Animal Specialty Center

My sister was kind enough to take my cat Xena to ASC for me on Sunday 5/31/2020 while I was stuck at work, at a covid response unit. My sister, not being a medical personale, could not explain, or did not understand well enough to explain to me what was wrong with Xena or why we had to leave Xena at ASC for 1-2 days. We asked to speak to the doctor again. Dr. Spiller was EXTREMELY RUDE and REFUSED to elaborate on my cat's condition, stating, " I JUST had a 10 min conversation with your sister about this, I'm not repeating myself , WHAT DO YOU WANT TO KNOW." I was taken a back by her attitude but ignored it and asked her, "what is Xena's condition?" She went off AGAIN, " I JUST had a 10 min conversation, there should be one point of contact, I'm not repeating myself again, ask the person I spoke with before." I told her she was being rude. She didn't care and continued with the same attitude. If Doctor Spiller can't handle the heat of critical care work, she needs to stick to wellness visits at Petco. There is no excuse for her misconduct and refusal to render proper care. In a field and situation that requires much compassion, Dr. Spiller not only lacked empathy but could not take the time TO DO HER JOB. In the same amount of time it took for her to get her attitude with me and lecture me about one point of contact which we were not informed about ahead of time, she could have answered my questions about my cat's condition. I chose to discharge my cat and seek veterinary care at Animal Medical Center. If THIS is the type of attitude that represents ASC, why would I leave my animal, MY XENA  in their care? They also still charged me 190 dollars, though they did not render any care to my cat. They also 0refused to give me my cat until I paid. Let's not forget the receptionist gave us a fake doctor's name when we asked for the doctors name again. What was it again? Dr. Vinomini? Luckily, I remembered the name from the phone call AND it was written on the invoice. What a bunch of jackasses. No one with that attitude should be in a position which requires patience, empathy and love. I am a healthcare professional and I would never treat anyone this way.

My dog was in excruciating pain in their care and later died They are a horrible place Don’t ever bring a pet there unless you want them to die They are thieves and murderers and so uncaring!

Awful they had me waiting and I couldn't see my dog They had 2 young girls. Telling me what had to be getting done rather then the dr I wanted to be with my dog and the said no They gave me back my dog scream in They were going to charge me over $5000 for a day and half stay

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Dr. Mitterman was called in and operated at 4:30am to repair that issue and check for any additional internal problems that may have resulted from the condition. My dog is 14, but still very energetic with no other major medical problems so we decided to move forward with the surgery.  Dr Mitterman called us at home right before she began (they sent us home prior to the surgery)  to go over the surgery, and called us 2 hours later as soon as it was over. She also called us again midday and before she left for the day. Then she called the next morning, had us come in for a visit and met with us when they discharged her the next day. Not surprisingly, she also called later the day we brought her home to check on her once again. The communication was great and was always from the surgeon Dr. Mitterman herself - couldn't have asked for better follow-up - we were never left wondering how she was doing when she was in the hospital. The people (especially Dr. Mitterman and Joe) were very caring and professional.  would definitely recommend them in the future.

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We went into the emergency room and they took it from there. The vets and the staff were very good. It was just very expensive.

I was very happy with their services.

I am specifically impressed by them. They are expensive; but they are very thorough and very conscientious. It is kind of an emergency service, but it is also 24 hours; so anytime my cat gets sick, I know I can take him there. They charge additional because it is an emergency service. They work well with another animal clinic, in case of regular care. When there is an emergency, they charge additional up front. The price is fair. The 24 hours make the difference.

My dog started acting different, lets say touchy and grumpy, and then had a seizure. Our vet recommended the Animal Specialty Center in Yonkers to have our dog checked out as all tests showed as normal. I had looked up ACS on-line and was surprised to see a lot of negative reviews and nothing on Angie's List. The reviews described the place as uncaring and just wanting your money. We went anyway as it really was the only place in the area that looked like they could diagnose the problem . I expected, based on the reviews, to be rushed through, pushed into the most expensive option, with little discussion, and to not be able to see our dog after surgery.

•  -- Both Dr Berg and also Dr Lopez were very patient and spent a lot of time answering all our questions. We never felt rushed or felt they were trying to push our decision.
• -- Dr. Berg was extremely knowledgeable, down to earth, easy to talk to and really seemed to care
• -- After the brain surgery Dr. Berg called twice a day updating me on how he was doing
• -- ACS actually asked me when I'd be come visiting our dog (i.e. suggesting that I should come) and I was brought right back to where he was staying so I could see his living quarters and was able to take him out outside and sit with him in his kennel for awhile

I felt the entire time that my dog was in the best possible hands, that everyone who worked there cared about what they were doing, and that at any time I had any questions I would get very thoughtful answers.

