Veterinary Specialty Services Review

Saw us within minutes after we were referred here by Banfield for an emergency spay. After xrays and a thorough exam it was decided it's only a UTI so we walked away with a $411 bill (and our cat!) instead of around $1200 for the spay. I really appreciate that they wouldn't do the surgery without cause. Dr. Bria Ozment was really supportive and let me ask questions and didn't rush me and gave us all the possibilities and outcomes. The clinic is big, clean, and a little louder than I expected for all the pets being in their own rooms- need better soundproofing I think. They also use CareCredit if you cant afford to pay your bill, which is really good to know. Also, if you have to return within 72 hours they don't charge the $95 exam fee!

Initial care was good, follow-up not so much. I came in on a Saturday after another dog pushed its way under my fence and he was attacked. The wait was an hour, but that's not unexpected given the emergency treatment and the social distancing related to the COVID-19 threat. Once my dog was taken in, I was called by the vet and we talked about what happened and after my dog was checked out, we left with some antibiotics and pain medications and assurances that other than a puncture wound and some bruising, my dog should be okay.

The following Monday, I called to report that the wound my dog has was draining liquid a lot. There was a long hold time, so I left a message with as much detail as possible and repeated my name and phone number three times. The call was never returned.

On Tuesday, I called again but waited on hold. I spoke to a friendly woman who took my information and concerns and asked me to email a picture of the wound, which I did immediately. This time the call was returned after a little more than an hour, but they said that the picture was never received and I was told that if I had concerns, I should take my dog to his normal vet. Unfortunately, my regular vet has been very busy and unable to see my dog or I would have taken him there to begin with. I wasn't given any follow up information or anything that settled any of my questions and I am now left waiting until Friday for an appointment with my regular vet to determine if everything is healing okay or if I need further action.

Given the price of a relatively simple check-up (no x-rays), I would have liked to have gotten some better follow-up information and attention. I realize that they're busy and that things are strained with the current pandemic situation, but I just feel like my situation was not dealt with in a very professional fashion after the initial visit.

Disappointing experience with this provider. I found VSS to be disorganized. There was a lack of follow up regarding medication for my pet on more than one occasion. It was difficult to get info I had requested. The staff tend to place to blame on other entities rather than take responsibility for their disorganization.
Overall, it took quite a lengthy time to receive services in which I had paid.

The staff at VSS (especially Dr Anderson) are skilled, professional and compassionate. I am trusting Dr Anderson to get our beloved dog through issues that have arisen from infection introduced by an unrelated procedure by another vet years after he performed a total hip replacement for my dogs hip dysplasia. Not sure what we would do without him getting us through this. If you have a pet with a difficult health issue I would encourage you to ask your regular vet to refer you to VSS.

This place is just a devastating place. Obviously if you are going here it s not under good circumstances. We were transferred here after our 1 year old puppy because very ill. Before we ever got out of our hometown vets office they were already talking about money and what we needed to pay. The doctor came in and told us devistating news about our puppy along with a bill. In the same sentence we were told our puppy was very sick we were asked to go to the front desk and pay. We were told to call any time to check on our puppy but every time we called we just seemed like we were bothering the staff. The vet we had at discharge was one of the rudest people I ve came in contact with and frankly made us feel like idiots. We finally had enough and took our puppy home to be with family. My suggestion... find somewhere that has the time to care for your pup like they should be.

Great and friendly staff. Felt like they really cared about out cat.

The leg specialist that I saw did a fantastic job, and I felt that he was thorough and compassionate. The price was right.

Our Boston had to have knee surgery to repair his CCL, which is equal to a human ACL. Everyone here is very professional. They will treat your pet with the same respect and care that you would expect from a human doctor/facility. This is a 24-hour facility, so when I realized I had forgot to get a refill for pain medication, we were able to go pick some up at 11:00 pm. While not all the specialty offices are open 24-hours there is staff there 24-hours. That also made me feel great that I knew Marvin was being taken care of round the clock the day after his surgery.

