Paws N Claws

I have always had a pretty good experience here. We started going to paws in claws due to Dr Bergen. It’s been years since we have seen him there but the other vets have been knowledgeable and friendly. My only concern is I do think they try to up-​sell us on most things needed for our pup.

I don’t understand the 1 star reviews for this place. I went in for an exam/​tests for my newly adopted dog and they could not have been sweeter. There was no wait, the place was clean and welcoming, and the staff was friendly and sweet with my dog. I used to foster care for dogs and went to Williamsburg Animal Clinic because it was slightly closer but, while the vets there are nice, booking an appointment is chaotic and wellness visit can end up being an all-​day affair there because you have to wait hours for the vets.
The reception at Paws n Claws was very nice and everyone was extremely friendly. Also, the prices were very reasonable and comparable/​cheaper to other quotes I got from vets in the area. They also helped me with sorting things out with my pet insurance. All around it was great and you should give this place a try!

Make sure you aren’t 30 seconds late! I made an appt. for my kitten the day before to get an exam. I was excited that they could see us the next day and they have a $ 15 first visit special. I couldn’t go to the appt. because of work so my bf went for me. The appt. was for 11:40am and I received a call from the office at 11:42am that due to not being on time we would have to reschedule! I have never heard of a place refusing someone for being 2 minutes late! I can understand 15 – 20, maybe even 10 depending on the circumstance, but 2 minutes?! I immediately called my bf and he said that he showed up at 11:43am (2 of those minutes waiting for them to buzz him in) and the woman at the desk gave him the paper work to fill out (which took 30 seconds) so he thought everything was fine. When he went back to the desk with the paper work she said that it was too far into the appt. time and it would push back the other appts. so he would have to come back tomorrow. He looked around the room and saw no other customers were there.
When I made the appt. I was never told to arrive early to fill out paperwork or that they have a VERY STRICT policy– and I mean not 30 seconds late! Also, why would the receptionist have my bf fill out paperwork when she was already going to turn him away for being 2 minutes late? My boyfriend had to pay for the cab there and back for no reason! We were trying to figure out why my kitten was getting a bald patch above her eye (potential ringworm) and they turned her away, so they obviously don’t care about sick animals. Unbelievable!

This vet is a rip off. I specifically asked for 2 vaccines only when I called to make an appointment and also on the day of the visit. When I tried to pay for the service, they charged an «office exam» which I did not ask for. The office exam for what? Weighing my dog and examining him for 2 mins? Also a receptionist was very unplesant.

Hi all,
I brought my cat in because he was rather sick and not eating. The thing I hate about this vet is that it really does have all the classic signs of a chain that is not run properly. All the offices are spread thin. Sometimes the vets are not in or take off for the day. Just like humans, animals need stable hours for medical issues.
My appointment was at 6:00. They had someone scheduled for 5:40. This is just another classic sign of being a poorly taken care of chain. No visit is really going to be only 20 minutes and yet they scheduled us back to back. Because of this they didn’t have time to do what needed to get done and even stated so.
I got a call to go over the blood work they did. At that time I decided to take my cat to another vet. I asked the vet to fax it over to the other place. This did not happen. They did not fax over the blood work. Although the office was still open no one answered my calls. I had to pay AGAIN for blood work.
The place I go to now has regular hours and a number of vets on staff. They take the time to answer questions and explain things. Even when the office is «closed» vets are there returning phone calls to taking care of animals.

Been going to this vet for a while. I have 2 dogs and one cat. For a while I didn’t understand the negative Unilocal reviews– but now I do.
Recently they brought a new vet on staff– fresh out of college. Unfortunately this doctor really doesn’t know what she’s doing. Not to mention she’s on schedule like five days a week. She never as answers and it’s completely frustrating. Recently our male cat was having urinary issues and the doctor only took an ultrasound, said his bladder was inflamed, gave us general antibiotics and didn’t know what else to tell us. The next day I dropped off a urine sample and told the vet the cats frequency to the litter box was worsening. She just shrugged and said well if he’s blocked take him to emergency– I don’t know how to do that.
Wow.
So now as I sit in my new vets office, I can’t believe I ever took him there. The new vet called to get the records and the receptionist gave her lip. She’s taking forever to fax the records and when I called gave me the same attitude.
Bye bye paws n claws… future patrons beware!

