VCA Shoreline Veterinary Referral and Emergency Center Shelton, Connecticut

The day before Thanksgiving I called and explained about my dog yelping in pain. They said bring him in, only for me to get there and be told they had too many sick dogs and they would just check his vitals. I said, I could tell you his …

I went here for an emergency hemangiosarcoma/spleenctomy surgery for my 13 year old Shepherd and everyone was so kind to me, from the receptionists to the liasons. The doctors here are incredibly professional and put me at ease with …

Be careful at this place, the doctors will suggest procedures, medication, tests, and whatever else they can so they can take your money. Sometimes the things they recommend doing for your pet are unnecessary and are only suggested to the …

Thank you for helping me with my dog. The staff was very fast acting and the front desk receptionists were really nice.

I brought my cat in after he fell off a tall dresser and they checked him out. He was okay but they were so nice and patient about it.

I found a dog dragging itself down a busy road in the rain. At personal risk I wrapped it in my car blanket and rushed to nearest e VET shoreline VCA. Had me fill out a " good Samaritan form" and told to call the shelter of the town she was found in morning. Would not give condition. Later that night through fb I saw owner was found. I called VCA to at least know if she made it through and that I would get my blanket in morning. Still no update if dog lived.Assured me they would put it aside. In the morning when I went was told too bad,not responsible for blanket. Still refused to say a simple yes or no. Did the dog live. They were rude, dismissive and unprofessional. Completely lacking in compassion or professionalism except for " Shannon" who sincerely seemed to care at my frustration.

I brought my dog, Anakin, to VCA Shoreline after an accidental poisoning. I could not find an emergency vet in CT the evening the poisoning happened until I found VCA Shoreline which was 80 miles from me. My first contact was with Dawn. She was so kind and kept me calm. When we arrived, Anakin was taken to their ICU department immediately. Dr. Duffy oversaw Anakin's care. Dr. Duffy stayed in close contact with me while Annie was at VCA Shoreline. He is a wonderful clinician and a compassionate man. He made a scary experience manageable. I will be forever grateful to the staff of VCA Shoreline for the care they provided to Anakin.

We brought our dog to VCA Shoreline approximately around 330am with abdominal discomfort, vomiting and diarrhea. They took him in the back did his vitals said his vitals were good and told us to wait and hour and they would re check vitals. After 2 hours they re checked vitals and gave him an exam. Dr. Provost told us she did not think there was any blockage. We explained our dog has a very sensitive stomach, last February he had a gastropexy done. She recommended some anti nausea meds and we agreed to do xrays of his abdominal, which would be performed within the hour and was told he could not have anti nausea meds until xrays were performed. Well, another 2 hours goes by and xrays were still not done...as our poor dog was left there with no nausea medication or pain medication. We were told they had 2 stats come in and were very busy so that was the delay. Now it's going on 9:30am and I called the receptionist and asked for an update, I was told the xrays were still not done!!! At this point, I reached out to my regular veterinarian, my regular veterinarian was able to come into his office on a Sunday morning to see my dog. So I called back the receptionist and explained my dog has been sitting there for 6 hours and nothing has been done for him, I'm picking him up! After being placed on hold for 10 minutes, Dr. Haprin got on the phone and explained that they just had done the xrays and it could take up to another 2 hours for the radiologist to read them! Dr. Harpin was very attentive and got the results back right away, and explained she understood the breed of my dog and how they can make a turn for the worse very quickly. She told us our dog had a colonic torsion and would require surgery. My poor dog sat there in discomfort for almost 7 hours because of your facilities incompetence. Dr. Provost should have had these xrays done asap and our dog should have been administered medication for pain and nausea immediately, this was a large breed dog with previous abdominal issues. Our poor dog suffered because of your negligence. Thank God Dr. Harpin realized the severity of this case. We picked up our dog right away, rushed him to our vet where we peacefully put him to sleep. I will never ever return to this facility and I certainly would never recommend it.

My cat ran away for a week . Once he found his way home I took him to this hospital Immediately. I Express to the doctor that I've seen scratches on my cat . Plus I wanted to make sure that he didn't have fleas, and I was concerned with his ears they were really black. The vet stated that she wasn't worried about his ears that it was ear wax. The doctor also states that he didn't have fleas and she didn't see any scratches. Mattatuck animal hospital saw him the very next day . They informed me that he had ear mites,fleas, and had scratches on his head. So after spending alot of money at the vca to receive the wrong information . I also had to spend more to find out what was really going on with my cat. Mind you my cat is still very sick and I came home with my cat just getting a shot for dehydration. Never again

Never again I take my dog there and I pay $600 never tell me the diagnostic of my dog they give me meds and they tell me that my dog going to be fine and my dog die that night ????.....poor service NEVER AGAIN

I took my pure bred German Shepherd Falken for a Neurosurgeon appointment with Doctor Galano. My dog walked in for test and assessment of why his back legs were crisscrossing. After his assessment that took several days at a cost of over $5,000, they returned my dog unable to walk. After taking care of him day and night, cleaning all of his biological functions and seeing no immediate improvement. Two weeks later in April of 2021 I had to have him euthanized. I miss my buddy and wished I had never taken him for treatment.

