Emergency And Specialty Animal Medical Center - 2864 Acton Rd

i visited the facility tonight.the one in macalla was a two hour wait,so they sent me to you. i brought in a 5 week old kitten,that had been attacked but a adult cat. the first thing they did after they took kitty back there was hit me with a price list.then once i sighned that i had to wait till thet xrayed her.they finally called me back there and told me what they were gonna do. they stitched her up and dosed her with pain meds. then more waiting for the recoeds and the bill. while i was waiting i overheard an employee telling a customer that she was a "dog" person and she did'nt like cats!!! i was already extremely upset and that was the last thing i wanted to hear.the workers that i dealt with were some of the coldest natured people!!!i hope i never have to use your facility again!!!!!!i love all my animals with all my heart and only ask that people who work with them be a little more compassionte. thankyou for listening.

Rose F Howell

I have nothing but praise for the experience I had last night/early AM. My Saint Bernard showed signs of torsion (bloat) at about 1:14AM. I called ahead, and they met me outside. They were very kind. I was alone (husband out of town-on his way home). They quickly evaluated him (with my permission) by Xray/blood work and gave me easy to understand facts. Dr. Dodi Jacobi was very open and honest and spoke to me and my husband (on speaker phone). There was no pressure- just facts. It seems that they beat the odds for us- surgically. The price (although higher than a day time vet) was very close to the minimum estimate that they gave me, and they gave me two copies of all records, and a CD of X-rays for my vet. They offered me coffee, water, and candy while I decided if I could wait for the 2-3 hour surgery. When my husband came to get our dog and take him to our primary vet, they were just as kind and professional. I think the outcome will be excellent, but either way, they did the right thing.

This place almost killed my cat! They gave her Tramadol and gave me the WRONG directions for dosing. She spent two days in intensive care at her regular vet trying to undo what this place did to her. She is now blind and has panic attacks. She was perfectly healthy except for a UTI before they saw her and now my sweet, playful, loving kitty has been replaced with a terrified feral stranger. My regular vet told me that Tramadol should NEVER be given to a cat. AVOID THIS PLACE!!

My small male mixed breed dog got into an alcohol based wet wipe and drained all the juice out of it. He was having a bad reaction, shaking, weezing, dry hacking cough, dry mouth all of it! I called my vet and they recommended after hours to take him to this clinic on acton road. I got there and of course I know vet services cost money, but I just wanted to know if he would be able to work through it or if he needed immediate care. They took him back and looked at him and he seemed calm enough at that poing to offer a shot to ease the upset stomach, or to call animal poison control. I was discussing prices and options with the front dest staff and a pleasant vet tech when all of the sudden a vet tech by the name of Sheray came out. She seemed to have a very bad attitude from the start, she snapped at the vet tech who was speaking to us at the moment like she was one of her minions, and spoke like I wasnt even standing there. She was condescending and very rude. Two things that was enough to cause concern about the kind of care my dog would recieve. I turned around and left. I spoke to the on call vet tech/staff member at my actual vet about why I went to the animal emergency center and left and low and behold she asks me, "was it the vet tech with the red hair who was rude to you?", when I answered yes, she proceeded to tell me that they have had multiple complaints about her attitude!! Can you believe this woman, so called professional still has a job there? I was blown away. I respect the vets, the vet techs, and all vet staff because I know they work hard often times thankless jobs, but if you cant have a level of professionalism needed then find something else to do. I personally will never go back there again as long as Sheray works there, and I plan to let everyone I know about how she treats people and to not go there. Any money spent would be better off somewhere else. Just my opinion from my personal experience and I dont want to cut down the other ladies that were working last night as they were very nice and helpful. My dog is fine, the vet tech I spoke to gave me the information and reassurance I needed at that time.

