GREEDY!!!!! In extreme life or death then cannot be avoided. But if your pet can survive the night, wait for your vet because the pricing is outrageous. Just to look at your cat (probably more for dogs) is $125.00. There are no signs anywhere, not even on the initial information sheet. All payment has to be paid at that time. ARE NOT WILLING to negotiate pricing or help you. Just give you the number of some charity. I am a young professional between jobs. At the end of the visit....I paid 125.00 just for them to tell me my cat has a fever. If I wanted bloodwork done and saline IV put in, total cost would of been 350.00. Antibiotics would of been another $40. I understand its a business, but people bring their pets in a crisis and the fact that they take advantage of that and will not work with you demonstrates questionable ethics on their practice as a whole. Why would an Emergency Vet office not set up some kind of payment plan. Their solution is to put it on a credit card. So when your animal is in need of help, clearly applying for a credit card right there is a compassionate option. read more

Wonderful place. Dr. Bertolino and her staff helped us to euthanize our beloved cat . They handled the entire experience with compassion, dignity and professionalism. I cannot recommend them enough. They tried every possible procedure to try and help him, and treated him as if he were their own. **** read more

Noticed a wound on my cat's tail (pus, hair loss, etc) on a Saturday night (also Labor Day weekend) and knew it would be hard to find a place open on the weekend, let alone a holiday one. I definitely didn't want to wait till Tues (3 days later) to get him on antibiotics. Did some online research and found VEC. 24 hours on weekends and 20 min from where I lived. I called, got some advice from the girl who answered, and she said to definitely bring my cat in for treatment. She said I could wait till morning but they'd be open if I chose to come that night. Called back to ask about pricing, got a different girl, but she already knew the background of what my cat was coming in for which I thought was great. Both girls were super nice and genuinely seemed educated on animal care (I would assume they were both techs) and I really liked that they communicated. So I wrapped his tail in gauze and put him in his cone of shame and went to bed. The next day I brought my cat in, filled out paper work, waited maybe 10 minutes and then they brought him back. Normally my cat is scared shitless and clings to me during vet visits, but he acted very odd this time. Like, trying to escape any way he could. It was kind of funny, but a little embarrassing. The vet tech didn't mind and said he was a very beautiful cat. She called him majestic, which is actually very fitting (he's an all black, fluffy, very big (not fat, just big) cat. I'm talking an 18 pound mini panther). I think he just acted weird because he wasn't feeling well. Anyway she was great. The vet came in and did a great job of calming my psycho panther down. She pet him and talked to him, and was very careful when looking at his wound. She took him in the back where they shaved part of his tail (hilarious, looked like a feather duster on his butt), cleaned the wound and gave me antibiotics for him. I forget what the total bill was (i could check the receipt but it's 1am and I'm lazy) but I think it was around $120. Expensive? yeah a bit. But I love my stupid cat and he's completely healed now so it was worth it. Also, that included the price of the antibiotics, the exam, the cleaning/shaving, and they were open on a holiday weekend so I didn't even mind paying extra since it was for the convenience factor. Final verdict: Very clean office. Super educated and friendly staff. Would recommend it to anyone in the area, especially in emergencies during off hours. Special note: While I was waiting when I first got there, there was an older gentleman with his dog who kept having seizures, limped, and was salivating a lot. The dog and the guy were both really sweet and the techs put them in a room incase she had another seizure so it wouldn't happen in front of everyone. Thought that was nice. They seemed to really be concerned and care about the dog. When I left the guy was coming out of the bathroom and he was wiping his eyes and had clearly been crying. I think he ended up putting the dog down which made me almost burst into tears right there and then. But the staff seemed to really take care of him and the dog, which made me feel even more confident about my choice to bring my cat here. read more

