Cornell University Veterinary Specialists

Outrageous and unprofessional attitude to the patients and their owners. Take your pet to any other emergency hospital and don’t be tempted by this great university’s prestigious name. In addition to the stress of the entire visit, two days later our primary caregiver was STILL not given any access to our dog’s files from the emergency visit. The entire experience was horrible. Our dog, an 11 year old golden retriever, suffered a muscle sprain from falling down the stairs. She was in severe pain, could not walk properly, or lift herself up. We checked in to the emergency room at 9:30 PM and after a short examination by a nurse, we were told to wait for two other emergencies to be taken care of. Two hours later, when both of the other patients were stabilized and their owners had left, leaving us the only visitors in the waiting room, we were told that the doctor would see us momentarily. A little while later, still no doctor in sight, the receptionist went to remind the doctor of our presence. Finally, the doctor, Lisa Carter, appeared and, while examining our dog, once again mentioned that they had much more important cases that night. At the end of the examination and x-​ray, Dr. Carter, told us they would need to run some blood tests to prescribe the proper painkillers. At midnight, the receptionists, the only really nice and helpful people in the facility, went home. An hour later, around 1 AM, both us and the dog completely exhausted, had to CALL the emergency number in order to remind them that we were still there. At this point our dog had been in pain for about 5 hours. One of the 3 nurses who were on call came out saying that our blood tests had been finished long ago (and everything was normal) but they were too busy to give us our prescription. I will remind you that we had been the only ones in the waiting room since the departure of the other two owners, who’s pets, we were told, were doing well. Finally, another nurse came out and gave us the prescription. Was it really necessary to keep us waiting for so long in order to give our dog prescribed painkillers and our $ 630 bill, a task that requires no more than 5 minutes? If they did not have time to take care of our dog, they could have simply told us that to begin with and sent us to a different animal hospital nearby (of which there are many in the area). Before we left, we specifically asked that our retriever’s files be sent to her primary caregiver ASAP, and they told us that they would be sent in the next few hours to her vet as well as to our email. Now, two days later, our primary caregiver was told that there is no record of the x-​rays or the blood test. To summarize, while our dog’s injury was not life-​threatening, it is scary to think that if another patient arrived in critical condition, they would have been unable to take care of it because the help was not available and they were too busy.

Two weeks ago I had to put my 16 year old Ridgeback to sleep. It was the middle of the night on a weekend but Zoey was having difficulty breathing and was suffering tremendously. I packed her in the car and brought her to the CUVS. The staff could not have been more wonderful. They were compassionate caring and genuinely seemed to feel my pain. They explained everything gently allowing me as much time as I needed to be with Zoey. It is never easy to lose a best friend but CUVS made the process as good as a bad experience can be.
I am very grateful to them.

If you end up bringing you pet here for surgery, you better make sure they give you the exact right quote. In the end it might kill you financially. It’s definitely money sucking facility. A few month ago we brought our pet there, at the time they told us my pet really needs to go under surgery. Otherwise he’ll die. And they told us the successful rate from this kind of surgery is 90%. In the end the surgery went okay. But afterwards the recovery did not went well. Everyday there is something. We talked to the doctor everyday to get update about my pet. And everyday the doctors there were telling us it’s okay. The recovery was slow but he’s doing fine. Even the day before my pet passed away, the doctor was still telling us that she does not see why my pet can not leave by Friday. Unfortunately, that Friday never came… My pet passed away on Thursday.
When we first brought our pet there, They gave us a quote of 5 figures, we painfully accepted it. We tried very hard to get credit approval for this big chunk of spending that we were about to do. But we love our pet to death. We thought we could pull our teeth to get through this. But in the end, not only my pet did not come home with us, but they bill was doubled up then what they initially told us will cost.
Just wanted to advice anyone who loves your animal as much as we do. Really think about it, and don’t let them fool you and put your pet and you through this unbearable/​unaffordable experience. The Quote is really not as what they said. They’ll tell you that they can predict how your animal is doing/​reacting after the surgery. BUT as they are the PROFESSIONAL, shouldn’t they take all kind of possibility in counting before they give quote and hope to any pet owner!!! As of that could effect the decision making for pet owner mentally and financially. It’s just
We regret it every single day of our life afterwards to put both my pet and Us through this painful/​unpleasant experience.