Upon returning from vacation we found our female Huskey in distress. We rushed her to this place but she died as soon as we got there. These people were so nice and caring. We said we would take her home to bury and when they brought her out to the car , she had been placed in a coffin box with flowers on top. Did not charge me anything but they provide everything we needed. This is one great place and the people there have a long river of compassion. Thanks to you all for your caring spirit, Vicki Mullinax

In July we had a dog with a flipped stomach, they cared very much and saved her life. We loved them.
In August our "chiweenie" had an emergency reaction to medication, they saved her. We loved them. A month later, the same "chiweenie" had a reaction to a pepperoni, they saved her... once again we loved them. In December, we had a situation where our yorkie poo went blind due to diabetes.... they helped... we loved them. Last night our box began having seizures and we took her in there. Spent most of the night with them.... they even set us up in a room with a quilt on the floor so we could lay with her and spend time.... it turns out she had a brain tumor and we had to put her to sleep at 4 in the morning.... they treated us with love and kindness and knowledge throughout the entire ordeal. We LOVE them.

For those of you complaining about price and procedures.... YES! Dogs are expensive! and YES! After hour care is going to be expensive.... but an animal clinic is expensive to keep open overnight.... so the alternative is to not go if you can't afford it.... and rethink whether or not you should be pet owners. These doctors when to school for the same amount of time your primary care doctor did... in many cases even more years....

Here is a good article for all of you whining.....

Criticism of veterinarians hurtful
April 19, 2011 6:29 PM
BY DR. CHERYL HAUGO
Recently, a writer asked in the Yuma Sun “What happened to Dr. Ford?” His comments about the disappearance of old-style veterinarians have become an issue with many on both sides of the fence and it is time to respond.

So, what did happen to “Dr. Ford”?

Well, he nearly died of a heart attack from the long hours and low pay so he quit and now has been replaced by the highly educated, hard-working business person who recognizes the need for balance in life and works hard to take excellent care of both you and your pet.

Yes, he was inexpensive and came to your home to treat the ill and lame, but he also had only a truck, a pencil, a house phone (no answering service, machine, pager or cell phone) and maybe one or two drugs to use: combiotic (penicillin) and opium.

And frankly, you should be glad he has been replaced.

Why are so many people so full of hate for veterinarians? Are we not deserving of making a living? Must we treat sick and injured animals for nothing because we love them — and allow our own families to go without? Most of us would do this job for free if we were independently wealthy.

Do you think the technicians and veterinary nurses do not deserve to make a living and raise a family? These people are highly trained, dedicated and capable professionals, some of whom are barely scraping by in this difficult economic time. Are these people who provide emergency care for your pet alongside their veterinarian and help us care for your pet both in and out of the hospital not deserving of a nice place to work and decent wages/benefits? Veterinary medicine is a business like any other — it must be in the black to survive.

Unlike your medical doctor, who uses a fully equipped, government-subsidized local hospital — and Dr. Ford with his truck and a few medicines — the modern veterinarian must purchase or rent a full hospital to perform his/her duties. Your veterinarian is general practitioner, dentist, surgeon, hematologist, pathologist, dermatologist and on and on. We do have specialists we refer patients to but only when we require special testing or additional assistance with a case, and no specialists currently are available in Yuma.

Your veterinarian must have a surgical suite complete with all the instruments needed to perform routine surgery and sometimes beyond. We have specialized equipment for anesthesia and monitoring as well as a nurse or licensed technician trained to assist with this; we have X-ray machines, dental equipment, complete hematology labs, endoscopes, ultrasound machines and other expensive equipment to care for your pets while ol' Doc Ford did not have these.

Our M.D. colleagues can refer you to a specialist locally and should you need surgery, he/she or the specialist can go to the hospital for all the state-of-the-art equipment he needs and does not have to purchase. And you wonder why veterinary medicine has become so expensive?

What kind of person do you think a veterinarian is? Well, most of us are highly educated, competent doctors. We have been to college for at least eight years and when we receive our degrees are deeply in debt but ready to serve — most new graduates from veterinary school have a debt of $200,000 to $300,000.

We are family members who spend more time at work than with those precious families — working at least 60- to 80-hour weeks and often until late at night, or worse we are roused from our beds in the wee hours to care for sick or injured pets and frantic people. Several veterinarians in Yuma have become so overworked that they have made the difficult choice to not see emergencies, thus adding to the burden the rest of us must bear.