I cannot say enough good things about this practice! Brought my pup in on a busy Saturday afternoon. All of the staff was welcoming and professional, and the waiting room had a calming, homey atmosphere. Although a wait was anticipated, the staff checked in with me frequently to make sure my dog was comfortable and to assure me we would be seen soon. The veterinarian and vet tech were very knowledgeable and compassionate. Soon my pup was patched up and on the road to recovery. So grateful their help! read more

I brought my cat to this animal hospital. She had congestional heart failure. They told me they could try & save her. They wouldn't touch her only xray till they had 900.00 they were going to observe her for 24 hours. They told me it would cost 2,300 minimum. I didn't have a chance to even look into anything. Basically she is going to die if we don't do anything right away. (She was going to die) they took advantage of me & used my cat as a pin cushion. The doctor kept using words like appreciate in negative terms so we could not understand what the heck she was saying. They called me about 8 that night saying they could not save her. They wanted more money before they put her to sleep. I begged to give them the other 1,400 the next day as they were going to let her suffer all night till I brought them the money to euthanize her. This place sucks! All about the money. My cat weighed at the most 5 pounds. Her lungs were filling up with fluid. They knew exactly what was going to happen! Heartless people! read more

Never thought I'd be leaving a review for a place that I took my cat, Porsche, to for euthanasia, but here I am. Definitely not a pleasant experience, but Dr. Gerber and her staff made it as pleasant as possible. She put us all at ease, she made sure to talk us through the entire process, grieved with us, and most importantly she made sure we knew that we were making the best decision for our cat to make sure she was not suffering. We were torn as we have never had to put an animal down before so we needed that confirmation that what we were doing was the only option. She took the time to review our cat's information sent over from another vet prior to the procedure. She made sure our kitty was comfortable the entire time, she handled her with care and talked to her like she was her own cat. She was very empathetic, and you could feel her love for animals. I just wish she wasn't only an emergency vet, I'd love to go to her for all of our animals' routine care. If you're looking for an emergency vet that doesn't just make you feel like a number in line, take your baby here. read more

The Doctor and het staff are compassionate and caring, They helped us to euthanize our beloved dog with dignity, kindness and respect for us and our Chloe. read more

Horrible. Awful experience. Went to them desperate for help with my 4 week old baby kitten starving because it's mother rejected him and he wouldn't take to the bottle. They spent our entire 25 minute visit telling me not to waste my time and money and let him go because "it's nature's will" when he wasn't even dying. Doctor watching over him (was too upset to catch her name) had told me before in animals in similar situations, she made the call to let them go first sign of struggle, which mortified me. Receptionist was either careless or trying to be sneaky and almost switches my order from "if i cant be reached, save him" to "doctor makes their own call". She didn't go over all the information with me before printing and I only noticed because she left it up on screen. Not even a sorry, just an "oh." Kept my kitten overnight, and instead of sending him to the vet open during the day like they originally told us they would, they sent him home and gave us a DIY tube feeding kit. He didn't even gain that much coming home. Because of their carelessness and impatiences with a starving kitten, he is now dead. Will never recommend. read more

This place is outstanding. Absolutely professional, compassionate, knowledgable care. Our regular vet recommended we take our older dog there as she needed overnight treatment. We couldn't be more satisfied with what happened. We have some experience of emergency vet places and I think that their pricing is also extremely fair. If we need this kind of service again (unfortunately inevitable) we won't consider anywhere else! Just all around excellent! read more

Just great! I called around 230am about my two dogs that had eaten some mouse poison. They were helpful calm and friendly on the phone. We got there and were seen right away. The vet and techs were so nice, knowledgeable and helpful. I was aloud to ask all my crazy questions and they had no problem answering them! The dogs are doing great! read more

Cannot even express how grateful we are for all of the staffs compassion and sympathy today as we helped our senior cat cross the rainbow bridge , and we had never been there before . It did not feel like a vets office , more like being in a home . Do not second guess going here . And 24 hour is a bonus for sure . read more

