HORROR: HORROR. On Friday, June 17, 2016 Dr. Julie Stephens diagnosed my 3 lb Chihuahua Zoe, with Pulmonary Hypertension after performing an echocardiogram. On Monday, June 21, 2016, my beloved dog passed away in my arms at 1am. That's 3 days later. Dr. Stephens and Dr. Carlyn Reynolds (Cardiologist) gave my dog Viagra and the blood thinner (Plavix). A protocol that I can't find anywhere on the internet. The standard protocol for Pulmonary Hypertension is Viagra, no where can I find a Vet who combines it with blood thinners unless it's believed that the dog has been clotting or will clot, which was not the case with Zoe. Within 48 hours or 2 doses of Plavix my dog had a massive vestibular syncope, Dr. Reynolds and Dr. Stephens decided to keep my dog on Plavix even though I found out after Zoe passed, in their internal records, that they believed that Plavix may have caused an internal bleed, which I now believe was the cause of Zoe's pre-mature death. Dr. Stephens decided to keep my dog on Plavix even though I found out after Zoe passed, in their internal records, that they believed that Plavix may have caused an internal bleed, which I now believe was the cause of Zoe's "pre-mature death". If Dr. Stephens and the other Doctors at VESC suspected a bleed, they should have told us to stop the Plavix to see if her condition improved. Also, had she told me about the bleed, I would have stopped the Plavix myself. Maybe saving Zoe's life and the last 24 hours of intense suffering. Zoe had every symptom of a "Plavix Induced Hemorrhage" and they missed the symptoms. In my opinion Dr. Stephens was a coward and lacked empathy. As Zoe's family we had a "right to know" the full extent of her condition, but she even explain to us what Pulmonary Hypertension was. She didn't tell us that if we took Zoe down to sea level (instead of where we lived at 7,200 feet) that she may have lived longer due to increased oxygen levels (which we would have done within 24 hours). All she gave us was "false-hope" with medicine and sent us home, with no explanation. What Dr. Stephens stole from my family was Zoe's last 2 days on this earth. For this, I will never forgive her because I can't get those 2 days back. Zoe's last 2 days would have been very different. We would had a chance to say goodbye and spend more quality time holding and kissing her. But Dr. Stephens robbed us of that. Now we are left without closure and wounded hearts. My family is still heart broken and grieving, all these months later. I would never recommend taking your dog to The Veterinary Emergency & Specialty center of NM because of my family's horrible experience.

All I can say is. Thank you!!❤Thank you so so very much to the entire staff at Veterinary Emergency & Specialty hospital!! Honestly words are noy enough to explain how grateful I am for all the techs,Dr's, surgeons,staff and the care they gave my fur baby! They were amazing from the minute we walked in and so attentive to my fur baby and I, mind you she is a Blue nose Pitbull so we are constantly judged by EVERYONE! but not the staff there! They were all so very sweet and kind to her, and didn't treat her any different. So she did end up having to have Emergency surgery which was very pricey but not once did they ever make it about money also the Dr DID give me options to help me with what was affordable (at that point I didn't even care I just wanted my baby to feel/get better no matter the cost) she did end up having surgery and staying overnight. They called and explained everything once she was finished and were very informative before during and after. All in all I would recommend they were awesome and they SAVED MY BABY'S LIFE! Now our Princess is home, she does have a long road ahead but we trust in the Good lord she will fully recoverf Thank you to everyone that played a part in saving our baby's life Love, Diamond& family

We woke up Easter morning to our corgi, Padfoot, being extremely lethargic and not eating. We took him and to find he had swallowed a foreign body. Attempts were made to avoid surgery, but in the end it was necessary. The first night the surgeon called us and everything appeared to have gone great. The next morning he wasn’t doing well again. We continued this roller coaster of ups and downs with him. On Wednesday the staff allowed us to come back in to see him. We got lots of cuddles and love. The vet came in and sat on the floor with us and talked to us about prognosis. She was gentle and kind. She explained at this point he would either start to get better or continue to decline. He hadn’t had anything to eat since surgery and was still on IV fluids and antibiotics. She told us she was going to start him on a very small amount of food and some medication to help him jumpstart his gut. Thursday he was looking much better and we were finally able to take him home. He has healed beautifully and is back to his normal playful self. I’m so thankful to all the doctors, techs, and everyone who helped save our guy! We appreciate it more than you could ever know!!!!

