Animerge

My dog was having a lot of pain and couldn't walk. She was barely eating or drinking. After speaking with a few friends and family, we pretty much assumed she had Lyme and knew we needed to get her antibiotics asap. We brought her in to Animerge and we told them we think it's probably Lyme. Instead of talking with us about testing for Lyme, they immediately wanted us to consent to a bunch of things she didn't need, like a catheter, for no reason - without ever even looking at her or asking questions. We refused because we were not presented with any evidence or reason to put a catheter in. They quickly took her from us, and walked her into a back room somewhere, so we had no idea what was going on. And our dog gets nervous without us. It was horrible. They even said she was anxious and tense and weren't sure if it was interfering with their evaluation. I kept asking to see her and they said no. I've literally never been separated from my dog while she's being treated for anything. Completely unprofessional and bad practice, in my opinion. No one would separate parents from a child being evaluated in a hospital. Our normal vet talks us through everything he does and we have never been separated. Animerge was so pushy about having us sign things for medical treatments with zero explanation, zero communication. They kept coming in with these papers of treatments but no real evidence to do them. They wanted to do X-rays on her stomach and kept asking if she ate anything weird. They thought there was a "blockage". After repeatedly telling them my dog just had a "movement" before we got in the car, and kept having to confirm that she doesn't eat garbage, they finally left the room again with no real idea about what was wrong with my dog. I kept overhearing one vet tech literally making fun of us, cackling from the back room where my dog was, bc we wouldn't consent to these crazy treatments. She was complaining about how we must be having "financial issues" (we are not), and can't pay for treatment. And called us "Dr. Google". It was unbelievable. Then they FINALLY agreed to test for Lyme after hours sitting there while they "evaluated" her in the back. The vet finally came out, disappointedly, and said she "tested a little bit positive for Lyme". Not sure how you can test "a little bit for Lyme", but I guess they assumed they didn't need to explain anything further because I would probably just ask google anyway. I guarantee they wanted to slice my dog open last night. It was absolutely appalling. I don't recommend anyone go to Animerge. Ever. This was a horrible experience and I'm disgusted with the lack of logic regarding my dog's health and care. The only saving grace to the night was the sweet, caring receptionist Barbara, who took the time to talk with us, talk to the vet/tech on our behalf, and even gave us blankets because it was so cold. Someone please give this woman a raise and a medal for being the only descent human being that works there. more

I brought my beloved chihuahua in to Animerge early Tuesday after I found her unresponsive on the floor when I woke up in the morning. I'd never been there before, but I'd taken note of the place when driving by in the event of an emergency such as this. The care she and I both received was outstanding. When I brought her in, she was moments from death. The doctors didn't give up on her...they saved her life and were able to successfully diagnose her with a rare disease that, from what I've read, is often overlooked. They took the time to explain everything to me and kept in contact every step of the way. My sincerest gratitude goes out to the doctors (especially Dr. Freeman), the nurses and the rest of the staff at Animerge...they truly saved my precious girl's life. more

This is a truly horrible facility, with everything about it unpleasant and nasty. Do yourself and your pet a favor and find a vet practice that cares about animals. Truly awful. more

TAKE MY EDVICE, GO ELSEWHERE!!!!!!!!!! more

i didn't think my dog would survive, but they saved him. i thought he was going to die after he bloated in the middle of the night, but they got him right into surgery and saved his life. he spent three days in the hospital. everyone was so nice, they were so patient and answered all my questions. the doctors were great. my dog is completely recovered and is acting like a silly puppy again! more

my dog was in the hospital three days. i didn't think he would survive after he bloated, but they got him to surgery right away and saved his life. he's acting like a puppy again, i'm so grateful. they are the best. everyone was really nice, they answered all my questions - very knowledgeable. doctors were really great. couldn't have asked for better care. more

I brought my dog here in an emergency situation and felt that she was well cared for. The staff seems compassionate about helping animals and they see patients with more urgent cases taking priority. I did feel I was overcharged, as did my vet, but in an emergency, you don't have many options. In this way, I do think Animerge tends to take advantage of their patients' owners' vulnerability. However, they provide a highly necessary service when all vets offices are closed. The one kind of scary policy they have is that if you are not on time to pick your dog up before a certain in the morning (usually for transport to your pet's usual vet), the hospital will lock your dog inside all alone and unattended until the night time when the doctors and nurses return. I was on time, but the penalty for being late seemed very horrible! more

This place is for emergencies for animals. They are open hours that normal Vets are closed and serve walk ins only as I understand it. You can call first if you have an emergency but you have to come in a wait unless your animal is really bad off. My dog was attacked by a pit bull and needed help at 10pm so I went there for the first time. The Vet was the best I have had and wished she had a private practice. They were very thoughtful and thorough and really great all around. Its about $100 to walk in the door but when it comes to your pet that isn't the most important thing and it was worth it to me anyway. more