Veterinary Emergency Critical Care & Referral Center 24 Hours

I recommend VECC without any reservations whatsoever. I have known the owner, Dr. Lee Garrod, for many years now and have relied greatly on her skill as an excellent diagnostician. There have been times when I have had to take one of my dogs to VECC at 1 or 2 a.m. and have been greeted with professionalism, warmth and caring by whoever was on duty at the time. Dr. Garrod has only the finest vets and vet techs and support staff, she does not tolerate mediocrity. My vet in Berwick, Maine (Brion Reagor, Lucky Pet Animal Hospital) told me today that he would never hesitate to refer his clients to VECC, he holds Dr. Garrod and her staff in high esteem. more

As a customer service agent myself, I can tell you that the staff at this facility are top notch and I have been to many vets in my lifetime but never had such a wonderful experience as this weekend. They are professional and caring and I can see that they work together as a team. They were as worried about me as my dog and took every bit of time to answer my questions thoroughly - despite how busy they were!! more

My girl Kelsey is a cushoid diabetic in chronic renal failure and was given a death sentence by our prior vet almost 2 years ago at the age of 12. Thanks to the expertise of the docters and all of the assisting staff she turned 14 three weeks ago. She is a very complicated case but the specialists and everyone at VECC has been so patient with both of us! We had to see the neurologist here too and we spent a week there 4 months ago and I was so very impressed at the level of care they provided to my Kelsey and how accommodating they were to me the overwrought Mom. Dr. Jessica Morgan, Kelsey's internist, (and the neurologist) have given us many more good days together and she has provided care for Kelsey that can be surpassed by none. I highly recommend this clinic and the specialsits here. I am 3 hours away from them in Maine but they have worked diligently with me at home and with my local veterinarian. We love you all. more

I have many dogs and fortunately never had to seek emergency care until last weekend and on a long weekend! One of our dogs was fainting. The place was super busy but they got us in right away. He needed an ultrasound of his heart and they called one of their specialsts who came in immediately! She was very thorough, obviously super intelligent and really very nice. My experience there was above and beyond positive. I feel the prices were reasonable and they went over all of our options for care. Brewser is fine today because ot this hospital and the attention to detail, expertise and caring. more

We recently spent time at the EVC with our cat over the course of a week as he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. In the end, we lost him, and it was one of the hardest days of our lives. His loss is not a reflection on EVC--pancreatic cancer (feline, canine, or human) unfortunately is terminal in somewhere over 90% of all diagnosed cases. Over the course of the week we had the opportunity to meet many of the staff, and they were without exception immensely caring--both for our cat, and for us. It was expensive--over three thousand dollars expensive when all was said and done. We were provided detailed estimates for all suggested diagnosis and treatment plans and were never pushed to do treatment we were unwilling to do. 24-hour care is costly, as are the ultrasound and other diagnostic services such as pathology reporting. It is unfortunate, though understandable, that some express the sentiment that EVC is money-centric. When presented with the first of several estimates, our initial reaction was similar in that we wondered why the vet was going over billing with us while our pet's health was our priority. In retrospect, I realize that EVC does their best to provide customers with these estimates to avoid surprises later. When we left, we had a balance nearing $1100.00 and our cat was gone--I have little doubt that EVC policies reflect the temptation to leave without settling accounts, or to leave an animal in trouble without returning... That said, for those still concerned that the staff is uncaring, I can tell you that they treated our cat lovingly. Several of the vets helped us as we had to confront the choice to put our family pet to sleep. We were allowed to visit him at any time--sometimes in his cage for a brief lunchtime visit, sometimes in a private room when we had time to stay. The staff shared our grief, crying with us at times. Bonnie, one of several vet-techs we met, sent us a care package after we lost him including clay paw-prints, a bow of fur, and an incredibly thoughtful card, all of which she did on her own, out of kindness. We would not hesitate to return when we have another pet. Pros: Caring, accomodating, competant staff, good facility. more