0 starts. Dr. Weidner (ER Vet) demonstrates very little beside manner and compassion. She shows more interest in payment than the care of your animal. Rude unresponsive staff. Astronomical prices! They charged me $1850 dollars for one night stay and fluids for my dog. I had to pay before they would give him any care. I had nowhere else to go because everyone else was full. I explained this to Dr. Weidner because I didn't have $1850 dollars at my disposal, and she threatened to send my dog home without treatment if I couldn't pay. I ended up borrowing the money so that my dog wouldn't be sent home to die. They were going to charge $3000-$5000 for a surgery to remove an obstruction the next day. I took my dog to another veterinarian that I had found to have the surgery. At the second veterinarian my dog had testing done, surgery, and three nights in recovery with fluids and medications, and the total bill was $730.00 dollars! I payed more than twice that amount for a night's stay and fluids (minus the compassion and professionalism) at veterinary emergency and specialty! Going to report this practice to the Better Business Bureau.

We took our baby into The Veterinary Emergency & Specialty Center on the 18th of July for acting abnormal. I called ahead of time to ask if lab services were available. They ensured me that they were equipped with the staff to draw and provide white blood cell and liver function test results. After leaving our sick female King Charles Cavalier with them for several hours they were still unable to fulfill there promise. After talking to a provider they told me they also did radiology exams. I let the provider know I only wanted white blood count and liver enzymes tested. She got upset with me and told me to pick up my baby. She said she was fine and denied me the diagnostic reports. I looked up the laws for patient rights on retrieving results. I should have been giving my results after 10 business days. I am still without results. I think that my Zia never got the care they promised. Needless to say my baby passed away last Friday. This is disheartening. Please don’t trust your loved ones with is clinic. It’s sad to see how greedy and misleading a vet clinic can be.

I brought my kitty here on a close friends recommendation and they have been wonderful. They were very upfront with me about his condition and that he was in trouble. He was diagnosed with pyothorax which can be a fatal infection in the chest cavity. They made sure I knew everything going on every step of the way and contacted me twice daily for updates. They also listened to what I as the client wanted and didn't have a complex agenda to try and pressure me into spending thousands of dollars on invasive treatments before trying a less invasive route. That in itself speaks volumes that they listen to their clients and showcases they are compassionate do not view their clients/patients as an ATM. I highly recommend the doctors, techs, receptionist and the facility. They are all very sweet and wonderful. My kitty looks better than he did before he was sick. Definitely 5 star care and treatment. Your precious family member will be in great hands here. I trust them and that's saying a lot because my fur babies are all I have.

I had my toy poodle in for surgery of what they thought was a fatty mass. They called and said as routine they do an X-ray of her before surgery to make sure they are okay for it. When they did it should she has two spots on her lungs that appeared to be cancer and so they didn’t want to proceed with the surgery. The Dr talked to me some on the phone about it an said I could pick my poodle up. When I got there the put me in a room and I thought the Dr was going to come discuss things with me further but I was wrong. A young girl brought me my dog without her lease or harness and I ask is the Dr coming in to see me. The girl said no that the said all she needed to on the phone and I could just go pay the bill and get checked out. It was like they were all nice and concerned until they realized they weren’t going to be able to collect the $ 1900.00 for the surgery. Then attitude seem to change. I feel like it is just about the all mighty dollar.

Amended: Saw our regular vet today. Not only did VESC misdiagnose our kitty, she pushed hard for blood work that wouldn't confirm anything different our vet saw with her own eyes! DO NOT TAKE YOUR PET HERE! We recently took our beloved kitty in for palliative/intermittent treatment until we could see our regular vet. Upon finding he was critical, we were presented with a single option to do $500 bloodwork. KENDRA was abrupt, rude and impatient. While we're trying to process the bad news, she showed NO compassion what so ever. I asked if we could explore pain management until we get in to see our regular vet, her reply was, "What?! Do you want me to give him a fentanyl patch so he can sleep all day?!" Wow. I told the tech she needed to work on her presentation skills and her reply was, "Yeah, she can be abrasive when she does her thing." So the staff even knows she's harsh. Everyone else was great, just make sure she does not treat your pet.