Worst service ever. 2 years ago they wouldn’t get me an emergency visit for my 14 year old Italian greyhound. She died at another vet 2 hours later.
Today I call and ask if they sell dog food for my 11 year old mutt who has a bladder stone and am told I need a prescription. The empty bag from my current vet isn’t good enough – they need a prescription (my current vet doesn’t open for another hour) or its a $ 50 visit. Really? It’s dog food – not xanax. It’s funny how a simple call for dog food reminds me why I would never take my 3 dogs or 2 cats here for anything but food – and even when I try to give them a chance they remind why I go somewhere else. Even though they are right in my neighborhood it’s worth a cab ride to go somewhere else.

I don’t get the negative reviews. I’ve always had a great experience here and felt that my cat was treated kindly, even when she had to board overnight. Fair prices, convenient hours and helpful receptionists. Sorry to have moved so far away. Do give this place a chance if you’re in the area!

So angry with this hospital right now!
They gave incomplete information over the phone. They charge way more than other vets I have been to. They tried to insist on handling a cat that Was already explained to be very aggressive. And after reading another review from here (just now) i can only imagine what they would’ve done to my poor cat if they can’t even handle a simple swipe from a scared older cat in a decent manner.
My cat has chronic ear wax build up. We have to take her to the vet 2 – 3 times a year to get her ear cleaned. She’s extremely aggressive! Getting her into a carrier alone takes us an hour or longer. And of course, she needs to be sedated for her check-​ups. Therefore, when i make an appointment for her I make this very clear to the person. The last thing I want is to spend an hour getting her into the carrier, stressing her out even more by taking her out of the house, then get to the vet and find out there’s been a misunderstanding.
I call, I ask about sedation and ear cleaning and of course an estimate. The woman on the phone gives me an estimate of $ 160. That’s great! I’m super happy. The vet we used to take her to (before we moved) charged around $ 120 so this sounded just about right to me. My husband takes her to her appointment this morning, turns out they want to try and handle her anyway, they want to give her a check-​up and have blood work done. He explains she’s aggressive, it’s not going to happen. Ok. So then they give him an estimate. It’s $ 393!!! After him calling me and me telling him to JUST GET HER AND LEAVE, I call them. They had thrown on charges for a catheter, pre anesthetic Blood work (or IV fluids if she couldn’t have the blood drawn). Oh and the wonderful cherry on the Sunday for me was the ear cleaning itself was $ 52 which the woman on the phone, that gave me the $ 160 estimate, never even mentioned! I didn’t ask her because our old vet didn’t charge for ear cleaning and I know other vets have a small $ 10-​$ 30 fee.
At another hospital, my teacup chihuahua had to be sedated for a skin biopsy (IV fluids, stitches, lab work, etc) and I paid $ 275. I’m appalled that Paws N Claws was charging me almost $ 400 to sedate my cat for an ear cleaning.

Against my better judgment after reading other Unilocal reviews, I brought my cat in after she developed symptoms of a UTI. Also, it was on Sunday and this place was one of the few that was open. My cat was given a shot of antibiotics and another med (anti-​inflamatory) that we were supposed to give her for 10 days. After 2 days on that med the kitty contiued to be constipated, but the clinic advised us to give it another day. Another day went by without any improvement, and at that point they prescribed lactulose which made her go once. However, the following morning things took a turn for the worse and the cat was no longer getting up, moving or responding to my voice. Needless to say I freaked out and rushed her to my old trusted veterinarian in the City, who found her to be severely dehydrated, white cell count off the charts and sugar levels through the roof. Her kidney function was also failing and the cat was basically dying. Her X-​rays showed severe blockage throughout her colon.
As it turned out, not only Paws and Claws didn’t treat the underlying condition, but they actually made it worse by prescribing a cocktail of meds that were not indicated and were working against each other and causing serious side effects. Further, they didn’t run any blood work or other tests, and completely misjudged the seriousness of the cat’s condition. My poor kitty had to have her colon cleaned out, spent a whole day sedated and on an IV (due to severe dehydration) and all of this caused me and my family severe distress, lost time from work and obviousky a not so small fortune in doctors bills.
I contacted Paws & Claws to get a refund for their (dis)service, but «shockingly» nobody has called me back so far regarding this matter.
Now, most negative reviews here have to do with bedside manners which can be easy to dismiss. However, my experience with these doctors causes me to seriously question their competence. They were definitely NOT as thorough as a reasonable vet should be (not suggesting or doing blood test for a cat with infection??), did not communicate between themselves effectively (two doctors called me with conflicting instructions, than one deferred to another), did not follow up as they should have.
My opinion: do yourself and your pet a favor and go elsewhere.

