1. Summit Veterinary Referral Center

1. Summit Veterinary Referral Center

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Tacoma, WA

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Summit Veterinary Referral Center

3.4 (332 reviews)
Open Open 24 hours
Updated over 3 months ago

Services - Summit Veterinary Referral Center

Pet physical or wellness exam

Pet vaccinations

Emergency pet hospital

Summit Veterinary Referral Center Photos

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Recommended Reviews - Summit Veterinary Referral Center

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Reviews With Photos

Frenchie Nilla - Patient of Dr. Schwartz, Neuro.
Michelle F.

This review is specific to a consult with a neurologist (Dr. Malte Schwartz) at Summit - not their emergency services. After multiple panic-filled visits to our regular vet while our French bulldog was exhibiting signs of IVDD (a degenerative disc disease), they suggested having a consult with a neurologist. I spent hours researching local neurologists for dogs, requesting quotes and asking on IVDD specific Facebook pages for Frenchies who the best in the area is. Hearing the potential costs of MRIs and surgeries put my stress level through the roof, but I was willing to do whatever it would take to ensure my baby had a good quality of life moving forward. From researching 4 separate neuros in the Seattle/Tacoma area, all prices came back generally in the same range - Neuro consult = $200-250. MRI (with sedation) = $4-6k. Surgery = God help us. The scheduler for the neuro department was my first point of contact. She was very kind and patient with all of my questions/concerns. She got us set for a consult much sooner than I had expected. Getting to Summit was not difficult and the facility is spacious, clean and welcoming. The front desk ladies were very friendly and answered any questions I had in the moment. I can only imagine how stressful their jobs are considering how many scared and emotional pet parents they come into contact all day long with emergencies. The vet tech that collected us and brought us to the exam room was very kind and social. She eased some of our worries while we did the initial intake and exam. She treated our Frenchie with love and I could tell, for once, our girl was NOT stressed or scared while at the vet. She took Nilla to the back for further examination and returned her after about 15 minutes, just as happy as can be. Dr. Schwartz came in soon afterwards. He spent easily 45 minutes with my husband and I. He was extremely thorough in covering Nilla's history, recent events/symptoms, his professional opinion on her condition and suggestions on next steps. He saved us from spending thousands of dollars on an MRI during this specific visit as it may not provide the results needed right now - but may need in the future should she start showing signs of pain. I appreciate that he put our girl first rather than pushing us to spend thousands during that visit. I will for sure recommend Dr. Schwartz and this facility to any of my friends/networks. A really great experience and I am so appreciative. I left feeling like a weight had been taken off of my shoulders and felt emotionally lighter knowing we can trust the plan/process for our girl.

Teya W.

I am a frequent YELPer and if I had read some of the reviews for Summit, I might have chosen somewhere else - but instead I was referred by a friend I trusted, and I am so glad we chose Summit for our dog's emergency. Our darling 5 year old dachshund mix suddenly became paralyzed, and after going to our local vet who put her on pain medication, we took her to Summit who did an MRI and determined she has IVDD. The staff was caring and helpful and explained our options - euthanasia, permanent paralysis, or spinal surgery with a Neurosurgeon which they said would give her a 50-50 chance of regaining movement. In other words, 50 % chance that she would remain paralyzed after the spends surgery. We also had 15 minutes to make the decision because she was already under anesthesia and with this type of surgery, waiting to put her under again would have made her chances of walking again even less likely. I say this to explain how difficult it is to feel good about these types of situations and to feel like you got the best care. We do feel like that! Dr Finnerty was her neurosurgeon and the staff in neuron and the admin staff were great communicators, kind and helpful, and did not sugar coat anything. We got financing (did not have pet insurance) and since that time, we have had acupuncture, physical therapy, hydrotherapy, PEMF, and a variety of clothing and devices to help her regain mobility. Unfortunately she had another injury due to her nerve damage, and 8 months later we were back at Summit for another major surgery - this time a rear leg amputation with Dr.Hofeling. Some people might think we are crazy, we had not even paid off the first surgery yet, but this doggie has a strong will to live and is doing even better than before after the second surgery. The staff and care at Summit was stellar. The healing process after both surgeries was swift and uncomplicated. Yes, our pup will be a tripod doggie now, and also have a little cart for out door adventures. Summit is responsive whenever we have a question, but our new local primary vet helps us most now that the emergencies are over. I would not hesitate to refer someone to Summit. Each pet guardian has to decide if they can manage the cost and aftercare, and I can tell you those two factors are substantial. But if your dog or cat has an emergency, the vets at Summit are top notch and can walk you through your options with kindness, patience, and compassion. The surgeons we worked with are truly masters. I think the negative posts come from a "bad" experience of dealing with an emergency or loss, which is not easy, sometimes the place becomes the villain. However, I do not hesitate to recommend Summit if you have a surgical emergency.

