Astoria Veterinary Group

I can’t say enough wonderful things about AVG, their vets and staff. I have five dogs and they are all cared for by Dr. Smith or Dr. Kilkelly. They are a caring staff that are always there for my dogs.

I have a young cat that I’ve brought to this veterinary multiple times. They had SO much trouble figuring out what’s wrong with her and never did figure it out. I’ve spent over $ 400 in the span of a month going back and forth to the vet because nothing they gave us ever worked. I just went to a new vet and they were a lot more informative and they saw her records and told us that Astoria Veterinary Group gave us two medicines together that were NOT supposed to be taken together. This infuriated me because what if something had happened to my cat? They also told us that all they did was give us the same medications back to back, as well. So, they literally did nothing to try to figure out what the issue was. On top of that, one of the vets just straight up told me that this was the first time he didn’t have an answer. He’s never experienced something like this. Yet, not once did any of them try to do any blood work on her to try to figure something out. It was such a disappointment and waste of money. I would –not– recommend this place. I don’t understand why the reviews are so good. That was the reason I went but don’t even bother with this place. The reviews are inaccurate.

The doctors and technicians are very good and attentive. However, they have a system set up that makes you realize that perhaps their primary concern is money. My cat has an untreatable cancer which of course no one wants to go through. But, in order to get the full picture of his situation, I had to take him 4 separate times here, over a period of about one month. While I can’t be certain, it has crossed my mind to wonder if the multiple visits were designed to maximize profit. My cat hates to be out of the house, so the added stress of taking him multiple times was really hard on him. They referred me to the oncologists at the Animal Medical Center in the city, and thank goodness– my experience with them has been much more positive. I don’t have much time left with my boy, but at least now I know he’s in good hands.

The doctors here are generally ok, but the prices, especially for medication, are a complete RIP OFF! Additionally, the front desk staff are incredibly disorganized and are generally rude.
The last time I went in, I asked for the price of an antibiotic I had to get for my cat called Zeniquin, I was told it would be $ 9.50 per pill if purchased at AVG. Looked it up online — it’s between $ 2.98 to $ 3.98 per pill at 1800-​petmeds. That’s a mark up of 215% to 325%! I had to buy it because my cat has a UTI and needs it right away.
Not to mention the fact that when I stopped by to pick up the medication, which the receptionist had assured me would be at the front desk when I spoke to them the day before, they had no record of it. So, I had to have a back and forth with a vet tech before he gave up feeding me the line that «Dr. Kilkelly is dealing with an emergency» and went and got her from the back. (An «emergency» that was resolved in 5 minutes?) Dr. Kilkelly then started off «explaining» everything EXTRA slowly because apparently I’m slow… I really don’t need to be patronized when I’ve been bringing my cat back and forth for treatment for over 6 months and my cat is still in pain, whines when she goes in the letterbox and has simply NOT improved! I don’t get why this place has such good reviews. They are ridiculously overpriced, the medical care is sub par, and the receptionists are jerks. I wish I was back in Brooklyn where I could take her to Pet Haven — they were SO much better!!! :(

I really don’t understand how this place has so many good reviews. I went because my puppy was really sick and this was the closest vet to me. I went in and right away a vet assistant kept coming around like the grimm reaper telling me that my puppy was going to get pneumonia and I should get ready to spend about $ 4,000 MIND YOU I was still in the waiting room with other patients. When I finally got called in the vet took forever to show up and was extremely callous, she was there to do the job and didn’t even bother explaining or ask any questions. She then gave me some antibiotic and sent me on my way. When I went to the front desk to pay I was shocked at the bill. This place is extremely over priced for the service you get. While I was paying the grimm reaper appeared again with a paper with numbers of emergency animal hospital saying «you’re gonna need this» again MIND YOU he didn’t even go into the exam room or knew what was going on also who says that to a person who is obviously worried about the health of their pet?!. The staff in the front desk are incredibly rude, one of them even sucked her teeth when I asked if I could speak with the vet regarding my sick puppy’s medication.
At the end of the day this place was a nightmare and the energy was horrible. Thank god I went to another vet office that day and got a real diagnosis and real help.

We brought in our 1-​year-​old Shiba Inu after he was lethargic for the past 24 hours. The assistant and vet were so knowledgable and gentle with our dog. Previously we had seen Dr. Tello and his staff in Jackson Heights but Dr. Tello takes no time to explain anything to us and his assistants are know-​it-​alls who are rude and abrupt.
Dr. Weltz was so wonderful and answered all our questions. He even gave us a recipe for making food for our dog since he’s a bit overweight.
We’ll definitely be coming back — we’ve finally found good, caring vets in NYC! :-)

My dog was experiencing pain in his back/​spine area. It was going on for 2 days so we decided he should be taken to a vet. We called at least 6 vets and they All told us they didn’t have the time to see us. We called Astoria Vet Group and they allowed us to come in and seen us shortly after arriving! Dr. Anderson was great and didn’t provide unnecessary services and answered ALL of our questions professionally and patiently. Overall, great service, polite, professional and price is reasonable!
Thank you ASTORIA VET GROUP!