We are a 501©3 animal rescue organization. I personally went into the facility and spoke with two different staff members to see if they offer a discount for vet care for rescued cats/​dogs I was told they offer no discounts. I asked if I could speak with the owner or one of the vets. I was told no one was available and to leave my card and someone would get back to me. I did and never received any communication. I then called a week later, and advised I was waiting for a return call. I was told the owners said no discounts and would not speak with me.
Very poor customer service — probably the only vet office in Brooklyn that does not offer a discount to rescue groups.

This vet is all about taking your money. They dont care about the animals. Ive spent so much $ there & every time I leave I want to kick myself. They are horrible. My animals are my kids & I want them in trusting hands. Go else where if your animals are your family. There are a lot of bad attitudes in there including the drs. they always try to get you to take extra test so you spend $. I they know that we are sensitive to our pets & they take
wrong!

during our elderly dog’s tenure at this vet, he received checkups, vaccinations, bloodwork, and eventually euthanasia. so this review isn’t about how the vet seemed kind of rude this one time. we were involved with paws and claws during our dog’s hardest moments – when he was in physical decline, when we had to make tough decisions involving lots of money, time, effort, and emotion – and dr. bregman, dr. kennedy, and the rest of the team really went above and beyond.
on the most basic level, paws and claws has a lot to recommend it: convenient hours, convenient location, a comfortable waiting room. but they also have doctors who strike an excellent balance between compassion and honesty.
our dog, as a longtime williamsburg resident, saw several vets before paws and claws. for a few years he went to williamsburg animal clinic, which has very high ratings on Unilocal for some reason but always felt chaotic, with long waits and a reception area that resembled a circus. when that got tiresome, we found a home-​visit vet who showed up once, charged a lot, and never returned our calls ever again. that was a true bummer.
this place was by far the best vet our dog ever had, and i wish we’d found it sooner. but better late than never, and i hope that for those considering a vet on the northside, you ignore some of these hyperbolic reviews and give paws and claws a shot.

I just had an offensive experience with Dr. Bergman. He gave me such attitude, that I walked out before the exam even started. What a joke!

If you care about your pet, do NOT bring your animal here. I brought my elderly cat for a check up because it was a convenient location. My cat being older was a little grumpy and swatted at him. Dr. Bregmans’ assistant came in and in the most aggressive manner I’ve ever seen a vet tech do, grabbed my older cat by the skin on his head to get control and then eventually his scruff. I couldn’t believe it. It was almost sadistic. Having been to many vets (I’ve had animals all my life) this was the worst that I’ve ever seen. Dr. Bregman did not seem fazed and his manner to my husband and myself was just as aggressive. We stopped the exam right then and there and left. It was only going to get worse because Dr. Bregman and his staff have no compassion for animals.
Once home, we noticed large chunks of hair that were falling out where the vet tech had grabbed my cat. It was over the line. Do not take your pets there if you care about them. Trust the other Unilocal reviews, unfortunately, they all go in the same direction.

