The Pet Emergency Room

Before I begin my rant, I want to acknowledge a few true gems that work here. But really just 3 or 4 of them. They were smart and compassionate and I have no doubt they will figure out that this place is awful and will have no problems finding a new job. Thanks to them for being a light in that terrible place.
So, first, Dr. Rivas has zero bedside manner and behaved like an akward idiot when he first spoke to me, which lasted all of about 2 minutes and was in the lobby in front of others guests, then he disappeared. I never saw him again. This was at about 1:15pm on a Saturday.
I was confused by his behavior, so 20 minutes later when Ileana came to show the estimate, I asked quite a few more questions. My asking these questions visibly pissed her off. Then my husband showed up and was very direct with her and she softened a tiny bit. We only agreed to endoscopy, not surgery due to the fact that my dog is nearly 16 and has difficulty walking. Ileana then disappears and I sit for 45 minutes waiting for I don’t know what. Finally, the receptionist comes and tells me I can pay the deposit and leave, to which I reply, I wanted to see my dog before I go, since they were going to sedate her I wanted to say goodbye just in case. This request sent them into a rage. They were visibly mad at me. I paid, I waited. And then here comes Ileana dragging my dog down the hallway, not on a stretcher, forcing her to walk despite having a rock lodged in her stomach and having had horrific diarrhea all night, did I mention my dog is 16. I kept offering to carry her and she just kept dragging her. The way she treated my dog, was reprehensible and disgusting. Ileana, get a different job, you are not meant to care for peoples beloved pets. As she dragged my dog off with me following in horror and asking to carry her, she flings the back door open and makes some nasty comments about my dog never walking again to her coworkers.
I leave for an hour to shower and feed my other animals. My husband calls for an update at 4pm, and is told my dog is just being taken into her procedure. At 414pm I get a call from Dr. Rivas saying that the endoscopy was unsuccesful because the rock is now in her intestines. He attempts to bully me into authorizing surgery. I tell him absolutely not. He then gets angry and raises his voice. I tell him to make a recommendation for treatment at home for her diarrhea and discharge her. He tells me to call in an hour.
Because they had treated me and my dog so badly, I decide to go wait for her rather than call. Again, the staff is livid that I am there. What the heck, this is my 16 year old dog whom I love, what is wrong with you people. So another nurse comes out and tells me off for showing up when the doc told me to call. And keeps referring to my dog as a he, when she’s an old girl. She said she was the ICU nurse, um, not very attentive I’m guessing. And a nurse you are not.
We wait 2 hours and finally someone we’ve never met who just clocked in discharges us. Despite the fact that the doctor and the other nurses, including Ileana, are there. They don’t bother to speak to us at all.
Bottom line, do not bring your elderly animal here. They just don’t get it. They are awful about charges etc, treating everyone like a degenerate.
To the 2 awesome receptionists and the 2 male vet techs, thank you. You 4 were very kind. That the rest of you decided to wait 3 hours to perform my dogs procedure while also forcing her to walk, which resulted in the rock moving into her intestines, is disgusting. That you dragged my dog down the hall was despicable. Are you really surprised I refused to leave her in your care.

I must say they have been absolutely wonderful! Dr. Hatfield, Dr. Lin! Love them. The vet techs are all great too! Nick and Marcos were wonderful! There are also two girls that were great! But unfortunately I did not get their name. Teresa from the front desk is also very pleasant. While the circumstances why I ended up there with my cat were not pleasant, I’m glad I transferred him to this hospital! We are still receiving care for my cat here and I’m absolutely satisfied with everyone!

The staff took very good care of me in my time of need. Thank you.