This clinic does not know what they are doing. We took our cat here to get her checked out because she was not eating and moving slowly. We told the doctor she has had teeth problems in the past but the doctor told us she did not look at her teeth because she wouldn't let her. The doctor just told us she was dehydrated. When we took our cat home, we noticed bleeding from the right side of her mouth and are now taking her to another vet. The doctor should have realized that if the cat was not wanting her mouth touched, maybe there was the issue. Again, the doctor does not know what she is doing and for over a thousand dollars for no help this place is not good. Update: The other vet we went to informed us that our cat does have an infection and an abscess in her mouth. Can't believe this ER vet doctor didn't bother to check. This place is a complete scam and will not be back. No one should take their pet here as they do not care about pets.

I think the main problem with the care they provide is that it seems so uncaring. We all love our animals, but we can't afford to have everything done every time. When I needed to take my dog home on her first day after surgery because I could not afford another day (where the treatment offered was just hydration), the vet and vet techs were extremely rude and unprofessional. When I signed my dog out against medical advice, my husband and I were treated horribly. We were tapped out at $2500 and I felt I could make sure she was hydrated from home. My dog has done fine. Overall I think the medical service was fine, but the way we were treated was awful. Haven't they ever been broke trying to make the best decisions with limited resources? I can't imagine a vet tech has $2,500+ to drop in two days. The vet tech literally would not give at home care instructions because we "knew it all." I can't believe I paid so much to be treated like that.

If I could give zero stars, I would. We entered and no one told us anything, at all. Two hours later we asked just for an estimate, and we were told it’d be a while. We were okay with that. So we took our dog to go pee, since he’d been in the room for 2+ hours. The doctor who was previously never seen or heard from then hastened down the hall to chastise my girlfriend about bringing my “possibly infected dog out of the room”. We didn’t know any better, and there was no one out there. Immediately she was rude. She proceeded to say we had been “bugging her staff” and that she was “ annoyed because I have critically ill dogs and your dog is not”. I let her know I didn’t appreciate her tone and let’s just say things escalated. I wouldn’t have stayed anyway after hearing her speak to us. So rude! She’s either burnt out or soulless. She said her name was Ellen or Helen N. The desk staff wasn’t much good either.

WORSE EXPERIENCE EVER! I took my puppy in the other day. After $600 they did bloodwork and told me that she has a “respiratory illness” they prescribed her antibiotics and the next day her face was completely swollen and she could not breath. She was allergic to the medicine. I rushed her over and after about 5 hours (I was the only car in the parking lot) they wanted to keep her. They said this would be about 1,600. I was incredibly mad. She was not this bad before I took her in and now because of their mistake I have to spend so much. Poor Baby could not even walk. Long story short I took her somewhere else and she is great now and they were not overly priced. Also when they brought my baby out to me they had her walking. SHE COULD NOT BREATH. They truly do not care about your animal here. Side note I really am not a person to leave comments but this place needs to be reported.

Four hours later and still waiting on an update on my dogs condition, which was vomiting blood and diarrhea when I brought her in. Does she have an obstruction? Was she x-rayed? Sedated? I am told they will not contact me for another 4 hours, which is when the emergency doctor leaves for the night. Unbelievably NOT supportive or compassionate, despite what their telephone hold message said over and over and over again. For the prices they charge for their services someone should at least be able to look at her file and give me an update on what was done and what was found, as well as break down and spend a little money on a decent telephone hold loop. I've been here many years before when another dog of mine had an operation by Dr. Schwartz and I was pleased with the doctor, the surgery results, and the aftercare I received. This time, not so much.

We recently adopted Dan our 1 year old Great Dane and he sustained an old injury prior to being surrendered that made his hind foot very painful and he avoided using it. We took him to our vet who recommended Dr. Freeman for an orthopedic consult. She spent a long time with us explaining Dan’s options and weighing things out for his long term quality of life. I felt zero pressure from her to proceed with any medical treatment. We decided to move forward with surgery for Dan which required a digit amputation. The team took great care of Dan, he even got R2D2 artwork on his bandage! We are a few days post surgery, he’s back to his chipper self and the care team called to follow up to make sure he was doing ok. Dr. Freeman and the orthopedic care staff are incredible. I highly recommend them if your pet is in need of any ortho care.