Super nice if your pet is hurt and you need urgent care. Pricing is very reasonable. I brought my cat last minute, turns out he didnt need stitches but for er visit and meds it was only $140 bucks. I was expecting 2-300 at the very least.

These people saved my boy. Wonderful, friendly, well mannered staff. The vet was knowledgeable, very down to business, and he had my dog's best interest at heart. Their prices are fair, especially for an emergency care clinic, and comparable to the vets I normally visit. I'd go again if another emergency was to happen.

Excellent first visit. I feel at ease that the surgery will go well.

They took VERY GOOD care of my dog. She had a massive tumors on her right arm. They removed a good portion of it. She is in good spirits again. Even with the splint on her arm. The staff is helpful.

At both locations they have taken good care of several of our babies. They were always up front about pricing and options.

Our cat received excellent care at VSS. Thank you to Dr. Sycamore and VSS for the kindness, compassion, and expertise in dealing with a difficult diagnosis.

This company is garbage! Their employees are garbage! SAVE YOURSELF SOME MONEY AND GO SOMEWHERE ELSE!!!

We took our puppy to VSS a week ago in severe pain. Everyone we met in the emergency clinic were very nice and knowledgeable and super sweet to our puppy. He stayed and was transferred to neurology in their critical care clinic. They were also extremely nice, callled us every morning with updates, were patient as we asked a million questions and helped us to make informed decisions when it was time to have surgery. We especially want to thank Dr. John Gagnepain for all his help and patience, he was fantastic. VSS made us feel so much better while being away from our dog and took great care of him.

We brought home a tiny 3 lb. puppy that tested positive for parvovirus the very next day. VSS took care of our little guy for 9 days and saved his life for us. He is feeling great and we are so happy to have him finally home. He is now a happy wonderful little puppy.

We had an emergency with our dog and they were amazing!

Had an older dog (family member) with some severe health issues. The staff immediately greeted me with care and got me in a room. The doctor was fantastic and caring. She gave me all options available with no pressure. Even though I decided to put our dog down, the doctor and staff understood the emotional situation and got me through the process with love and care. It is a tough time at the end of your dogs life but they made it as loving and comfortable as possible for our dog and me. Thank you VSS

Helped my fur baby out tremendously wonderful staff well educated !!!

This place helped my dog break his cluster seizures. The staff is very friendly. The building is really clean. I loved that they had lots of different coffee in the waiting area. I will say their emergeny fee is a few dollars cheaper than the animal emergeny clinic off of Big Bend on 44 highway. However, they are pretty pricey. That is to be expected with emergency issues. The vet we seen was really kind. I was in a sistuation where I could not speak on the phone, so they communicated with me through text. They treated my dog like the little spoiled baby he is. I would come here again.

They give you so much attention and your pet comes out better!!

Very professional and curious. My dog was extremely sick and they made her better. Thank you

They have been the best I have ever seen. From dealing with one of our dogs that had cancer and no one else would help. to the end with our beloved Athena they did everything in their powers to help.

The VSS is very loving towards our pets.. They treat them like their own.. Our pup has been there for 4 days now and they are very supportive not only of the pup but for the family as well.. It is very comforting to know that we have another family watching and caring for our beloved pupper 24/7.. I am so happy we were referred to VSS!!

The reason I was there was sad, but the atmosphere and staff were so comforting.

Would recommend. They were very compassionate with my dying kitty.

We went to VSS to meet a close friend and support her. She had just made the decision to put down her 11 yr. old dog after an unexpected stomach inversion when staying at a boarder. The dog was already struggling with other issues, and the surgical odds and suffering were painted bleakly. We knew the dog from watching it previously, and being neighbors at one time. Upon arrival, we were told only one person could be in the room and denied entry. We were relegated to watching the procedure through an external window. The dispassionate, inhumane policies and staff of VSS are symbolic of what COVID-19 has done to our humanity. Fear has made us irrational and isolated, unable to support friends and family in true times of need. Businesses like VSS should be ashamed by this administration of inhumanity, and I'm sickened that it has come to this. People can and, legally BTW, should be allowed to make their own decision on risks like COVID-19. Instead, government mandates and cowardly businesses like VSS are complying. VSS, how about instead of fear and stone cold emotionless policies, think outside the box and figure out a way to let people grieve and support each other in times of death.

