Veterinary Emergency Center Canton, Connecticut

My cat needed urgent care recently. I appreciated the staff's updates during his evaluation, and follow-up suggestions. This is a super group of caring people! Marlee is doing so much better now. Thanks Dr. Cindy Petrauskas!

Was told my cat had "pink eye" and was sent home with drops. When my cat's eye did not resolve, I was concerned about the level of care my cat received and wondering if it was misdiagnosed or what. I called around and was told by others …

VEC saved the life of our then 9 week old (Spring of 2021) GSD Puppy - Arlo. The Vet Techs were outstanding...from Drop off, sharing information, and diagnosis. Our little guy had Parvo. The Veterinary Physicians who were in charge of his care over the course of his 96hrs were patient, realistic, reassuring, and straightforward with us. They were available to receive calls and provide updates. The Vet Tech team were similarly caring and professional. Like most Vet Emergency practices - they can be be extremely busy and chaotic - but the staff were just Fantastic....and during the pandemic as well!! Cannot say enough great things about the care and professionalism of this practice. On the money side...my pets care came in well under the estimate and I didn't feel for one second I was be gouged. Thank you VEC for your help!!

Doctor and staff were WONDERFUL! They got my dog in a reasonable amount of time, kept me updated and took time to explain what was going on with my dog! Unlike the CT Vet Specialists in West Hartford where I was treated like a number. Here I felt my dog was in the best possible hands! The new doctor from Maine is so knowledgeable, professional, caring and giving. I truly wish they were more than just an urgent care! because having my dog’s care in their hands was a HUGE RELIEF! 100% recommend this facility!!!

My worse experience with a vet ever!!!! On arrival 3 times they collect 500.00 in cash for a ear infection ...did not have the correct medication . After visit summary was not the correct information last visit the gave me last visit summary as well as I checked in at 5:30 they forgot about me ...then tried to send me away finally seen at 930 they agreed to see us....worse place EVER!!!!

I just want to say the two receptionists I spoke to yesterday were both incredibly kind to me. My dog was very ill at his regular vet and it was recommended he have an ultrasound on emergency. My vet and I called 9 ERs and no one would see us. Now unfortunately canton was also unable to get us in as their only doctor was in a procedure. I completely understand that, and ended up going to vca Shelton. But the other area ers were short and rude with me. But the two receptionists here genuinely tried to help and were just overall kind. I wish I remembered their names but I was so panicked about my poor boy I didn’t catch them. I just really appreciated their patience and kindness towards me during a really difficult time for me. I know everywhere is understaffed but this group tried harder than anyone to help me.

I give them five stars and five more stars, awesome team of animal lovers, outstanding care of the animals, amazing people Thank you from me and Duke

Informative & caring to help pet parents make critical decisions for their furry babies health and all well-being. Dr. Brion Reagor has outstanding bedside manner in difficult end of life decisions down the road too. Fees seemed more reasonable than other area hospitals, especially considering they are open 7 days a week and will do their best to help immediately.

On 10/21/2021 my 13 year old chihuahua mix, Chester, started having tremors so I called Canton Emergency. After answering some basic questions about ches and covid they told me to come down. They were busy but when I got there they were so fast to come out and take him in. The vet himself came outside to check his heart rate and make sure he was alright at that moment. They quoted me a very reasonable amount considering everything that needed to be done. They wanted to keep him overnight with an iv and techs around to observe him. The doctor called me around 9 pm to tell me he was doing much better, went over xrays/blood work and to calm my nerves. He knew I was a complete mess. He called again the next morning (today) around 830 am to let me know Ches was eager to come home and he could leave anytime. A little later I called to let them know I was there and the receptionist was so sweet. She said they all LOVE Chester which I knew was a lie because he's a jerk and I'm the only one that loves him. Anways..the end balance of the bill was much less than I was quoted as well. The whole experience was honestly amazing. They went above and beyond for Chester and myself. If I ever have another emergency I'll be coming here. Thank you everyone!!!.

Excellent service & communication from all of the staff. Everyone was extremely friendly & open about each step of the process my dog had to go through. Thanks so much for all you do.

Brian (the head Doctor at this emergency center) was so kind. He was comforting, fast, and so reassuring and informative. He made me feel very confident in the care my dog was getting. I really couldn’t say enough about how great he was…. I wish I could have him as my regular vet! The rest of the staff was also caring and friendly. They totally understand dogs are our children. Thank you for being there for my boy!

Veterinary Emergency Center turns away emergencies that are life and death. My cat died because Veterinary Emergency Center employee told me to find “somewhere else to do business”. I was trying to get in to save my cat. I said nothing wrong, I was crying and the employee told me to “let it go” and “stop getting so upset, it’s an animal”. They will remove reviews from their google review ranking by reporting it as spam or “abuse” regardless of its legitimacy. Terrible people, terrible veterinary group. Never come here.

