Veterinary Emergency Service

Brought my cat here for a CT scan due to respiratory issues, and the docs determined surgery was needed. The surgery revealed that her lung was in worse condition than they thought, and subsequently she never woke up from surgery. Although she passed away, I am giving five stars because
— The staff was professional and friendly. Every time I called, each staff member knew my cat by name without having to look up her file. This made us feel that she was cared for and that she was important to them. When we got the call that she had passed, the surgeon sounded genuinely upset about her passing.
— The doctors spent a lot of time on diagnosis, even calling others for consults and second opinions.
— Communication was AMAZING. We were kept in the loop during each stage and even received a phone call while she was in surgery when the surgeon determined that it was a riskier procedure than anticipated.
— We always knew estimated costs for each stage, and the doctors/​surgeons helped us make informed decisions. Due to the open communication, there were no surprises with costs.
— After she passed, a staff member (Lori) spent a lot of time with us giving advice on coping, even shedding a few tears with us at one point. We were also given information on burial/​cremation options.
I recommend getting pet insurance while your pet is still healthy and I recommend VES for when your pet is sick.

I would give them 10 stars if I could. Kind, professional staff. Very knowledgable too! Their services are worth every penny!!!

Well, like they say, never say never. Working with my vet today with another one of my dogs who deteriorated over the weekend. She wanted me to go to VES b/​c she had gone to a presentation by one of the respiratory specialists there and had discussed the case of my dog. I went. She was fabulous. My dog is getting the best of care. Like I said before, it depends on who you get. This one was a 5; the other one was a 1. But to be fair, all my trips there before, probably at least six times, each vet was a 5. So I’m giving six ratings of five and one rating of one!

We had to rush our cat here after having an allergic reaction to a food. This was around 8:30pm unfortunately this was the only place nearby that was open… The lady working the front desk was very kind and joked around with us to lighten our mood since we were pretty stressed out. (hence the reason for 2 stars). Once we got in the Doctor was very kind as well. They had to take our cat to the back and give a physical exam. We overheard our cat yowling out due to stress which was expected. The part I hated was I overheard some worker back there calling our cat a little s***. Not cool, not cool at all since I can hear you… Once we got our cat back we overheard the same lady calling other animals little s***heads and f***wads. Not okay at all, people are stressed bringing their pets here considering they can hear everything going on keep that in your head… Definitely won’t be coming back here I’ll drive further and go somewhere else…

I should have written a review back in January when my dog stayed here 4 nights while recovering from being bitten by another dog. She had a surgery performed by Chris Reagh. He and the staff at this location, and the Janesville location, were so kind and had a very calming presence.
I am writing the review (finally) because tonight I took my other dog in because he had a tick on his ear that my husband and I tried removing for so long we grossed ourselves out. I called before heading over and again the staff was more than understanding of this nonemergency. They told me to come on over and removed the tick at no charge. They are just the best.

As a pet owner, the last place you want to find yourself is any emergency vet. But if you have to visit an e-​vet, though, you’re in good hands at VES. And if you get to see Dr. Daugherty, you’re in great hands.
In July 2015, a dog attacked and bit my dog. Because of the extent of my dog’s injuries as well as complications of the bites a few days after the attack happened, my husband and I actually found ourselves on a first-​name basis with the VES staff for the whole month of July!
Dr. Lauren Larsen performed the initial surgery to stitch up my dog’s wounds. She was very personable yet serious, and she did a great job explaining his injuries and explaining the solution. She recommended my dog stay overnight for monitoring, which we liked since we felt he would be in better hands than coming home with us as we have no veterinary training.
She called me the next morning to explain how he did overnight and what would happen moving forward since she was finishing her shift and a new daytime vet would monitor my dog.
A few days after coming home, my dog unfortunately developed an infection in his leg, and we visited VES again. Dr. Tristan Daughtery performed surgery to remove the infected skin on the leg. Dr. Daugherty was wonderful in his bedside manner and his ability to help us understand the procedure and what to expect after that.
The skin removal required daily sterile bandage changes at the vet and a long road ahead with new tissue growth. Due to the daily vet visits, we dealt with several vets at VES — Drs. Elisa Lovejoy, Chris Reagh, Alicia Sibley and Sarah Wetzel (who unfortunately did not have a good bedside manner, I might add) — and they performed his bandage changes wonderfully.
We eventually transitioned away from VES for the daily changes and went to our regular vet. Our regular vet and Dr. Daughtery, though, remained in contact over the next month to discuss the wound healing. I was happy to see this teamwork!
I never felt that the VES vets suggested extra or unnecessary testing or procedures. I felt that VES’ costs of service were quite fair. And the quality of VES’ service was superb! My dog is now back to being a normal, happy and healthy boy!
(ETA: My dog is a retired racing greyhound. Dr. Daughtery as well as all the vets we dealt with at VES were savvy about the breed and sighthound sensitivities.)

I was not that impressed. I appreciate that they were open 24 hours and they were friendly. However they didn’t want to prescribe anything because they wanted me to see my regular vet. So basically I paid $ 140 bucks for a supplement with the instructions to go to my regular vet in the morning and spend another $ 140 bucks.
I went there with a cat that couldn’t stop sneezing had labored breathing and was showing a third eye.
I was under the impression because they are the backup for my vet and they worked together. They do not work with your vet. They are basically a urgent care.
By the time I got in there and waited my cat had calmed down so even though they agreed she needs additional antibiotic they sent me home with a supplement. I couldn’t even find out what her temp was. If your pet can wait go to your regular vet.

