Island Rescue

I’ve read a lot of bad reviews on this place but let me tell you my experience… My cat Oliver has bad urinary problems… always on a weekend when I need an emergency vet… well this Sunday February 14 2016 .it happened again. tired of paying thousands (I’ve spent 6000.00 dollars on 3 emergency visits to that huge hospital in islip on sunrise) I decided to give island rescue a chance .i took Oliver there to get neutered I thought they over medicated him, but I took the chance. I got there 10 min before open on Sunday… a few people were waiting. Oliver got taken into the back within 5 min of being there the vet helped him to pee… they said if I wanted to see the vet I needed to wait… Oliver already was better… I did wait 2 hours to see the vet. she was very professional… gave me choices… the tech came in after reviewed my options did not push any extra service on me… Oliver was given pain medication… another drug to help him pee… examined again… and released to me. then there was a woman at the check out who really gave me some great advice about my cat .she has a sick cat also… I bought dry and wet food and got a prescription. total bill $ 160.00 …within 12 hours Oliver was much better… he was very sick before… I’m very happy with this place right now… I will post again if I need a return visit…

The service is good and the prices are decent. I feel like sometimes they try to push extra services on you. But for the most part I think it’s a good place.

Would never go here again! Brought my dog in about 6 weeks ago because he had blood in his urine. The vet gave us an antibiotic and it went away. Now 6 weeks later my dog is having the same problem plus he is constipated. When to a different vet just cause it was Saturday and I needed something close and open. The vet said my dog had a huge bladder and everything is backed up that we needed to go to the vet hospital in West Islip. Once we got there we found out he had bladder stones! One was the size of a golf ball. I asked them how long thing could have been going on for and she said months! I just wish when I originally took him to Island Rescue they would have been more thorough to find out this is what he had. Now my dog needs surgery and all that but if I found out 6 weeks ago he wouldn’t have been in as bad of shape as he is in now. STAY AWAY!

This review is strictly for the low cost neuter — no other vet services.
I must say, after seeing all these reviews I was a little nervous, but realized most of them were for poor customer service and decided to take the risk.
I came on Saturday at around 8:50AM and this place is a factory. There are dozens of cats here, many of them in traps which made me really nervous. By the time I checked in, I was number 34 on the list. I can see where they say customer service is bad, there was one particular tech who was clearly not having a good day and there is no sense of professionalism as she had no problem airing out her concerns in front of customers. There were however some great techs. The two in particular who helped us were extremely friendly and even struck up a conversation with us.
We left and came back 6 hours later and they gave us detailed care instructions. Even though they had to repeat the same thing 20 times, they still did so without rushing and made sure we didn’t have any questions. By the end of the night, our kitten was back to normal, just a little slower than usual. By the next day, he was 100% and isn’t showing any signs of bad care.
Neuter seems to be a routine thing and if you’re a lucky person, you’ll get a friendly and courteous tech to help you. Do understand they are churning through these neuters and applications all morning long, even though that might not be a valid excuse. All in all, I would come back here again for the low cost neuter ($ 72 and include rabies and distemper vaccine), but not sure if I would for vet services.

