Eye Care For Animals Chicago, Illinois

Wonderful doctors and staff that cared about my pup! On call service exceptional too.

Misdiagnosed my dog with a nervous condition that affected her eye. They charged me a ridiculous amount of money for the examination and ointments, and tried to convince me that this was going to be permanent. My dog is much older now and her eye is perfectly healthy. Happy that I stopped the treatment. These guys are seeking ????

I took my dog in for consult on a growth on his eye lid. My regular vet had indicated it needed to be removed. The folks at ECFA were informative in their explanation of what needed to be done. They connected with my dog and helped calm him and were able to complete his treatment the same day.

The doctor was thorough and took the time to get to the heart of my baby's issue. He explained her condition in a manner that was clear to understand. He didn't try to add unnecessary tests that she didn't need, which I appreciated. She's my heart so when she's not well I only seek the best care. They were also up front about the payment options so no surprises.

They offer you an appointment 3 months away and don’t care that your dog is having acute symptoms. They charge you $400 just to look and tell you what you already knew and give you a Rx you already had from your normal vet. When you call and ask for a refill they tell you no, come in (3 months from now) for a follow up and pay us hundreds of dollars to tell you what you what you already know. Even though I was there half a year ago. I guess since they are a rare specialist vet they don’t need to be accommodating or compassionate. Do not recommend.

Dr. Lim and Vet Tech Lauren took care of Boots the cat. They were very kind, capable and efficient. A clear diagnosis was made and a treatment plan was prescribed. One med was purchased there at ECFA and a second was called in to the compounding pharmacy. The pharmacy called me before I got home; they verified all the information and said I would have the med in 2 business days. I also received a folder with all info written out and I can expect a follow up phone call in 2 weeks. Specialty care is expensive. I hope this is the cure.

Professionals doing what they do best! Treating your puppy and you like family. My dogs eyes are doing so much better!!

The doctor is great. Receptionist is terribly rude. We had cancelled my last appointment with the Dr. because of covid and my dogs eye condition had not changed in March 2021. They would not renew his eye prescription this week. When I asked why, she said it’s because you hadn’t been to see the doctor in 18mos. Which makes sense, I just wish someone would have said something bc I was not aware that his prescription wouldn’t be renewed. She said I spoke to someone in June and August? I haven’t spoken to anyone at the Eyecare for animals since March when I cancelled our appt. The told me they sent emails and notifications. But, I’ve never received any notices. The receptionist would not hear anything I had to say so...that was that. I’m not an excitable or irrational person, but it sounds like your receptionist is very stressed out. Wouldn’t even check to see if my info was correct in your system. I’ll take my dog somewhere else.

The doctor's and medical staff are all very nice and caring people. They take great care of our dog. He had cateret surgery and we are very happy with the outcome and the service our dog received. Definitely recommend this place!

Dr. Gaerig had originally recommended surgery for Honey, the 13 yr old shepard mix. The eye was set to rupture. She gave us three options complete with detailed costs and discussed the risks. We still had trouble deciding what to do and Melanie really helped us make a decision in a long talk. She is very knowledgable and a good communicator with great empathy. On the day-of-surgery, Dr. Gaerig, with help from Lauren, reevaluated Honey and armed with the information from a recent ultrasound at MedVets, another good vet, we decided not to do surgery as the eye actually seemed to be getting a bit better and that she is not a great candidate for anesthesia. Again, I was presented a few more options for treatment with detailed costs. I have never been to a more well run, professional and caring veterinary establishment before. They really spent a lot of time with us to answer all our questions. They cared about Honey and wanted to do the best thing for her and her owners even though that meant less revenue for them. I commend them and hightly recommend them. I wish there were more than 5 stars I could give to them.

Spent the time with me to explain everything and answer all my questions. Very happy with the visit.

Unless you enjoy throwing thousands of dollars away, stay far away from Eye Care For Animals. My one-year-old English Bulldog mix suffers from cherry eye. Even though their prices are somewhat high compared to other animal eye care specialists in the area, I decided on ECFA because of their reputation for treating cherry eye. I could not have been more mistaken. Less than a week after surgery, my dog’s stitches came loose. Within hours, the cherry eye was back. I was devastated, both concerned for my dog’s wellbeing and the effect that it would have on her vision, as well as worried about the impact another surgery would have on her health. I was also frustrated that I had paid almost $4000 on a surgery that appeared to have partially failed in less than a week. Imagine my surprise when ECFA wanted an additional $1800 to rectify an issue that was supposed to have been rectified in surgery the week before. To say that I was stunned and disappointed is an understatement. I felt like I was being taken advantage of, with the health of my dog being used as leverage for additional fees. After requesting multiple times to speak to someone who could negotiate the price down for me, I was presented with a “reduced” estimate of $1125. This estimate is cost prohibitive for most people, and demonstrates not only an unwillingness to engage in productive customer service, but a lack of consideration for my dog’s long term health. The implication is deeply troubling to me - it suggests that ECFA cares more about their own financial incentives than the health of their patients.