We took Sammy there for a Consultation. We are very happy with the people there and the help they gave us. Sammy is doing better than we had expected. Would recommend them to anyone.

Helps animals to the best of there ability but just unfortunately for me my puppy died but they worked really hard to help him

caring staff great with the dogs. My only complaint would be always such a long wait once they put you in the room.

Emergency vet visits are never fun. VSS saved my dogs life! So for that 5 stars.

These guys are awesome, they work so hard to get your pet taken care of and are so nice. They love their job even tho its a high stress profession sometimes, theyre always doing their best!

This place is absolutely fantastic. It was recommended when we found out our dog has cancer. They treat pets like family and I know our dog is always in good hands. We love his oncologist, Dr. Fagan. She's so good with him and he goes with her without hesitation. Dr. Marshall treated him for pneumonitis when he developed it after heartworm treatment at another veterinary office. We also choose to have her do his second treatment because we knew he was going to be so much better off at VSS with their caring and attentive staff. We hope to keep Gatlin for a long time and if anyone can help us do that, we know it's VSS. I would not take our dog anywhere else.

Excellent care for my cat and top notch safety protocols for the pandemic. The doctor explained things to me in great detail and the staff provided awesome service. 100% recommend.

I suppose the best start to this review is that they didn't kill our pet - it only goes downhill from there. Short of going through the entire case I will simply state that they left us with an insecure feeling that they were taking advantage of our love for our pet. Their communication is poor, they don't return calls or respond to emails and left my 8 month pregnant wife sitting in the waiting room for nearly 3 hours before telling her that the cardiologist left for the day. When we questioned the diagnosis we were told, "good luck I am the only veterinary cardiologist in the area." A simple google search suggests that isn't the case, but in defense I haven't called the other locations to inquire about their services. I would never go back to this location and can only suggest that you question whatever it is that they say.

Late night staff was terrific. Very professional and accurate with results given

Very knowledgeable compassionate and professional. They went out of their way to help.

They quickly diagnosed and treated my dog for heart issues. Cardiologist on staff! Caring, loving, professional. Saved my dog.

I'd give this place 0 stars if I could! They let my poor sweet baby cat lay in a cage for 5 hours when he needed to be put to sleep immediately! He had been mauled by a dog. They gave him no pain meds they did nothing for him for 5 hours while I waited out in my car, they told me under no circumstances could I come in and be with him in his last minutes on this earth, and then while I sat there they not only let other people be with their animals inside they even let one lady carry her pet in. Meanwhile they took my baby from the parking lot from my car. I will never forget how evil they were. My precious BARON is now in Heaven with Jesus getting unconditional LOVE!

Amazing service!! They love and care for every animal that walks in!! We were referred by another hospital and will now come back with any emergency we have, instead of anywhere else. I can not explain enough of how great this place and the people are. They saved my dog when she had very little odds of surviving. They are honest and great about the quoted prices they give you. Honestly cheaper than other hospitals weve been to. IM AM SO GREATFUL FOR THE TEAM AT VSS!

this place is all around horrible. they re slow, they don t care, they lie and then change their mind. y all sit around letting my dog suffer and possibly die because i can t afford the care. told me there s another option AND THEN TAKE IT BACK. so now you re afraid to do the other because it s too dangerous while sitting there doing nothing and letting it get worse. take your dog somewhere else. my other dog was supposed to come here as well but after this he will NOT be seen here. i don t even trust y all seeing a dog for simple neurological issues and i ll definitely never trust or recommend any life saving emergency visits to y all. it seems others have the same issue and i hope y all live with the guilt of letting peoples pets suffer and die.

The Oncology, Surgical, Front desk, and hospital team are all very caring and kind.