Do NOT take your pets to Astoria Veterinary Group. If you chose to ignore this review, at the very least do NOT let Dr. Hirsch take your beloved pet into the back room. Insist on being present for the procedures.
On Friday, November 27,
7pm I asked my husband to take our sweet, mellow cat Fuzzball for a routine and preventative check up. My husband came back home a few hours later around 9pm with a barely alive cat. What happened in the few short hours? We don’t know because Astoria Veterinary Group did not tell us anything. They just wanted us to pay money, $ 8,000 — $ 5,000. and sign release papers giving them all the rights to do whatever they wanted to Fuzzball.
Earlier that evening I put healthy, 13lbs, senior cat Fuzzball in his carrier and he was purring. He seemed fine and I was confident he was coming back home good condition. I was wrong!
My husband waited in a small, crowded waiting room for an hour. Dr. Hirsch finally saw them and immediately took the cat away from my husband into another closed door exam room. My husband was sent back in to the waiting room without any explanation about what procedure or medicine they were going to give Fuzzball.
My husband didn’t give any consent, he didn’t agree to any surgery or procedures!!!
Dr. Hirsch and /​or his assistants gave Fuzzball anesthesia and started to prep him for a surgery BEFORE getting blood work done and without telling my husband. Blood work came back good. Dr. Hirsch even spoke to me on the phone and said blood work was good and Fuzzball didn’t need emergency surgery.
Why was he given medication then?
Whatever they did to him in the back exam room was obviously negligent. Fuzzball was given oxygen and my husband found out something went wrong by overhearing the staff talk.
Nobody, not Dr. Hirsch, nurses, support staff NOBODY gave my husband any information or updates about Fuzzball while all this was going on. All they wanted to talk to my husband was MONEY!
How much money we can spend. They kept giving estimates for a bogus «exploratory» surgery that our cat didn’t even need. They went from $ 8,000 to $ 5,000 to $ 500 to $ 60. They were negotiating and tried to get as much money as they could.
When my husband said he wasn’t paying anything until he knew what was going on — then they tried to GUILT him and BULLY him into taking out a credit card through them!!! They said: «The procedures for Fuzzball will cost the amount of money you get approved for through this credit card» the APR was 26% on this card. Outrageous. Also who does and says this to a worried pet owner?
Once they realized my husband wasn’t a fool and wouldn’t let them extort money, they got furious! Dr. Hirsch left angry and never came back to explain what happened to Fuzzball.
They took unstable, drugged, senior cat off the oxygen! Just like that. Zero compassion. Stuffed him in the carrier and kicked my husband out. They charged him for a regular visit only. The bill went from $ 5,000 to $ 60. He did not get an itemized bill! We still don’t know what procedures were done, how much they cost and what medicine was administered. No information at all.
He was sent home with a damaged, hurt cat without any instructions on how to take care of Fuzzball. They didn’t tell him what medication they gave him, no name, no dosage, no warning signs to watch for side-​effects. NOTHING!
When I opened the carrier and saw my cat I knew immediately something was wrong. Fuzzball was paralyzed, wet, shaven, had a huge tight bandage on his arthritic leg, his eyes were bulging, he was shaking and he was scream meowing in PAIN. Excruciating, loud, heartbreaking pain noises.
My 19 month old son and I watch Fuzzball suffer in pain and we couldn’t ease his suffering. I gave him gentle pets over his tortured body. I spoke softly to him. He seemed for a moment to calm down. Then he started to gasp for air and foam at the mouth.
We weren’t even given any contact info for after hours. We couldn’t even leave a message for a call back. My husband ended up having to drive to Blue Perl emergency vet in Forest Hills. We were on the phone with them first and they were shocked that Fuzzball was released without any information. They were appalled at how Astoria Veterinary Group and Dr. Hirsch treated Fuzzball and my husband.
Fuzzball died prematurely. It wasn’t his time. He did not deserve to die in such horrible way. What they did is beyond malpractice. It was negligent and abusive. This was cruelty through and through.
When I called today on 11-​29-​2015 to get some answers and closure the vet Dr. Hirsch never even called me back. Cruel. So very cruel. No compassion at all. It’s all about the money for these folks!