We were very happy with their service and cleanliness of the clinic.
The staff was extremely friendly, compassionate and explanatory on the problem our puppy was feeling. A wonderful facility!

We knew about Cornell Vet specialists from our vet, he said to us since the beginning that if there was any emergency and we couldn’t reach them, there was always Cornell emergency room.
And well it happend, on labor day, our puppy (at that time she was 9 ½ months) couldn’t stop crying, and she was limping, I freaked out, the H and I took her to the emergency room at cornell, since that moment, they took great care of her, she had to stay overnight for exams, the following day, the result was that she needed surgery, they were very professional they knew what was wrong, and they gave us options, she did need surgery but the doctor explained the options we had and how much it will be, so after getting a second opinion we decided to go forward with the option that the doctor suggested.
Leia went to surgery and after 2 months of recovery, she is doing great, every suggestion, follow up appointment and call was part of her been healthy today.

My13 year old cat somehow managed to tear two muscles in her hind leg and I brought her to Cornell for surgery. It went well and she tolerated her reduced mobility and recovery at home perfectly for the first week. I brought her back a week later for a bandage change, but, upon waking from anesthesia (she’s a difficult patient and hates all vets) in the car on the way home, she began screaming. Screaming. I’ve never heard anything like it. I called the vet as soon as we got home and was told it was probably a reaction to waking from the anesthesia. Two hours later, she was still screaming. I brought her back to Cornell and her surgeon met with me and said «I replaced the bandage myself and I know it’s fine. But you can leave her for observation if you want to.» I left her for three hours. When I returned, they said she seemed fine. They’d stuffed her cat carrier with paper towels, which indicates to me that they didn’t take her out of it at all. And she was still screaming. I brought her back at midnight and the overnight vet did, finally change her bandage again. She told me the splint had slipped and was pressing on the incision. Once the bandage was changed, cat was perfectly content.
No follow up call the next day to see how she was doing. No apology for putting both cat and me through a day of hell. No reduced charge (I paid for two bandage changes to the tune of $ 400 — on top of the $ 5000+ I already paid for the initial surgery). I called the customer service person for Cornell, and didn’t hear back from her, though a secretary did call to tell me she was very busy. We played phone tag. Cat was due for suture removal and bandage change again this morning, and despite my misgivings we did return to have that done. I was there from 9:30am to 11am. Original surgeon met me and — again — did not apologize, which would have gone a long way toward mitigating the nightmare. I do understand that people make mistakes. But he would not admit that a mistake had been made. Somehow, it was all my cat’s fault. Suture removal and bandage change done without incident, though she seems less mobile than she was this morning. Customer service rep finally called this evening and, again, no apology. Instead, it was a litany of how difficult my five-​pound, 13 year old cat is to treat. And how if she were human, she could have told them what the problem was, but, being a cat, she couldn’t!
Studies have been done at hospitals that show that an apology from a doctor actually makes a big difference in malpractice suits. Apparently this information has not reached the veterinary community at Cornell.
Oh, and all of the staff there — over the course of five visits — have repeatedly referred to my cat as «he,» despite the fact that a quick glance would easily reveal she’s a she and the fact that I correct them every time. It’s basic anatomy, and these are vets. Does not inspire confidence.

The CUVS Team provided the best veterinary care that we could have imagined for our sock eating 11-​year old Labrador. From the time we walked through the door and were met with friendly efficiency, to the multiple phone calls for updates and requests for late night family visits, to the final carefully detailed and loving exit — this is THE best experience we have had caring for our family member. Special acknowledgement to the nurses who patiently walked us through how to care for Watson post treatment; who shared the most minute detail about his stay in hospital every time we called; who put up with the multiple calls to check-​in on him from our two young children and who worked hard to ease their trauma and concern but provided such tender counsel to them both. Also to Dr. Mazzaferro who understood Watson, calmed him down and then worked to calm his two anxious parents. She quickly took account of our framework for action and worked tirelessly to ensure his quick recovery. Most importantly, she patiently sat through all of our questions, all our scenarios and all of our anxiety. She was clear, forthright, concerned, understanding and accessible at any time. Thank you to everyone at CUVS. We always considered CUVS as an emergency hospital but are now convinced that we should move both of our Labradors to become full-​time clients — it surely will improve their healthcare and most definitely will keep their parents at ease.

