My elderly dog had some unexplained ailments. I wanted her examined by an internal medicine veterinarian. Dr. Miller is with VA Veterinary Specialists based on Charlottesville, but she held appointments in Lynchburg once a week. 
She proclaimed that my dog had a brain tumor because the dog's head tilted to the right.  She did not offer advice on how to proceed with such a DX.
After the vet visit, I went to my online support group and they asked if Dr. Miller had examined my dog's ears and done various other tests. I said no. Based on the group's suggestion, I went to my primary care veterinarian. That vet did look in my dog's ear and found an infection. After a course of antibiotics, the head tilt disappeared. (My primary vet is Dr. Angela Holley, who does provide good, caring services).
My visit with Dr. Miller wasted a good deal of money and needlessly upset me. Her diagnosis was just plain wrong and based on sloppy process..

We sought out the Virginia Veterinary Specialists on the recommendation of our regular vet, Nigel Bray. Dr. Wheeler and his staff met with us on short notice after our dog's injury, thoroughly explained the surgery he would perform on our dog after examining her and viewing her xrays, scheduled the surgery for the next day, and phoned us after the procedure to report on her status. He emphasized the long, slow healing process. He kept her overnight for observation (Virginia Veterinary Specialists is next door to the Emergency Veterinary Hospital so our beloved pet was in a facility that is fully staffed overnight, which is unusual for a veterinarian) and his most excellent vet tech, Cindy, explained the range of motion exercises and the medications for our dog. Our dog is healing as predicted so far.

1. Virginia Veterinary Specialists were incredibly compassionate and professional, which is a great combination. A few days after surgery, Oz got his 'shield' off and managed to reach his stitches. VVS checked him out to make sure that everything was ok, and also fielded numerous worried phone calls as well. We felt that we could not have had better care, so although the prices may be expensive, there is not a doubt that Oz received the best care we could find. They are 50 miles away from where we live, and we would not hesitate to bring one of our pets there again, but I hope that none of them will require surgery in the future!

Virginia Veterinary Specialists succeeded where my local veterinarian failed, and gave my 13 year old cat Maverick one of the best years of his life. I was referred to VVS in January 2013 after unsuccessful treatment at my local veterinarian. When Maverick's vitals crashed and I ended up at an emergency vet clinic, they referred me to VVS under suspicion that Maverick's original diagnosis was not correct. In fact, they were right. Dr. Jones, one of the internal medicine specialists at VVS, saw Maverick right away. She immediately went to work diagnosing his strange collection of symptoms, never once hesitating to seek the answer due to his age. She was just as urgent in her approach to treating my and quot;oldand quot; cat as I imagine she would have been with a younger cat. Sure enough, his original diagnosis was incomplete, and her course of treatment and critical care saved Maverick's life. He recovered completely and had a fantastic year with near-kitten-like quality of life.
Unfortunately, Maverick was an unlucky cat, and in August 2013, he came down with a bizarre fungal infection not typically found in Virginia (unrelated to his initial illness). He was again misdiagnosed at my local vet, and I should have just gone straight to VVS. Once at VVS, Dr. Jones again worked with Maverick. She was absolutely puzzled by his case, as unlikely as her diagnosis would be - but she trusted what she saw, sent out for some tests, and sure enough - she was right. Maverick was hospitalized, and Dr. Jones let me spend the entire afternoon sitting beside his oxygen chamber as she tried to treat the infection. Sadly, the fungal infection was extremely aggressive, and Maverick just didn't have enough fight left in him. Dr. Jones was incredibly compassionate throughout the entire process, and always took the time to explain things thoroughly and answer every question I could think up. The staff made a paw print imprint for me on his last day, and let me spend all the time I needed with him to say goodbye. The crematory they work with produced a beautiful keepsake package.
I can't say enough about how excellent the diagnostic care at VVS is, particularly with Dr. Jones. She nailed two very tricky diagnoses, and did so with care and compassion. I completely trust VVS. Dr. Jones is a brilliant diagnostician and one of the nicest, most caring vets I've ever met. The entire staff, from the front desk to the vet techs, is friendly and caring. I could cite a dozen other reasons why I am so happy with and trusting of VVS. The quality of care and diagnostics is worth every penny.

They met with us ahead of time and carefully explained the procedure and the goals of her treatment. They did not rush us through the initial visit and answered all our questions well. Nice folks! The surgery went well, and she has made a full recovery so far....

Dr. Wheeler is the one who did the surgery, and he was wonderful. He really cares about the pets. He is very thorough, caring, and professional. The staff at the clinic and the doctor are on call to make sure your pet is doing okay after the surgery. I thought the price was reasonable.