Vec was the only emergency vet open and willing to help us when all the other emergency vets wouldn't. We had to put down our cat of 15 years due to her expelling a tumor earlier in the night. The staff and dr were absolutely amazing, helpful, compassionate, understanding and made the process of sending our cat to the rainbow bridge less traumatic.

Our puggle, Milo, had gotten into some dark chocolate and was having some severe GI distress. We called our primary vet and advised us to seek emergency care. We came to this place right away. Due to covid we weren't able to go in, but the staff I talked to on the phone, met outside in the parking lot and the vet my wife and I spoke to were friendly, and professional. They helped Milo out and really walked us through what was going on, what our options were and what we could expect to pay. We really appreciated them spending the extra time explaining everything to us and we had a very good outcome for Milo as well. I would recommend this place to others based on this experience.

Wonderful place would go back without reservations. This is my second emergency visit with Vet Emergency center. Everyone was so nice to me and to Sadie girl she is my 10 month old retriever. Sadie was so sick all night I decided to bring her in and as usual VET was there for me. They answered all my questions took all my many calls. I would like to send a special thank you to Dr Elan Armstrong this is our second time she helped us out. She is always professional and just a kind person. They treated Sadie like she was their dog. I will go back ( hopefully I will not need to) without reservation. Dr McNicholas

Could not recommend this place more. I have unfortunately had to use their emergency services with two of my dogs and they always are so extremely kind and compassionate. From the front desk to the techs to the veterinarians, I’ve always had a great experience there. I have moved to Massachusetts and they are still my #1 choice for emergency care.

Took my cat there recently when my regular vet couldn’t get me in. Great staff, would go there in future if needed to.

We were there late yesterday afternoon with our fur baby, and even though it was a long wait, the care we received was exceptional. I will say prepare to wait, as it is an emergency vet and patience is required.

BE AWARE BEFORE TAKING YOUR PET HERE FOR CARE!!!! My puppy Yoda was brought here for care, he was there from Friday evening until Sunday afternoon. In this time staff quoted me prices that only continued to increase with no results or a clearly defined diagnosis. I was informed several times my puppy would die if I could not pay for the care however I was offered the option of allowing one of the staff members to adopt him! Are you insane!! My puppy was denied pain medication on Saturday but given pain medication right before I picked him up. I attempted to have my puppy transferred to another vet at which time they told the vet my puppy would die on the ride there! Dr. Carter informed me that she was unaware of this but her colleague spoke to the doctors. They refused to send medical records over to the hospital instead they held a phone conversation only! This practice is SHADY!!! They threatened to call the humane society on me for wanting to pick Yoda up to take him elsewhere for care. The oath they swore to protect, Care for and serve animals went out the window with the vision of dollar signs. This practice is purely money driven and it’s disgusting how they use your love of your pet for financial gain. I will be reporting this hospital to the state for investigation, and BBB! I have plenty of proof of their negligence to care for Yoda. I feel for the owner of this practice because the staff is ruining a business of care for the love of money! Close to 3k in expenses with no diagnosis! Yoda was sent home with no medication and they “cared” so much about him they brought him out in the rain getting wet uncovered and no umbrella. THANKS FOR ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!! I HOPE THEY SHUT THIS PLACE DOWN.

They were great once we got in. I only give 3 stars due to no follow up and having to call 3 times to get the paperwork sent to my vet. Been a whole week and nothing. Not sure what the issue is.

So far from what I’ve experienced, the staff are in control of this practice & the fact that they will not forward a telephone message to the owner-vet is disrespectful to him as well as clients who readily lay out big cash for his services. The staff seem to feel more important & educated more than the doctors. I beg to differ, Cory is dismissive & rude on the phone. The owner needs to know this and via mail to his home, I will make sure he does know what is going on in his business. The staff may lie, I won’t!

Do NOT come here if your animal needs serious help! I went there for the first time on a Wednesday, when my dog was not eating and acting Drowsy. They wanted to run blood work and x-ray. I said Start with blood work . They did, they called sayin he had some kind of infection. Awesome problem solved, gave us antibiotics and we went on our way. We waited a day or two for the antibiotics to start working- still no improvement- he's getting worse. We bring him in on Saturday morning first thing again- have blood work (again) and x-ray done. They find nothing. By now he's vomiting and has bloody diarrhea they were able to get a sample while he had this happen in his cage. Now they say its probably parasites. that we could hospitalize him, or if we can get him his meds he can go home. We are now at $1,400. Fine. If they have given us the meds to fix him- the money is no issue. Bring him home. This dog was getting worse by the minute - again thinking we have to let the meds work! They call me Sunday and guess what.. NO PARASITES! So not only have they charged us over a thousand dollars, but have given my dog several medications he does not need. They tell me to bring him in and admit him. When we get there they realize they are not equipped to care for my dog. So wasting just MORE of our time and money we go to Pieper Memorial Hospital. Where they looked at the SAME X-rays from here and see a blockage in his intestines. They confirm with an ultrasound. Needless to say if I kept trusting this vet my dog would have DIED. They charged me $1400 for NOTHING, and wasted 6 days of my dogs life which could have been all he had left. I did not read the reviews until my third time sitting in the parking lot waiting for answers. I'm far from the only one who has been ripped off and their animals not cared at this vet. I suggest save yourself time AND a lot of money and go To a legit state of the art facility IF your animal is showing serious illness. I'm sure they will come back with a reply to this review and make this our fault like have tried dozens of times with other non pleased clients. That's fine. I just want to warn the next person like me. RUN- don't risk your pets life here!