Showed up tonight at 10:30pm to a 24 hour ER. Olivia calls half an hour after I’ve been checked in and sitting in the car, not to mention I received two calls prior to her because they needed my address, to tell me my dog who is throwing up blood can not be seen. She was extremely rude and should not be in customer service dealing with people. Not once before did anyone tell me they cut off patients. If they had I would have know the risk I was taking checking in the this hospital. Olivia went on to tell me that they were closed because just like all humans, they needed a break. I understand it was the night before Thanksgiving and just like her, the last place I wanted to spend my night was the veterinary ER. I was there because I had no choice, Olivia choose to work at a 24 hour ER and knew the hours going into that job.

I appreciate that they were open and able to see my cat in an emergency but the quality of care was low and the price tag was high. They kept my cat overnight to perform a surgery (stitch up a severe injury on her leg). The day after she came home, the stitches started pulling apart and maggots were coming out of the opening and out of her drain. I took her back and a different vet there cleaned that up. A few days later, all of her stitches had come out and we were treating an open wound (the vet had sewed up dead skin that couldn't hold). By that time I was able to get her in with our regular vet. The whole procedure had to be redone. When my regular vet redid the procedure it was 1/3 of the price. I used the 'contact us' button on the company's website to share this over a month ago and nobody has responded back.

My dog tore a deep 5" gash on his chest while we were out hiking. I brought him in on a Friday night for emergency surgery to stich up this gash. There was a considerable wait time but all of the employees seemed to be going as fast as possible and made it aware they appreciated my patience. They stitched up my dog and took care of the wound and sent me with detailed instructions for recovery. 2 weeks later I stopped in to have his stitches removed and he's completely healed from the accident. The waiting room is clean and overall the facility seems clean and kept up. The previous complaints about pricing are ridiculous. It's an emergency clinic so you should expect higher prices. And even with that, I was surprised my bill was not more than it was. Great clinic with a pleasant and knowledgeable staff.

Absolutely the worst experience. Both women working the front desk were rude as soon as we walked in, and complained that we were let into the clinic. We weren’t even greeted. Just ordered to fill out a form. They were cursing to each other, letting it be known they were upset we had arrived. Extremely unprofessional, and not experience you want to have when you are in an urgent situation worried about your pet seeking help, comfort & kindness. We waited for an hour in a dirty waiting room to see the doctor. Eventually we left, with the uncomfort and unprofessionalism we had experienced we knew we shouldn’t trust them with our fur baby. This was our only option being no other emergency vets were open at midnight near us. Trust the bad reviews and save you and your pet a bad experience.

I took my cat here this weekend after she started breathing heavy and didn't want to eat breakfast. The staff quickly took x-rays and saw that she was having an asthma attack. They communicated everything to me over the phone and I felt reassured that my kitty would be getting the best care. I requested they do some blood work as well, just in case, and they did. A few hours and lots of oxygen later, I picked her up from the clinic alongside a steroid to give her for the next few days. This is the second time bringing my cat to the Veterinary Emergency & Specialty Center of Albuquerque and both times she has received exceptional care. I can tell the whole clinic is busy but they always answer the phone and communicate clearly. I feel lucky to have found this place!

By far the worst experience at a vet. I asked for clarification on how they were going to examine my dog (1 year old Dutch shepherd). The tech verbalized she didn't know, Left in the room saying she would ask the doc and didn't return. 2 hours with no updates later i ask about my place in line and then was told since I refused the exam I can leave without being charged if I want or wait longer so they can muzzle my dog but I can't be there when my dog is being examined. The receptionists were great. The tech I worked with had 0 bedside manner with my dog for the 15 secs she was in the room. Who ever the doctor was couldn't be bothered enough to come calm a worried dog dads concerns and left untreated. 10/10 would avoid