We had to go to Shoreline because our dog was in pain. He had a large mass on his liver and he was going down hill quickly. My wife got there with two of our children. It was very emotional as the expert staff walked us through the unfortunate details that our sweet dog had come to his end. The staff was patient and caring as they allowed my wife and children to wait so I and our youngest could make it there to say goodbye. Every step along the way the staff was patient, supportive and caring. It was a terrible day but their staff made it easier and helped us understand it was the only decision we could make. Thank you. We will always be grateful.

I can’t say enough good things about this place. Our 10 week old puppy, Stella (French bulldog), had a really bad cough that we thought was kennel cough, but ended up being pneumonia. She had to stay overnight 3 nights. The staff was caring and helpful, and Dr. Koz called us twice a day, every day with updates (pupdates, if you will). It was expensive, but so worth it! I didn’t think our pup was gonna make it, so it feels like Dr. Koz literally saved her life! I would pay the same amount 3x over if it meant saving her life every time. Her first night back with us, I noticed that her breathing was a bit labored, so I rushed back to the hospital at 1am. The doctor on duty was so kind and patient with me. Thankfully we didn’t have to admit Stella for a 4th night, but it was worth taking the 30 minute drive in the middle of the night just to be reassured that my baby girl was going to be okay. To the staff at VCA - thank you so much for taking such good care of our pup. We are eternally grateful.

All of the variety of staff at Shoreline are responsive, caring and professional. They efficiently care for their clients (& their owners????) and often are juggling many demands, as this is a critical care hospital. I have brought 3 of my furry family members there for treatment, and regardless of the outcome, they give amazing care. Thank you, Shoreline! I'm so thankful you're here!????????????

Absolutely amazing service. Brought my dog in after he ate a few rocks and had him in for surgery that night. I got so many updates via text or phone from the staff during both surgery and recovery, including photos over the multi day process. Everyone was so caring and quick to help.

First time I took my dog there was almost 18 years ago, she had an unexpected seizure and we rushed there, the doctor told us it could be one of two things without any tests done right away, after many tests were done, it really was one of the two things they thought it could be and we were impressed. Recently one of my dogs had vestibular disease and we were referred to the neurologist there, excellent is not enough to describe her, she was extremely knowledgeable, patient, took her time, sat on the floor with our dog for a while to make her feel comfortable. We couldn't believe how much she cared for the dog and her emotions. I was ready to pay what ever they would do and I was expecting her to schedule a CT scan which runs over $ 4000, if she would say lets go ahead and do it, we would do, but she said lets wait a week and it may not be necessary which turned out to be true. She could easily get the money but she was so honest. Her diagnostics were right and we were so happy. I trust them with my 4 dogs, the stuff, they are so sweet and patient, place is always very clean regardless of how busy they are. Doctors are amazing, your pets life matters more than money to them and I don't know what else one can hope from a great veterinary hospital. Some people don't understand that regardless how long they wait, if a dog comes in with a life and death matter, that dog needs to be seen before theirs. But that is how emergency hospitals operate. I strongly recommend this place, I adore my dogs and they come first in my life, I trust this place to take care of my dogs always. Highly, highly recommended.

My dog Scoobie was transferred here to the neurology department and spent two nights here. The staff were amazing, giving my pup all the love and giving me all the updates. I felt he was in great hands the entire time he was there. He has a long road to recovery, and I know any questions or concerns I have I can reach out the the staff here. Thank you for all the snuggles you gave my sweet boy and for making a difficult time for me much easier. I appreciate you all so much. Scoobie is still the happiest little guy with everything going on and he says HI!

I was referred here after hours due to my local vet not being open. I called and they told me to come right in. I walked through the door and a very kind man was right there ready to take my dog. They were all so patient and kind took the time to explain treatment options. My poor guy is 14 with cancer and had his first seizure..being terrified and extremely upset I felt very welcomed and understood. I thank you all for the treatment you were able to provide last night!

Front desk people are so rude. Do not bring your pet here, find a place where they truly care.

