Orchard Park Veterinary Medical Center

After many failed attempts, I’ve finally found a 24-​hour vet that I trust taking my dog to for care. My golden retriever was attached on our walk on New Year’s Eve day. Thankfully he was mostly okay, but he was limping a lot. Our regular vet said he’d have to sedate him to do X-​rays — which is not something I wanted to do.
I called Orchard Park and we brought him in. The facility is huge — giant reception area, nice people. The first thing they were concerned about was my dog — not how I was going to pay (as I’ve experienced at two other area 24-​hour vets). They took us back fairly quickly and he was examined by the vet tech.
Then the doctor came in and examined him. She said thy could do X-​rays without sedation — music to my ears. The whole process took a while, and my dog was getting upset waiting in the room, but that’s to be expected with emergency care — better to be the case waiting than the case they are rushing to help.
His X-​ray was clear and the vet said they needed to up the dose of his pain meds and give him something to help him sleep. They had to write me a script for the medication (it must be dispensed by a pharmacy) and directed me to a pharmacy just a mile down the road that was open 24 hours (even on New Year’s Eve) and would have the medication in stock.
The price was fair — and no unnecessary sedation.
The only problem for me is they are 50 minutes from where I live — so if it was life threatening, I might not be able to drive that far. But for all other emergencies, they are totally worth the drive.

Let’s be clear, this is the place to go if you have a really sick pet. They have a veterinary staff that’s one of the best in the country, and they get referrals from all over. That said, while I suspect an emergency situation would justify their prices, I think they are overpriced for routine care. The office visit charge, at $ 55, is reasonable, but their vaccination and pharmacy charges are twice if not three times what one would pay elsewhere, as are their laboratory charges. These should probably be disclosed prior to procedure, several comments by other clients at check out about the amount of the bill leads one to believe that not enough cost information is provided to clients. And as one has the option of having prescriptions filled online or at Walgreen’s, etc., and in the interest of full disclosure, clients should be aware they have these options.

Hospitals are the worst. No one wants to go to one. No one ever wants to be in one. As bad as they are there’s nothing worse than when your kitty or puppy friend needs to go to the hospital.
My cat, and in general my best friend, Scout recently stopped acting like her self. I took her to the closest vet who tried various tests, drugs, and antibiotics. She couldn’t determine what was making my little buddy feel so rough. They suggested I try and get in to Orchard Park as they had great imaging equipment (X-​rays and such) as well as specialists (surgeons and internalists).
Orchard Park is a hospital in every sense of the word. They are ²⁴⁄₇. I called and was told to bring my cat in ASAP so the critical care doctor could see her and triage her condition. A few hours later I received a call that he’d reviewed the case with the specialist and they’d run additional imaging tests. In four hours they had an answer to a question I’d asked two weeks ago.
I wish this review had a happy ending. A few hours after walking in to Orchard Park I had a clear diagnosis with imaging that showed my poor kitty had developed an extremely aggressive tumor and there was nothing to be done. They’d done the appropriate tests, but also saved her from what quickly became apparent as unnecessary and expensive tests that wouldn’t have helped anything. When I came back and was ready they put her down in a professional and caring way that only took a few seconds. A few days later I picked up her ashes in a little pine box.
I think the important thing here is that in just a few hours Orchard Park identified EXACTLY what was going on with my cat. They were very clear with her prognosis and when I asked that they end her suffering it was quick.
They also offer all sorts of treatment and preventative care for your pet. I’m sure those skills and equipment help save plenty of furry friends. If I ever feel ready to have another cat I’ll definitely visit Orchard Park on a regular basis. They are top notch. I can’t thank them enough.

I am so grateful for Orchard Park Veterinary Center, I can’t begin to express in words how much their work has meant to me and my cat, Linus. The previous vet Linus was visiting missed serious symptoms and Linus ended up at the brink of death due to extreme anemia and another condition that was not diagnosed until he was brought to OPVC. Although the prognosis is guarded and extremely touch and go, I know that Linus would not be alive right now if we hadn’t brought him to OPVC. There isn’t a lot of hope but there is some thanks to the work of OPVH, more importantly Linus and I have some more time together and that means the world to me.
Without a doubt, OPVC is worth the drive for the Veterinary care your little beasts deserve. The Vets and techs are knowledgeable and empathetic. The Vet Linus was seeing even replied via e-​mail when I had concern’s about his condition after his hospital stay and blood transfusion.
They are a 24 hour Vet hospital and you can visit your pets until 9:30pm which is important when your pet is unwell and you’re worried sick all day at work.

