NYC Veterinary Specialists

I have no complaints with NYC Veterinary Specialists (now called Bluepearl) which is quite good, however I have complaint relating to Dr Mark Levy DVM. In a few words he was a freaking disaster and caused my dog, my wife and I ten weeks of unnecessary hell. A summary of our experience follows with a detailed account after that. We met Dr Levy in Tampa FL where he was practicing at the time. He has since moved to NY. We are originally from NY and were spending the winter in Tampa. 5 yr old 120 lb male Rottweiler (Oso) long history of congenital hip dysplasia (CHD) diagnosed at 5 months of age. At that time and a few other times during the next 4.5 yrs we had him into see orthopedic vets. Since he was able to walk the specialist in NJ, who we have a high opinion of, said do not do the surgery unless absolutely necessary. Oso’s situation changed while we were spending the winter in Tampa and he had an episode of acute pain that could not be controlled with analgesics. We went into the ... Read more

I truly cannot say enough good things about NYC Veterinary Specialists--and I needed to visit them after regular business hours and during a very difficult time with my cat being so sick. Not only were the staff patient and kind to me, they treated my cat with so much respect, did not rush me, gave me extremely fair pricing (I've been to many vets over 15 years with animals and I was amazed at their fair pricing). While the Vet is not close to where I live in NYC, I've decided that it's more than worth the travel to get such kindness, professionalism and good care.

I SENT THIS LETTER TO THE HOSPITAL ADMINISTRATOR AND HOSPITAL FOUNDER (DAVID GERSHOLOWITZ AND DR. NEIL SHAW) Note: My dog Barry was brough...

I am so grateful to NYC Vet Specialists. I went in there tonight upset and frantic because my Goldendoodle had something lodged way down in her ear. It was late at night and I assumed that, like the other vet offices I have visited in the city, I would have to wait in the patient room for an eternity in panic mode. Contrary to my expectations, a doctor greeted me and my dog at the front door, asked what had happened and began to assure me that everything was going to be just fine. Dr. David Bessler, (my hero) was outstanding on so many levels. And it wasn't just him! The nurse was also incredibly attentive and I really appreciated the way she was with my dog. I could tell that the staff genuinely cared about my dog and her well being, I cannot even describe how much better that made me feel. Although my dog's ear situation was probably not as urgent as I believed it to be at the time, she was rushed into treatment within the first 15 minutes of my arrival. The material was removed from... Read more

Our cat was in distress on a Sunday afternoon and since our vet recommends NYCVS for emergency service, we called to see if we could determine if she needed to be seen right away. I was pleasantly surprised when a very sympathetic doctor got on the line (one frequently can only reach an answering service or tech in these situations) and listened to my concerns, explained possible issues, and recommended we bring her in. The moment we arrived, we were ushered into an exam room, where a vet tech took our cat's history and explained in advance the basic costs involved (how nice is that?). After a short wait, Dr. Bessler examined our cat and listened to our description of tests that our vet had ordered earlier in the week. He was very reassuring and knew exactly what our vet had been looking for with the tests. He explained the issues and concerns relating to her health and prescribed medication that he thought would help her until we got the test results from our regular vet. Later ... Read more

My experience with NYC Veterinary Specialists has been good so far. The front desk staff was friendly upon arrival and ushered me and my dog into an examination room immediately. I saw Dr. Rocha regarding my dog's fibrosarcoma and he was both knowledgeable and kind to me. He put my fears about my dog's cancer to rest and let me know the path he would choose if it were his dog. Additionally, a few months ago, my neighbor's Rottweiler was attacked by another dog.Then, too, the staff and vet we saw was both helpful and knowledgeable. I haven't yet had a bad experience with this facility and, although I wouldn't use it for regular veterinary care, I would continue to go for emergency and oncology needs.

