MSPCA Angell

My dog was seen for an allergic reaction (to what we don’t know). The process was quick and painless from arrival to departure. It was great how Dr. Rock provided me with her email address in case of questions AND called the next day to check on my dog. She was great.
Also, the wait wasn’t too long — my dog was seen within 2 or 3 minutes of my arrival. The facility is clean and pleasant.
Our visit was fairly uneventful (Benadryl and steroids) so I can’t comment on anything more involved, but our experience was very good.

I’ve only been to the adoption center and can’t speak to the hospital portion of this huge complex. Recently I lost two senior cats within a month of each other. Rather than listen to the sound of crickets, I decided to find and adopt a bonded pair of cats, assuming I could find a pair that was a good fit. This location had 2 different pairs of bonded cats, so I decided to come visit after work. Sure enough I met the perfect cuddly pair of cats, who were more than happy to get their ears scratched and show off their bellies (and it wasn’t a trap!) I filled out the application and picked them up the next day. The volunteers were awesome about providing information about the cats and in providing their opinions on whether the cats would be a good fit in the house. That kind of information is priceless when you are trying to find new members of your family. And the volunteers — good volunteers that care — are always the best since they tend to spend the most time with the animals. If you are looking to add to your family, then I would seriously consider visiting the MSPCA. Yes it’s a bit difficult to get here, but at least they have a huge parking lot. You could also take an Über (the orange and green lines are really too far to walk to while carrying a cat carrier though).

If you are a person of unlimited financial means, then Angell Animal Hospital is a great solution for your pet emergencies. While great for millionaires, for the rest of us, there is a problem where they are charging too much money. We all love our pets, but the hospital needs to be a little more considerate about caring for pet owners, not just our furry friends. Part of that is making sure we aren’t being taken advantage of financially.
My dog vomited and had diarrhea. I took him to Angell, and then vet exam fee was an exorbitant $ 145. Yikes! Based on some other stories on this website, I got off easily. The veterinarian was terrific. DVM Maggie Thies was very responsive and thorough. For that, I am very appreciative. I would certainly recommend her as a vet, but then there is the price to consider. An emergency vet exam should only cost about $ 100.
If it is the middle of the night and your dog is suffering from some sort of severe emergency, then Angell could be a very good choice. They seem competent and are a large hospital. The signage could be better. The entrance is around the back. They advertise kindness, and they will kindly take your money in no uncertain terms while providing the best care that they possibly can for your pet. Sometimes, it might be worth it.

Everyone was so great with champ! He was immediately taken in and they gave us updates on how he was doing! One doctor even took pictures of him for me and sent them to me knowing that I was a bit upset that champ was hurting and away from me! Thank you all for everything!

Dr Ashley Jones and the cardiology team at Angell have been beyond wonderful to us and our sweet pup. We cannot thank them enough for their care, attention, and expertise.

By far a horrible experience, and not just because my cat needed emergency surgery. My vet performed surgery, but needed my cat to be sent here for observation overnight because my vet was closed overnight. This place charges a lot to keep an animal overnight and doesn’t watch your recovering animal. Sometime overnight, my cat pulled out his catheter and they didn’t realize it until the next morning, setting back his recovery another two days, at least, and costing me another thousand dollars.
This is on top of super slow service, unmarked entrances, poor location, and dirty waiting area.

Everyone was friendly and professional. Friendly, professional personnel, clean and nice facilities.

Been going here for 20 years. My primary vet is here because I figured that whenever I have an emergency/​special need, I have to go to Angell ultimately so this way, they always have their files and history whenever I go there. Love, love, love my vet and his assistant. Great pharmacy staff. Drs. Coster and Biros are great eye doctors and their assistants are terrific. Dr. Laste is an excellent heart doctor. Unfortunately, I’ve had the opportunity to spent a LOT of time there in the last 20 years but I couldn’t feel better about the care that they get from this wonderful group of people who dedicate their lives to making our pets lives better.