What kind of price do you put on the doctor and nurse who come in the middle of the night, take care of you and your pet, bring it home and stay up all night making sure it is OK, and then work all day the following day to take care of the next batch of ill or hurt patients?

Why do you think it is OK to bring two pets to an appointment for one and then complain at being charged for two appointments and about a long wait time? Why do you think the art we put on our walls means the fees we charge are too high? Would you rather sit in a dull, sterile room in a plastic chair with no beauty, or in a waiting room filled with love and warmth?

Why do you choose to criticize us for the fees we charge when you have no idea of our expenses? Walk a day in our shoes and you will see what it is like. Dr. Ford would not have had the equipment or ability to perform the complex and involved procedures available today. The dog with the twisted stomach or the cat with cancer or cardiomyopathy would likely have died in Dr. Ford's day, whereas today these are routinely successfully treated.

We Yuma veterinarians feel the criticism we are receiving for being honest, hard-working professionals is hurtful and uncalled for. We have all given so much to this community and yet some people continue to judge us as if we are heartless and greedy. Really?

Thankfully there are many out there who understand and support the veterinary community. Many have seen us cry with you when your pet has died or been put to sleep, and seen us struggle to help you find a way to treat a sick pet when you are not able to afford the very best treatment plan.

The clients here at our hospital appreciate our hard work and dedication and generally understand the value they receive and maybe if you would look closer, you would see what they see: The veterinarians in this community are working hard and long hours to make Yuma a better place for you and your pets.

Dr. Cheryl Haugo, DVM, heads the Desert Veterinary Clinic team in Yuma. The clinic has been voted best place to work twice in Yuma's annual Workplace Excellence competition sponsored by the Yuma Sun and Southwest Arizona Human Resources Association.

First of all, let me validate this comment by saying that yes, if you cannot afford pet care you need to seriously think about whether or not you need to own a pet, and that after hours care is obviously going to be more expensive. But these people are in a service industry, which means they should be honest and upfront especially when your pet's health is at stake. Above all, in these hard situations vets and their techs should be CARING. Most of the reviews you will read here are negative, and a few seem to have a totally different experience. Of course if you had a bad experience you may be bitter about it, but that doesn't mean that we are wrong. All I can tell you is that there is no guarantee whether your pet will get a good vet or the money-grubbing vets that have affected so many here.
I have had the chance to go here twice, one time it was too late. From what I can remember of that experience they seemed decent enough, which is why I chose to return the second time.
This emergency care center made a bad situation WORSE. Not only did they grossly out-do themselves trying to get me to pay out of the wazoo for tests I KNOW I didn't need, but they tried to GUILT me for making the best decision for my pet and my wallet.
I know that emergency care is one expense that no one really knows for sure they are going to need, and God forbid you ever actually need it for something serious. My dog is pretty much my best friend, and there is nothing I wouldn't do for her if I thought she was in serious danger. But as luck has it I just have a clumsy Boxer and we ended up going in for a minor puncture wound, not bad enough to be frightened but deep enough to warrant immediate antibiotics.
I knew it would be expensive since this was after care but not ever having been to the Acton Rd vets I had NO IDEA. They kept trying to get me to pay for drains, x-rays, and ridiculous probing for something that only needed meds and glue. Understand me, if I thought my dog needed it I would have paid what they were asking, which was unbelievable. Close to $700! For a puncture smaller than 1/2".
As if that wasn't bad enough, after I stood my ground and refused to have more than a glue job and a shot administered, they kept trying to lower the price. At first I thought this was a nice gesture, but seriously if they could half the price in less than one tallying did I really need ANY of that in the first place? Come on people! To make matters worse they bullied me after I told them I just wanted them to get her fixed up enough so that I could take her to my wonderful regular vet the following day. They made me feel awful and cheap for being assertive and practical, because seriously she was in no kind of pain or danger! By the time I left I had paid through the nose for something I could have gotten for 75% less at my regular vet, without feeling like a fool for wanting immediate and compassionate care. Even the staff was confrontational!
I saw them making a couple in an actually really bad situation feel horrible as I left; these good people were trying to decide the care for an animal who had be in a real accident, and I can only image how bad they tried to take advantage of them. If you need to take your pet in after hours and you have no other choice, yeah sure take them to these scavengers. But if you do be upfront with them and don't let yourself feel bad for being reasonable and compassionate. I gave two stars because they didn't kill my dog. If you can wait however go to Bessemer or your regular vet in the morning. Lord knows you will save a crap ton of money and get the kind of respect you and your animal friend DESERVES.