I adopted a dog and took him here three days later for kennel cough. They made us sit out back outside in the sun because of the contagion of the cough… which I understand, except the entire visit took 2.5 hours just to get some antibiotics. My dog had a high fever and was not offered even water for over and hour. There was no shade so we were sitting in direct sunlight and would wait 30 minutes between each person coming to see us. A few of the techs were very nice and tried to help but the vet didn’t seem to care at all. They gave me the first option (to keep him overnight for two days) which came to almost $ 3000…I said no and instead they charged $ 300 for an iv and some antibiotics. The vet and people presenting the prices didn’t seem to actually care about my dog at all and just cared about charging me a fortune… without even letting us inside to a back room. They even gave him the iv outside and did not allow me to put him down. Unfortunately it was a Sunday so there were no options as to where to go but I highly recommend driving further to find a vet that actually cares and isn’t just in it for the money.

Got to the office 20 minutes early, saw the vet tech 30 minutes after the appointment original start time. Was told the Dr was on the way and here it is 45 minutes later. Sign on the wall says «Catch me at my BEST». Evidently it’s not today.

Let me start by saying that obviously you don’t want to have to visit them, but if you do your pet is in great hands. Upon the urging of my regular vet I took my miniature dachshund Sunny to have her check out. Unfortunately it was cancer that required surgery. At the hands of Dr. Lynn she had a partial liver removal. I was amazed at her professionalism and love of animals. She called me on her days off just to follow up and answer questions on how she was doing. I’ve had to take Sunny back several times as her cancer is incurable but to manage her reoccurring pancreatitis and other possible symptoms. Every Dr. and nurse I have seen have been amazing. And if I had to ever wait, it is an emergency clinic, so sometimes there is a more life threatening patient and one must be understanding. I don’t trust my dog easily to anyone, but you can rest assured at the quality of care you will receive there.

Though I still maintain that Dr. Prosek and the veterinary techs on staff are compassionate, helpful, and knowledgeable, I do have to make a statement about the night reception staff. A week ago, my cat had gone into cardiac arrest at 7pm, and unfortunately, was gone before we made it to the hospital. They did take us in quickly, and after confirming what we feared, brought him in to us so we could say our last goodbyes. I confirmed that we wanted him cremated, however when I asked the woman at the reception desk about options such as urns or other things, she just gave me a pamphlet for the pet memorial place that handles their cremations and burials, and said I could call them or order an urn online and put him in it myself when I got the cremains back. However, she stated they only come once a week on Mondays, so they wouldn’t be picking him up until the following Monday, which was a full week from that night, and then I wouldn’t get him back until the Monday after that. Though this seemed like a very long time, I resigned myself to having to wait 2 weeks. This morning, I decided to be proactive and call the pet memorial place to let them know what urn I wanted and that I wanted a ceramic imprint of his paw, only to be told that he had been picked up from the pet hospital the previous Thursday and that he had already been cremated that same day. I was told that the pet hospital should have spoken to me about my options instead of just handing me a pamphlet and telling me it was my responsibility to put my cat’s ashes into the urn myself. Not only that, but he had already been returned back to the pet hospital the day before, and I had not even gotten a call yet to tell me he was there. Because of the failing on the part of the reception crew, I had to pick up my cat’s cremains, and drive all the way back to the memorial place so he could be put into a proper urn.
I understand that as an emergency animal hospital, they have to deal with animal deaths everyday, and it is a very busy facility, however that is no excuse for not having the staff properly trained in the options that are available to the family who has lost a pet. I was furious that I was not able to get my pet’s paw print, and that I was given incorrect information. Many pet owners have never dealt with this before, so they are completely clueless on the process and even if they have, this is a time of grief and sadness, and your mind is not clear enough to think logistically. I still stand by my earlier 5 star review that the veterinary staff and the cardiologist are great, however, with as many pet deaths as they must have to handle, I think their staff really should be trained better so that other bereaved pet owners will not be just handed a pamplet, told they can put their cat into the urn themselves, and given wrong dates.

