VERGI

When it came time to put my puppy down at 3:30AM, this office had nothing but the kindest people. They talked me through all my options in order to make sure I reached a well informed decision for my precious angel and I felt better knowing his last few minutes with me weren’t me panicking about what was happening. I didn’t think much of it at the time, but as I opened up my mailbox today almost 2 months later I found a note signed with all the employees at the hospital with kind words for my loss. I am blown away by the kindness and extra steps they took to let me know I wasn’t alone, even though I didn’t see it for almost 2 months! To the staff at Vergi - thank you for all that you do!! You made a terrible situation go in the easiest way possible. Will definitely be recommending them for any friends/family who have a pet that needs emergency services!

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I rushed my dog to the clinic because it was after hours for my local vet. My dog was yelping and crying in pain from a shoulder injury and I was quite frantic. I had to call for directions and the receptionist gave me great service and calmed me down. The vet techs were very kind and gentle with my dog. I warned the vet tech that she has been known to snap, but he handled her with care. The vet was very clear and helpful with her diagnosis. Financial issues were very upfront and professional. While it was more expensive than I had hoped, it was actually less than the estimate given. It took a couple of hours, but again, their time estimate was accurate. I would definitely take my animals here again for after hours emergencies.

Thought our cat was at end stage cancer from symptoms that presented over a one week period then worsened within hours on Saturday afternoon. We were reading everything we could online regarding her symptoms.
Referred to Vergi by Cat Vet for after hours care. I thought we'd be leaving without her. She had procedure with sedation and pain medication and was back in our arms within 3 hours. She is now recovering at home, we were given pain
meds for her, and it's a pretty messy situation. I don't believe a regular Vet would have done so much work on her so quickly and I think she would have been kept overnight. While Vergi does keep animals as long as necessary because they are 24/7, it's a different situation where customers aren't working around the vet office's business hours.
In all honesty the front desk staff is meh, very detached from the pet owners who come in, but owners can be really hard to deal with regarding their pets, maybe that's why, don't know. The Vet was professional, business like, thorough, and expeditious - she was pretty busy I think. This is an ER so overly personable bedside manner really shouldn't be expected. There is a lot of staff and I never felt rushed or left not understanding my cat's care and plan of action. I never saw the area where my cat was treated, she was whisked away, then we had a doctor consult in a private room without my pet, procedure completed, payment, out the door in a carrier that they gave us. I held her in my arms all the way there because she does not travel well in a carrier and we didn't expect to leave with her so we didn't bring ours. Animals can't talk so maybe her perspective would be different than mine. The bottom line is to remember where you are and why you are there.

Surgery on my older chihuahua

My dog injured his leg on July 4 at around 5 pm. He could not walk and wined. I called my Vet's number and he came VERGI as an afterhour emergency numer. I promptly took my dog to VERGI. They saw him immediately and within 40 minutes at most we were speaking with a Doctor regarding options and treatment. We were kept appraised and asked permission for each step they took. We were informed in advance of all costs. We left we the pills needed and detailed written instructions of what needed to be done. They called the next day and the following day to check on our dog. VERGI sent a written report our regular Vet.