Dr. Alan Bregman is a really shitty vet. I took my dog to him for a small puncture wound on his paw. He gave it a quick look over and advised to soak it in Nolvasen solution (which, apart from the fact that they sell it for about 4 times the price you can buy it online for) is ok and has been helpful. However, he then advised that we could do an x-​ray of the paw but we’d have to put him into full anesthesia in order to do so. I was shocked. My dog has a preexisting condition, he had major abdominal surgery for a liver shunt just a year ago and such anesthesia could kill him, which Dr. Bregman completely dismissed without knowing my dogs chart and specifics and simply said that he’d be fine. He then went on and on how he won’t put himself or his staff in danger by holding my dog while he gets his paw x-​rayed as this could cause cancer for him (and his staff) never mind my dog! More annoyingly, he talks and talks about state regulations and shit like that again, never mind the best interest of the patient!
He then prescribed 2 weeks of antibiotics (of course!) to prevent a (possible) infection resulting in a bill of $ 110 dollars — I held off the antibiotics and soaked the paw in the solution, keept a close eye on my dog and the paw healed fine. When I tried to return the sealed medication to him as I did not use it (the next day) he refused to take it and again talked a half hour about state regulations. Yawn! I hate vets who have one answer for everything: antibiotics. It is so overprescribed and really terrible on the liver and in general for the dog as his system conditions to the antibiotics and in case they ever really need it, it won’t work. I have tried to discuss this with him but found a very sure of himself, condescending man who has one opinion only: his own!
My dog also shook his head a lot lately so I asked him to check out his ears. He took a quick look inside and said «ears are clear» however he never inspected the skin of his ears. He advised to change his diet and away from all foods he eats (complicated and expensive solution) and in the end really no solution at all… I went ahead and tried the same Nolvasen stuff mixed with water on a cotton ball and cleaned his ears out with that stuff… and voila’ it worked! No more head shaking!
End of day for this £100 dollar visit: could have totally done without! Useless, did not help and suggested highly risky procedures and more antibiotics for a dog who really does not need anymore antibiotics in his system.
In the past I had seen Dr. Pingle who I although seemed very friendly and helpful (and I thought I had finally found a decent vet who does not seem to want to sell me something and run up my bill each time my dog has a an issue) however, I think she greatly lacks experience as a vet. Definitely not a good choice for an animal with a serious pre-​existing conditions. I was very disappointed in her when at some point she tried to tell me that the 3 year Rabies vaccine actually «releases itself over time –during those 3 years) as oppose to the 1-​year vaccine when I asked her what the difference was. Are you kidding me? I mean seriously, how stupid does she think people are? THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE 1 YEAR AND 3 YEAR VACC. That is the fact! It is a money making scheme and nothing else. I was very disappointed in her after hearing such a dumb statement. The clinic also has no interest in looking at the over-​vaccination issue and not a hint of a holistic approach to them at all.
The staff at the front desk have zero experience whatsoever.
I don’t recommend this clinic at all and won’t be going there again.

Like most of you here, I was a bit apprehensive about bringing my dog to Paws N Claws. The reviews here are quite intimidating and we all love out pets, so taking the risk was stressful. Fortunately I have nothing but good things to say. I have been to this Vet 2x too help with my Bulldogs arthritis. I saw Dr. Bregman first. He was very professional and forthcoming. I can understand why some think he might be rude, but in reality, he is just direct and more importantly, quite smart and knows what he is doing.
Dr. Levine, on the other hand, is truly a a great vet for my personality. She is very sweet, has a great «bedside» manner and most importantly, quite a good vet. She asked a lot of questions, seemed to genuinely care about my dog and I was very happy. When the tech brought my dog back to me to wait for the result of a blood test, Dr Levine came out just to hang out with my dog cause she liked him so much. Now that is the kind of Vet I like. Someone who truly loves animals but also has the smarts to treat the problem.
The staff were also very helpful on both visits.

Took my dog here for several years, and I must warn you that he went in for routine vaccinations and came home gravely ill and had to be hospitalized. Dr. Pingle made a stupid mistake that nearly cost him his life, now we’re in the process of paying off all the debt we accrued when they had to give him emergency care.
Who almost kills your dog and then charges you for it?
My dog was wasting away and she didn’t know what to do. She asked me what I wanted to do, like I’m a doctor.
They didn’t take responsibility and can’t fix their own mistakes. Lots of unnecessary tests and backpedaling.
Besides the doctors, this is every experience I’ve ever had with the front desk: «Yes, my dog has been here before. YOU saw us YESTERDAY.» I’ve even gotten bills from them with other pet’s names on them.

