VEG ER for PetsReviews of veg.com

My complaint involves the lack of experienced staff and appropriate medical equipment and the outrageous prices for euthanasia. I took my dying cat to VEG in Pikesville, MD the day before Thanksgiving. She had suddenly collapsed, could barely move, and was clearly in great pain. We were seen fairly promptly by a group of very young vets, who correctly diagnosed her cancer but did not have the sonogram machine necessary to determine what had caused her sudden collapse. Given what VEG charges, the lack of this equipment is bizarre. I took my cat home hoping she'd hang on for my own vet to see but had to bring her back on Thanksgiving to be euthanized. She suffered horribly and unnecessarily for 24 hours because VEG did not have sonographic tools, and the staff were simply too inexperienced to know that she likely had a tumor that had burst and needed to be euthanized immediately. Then to my shock I was charged more than $500 for euthanasia. When I called the crematorium, they were surprised to hear what I had paid. And I just learned that VEG sends a "donation" to our mismanaged city animal shelter for every euthanized pet, without telling the pet owners. I am currently trying to find out about this bizarre scheme, which is especially surprising because VEG is in a neighboring county, not the city. I would not go to VEG ER again and would advise others against it. Note that I am not blaming them in any way for my cat's death. She could not have been saved, but she could have been spared 24 hours of agony.

Good for quick ER visits, but dangerous gaps in critical care and administrative coordination VEG's open model works well for straightforward emergencies—you can get in fast. I even slept there overnight with my cat while she was in an oxygen chamber. But if your pet needs sustained critical care, the rotating staff creates real problems. No continuity of care With constant shift changes, critical information gets missed. I had to keep confirming doctors were actually coordinating with my cat's cardiologist. I kept bringing up details from her records that staff had overlooked. You shouldn't have to project-manage your dying pet's care, but that's what happened. Again, this model is great for short-term crises, but your pet is not meant to be seen by doctor after doctor. I realize doctors cannot work for 24-hours straight, but having one lead would have been helpful. This is also why I was still actively communicating with her primary vet who knows her and her health. The most serious failure: When my cat wasn't responding to treatment, euthanasia was suggested before anyone mentioned transferring her to a specialty hospital—which her primary vet had specifically advised to me. By the time I learned transfer was even possible, she was too oxygen-dependent with too much fluid on her lungs to transport safely. Some places wouldn't accept her because her condition was so rare. I have connections at UPenn, but it was too late. Would it have made a difference? Maybe not. But I was spending thousands of dollars and deserved to have that option presented upfront, not as an afterthought. Especially since transfer was literally written in her cardiology discharge paperwork as the next step if she was unresponsive to medication (she was). Administrative chaos Before treatment, they give you cost estimates with ranges. Fine for quick cases, but for multi-day care there's almost no communication about actual spending or when charges hit. I was there basically every day, even overnight, and I'd already approved estimates and put money down. Then someone from admin calls me after I'd just spent 24 hours straight at the hospital when I was in bed: "I just wanted to confirm you saw the estimate—I didn't realize we were at this amount." Yes, I approved it. What do you need? Their lack of record-keeping is not my problem. There's a clear deflection of responsibility among staff. A lot of the doctors don't like being questioned or hearing other ideas. I shouldn't be the one researching specialty hospitals for transfer options. Many of the doctors are just vanilla—cut and dry, no out-of-the-box thinking. If they can't treat it or are out of a list of traditional treatment methods, it seems like euthanasia is their go-to option. Sometimes I think they're so focused on ego and treating the numbers that they overlook the actual patient. You know your animal. They don't see them day to day. What actually worked: The vet techs were incredible. Jake made my cat a custom cardboard hideaway that made a real difference for her comfort. Alexis, Mati, and Danny were compassionate and attentive (to me and my cat). The front desk was hit or miss—Lena was great, others clearly didn't care. Bottom line: VEG works for in-and-out emergencies. For complex cases needing multi-day care, the lack of continuity is dangerous and they realize too late when a patient is beyond their care capabilities. Celine's death might not have had a different outcome, but transferring her to a specialty hospital was an option I was more than willing to pay for. At times I felt assumptions were made about my decisions, ability, and financial capacity to continue her care. Those aren't calls for them to make. Advocate hard. Ask explicitly about ALL options including transfers. If I had another pet emergency, I'd go somewhere with specialists on-site. I had to be my pet's biggest advocate, and it's devastating that I couldn't trust several of the doctors caring for her.