I took in my animal last year and they took him in and fixed the problem. My animal was bleeding internally. I am writing this review not about the medical treatment. they had my animal a day and a half and the bill was over 2000 dollars. They won't do anything for you without having the money first - which is odd, unless they are accustomed to ending up with poor results causing people not to pay. My animal was in bad shape. I had no cash, but I could have used one of my credit cards. They offered a "Care Credit Card". I should have known by the name of the card to not take it. Care Credit has a deal set up with NYCVS that pays them for every new "client". In other words, they quickly offer the Care Credit plan because they make more money than the already prohibitive cost of the actual treatment. I realized that the 12 months no interest that the person behind the desk offered, turned into 3 months no interest and at the end of three months went to over 21% interest. Now I have to ea... Read more

Our beloved little dachsie was diagnosed with a malignant melanoma on her ear; our regular vet recommended Dr. Rocha as oncologist who has been informative and caring not just to our dog but understood our apprehensions and concerns. He is smart, direct, and showed genuine concern. When she recently seemed not herself after the initial vaccine he had us come right up to take a look and assured us (she was wagging tail okay!)...he has been excellent and I anticipate he will continue to be so. Dr. Kyles who did the surgery was wonderful; he was compassionate, smart, and did a wonderful surgery that also left her with a good looking ear. After the surgery he called to let us know what was up and later followed that up with a call regarding the pathology report. Natalie who took care of her after surgery was also very caring and supportive; she didn't even let our nervous questions get on her nerves. The rest of the staff has also been kind and nurturing toward our little girl. The ... Read more

After reading all the negative reviews, and while I do not negate them, I felt compelled to write about my positive experience with NYC Veterinary Specialists. My cat was quite injured from falling/jumping from a 5 floor window (let this be a lesson to all of us, put screens in all windows that you keep open even if you think there is not a remote chance your cat can leap up to its ledge). I rushed my cat to NYC Veterinary Specialists at 1:00 AM. To make a long story short, our cat received, in my opinion, excellent attention. Dr. Stetina (the night doctor) provided me with regular updates on what was being done to evaluate and treat my cat (during the 2 1/2 hour interval I was in the hospital) and discussed all the options beforehand. Dr. Joyce, the morning doctor actually called me at home in the morning to give me an update. Given that this was my first experience with emergency veterinary care, I was shocked by the prices. I was given a "low" and "high" estimate of the costs... Read more

I visited this hospital for a consultation with Dr. Tim Rocha, who specializes in oncology. Before he saw me, he knew from my regular vet that I had decided against exploratory surgery on my 18 yo cat to confirm intestinal lymphoma. He even stated that he knew this at the beginning of the visit. Even though he had already decided to tell me that 'without a diagnosis, I cannot give you a prognosis or treatment plan," he took the appointment, hastily turning the cat carrier upside down to dump my sick cat out when he couldn't drag him out by his forelegs or hindlegs. I had written out my questions and while I was asking them about how chemo medications work and his views on surgery, he was abrupt and dismissive. I finally handed him my list with the remaining questions, hoping that he would be more forthcoming in his answers. Instead he became more defensive, repeating himself and going down the list saying "I already answered that one, I already told you that without a diagnosis ... Read more

I started writing a very long review but I deleted and decided to go with a shorter version instead. 1. Animal ER is super expensive. I never knew it can be this expensive. My kitten got Krazy Glue in his eyes and i walked out of there $500 bucks poorer AND his eyes are still not ok. (but that part is understandable - as i have to do more discharge work on his eye) 2. I have to pay $60 bucks to call ASPCA control b/c i guess the vets there either don't have the resource nor the experience to deal with this. This i was a bit ticked over. Shouldn't it be covered by the enormous bill already? All in all, I walked away hoping the best for my kitten. I was careless and the kitten was curious. A lot of what ifs went through my head on how this incident could have been prevented. I understand the huge overhead cost it takes to keep a hospital running 24/7, esp in NYC so I understand that charge but I guess part of me is still trying to accept that I spent $500 on a stray i received 2 we... Read more

After posting my unhappiness with my cat's broken arm treatment, I called the management of the company. A kind man called me back and gave me a courtesy consultation visit with a more senior doctor. My visit with the doctor yesterday was what I needed. I don't think the previous younger doctor gave me different scientic facts, but the senior doctor was able to tell me what to expect in the future. I can understand a bone not healing, but I needed someone to tell me how to manage that as well. I think that's the "art" part of medicine. Because we don't know exactly how things will turn out, the clients need to be given answers to possible outcomes and what to expect. I guess those skills are gained through experience, so I don't fault the younger doctor. What I do wish and got, was a visit with someone who has likely seen through the progression of a bone not healing. I was given tools to manage my cat on my own. The result: No more doctor visits or calls because I know what to do... Read more