I was a little skeptical at first because it didn’t seem like the staff fully evaluated my dog. The all of a sudden there was a quote for 3 grand. They worked with us to begin Conservative methods until we have answers. We ended up having to take her back where the doctor was able to confirm she ingested a foreign object. She was rushed into emergency surgery. This is my first lab. I grew up with many but I was never the sole provider. This sent me on a roller coaster from the impending cost of. Treatment to deciding if something occurs to issue a dnr. The entire staff was amazing and comforting. They are so. Professional and it is evident to see that they truly care about their work and have a love for animals. Besides those employees working, I received several updates via phone from the surgeon. I was shocked I never had to initiate a phone call even during the early morning hours. I thank God that I had this amazing staff behind me throughout this sudden emergency. I really can’t thank Cuvs enough.

As new dog owners, any bump, scrape or bruise can be pretty frightening, so when our 1 year old Italian Greyhound, Charlie, broke his leg in the middle of the night, you can imagine our terror. However, the second we walked into CUVS our fears subsided. From their state-​of-​the-​art facility to their compassionate staff, we knew we were in great hands. The team not only treated Charlie with the best possible care, they also made my fiancé and I feel like we were part of the family. No question or late night phone call ever went unanswered or without a smile. The doctors and technicians communicated with us regularly and went out of their way to explain options and procedures.
The first night Charlie stayed over at the hospital, I must have left 10 toys, several blankets and called every hour on the hour. My nervous dog mom behavior was welcomed with open arms and I was put at ease with every staff interaction. Since Charlie’s first accident, he has broken his leg again and has had two surgeries to-​date. We can certainly say that we know the team very well and to say the CUVS team/​staff is caring and professional would be a complete understatement. There are no words to describe the level of care, attention, commitment and compassion that the CUVS team embodies. From Dr. Morgan, Dr. Mazzaferro, Sparkle, Jamie, Rachael, Rebecca, Christiana and to all the CUVS team that has helped Charlie get back on his paws – we are forever grateful.
Cornell University Veterinary Specialist’s expertise go beyond the operating table. They have spent numerous hours helping us navigate the ever complicated world of insurance and fought to help us claim our benefits. Charlie was recently recognized as one of CUVS’s «Courageous Companions» in which they honored patients who have overcome a challenging prognosis during a dedicated daylong event. We were honored and touched to be part of such a special ceremony. The role they play in their patient’s care and recovery is unparalleled. If you are looking for the best veterinary care and to be part of an extremely special community, the Cornell University Veterinary Specialist is the ONLY place to go.

Our dog was very sick this past Sunday — would not stop throwing up.
Thanks to Cornell University Veterinary specialists she is now back home and doing fine.
The staff there is top-​notch. Dr. Nicole Soba was the first doctor to see our dog. She was very gentle and thorough and also took the time to explain things to me and comfort me as much as possible. The doctor who took over the next day, Dr. Forman, was excellent. Really smart and very caring. His assistant Alex and support staff Jen, Jodi, Greg and Amiel were great.
We are grateful!