Love them. A couple of months ago my pet Jeffrey was playing with a Toad and was poisoned. I immediately took him to this place at 11 pm and the receptionist was very friendly. I just handed her my dog and my credit card. Gave some info to the nurse and I just waited patiently while I was filling the forms. They quoted me around 450 dollars for hospitalization and fluids. I got nervous because is the first time I had to bring a pet but I left my credit card open because luckily my Jeff has health insurance. Thank God i took him ASAP because when i picked him up he was back to normal and the Doctor explained to me that the treatment I was quoted for was not necessary. The next morning the receptionist called me and said that they were going to reimbursed my credit card for the treatment not performed. Not only that. The next day my vet called to check on Jeff because they have sent him a report of the incident. Great Job! Love the staff and doctors!

I had visit almost every vet in Kendall, Sourh Miami and Dadeland and I never received the attention and affection to one of my daughter of four legs in this emergency room! 3 weeks ago, my 16 years poodle got very sick and she couldn’t breath well. She was really a champion because at her age she used to eat a lot but she couldn’t walk and she manage to use her front legs to move around and she never complaint. But that day and all of a sudden, she got sick. I run to this emergency room at 1:00am with a great friend of mine and Dr. Rachel took care of her with all the staff at that moment and she told me the state of my baby in such a nice and thougful way that really impress me! It is the first time in all my lifetime that I had to take the decision to put to sleep one of my doggies! Dr. Rachel told me that it was up to me after explained me in details and in an understandable words, what was her condition. I asked her if she was suffering and if there was a treatment to extend her life without her suffering and she said that she was suffering and because she was 16 years old, there was no way to know if the treatment will going to work and that she can pass out at any time. After hearing that and knowing that so she was in agony and suffering and after crying and crying with my friend I decided to let her go. It wasn’t easy but I promised to Gin-​Gin that at the moment that I knew that she was suffering, I will let her go. And I did! My tears at that moment would fill a lagoon but Dr. Rachel was so thoughtful, telling me that I was giving her a gift of love, that she was leaving like she was sleeping and that gave me the strength to go through this moment so difficult. I won’t give more details of the process but at the end, when I saw her face, she looks like an angel! I will receive her ashes soon. I bought a beautiful urn for her, like she deserves for 16 years of unconditional

It was Friday night and my beloved Rex was in obvious pain. I did not know where else to take him so I called Pet Emergency Hospital and was greeted by Natasha. She explained the initial charge and the treatment plan they would recommend. Rex was a 14 year old Labrador mix. We decided to take him, they were busy but the wait time was very reasonable. Dr. Carter was very knowledgable and unfortunately the prognosis for Rex was very grim. The x rays shows a large mass on his kidney. The only option was to have surgery to remove it. However, because of his age and the complex surgery the chances that Rex would make it out and recover fully were slim. We left Rex over night so we could digest was being told to us and call our regular veterinarian. He would be taken care, they allowed is in the back room where he was so we can see him. Anyway, I am writing to give them a good review because even though we had to go through the hard and sad decision of euthanizing Rex Dr. Carter was so understanding and patient through the whole process that I felt she knew exactly what we were going through. This is by far the hardest thing I have ever done. Natasha was also very comforting through the whole process.

Dr. Armstrong is great. The rest of the staff really needs to get their shit together and start being a little more attentive and considerate. They seem lazy. I’ve already paid for my pets treatment and it’s been 40+ mins and I’m still waiting for them to bring her out.

We had the most amazing experience at the pet emergency room. Sunday night at 11:00pm we rushed my dog Luna over. We waited a while because it was packed and they had had a few emergency cases. Our vet told us to call her Megan. She was outstanding. She spent 40 minutes with us and was extremely kind and loving towards Luna, even sitting on the ground to make her more comfortable. She could have easily recommended expensive tests but did not because she felt it wasn’t necessary. She was very very thorough and sweet. We loved her and Luna was very much at ease with her. Thank you to all the staff who got us through that very scary experience. I would recommend the pet ER in a heartbeat, hands down.

