Veterinary Surgical Services Inc

Terrible. As i previously posted on June 25th. Dr. Thomas is a rude individual and very unprofessional. In addition, to charging me for a consultation that never took place she proceeded to perform the surgery without my consent or give me the option not to have surgery since the consultation never took place. The surgery was performed on June 24th and no one from the office has ever followed up to see how the puppy was doing. Just proves my point that all they care about is the money. ALL ABOUT THE MONEY. Terrible.

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I was beside myself with concern for her and as I would for myself or any other member of my family. I researched and sought out an expert to review the original and repeat X Rays, her medical records and perform a re-examination. There was no way, I was going to let any surgery be performed without understanding the cause and validating the necessity.  To be honest, I did not believe what I had been told by my Primary Veterinarian of twenty years. All I knew was that if there was an expert in the region, I was going to find one. I had never heard of a Veterinary Surgical Specialist before this process. They have additional training and surgical skills additionally important to me when dealing with a breed so small.
I do not travel outside my local area in part because my dog is such a poor car rider and I also get lost very easily despite the fact that I have lived outside of Tampa, Florida for over twenty years. Thank goodness for GPS because I was definitely out of my comfort zone that day but would have traveled to the ends of the Earth for his help. My husband thought I was crazy to even consider surgery that would cost several thousand dollars and money for rehabilitation on what he considers to be just a dog. I have always purchased pet insurance on my fur family members over the years and what he doesn't seem to realize is that after 43 years of marriage, I am far more likely to spend the money on her, than him.
I read about Dr. Day, his training, the facility and the aftercare and monitoring they would provide if surgery was needed. The staff was wonderful, he reviewed her Medical Records, films and examined her. He and the staff listened to me and observed her walking. I was confident and reassured when we left. It turns out that surgery is not indicated. She and I stopped and had Chick Fil A on our way home. Yes, she is very spoiled.
 

Our eight year old cat has been struggling with megacolon for 2 years and I had done everything holistically and medically that I could for him.   Our vet referred us to Dr. Hay and a woman my husband met at Petco told him that he is the best cat surgeon in Tampa.   During our initial consultation, I immediately liked him.   He was warm, friendly, and has a love for animals.   He communicated clearly, using words we understood and explained the expected outcomes. 
Two weeks ago he performed a subtotal colectomy on my cat.   I was on pins and needles all day and he called me personally around 2 PM to know that it went well.   They kept him for 4 days and let me take him home early on Thursday because he was doing so well. 
One night around 11PM my husband wanted to know if Ian had eaten so we called the technician on duty who answered promptly and replied that yes he had, and was resting comfortably.    Every time we called the clinic, they knew who we were, and treated us like family.   It's obvious they have a love for animals.   
Check out and the subsequent follow up visits went well.   Everyone there is so friendly.   Dr. Thomas removed the sutures.   
Ian is still recovering but this procedure was so much easier on all of us because of the love and care of Vet Surgical Specialists.   I would definitely recommend them if your animal needs surgery.  

Dr. Hay is wonderful.  My two dogs had surgeries within 2 weeks of each other. I chose Dr. Hay for both surgeries because I had used him a few years ago when my female began limping badly.  She had seen a couple of vets, had all kinds of tests run as well as  X-rays.  She was being treated for back or knee problem even though the X-ray did not show any real issues in her back.  After months of acupuncture, laser treatments, Chinese herbs, and pain meds, she was worse not better,  I was referred to Dr. Hay.  I was advised of all that would be done to determine a diagnosis including the cost to sedate her if necessary.  He took her away and returned in less than 15 minutes to show me the X-ray. He was so good with her that she let him do the X-ray without anesthesia. She had a partially torn anterior cruciate ligament.  He said he preferred to try Previcox  before putting her through surgery.  I agreed. Within a day she stopped hobbling and I had to keep her from running.  Sadly, in late 2013 she was diagnosed with a large mass on her spleen.  My vet said she had to have immediate surgery.  Dr. Hay had consulted on my male who had a chronic cyst on his toe that  was no longer manageable even though I tried just about everything for over a year including University of Florida vet college. We tried all types of treatments to no avail.  Dr. Hay recommended surgery and said he would do fine without the toe.  We had him scheduled, but had to bump his surgery so Dr. Hay could operate on my female because her spleen was in danger of rupturing.  Dr. Hay and his staff were wonderful.  She came through surgery just fine, although Dr. Hay sent the tumor to pathology which showed it to be a hemangiosarcoma.  The prognosis was not good. 2 weeks after her surgery, Dr. Hay operated on my male. Dr. Hay also neutered him while he was under anesthesia and did not charge me a separate procedure, but a fair amount.  My female lived 3 months after surgery and thanks to Dr. Hay I had those 3 months with her. My male adapted well to the lose of a toe.  Dr. Hay is a top notch skilled surgeon, as well as  very compassionate,  responsive, thorough and thoughtful.  The staff he employs complements him in all of the qualities he displays as a surgical veterinary specialist.