Two weeks ago my 4 month old great dane puppy was taken here for a severe reaction to his puppy shots. He ended up very swollen and vomiting which he in turn aspirated into his lungs –not good.
My puppy ended up staying in VES for care for 5 days. The whole time, we were kept very up-​to-​date regarding procedures that were being done and the cost of them. Since he is a large breed dog, we were kept aware of the possible side effects of each medicine that may need to be administered. Furthermore, we found the staff very comforting and understanding of our position. We were invited to visit whenever we wanted, so we visited our little guy morning and night. Each morning, we were given an overview of the costs as they stood as well as where they would be at the end of the day should everything remain the same. By the second morning the folks at the front desk knew who we were and were telling us stories about how much our little guy is loved by the staff. Dr. Thompson was incredibly informative and she gave us all of the facts – gently. Dr. Fay was also a great help!
Ultimately, I am SO thanful for this service. The staff is caring and attentive and the service – was amazing. Thank you for bringing our little guy back to health!

My friend told me bulldogs were #77 out of 79 on the «smartest dogs» list. I was indignant until Leo, the five month old lil’ rascal, proved her right. Yes. He could have spent the day at the dog park but instead got to go to the vet ER when he got the car window down and jumped out of the moving vehicle.
(Mind you, I won’t mention where we fall on the «smartest owners» list for failing to have the window locks on).
With a puppy in shock and an oozing bloody jaw we knew we had to head to the vet, stat. Being a Sunday, only the ER vet would be open. Thank goodness for my paper hoarding tendencies (how often do I get to say that?!) because I had tucked a brochure for this vet into my glove box.
We called to let them know we were on our way (note: there are two locations and in hindsight we realized we were closer to the other one, it would be great in the future if the reception team could assess where people are located and direct them to the closest location).
When we arrived, Leo was whisked to the back for an assessment. The vet then came out to talk with us and the good news is that Leo seem so have a thick lil’ noggin and was just fine. WHEW!!! She offered additional services to check for things that may not pop up until later (xrays, overnight observations, etc.) but was not pushy. She advised us what to watch for and encouraged us to bring him back in if we noticed anything she had mentioned. Bill for office visit: $ 70. Would have been $ 170 more for xrays which we declined.
The nicest part was we got not one, but two follow-​up calls over the next few days. Just checking in to see how the lil’ guy was doing. They also faxed info over to our regular vet so they were in the loop (and they called as well). Leo basked in all the attention, of course. Stinker!!!

Please take caution when visiting this clinic. While we’ve taken animals to this vet in emergencies in the past, none was as crucial as our terrier this past summer. It was a late Sunday afternoon and our terrier had quickly developed real difficulty breathing. I called this clinic and rushed him directly there (we are only a few blocks away). They scooped him up and into the back room to get him stabilized and intubated so he could breathe. Immediate crisis was averted. At this point we met Dr. Tristan Daugherty (we had met him in the past), and signed the paperwork to authorize them to care for our little guy. The next three days were horrific, but they began with the biggest mistake I regret authorizing to this day!!! At 11:00 pm Daugherty called and said he thought they needed to do a tracheotomy (something very rarely done at that clinic). Every cell in my body was telling me to say no, but when talking with the experts you feel wrong saying no… so I authorized the operation. That was the beginning of the end for our otherwise healthy 7 year old terrier. The very next morning when I called my regular vet to fill them in, they were appalled at a tracheotomy ESPECIALLY on a Yorkshire terrier… a breed that is extremely prone to collapsing trachea and something that should have been discussed with us.
The other doctors we encountered were as follows: Heidi Fay was cold and non-​responsive when on her service. She even had the audacity to say to me after I inquired about our current total bill (which in the end was nearly $ 3,000) «this is just part of being a responsible dog owner» in a curt tone. Oh really? No kidding… that’s why he is at the Emergency Vet Clinic receiving around the clock care. One of the most insulting things I’ve experienced as a dog owner.
Dr. Ruth Clark on the other hand was extremely empathetic and responsive, keeping me up to date on his progress and outlook for when he could come home… she even cried with us at one point when we almost lost him on the second day. Our final vet was Dr. Allison Gunn who was clearly the most experienced and down-​to-​earth that we worked with.
All-​in-​all, I would only consider taking my animal there for stitches or non-​invasive issues… and only if there is no possibly way it could wait for our daily vet to be open. Three weeks after coming home from the vet and after constant care of his tracheotomy wound, our terrier’s trachea collapsed and had to be put to sleep. A healthy seven year old terrier with lots of life left that should have NEVER received the procedure he did at this veterinarian… the risks with his breed /​genetics were never discussed with us prior to this procedure, we had to hear them from our daily vet after the fact. BEWARE!!!

Well, it’s been a few days since Heidi came home from the vet with her near-​death (Very near death) experience. It was very traumatic for all, especially her.
The staff here were incredible throughout the process. They allowed me to visit Heidi in the emergency ward, and gave us some alone time. We both needed it!
The staff and doctors were very patient and careful to explain everything carefully. They sent home a great packet of information describing what had happened, the treatment, prognosis, and future treatment and follow up needs.
The bill… no one likes to think about this part. They bill was very clear, they were happy to answer questions, and had, on their own accord, actually removed some charges to save us money. wow.
Integrity? They had an intern assisting one of the doctors. The intern made a mistake while getting a sample withdrawal from Heidi. We had no way of knowing this and it caused no issues for Heidi. They could have easily kept this a secret and we’d not know better. Instead, the Doctor just expressed this to us, apologized, and took full responsibility for it. very professional. Thank you!
A couple days after we got Heidi back, the staff called «just to check on her and see how she was doing.» Nice.
These people clearly LOVE LOVE LOVE animals and it shows in their work.