The Emergency Vet was everything that I needed and more. When my dog's stomach flipped, we had to take him somewhere, but our usual vet was closed down. I chose this place for how close it was to me. When I got there, the ladies working there immediately gave us a waiting room and asked us for a summary. They then took my dog to the back and diagnosed him while I filled out paperwork. After the diagnosis, the vet came in to give me and my family our options. The part that impressed me the most was the vet's talk with us. She sat our family down and explained all the options. I genuinely had a feeling that they wanted what's best for my dog. If all she cared about was money, she would have pushed an expensive procedure as well as an equally expensive surgery and recovery process. Instead, she laid out every option, including the monetary burden each choice came with. She also gave her professional opinion, which was a stark difference from most expensive option. When we ultimately chose to euthanize, they brought my dog in and explained the whole process. There were no surprises, and they were very understanding. After the procedure was over, they offered each member of my family a complimentary clay imprint of his pawprint. They offered to give us his ashes, and even cut off a tuft of his hair. I was incredibly impressed with this company. Not only did they notice that we were having a hard time with our decisions, they acted accordingly, giving us time to talk and grieve and making sure that we, as well as our dog, was as comfortable as possible. They were completely transparent with every option and the prices of each option. I will definitely come back to this place again.

I had just moved to Raleigh when my dog had an emergency. I called VSH and told them I had an emergency and didn't know the area. They helped me locate the facility and were prepared for us by the time we arrived. My dog received excellent, timely care. The office staff was extremely friendly and helpful. My dog received the care he needed, with very reasonable charges and we were on our way back home to heal after minimal waiting. I strongly recommend this practice.

While our dog didn't end up having a life or death experience at VSH, we sure didn't know that going in. Our 10 year old, always-healthy lab hadn't eaten like his normal self for 3 days and had started drooling profusely and bleeding from the mouth. With great care, Dr. Dobbin went methodically through causes, ruled out the wrong things, and got our dog the care he needed. She was calm, caring, creative and careful: Everything we could have wanted in that situation. Our dog was checked out within 12 hours and we are so happy to have him home and on the mend.

About 3 weeks ago, my 10 year old Doberman was diagnosed with a splenic mass during a routine visit with my regular Vet. While they had performed these surgeries in office, my vet stated that it was major surgery and that he was happy to refer me somewhere that had round the clock care. So Coby went up to VSH and got an ultrasound of the mass to make sure there was no potential growth on other organs and we subsequently scheduled the surgery with VSH. The additional tests and surgery were significantly more than what I would have paid at my local vet but when I saw all the additional care they were able to provide, I would choose VSH again without a second thought. When Coby went in for his surgery check in, the Vet Tech met with us, encouraged us to ask questions, talked to us about anesthesia. They have about 5 different instruments to measure how your pet is responding to anesthesia. Additionally, a trained vet tech is watching your pet throughout the procedure. After the procedure we received a call from the surgeon saying Coby was recovering and that he might be up for visitors later that night. The next morning, they kept in great contact with us and we picked Coby up the next afternoon. The surgery was a complete success. My local Vet and VSH saved my Doberman's life as the mass had grown to a size where it almost had burst. Luckily, we got to it in time. The pathology report came back and the mass was benign. There were no hidden surprises in the cost. The cost was towards the lower end of the estimate and everything was included, surgery, anesthesia, 24 hour care, pathology, take home meds and suture removal. I have read several reviews regarding their lack of follow up....I did not run across that at all. Every time they said they would call us, they called. I do not hold it against them that they ask for payment up front. The costs associated with running a facility like this is a fair amount more than a standard vet practice. If they did not request payment up front....it would be too easy for misunderstandings. If your pet needs the very best in care....VSH is the way to go.

Will never go here again they only care about how they can manipulate people out of their money. I went there with a puppy that had already had multiple seizures within a short amount of time and was very lethargic. After they took the puupy to the back they said his vitals were good and neurological tests were good making it seem like he was going to be ok. They said they wanted to run more tests and said I needed to leave a $400 deposit after I did that the y called me a half hour later to tell me he needed to be euthanized. I went back to the hospital where they had me wait for hrs while they kept him in an o2 chamber charging me $71/hr, again the dog was in very bad shape. They ended up charging me $733.00 for a dog that was never going to make it anyways and then told me that I would have to pay another 300-400 dollars to euthanize and dispose of him. When they gave him back to me he was in just as bad shape as he was when I took him in there, it did not appear that they had done anything. They said they gave him a valium for seizures but he had another within 5 minutes from leaving there. I ended up taking him to animal control where they euthanize sick animals for free. When I told animal control of the ordeal he told me that the vet should have known with a puppy of his age (8 weeks) that he would never had survived that many seizures and if my some miracle he had he would have always had problems. They manipulated me out of alot of money and did nothing for my sick puppy. I would never recommend them or take another pet to them, I hope one day they will get what they deserve for manipulating people out of their money and playing on their emotions when it comes to their pets.