If you are looking for the best veterinary care the Cornell University Veterinary Specialist (CUVS) is where you need to go. No doubt about it.
We have a very old dog, Deuce (12 ½), he is arthritic, fat, lazy and loveable. Last week he woke up and couldn’t walk. We took him into his normal vet, Banfield, located in petsmart. They were very nice and helpful but after examining our dog they told me I needed to take him to CUVS immediately. I had never even heard of CUVS before but I got directions and went straight there.
When we arrived at CUVS a team was waiting for us. They rushed him in the back and began treating him immediately. After about a half hour they came and filled us in on his condition. They told us what we already knew… he was in a lot of pain. They gave him some drugs to make him feel better and they asked for permission to do a bunch of tests blood, urine and xray. Told us what it would cost and said after they got the test results would let us know what they found.
Later that day they called and gave us some bad news. It turns out Deuce has Kidney disease, arthritis, a very swollen leg, high blood pressure, high heart rate, low circulation, and on and on. Since they had already contacted his normal vet and gotten /​reviewed his medical history they felt the kidney problems weren’t the cause of his current problem. They were focusing on the cause of the swollen leg (suspecting he had cancer). They recommended a sonogram and said they were putting him in ICU again they gave us the cost estimates.
I will spare you the blow by blows over the next few days because it isn’t really relevant to this review but I do want to let you know more about my impression of CUVS.
The veterinary hospital is as clean as any NY hospital I have ever been to. The staff there is highly competent, smart, articulate and generally superb beyond belief. I would have felt comfortable being treated there myself. The doctors called us regularly and spent more time explaining everything than any human doctor has ever spent with me.
They are always open and if there is a critical need of a specialist they will call them in ²⁴⁄₇ 365 days a year if he isn’t there already. CUVS is the gold standard of veterinary care and I would recommend them without reservation.
Deuce is home as I write this but sadly he is still very sick. We are going to care for him at home for a bit and see if he turns the corner. CUVS said he might. We declined the surgery and other treatments CUVS recommended as the next steps because they felt ultimately they probably wouldn’t extend his life for long and it would be very hard on him. Deuce is in good spirits, is eating well so we are hopeful we are over the hump short term but ultimately we are thankful all dogs go to heaven.
The CUVS team gave us a lot of discharge instructions and had a very detailed plan about how to get Deuce over the hump. The CUVS team is amazing if you want your pet to have world class care that is where you need to go.

We have a 1-​year old Australian Kelpie mix and she had a elk bone lodged in her upper jaw. At first we thought that she couldn’t breathe and later realized that she had something stuck on the roof of her mouth… This was the first time we have had to take our dog for an emergency visit so we were quite nervous.
As it turns out, our dog was able to dislodge the bone with her paw before she was seen by the vet. Needless to say, we were so relieved that everything worked out so well and we left with anti-​inflamatories and a bill for less than $ 200. Everyone we spoke with at CUVS was helpful, professional and sincerely concerned about our dog through-​out the visit. Hopefully, we won’t have to use their services again but if it’s required we will definitely be back.

They will not stop working until they figure out the problem. Everyone cares about you and your dog, it’s not a game to them. They take your issues as seriously as if it were a sick child, and they charge the same way.
I am convinced that my 16 year old terrier would be long dead if I didn’t bring her to Cornell. Now, it would appear her life span is greatly lengthened, and I could not be more pleased. I recommend them to everyone I encounter, they really are specialists, and worth what they charge.

I don’t usually write reviews, in fact this is only the second review I’ve ever written on Unilocal,but I have never felt more compelled to make my opinion known about an institution. The doctors, nurses and staff at this OUTSTANDING hospital saved my 10 year old Boxer’s life. She spent 5 days in their state of the art and incredibly clean, actually spotless, ICU receiving the most cutting edge medicine. She was cared for, literally AROUND THE CLOCK and was truly loved. I mean, they were adorable with her, actually. Dr. Rousseau sat with my husband and I every day for at least a half hour, AT LEAST, and described absolutely everything that was happening with and to my girl. He was kind, informative, patient and incredibly knowledgable. I have NEVER had a vet who was so on top of his/​her game. I felt like I trusted each and every employee of this hospital with whom I met. I have never been so grateful then I have been for the past 5 days to anyone. THANK YOU for maintaining such a stellar hospital with the most professional and kind staff. Don’t ever hesitate to take your sick pet to this hospital.

This hospital is impressive. My dog was attacked by another dog during on our Sunday walk, and my dog’s eyelid was split open. It was a bloody mess and our normal vet place, new canaan veterinary group, was not open. They recommended that we go to the Cornell University Veterinary Specialists, and I’m glad that we did.
These veterinarians come from the best schools in the country, and you can tell right off the bat. They immediately took us in, no wait, and laid out a clear plan of action before proceeding to surgery. My brother similarly had his eyebrow split open a couple of years, ago and the procedure was the same — anesthesia, stitches, antibiotics. They did a great job, and the billing, $ 950 for a surgical procedure, seems like a fair price.
Their facility is brand new and state of the art. They are open 24/​7, and I’m sure glad that they were also able to see us. If we had waited until monday there is a good chance that my dog’s eye could have gotten infected. The hospital is also extremely easy to get to — it is one turn off exit 7 on i-​95. If your dog need immediate medical care I highly recommend this facility. It’s too bad humans can’t get this good treatment.