I was referred to VERGI when the closest vet to my home (West Houston) was unable (due to another emergency) to provide care late on Thursday evening. I'd arrived home from work to find my female pekingese with an eye injury of undetermined cause - her eye was literally out of socket, with lots of swelling. VERGI was busy, and we had to wait a bit (understandably) as her condition was not life-threatening. She needed surgery to repair the eye and stitch the eyelid closed so it could heal. I was a bit shocked at the initial estimate ($700-900, NOW!) as it seemed a little high, and also caught me at a cash poor time. They agreed to reduce the charge just a bit by eliminating an overnight stay as not a requirement, but it meant I had to wait quite a while so I could take her home that night rather than return in the morning. So I paid $800. Anyway, she fared the surgery well, and was sent home with some really ugly stitches and an E-collar (which frustrated her quite a bit!) The vet was careful to explain ongoing care and the importance of keeping the E-collar on to protect her healing eye. Four days later she popped the stitch in the middle of the eyelid (still don't know how she did that, as the collar was on at the time). Now I had to take her back, for a minor surgery to place two stitches (one on either side of the missing middle stitch) to be performed only under sedation (no anesthesia). they wanted another $200 deposit for surgery. So I paid $200 and left her in their care, with the understanding that I would return shortly, as I had to run someone to the airport rather than wait there. I was on my way to pick her up when the vet called to say that my poor baby stopped breathing during surgery and they were trying to revive her. She then called AGAIN while I'm driving to tell me they'd lost her, she couldn't be revived, despite CPR and defibrillation. I cried all the rest of the way. They were very kind when I arrived, and gave me some time with her before I took her home. But they wanted another $120 for lifesaving efforts. I have not paid this, as to me it seems wrong to charge me for the second surgery, especially as she did not survive the procedure, and it was not life-threatening. They thought that she apparently had a bad reaction to the same sedative she'd had with the previous surgery, that she simply stopped breathing as soon as they administered it. Maybe I'm just grieving, but I'm having a hard time with an eye injury resulting in her death, with no clear explanation. I just think that perhaps she would have received better care at another hospital; perhaps a better suture job on her eyelid, or a larger E-collar would have been more protective so that no second surgery would be necessary, or even a possible medication mistake (?) in the second surgery would have been avoided. I also wish they had waited until I returned to their office to tell me she was in respiratory failure, and then that she had died, rather than while I was driving. I probably would not return here unless I had no other choice, and the condition was life-threatening.

I took two sick foster kittens in as an emergency early on a Sunday morning. One was having labored breathing and the other was not eating and had slmost liquid bowels. It took over 3 hours for anyone to even look at them and that was only a tech. Treatment did not start for several hours after that. I had to demand they get attention. They stayed all day and overnight supposedly on fluids and anitbiotics. I have my doubts since they did not improve at all and only got worse. On Monday, the kitten with the breathing issues was worse as was the other. I took both to my vet. The little guy with the breathing had pneumonia and there was nothing my vet could do. The lungs were full of fluid. Th treatment by the emergency vet did not include a chest x-ray and the kitten should not have been given fluids. The fluids just built up more in his little tiny lungs. Both kittens died. The other just did not receive the right care/antiobiotics and supportive care soon enough. It suffered long enough and I returned to VERGI to have her put down early on Tuesday morning. Again they were going to make me wait. I guote the tech: "she is not in agony, so there is no urgency". I flipped out! After a night of staying up watching her suffer, they wanted her to be in agony before they would end her suffering. They only care about money - demand it up front and then take their time in administering any care or even evaluating the pets. Houston needs a better alternative than this.