I’m updating review, with great regret, but want to make sure people don’t come here in dire need of care for their furbabies and are turned away or have higher expectations than they should. Here’s the deal, this vet is not equipped (or doesn’t want to) handle emergencies (even though they advertise «urgent care»). I’ve been turned away while bringing all my dogs here on multiple occasions for different reasons. One time I brought one of my dogs here after he fought with another dog and one of the technicians (i don’t even think she was a vet) came to the parking lot and told me to go to an ER b/​c they weren’t sure if they could treat one of the wounds on his butt (after going to an ER turns out my dog didn’t need any stitches at all. Only needed to be cleaned up, bandaged and given meds to prevent infection). Another time I came here after a series of back and forth visits with the ER (only b/​c it was after hours and no other vet was open) with my bulldog who was having diarrhea and vomiting for over 1 week and was advised by ER to follow up with Island Rescue. After waiting 1 week (by now it’s 2 weeks that dog has diarrhea and voimitting every few days) for appt with Island Rescue the Dr (Fleishman) told me she didn’t want to see my dog b/​c they weren’t a specialist and my dog needed a specialist to diagnose her issue. I asked why the specialist would refer me back to my regular vet if the regular vet was gonna just refer me back to specialist and the Dr.‘s reply was exactly what I said above «we’re not equipped to diagnose your dog.» Thankfully I wasn’t charged for the visit but it was still a waste of my time (both that morning and the 1 week waiting period to get the appointment). If your regular vet isn’t «equipped» to handle a case of diarrhea and vomitting what are they equipped to handle? I’m guessing just annual shots and yearly check ups. I don’t know. I write this review with great regret as Island Rescue has been my vet of choice for over 10 years but over the last 2 years I have noticed a change int he doctors and the receptions. It seems like they are quick to turn you away and refer you to a specialist for things that don’t necessarily require a specialist. I have other stories of being turned away but will spare you all the stories. I also noticed over the last few years it’s harder and harder to get an appointment. They’re certainly not as accommodating as they use to be. I will be looking for a new primary vet in my area and suggest you do too. I don’t see the point in coming here just to be referred out to a specialist for every little thing. Mind as well find a vet that is equipped to diagnose my dog before referring me a specialist.

Disclaimer: STAY FAR AWAY FROM THIS PLACE. DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY
If I could rate this place as 0 stars I would but for the sake of writing a review I will rate it as one.
Recently my pet had suffered an ear injury by some of my neighbor dogs. We desperately needed help because he was in pain and due to my busy work schedule it was quite difficult for me to take him to the vet when I needed to. Nevertheless he was finally taken there.
Now I assume at any rescue place or veterinary facility, they hire qualified professionals to be able to diagnose ACCURATE findings. That was not the case for this place. They probably hire people who want nothing else from you other than your money. Luckily we found a place that was much better and had given us accurate information on what I would need to do for my dog. But I’ll continue the story.
First they weigh him at 77 pounds when in all actuality he is 82 pounds. That was the first thing, not a big deal but whatever. Next, they tell my family that my dog needs to have surgery in his ear! Now mind you, I don’t have a great deal of money to be spending all willy nilly and I certainly do not have the finances to necessarily have any sort of surgery. So I had a mild heart attack the minute I got that information. Secondly without ANY kind of CORRECT diagnoses, they administer heartworm medication when my dog does NOT have heartworm and in fact he was tested at the much better place I had gone to that had stated that he has no heartworms.
Not only did they administer heartworm without any connotation or proof that he had it, but they also stated he needed surgery! Oh and it gets better. The place that they referred us to for surgery is in fact one of those KILLING clinics where if you do not have the money for surgery they will put your dog down. So the fact that they even suggested a place like that should have already been a sign that they don’t really have your pet’s best interest at heart!
I’m sorry but if I worked at a place like this, I’d NEVER recommend my customers to go to such a horrible place. So all in all I regret EVER visiting this place as I had wasted about $ 130 for the exam only to get the wrong diagnoses, with no medication, antibiotics or anything to that nature.
I mean you’d think that the people that work here just pull stuff out of their a***es just to get an extra buck from you. Stay FAR away from this place as you possibly can because they will try to get as much money out of you as possible along with getting an accurate and fair reading for your pet. I do not have the time or money to spend money on fluff and wrong information and Island Rescue certainly did the job. I would suggest going to Affordable Vet Care in Brookhaven. Google it. I recommend that place over this one any day and you better believe that I will NOT be going back to Island Rescue and I suggest all of you to heed this warning.
If you like to waste your money on inaccurate information this may be the place for you.