I am absolutely disgusted with this place. My cat was attacked by several dogs. When I came in they let me know in no uncertain terms that it didn't matter that my cat was barley alive, if I didn't have money upfront, they would not even look at him. I begged and pleaded, telling them I had no problem paying, I just didn't have that much up front. They would not even consider billing me. I thought these people choose their field because of their love for animals. How do you sleep at night turning away crying owners and bleeding cats without treatment. If you have ANY choice but coming to Veterinary Emergency & Specialty Center of New Mexico. P

Worst experience ever! All they care about is money. I took my cat in for emergency since my cat has been wheezing/sneezing, fatigue, and so forth. Without examination, only vital taken, the vet proclaim my cat to have a few days to weeks of living before passing. Strongly suggesting to give my cat a death sentence. The vet never listened to our need and answered every question with “there’s nothing we can do.” Then charged us a ridiculous amount to just hear the Vet say…your cat is dying, I can put him down for you, but there nothing I can do to save him. Never come to this pet hospital, the worst of the worst!

I've taken my dog here twice in the years that I've had her and I can honestly say I had a wonderful experience both times. They did not do unnecessary procedures, the staff was very informative and friendly. They gave me options and advice on the situation, the price was very reasonable. When they called me (I was in the car due to covid restrictions) they explained everything very well. I love this emergency vet. I've also called when I had concerns about something and they were excellent over the phone and let me know how to handle a situation and when/If I had to bring her in. They have been great for me.

This is the worst emergency veterinarian clinic ever! I use the word emergency loosely at best. I'm on the highway trying to call to let them know I'm on the way. It's just an answering machine and NO option connects you to a person. Just a merry go round of options. So we just pull in because our dog is in dire need of help. There's NO ONE at the reception. My husband stormed out and we drove on to VCA down the road, where our beloved pet received excellent care. What an outrageous experience. I am informing our main vet to NOT recommend this place to anyone who actually needs medical attention.

My visit to them with sad I lost my love little Baby girl her name with sister, the care they took with her They were wonderful they did all they could to save her. They did the Cremation and they made me feel Like there were there for me and they cared it was easier for me. I picked up the urn and there was a card and little heart. Some paperwork it made me feel better I felt very comfortable with them. I have other pets that I would take their In any emergency I know that they are professional and caring and the prices were very reasonable and it was easy to find off Montgomery easy access

I ended up having to bring my Husky in for an emergency visit as she couldn’t stand or really do anything. The team here immediately began helping us and got her inside. Long story short, my dog was there overnight and I don’t think the team could have made me feel more comfortable about things. Every step of the way Dr. W called us after each step and explained everything. I love everyone that we spoke to and that worked on our baby. I’ve never had such a sweet, caring, and responsive team at any previous vets. Thank you all so much! (Especially Olivia at the front who was the kindest soul ever)

We walked in with our dying dog and were seen right away. They called STAT triage to the waiting room and were there in seconds. We were taken to an exam room and the vet walked in within minutes to give us an update- basically as soon as they had stabilized her airway and taken an xray. He told us what was going on and asked what we would like to do. The staff was amazing! They all expressed condolences and kept us up to date on everything going on. Hopefully we never have to use an emergency vet again, but if we do we are DEFINITELY going back here!

Never take your pet here if you’re not ready to say goodbye. Took my pet in today hoping to get some positive news and a plan to better the health of the pet and dieting this process we were discriminated and told we could not afford the care for our dog and we weren’t allowed to bring them back home THEY MADE US LEAVE OUR DOG to get put to sleep and still charged us for the entire fee. We did not want to leave the dog there and we were told multiple time we “ cannot afford “ to bring him home when we went for a simple check. Please never go here.

Great vet with a professional staff. We were seen very quickly, though that was most likely a function of the time of day we arrived (Saturday morning) and everyone from the desk staff to the doctor was professional and courteous. No unnecessary procedures were recommended and our concerns were addressed. Knowing that this option exists for us is a godsend as we live in Santa Fe where it is almost impossible to get in to see a vet during the weekend or after hours, emergency or not.