I TOOK MY DOG AT 3AM ON A SUNDAY BECAUSE MY VET WAS CLOSED. THEY WANTED $700.00 UP FRONT FOR TESTS! I SAID JUST MAKE HIM COMFORTABLE UNTILL I CAN GET HIM TO ANOTHER VET.IT WAS $165.00 FOR THE CONSULTATION THE VET ON DUTY WAS A WOMAN ALTHOUGH IT WAS HARD TO TELL. NEVER WILL I SUBJECT MYSELF TO WHAT I WOULD CALL A SCAM.!


JOSEPH FERENCE
3400 CLIFF RD,#22
BIRMINGHAM,AL.35205

I am totally disappointed with the diagnosis and treatment of my five year old mini daschund. I took my dog in 9/25 with a dog bite from german shephard. Dr. Laura Edwards came out and said that my dog would be fine. She said the big dog only ripped her skin and they can stitch it. She said, the dog is lucky that the big dog did not punture her long. What a sigh of relief, I thought. We stayed at the hospital for about five hours and they sent my dog home at 10: 50 pm. Well I was concerned that they were sending her home but they were the doctor. Well Sunday 9/26/10 my dog was still hurting, i thought and I called the doctors office back and they were oh, we can give her some more pain medicine, that cost and additional $65. I asked them if I needed to bring her in with me to get the medicine so they can see if she was truly just in pain. They told me no and unfortunately, my dog died this morning and we are still stuck with an $565 dollar bill and when I called to tell them. They were not sympathetic at all. Dr. Laura Edwards is a cold hearted, none caring, lying, unprofessional Dog KILLER!!!!

We only have one word for Veterinary Surgery of Birmingham, "AWESOME". Our yellow lab is 9 years old. She started to experience pain in her back left leg our Vet. suggested we take her to Dr. James Milton at Veterinary Surgery on Acton Road. This was back in 2008. We where so very impressed with the clinic, staff, and Dr. Milton. We scheduled our lab for surgery to repair a torn ACL. Our family was nervous to say the least, but after meeting and talking with Dr. Milton and his staff we felt at ease. Dr. Milton performed the surgery and what a wonderful outcome. She was up running, playing with our other lab, chasing birds all the fun stuff labs do. A couple of months ago the same thing started to happen with her back right leg. Back to see Dr. Milton. As we thought he had the same torn ACL in the right back leg. As he had told us back in 2008, it was a matter of time before the other one would need repair. Something very common in Labs. Two weeks ago we made a visit to the clinic. As we thought she had a torn ACL, he said we could wait a couple of months or do the surgery that day. We took her home to think about what to do. Last week she was playing with the other lab and started to limp pretty bad, again we call Dr. Milton he said bring her and I will take a look. We did, he informed us she had blown her knee out. So it was surgery time again. Monday October 11th she had surgery to repair the right leg. We where able to bring her home yesterday. She has a 12 week recovery. We have nothing to say about Dr. Milton and his staff but Thank You from the bottom of our heart. Dr. Milton is the most loving doggie God around. His staff took wonderful care of our sweet girl. I would recommend Veterinary Surgery of Birmingham anytime to anyone. As we where waiting, there where people from South Alabama to North Alabama waiting to see the two Doctors. Our family has had nothing but GREATNESS at this wonderful special place for our animals..... Thank you again to all for such great care of LilyMay........:-)))

*** IVERMECTIN AND COMFORTIS *****
Unfortunately we have had several opportunities to utilize the Emergency Animal Medical Center! From snake bites to dog fights to bad backs. Our outcomes have been expensive but positive until recently.