Never have had to wait too long and doctors and nurses are nice and informative. Started bringing my dog here after a VERY BAD experience with another vet in Astoria by 31^st and 36^th ave. Recommend them to any pet owner :)

I’ve been having such a good experience with Astoria vet group since I started bringing my pet here last week.
a week ago, I took in an emaciated Maltese. The doctors here have been very helpful and informative on how to care for her and get her healthy again.
She’s showing improvement and I know with the help of the staff here she’ll be 100% in no time. Thank you Astoria vet group!

Heads up: They charge a walk-​in fee of $ 79. Make sure you book an appointment. This way you’ll avoid the fee.

I decided to bring my dog back after my last negative experience given that everyone’s feedback was so positive and I thought maybe it was just a mishap.
Now let me clear up any misconceptions. The actual vets here are great! They do mean well and are helpful and answer questions but to get to a vet the amount of hoops that are in place is out of control.
Recently my dog had a case of heartworm. I was given an estimate after speaking with the vet about treatment. I knew it would be costly but I was prepared. The vet told me to get an estimate from up front. Enter the problems. I was given 3 estimates. All of them incorrect. Given adjustments after mistakes were pointed. New estimate, wrong again. After finally getting a correct estimate (aka speaking to the vet and having her take care of it) I thought we would be fine. Wrong again.
I would call and confirm appointments the night before and when coming in, they would not be able to find my appointment. After searching a bit they would find it. Small hiccup, but still after multiple mistakes, an annoyance nonetheless.
I was overcharged at one appointment. No worries, now there is a credit on my account. That the next I went to use it, the front staff had no idea where it was.
Finally, I was told my dog was ready for pickup after her treatment and the doctor would give me a call with further instructions. Upon arriving (3 hours after I was told she would be ready), there was still no word from the doctor and in fact she was not ready to be released as the doctor still had to see her. When talking to the staff, I was given different doctor’s names and instructions on who would be handling the follow up.
When I am paying nearly $ 2000 to make sure my pet is in safe hands, multiple mistakes and the lack to the attention to detail is unacceptable.
I will never bring my pet here as their is no trust that her care would be of importance. The front staff here is terrible at their jobs, and when that is the first line of defense in meeting with patients it all becomes very unsettling. I urge every person who thinks of bringing their pet here to find a better facility where they can ensure the best care would be provided for their pets.

This place saved my puppy’s life! The first night we got him I knew there was something wrong, he was sneezing and coughing. I called the place where we got him and they said that was normal when getting use to his new home. By the third day he was lethargic and constantly coughing. I looked for the nearest vet and found Astoria veterinary Group and I am so thankful that I did. Dr. Michael saw Leo and informed me right away that the prognosis was not good. He also informed me that because of the Lemon Puppy law we could take him back to the place where we adopted the pup from and their vet would take care of him at no cost to me. I did not feel like any vet associated with that place would be trust worthy so I opted for 5 days of hospitalizing and the bill of $ 1,500.00. The manager there I believe named Sorrell explained the fees and procedures and the possibility that my new puppy might not make it. I put my trust in them and so happy I did. They allowed me to visit him everyday with no problems at all and my dog got strong enough to come home after a few days. Although my dog is not 100% and still getting treatment by Dr. Kilkelly I would not take him anywhere else. All of the staff there are super friendly, patient and helpful. My dog lights up every time he sees the staff who know him by name. Best decision I ever made.

I’ve always loved this place. Even though the examination room is small… well actually it’s tiny, extremely tiny the service is amazing. Every veterinarian I’ve met with thus far have done a great job in answering all of my questions and concerns. Great service and affordable prices. They only thing you compensate is the facility size. The office is small, and it will be a little bit tough to find parking on the weekend. Other than that, you’re going to get the veterinary service you need without breaking the bank.

Astoria Vet Group is fantastic — all of the doctors are amazing… Dr. Steve is especially amazing… he totally saved my pugs life this weekend! I have been there at least 8 times over the last few years and my pup has always received excellent care and followup.
Rates are very reasonable — one time I brought him in for annual sac extractions and they told me they were fine and there was no charge!
This past weekend I went in because my puggy was not feeling well and Dr. Steve did a very through exam and found a totally unrelated tumor. Prognosis is very optimistic because Dr. Steve found it so early.
We are so lucky to have these fantastic vets in Astoria! They also have great hours — 7 days a week and a few nights a week they are there very late! Great for working pet parents.