Our beloved Winnie
Jackie L.

We had to come here under very sad circumstances; nonetheless, our experience was amazing. Our 5 1/2 year corgi had gotten extremely sick over night. She was transferred here from a different ER vet, and by morning, she had deteriorated rapidly. Dr. Stobnicki had admitted her, who was amazing. She talked with us a while and gave us an entire list of probable things that could be wrong. She ran through the treatment plan with us and was very thorough. She even called me in the middle of the night to give an important update (which I appreciated so much) and made me feel like she really cared for Winnie. Dr. Riordan took over Winnie's case and was extremely empathetic and so pleasant to speak to. She explained our options thoroughly and knew what she was talking about. Ultimately, we had decided to let our sweet girl go peacefully as we didn't want to gamble on her life and make her suffer even more. Although we will miss her immensely, I am beyond grateful for the amazing care she received from all of the staff here. If I ever have another emergency with one of my babies, I will not hesitate to come back.

She passed just 48hrs after surgery.
Keomany V.

*This business is a C- rating and is not a BBB Accredited Bureau Please read all reviews before bringing your pet here. I wish I did, so far I've already read 4x review that said after a few days post surgery their pet passed. Initially, I was just so happy that I found a place that would be able to save my girl. She's was a 12year old beautiful Pitbull, that was just all about living. Our vet at Banfield informed from her X-ray that she had a mass on her spleen that needed to be removed and recommended us to a few places. I went with Summit because all other locations were not taking new patients and Old Growth was not yet opened. Below are some of my timeline: 19 Mar 25 0900 oncology consultation $245 + what you see in the estimates. 9 Apr 25 Surgery consultation $210 14 Apr we decided to go forward with Ivy surgery, with the advisement of Dr. Loomis that she was be able to live a few months to years. if no surgery she would pass even sooner with pain. 23 Apr 25 3:15 Ivy had to go in for a blood draw but collapsed at Summit. After ER fees they only found that she was weak, low in iron and GI tract had fluids. They were going to house her for $2800 but we wanted her home so it was $970. If she was strong enough she would go in for surgery on Tuesday. 29 Apr 25 @0700 Ivy was dropped off for surgery for Splenectomy/Abdominal Lymph node/Mass excision. $11,322 30 Apr 25 she remained in the hospital for recovery, which Dr. Loomis said went well for her age. 31 Apr 25 she was release from hospital with meds. 31 Apr 25 at 11pm she was given meds 1 May 25 @0605 my purest love of my life passed in agony and gasping for air in my arms, she cried one last time, gasped for air, looked up at me and collapsed. I immediately rushed her to my nearest ER where I was informed she did not have a heart rate upon arrival. I called the clinic and spoke to the doctor, described her symptoms before she passed and she said it could have been a blood clot... Just 48hrs after surgery she passed away, were we advised incorrectly on her surgery? Was the surgery too much for her body? Was she too old? Was she too weak? Could we have forgo the surgery and our baby would still be here?...doctors are supposed to advise with the professional and honest assessment, was this done? I don't care what I spent, I want my baby back. If I had to euthanize then it should have been on me, not her going through a painful surgery and dying... It's too late for me, but for those that have fur babies they love please AVOID AVOID AVOID this place. My Ivy died on my birthday 1 MAY 25!!!!!!! How sad is that!!! I will never forget her SIP Ivy girl. Please submit another review to Better Business Bureau https://www.bbb.org/us/wa/tacoma/profile/veterinarian/summit-veterinary-referral-center-1296-22673262/customer-reviews

This was how she looked when she woke up with her head tilted and the swelling on the left side.
Sarah H.