• My actual experience was excellent and totally different than the bad reviews I read on the web.  Our doctor who worked with us and performed surgery was Dr. Jason Berg and the guy is a rock-star in my book! My vet office couldn't believe my dog actually lived after they found out he had a brain tumor. 
• Our 9  year old dog was given 3-6 months to live and was walking around like a zombie and grumpy and now he's just like new. Warning - our dog is happy and bugs us to play a LOT!  I guess not having a headache any more has made him a lot happier.

(I hesitate to put too much information, as I do not want to be identified!!) My pet had a situation come up that required tests and neurology specialist information -- this is pretty much the only place to get these services. I had a list of very expensive things presented to me (not alternate options, just a laundry list of things I and quot;shouldand quot; do). After considering all the information, I asked for an alternate plan first and if that didn't work, then try the expensive plan. Not only was I told no, but I was told that my idea was unethical to my dog because in the time we would be spending trying this other option, the condition could worsen. (I do not take lightly to being told I am being unethical. Also, this is MY pet. It is MY decision on how much I would treat the pet vs. choosing not to treat. I carefully considered all of these things when suggesting this plan and I also had a gut feeling what the outcome was going to be.) I caved and spent all the money and in the end, after spending all the money, we went with the plan I suggested in the 1st place.
I understand pet health concerns are emotional and be assured that this isn't me reacting to that, or just to the cost. It is the fact that I was completely dismissed when in the end, I knew what was best. Bad patient and customer care.
I have found that when I have gone to this center to pick my pet up, I have to wait a long time, even when it doesn't require me to see a doctor.
I have also found that when I have been told I would get a call, I have had to call myself because no one ever returns my call and it typically takes me up to a day or MORE to finally get the info I need -- this may not sound like much but when you're waiting for life-or-death test results, IT IS AN ETERNITY. When I do finally get ahold of the doctor, I typically get told something along the lines of, and quot;Sorry it took so long to call. We had a lot of emergencies.and quot; Well of course you do -- you're a specialty/24 hour center. I AM ONE OF THEM!!!
Many of the vet techs are fabulous. Too bad they work here. I think this place aspires to live up to the statements they make about themselves but I cannot recommend this place to anyone and will avoid it at all costs. Cornell University Medical is the best -- Stamford, CT. They are still growing and don't offer all the services of ASC but in time, they will.

They were very comforting to us. They explained the situation and give us our options. We had to make our decision. They were wonderful. If we have a funeral provider who is compassionate and caring when we lose a loved one, it could make the experience a little less painful. It was the same way with them. They were just very professional. The made a very difficult time a little bit less difficult and it could have been otherwise. Our cat had a congenital heart condition which was not picked up in any regular exam because the cats can hide their symptoms very well. The doctors told us that with the heart condition that he had, he probably wouldn't make it for more than three or four months after that anyway. So we had to do the right thing and put him down. It was very painful when it happened. But the folks at Animal Specialty Center did a really nice job of making it as painless for us as it could be. The price included the examination and the cremation. I really don't have anything to compare the price to because I have never really had another animal go through that.

Ryan came through the procedures very well, and was placed on prednisone and a hydrolyzed diet. His weight steadily increased and he is now back to his pre-illness weight. He's alert, bright and energetic. We're in the process of tapering him off the prednisone and hopefull we'll be able to manage his condition(s) by diet alone.

They have been open for just a few years. They are not for regular checkups or anything like that for your animal, but they are a 24/7 for emergencies. There are no bad experiences. They are very professional. They have all kinds of specialists if you are an animal lover and you need to get a specialist for eye or cancer. It is like a little hospital like for people but for animals which is similar to the one in the city. At one time for some reason, my regular vet's waiting room was full when I called to bring my dog in. They told me to go to Animal Specialty Center, and they called to inform them that we were going there. We went over there, and it was perfect. I also had two dogs that were real old and had to be euthanized. It was done very professionally. It was a very nice experience as good as that experience could be. If you go there after midnight, the door is locked, but there is a button that you can press and someone comes out to let you in. They have a veterinarian there 24- hours a day.

See above. Stay away from these people.

