I don't always write reviews but when I do it's either for being really really bad, or exceptionally good. I am thrilled to report that this one is exceptionally good. So much so, that this veterinary group actually saved my cat's life. True story.. My cat Puffin is long-haired Maine Coon floof. He gets a lot of hairballs understandably. He normally throws them up after a while, & some of them have been pretty epic. The smallest around 3 inches; the largest, literally, 9" long, & DENSE. But he always manages to get them out. This time, we heard the distinctive sounds of Puffin starting to vomit, but those sounds quickly changed to a dreadful, howling, then a gurgling sound...then choking sounds. He had a hair ball that he was trying to cough up, but it got lodged in his esophagus & was so large & so dense that it pressed against his trachea cutting off his air. He couldn't get the hairball up, and he couldn't get it down. He started to produce a lot of mucus in his throat which, in an attempt to breathe, he breathed it into his lungs, ... and his mouth opened and we saw that his tongue was turning blue, then purple... At that point freaked out, jumped in the car, & drove loke maniacs to the emergency vet. The only one we know of is in Carle Place. We live in Merrick. If you saw a racing minivan, it was us. Sorry. Puffin was going limp in my lap in the car and when we pulled in I just went rushing into the back of the animal hospital, bypassing check-in altogether, shouting "help me! please help me!" The team immediately gathered around Puff, acknowledged his purple tongue & immediately tried to give him oxygen... Thankfully there was enough staff there to immediately start treatment on Puff, while also tending to other sick animals. But the oxygen wasn't enough, he was choking on his mucus, which was now in his lungs, & his trachea was still pressed closed. An X-ray confirmed our beliefs, & within minutes, Puffin was intubated, anesthetized, & underwent an endoscopy with an attempted hairball extraction. The intubation returned his little tongue to a nice, pink, oxygenated color. The endoscope had a little grasper-thing at the end of it... I'm sure animal hospitals have to pull all kinds of things out of dogs...but cats? Idk... Anyway, each time we tried to grab it, it would tear, & we'd only get little pieces of the blockage. So, piece by piece, we tried pulling the hairball out of his throat, but it was taking forever... With each chunk removal, the hair ball moved just a little further up his throat, but we just couldnt grip the whole thing. And after 3 & a 1/2 hours of trying (yes, 3 & a half hours!) , Dr. Akkaya got a long, slender, curved forcep that she put down his throat grabbed the hairball, & was finally able to pull it out entirely, freeing the esophageal obstruction, & relieving the pressure on his trachea allowing for normal breathing...truly, saving his life. I cheered!!! Oh, did I mention that I & my husbad was allowed to stay beside Puffin the whole time! Watching their every move!!! And, when another emergency case came in & some of Puffin's team had to tend to other patients, I was allowed to PARTICIPATE in the attempted hairball removal!! Dr. Akkaya let ME control the grasper-thing on the endoscope!! Sounds unorthodox, but I deeply appreciated it. (I'm not the queezy type, & have worked for Gastroenterologists in my past-I wasnt afraid & was thrilled to be allowed & encouraged to play a part.) I am really writing this review because I want to give a heartfelt shout out and my deep appreciation & respect to this wonderful team of young doctors & their staff. I am 48. Everyone there was probably in there 30's, & they were on top of their game. A girl named Diana held Puffin the whole time & made sure his mouth stayed open (but not too wide), another girl named Tiffany walked me through all of the medication that he has to take now (to coat his throat, treat the scrape & control the possibility of pneumonia from breathing in all that vomity-mucus into his lungs) & spent the time to answer all my questions... Dr. Akkaya (& I believe another doctor- I think named Schwartz) worked on my cat until the job was done, THREE HOURS AFTER THEIR SHIFT HAD ENDED!!! That kind of attention & care is really hard to find these days & I am SO grateful to have found it in such a scary & critical moment for my cat's life. He was suffering, & they saved him, & put his needs ahead of their own. That makes this team and this veterinary group absolutely the most wonderful, caring & special group i know of, and they deserve all the recognition I could possibly offer. You guys are the BEST! Now all of this cost my husband and I $4,100 dollars. Ouch... like, OUCH! I guess we would do anything for our kitty. My only hope is that this amazing, caring, professional, courteous team gets the bulk of that money. They have certainly earned it. Thank you all for saving Puffin's life! read more