It would be hard to find a surgeon with more compassion than Dr. Hay
Dr Hay and his staff were very professional in treating our pet who had been in an auto accident
Our pet was somewhat of a Houdini and would escape from the brace designed to keep her hip in place
Dr Han was very patient and took great care to ensure our pets comfort.

We are happy to report that our pet made a ful recovery

The whole staff was very accommodating & pleasant. Dr. Hay did a wonderful job. Extremely nice & informative.

Surgical center clean, comfortable and attractive.  On initial consultation visit, reception and clinical staff were very friendly, kind and caring.  Our surgeon, Dr. Hay, reviewed and explained the x-rays which we had brought from our primary vet.  He too was very open, kind and professional in his demeanor. There are several different surgical procedures which can be used to repair this injury (what humans would call a "torn ACL") and Dr. Hay clearly explained his rationale for recommending  the specific procedure to be used.  The verbal, written, and web site pre-op and post-op instructions and information were excellent.  The wait times for the consultation, day of surgery and 2 subsequent post-op check-ups were all less than 10 minutes.  On the couple of occasions when I called with questions, I received an immediate response from a vet tech. or call-back within 5 minutes.  Everyone encountered in this practice was very knowledgeable, thorough, pleasant, kind, and professional.  My dog had an uneventful recovery and excellent results.  I would not hesitate to recommend Dr. Hay, his colleagues and staff to anyone whose dog or cat may be in need of surgery. 

We took Sophie our Pom to VSS for a second opinion about her right rear leg.  I came away satisfied as she, Dr. Thomas, was not cut happy and showed us the xray.  Sophie has an infection in her knee area that we are now going to treat with anti inflammatory drugs and antibiotics.  We had to pay a bunch but it was well explained and Sophie is on her way to mending. Thanks!

They were very friendly and took time to explain everything thoroughly.

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Dr. Thomas took her time and thoroughly explained the procedure.  She met with me and my dog several times to make sure my dogs recovery was progressing appropriately.

Great outcome!

The initial consultation was on time and the procedure was clearly explained. The doctor and the entire staff were sensitive to our feelings and were animal lovers. We were kept  appraised of the situation at every step.

Dr. Hay and his staff were kind and compassionate while addressing the leg injury of our golden retriever Jake.  They were knowledgeable and experienced in dealing with this type of injury.  They thoroughly explained the procedure and the after care required following the surgery.  I would highly recommend Dr. Hay and his staff for anyone considering any type of orthopedic surgery for your dog.  They truly love animals.

The surgery went very welll.  Winston had to stay over night and the staff  could not have been better at keeping us informed on his progress. When I picked him up, the  technician was very thorough and detailed as to his recovery for the next two months. A week out they callled to find out how he was doing and to let me know to call anytime.  I was very nervous about the surgery, but in the future I know that my dog would be in the very best hands if he should need their services in the future.

Dr Hay and his staff were excellent from start to finish.