Stay far away from this place. I had to bring my Labrador in due to a fever and some swelling on the side of her face. My regular veterinary office had two emergencies already, so they couldn't see her until the next day. They charged me almost $4000 and told me she needed a surgery that would START at $10,000. They told me she needed her whole ear canal removed and other things. I came and picked my dog up the next day (they told me they had to keep her overnight,) and AFTER I paid the extra charges they made me wait 2 hours to get her. Makes sense since she looked 100% worse!! I couldn't believe it! The doctor told me to have a "Quality of Life" appointment with her regular veterinarian. I was devastated. I couldn't believe that over night I was maybe going to be saying goodbye to my best friend of 12 years. My vet got us in, and within 10 minutes discovered she had an abscess behind her ear that was causing 100% of her problems. We had it drained, cultured, cleaned up and within about 2 hours she looked almost completely normal. This place was going to take advantage of the fact that I would do anything for my animals and pay any price. They charged me an astronomical fee in 2022 for another dog who needed an emergency surgery, and I didn't balk at the price. I just paid it. You would think a place that you should be able to trust with your beloved pets wouldn't be a scam and a rip off. Literally go anywhere else but here. If zero stars was an option, that's what they would get. Look at the pictures I attached. They speak for themselves!!

The coffee bar for patient parents patiently waiting.
Monyca W.

OK, it's time to write a review for Summit. I waited and waited because I wanted to be sure our beloved dog was really truly healed. We came to Summit a few months with an emergency when our beloved dog suddenly stopped walking. Our regular vet had tried a few things but after agonizing days without improvement, they sent us to Summit. As we sat in the lobby, panicked, we read some of the Yelp reviews of people who had lost their pets and wondered if we made a mistake. We wondered if we should get our dog and leave. A few months of hindsight now, I can safely say going to Summit was the very best thing we could have done. We waited longer than I would have liked in the lobby that first night (and the next day, waiting for an MRI) but I truly believe now that Summit properly triaged their patients and I know they were seeing cases worse than ours. In the end, the vets that we saw were very patient and thorough and spent all of the time we needed to talk over every possible diagnosis and treatment. The primary vet who worked with us was neurologist Dr. Jerry Demuth and I cannot say enough about how patient and kind he was with us humans and our baby. He answered our questions patiently, even on the weekends. We always worry that unknown veterinarians will try to take advantage of our distress and fear when our pets are ill or injured. Summit gave us high-end and low-end estimates and had us give a deposit for the low-end cost, but we ended up getting a refund because our cost was even lower. I never felt like they steered us toward more complicated, costly, or unnecessary tests or treatments. Finally having our issues resolved and our girl has some pep in her step, I'd like to thank the staff and Dr. Demuth in particular. I'm sorry about what other pet parents experienced but I would recommend Summit without hesitation.

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Ask the Community - Summit Veterinary Referral Center

Review Highlights - Summit Veterinary Referral Center

Hofeling was able to diagnose a very rare condition of an elongated soft palate that was entrapping the epiglottis.

Mentioned in 12 reviews

Read more highlights

VEG ER for Pets

VEG ER for Pets

3.9
(23 reviews)

The doctors and staff were excellent, and the wait time was understandable given the ER…read moreenvironment. My only concern was the waiting room experience. A nearby family allowed a child to play videos and music without headphones, conversations were extremely loud, and one individual returned from smoking outside brought the odor back into the shared space. The ER is already a stressful environment, and excessive noise, strong odors, and a lack of consideration for others can make it even more difficult for pets and parents who may be in pain or distress. My recommendation would be to provide a brief reminder about waiting room etiquette upon arrival, including the use of headphones and being mindful of noise levels in shared spaces. Decorum in shared spaces is that much more appreciated. Dr. Montgomery and her team were very thoughtful and thorough with my pup, who is recovering from Surgery currently.