Our puppy was at the hospital for 3 nights and ultimately had exploratory surgery of his stomach. While we thought that he had been recovering nicely, our regular vet discovered on examination 11 days later that he had an open area of tissue next to the surgical site below the skin's surface which required immediate attention. Since this appeared to be in connection with the first surgery, he referred us back to the Veterinary Emergency Center for follow up. The Veterinary Emergency Center was unwilling to consider this a complication from the first surgery and would only operate again if we agreed to full payment again. Based on the urgent need for surgery, we could not wait and agreed to the surgery and payment again. I am a medical professional and based on my above-basic level of understanding, the most likely need for the second surgery was due to poor placement of stitches during the first surgery and not a genetic defect that we were told it was. The clinic assured me that this was the only possible reason for developing the hernia and that their doctors keep careful notes about each patient since their is a constant rotation of doctors at the hospital. I am not convinced. To add to the stress of this difficult situation, following the second surgery, we observed an usual bump next to the incision site and were concerned. When I called the Veterinary Emergency Center to ask if they could check it, I was told that they would only check the bump if I agreed to pay the $160+ office visit charge. I was so upset based on everything that had happened to date and the significant financial investment we had already made that I took him to our regular veterinarian instead to have it looked at. Our vet did not even charge us for an office visit. The Veterinary Emergency Center has placed protocol of payment over common sense customer care and professional accountability. We are very disappointed.

I can’t express how horrific an experience my family had here.The two puppies I rescued came down with parvovirus.We brought them there and the doctor said they’re either going to die or they have a 80% chance of living. After a few days they put one of my puppies down. After several days later they wanted to put my other puppy down. Come to find out they were starving my puppy they were not giving him a G feeding tube and they said that I should take him to hire care or they were going to put him down. Needless to say they have been starving him and cause pneumonia and he almost died because of this. In the end they would not let me take my puppy to another hospital until I paid the balance of 5000.The total charge was $15,000 and they didn’t even take care of either one of the puppies. Please do yourself a favor never take your animals to this vet!!!!!! it was a horrific ordeal thank God I was able to save the other baby at piper memorial.I only hope you pay attention and read these reviews before you bring them there

Horrific experience. Wouldn’t wish this type of treatment on my worst enemy. The doctors & staff are careless, unethical and need to be investigated by the DPH. …

Disappointed. Over vacation our puppy came down with some mini wheezing-coughing episodes. We brought her in and were told that she might have allergies. The vet kept talking about his allergies on the phone with us.. we didn't want to seem like we were overacting, so we took his word. A few days later, we brought her to our regular vet (a clinic/emergency center as well) in NYC who performed a much more thorough standard exam and pointed out to us right away our puppy had an inflamed trachea. Pretty easy to diagnose- they pressed on her trachea to induce coughing. While the 24 hours is convenient, the standard of care does not match the price.

We brought our dog Sadie here last night after a encounter with a porcupine and they were wonderful. They were friendly and efficient and Sadie came out of there much more happier than when she went in. Thank you!!

I likely had an overreaction to my kitten's surgery wound being swollen, but they were really wonderful. I called and they were friendly and helpful- and I made the decision to drive 35 minutes to them just to be safe. They were pretty quick coming to get him at my car and set the expectation that I had someone more critical in front of me. They were really communicative, super friendly and sent him home feeling better. The wait wasn't horrible, but again they told me it wasn't going to be quick, so I can't complain! It was also a pretty reasonable price compared to other emergency vets I've been to in the past. All is well wth my little guy, and I don't regret taking him. Awesome vet, definitely keeping them on my list if ever needed again.

I have never been to a Veterinary Emergency Center until last night. I was dealing with my older cat not eating and limited mobility. It was time for me to say goodbye to my Skittles. It was a very difficult decision for me. I called around 7:30 last night. The compassion I received on the phone, and from Dr. Armstrong was so appreciated. If you are ever in need of an emergency service, you can trust the Veterinary Emergency Center 135 Dowd Ave. Your loving pet will be in good hands. The entire staff is warm and kind. Thank you for your compassion at this very difficult time.

My dog had to have emergency surgery over a life-threatening infection. The staff at the Veterinary Emergency Center were absolutely fantastic from the beginning of the process to the end with constant communication and explanations of everything that was going on. I was a nervous wreck and Dr. Leshem reassured us that the surgery would be performed and everything would go well. The check out process was very easy and the nurse explained everything to us about aftercare. Truly professional staff and very comfortable talking to them about my pup. If you are in need of emergency medical care for your pet, I highly recommend VEC.