This is our third time obtaining Dr. Hay's services, so needless to say, we believe him to be an exceptional surgeon.  Dr. Hay performed surgery to correct a torn ligament on our 8 year old dog.  In doing so, he had to do joint surgery and implant a titanium part in the dog's rear knee area as well as supporting structures.  Dr. Hay performed the identical procedure on the other rear leg over a year ago and the dog responded well, moving and running like there was no surgical after effects whatsoever.  I think so well of Dr. Hay's qualifications that we referred him to a relative and they too were extremely pleased with his expertise.  I also found that my next door neighbor had a hip replacement for her dog and she was highly complimentary of Dr. Hay.  I didn't rate Dr. Hay's cost as I have nothing to compare to.  But I definitely would highly recommend Dr. Hay.

Excellent.

Amazing!  This staff is so professional and the Dr took the time to educate me on what the process was.
My dog had her other knee operated on at another facility in November and we were not certain how well of a job they did.  
The Dr assured me that the other vet did a great job on her knee, and it still in healing time.  
They didnt take say anything ugly about the other vet office, which I thought was very professional.  
I scheduled the surgery, and I was hysterical (she's my baby) when I dropped her off.  The staff was so kind and comforted me while I was crying my eyes out.  They told me over and over to please call anytime I wanted to, so I could check on my baby.  
After she was out of surgery the Dr called me on my cell phone to tell me the surgery went well, and call back if I had any questions.  
I did call the office 4 times while my dog was there.  The attendant was so kind and sweet and never made it seem like I was bothering her.  
She would just re-assure me that my baby was fine, resting, went potty, and I was so happy.  
Now we are 1 week later, and her leg is healing, but she's doing amazing.  I'm in St. Pete and have no problems traveling to Tampa to see them.  (Fingers crossed that we dont need to) 
But if you have to bring your furbaby here for anything, they are in the BEST hands!  :)

First, let me say that Dr Callum Hay and his entire staff are are incredibly kind, compassionate, and brilliant. From making the first appointment to Xena's final recheck visit, the staff at VSS were just wonderful. My Great Dane's vet at Banfield Animal Hospital basically told me that there was nothing we could do as the cancer had most likely spread to her lungs and surgery would require her leg to be amputated. A dear friend recommended Dr Hay and his staff to me for a second opinion, and thank goodness she did. Dr Hay was very honest and caring with us, respecting our desire to preserve our dog's quality, not necessarily quantity, of life. During her consultation visit, Dr Hay x-rayed her chest, abdomen and leg. He did not observe any masses in her lungs and abdomen, and was confident that the tumor, which was the size of a grapefruit, could be successfully removed without having to amputate the leg. While he could not guarantee that the tumor would not come back, he felt that the surgery would certainly improve her immediate and long-term quality of life. Dr Hay felt that he needed to remove the tumor immediately, and she was scheduled for surgery the next day. James, Dr Hay's vet tech, explained everything to us and made arrangements for her to stay the night so we would not have to drive her all the way back the next day. They kept her for a total of three nights, calling me everyday with an update on her condition. It's been three weeks since the surgery and our Xena is back to being her old self, which involves regularly "picking on her brother", our male Great Dane, Hayden. There is no doubt that Dr Hay saved and has extended her life while maintaining the quality that was so important to my husband and I for our big girl.

8 yr old rescue dog - poodle mix - Roscoe - tore tendon & meniscus. Walked for 7 days on 3 legs & finally did not want to walk. Surgery a must.

Dr. Hay and his staff are terrific...very pleasant, professional and always willing to help and answer questions.

Dr. Callum Hay and his staff are absolutely wonderful!  We are so grateful for the surgery to repair our dogs knee and for the expert follow up and kindness shown to dog during her recovery.  We are extremely impressed by the way Dr. Hay and his staff
responded to questions, concerns or issues.  They always made time to talk with us or to see our dog.  This was truly comforting, especially during the ?leg in a cast? portion of her recovery.  The love and compassion for animals was apparent in every.  We truly appreciate the care, concern and overall VIP treatment given to our precious dog.  We always felt that her health and well being was the #1 priority!  We are so happy to see our fluffy bundle of joy run, romp and play again!

They were great. The office worked with our schedule and took care of Thor as if he was their own.