Called early in the morning about bringing my cat in. I was told it shouldnt be a problem and the Drs would be having a shift change in about an hr and she would be seen right away. It is now 4 hours later and she still hasnt been seen. When asked about the status i was told. " if youd like you can go somewhere else"

I had to come here because the one I go to was close.I called in about my dog having issues, peeing blood, and on the phone they said come in now. I get there, elderly lady at front desk was extremely rude. Was told it was a little bit of a wait. Heard a dog screaming in pain from the back room. Staff then laughed at the situation, then told a lady it’s not your dog screaming it’s the other dog. Ended up waited an hour and half to just get my dogs temperature checked. Then proceed to wait another 2 hours. Ended up leaving hopefully my dog will be ok, because they seemed to not care.

I highly recommend the Vca animal hospital in Shelton. Took my cat Pede in for an infected ingrown claw and the staff and doctor were very friendly and helpful plus the waiting time wasn’t long at all.

I had the most horrible experience here. I brought my 13 week old puppy in with a prolapsed and obstructed rectum. While being triaged I noted they had my phone number wrong and I corrected it with the women doing my intake. She said she would correct it up front right away but I should go wait in my car because my puppy wasn’t fully vaccinated. After 2 hours of waiting I called inside to ask for an update on time and another women tells me I should come inside and wait so I am more visible. So I go inside. After waiting another hour I approach the front desk and state I have been waiting to be seen with my 13 week old puppy with an obstruction and the women says “we tried to text and call you but you never answered” They had never corrected my phone number. I then told her I corrected my number with the triage tech and she shrugged it off and told me I was back in the queue but would probably be another 2 hours! I was stunned by the utter lack of accountability of the group doing the admitting. They failed to correct an initial mistake, never bothered to check in when I followed up, and never bothered to ask me after three hours what was wrong. Finally, they couldn’t even be bothered to right their wrong and move me to the front of the line. Again a 13 week old puppy has a rectal obstruction and now we are going on a 5 hour wait to see a vet! I would’ve preferred if they had merely told me when I arrived that they didn’t really have the time or the inclination to treat my dog, and sent me on my way. After all this, we walked out and drove to VCA in Norwalk and were seen within 10 minutes of walking in the door by a vet and treated within an hour.

My cat was bleeding from her claw was a 5 hour wait and whenever someone would walk in with a dog they were treated right away the I was bullied to say the least by the receptionist saying it was not bad. Thankfully the vet saw and said it was bad and took care of my cat. for shame for the receptionist. I would have had a better service driving to NYC to a better animals hospital. Zero stars.

Waited five hours to be seen after check in. Just needed to have dog's obvious eye infection looked at and pick up script for antibiotics. After no updates, was told the wait was extended another four hours and I should come back four days later or go through same BS with another of their affiliated hospitals. Several patients arrived after and seen within this wait period. I see why most people will drive up to an hour away to go to a different hospital now.

Majority of front staff are rude and they are TERRIBLE at communicating. Never had a problem in past years so not sure what changed recently. I also think it's absurd they expect you to cough up thousands of dollars up front and don't offer any payment plan options.

The most compassionate and competent emergency vetinarians! Saved my dogs life when he was on the brink of life and death, bleeding internally. I am forever grateful to Dr's James and colleagues. Great team of vetinarians who happen to be women. The vet tech (male- don't recall name) was also an angel. God bless everyone at VCA Shoreline!!

it is a bad hospital they made me wait 5 hours to be treated and taken to the emergency room told them that my dog ​​was very ill and with all that they made me wait when they treated him they told me they have to do a blood test and then they tell me that everything is fine but that I leave them one day with them to continue their care and the next day they tell me that he is very sick that they need two more days to see what he has and they never told me that he only has to put him to sleep I asked them for the entire medical record and they said they were going to send it to me and until now I'm still waiting

Waited 2 hrs before they told me, that they hadn't even seen my seriously injured cat yet, and that it might be 2-3 hrs before they’d be able to look at him. Then they said I couldn’t even leave to grab something to eat because If there was an opening and they called my name, they would skip over me.

Unfortunately the 24hr vet near me doesn't do 24/7 care anymore. I was referred hear was a mistake this place is. All the negative reviews about rude staff is an understatement. I came here with my girlfriend after calling to have her dog checked out for possible uti. They told us it was a bit of wait because two dogs got hit by a car. We were okay with that and as we were waiting one of the other patients paying heard a dog screaming in pain and begain to be upset. Her dog was her by a car the lady behind the counter said that's not your dog that's the other one. Than preceded to laugh about it. Most UNPROFESSIONAL thing I've ever seen. So after an hour and half wait they called us and checked the dogs temp and told us it's another 4 hour wait!!! Told us we couldn't leave that we have to wait inside or parking lot. Even though they take your number. We waited 2 hours and got fed up and left. Please advoid this place. Don't care about your time or respect how they talk to others. Owner should really do something with the rude staff upfront seeing multiple complaints about them.