The appointment went better than I had expected. I found Dr. Ting to be extremely thorough in both his examination (x-rays, too) and explanation of my dog's condition. He was also very sensitive to the pain my dog has been in and my overall concern.
Ultimately, Dr. Ting explained that my dog could be treated with a variety of medical options before considering something as radical and costly as surgery. That came as a huge relief. Before the visit I worried that I would feel pressured by a doctor (particularly a surgeon) to seek surgical treatment as the only reliable option. I was, therefore, surprised and gratified.

would not recommend the Animal Specialty Center to anyone! First experience-Jan11-Our regular vet sent us there because my dog was getting worse despite medicine . At the Animal Specialty Center diagnosed with stage 4 Lymphoma. The vet said that she had a chance for recovery, so we started treating with chemo. We visited our dog every day she was in hospital. After 1 week, we were told we could take our dog home. Picked her up there at 630p, and after 2 hours at home, she began to have trouble breathing. We rushed her back to the hospital. The next day, we were told that the Lymphoma had spread to her lungs and there was no hope. We had to put our dog down at only 8 years old! Why did they tell us she was responding to treatment? bill was ofer $4000.00 and we can't afford to pay.

Next case-My husband took in a stray dog (after taking her to the vet to get checked out) who seemed to be ok around cats. However, one day, the dog chased the cat and got her! When I got to our cat, she was in the dogs mouth! After getting the cat out of dogs mouth, we rushed the cat to the Animal speciality center because it was the closest emergency vet. We were told our cat was critical, but the next day (Sat), when we visited our cat, we were told by the vets that the cat was doing a lot better but still had to stay in oxygen. hen we visited on Sunday and the vet said our cat was doing much much better and was expected to recover. But, since our cat didn't want their food, I was asked by the vet if I could go home and get something our cat would like. I came back with chicken. Our cat looked a lot better when I left the Animal Specialty Center that night. Later, I got a call from the vet that our cat had actually gotten up and had a drink of water. But, the next morning (monday) at 3:45am, we got a call from the vet telling us our cat was in cardiac arrest and did we want them to perform cpr. I asked what happened as our cat was doing better. The vet's answer was and quot;we think the cat was given too much fluid.and quot; I questioned furtuer, and then the vet said and quot;but we corrected the fluid situation.and quot; I don't believe the vet! I think that our cat was given too much fluid! Our cat died and then more problems started. Because my husband and I had both been bitten by the cat when we were trying to get her out of the dog's mouth, we had to go to the emergency room and the bites had to be reported to the health dept. When the health department called Dr. Patterson at the Animal Specialty center, she would not confirm that our cat had been vaccinated against rabies and would not confirm that our cat did not die of rabies.. I clearly had told the receptionist that our cat had all her shots and was an indoor cat! So, the health dept wanted to test our cat for rabies by cutting off her head. It was awful! Our regular vet sent my cat's health record to the health dept., and also spoke with them saying there was no way our cat had rabies because she had all her shots and was an indoor cat. Finally the situation was resolved by us signing a release saying we will not hold the health dept responsible if we got rabies from the cat. Orignial estimate for our cat's care-$1500.00. Actual bill $4800. We pad some of it but 1) don't have any more money to give them because husband's out of work 2) don't want to pay them because we beileve it was the Amimal Specialty Center's fault that our cat passed away as we believe the vet's first statement that they gave the cat too much fluid.

Now, we just got a letter from the Animal Specialty Center that if we don't pay the total balance of $5900.00 (we already paid $2.000+ toward this bill within 2 weeks, they will send it to collection. I tried to tell them that we could only afford $75-100 per month as my husband's out of work but they said no, they want $350.00 per month, and will accept nothing less. Someone from the Animal Speciality Center has called us several times about the bill. When we call back, never can talk to us. We leave a message, and they don't call back! Won't work with us!

So, we brought 2 animals to the Animal specialty center within 3 months, and neither one survived! We have nothing to show for the money we paid!

Iffice visits and treatments are expensive, but my dog is responding well so the costs seems worth it so far.

This is a specialty referral hospital, also a 24/7 emergency center. Two of my experiences were evening emergencies. Both times my animals were immediately taken by the doctor for evaluation. A fairly accurate estimate high/low was given promptly and a sizable deposit required. My consult with the neurologist was equally efficiently handled, testing was elimination of various possibilities, starting with least invasive and least expensive, specific blood work, ending with muscle and nerve biopsy. Staff is friendly, compassionate and abundant. Doctors were caring and efficient. Final example of compassion was the surprising lack of a bill for the euthanasia of my Panda. It's a comfort to have a facility like this so close to home.