I’ve been bringing my cat, Linus, to Island Rescue ever since I got him as a 7-​month old kitten. He turned 10 this year, and I’m still bringing him to this facility. I think this place is very good for animals who are fairly healthy and not in a state of emergency.
Yes, I’ve had to wait 20 – 30 minutes on occasion, but it’s usually on the low end of time. Yes, the place smells very strongly of chemicals, but there is so much traffic in and out of there that they have to keep it highly sanitized. Yes, the receptionists aren’t the sweetest or most polite people, but there are perhaps three of them handling dozens of phone calls, printing out bills, pulling medicines from shelves and explaining them to clients, and they do this from the moment they open to the very last minute of the day.
On the pro side, I’m able to afford regular exams for my cat, have gotten practical advice about medication from at least two of the doctors there (one of whom saw my cat for seven out of his 10 years), and I have had the doctor actually stop and listen to my questions and concerns. They aren’t rushing out of the office as I’m speaking. I have never had medication PUSHED on me… it’s always been a suggestion and I have had the choice not to buy it if I don’t want to.
The comments that complain about long waiting times to pay their bills or get answered on the phone have to remember this is a low-​cost animal care center. They don’t seem to have enough funds to hire more people. But the vets are competent and I would recommend this facility with the caveat that one should bring something good to read or have enough battery life on their phones to play games or hang out on social media. If you prepare yourself to be entertained while you wait, your animal will be looked after properly for an amount that will allow you to afford to keep them.

2.5 really… My family and I have been using this vet for years. We were referred by a family friend who actually changed from this vet to another one (not sure where). I have only been in there once, but my mother has gone in multiple times with my dog. The nurses are rude and not very helpful. The doctor today, we saw for the first time, was very helpful and sweet towards my dog and us as well.
When paying the bill, my mother waited 36 minutes — (waiting for someone to help her and to eventually pay the bill). We were told that «if they are making medications that that’s why it’s taking so long», after that wait, they tried to make my mom buy medication (last time my dog took it, he was dizzy and walking into walls) so obviously we declined to take the medicine again. What made me really angry was that the nurse that my mother told about the dizziness due to the medication, all she said was «oh».
As of now, after this visit, we will be looking for a new veterinarian for my dog.

I am absolutely horrified writing this post. I am currently sitting in an emergency vet facility because island rescue butchered my puppy while neutering him. He is currently bleeding out and we are fighting to save his life. No one should ever take there dog here. They are terrible people who clearly don’t care about dogs. They didn’t even have the things they needed there to fix him! DONT GO HERE.

Needs better communication between reception and doctors.

I’ve been here twice and have gotten assistance over the phone on several other occasions. The prices of their services are so reasonable, but more importantly the staff is fantastic! For each situation, everyone that I dealt with (the front desk, vet techs, Dr. Fong) was very friendly and helpful. I will continue to use their services and recommend them wholeheartedly!

DO NOT GO HERE. Let me just start right off the bat by saying the doctors were NOT informative in anyway. Also, they WILL NOT call you back for your test results. I had to call them about ten times n one day to get an answer that I was promised to have by noon the following business day. Once i was able toget a hold of a receptionist i KINDLY explained my situation in short, how no one ever called me back and she LAUGHED at me and said Im sorry to hear about that. Later to find out that after waisteing 300 $ I took him to a SPECIALIST who stated himself that whatever they diagnosed my dog with was all wrong. This place is very cheap, but when you pay cheap you get cheap. They were more concerned about my money than my ONE YEAR OLD BOSTON TERRIER. I made sure to gout of my way to write theHORRIBLE review because no one deserves this kind of treatment. Do not become a vetanarian if you could careless about the animals that need your help. I will spread the word as far I can to stop them from doing this to anyone else’s loved pets

Absolutely horrible place. In my opinion, they care more about money than animals and the people who bring them in. Would never use this place nor recommend this place to anyone who cares about their animal.