My fiance works here and she absolutely loves it! They do great work and truly care about your belov

This is not your average Veterinary office, so don't try to take your pet there for a routine exam. This is a place for SPECIALISTS to evaluate your pet, & for EMERGENCIES. The staff is very efficient & professional. The doctors I have dealt with are very compassionate, but provide you with all of the information needed to make informed decisions.

They took great care of our boy and were honest about his prognosis rather than letting us spend thousands to prolong his suffering. Thanks so much!

They are working on my baby dog, Rambo, he'll pull thru with their help.

I was sent here because stray rescue (where I got my dog, look them up, great organization...) is closed on the weekend. I was skeptical, having VSS handling my dog. He lived on the streets for years. He doesn't know boundaries and is capable of savagely attacking people. He is not friendly and highly aggressive towards people upon first introductions. VSS looked past all this and treated my dog like I would expect a hospital to treat my dying grandmother. I was so thrilled with the surgery, their communication to me throughout everything, and the quality of the surgery and aftercare. Thank you VSS!!! In case anyone is wondering, my dog slurped up a pile of corn on the ground while walking through Wilmore park. Some a**hole was fishing and left his trash/tackle laying on the ground, and in that pile of corn was a fishing hook threaded with corn, attached to 10 feet of fishing line. It was originally caught in his throat, by the time I got him to VSS he had swallowed the hook in to his stomach. It got caught in his stomach and they had to do major surgery and open him up to get it out. He's tough as nails though, was back to his old self in 4 days, had his staples removed 2 weeks later, and now we try our hardest to pay attention to stuff lying on the ground wherever we go!

They provided excellent care for my dog's two CCL surgeries, and showed professionalism and compassion when he died (to be clear, this was later/unrelated). They accept Care Credit.

Very friendly, professional staff. Clean large waiting area. No long wait. A bit pricey.

I brought my dog here in the middle of the night for a bot fly larvae diagnosis and removal. My dog has behavior problems from past abuse (rescue) and they were very understanding. They assured me (I had a lot of anxiety about him going in without me), and I didn't feel judged about his care like I sometimes do at other vets. They got the larvae out safely and he has healed well!

If I could give them a 0, I would. Told me they took AmEx, charged me a fortune and THEN said they don't take AmEx. The antibiotic the vet ordered, wasn't available in this area, waited nearly a WEEK for it to come in, and it was $140.00 because vet didn't fully fill out her portion of the information to cost save. I'm sure there's a better vet ER. Go there instead.

My dog had surgery there. The people who work there are very nice. They answer all you questions and explain everything they are going to do. They offer emergency services. If your pet stays overnight you can call the emergency number to know how is doing. I am very happy with them

3 weeks ago, we had to help our baby girl, Cricket, cross the rainbow bridge. She had just turned 7 but was in kidney failure. It was 4AM on a Sunday morning. Everyone was very caring and helpful. When we got her ashes, they had included a paw print....it was soooo appreciated
Thank you to all involved
Vicki & Rick Seaman

They were outstanding in the care of our very sick dachshund

VSS has helped our dogs and, just as importantly, us through some difficult times. This review covers our experience over the past 10+ years with three Labrador Retrievers. VSS's doctors and staff are always professional and compassionate and skilled in diagnosing and treating emergent and severe illness and disease and they've helped us handle end of life issues with patience and kindness while providing frank and pragmatic advice. I not only recommend them but urge anyone whose pet has serious and complicated issue to take them to VSS.

Plan to not go there again. Scheduled heart and liver ultrasounds. Drove there from another state, arrived and was then told liver check would not happen today, in addition was then told pet needed to fast. Was told could come back tomorrow. Hope to never go there again.

Terrible customer service. We were belittled by your staff and nearly made fun of. This was the rudest and most unprofessional staff I have seen in my life. The care and doctors were great but I will never come back here again.