Highly recommend The Pet Emergency Room. I used them a few years ago. They were knowledgeable, kind, and compassionate. I would use them again in case of an emergency. They accept credit cards.

I rushed my cat here minutes after he was hit by a car – didn’t have time to read reviews or choose between different ERs – the cat’s head had been squashed and he needed medical attention asap so I brought him here since it was minutes from my house. He suffered major facial trauma: multiple facial fractures and a broken jaw. He spent a week in the ICU. When I picked him up I had a $ 3500 bill and a cat that had to be fed through a feeding tube for 4 – 6 weeks. They sent me home with ONE can of the liquid diet and told me I could get more at any pet store or vet. This turned out not to be the case as my vet didn’t carry it, pet supermarket didn’t have it, not Petco, and not any other local vet I called. A little worried about how I was going to feed my mangled cat since the can was now finished, I called the Pet Emergency Room to ask where I could get this elusive product quickly as my cat was due for a feeding very soon. They said they didn’t have any more but had something else I could buy. This is now the fourth place I go to get food for the cat. I bring the stuff they sell me home and try to feed my cat. My husband and I struggle for half an hour trying to get the stuff to be liquid enough to get up in the syringe. The stuff is too thick and clogs the syringe no matter how much water we add. We can’t feed the poor cat. So I call them… And they say they can order more and it be there in 2 days. So I guess they just figured my cat could starve for two days. I go off on them for sending my cat home with only one can of food and no way for me to get more of this special liquid diet for days. And the nurse has the audacity to say that they sent him home because I «couldn’t afford to have him stay in the hospital longer.» I wish I could tell her off in person. Nurse whatever your name is, you are a colossal fool. Upon arrival the vet advised that my cat would need to stay in the hospital only through the weekend. When Monday came, I was told he needed more time. Did I object as the fees mounted? No – I told the vet to keep him there as long as he needed 24 hour care, despite the fact that a $ 3500 vet bill is an astronomical expense for a young couple with two young children. How dare you say something like that to me? I took him home when the doctor said he was ready to go. To insinuate that I forced him to leave before he was ready because I couldn’t afford proper care is beyond offensive and totally false. I spent on a fortune on his care. The truth is, the hospital should have had enough food on hand or should have advised me that I needed to order the stuff asap to properly care for my cat. It only got better – when I took the cat to my own vet to be examined three days after his release they had food on hand that he happily ate on his own. It was also soft enough to be mixed with water for the feeding tube – best part is that it is available at any pet store!!! If the Pet Emergency Room could have just told me to buy that… But no, I had to search the whole Miami area for this other stuff that no one has. My vet said that the feeding tube was not necessary for as long as they claimed and that when he repairs fractures like this, he doesn’t put one in. My cat was clearly capable of eating on his own so I’m wondering if they put it in place so they could charge me more for a complicated procedure and then later for removal. They did save my cat’s life, but I’m not sure their fees were reasonable and their staff is clearly quite rude.

Last night had to go to them because one of my dog’s paws was bleeding. They took care of me right away and refunded part of my money since it was only his nail and had stopped and they didn’t do much to him– I did not ask for refund, they offered!

Just left from the Pet ER and I am very glad I did not read the negative reviews before my husband and I went.
I called earlier today to find out if they could take care if my 4 year old male bearded dragon. I was told, upfront, that they charge $ 95 but that they did have an exotics vet on staff that would be there all night.
Fast forward a couple of hours, my husband arrive and we were greeted very warmly by the receptionist. We waited a while for a nurse (as they called him) to come and do an initial check and collect info. Then we saw Dr. Liz Cepero. She and the nurse where very kind and respectful. They examined our beardie and told us that he needed blood work but that they did not have the proper equipment to do so. Not being completely sure what our beardie had, she called Dr Harris from the Vet’s office just next door (which is only open office hours), and consulted with him.
We were given a nutritional supplement and a laxative which where an additional $ 31. Originally they told us about antibiotics but then decided it was not necessary until blood work confirmed an infection. You can see the picture of our beardie, we were concerned he had septicemia from what I was able to research but Dr Cepero and Dr Harris hypothesize that it could be an algae.
I appreciate the honesty and not pushing antibiotics without definitive proof that our beardie has an infection.
We were out in about an hour and a half. There were other patients being seen and they seemed very calm and happy with their caregivers and all the staff members where very caring.

