again, Dr. Lee showed exceptional professionalism and spent another 15 minutes with me discussing Jerry's care. From reception, to nurse/technician, and provider I was extremely pleased . I would reccomend to anyone I know.

You never want to be a customer here since it means 1. Your pet is very ill/injured and 2. You're going to walk out MUCH poorer. That said, the doctors and staff are wonderful and you know your pet will receive the best 24/7 care. We've been here with foster animals, as well as our own.

Knowledgable. Set great expectations and did a splendid job nursing our pup back to health.

My new goofball 6 month old puppy decided to eat a bunch of non-edible stuff and get his intestines all clogged up. These docs got him all fixed up. They were all very nice for the 3 days he was there. No problems at all except for the bill :)

I had to put my sweet boy Rudy to sleep. He was bleeding internally from a cancer. EVERYONE was so kind, I never ever felt that Rudy was not cared for with kindness. They brought me in a room with a couch so i could hold my boy while he went to the bridge. They gave me time to say goodbye. They never rushed me. They helped Rudy and I however they could to make it as easy as humanly possible. Thank you so very much. Everyone, from the front staff, to those that handled Rudy, to the Doctor, to the person who took him from my arms and kissed him, was amazing.

Everyone was very nice. Just didn't feel confident in the vets diagnosis. He didn't do blood or urine. He did an x-ray and gave my dog fluids. I will be taking my dog to my vet after next pay check. They are very expensive almost 500 dollars for an hour. Would have felt better if they would have drawn blood. The ICU nurse said probably kidneys... if they thought that why didn't they check him?? Vet didn't say anything about kidneys.This was my second time here. First time here was very good. Not sure I will come back. Will talk to my vet to discuss other options.

They will definitely do everything save your pet even when all hopes are lost.

Many thanks to the staff at VSS, our boy Jaxx was very ill, thanks to the dedicated team and expert care by Dr John Gagnepain he is back with us and on the road ro recovery.

When you love your pet like family this is the place for care.

We thought our cat Gizmo broke his arm but fortunately he did not but this place was great. They were super nice, professional and great with our cat, it we ever have an emergency again (hopefully not) we will be taking our fur babies here! Thank you guys so much!!!

Love love love the care & love provided by the staff & surgeon. They treated us like family.

Unfortunately I wasn't there under good circumstances, my 11 year old great Dane apparently had a stroke or something in the middle of the night and had to rush her in there. They couldnt have been more kind and caring. I ended up having to put her to sleep and the staff was so supportive and gave us all the time we wanted with her.

Dr. Sycamore has transformed my dog back into the dog he was before getting sick. He battled EPI for 18 months. She began caring for him in November and within two weeks he acted like a completely different dog. Family and friends were very impressed when they saw him over the holidays.

Very caring and competent doctors & staff. They took great care of my cat Harvey when he required surgery.

Well with Covid I had to sit outside in my car and the vet tech came out and got my cat. It didn't take long before the vet looked at Buddy and then called me on my phone and took time to explain what was going on with him and answered my questions. She was very caring and knowledgeable. The staff were also very nice and professional.

We trust our fur babies' health and well-being to Hillside.

I have nothing but good things to say about VSS. We ultimately lost our Libby, but I think they were almost as sad as we were. Dr. Wininger was so supportive and kind. They even sent beautiful flowers after Libby had to be euthanized. We have new puppies now and one of them had to go out there in an emergency situation, they remembered us, and took great care of our Molly. Love this place.

Great staff, the best place to go for emergency visits.

Very kind and considerate staff. Cheryl has been awesome, going above and beyond.

Great people. Unfortunately I met them at a bad time as I ended up having to put down my best friend. They were very professional and explained everything in the best possible way. I will continue to come here for veterinary treatment for my animals.

The entire staff that I saw were very courteous to me. They treated my dog Raven very kindly. Dr. Marshall explained the procedure and results to me in layman terms. The check in and check out staff and call center were nice.

The one star is for the young female vet on duty the night of 12-30-20. Dr kelly Joseph. My 50 lb puppy staffy( not pit bull) was at Banfield on veterans memorial pkwy and they mentioned that he was in critical need and he was given fluid and needed him to be monitored at a 24 hr facility due to possible obstruction or blockage. The puppy 12 days prior had slight bleeding when trying to make a bm. Some days would not and leading up to going to the vet for 4 days had not made a bm.
Leading up to this place. I know there were two other places they mentioned. They took the puppy back sedated him and said he seems fine. So no mention about the bleeding noted or anything from what was mentioned at the vet earlier that day. They said it was serious and just gave a stool softener and the discharge papers said to follow diet as usual, what diet? They didn t even give him anything for his stomach, do they not assume he will be nauseous, he had not had anything from the vet earlier. That was unbelievable. I don t understand how a dog with a possible blockage, even with that when mentioned critical need turn to he s fine . This was a young vet and I understand it s a shortage, there are a lot of younger ones I ve been experiencing and yes sometimes a new set of eyes and ideas helps but when they just disregard... I m assuming maybe they were tired that night.