Think twice before coming here to fix your pooch.
I brought my 7 month old dog here to get him fixed (first time with this experience). I compared prices in the neighborhood and Paws n Claws seemed to have the best price for my budget.
I was told to drop off my dog early in the morning and that I would be able to pick him up around 4:00 PM. I received a call shortly that the dog needed 2 baby teeth out and wanted my permission to pull them. I researched this a little and decided that this was a pretty standard procedure when the dog goes under for the first time.
Around 4:00 PM, I called the office to see when I would be able to pick up my dog. I was told that the procedure had not been started yet but that they would let me know as soon as they were finished. I finally received a call around 7:00 PM and was told that I could pick the dog up at 8:00 PM. Fortunately, I had a light day and this was not too much of an inconvenience.
When I picked my dog up, I was met by Dr. Bregman and a vet tech. I was told that I shouldn’t feed the dog too much food at first due to the anesthesia, that I should call immediately if any major swelling occurs, and that the dog should not be allowed to pull at the stitches. As I was leaving, the dog licked the area where the stitches were and I corrected the dog. The vet tech told me that it was ok if he licked as long as he didn’t pull at the stitches.
What is wrong with this?
1. I was not given any care instructions for the surgery area or told that I needed to clean it regularly.
2. An E-​collar was not provided and I was made to believe that it was not needed.
3. Dogs should not lick the surgery site — At All. The vet tech gave me incorrect information which later led to an infection that I will mention below.
4. Stitches were used to close up the surgery site and at no time was I ever instructed to create another appointment to have the stitches removed, neither did I ever receive a follow up call to see how the dog was doing.
Aftermath:
1. After a few days of the dog licking his surgery site, the incision became infected so bad that Ihad to take the dog to a 24 hour vet while I was on vacation (he was traveling with me).
2. The vet said that Dr. Bregman had used stitches that are usually seen in low-​cost population control facilities such as the ASPCA, etc…
3. The needle was larger than the thread so that the wholes were too large for the stitch, causing it to become very loos and open up at the top of the incision.
4. The stitches had to be completely removed and staples were used to close the incision up. The vet was shocked that I was never told that the stitches needed to come out.
5. The vet tech was absolutely wrong in telling me that it was ok for the dog to lick as long as he was not pulling at the stitches.
I still have not heard from Paws n Claws about my dog’s well-​being, however, the 24 hour vet that I visited on vacation has called 3 times already to make sure that everything with the dog is going well.
Save yourself the trouble, extra fees to fix mistakes, and frustration by choosing a vet that has a strong track record and references. This review is based off of what I know and have experienced.

I was rather puzzled by polar opposite reviews for this place: some give it 5 stars others 1. What’s wrong? I took my cat here a few times and everything seemed fine — the staff was nice, the doctor was understanding, the place is clean and neat, there is never a wait line, the fees are reasonable. Why all the negativity?
The explanation presented itself when my cat needed something a bit more serious than a vaccine shot — teeth cleaning. These procedures are done by Dr. Eric Bregman and the guy is aggressive and heartless.
I dropped off my cat for dental cleaning and asked to call me if there is anything more serious than just cleaning: «Absolutely no teeth extraction without my knowledge!» A few minutes after I walked out of the clinic Dr. Bregman calls me on my cell and puts it rather bluntly: «I am not going to chase you down on your phone when the cat is under anesthesia and needs her teeth extracted. We do not do fillings or root canal here, we just take them out. If you do not agree to extraction, we will not do the cleaning.»
Imagine yourself going to a dentist and hearing this: «I will give you a full anesthesia and clean your teeth while you are sleeping. If there are any rotten ones, I will take them out, so there is a chance you will wake up with some fewer teeth. That’s just the way we do business here.»
Shocked, I walked back and picked up my cat. Unlike the previous visits to this clinic, this time it was me left traumatized with the experience. Never again!