We recently took a rescue puppy to be treated for mange. To make the story brief - the dermotoligist prescribed Ivermectin in addition to comfortis. Our puppy died after taking the first dosage of the combination. We have done extensive research and dertermined in June of 2008 the FDA warned of this lethal combination. The Company that makes Comfortis has warnings of the combination. The company that makes Ivermectin has warnings of this combination........... Why was the "specialist" so unaware?

We hope at least Lucy's death will be a heads up for Dr. McDonald's future patients and others will not suffer such a painful avoidable loss.

Satisfied I am glad I did not get influenced by the bad reviews I read about this clinic. Three weeks ago I took my Cocker Spaniel to be evaluated by Dr. McDonald (Dermatologist) due to skin problems. Because I have already read the reviews about the clinic, I was very attentive to the dynamic of the clinic as well as the customer service. Since my arrival into the clinic, which by the way I drove 2 hours to get there, everyone was very courteous and helpful. Mrs Harvey (dont let her age fool you) was very attentive, polite, on task and dedicated. I observed other clients in the waiting area and everyone was treated courteous. I was called to the examining room more or less the time of the appointment, the vet spent good 25 minutes with me then I left my dog at the clinic for testing biopsies and more. Even with the long day (I got out of the clinic about 7.oopm) Dr. McDonald and his staff took the time to explain all the findings, answer all my questions, explain the treatment plan and medications and even supply me with complimentary supplies. My experience was positive. My dog is doing much better with the treatment. Still there is testing results pending. As a referral clinic with multiple doctors in different specialties there is going to be so different experiences depending on the vet and his staff. I will not hesitate to take my dog back to this clinic.

Wow is all I can say. If we read these posts before taking our dog there, she would have never have seen the inside of this place and she would be alive now. But because of an uncaring doctor, she was butchered and thrown out the facility. We had to find another vet to take over her care and was unable to save her. We did not know this place runs strictly off of commission, now we know how the bill came down from $2100 to $900. As a previous poster stated, Dr. Schuessler AKA Dr Shrek, was cold and uncaring about the whole entire situation. She got angry at us when we did not do what she wanted and poor Sadie suffered behind it. If you value your pets life, take them to their regular or reputable vet. Hate to say this, but this place is almost like the Roach Motel, your pet may check-in, but they might not check out with you. No one has been able to explain how our dog had a normal surgery and 12 hours later, she lost over 1/2 of her blood. No one contacted us to inform us that there were complications during surgery. Then when the dog was picked up, the techs were whispering until my husband walked up on them. There conspiracy in the air. All they had to do is be honest about the severity of the situation instead of sending a dog home knowing she had little or no chance of survival. Our poor dog was in their care for 8 hours, once she was transferred to our normal vet, he was able to diagnose her issues within the hour and informed us that she was not in the best of shape. The dog had blood collecting in her abdomen, and fluid in her lungs. This is a sad day in our household, but if this post saves one pet's life, then this post is not in vain!!!! BEWARE of this CLINIC.

On Friday, February 26, 2010 I woke up around 5:15p.m. for a nature call, and let our four dogs out in our fenced back yard for a potty break and a little exercise. In my nightgown and without my eyeglasses on I stretched out on the sofa for a few minutes while they were out. I dozed off briefly, and was awakened by the frantic barking. I looked out to see what was the matter, and saw three figures (remember – I didn’t have my glasses on) that appeared to be two adolescent boys and a young girl with long blonde hair teasing the dogs. I called and called but they were in such a frenzy I don’t think they ever heard me. I went to get my glasses, and by the time I returned the kids were moving off.

Finally the dogs responded to my call and came charging into the house. All but Eli. I could see him in the back of his doghouse, but he would not come to me. I put on a coat and went out on the deck, pleading for him to come to me; he slowly crept out of his doghouse and made it to the flower bed at the foot of the deck stairs. I went down to him and encouraged him to come in. Slowly he scaled the fourteen steps to the deck and then in the back door. He went to his water bowl and drank an unusual amount of water and flopped down. He just didn’t look right and his breathing seemed labored. I looked at his gums and they were absolutely white, an ominous sign. My first thought was that those kids might have poisoned him, because 45 minutes earlier he had been the very picture of health. Immediately I called my husband at work and told him something was gravely wrong with Eli, and by this time our Vet was closed and I knew we would have to go to the emergency vet on Acton Road in Birmingham. He arrived home and Eli ran to meet him, as usual, but then collapsed on the floor. We bundled Eli into the van and rushed to the emergency vet’s.