Basically my gorgeous white/black 9 week old pugapoo was in need of emerency services. My husband rushed to the NYCVS to help him because of his bleeding nose & crying pain. An estimate $1800 fee was given and he did not have it. So all services to help my puppy where decliened because of insufficient cash. The puppy seemed ok but 10 minutes later the vet pronounced him "dead". The vet kept saying he had a clot in his nose.. Why couldn't she do her best to save him!! I am extremely distraught. My husband tried to take him home prior to her bringing him downstairs, but they said no. Of course, they want to get paid somehow. He asked to see the puppy one more time and now he tells me that he was moving a little and looking at him. So I am left confussed.. because he also says that the vet wanted to know who the breeder was and also tried to keep all of my pups records containing information about his microchip, neuterization, and shots. Why would they do this?? I came to conclude that pe... Read more

Maybe some of you have read my earlier reviews. My cat was diagnosed as having asthma. I questioned it vehemently, but they used this as their "working diagnosis," a term that allows them to be flat wrong. After 2445.00 in extreme treatment for asthma, they finally looked down my casts throat and saw a tumor - the real cause of the breathing difficulty. Our cat was too weak from the wrong treatment - 36 hours of steroids, inhalants etc, which possibly aroused the tumor - and they suggested putting her out of her misery. Rocha insisted they did nothing wrong. wouldn't it be nice to have a job where you could charge 2500.00 for an incorrect 36 hr service, have it be the wrong service, cost a life in the process, and still get paid? Wouldn't that be nice. And on top of it, get a kickback from Care Credit because your client didn't have the money to pay you in full, you offered the credit card at 24% interest in fine print. After all of this and countless investigations-which led to nothin... Read more

After reading the mixed reviews about NYC Veterinary Specialists I felt compelled to write. A lot of the negative reviews posted here are based on experiences with the emergency care. However if you look at other emergency animal hospitals, of which I believe there might only be one other in NYC, reviews tend to mirror those here. If your animal is in dire need of emergency services often the chances aren't good and unfortunately in a time of grief we may often blame the vet when something goes wrong as we would blame the doctor in an emergency room. However since I have never had to use the emergency services here I can honestly not comment on how the pets are treated at that time. However, I have visited NYC Vet Specialists multiple times over the past year by recommendation of my local vet. My dog is in the process of being treated for both eye problems and allergies and the doctors couldn't be more knowledgable or compassionate. I was given multiple options for treatment for both ... Read more

My 14-year old cat, Cleo, became suddenly and seriously ill. My vet felt that the only place capable of properly caring for her was NYC Veterinary Specialists. Within 60 seconds after I came through the door with her, I had been greated, asked what was wrong, she had been whisked away to triage and I had been seated in a clean quiet room with Kleenex to wait for an assessment of what was wrong. While I was waiting, someone from the reception desk came to check on me and to tell me that they were receiving my cat's medical records from my vet. Each person who came in contact with me and with Cleo couldn't have been more caring or concerned or more kind. The last thing I wanted to do was to leave her there overnight, but I was assured that the night doctor would call me and call her doctor, Dr. Peterson, if she took a turn for the worse overnight so that both he and I could be there with her. While I was in the cab, coming home, I received a call from the night doctor assuring me ... Read more

It was a Saturday night and my regular veterinarian was closed. I called them and they gave me this number to NYCVS. My dalmatian had been lethargic that day and I was getting more and more concerned as the day went on. He had been acting a little off all week but it's been cold out and I was attributing his behavior to other things (my mistake!). I called the hospital and they told me that I should bring him in. When I arrived, I was so impressed by the immediate attention from the receptionists and the technicians. Because my dog was so ill, he was triaged to their emergency station and they began working on him. He had to stay in the hospital overnight and they called my regular vet first thing the next morning. Because he was so ill, he needed to see a specialist and they took care of my baby boy from there. We learned that night that he had diabetes but we had not known this before and now they said he was a DKA. He had to stay in the hospital for a few days and I came t... Read more