I have to either go off of what was done previously to my other dog to give a bland diet. What about someone that s a first time pet owner or doesn t google to see. I am very upset because it s nothing that I can do but I m still trying to understand the two totally different outcomes that happened yesterday.

It s very hard due to covid that you cannot go back and speak and talk to the vet. I believe you truly have to have faith and trust that they have your pets best interest at heart.

Update on 12-31-20 the vet from
Banfield called on her off day concerned about the conflicting notes and what was done and didn t understand why they didn t start iv fluid for the dog. The vet asked if I can bring him somewhere because they were concerned. I don t understand how they allow this to happen.

My regular vet requested an echocardiogram to determine whether my dogs heart problem would present a high risk for general anesthesia which was required for surgery. The echocardiogram was carried out quite professionally at the Veterinary Specialist Services. However the results had not been received by my vet the day before surgery (five days had passed). I immediately placed a call to the VSS. After waiting some 20 minutes (I was the 11th person on hold) I was promised that the results would be sent the same day. I explained that the dog suffered from an aggressive adenoma carcinoma and time was of essence. We needed to know whether to risk the surgery or not, and whether possibly special treatment was advised during surgery. Also, I was promised a copy of the results sent to my email account; I did not receive them to this date. I am very disappointed at the service. I must add, I have had a similar procedure recently and walked out with an envelope containing the results. Being busy, as I was told by the girl who answered the phone, is not an acceptable excuse. My dog's life was at stake, and my dog is very important to me.

Hard on animals not being able to go inside to no fault of them. Communication is great with doctor over phone though. Very thorough and given choices on treatment. Trust them

They really took care of our dog when we needed emergency help.

Been at VSS.many, many times over the years. Great staff and DVMs!!.Dr. Beverly Thompson...many thanks!!!

Best Emergency care for five of ny dogs over the past 15 years

Hard on animals not being able to go inside to no fault of them. Communication is great with doctor over phone though. Very thorough and given choices on treatment. Trust them

Wonderful patient demeanor, courteous, and highly skilled!

My dog is in dire need of cruciate ligament repair. It is an emergency as he weighs 120 pounds and is completely immobile since his other rear leg cannot support his weight. My regular vet does not have a surgeon on staff and neither does my usual emergency hospital. My vet referred me here but when I called to verify that my vet had made initial contact to get things moving, I was put on hold for 10 minutes, treated very rudely by a staff member and then hung up on. I have since decided to take my beloved pet elsewhere. If they treat humans this way I cannot even imagine how they treat poor defenseless animals!

Amazing staff that are very attentive. Worth the price! They even gave our puppy StL Blues bandage.

My parents brought their very injured dog here. He survived but is ready for another little tune up. Poor doggy. I'm hoping to get Bonkers there very soon so he can have a better and less painful way of life. He's a sweetheart!

My dog is still in the hospital but so far I think they are taking good care of her. She made it their surgery..

We took our kitty here because it was time to end his suffering. We had never been here before but the staff treated us with the utmost care, concern, and made the situation as nice as it possibly could be.

My dog Cuddles , a shih tzu, was eating and drinking water exceptionally well. Any time she would come back from the outside, she would bark and run to the kitchen to get her threat. She was on three different medications for a lung condition and even with her condition she stabilized extremely well. Then one year passed and Dr. Cecilla Marshall did not want prescribe one of her medications until she sees her again.

On April 19, 2018, I took Cuddles to VSS for a routine checkup of her lungs so that I can get a prescription from them. After a series of questions, I told Dr. Marshall and the VSS technician that the dog is doing way better than she was without medication. But even after just seeing the dog, she still wanted to perform a series of tests that were unnecessary just so they can charge as much as possible.

The technician came back with a list of tests and a bill of $825.64. I asked her if they would use any anesthetic drugs because both her regular vet and her eye specialist told me it could be very risky to put her under any anesthesia since she is on medications for lung issues, including breathing and coughing, plus she is an older dog and almost blind. The technician reassured me that they would not use any anesthetic drugs.