During a stressful time, this place puts you at ease. The staff was completely professional, courteous, and amazing with my dog. They take their time to ensure your concerns are heard and that your pet receives the best care, no matter at what hour. I was surprised by how cozy the clinic was, almost felt as if we were checking into a boutique hotel. I'm very VERY pleased with the service and I know my pup is too. They are also affordable :) and tell you ahead of time what you are looking at money wise. Thanks!! read more

NO STARS, negative if I could. Our kitten had a broken leg: visit + xray + splint= $1100. Charged twice for a consult because they insisted the kitten stay overnight (and lied the evening before saying a second consult fee would be waived ). I could have gone to the human ER for less. Do not go to this place. Prove me wrong Vet Center, I will be disputing your charges read more

OMG!!!!!!! STOP! do not go to this clinic. they are soooo unprofessional. brought our foster dog there due to a fever after having pups less than 20 hours before. now everyone knows a mom is very protective over there pups. well these clowns don't listen after being told this which doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out! they then proceeded to take the pups to back room telling us the mom is upset and they just wanted to let het see them. BULL!!! they took it upon themselves after the xray on mom, to put her with her pups. 'now everyone what do u think a mom is goin to do in a back room of an emergency vet facility with other animals around? ' I can read your minds. so in turn the mom went into protect mode and wouldn't let these people which I will call clowns near here and attacked everyone one of those clowns when they went close to her and her pups. we yelled at the personal and doctor to let us back there cause she will let us handle her and her pups. they said they couldn't due to insurance reasons. [morons] so instead the mom was attacking all and I mean all personal who came close to her pups. now mind u we just rescued her from a pound just in time to have her pups 8 hours later and now she feels shes back in the invironment that she was in. then with all this goin on the doctor comes out and tells us shes labeling the mom as an agressive dog. wtf? are u serious? this is a joke. I rose holy hell in there telling them let me stick u in jail with your kids and see if your not gonna protect your kids till death against strangers. I told these clowns just before the xrays u have a choice, let her feed her little ones first or do the xrays and feed her right after. they chose xrays and then she lies to me and tells me she just wanted to show the babies to her mom but made a stupid decision to let mom together with her babies and u can gather what happened from there. these clowns were told before everything that happened how mother is ,where she came from, what she went threw, and how she is with her babies and they totally disregarded what we have told them and prosceeded to do everything the opposite and did what they want.they also dropped one of the newborns and lost one of them while in there care. im sooo freaken angry . again , if u want a clinic to take care of your loved ones like crap and not pay attention to your needs then by all means take them there. I would recommend avon emergency clinic I have used them in the past and they are great!! I hope this helps everyone and shame on u. read more

My 16-month-old beautiful German Shepherd puppy died suddenly. The Vet at VEC told me to take him for a necropsy (autopsy for animals) at UCONN, CVMDL, to find out what happened. UCONN Senior Pathogist said VEC did not store the body properly! They have no refrigerator for proper storage & just threw the body on top of a freezer on the back porch! It was over 40 degrees that night & tops of freezers & refrigerators are hot! The organs in the body were already too warm & rotten to get a proper diagnosis. After spending hundreds of dollars & consulting with more than 6 Vets, I will never know why my puppy died all because VEC did not preserve his body for the necropsy! THEY are the ones that told me to take his body there. How can they not preserve the body properly? UCONN was very expensive. I spent close to $1,000 on this nightmare. Dr. Leshem refused to make changes to his practice by getting a proper refrigerator & refused to reimburse me for following their directive. Let me ask you...what do they do in the summer to preserve pets' bodies for necropsies? Good luck with that. I am preparing complaints to the CT Vet Medical Assoc, American Vet Medical Assoc, CT Dept of Public Health, and small claims court. read more