Excellent hospital for pets, good vets, friendly staff, prepared for surgeries, the only thing wrong is the waiting time for care, almost more than 1/2 hour, even by appointment

If you can take your animal somewhere else, do it. Took our cat there 2 days ago and had a pretty long wait before seeing the doctor, but reasonable. But took him again today for the same thing. I called ahead, they said to bring him in and asked how long I'd be before I got there so they'd be ready. I got him there, they did a quick check to make sure it wasn't a super emergency and put us in a room. The staff i did meet was friendly. I asked for a litter box since it is a bladder related issue, after 40 minutes and 2 reminders I got a box with a paper towel in it, which I knew he wouldn't use. Tech checked his vitals and said a doctor would be in asap. Another 45 minutes later i walked out bc my cat was stressed, crying, and had been laying in his blood and piss for an Hour and 25 minutes waiting, not too mention my dog I had to take out at home. They said an urgent emergency surgery came in just before me and had taken most of their doctors in to work on it, which I can appreciate. But i have a hard time understanding how walking into an empty waiting room, with 90% empty rooms, doesn't get a doctor in to help my cat in less than an 85 minutes.

Several months ago I took my cat, Garbo, in for close observation. He was to be seen over the course of three days so they could determine what was making him lethargic and loose his appetite. They lead us to believe that it likely not a major issue. We were told it would be $1,600.00, which we were willing to pay if it meant saving Garbo's life. We paid half of the amount up front. The very next morning, around 8:00 AM, they called and said he was hyper-salivating and wanted to approval for a different medication, which we gave. A hour or so later they called and said he died of heart failure. Despite being under observation for less than 24 hours we were still charged over $800.00 after ash retrieval and a box. Oddly enough the amount was almost exactly what we paid up front. Then they had the audacity to tell we had money coming back to us, less that 3 dollars. I essentially paid them over $800.00 to kill my cat.

Great staff! Really helped my fur-baby and treated him and I with a lot care

It was a Sunday & our little guy needed immediate attention. They took him in & did an amazing job. Recommend highly!

We got back from a long vacation and our dog was not doing well. Long story short, we thought she was a goner. We took her to VSS and found out she had a heart defect. Dr. Marshall did a fantastic job with the surgery. A few bumps in the road, but Sylvia is doing so much better now. Very happy that VSS saved our dog!

They took care of my cat with compassion during a difficult time.

Very quick diagnosis of a serious heart issue with my cat. Very friendly and caring staff.

They are very friendly and understanding, explained what was going on with my dog and what we could do about it. Prices were much cheaper than I expected for a emergency vet on a Sunday afternoon.

I highly recommend VSS. Especially if your pet is in bad shape. People at the highest level of their profession.

The operation was a success. Complications were addressed by the surgery but sometimes it doesn't work. We had to let our pet go and the staff was so compassionate to our feelings. Making it a little easier. Thank you for all you do for our kid's, furiend's, pets.

We have used the emergency room here several times and the care has been great. We also used Veterinary Specialty Services to perform surgery on our dog. They replaced both knees on our Labradoodle and the outcome was great. Both knees never gave her problems again. All the doctors and staff are kind, caring and professional.

They did find a few issues with my dog and I followed up with my regular vet Carter Pet Hospital on Monday

My dog Crash received excellent care there when he had gotten into some decon. They went above and beyond to get him through this crisis. He is doing well and I couldn't be more grateful. He was in their care for 8 days and nights receiving around the clock care. Thank you all staff with you wise and caring service.

We used there after hours emergency clinic and everyone was so nice and we did not have to wait long!

VSS staff and doctors are so attentive and knowledgeable. Ive come to VSS several times and each time they are caring and quick to figure out what's going on with my pet... Tremendous resource we have in the St. Louis area. Thank you VSS

Great place. Multiple surgeries and all successful.

They are trauma Care Specialists.
Excellent quality Care, for issues which your regular veterinarian cannot handle, or if your vet clinic is not open.

Most negative place ever! Very busy and too much so for individual attention. Didn't monitor anything until we called to check. If you love your pet take them anywhere else!!!!!!

Our dog had an issue with one of his eyes. They were very patient and you can tell that they are passionate about what they do. Vet was A++