On arrival, Dr. Dodi Jacobi heard me telling the girls at the front desk that his gums were white, and she told them to get him to the back immediately. There they began the process of stabilization, giving oxygen, starting IV fluids, and drawing blood for diagnostic testing.

Dr. Jacobi called us back to discuss the blood work and x-rays with us, and the only significant findings at this time were an elevated WBC, diffuse infiltrates in both lungs, a heart rate in the two hundreds, and a small amount of fluid in the pericardium. She described her treatment plan of pain medicine, antibiotics, furosemide, beta blockers and continuous EKG monitoring, and if these did not produce improvement in six to eight hours she would have the cardiologist come in to do a further work-up.

We left there around ten o’clock, hopeful that something could be done to help Eli.

At 5:24a.m. the phone rang, the emergency vet staff was calling to report that Eli had collapsed again when they were getting out of his cage to go out to pee. Dr Jacobi had done an ultrasound which showed more fluid around his heart, and she had aspirated bloody fluid from the pericardium.

From what she saw on ultrasound and the other diagnostics, there were three things that could be the cause, none of which were good: a congenital heart defect, hemangio-sarcoma, severe pericarditis with valvular vegetations’. His white count had doubled in the past eight hours, and his heart rate which had been in the 110 -115 range was now back in the 200’s with frequent PVC’s.

We quickly dressed and got back to Eli’s side. He was weak, and could not stand. I could see on the EKG monitor his rate was still in the two hundreds, and he was having a lot of ectopy. He was incontinent of urine due to the diuretics and being to weak to go out. His respirations were becoming more labored. Dr. Jacobi, sat with the three of us in the floor loving on our beautiful boy, discussing his prognosis. It was becoming clearer by the moment what would need to be done…no one said it…but we all knew, there was nothing that we could do to restore him to health.

The staff moved him into an exam room for us where we could have some private time with him. All of the staff were very supportive and patient We spent the next couple of hours holding him, petting him, loving him, praying for him, burying our faces in his wonderfully soft fur at the nape of his neck to breath in the sweet fragrance of him, and saying our good-byes.

At 8:50a.m. he breathed his last labored breath as we held him and kissed his precious face. Dr. Jacobi was crying along with us as we watched him leave this life. They placed him in a corrugated cardboard coffin, placed some yellow silk flowers on top, and loaded him into the car…and we took him home.

I am an ICU nurse and I believe that they took appropriate and excellent care of our beloved pet.
Also, I know that none of us get out of life alive...we all have a time to die, and I am sure that this was Eli's time, as much as I hated it and wanted to deny it, and wanted to change. They worked in a fast and efficient manner, never failing to keep us advised of how things were going.
We will be forever grateful for the compassionate care that they showed our boy.

Recently our beloved Australian shepherd became severely ill and we had to rush him to this emergency animal hospital. The staff and especially Dr. Jacobi were polite, efficient and caring. They did everything that could be done to save our dog but unfortunately he could not be saved as his problem was a severe heart condition that we never knew he had. Everyone was especially kind and understanding when it became obvious that nothing could be done. We at first thought that our dog had been poisoned and Dr. Jacobi and the staff performed every test and x-ray to diagnoise the problem. I don't believe that any other facility could have provided any better care. In the end nothing could be done and as with us all death comes. I have friends and family that have used this clinic several times before and we have all had a positive experience. Perhaps those who didn't faced the same end as our beloved pet and they gave a negative review because it was just to hard not to think that surely something else could have been done. We would recommend this hospital to anyone with a pet who needs help at night or weekends and in a hurry.

These Drs. work on commission and are MONEY HUNGRY especially Dr. Natalie Kane.
She charges up the bill as much as she can THEN does not want to speak to you when its time to pick up.
My bill was over 1200, can I at least have SERVICE! I really don't know how this place is still open! Natalie Kane I don't know how you became a Dr. but I sure as hell don't respect you as one. DO BETTER AND GROW UP!