These folks would get 6 or 7 or even 10 stars, if it were possible! Nothing but praise for them. We've taken our dogs here 4 times, and each time had a very successful conclusion. Excellent at correctly diagnosing the problem and treating it without excess testing. We went to one ER vet at the foot of Avon Mountain, and they were very disappointing -- testing testing testing and still didn't have a clear idea. On our most recent visit, they correctly diagnosed a burrowing botfly larvae, which is very rare here -- they only see it once or twice a year at best. Great techs, great vets -- nothing but positive things to say. We are very blessed to have them here in the Farmington valley read more

Our 9 year old standard poodle was given emergency surgery here for bloat. They literally saved his life. The vets and staff are some of the kindest people I've ever met. They took all the time we needed to answer questions, discuss treatment and review progress. I've never been to a veterinary emergency room before but this exceeded all expectations. If your pet ever has an emergency and you live in the area don't consider going anywhere else. read more

While the staff was generally very friendly, thoughtful and caring to us and our young puppy (14 weeks old), it was obvious that the clinic has become too corporate and large to allow staff to make professional, customer oriented decisions about care. Our puppy was at the hospital for 3 nights and ultimately had exploratory surgery of his stomach. While we thought that he had been recovering nicely, our regular vet discovered on examination 11 days later that he had an open area of tissue next to the surgical site below the skin's surface which required immediate attention. Since this appeared to be in connection with the first surgery, he referred us back to the Veterinary Emergency Center for follow up. The Veterinary Emergency Center was unwilling to consider this a complication from the first surgery and would only operate again if we agreed to full payment again. Based on the urgent need for surgery, we could not wait and agreed to the surgery and payment again. I am a medical professional and based on my above-basic level of understanding, the most likely need for the second surgery was due to poor placement of stitches during the first surgery and not a genetic defect that we were told it was. The clinic assured me that this was the only possible reason for developing the hernia and that their doctors keep careful notes about each patient since their is a constant rotation of doctors at the hospital. I am not convinced. To add to the stress of this difficult situation, following the second surgery, we observed an usual bump next to the incision site and were concerned. When I called the Veterinary Emergency Center to ask if they could check it, I was told that they would only check the bump if I agreed to pay the $160+ office visit charge. I was so upset based on everything that had happened to date and the significant financial investment we had already made that I took him to our regular veterinarian instead to have it looked at. Our vet did not even charge us for an office visit. The Veterinary Emergency Center has placed protocol of payment over common sense customer care and professional accountability. We are very disappointed. read more

Neat and clean! Kind and compassionate!!! Did not do any unnecessary procedures. Reasonable pricing.

Please look at the dates of these reviews. I have been here in the past and they were helpful. Based on my recent experience though I do not recommend this place at all. This place caused an infection in my puppy's leg from an IV used during an overnight stay. They discharged him and then in the evening he started limping badly and his leg started swelling up and he seemed to be very distressed, so I brought him back to this vet per their instructions. We were there for over 2 and a half hours before they fully examined him or even took his temperature. After the exam and bloodwork, at 11:30 pm, the vet on duty told me she wasn't sure what was causing the swelling, and that I should take my puppy home and have him seen by his regular vet if he wasn't better the next day. She gave me antibiotics (I later found out it was the wrong prescription - the dose was only half the manufacturer's recommended amount for my puppy's weight) and an anti-inflammatory with potentially serious side effects, which I didn't want to give him in case it made him even more sick. When we left he wasn't moving at all and I had to carry him out to the car. I knew he was very sick and I didn't feel safe waiting until the next day, so I took him to a second emergency vet, Pieper in Middletown. The vet there said that he had an infection in his leg, probably caused by the IV line put in earlier by the Canton vet (which Jamie the business manager at Canton also said today) - and that he needed to be admitted immediately and put on IV antibiotics, pain and other medication. So my puppy, which the Canton vet sent home in the middle of the night, went straight into the hospital for almost *36 hours,* costing me $1600. (And now this Canton vet wants me to pay them for the visit and for the wrong prescription for a problem they caused and didn't even treat adequately.) read more