Though it doesn’t show on map locations, there’s two locations. Today, we visited the Patchogue location. I see a few negative reviews on here and I have to be honest, I don’t figure how there could be one. Every person I dealt with, from making the appointment to being seen, was kind and very accommodating. They allowed me to make an appointment very short of notice to get my dog in for his heart worm medication and a checkup. My cat has a different vet as that’s where we adopted him from, and they’re alright — but for about 200x the price of Island Rescue. The service at my cat’s vet was the same, if not less friendly and as I said, much MUCH more expensive. I don’t know about any negative reviews for this vet, me and my Puggle are very pleased! :)

I hate to give this place one star because I’ve always taken my pets there. Usually the staff is nice and the prices are affordable, but lately their service has been horrible. When I called to make an appointment for my 2 puppies and adult dog, the receptionist was direct and told me that I will get a price when I come in. That same week my uncle who was visiting with his puppy from CT, took his puppy there for an emergency visit. The puppy looked sick and had so many bumps on his head and what appeared to be an opened abcsess on his back. The vet accussed him of abusing the puppy and that the pup had a flea infestation. My uncle loves his dogs and spoils them more than any human being I know with their children. His dogs are his pride and joy and he was suffering seeing his puppy sick. It’s been over a month and he still gets really upset when the subject comes up. Anyways, he took the puppy back to the same vet in CT and it turned out that it was a bad reaction to the vaccines that were given. A shot of steroids and some antibiotics and the puppy is up and running around perfectly healthy. We are in the midst of filing a complaint. I was so dissapointed to hear that Island Rescue treated him like that after I was raving about how great they are and affordable. Then when I made the appointment and recieved such an attitude from the receptionist, I didn’t show. I took my dogs records and my puppies to Twins Veterinary Hospital and loved it there! We felt like Island Rescue was being discriminatory because my uncle is Hispanic and does not sound very educated. YOU DEFINITELY GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR!!!

Absolutely awful group of people. We were looking for affordable care and a couple friends recommended this place. We took our puppy here at the end of October because he was extremely itchy. A male vet said it was probably food allergies and told us to put him on a hypoallergenic diet. Gave us $ 100 worth of pills to help with the itching. No problem if it’ll fix the issue. Well, it didn’t do anything. Then we went back and saw a different female vet who looked in his ears (the first guy didn’t even do this) and found two ear infections. She ended up coming up with $ 600 worth of «other» things we should do for the dog. $ 200 of that was an ear culture so they can see what is growing and give proper medication. We have another dog who had a couple ear infections and were gone quickly with proper antibiotics. He certainly didn’t need a $ 200 culture. So we ended up declining a lot of stuff because we can’t afford it right now. HOWEVER, if the original vet had actually done his job we could have afforded it back then. By the time all of these «add-​ons» that the vet said were absolutely essential were done, I couldn’t afford to actually pay for the services that would help figure out why he was so itchy. So now, I’m out $ 200 and the tests they did were all negative. Basically, I spent $ 200 to fix an ear infection (if the medicine actually fixes it). Don’t be deceived by the term «low cost» veterinary care. They make up for it and THEN some with false diagnoses and ridiculous extra things that our previous vet would never recommend. They were also extremely rude! Our dog has undescended testicles and we told the vet that the breeder gave us a discount since it will cost more to get him neutered. She said «you should have gotten him for free». I didn’t realize how rude it was at the time, but whether that’s true or not, it’s very rude to say. Terrible place. The only credit I’ll give them are their vet techs. The assistants are very kind and can actually engage in a conversation and at least seem like they care.

Extremely nice staff. Very gentle and knowledgable doctor. I think my puppy likes it here and she is the decision maker.

Great place, very friendly and the prices are excellent. They have several vets there and we were in and out very quickly. I thought the people at the front desk were especially friendly, and I have met A LOT of unfriendly people who work with vets. Oh, and they had a coloring book and crayons for my kid! That was unexpected!