I chose this VEG location because I'd previously had an exceptional experience at the Seattle…read morelocation. Based on that experience, I expected the same level of organization, communication, and care. Unfortunately, that wasn't my experience here. I visited twice within the same week with my dog and fully understood that the hospital was treating critical patients during both visits. Emergency hospitals must prioritize life-threatening cases, and I was patient with the wait because I know that's part of emergency medicine. My concerns began after we were seen. Throughout both visits, we interacted with so many different doctors and staff members that it became genuinely disorienting. I couldn't keep track of who was overseeing my dog's care because multiple people came in to ask questions, perform examinations, or discuss next steps. At one point, I was even given two different treatment recommendations by two different doctors during the same visit. As a client in an emergency situation, I shouldn't have to sort through conflicting recommendations. Those conversations should happen within the medical team before they're presented to the pet owner. I was also concerned by the condition of the hospital during our visit. Blood-soaked towels remained on the floor near the entrance for over two hours after a critical patient had been moved elsewhere in the hospital. Overflowing bins of wet, used towels were left against the wall during that same time. Seeing biohazardous materials left in common areas for that length of time raised concerns for me about sanitation and infection control. What stood out most to me was how different this experience felt compared to VEG Seattle. The Seattle location felt organized, well-coordinated, and adequately staffed. Even while treating emergency cases, communication was clear, responsibilities seemed well defined, and the overall experience inspired confidence. Everyone I interacted with was kind and courteous, and I sincerely appreciate the work emergency veterinary professionals do. My concerns are not about individual staff members, they're about the systems in place at this location. I hope leadership will look at what is working so well at the Seattle hospital and consider implementing those same practices here, because the difference in the client experience was significant.

Old Growth Veterinary Emergency & Critical Care

Old Growth Veterinary Emergency & Critical Care

3.9
(46 reviews)

Brought my cat in who it ended up was having major liver issues…read more Everyone was caring and kind and handed up spending one overnight. However, his cytology report is urgent to know if the antibiotics should work or he needs a steroid for inflammation I called once in the morning, once in the evening, finally stressing that he was not eating, and I might have to make a terrible decision this weekends. If I'm lucky, I will get a call today otherwise it's going to be tomorrow. Well, tomorrow might be too late if he does need steroids. I get that it's just the ER vets to do that calling, but somehow they've got to carve out time when your pet is having a life-threatening situation and lab results could mean changing treatment I'm not sure I would use them again. EDIT: they've now had my cat's cytology results for at least 36 hours but they are "understaffed" and will perhaps call me today. But I can of course "bring him back in" This is completely unacceptable

I highly recommend Old Growth... in an urgent matter I brought in Basil as he was vomiting & had…read morediarrhea. He was also not eating his most favorite treat either. So I consulted my bff Chat and they told me to bring in right away. I found Old Growth as it was 24 hours and they kept me informed with what was going on and didn't preform any procedure without my permission and explanation of what said procedure was and why needed. I am so grateful for the understanding staff as Basil is a spicy cat and they catered his care around his spiciness. I took full advantage of the care now pay later options that were on the wall which allowed me to put my full attention on my beautiful boy. Thank you Old Growth.