I have been to Angell a few times with a multitude of animals and the experience has been amazing from start to finish.
My first experience was when my dog ingested chocolate, and we rushed him to their 24 hour emergency room. He was taken right in without any delay, granted it was 3am, and he was immediately given life saving treatment. The amazing doctors kept us in the loop at all times and really made us feel like we knew how he was doing.
When my friend and I went to have her cat taken care of, Angell has an amazing program with people called «care coordinators» that sent her updates and pictures to make sure she knew how he was doing. When he was diagnosed with cancer the doctor really explained all of her options to her, explained how they would proceed and spent a long time explaining how the drugs would affect her cat.
The only reason I didn’t give Angell 5 stars is because it is difficult to get to. Although the care coordinator was wonderful for my friend, they did not provide that service when my dog when in on an emergency.
I literally trust Angell with my fur baby’s life.

Emergency service: Awful inconsiderate sta

I want to like Angell. The mspca does great work and it is a ²⁴⁄₇ hospital for all those emergencies no one ever wants. This is the only reason I added a star. But that makes it an awful place for regular care.
Problems we’ve had — overbilling (Check your itemized receipts carefully!), mis-​prescribing or over-​prescribing medicine, and a lack of any communication between departments. On a busy day, a nurse told me she put in a request for a prescription refill. I patiently waited an hour before inquiring how much longer it would be, to find it hadn’t even been put in the system. 30 min later, I finally had the prescription, an hour and a half after the appointment was done.
The nurses clearly care about animals, and I’m sure they mean well, but I feel like this place is overburdened and understaffed and going downhill. Future appointments will be at the Animal Rescue League’s attached medical center, because I’ve never once had an issue there.

Dr was professional and gentle with the cats and answered all my questions. Food prescribed works well. Prices for prescription food are great. Best and most flexible hours compared to smaller private clinics.

8 month ago, my 2.5 year old little boy had a weird GME disease and we took him to see the neurologist who is an expert in this area. After the surgery, they suggested us to do the spinal test, MRI and all sorts of blood tests — claiming that it would be the only way to diagnose what’s going on. We refused the MRI which costs about $ 2k but did all the rest. Oh right, bc we didn’t do the MRI, they couldn’t be 100% sure what caused the disease. Anyway, my dog was put on some cocktail therapy that he had to take multiple pills on a very strict schedule. After spending $$$$, my little baby passed away within a month he had the surgery. And right now, after 8 months, I am still paying his medical bill which is over $ 4k. I don’t mind spending the money on my loved one but hopefully they could tell me it’s a waste at the beginning.

Was seen almost immediately without a wait.
Very comforting to know a qualified Vet is on duty so close to home, even on the eve of the Thanksgiving holiday.
Treatment of my cat was gentle and thorough. It would have given me pause to have to schlep in to Boston to Angell Memorial on a holiday, and I might have taken more of a «wait and see» approach to my cat’s eye disturbance. Taking advantage of Angell in Waltham, I did not have to weigh the possibility of a long drive against my cat’s wellbeing. I could be seen nearby and immediately, even on a holiday, at a clean, well equipped and staffed Angell Memorial facility. The doctor who attended to my cat clearly loves animals, which is the first requirement for anyone dealing with a beloved pet. She also did a very thorough exam, and we left with our prescription filled. Five days later, my cat is doing much better.

We currently see dr. O’bell for both of our dogs and she is awesome. The overall service is awful. I cannot remember the last time they were on time for an appointment. If not for Dr. O’Bell, we would take our business elsewhere

Angell Memorial is by far the best emergency vet care clinic in the area. We brought our geriatric toy poodle in on Sunday afternoon for emergency care. Dr. Cai worked on her to assess her condition and recommend treatment. Although we eventually lost Temi due to pneumonia he was forthcoming and compassionate through the entire process. He provided routine updates daily. Although Dr. Cai is completing his internship he did everything possible for our pet and consulted with multiple specialists throughout Temi’s stay. He has a bright future ahead of him and I would highly recommend him to anyone considering Angell as an emergency care facility. For those folks posting negative comments regarding cost I would say that options are limited for emergency care and unfortunately in emergency situations you need to be prepared to pay.
Regards, Rachael

From the people answering the phones to the doctors that I met with, I really appreciated their compassion and just their helpfulness in general. I felt like Bernie was in great hands and never worried about him. One doctor even went as far as helping me to lift Bernie into my car so that we didn’t risk hurting his incision. I honestly felt that he received more care, love and attention than I’ve seen at some «people hospitals.»