I am so glad that I didn't take the advice of all the negative people on this site. Our black lab was recently hit by a truck and needed surgery. Our local vet recommended that we take her to the emergency/specialty clinic. I read these reviews and was very hesitant, but our vet insisted that they were the best...and they were. Our dog received wonderful care. The staff was excellent, everyone was very caring and concerned. They called us after we brought her home to check on her. And one staff member offered to come by our house to check on her one night when she was having problems. Dr Milton was excellent. He explained everything that was wrong and all the options that we had as far as trying to correct them. I can't say enough about how great they were. I would recommend them to anyone who loves their pet!

4 Stars - Very good

I'm sorry to see so many negative reviews of this facility. I took them to heart and was weary of my expectations, but everything was well done. Our 8-yr old Golden was at our regular vet all through the day with heavy breathing, weakness, pale color and a very low temp. The vet was able to stabilize him, but he needed observation and possible surgery due to blood found in his abdomen.

Dr. Jacobi and staff treated our dog with care and gave him a very large cage with several blankets to make him feel comfortable. A thorough explanation of our options was provided and having some veterinary work history, she kept the scenario fairly clear. The prognosis was sketchy and needed more testing and stabilizing of our dog prior to being able to operate. No surgery could be performed due to his inability to clot, which would not allow him to make it through surgery. I picked up our dog the next morning and he was able to walk out under his own power. Things were looking up, but he was taken by a disease that we are pretty sure is hemangiosarcoma.

I went by the next morning to return some plasma they gave me if the surgery could be performed. They credited me for the plasma and the Dr. was there to talk to me and console me for our loss. The cost was very high, but how can you tell your children that their dog died because you didn't want to pay the money to get him better. If you have several pets, you might want to think about pet insurance. Otherwise, don't have pets. Hope this helps some of you readers.

This clinic is terrible. if you have a relationship with your pet's doctor at your regular vet, do all you can not to make this mistake in taking your animal to be assisted at this location. They are terribly rude and quite frankly, there is one doctor that looks like a female Shrek and I am certain a little bit of evil resides in her. Our dog past and the things she said to my husband and I were beyond hurtful, much less helpful. if Acton Animal Clinic closed down than it would be to our benefit not to have the clinic as an option when an emergency occurs. They truly do not care about your situation. They have hours and they have coffee to get them through it. That is it.

I brought my cat to their clinic after his was attacked by a dog (two feet from our garage door) and was in critical condition. This was my second experience with their clinic. I was extremely frustrated by their lack of adherence to basic trauma protocol and patient triage standards. Some staff they have are fine, others have no business working with animals. It is pure chance whether your animal will fall into the hands of qualified, caring individual- or those that will endanger your pet more and cause it undue pain.

Another major problem is the practice owners have elected to not equip the clinic with either the proper items needed for a trauma and emergency center or to have sufficient supplies/ medications in stock. My opinion is based on 9 years of education in chemistry and toxicology (BS/ doctorate training) and over 17 years experience running a business that provides emergency service for industrial chemical accidents.

I can only conclude the owners only interest is making money and not the deliver of effective emergency care while making a reasonable profit for their efforts. Can the vets of Birmingham and the surrounding areas not come together and provide a better quality and a more cost efficient emergency clinic?

A FEW of the specific problems I saw in my cat's case were:
-no medical history requested at any time
-he was placed on a table contaminated with blood from another animal
-cat was moved improperly, causing severe, unnecessary pain and risking further damage to his spinal cord
-his injuries were obviously immediately life-threatening and his assessment/ testing/ treatment were not begun till after the assessment of an alert, walking dog wagging his tail was finished (nearly 1 and 1/2 hours after I arrived with my critical animal). The staff said this was because they had only 1 x-ray machine and 1 machine for blood analysis.
-treatment/ testing (though requested) was not done that could have prevented further life threatening complications that are now occurring 3 and 1/2 days later.
-a urinary catheter was not placed correctly.
-they ran out of the only pain medication sufficient to control his very server pain.
-a specialists arrived over 24 hours after we were told he would be there to evaluate part of my cat's injuries.
-some of the staff were not only rude but belligerent (others were fine).
-I could not get either the amount charged to my credit card or a copy of the bill even 24 hours I had my cat transferred to his regular vet.
-there is only one large, extremely noisy area for both initial treatment and holding cages for long-term cases- it would be much better to have a separate room for ICU cases to begin to stabilize and heal in a quieter, less stress inducing environment.