Loved this place. My dog had diarrhea going on four days, so we finally decided enough was enough and called the closest place we could find. The receptionist was SO nice on the phone and scheduled me in for the very same day. We got in and were seen right away.
Being that she is a rescue dog, we know almost nothing about her history and have few records, but Dr. KilKelly was so understanding and took the time to answer every single question, even ones not pertaining to her health problem. We left with two prescriptions, a bill for less than $ 150 in total, and our minds at ease. Of course, my dog’s diarrhea promptly went away as soon as I paid for the medication, but such is life. Excellent experience here and we will definitely be back! Thank you from us and Indi!

I have to say it’s always scary to try a vet just like it is for a child too go to a new doctor. Chico our beagle dog seemed to have hurt his neck not sure how probably from jumping.
He was in so much pain I felt so bad for him.
Finally out appointment came and truth it I was thinking they want this that and everything done too him.
Boy was I wrong, they were very nice and quick. Our doctor checked him and didn’t order a whole bunch of test’s.
She gave him a shot of steroids in his back took blood for blood work that was needed anyway and gave him some meds to take home so he can start his road to recovery.
Since than I have already seen a BIG improvement, not saying he’s 1,000% better just yet but he’s not in as much pain and he just needs to rest and now he’s able too.
This office is for sure going to be our new Vet guys.
Thanks again everyone awesome job!

I’ve had only good experiences with the veterinarians here. They are trained professionals and have cared for our cat when she needed it the most. I never have to wait more than 10 min to be seen, a thorough physical exam is always done along with a history of what’s been going on. The staff listens well when I tell them what my concerns are and they treat the problems accordingly.
We adopted our cat from Astoria Vet Group in December and she has been in good health. If you adopt a cat, you are entitled one free year of physicals, vaccines, and even getting your cat spayed. This has saved us a ton of money and has been extremely convenient to live so close.
I would recommend this vet group to my closest friends and acquaintances.

I took my miniature pinscher here for an emergency visit, she had a severe allergic reaction to something (still don’t know what it is/​was) the visit was more expensive because it wasn’t an appointment but the vet that saw her was so kind and thorough with the examination and prescribed a combination of medications that thankfully took care of the problem! The total visit was $ 140 for visit, 2 different medications and 1 specialized shampoo.
I think the price was reasonable as I’ve been billed much higher vet bills for non-​emergency visits. I trust this veterinary group, I definitely see how they are highly recommended.

Do you know how much paperwork you need for a pet to travel internationally?
When I had to face the reality about taking Shiela to Spain for good, I got quite confused about what exactly do you need, where to get it and how much that would cost. I relied on Unilocal and found Astoria Veterinary Group. A few months before we travel, I made a phone call to find out about the process. I talked directly with to one of the veterinarians and got informed with detail about the documentation, the process regarding the time and visits we would need and the aprox cost for it.
I recommend you to fid out by yourself also. It happens the process is not that obvious/​clear for anyone and each country/​region has their own rules. For Europe, except England, is all pretty much similar to USA. You will need:
— Health examination with certificate
— USDA certifications
— Rabies vaccination
— Microchip (15 digits)
Once you get all this from a certified clinic/​veterinarian you still need to go to the USDA office in JFK to get your documents stamped by the USDA ($ 38). You will also need a certified carrier. I recommend you to look it up in Amazon and read users’s reviews. That was essential in order to select the carrier.
Back to the clinic itself, I should mention that Shiela is a 9 years old rather quiet and a lovely cat. So beautiful by the way. She gets scared when is in a unknown place or someone try to carry her. Dr. Sakal took care of her. He is extremely friendly, efficient and professional. I like his honesty when told me that it is indeed a confusing process. Even when he is USDA certified and it is been in the business for quite some time he spend his time to get familiar with the current process because he knows rules for international pet travel may change. And so we find out that the microchip Shiela had already is not valid nowadays because it is only 10-​digits model. Likewise with the rabies vaccination. Thus, we had to get the complete package for her. I am gonna give you price details because I honestly can’t compare with other clinics, but I was happy with it. First time examination cost $ 56, while re-​examination is $ 36. Rabies vaccine is $ 27 and microchip insertion is $ 87. USDA certification is $ 85. In summary, total was around $ 320.
Among the cons account the fact that you have to wait and don’t get informed about how long. The front desk may not be as friendly in occasions and the clinic is quite busy. You should call for making an appointment at least one week in advance. However, it is well organized and they will accommodate the best they can if you need to change your appointment. Even after short notice. Therefore, cons are for me minor details considering that both Shiela and I were pretty happy. Maximum rating goes for the fact that Shiela was calm all the time and treated great. But mostly because I was confident we were ready and would not get stuck in the airpot; or worse, if sh gets in quarantine or I am not allowed to take her with me.
Shiela went through immigration in both frontiers with no problems at all and it is now enjoying the good life in Spain with my family.
Thanks to Dr. Sakal and the clinic for making it a little easier for me.