You go here in case of an emergency when your regular vet is closed. My dog was convulsing at 1:30 am. The only other facility open was Norwalk and they bc are a rip off… very excessive on billing. Cornell did an excellent job on stabilizing my dog. She would not be alive were it not for this place. Turned out to be a liver infection. I thought I lost her. Etternally grateful.

In the middle of a major holiday night my dog had a severe seizure and my regular vet was closed. I rushed my dog here and the service was amazing. A «triage team» came out and assessed him in seconds, whisking him away as I cried.
While this happened the front desk clerk gave me tissues and comforted me the entire time. A nurse came out every 5 minutes to give me updates.
They rapidly diagnosed the seizure cause with a quick blood test, got him back to normal within minutes, watched him for 20 minutes to ensure he was back on his feet, and sent him home with me grateful.
They faxed the complete paperwork to my vet immediately with a full report for follow up. I was in and out in less than in hour. The price was under $ 200 for that life saving service.
From what I heard, others have complained about the expensive cost of bringing their pet. Well, they have to pay to keep real doctors on call in the middle of the night, doctors with university costs more expensive than human medical school, and a fully staffed emergency room with the same equipment as a human emergency room.
It’s expensive to go to the «emergency room» but like with humans, sometimes life is more important than cost!
They have MILLIONS of dollars of equipment there, no joke. CT scans, MRI, whatnot. That equipment is not free. If your pet needs to use it, you need to pay for it. If your dog is hit by a car and requires emergency surgery, it is going to be expensive. Your alternative is to go further to Norwalk or New York pet emergency rooms, but I have heard the pricing is pretty much the same. I would rather take my pet close so their chance of survival is higher.

CUVS saved my dog’s life! I made the decision to transfer my dog here when I felt his condition was getting too complicated for my regular veterinary hospital and I’m SO glad that I did. The quality of the veterinarians at CUVS is hard, if not impossible, to beat. The vets work as a team and are able to leverage a wealth of experience and skills.
Everyone from the people at the front desk to the veterinarians was friendly and professional. They called me twice a day to give me updates. Usually a nurse called in the morning to let me know how my dog did through the night and a vet called in the afternoon to give me a more thorough update with test results.
The three vets I worked with took the time to fully understand my dog’s case and make sure I understood everything that was going on in as much detail as I wanted. They encouraged me to ask lots of questions and were excellent at explaining things in a way that made sense. The vets never seemed rushed and I definitely didn’t feel like my dog was just another patient. Many people came to say goodbye to my dog when he was discharged, even vets who were not directly on his case.
Yes, the prices are high but this level of care and expertise is not cheap! If you can afford it, the care your pet gets here is priceless and unmatched elsewhere.

Amazing facility and fantastic staff. We, sadly ended up having to put our 12 year old dog down, but the treatment we received during our visits was top notch. From the minute we walked in the door they knew who we were, our dogs name and problems and even the name of our other dog. They spent time explaining things to us and giving us all scenarios so that we were making informed decisions. It’s a busy place, but never did I feel rushed or like we were being a nuisance. I would highly recommend.

We had our cat treated at CUVS for her hyperthyroidism. The standard procedure these days for this malady is usually I-​131. Hmm, isn’t I-​131 what the Fukushima reactors were spewing forth in Japan after the tsunami? We were seeking a non-​radioactive alternative, and the veteran doctors at CUVS suggested the old-​school straightforward answer: just cut it out.
CUVS is nicer than a lot of people-​hospitals. Everything is brand-​spanking new. That have an ICU, advanced surgical suites, even an in-​house CT scanner.
Cornell’s vet school is tops in the whole country, so you wouldn’t expect them to hire anybody but the best for the veterinary staff at this satellite campus. Our cat was treated by Dr. Susan Hackner, a renowned internist and owner of multiple cats herself. The actual surgery was performed by Dr. Alon Kramer, an experienced boarded surgeon whose skillful knifework is not even visible a few months later on our cat. There were a handful of nurses and other doctors who had a role in the surgery and after, too. One nurse sent me a picture message with a photo of our cat in recovery to let me know she was doing great.
So for fellow animal lovers who treat their pets as full-​fledged members of their families, you can’t go wrong with CUVS. This is a world-​class veterinary facility in every respect.