My four month old Irish Water Spaniel Puppy has become quite a «counter surfer» lately, so I was absolutely panicked when I found that the clock radio mini remote on my kitchen counter was missing! After frantically tearing apart my home and not finding it, I concluded the worst! Off my pup and I went to the Emergency Clinic at the Orchard Park Veterinary Medical Center.
The staff there was amazing! The facilities are so clean! Everyone was so gentle and reassuring to me and my dog! Dr Katherine Zawadski performed a very thorough exam on my dog and ordered head to toe X-​rays for my pup. Fortunately, Dr. Zawadski had good news to share. The remote was definitely not in my dog!
I am relieved to know that, in losing my remote, I was having a «senior moment». I am extremely glad to know that I can count on the capable staff of Orchard Park Veterinary Medical Center if ever another «puppy emergency» arrives.

Very unhappy experience. Took our Shepherd for what we believed was a mouth issue and received a bill for $ 350 when the vet didn’t focus on his mouth at all! Total rip off. That evening my wife found a stinger in his mouth, now I have to pay her too! Unless you hate your animal don’t go there!

Yesterday we had our first veterinary emergency and all I can say is thank goodness we have Orchard Park Veterinary Medical Center in our region.
This is our first pet, a female Rhodesian Ridgeback. After she ingested clothing, we went to our usual vet. Three of those vets flatly refused to do anything to empty her stomach but perform major surgery. They did not offer any ideas about how we could help her without having her undergo this traumatic surgery.
Then we went to OPVMC, desperately hoping someone would listen to us and consider non-​surgical options.
Dr. Rickwald and Dr. Brummer (who we didn’t meet but who was on the case) were lifesavers. They listened to us, they considered non surgical options including an endoscopy which they have the expertise to perform in their impressive facility.
They then took care of the problem without even needing the endoscopy. Our girl was done within two hours and home healthy and happy. We even received a refund since the endoscopy procedure was not necessary.
Their facilities are impressive and state-​of-​the-​art, their service was superb but mostly, their commitment to put the health of our pets FIRST – before all else, well that has made us lifelong customers and fans.
Thank you OPVMC.

Cannot say enough wonderful things about OPVMC! Our previous dog had lots of health problems and on more than 1 occasion we found ourselves at OPVMC in the middle of the night. When it was time to put down our sweet Bailey, the staff could not have been kinder. Open visitng hours in the ICU was helpful and put our minds at ease that Bailey was in the best care. They made my husband and I feel as though we were the only people there and that Bailey was their only patient. In the days after she passed, we received a lovely card from her vet and seperately a packet of poems and a paw print of Bailey’s paw.
Now that we have Lilly who is healthy as can be, we still travel from Snyder to OPVMC to see Dr. Meinier-​Thomas. I often feel the care they provide is better than the healthcare for human in the Buffalo area! They truly care and provide amazing care!

All the vets I know recommend this emergency medical center. I thought I had a medical emergency tonight and I called here and spoke with Sarah, an incredibly helpful, informative veterinary technician. She answered my questions and allayed my fears and saved me the money of coming in! First I had called the Greater Buffalo Veterinary Service on Main Street in Williamsville (even though I’ve heard horror stories about them) and they had a receptionist answer the phone, not a vet tech, and she was like, «Come in!!»
Whilst I was in panic mode I also paid $ 70 to ask a vet online at
(highly recommend if you’re panicking) and he agreed with Orchard Park’s diagnosis.

I have had to come here a couple of times for emergencies (once before at their old location as well) and will never come again after our last experience. It was about a year ago and our dog had gashed his skin open on his leg. We get there ($ 115 to walk in the door) and the vet takes a look and says she will be right back with an estimate for services. She comes back with a paper saying our dog needed stitches and the total cost would be over $ 700! When we looked at each other with shock wondering why a small hole in our dogs leg should cost so much to fix, I then ASKED (emphasis on us having to ask) if there was another option to putting the dog under (he was just anesthetized a month earlier for neutering), stitching, draining, etc and she says «hold on I’ll be right back.» She then comes back with a paper saying they can staple his leg and it will be $ 200! That is a huge difference! WHY were we not told about the $ 500 cheaper option first? If we were better off financially and just said «yea do whatever you need» they would have gladly taken our $ 700+. We should have been given both options at the same time to make an informed decision. I know they have a big beautiful building to pay for but seriously, no need for the way we were treated. I will do my best to avoid this place in the future.

Hands down best care you can get for your animal. The entire staff will treat your pet like their own. I will never forget how they treated me, my family, every animal in the facility, and most of all our beloved dog Primo. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you. BD