My husband Reggie and I are glad that we took our dear standard schnauzer DEXTER to Carle Place VEG. Our Dexter was diagnosed last year with pancreatitis by our regular vet from lab work and some symptoms he was displaying like diarrhea, lethargy, etc ,on and off. But past few months he was losing weight, had some shaking,and some lethargy so we took him to VEG a couple of times and even had him admitted one day for observation and IV fluids. We met the wonderful staff and vets along the way. One vet that stood out among them was Dr. Lauryn Benson. She was kind and compassionate with us, and sat on the floor with Dexter to assess him and comfort him. One night we came in because Dexter was shaking at home and his belly seemed bigger. We thought we would lose our dog that night. She had an abdominal Xray done on him, told us everything seemed fine, recommended an Ultrasound if symptoms continued and sent us home. We took her advice to get the Ultrasound done not too long after. She set up an appt. I forgot the doctor's name who did the Ultrasound, but she was very nice and upfront and told us the bad news...Dexter had masses in his small intestine, most probably cancer. Because of the big loss of weight, weakness, and not able to absorb any of his nutrients anymore we opted, as medical professionals ourselves, to not have surgery because Dexter most probably would not have survived it. We went to our own vet soon after who helped us make the right decision when we noticed a decline in Dexter. On Sept 30, 2021we took our beloved Dexter to VEG to finally put him to rest. They let us stay with him as long as we wanted. They gave us a lock of his hair and 2 molded paw prints of his. As we were leaving that night, my brother and his wife pulled up to VEG and they let them say good-bye to Dexter who was already taken to another room. We also saw Dr. Benson who comforted us. Today we received a condolance card signed by staff which was very thoughtful. THANK YOU VEG for taking care of Dexter! We are missing him so much, but we are glad we chose you to help us along his journey... read more

VEG is just AMAZING! From the time I walked through their door till the time I left with my fur baby I knew he was in good hands!!! unfortunately, my baby had to have surgery. He had a blockage in his intestine. I was an emotional mess and the staff just kept coming up to me offering me water, snacks, Hugs. It was just amazing!!! I had previously went to another emergency location in Farmingdale next to Adventureland (thumbs down to them) they were coldhearted. I did not feel comfortable leaving my dog there they showed no compassion so I took my dog out of that location and went to VEG in Carle Place. thank God for this place . fast forward my baby had to have surgery, but I cannot praise.VEG enough!!! The Doctors & staff are the nicest they even let you stay overnight to be with your pet if you want. they keep you updated on the progress of your pet. They are just amazing and I like the fact that it's not just one person it's a whole staff that is with your pet watching them for the 24 hours. Highly recommend them!!!! read more

My friend had a horrible experience at Veterinary Emergency Group with Dr. Casey McCabe. She brought her dog, Rusty, here in a critical emergency after he ingested something and suffered an internal blockage. Instead of acting with the compassion and consideration you expect from an emergency vet, Dr. McCabe immediately suggested to put Rusty down. There was no discussion of alternative options, no breakdown of potential surgical paths, and zero effort made to present a plan to save Rusty's life. It felt like Rusty's life was being completely dismissed in a rush to take the easiest, most final way out. An emergency vet is supposed to be a place of hope and lifesaving care, but Dr. McCabe showed a complete lack of empathy and professional effort. I wouldn't trust this facility with my pets. If you love your animal, please think twice before bringing them here. Luckily, my friend did not take Dr. McCabe's suggestion and left to get a second opinion where Rusty was treated. Had she listened to this vet, Rusty would be gone. read more

I can't begin to express how grateful I am for this group. 3 hours before our scheduled flight, our girl was not herself. We brought her to VEG and were seen right away. Everyone was so kind and the veterinarian was compassionate and thorough in explaining all our options. They quickly performed a sonogram but unfortunately there wasn't much that could be done to help her. Xrays and bloodwork were expedited to verify what was found on sono. They placed us in a private area where we could lay with our girl while we made a very difficult decision. We were with her to the end when she crossed the rainbow bridge. I don't know how we could've handled this without all the information, compassion, and guidance we received. We'll be eternally grateful. read more

I brought my 2 yr. dog to VEG because he had a raised red bump on his arm. Walked in registered with front desk then saw the assistance who looked at the bump and checked his vitals. We finally saw the doctor and she said she had no idea what the bump is and suggested I go to a regular vet and the only thing she can do is suggest I can buy a cone from them so he stops licking it. They could not diagnose nor do anything for my dog yet I still had to pay the full $200 emergency visit fee. This is totally unfair. If there are services you do not offer you shouldn't charge people for it. read more

Thank you to staff at Carle Place for taking such good care of me and my dog. My dog had an instant allergic reaction to a vaccine shot and they were able to to take care of dog right away. throughout the whole experience they kept me updated as well walked me through all procedures while giving me knowledge on what to expect after a test or procedu is completed. Not only kept a close eye on my pet throughout the time there , they had also checked on my wellbeing through this experience. The reassurance kept my nerves calm and my worries low. Thanks again! read more

I can't say enough good things about the urgent care vet that saved my cat's life. From the moment we walked in, the staff were not only incredibly professional but also remarkably compassionate. They acted swiftly and efficiently, diagnosing and treating my cat with expertise and care. Throughout the process, they kept us informed and made sure we understood every step of the treatment. Their kindness and dedication were evident, and their support made a stressful situation much more manageable. Thanks to their exceptional care. 100% recommend it. read more

Wonderful staff. I took a sick stray cat in to put down as the little guy was too sick to save. The entire staff was so warm, kind and compassionate during such a tough time for me. Would absolutely recommend them. read more