Unfortunately, there is little choice for after hours care in Birmingham. So like it or not, you may end up at this slot machine equivalent of an animal hospital. If you do go there- stand up for your pet and wallet as much as you can and contact your regular vet ASAP.

Rude, horrible staff. I wonder how the place even stays open

Wonderful care! Our 12 year old dog started bleeding profusely when he urinated on a Saturday evening after our vet had closed. The care we were given was very compassionate. All options were explained to us and we were quoted before any further test or care was given. We had a wide spectrum of things that could be wrong. After testing, we were lucky enough to take our dog home with some medications. Dr. Jordan was very caring and told me when she would be in and to call her with questions. The last words as we happily took our dog home were call us with any concerns. When I contacted our personal vet on Monday, he already had the paperwork from the clinic. That made me feel even better.
Yes, expensive. But we knew the cost. Emergency care is always more expensive then regular care.
The office cat Max helped our son feel better while waitng for our dog.

My own experience was with a Pekingese that was experiencing some sort of pain. We had always thought back pain, and after an atypical x-ray was referred to this clinic. I must say that the vet who saw us was very thorough and gentle in his examination, and advised us of the options available should it indeed prove to be her back. Surgery would have been in the $3000 range which of course we wanted to avoid if possible. However, the Vet in question would not do it as the symptoms exhibited did not, in his mind, quite add up to it being a back problem. After a couple of rounds of meds, strict "bed rest" (crate) and much coddling for a couple of months the symptoms totally subsided.

"If you can do no good, then do no harm."

We rescue cats and have taken four different pets to this clinic. I'm sorry to read that other people have had bad experiences there, but we have found the employees to be caring and compassionate and the vet care outstanding. Expensive, yes, but that is the nature of emergency care.

Two of our visits ended sadly - the cats were terminal and we chose to end their suffering, but we were offered options that would have extended their life a bit and were given the choice. The staff was wonderfully sympathetic and caring. During the other two visits, our cats were given outstanding care and recovered fully. Both humans and felines were treated with respect and gentleness.

I hope the reader will never have cause to take an animal companion to any emergency clinic, but it is comforting to know these professionals are available. I recommend the Emergency and Specialty Animal Medical Center without hesitation.

AVOID THIS EMERGENCY ANIMAL HOSPITAL IN BIRMINGHAM, YOUR PET IS IN DANGER!!!!

I have to say, This animal Clinic is Poor, and there level of care is Horrible, There Staff is Rude, and They Killed my Dog.

I did not even get to see my Dog in the final hours because of there employee Gina (Jeana) who was at the front desk, she did not allow us to see or even give us an update on our dog due to visiting hours, we even asked to speak to a Dr, and she stated that they were busy and that they would call us. With in that hour our Dog died, and she clearly is to blame.

We have wrote several letters to the administration of the Hospital, only to find there only concern is the bill, clearly I will never take my animals there, they are rude, and I am certain by the way they cared for us and our baby, that I am certain that this must be a standard for which they practice Emergency Veterinary Medicine in Birmingham Alabama.

I have again tried to call there doctors, and no one is willing to even take time to discuss this with me, this proves with out a shadow of a doubt that they are trying to cover something up. Gina (Heavy set lady at the Front Desk) needs to fired, she is the Catalyst in that Clinic!

We are personally not done with this case as we are going to file suit against this practice for damages! Clearly they should be compassionate. Our regular vet that we deal with also believes that our story is valid, and we should move forward in seeking damages!

My animal was given a wrong diagnosis and cost me almost $400 for one visit.I found out that the vets there work on commission!!

They can't diagnose animals correctly. Although refeerral animal hospital, they killed my pet through ignorance!