I had a wonderful experience with this facility in the face of a very tragic situation. My doxin Kayci herniated 2 discs and became completely paralyzed on New Year's Day and had to have emergency surgery that day. Yes, it's very expensive. Most veterinarian charges are, especially special surgeries, in an emergency on a holiday! But that was my situation and it was terrifying! It's an emergency hospital so I prepared myself for the financial hardship. The of all, the facility is VERY clean! The amount of dog/cat hair that must come through there on a daily basis is probably disgusting!! But you wouldn't know it b/c they are CONSTANTLY cleaning! Very impressive! The staff at this hospital are absolutely wonderful people. Extremely attentive, kind, sincere and knowledgeable. I must give a very large thank you to Dr. Levitin for helping my dog walk again. The neurosurgeon, he did a fantastic dog and the joy I have seeing my once immobile dog carry on in my apartment again .... Read more

I brought my cat here for an emergency visit a few months ago, and I fully agree with what some of the other reviewers here have said: if it's 3am on a Sunday night you might have no choice but to come here, but if you can, try to avoid it. Here are the positives: the staff (at least those I encountered at 3am on a Sunday night) were extremely nice and friendly. The hospital is clean and they do have the facilities at hand to quickly diagnose and treat your pet. They will also give you extensive notes and copies of your X-Rays, and they will send that information on to your regular vet as well. This can be helpful since some of those 3am details might be hazy the next day. Here are the negatives: they don't seem to know what they are doing. I brought my cat in because when I came home from a late shift at work, I found that he wasn't keeping food down, wasn't peeing, and was crying and staggering around the house. I knew it couldn't wait until morning so I brought him over to NYC-VS.... Read more

I had a HORRIFIC experience on new years afternoon Dec 31, 2008 - with Andrew E.Kyles, BVMS, Phd.(BVMS -Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine & Surgery -a title from University of Glasgow, UK) - NYC Vet Specialists clinic was recommended to me by VERG Brooklyn. My cat has had a pretty big abscess that became a huge open CLEAN wound of raw flesh over the whole leg and hip - absolutely curable - if you have patience. This doctor told me that cutting off her leg would be the quickest and "cleanest solution" - when I told him NO WAY he insisted to explain it even more. When I asked him if he also would have suggested this"option" if it would be his cat - avoiding my eyes- he looked into the floor and mumbled :"probably not" - so - the man likes to do that leg cutting "procedure"!) If one considers that this new hospital is a state of the art place with a very high rent - they proudly give you a tour and show you all the machines they have there - it is impressive . They have a huge staff wo... Read more

I took my 16 year old dog there because he was going blimd. He had a cataract in his only eye. I knew he was old but figured he was worth the 4000 to have it removed . They told me while it was not 100% foolproof t but hat they did test to assure it was woth doing-mainly checking that the eye behind the cataraxct was good. The young , pretty doctor said she could do it right away-she was going on vacation. i had an estimate. after his operation he did not see at all-ever again. His sight was worse-gone totally. they said -O well. I was very sad. When I looked at the bill I saw no charges for the 2 tests that check the health of the eye behind the catarct.-Long story short -they failed to do the tests I complained for weeks to no avail -then got the owner on the phone in Tampa. i was promptly refunded, They screwed up big time but did not want to admit it. The doctor never admiited or apologized. Thisi s fancy place with poor care -Don't go there!!

***UPDATE**** Misdiagnosis will be aired today December 16, 2008 on Fox 5 at 5pm News Channel. They apparently still lied about considering a refund and a legal suit is already in process for January. Please support animal lovers and spread the word about being aware of your rights and investigation to care for your pet.

One Saturday night, around 9 pm, I noticed that my cat's paw was really swollen. It was almost triple the size of his other paws. I did a qu...

We brought our cat here last weekend when we were worried she was having a bad reaction to a medication, and our regular vet was closed. Though there are certainly similar cons to any emergency room (long wait, being bumped if a more critical patient comes in, greater cost), it was worth the trip to ensure our cat was treated over the weekend. The technicians and vets were very thorough, both with us and with our pet. They allowed us to visit twice during her overnight stay, called us with updates, and provided us with a 4 page discharge report, which was also faxed to our regular vet the same day. As a very nervous client who had never left the cat alone overnight, I was grateful for the attention given to my questions and the willingness of the staff to accomodate us during visiting hours. I hope we never have to go back with another emergency, but if we do, I will feel a little more confident based on this experience.