After they performed tests, I saw that they still used an anesthetic agent even though the technician told me that they would not and my bill went up to $838.53. My dog was handed back to me by another technician who also passed by our waiting room carrying her like a bag of potatoes instead of a living creature. She was moaning, distressed and couldn t even stand or walk on her own and I felt like she had been tortured instead of given specialized medical care. Now she doesn t eat, drink water nor walk and on top of that, the growth she has on her paw was scratched and bleeding after I got her back. They did not even bother to wrap a bandage around it.

After I told Dr. Marshall, she told me that she forgot to mention that they still gave her an anesthetic drug even though I told them not to do so. She also told me that my dog should recover in a few hours and should be the same as before. The new prescription for the medication doesn t matter anymore because my dog doesn t eat or drink water because she has been left crippled by Dr. Cecilla Marshall.

On next day April 20, 2018 at 7:35pm, I called VSS to talk to Dr. Marshall because my dog has still not recovered. I talked to technician Monik and I explained that my dog is just sleeping and not eating anything. She told me I could bring her to the emergency care but when I asked who will cover the bill as I was there a day ago with my healthy dog already; she said they would talk to Dr. Marshall to see with her.

Around 9:00pm, the same technician called me to tell me that her shift will be over soon and that she still waiting on Dr. Marshall to call them back and she already put all of the info in the computer so that Dr. Marshall has all the information if she calls. I never heard from either VSS or Dr. Marshall again.

On Saturday April 21, 2018, I took her to her vet and he still did not receive any test results from VSS or Dr. Marshall that they performed 2 days earlier. He concluded that she had been extremely stressed and handled roughly so he gave her an injection for pain/inflammation and vitamin b to try opening her appetite.

Even after all this, she wasn t doing any better and on Monday April 30th, 2018, my dog died because of Dr. Cecilla Marshall and her team mishandling my dog.

Expensive. But for a reason. They're good at what they do and they care about your pet. Our old dog was there for almost once and they waived the last couple weeks boarding fees even after they saved him. They're awesome.

Got us right in. Extremely helpful and friendly staff. Very clean and nice. Keurig for coffee or tea for the wait or the road. I was there at 4 am

Simply called to get a ball-park estimate for an obstruction surgery for my dog and the receptionist could not give one to me although my vet did. All the other vet surgery centers could help me with an estimate but they could not claiming that it was more convienant for me that I bring my dog in, get an evaluation (although I ve spent $400 elsewhere doing the same) and then finally get an estimate. How would that be easier for me time-wise or money-wise? I will be going elsewhere, where it IS convienant and a staff wants to help me out.

Ive taken my female there twice for attacks and they are great! Always do good taking her in back without me and follow up

We couldn't be more pleased with the service, attn to detail, the care and concern of the Dr. for the benefit of our German Shepherd. Certainly a welcomed conservative approach. I highly recommend their services.

Great service for anyone needing after hours vet care.

I have had to go to VSS several times over the past several years and they have always been very efficient and very kind. They are very thorough and I appreciate them being open 24 hours.

Our Petey has a narrow heart valve, the animal heart surgeon (I believe the only one around here) is awesome and so is the staff. Our Peter Parker is in great health plus he has stolen our hearts.

Given the sercumstances the staff there was phenomenal. Very sympathetic. Even when i called to let them know i was coming 2 pick up my cat so I could bury him they was just very nice and Expressed there sympathy for me. I would highly recommend them for any emergency. And I want them 2 know that I'm very greatful for everything they did for me. Thank u,u guys r very strong people to do what u do, and I couldn't b more grateful.

Everyone is very kind here. It's expensive but your pet will get the best care. And they are very kind in tough situations.

They will rep you off they are crazy on what they try to charge. They said it was going to be 8000.00 dollars for the operation so we took him to Mizzou for a second opinion and they said he didn't need a operation and don't know why they said he did. So beware people.

Dr. Wesley Kimberlin is one of the most compassionate doctors, in any field, that I have ever met. He is extremely knowledgeable and informative. He also puts up with ME as well as my baby Blue's constant barking. We are seeing him about Blue's very bad hip dysplasia and arthritis. We were ready to go ahead and proceed with total hip replacement. But instead of 'going for the buck' Dr. Kimberlin said no, not the way Blue is walking now. Blue tweaked his hip recently and is actually walking better than he was before for whatever reason. Although all the problems are still there, we are trying other options first. Dr. Kimberlin's honesty and integrity is incredible. I cannot say enough good things about him. The young woman who came in to speak with us prior to the Dr. was also amazing. I am sorry I forgot her name. Blue is extremely skittish, but she just sat on the floor and honestly calmed all of us down! I am truly thankful that we found VSS and especially Dr. Kimberlin. He was with us for years with our other dog, Dakota. And now with Blue. We hate that we have to see anyone about this, but are glad we have VSS and Dr. Wes when we need them.