My kitten got into an accident and I had to bring him here. The front desk and doctor were ok, but the way they treated the situation was just inconsiderate.
The emergency doctor told me I had three options: 1) put him down 2) surgery 3) give him to the shelter and have them make a decision. I told her that I wanted option 3 but didn’t want to hear their decision. She said ok and went away. When she came back she just blurted out that the shelter wouldn’t give him the surgery. This broke my heart.
The front desk wasn’t much better. After paying the initial hospitalization fee, she kept asking if we wanted and extra add-​ons. Like a private cremation or vase to hold his ashes in. After saying no to those options, she prodded me more, asking if I wanted a clay imprint of his paw for an extra $ 5.
They treated the whole experience like a business transaction. Like those salesmen that try to sell cheap trinkets to tourists.
And the prices they charged were shocking. It felt like they were taking advantage of the situation. If we had opted for surgery, it would’ve costed about $ 5,000.
Big vet hospitals like this make me feel like they don’t even care for animal lives. They just want the money.

Brought my cat to be neutered here Friday morning. First off — the prices to fix your animal up here are outstanding. I thought shelters and such were supposed to encourage people to get their animals fixed to control the population problem, even without filling out a low income form.
Besides that, though, we were told to bring the cat in at 7 am to drop him off. My sister and I got a zipcar and got there at 650. I had to be at work by 745 so I thought it’d be enough time, especially since I work 10 min away from the shelter. We were told to have a seat before a technician came out to take our cat. After 30 minutes, I started getting curious as to why nobody had come by to pick up the cat. I went up to the front desk and asked what was going on; the woman responded, «sorry our internet’s down I’m trying to find the number.» Idk what number she was looking for or why their system of checking in animals relied on the Internet, but I said okay and sat down.
Another 10 min past and now I was worried I was going to be late to work, so I asked again. The woman answered that she was sorry and was just looking for the number to call the doctor …
My sister wound up dropping me off at work and going back to wait. She was there for another 35 min waiting for the Internet to get back up, before she got called back to do a physical exam with the dr. I’m not sure why they couldn’t just take the cat in since it was just a simple neuter — no vaccines or anything. The exam isn’t what bothered me, it was the outrageous wait. Why have us drop off the animal so early if you’re going to leave us waiting there for close to an hour, if not more?

I took my dog here Friday night. He was having difficulty going the bathroom. He was stressed and shaking. I arrived at 12 midnight and waited 2 hours to be seen. While waiting in the waiting room I noticed blood and urin spots on the floor.
I finally was seen and the doctor on duty was an intern. She kept suggesting that my dogs difficulty could be do to marihuana.
I mentioned that no one he would be exposed to was a user of marihuana.
She got interrupted and came back after fifteen minutes and again suggested the use of marihuana.
Again. I stated that he could not have been exposed do to myself and No one we know uses marihuana.
She was interrupted again. She finally came back and suggested a ton of tests. I later found out that they don’t run labs typically for these tests on weekends.
I refused her suggestion for treatment because I did not want my dog stuck in a metal cage for two days before someone decided to run test or find out weather he was still with us or died over the weekend.
Thankfully I made a very hasty exit. I am disappointed in myself for stay at angel for five hours that night and through the morning. I went first thing to my vet for an emergency visit and they diagnosed him right away and suggested we go to the hospital and have him treated for obstruction in his bladder that turned out to be stones.
He was taken to Woburn Massachusetts referral.
He is home and resting now.
His stones were not caused by marihuana and if he was not attended to Saturday by my vet and Woburn Massachusetts referral his condition would have bee life threatening.
I am fearful that Angel memorial would have put my pups life in danger.
I looked up the newly doctor of veterinary medic online. You’ll be glad to know the first two hits for her are about gaming.
I had to did to find anything about her being a doctor at all.
For myself., My dogs health and for peace of mind I write this and tell you I consider that Angel memorial does not exist. I am convinced there is no medical care there that will do my dog any good at all never mind any type of care what so ever.