Veterinary Emergency Group

Veterinary Emergency Group

4.6
(78 reviews)

Our 18 year old terrier chihuahua mix Ella was peacefully passing away at home when suddenly she…read morehad a series of seizures, and lost her ability to move. She was crying out afterwards, and so we knew she had to be put down immediately. Her usual vet was closed, and does not do euthanasia. Quickly found VEG Seattle, and called, then arrived shortly after in the very early morning hours to the kindest, understanding, and accommodating group of people. We hoped for Ella to have been able to pass naturally, but I am forever grateful for the team at VEG for creating a warm atmosphere that made her final moments in my arms, what I'd hope it would have been at home. Thank you

So thankful for VEG and the prompt and compassionate care they gave our dog, Penny. The doctor…read morewalked me through all of our options and took amazing and gentle care of our girl in her last moments. When it was time to say goodbye we were taken to a private room so we could spend as much time as we needed together. They made sure it was a peaceful passing for Penny, but also regularly checked in on me and explained everything kindly and thoroughly. I would like to especially shout out Ashton, who was kind enough to make Penny a beautiful plate of sweets and even shared her own piece of pie. It was so helpful to be around such a caring individual at the worst moment of my life. We had taken Penny in once before, and my husband and I both appreciated the set up of the clinic - you can see your animal being cared for and be with them every second. We didn't ever stay overnight with Penny during a hospitalization, but what an amazing thing to be able to be with them the whole time. Other emergency vets aren't like that. Thank you, VEG!

Veterinary Emergency Group

Veterinary Emergency Group

4.5
(84 reviews)

Thank you sooo much for taking such great care of my Millie last night. I love my vet, but I have…read morenever experienced such compassion. A huge thank you to the triage team and a true heartfelt special thank you to Kylie and Dr. Hastings. You made us feel very well taken care of. We will remember you always. And yes Kylie, if we ever see you in a store we will definitely say hi and I will also give you a big hug. A couple photos to show off our baby this morning. Hugs of the purest gratitude Tammy Rondorf

the last thing a pet owner wants ahead of a long weekend is a trip to the emergency vet; actually,…read moremost pet owners i know aren't excited about emergency vet visits at any time of year but when they happen and you want to make sure your fur baby is ok, you go, regardless of the costs involved. late last week i made the decision to take my dog in with an issue i've seen him have before but this time all my efforts didn't curb the symptoms and i decided i'd get a jump on what promised to be a full emergency waiting room ahead of fireworks and loud noises. the closest VEG location to me is in interbay but when i called they suggested i go to lynwood, federal way or redmond because they were already slammed. so up to lynnwood we went and when we walked in, i got an introduction into how differently VEG locations handle things. each pet/human is greeted and triaged. the open concept of seeing everyone working and every other patient out in the open may be different from what you're used to but it demystifies things for sure. you're not left wondering what's happening to your pet behind closed doors. and in an emergency when your cortisol levels may already be elevated this is most likely a welcome difference in protocol. we were ushered to an alcove with a couch and someone came over with a laptop to get details and reasons why we were there. minutes later a tech and vet arrived and we talked to them. she patiently listened and said she'd develop a plan for how to investigate what was going on and in retrospect i appreciated that she didn't go straight to imaging and other costly testing but decided to go the route of labs/biochemical diagnoses to rule things like pancreatitis out. once she left us, i got a text message with a quote and link to pre pay. having done that, we waited a bit longer and another pair of staff arrived to draw blood. we were told it would take about 30min for lab results. we waited, we watched the staff moving around to different patients with different needs levels. eventually the vet returned with lab results and recommendations before another tech came with discharge papers and a goodie bag of sample gastrointestinal foods. all told, we were there about two hours and i was highly impressed with the level of service and care we received. things were clean, the staff all seemed positive about the company they are employed by and they genuinely care about delivering a high standard of care to everyone who walked through the doors, human and animal. one thing i appreciated was that the vet mentioned that i could call or email with follow up questions and also mentioned that if we needed to return, we could go to the interbay location because all locations are connected and would have access to his file/treatments. yesterday we received a follow up text to check on him, also encouraging calls if we have questions. VEG seems to have emergency veterinary service and human customer service dialed in. it's hard to know who and where to go in an emergency but i'd carried the VEG name and number in my phone for years without having a need to use them; now i can say that i'd recommend them based on our experience this past weekend.

Summit Veterinary Referral Center - vet - Updated July 2026

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