Veterinary Emergency & Specialty of Tidewater

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Kelly Chandler

via Google

VEST provided incredible care for our dog after eating something he shouldn’t have. They acted quick, were friendly and thorough, and gave great direction. So thankful for their team!

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PinkChemist

via Google

They took such good care of my baby, Tuffy, when he was admitted for gastroenteritis. It’s a huge relief to find a team you can trust during a crisis. This will be the first place I go in an emergency though I truly hope we don't have to go in again!

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Brenda Powell

via Google

I highly recommend VEST. My dog was sent there from another ER vet in NC due to sepsis caused by failed intestinal surgery 5 Day earlier. I wish I had been referred to VEST for the initial surgery. It started with foreign body obstruction and we came very close to losing him. Everyone there was very friendly, knowledgeable and compassionate. Vet technicians, Natalie and Ashlee were especially helpful in explaining everything to us. They and the veternarians kept us updated on Hunter's progress. I am so thankful to all of the staff for saving his life.

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Sarah Hopkins

via Google

I brought my male cat here on a Friday around 11pm due to a urinary issue. My cat was growling and howling while licking his genital area. He was unable to urinate. When I called, the staff answered right away and advised me to bring him in. I waited for about 30 minutes to an hour (I don't remember exactly because of the adrenaline). The other patrons I sat with were amazing, we talked to each other and I feel like it helped us stay calm. I was shaking while I filled out the paperwork. They came to get my cat. I sat in the lobby for a while before they brought me into a private room. The vet came in after about 15-30 minutes (again I was so anxious I would not be able to give a perfect estimate). The vet was incredibly kind, let me know my cat's urethra was not blocked. The vet tech who came in was amazing. I wish I got her name. She explained the diagnosis to me and even gave me a sticky note for a water fountain that worked for her cat with FIC diagnosis. They gave him a buprenorphine injection for the pain and sent us home with an oral med for his pain. Unfortunately he did get worse the next day. In the evening he got into my bed and refused to eat or drink. I put a litter box in the room with food and water and closed the door to ensure he didn't have any stress. I decided to call the vet again and ask about his symptoms. They again answered immediately and recommended that I bring him in that evening. I brought him back and the staff triaged him appropriately. He was seen within 30 minutes. They again brought me to a private room. At this point I was not as stressed as I was the previous day, so I remember the doctor's name. Dr. Abernathy was amazing and explained everything at each step. The doctor came in a few times before the vet tech came in with an estimate. They let us know that typically people do not have the funds straight up for the treatment and let us know about Cherry, a 0% APR (for certain plans) payment plan. We signed up for cherry and only paid the first month's deposit straight up. The receptionist was amazing also, very comforting through the entire thing. They call and give updates about every 12 hours, but answer immediately if you would like an update from the vet techs before then about general treatment questions. As a customer, I have read the negative reviews of this emergency vet. Many reviews complain of the money required to treat their pet. They say that the staff either pressured them into the payment plan or to euthanasia. What I can say is that even if that is the case, veterinary offices are businesses unfortunately and do require payment or else they will lose money and be unable to operate, so maybe we should fight for more funds to be given to veterinary offices to save animal lives. You cannot just leave the cost to the people who operate the clinic and treat the patients or else they would be paid nothing. This is on all of us. Human hospitals receive way more funds if the bill isn't paid which is the difference. It isn't because the vet doesn't care. I'm sure that the euthanasia talk after an estimate for care is an attempt to get the patient to stop suffering if the owner will not pay for treatment. I do not discount anyone's experience or feelings, but please think of the staff before you make comments that are out of emotion. Every staff member I met cares deeply for animals.

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Dawn Miller

via Google

I would prefer to rate them zero stars but that wasn't an option. My local vet on Hatteras Island recommended we take our puppy there for weekend care because there is no where that does weekend care where we live. Our dog just had exploratory surgery the day before and hadn't been able to keep anything down for 3 days. We had been taking her for daily IV treatments while waiting on biopsies. My vet called and sent her records to VEST. I drove her another hour and a half up there (3 hours from home). After waiting for 4 hours they said it would be $8,890 to keep her over the weekend. They wanted to redo testing we had done in the last 24 hours and padded that bill with miscellaneous, duplicated, and unnecessary items. I took her back to our vet and unfortunately we made the painful decision to let her go as she had deteriorared so much more and I am sure those extra 7 hours at VEST (including our drive time) with no fluids or meds didn’t help. If your fur baby needs help go anywhere BUT VEST.

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Christina King

via Google

I cannot thank you enough for all of your hard work, your guidance, your honesty, your compassion, trying to save Louie's life and being with us through the hardest decision we've had to make.