I have been there twice to see specialists and the doctors are very caring , knowledgable and thorough. I found the hospital to be very clean and state of the art. Nurses and assistants are also good. The care is definitely there, but the follow-up with doctors and with desk staff is not the best. I understand that everyone gets busy, but a return phone call two days later is not the best way to keep clients especially when you are worried about your pet,. I had left without the discharge papers and they told me that it would be sent to me via email or fax soon as I needed to show them to my regular vet the next day. It has taken four phone calls (each time promising me that it will be sent via email) during a two day period and I still haven't received them. The staff at my regular vet would not be so lax. They should work on the followup in order to help return business.

I have taken my dog here on two different occasions, a year apart. Both times, it was on a Sunday when my regular vet was closed and I thought my dog was very ill. Same thing happend on both visits: there was no one in the waiting room, but I still waited over 30 minutes before someone came to do an initial evaluation, another 30 minutes before the doctor came; another 30 minutes to get a bill that was much, much higher then my regular vet would charge. (I am under stating the length of time I waited!) In the second incident, I was told that my dog had diabetes and was likely to die if he didn't get immediate treatment. (To be fair, they did treat my dog for dehydration.) They offered to do two different levels of diagnostic testing: the "gold standard" diagnostic tests would have added a minimum of an additional $300+ to the bill. I refused the tests and took my dog to his regular vet the next day where I waited less than 10 minutes, a simple diagnostic test was done to rule... Read more

my dog ingested a potentially lethal substance. my vet told me to get over to the hospital fast. she would call ahead for me. i got there and after waiting a few minutes, a nurse comes in and didnt even know the substance was toxic to dogs. 40 MINUTES LATER the vet comes in and agreed my dog had to be i.v'd, etc. and kept overnite for monitoring. he said he would check him out and would come back to show me where my dog would be staying. he never came back up. when i asked well over an hour later, someone finally said, "oh ok, he's downstairs. let me give you a tour of the facilities" huh? she showed me all around the hospital labs, radiation rooms, etc and lastly, where my dog was staying. it was the most depressing site. dogs crying, one puppy isolated with parvo, cats with cancer, didnt i feel bad enough already? when i picked my dog up the next day, the bill was 1200+. since i couldnt pay it at once, i was put on a 3 month plan. processing fee to put on said 3 month plan? $57! neve... Read more

I would never recommend NYC Veterinary Specialists. The ER vet was an inexperienced horror! I took my 14 year old dog who was in respiratory distress there. The vet administered oxygen to my dog. Later she suggested that I put the dog down. I suggested that I would like to take the dog home to die and the vet says she cannot let me do that and that she would "bar the door." When my daughter arrived, the vet advised that my dog had taken a turn for the worse. I followed the vet down to the dog and the vet abruptly tells me that my dog is "brain-dead" and walks away from me. I called the dog's name and the dog strongly lifts up her head and looks into my face. After being badgered to sign the euthanasia consent form and finally signing it because I knew the dog was terminal and suffering, the vet says "most people would not have put their dog down at this point" in an effort to congratulate me. This has caused me post-traumatic stress disorder for months. She had absolutely no... Read more

I brought my dog in to Dr.Levitin for a neurological exam. He was apologetic for running late and gave my dog a very thorough exam. He was kind and gentle with my pet. He then told me he would provide me with an email describing the possible tests, diseases, and treatment options for my dog so I could discuss these options with my boyfriend. When I did not receive the email that day I gave a reminder call the following day and was told it would be sent by lunchtime. I called two more consecutive days when I did not receive anything. Finally, I wrote a letter to the doctor by mail. 16 DAYS after my pet's exam, I received a phone call from Dr. Levitin and the email with an apology. Although I appreciated finally receiving the information, I would never entrust my pet's care to this center again. If that's how long I wait after paying $150 for 30 minutes, why would I ever spend $3000 on an MRI? Don't go here if you are anxious about your pet's condition and want prompt results!