The vet care was amazing, the vet was awesome! That being said, when I got there I was told the tech would come out shortly. One hour and 11 minutes later the tech came. In the meantime, I watched people bring in crockpots full of what I assume was good..perhaps Easter Brunch? I’m not sure but making the dog wait in the car while people ate at an emergency clinic was unacceptable. Someone even changed their “open” sign to “closed” during this timeframe.

I would love to Thank the employee and the Veterinarian Doctor Lopez. She was very caring and helpful to my little Ginger. Who have a bad night. And luckily this Veterinary hospital was open, had to drive from Rio Rancho, The other Veterinary was closed. We arrived at 1am, left happy, that we took Ginger home. With her meds. THANK YOU very much. Ginger thanks you too.

I was traveling through NM and these wonderful people took in my unconscious 8 week old puppy. They took exceptional care of her and returned her to me the next day healthy and happy. They found a way to even make me laugh through a very stressful time. Thank you, we will never forget you! Love Poppy

brought my pup in that was sick with parvo after getting the test done at route 66. the vets were much quicker despite having so many other patients than route 66 and they were much more knowledgeable and willing to help in any and all ways. such amazing and compassionate staff!

It is definitely more expensive than a normal vet. I have had better experiences at other veterinarians by far. The treatment my dog received definitely did not match the bill. It is a catch-22 because it is justified. They're the only ones open past normal business hours.

Took my family dog in due to not being receptive of current diabetic diagnosis. Entire staff took the time to get medication dosage correct. Took a few days but well worth the time and money. She is a Puggle and family member for 11 years. Thank you to the entire staff.

They were so wonderful to me and my dog Daisy when she ate some chocolate. Everyone was so kind and compassionate and Daisy was seen immediately. I was so happy with the care that was taken of her. I’m really happy with our visit and definitely recommend this clinic

The worst place to take your pets. If you read your pets medical records they flip the script. I was told I was able to visit my pet that was in their care for recovery and got upset that I visited him when I was told it was okay to come in

Once they get your payment they just throw your animal to the side. It's all about money not animal care. Took my cat in to be treated, he is terrified of people. They treated him, took my payment and left him in the back for nearly an hour

We had a minor dog emergency on a Sunday evening but had to go to the ER as she was in pain and it couldn’t wait until Monday. Our care was exceptional from the front desk, to techs, to the doctor. It was a LENGTHY wait, as can happen. Our

Toke my 9 month year old puppy to this emergency because this was the only one open as she had an emergency because she had symptoms of parvo. We went into the room with the dog and the nurse that was taking vitals was very unprofessional

I just want to thank the staff that was there last night (6/5/18). Me and my fiancé had to make the hardest decision of our lives to put our dog bear to sleep. The doctor was the sweetest in helping us with our decision and making sure it

They are good, but our most recent experiences have not been good ones. They anesthetized my puppy for a needed surgery, then decided not to do the surgery because of a very visible rash. I understand not wanting to do the surgery but the

Our dog popped a stitch from an operation a couple of days ago. We took her here as recommended by our vet for after hours treatment. We got in right away, they looked her over promptly, and let us know that due to the location of her

Had went to this emergency clinic a few weeks ago because my dog was really ill and due to the current epidemic no other nearby animal clinics were going to be able to bring my dog in until the next day. I didn’t catch the name of the

10/18/202 is the date when my God taking my baby Sunny home in heaven, after 14 years of blessings being together. Please God taking my Sunny home. He is a very good loyal, behave, and loving son to me. Daddy missing you every second.

We had to have them put our dear cat to sleep, they treated all of us with compassion, late on a Friday night. It is a terrible thing, to have to make that decision, but our sweet cat no longer has to suffer.

This is the THIRD time we have needed the services provided here (the first was a specialty operation not an emergency). Every situation has been handled with tremendous care, expertise, and professionalism.

This staff was the friendliest to deal with when having to possible put a pet down. Thank goodness I didnt that day but the front desk still called to check on my pup and vet was just so helpful and caring♡

My little dog ate Tom Cat poison. When I arrived, they took him in right away and thanks to their great care I still have my Mr. Peanut!! I will be forever great full for their care and compassion.

My dog was very sick and I took him to this VCA clinic. I waited 8 hours and he had not been seen yet. I understand the most critical are seen first, but my dog was also critical. So my dog died.