My friend called here after discovering that her dog had possibly ingested part of a necklace that contained copper wire and fairly large polished stones.
The lady who answered the phone was rude and insensitive making things worse for my already hysterical friend, stating that the copper is extremely toxic and her dog is going to DIE if she doesn’t run over there right now!
These scare tactics almost worked, however, we decided to bring the dog elsewhere that was more reasonable and a lot more friendly especially after reading previous negative reviews of this business.
It’s a shame that vets like these prey on people’s emotions giving the industry a bad rap.

Saturday night, my wife found her dog dazed in the back yard.
We carried the dog into The Pet Emergency Room, where they took the dog into the back.
The receptionist then required us to pay a $ 300 deposit for work they might do. We agreed.
Then we waited 20 minutes until an assistant came in advising us what the Doctor «might» tell us, all of it scary. Then the «Vet» came in and explained that either the dog had had a epileptic seizure or a heart attack in her opinion. When I suggested that maybe she had stepped on or been bitten by an insect she became agitated, telling me I wasn’t a doctor, so how would I know. She advised us to sign off on $ 700 worth of invasive procedures to tell which of the two the dog had.
I refused, asking if the dog was now alert and if we could see the dog. She at first refused then agreed to allow my wife only to see the dog, who by now was perfectly fine. Against my better judgement, she guilted my wife into allowing her to do a $ 300 blood test, and we waited another 40 minutes.
At this point I had had enough and demanded to see and take the dog home. They threatened to call the police. Which I did for them.
Only when I was on the phone with the Police did they relent and return the dog.
The dog is fine.
NEVER EVER GO THERE!!!

Unfortunately, I’ve had to bring my 8 year old pug here twice. The first time I had to bring him in for excessive vomiting. The place was crowded and there was a woman who had to euthanize her pet there so the mood was very heavy in the establishment but Dr. Hatfield and the vet techs made us feel at ease and tended to my Frank with great care. The second time was last night when my dog developed a terrible cough that wasn’t letting anyone sleep. Fearing he may have something lodged in his throat I took him back to the Pet ER. Thankfully, Dr. Hatfield was working that night. He was treated almost immediately and diagnosed with kennel cough. He was given his medication and we were out in about an hour. Is this the cheapest place to take your pet during an emergency? No. Is it staffed with knowledgable and caring staff who will guide you by the hand when you’re going through a tough time with your babies? Yes, absolutely yes!
Dr. Hatfield (one of their doctors) seriously holds a big place in my heart. She is so kind and soft spoken and really hears you out before jumping to any conclusions. She lays out all your options and is very knowledgable on all possible illnesses. I see a lot of reviews saying this place is expensive. They charge you an up front fee of $ 95 to diagnose your pet with whatever they have and THEN they give you your options for treatment and prices. If you’d rather wait and see your regular vet and pay a regular consultation fee then that’s fine, but for an emergency I think this is pretty good. I’ve had vets in the past that charge you a higher fee anyway if you come in without an appointment.
Point blank:
This place has:
–upfront ER fee
–knowledgable staff
–caring staff
–if possible see Dr. Jessie Hatfield

I brought my cat in to this place; they weren’t sure what was wrong with him and they did think maybe it would be a good idea to give him a sex change (seriously, no lie) — I didn’t want to jump to that, so they held him over night for the low price of $ 900.
I took the same cat to a regular vet the next day, regular vet said he was constipated — no sex change needed. He charged me $ 100.