high quality everything. this place looks 10x fancier than any hospital i’ve ever been to as a human! definitely pricier than most places (an exam w/​dr. runs $ 70 just for the appointment itself, or $ 30 for the vet tech), but for now, i’ll keep bringing my pug puppy here because it makes me feel safe that i’m getting topnotch, quality care.
i’ll cut corners on my own healthcare too many times, but for my little one??? only the best ^_​^
(i’m giving 3 stars and nothing stellar because nothing stellar has yet happened in my 2 experiences here. on the contrary, at our first appointment, they prescribed 2 meds and didn’t enter them in the system til a day AFTER we left, which meant i got a statement in the mail for the balance due of meds we never received. not very smart. when i brought it up to the cashier at the pharmacy next visit, she didn’t understand at first how to read a very simple statement w/​amount and balance adding up the 2 meds. not very smart.)

Summary: Beautiful facility, big parking lot, very professional, kind staff, very expensive
Recently, I brought my hamster Kiwi to Angell Memorial. I wasn’t sure if hamsters were even accepted for veterinary care, but there was something weird about her eye and I was worried she could be in pain. I called Angell to set up an appointment and they instructed me to visit the emergency room.
I visited the emergency room and unfortunately the vet was unable to identify the problem and referred me to the exotic animal specialist. Since she didn’t do anything other than tell me to make an appointment, she said she wouldn’t charge me… but I ended up getting hit with a half price ER visit ($ 70). So… i brought her to the exotic animal specialist ($ 150), who referred me to an ophthalmologist ($ 50) who told me she needed to do a test on Kiwi ($ 20).
Finally, they concluded that little Kiwi has cancer, and they suggested that I schedule her surgery ($ 1200)…which I obviously did not do. They did not judge me for this decision (I was worried they would be rude about it) and instead prescribed kiwi some painkillers so she could live the rest of her life comfortably.
Although this cost me a pretty penny (especially for a hamster!) I really appreciated the great service. If I ever have another pet with an ailment I will likely bring it to Angell.

A little over a week ago a very skinny little cat wandered into my friend’s back patio. She was super sweet, but alarmingly thin. It was pretty late on Saturday evening when I called MSPCA Angell to see if they could take her. Someone answered immediately and told me to bring her down, that they were open 24hrs/​day.
Upon arriving to the MSPCA with my little cat friend in tow, I was shocked to see how bustling the place was at midnight on a Saturday. They seemed to be fully staffed, working on taking in animals and dealing with pet owners. They were answering phones and getting stuff done. The employee who assisted in the in-​take was friendly and efficient. She took down all my info, what I knew about the cat and gave me a copy of the form so I could call in to check in on her, if I so chose to. She explained that they would keep her in quarantine for a couple days to make sure she was gaining weight and didn’t have any issues, they would scan her for a microchip and if no identifying info came up, they would put her up for adoption.
I called a few days later to check in on the kitty. The employee at the adoption agency was also super friendly and very helpful. She gave me the info on my little cat friend and let me know that they were still monitoring her since she was so thin when I brought her in. She told me to call back in a week to get another update.
Cut to yesterday, I called the adoption agency again and was extremely pleased to hear that my little cat had been adopted to a loving home this past weekend! The employee who relayed the news seemed just as excited and happy as I was. I was so pleased to see that the hardworking employees of the MSPCA were so invested in these animals!
I cannot say enough good things about this place. I am so happy to have such a great establishment so close to me in the event that I would ever need to take my own cat there! Awesome work, guys!