I took my mini Schnauzer in for seizures. I filled out her history, including her bladder stones, UTI, etc. In the 4+ months that I've had her, she hasn't had a seizure. I spoke with a tech who said they wanted to hold her overnight and monitor her. The estimate included a cather, lodging, a exam, blood work, seizure meds, and a misc fee related to seizures. I asked about the seizures meds, I was told she wouldn't be given any if she didn't have any more. I left her there around 4:30 pm 06/15/10.I call at about 11:15 am 06/16/10 to check on her. They said that she hasn't had any and that she is doing well, eating, etc. No vomiting or uncontrolled defecating. I asked about the bloodwork, they said her WBC were a little high, but it could be explained due to the stressful event. About 3:30, Dr. Seely called explaining that he had given her an US and discovered bladder stones and an another mass in her bladder and that he was sending it out. I reminded him that I already knew about the stones. I call right back. I ask why didnt he ask me if I wanted an ultrasound perfromed while they had me on the phone. He didn't give a really straight answer. I asked how much it was, he said $50. I asked for the total (I had already paid $600, based upon the estimate). He said that he couldnt, but the nurses would and call me back. They never did.I came to pick her up at 5:50pm. I told the nurse I was uncomfortable signing the discharge papers, let alone the invoice, she retrieved Dr. Cornelius. She walked in, we shook hands and she said to me, I hear there's a problem with Sasha. I said, no, just her invoice. I begin to explain. She explains to me that Dr. Seely did the urinalysis to be sure (?), and he did an additional one at no charge (?) because he just wasnt certain, because she didnt show any crystals. I explained on the chart that she had a history of stones/UTI (including SEVERAL urinalyses) and I also included her vet info. Why not just callthem ?Then she explains that because of the results, he did the US. While I am glad that I know there is a "mass", the clinic had ample time to contact me and ask permission. I had talked to them only hours prior and that said she was doing great. She shrugs her shoulders. I tell her while I know she doesnt care...she cuts me off, raises her voice and says that her 4 years in school should prove that she cares. I tell her that I dont appreciate her tone with me. I ask why she was given the meds for the seizures if she didnt have them, she said to me point blank, because shes going to have them again. I was like, do you know what's causing them? She said, no. I asked, well how do you know that she will have them again? She says we think its cancer or a lesion in her brain. This is VERY new information to me. I ask her, do you have any dogs? She says, two. I said, how would you feel if a vet did things w/o consent. She says she would be upset.Then she angrily asks what she can do to fix it.

These doctors are extremely caring and the clinic is run very very professionally. They evaluate each animal that comes in and life-threatening emergencies are rushed in to an exam room. If your animal has a less life-threatening emergency, you will probably have to wait. Sometimes for a couple of hours. But their system is transparent and fair. I would never hesitate to take my cats there (when my regular vet is closed).

The price was high, but that was expected since it was a holiday weekend and an emergency situation. Everything else was perfect. My dog had to stay for two nights and they made many calls to me with updates. They allowed me to come and visit him whenever I wanted to. They were very informative and gave me all the information I needed before I even asked about it. There was an on-call over night vet who also called me with information. The next day the technician called me with more updates. They were good about giving me price amounts and information. Even though I didn't like the price, it was a very good experience. There was a wait at the beginining but they did let me know that there would be a wait based on priority of the care needed for the pets brought in.

Our dog was bit by a copperhead snake on her muzzle. The whole side of her face became very swollen and she was obviously in a lot of pain. We took her to VERGI on a busy Sunday afternoon (there were at least 6 other patients in the waiting room). The sign at the front desk said that they prioritize how patients are seen based on the type of emergency, so they took our dog right in. Dr. Hartley attended to our dog and was very professional and informative. Our dog spent the night at the hospital, and the chart shows that they checked on her 5 times during the night and in the morning. Dr. Hartley gave us a call the mext morning to let us know that our dog was doing much better. When we checked our dog out the next afternoon, Dr. Hartley went over all of her test results, her medications, and home care. The technicians went over the charges in detail to make sure we understood what they were for. At checkout, we were given a packet that explained her treatment and medications in detail and included a copy of her medical chart. Our dog is 14 years old and I didn't think she would survive this, but she's doing great now and we are very thankful for the care she was given at VERGI. This was the first time we have ever used this clinic. The cost was $1000 (original estimate was $1250), but I hear that is much less than it would have cost at Gulf Coast Vet Clinic. Our girl is an important part of our family, so it was worth every penny to us. We will use this clinic again if we ever have another emergency. We saw a couple of other families in the waiting room that had to put their pets down, and the staff was very caring and sympathetic.

People and their pets were in the waiting room when I got there. A technician examined my cat to determine if his situation was critical, needing immediate action. It turned out that, on that particular night, my cat was not the animal needing immediate attention. There were several highly dramatic and emotional situations that needed veterinary expertise before my cat did. I waited 5 hours. They provided an itemized list of charges for every item and service before they provided them, and expected payment before the services were rendered. I was told that this method reduced the number of animals that were abandoned at the clinic.