I was referred to the Eye Care for Animals by both a close friend as well as my primary vet. My 14 year old dog needed to be exam by an animal eye-care specialist because her eyes had lots of discharge, constantly red and started to get inflamed. When I called for an appointment, I was told the next available appointment was at least a month away. Because I was very concern about her eyes worsening, I asked if there’s any way to get my dog in sooner. My options were to pay an extra fee for after hours service or bring my dog in during regular business hours and they will do their best to squeeze me in. I opted for the later. When Monday arrived, I brought my dog at 8 am and they immediately greeted me and took my dog into the clinic so she’s not waiting in the car with me. Three hours later, I received a call from the vet and she thoroughly explained my dog’s eye issue and answered every questions I had. I thanked her for squeezing me in and was very relieved that my dog’s eye recovery can be improved by using the prescribed medications. Thank you Eye Care for Animals for being so accommodating, friendly and professional!

Good service. They are still under strict COVID-19 safety rules, so you cannot go in the building, using curb side service. Somebody meet you at the door to bring your pet inside and then you get a call to tell you the results and plan next steps; pay over the phone and a few minutes later somebody brings out your pet. Very good organized.

This practice thinks I'm just going to hand over my dog and the doctor will call. The doctor can put on her mask and stand 6 feet or even 12 feet away to talk after they want $250 for appointment. You can go into nursing homes and hospitals vaccinated wearing masks but can't talk to a vet at this location. I've found a place that understands importance of vets talking with owners and owners being with pets during stressful times.

Call to book an appointment and if it's booked out, try to call back if there are cancellations. The service is worth getting in for! The team at Eye Care for Animals and Dr. Gaerig were incredibly caring, transparent, and understanding while treating my cat and working with me. My kitten has an aggressive and complex case of uveitis. I originally sought services from MedVet Ophthalmology but ultimately needed another opinion. I was upfront about what my expectations were for my cat and how I wanted to spend on her care and they were very conscientious and accommodating. Though the situation with my cat's eye was frustrating and difficult, it helps to have someone like Dr. Gaerig to work though the complexities and hard stuff. Thank you for your honesty and resources.

Took my pup in with two badly infected corneas. They said he could lose an eye. They sent us home with what seemed like 15 different drops for different times of the day. Two weeks later he is about 85% better. Extremely efficient staff and Doctor. Vet was knowledgeable, caring, on time, and thorough. I wish my own doctor was this way

The staff and doctors were excellent to work with under these extreme conditions. They were very good with our dog, knowledgeable about what was going on and how to fix it, and gave us all the details we wanted. Highly recommend.

Always a very good experience at this location. They're very good at scheduling appointments and at explaining their diagnosis, treatment and prognosis.

They take great care of our pugs' eyes.

Good and Quick service good Doctors

They were so good with my dog. They explained everything to me and took a lot of time doing so. They took care of my dog like it was her own.

Everyone was so accommodating and gentle with my sensative border collie. The vet took plenty of the to answer all my questions. Highly recommend!

Took great care of our daughter's collie today.

Dr's Gaerig and Lim are true world class experts of the highest caliber. You can be sure your pet is in the right hands. They and they staff are kind and wonderful.

I can not say enough good things about Eye Care for Animals. After our dog was experiencing some eye issues our primary vet said our dog, Doc, would have to see a specialist for glaucoma - but there wasn't anyone available in the Chicago area until Monday, so they would check his pressure every morning while rx-ing some drops. The first morning everything looked great, but the second morning his pressure spiked back up and they said he had to see someone that day (Sunday). I was able to call ECFA line and they got back to me in about an hour and set an appointment for an hour after that. This is all occurring during COVID, so arrive at ECFA and have to do the entire intake process from the car by phone. This was painless and efficient. Once that was done they came and got Doc from the car and took him in. After looking at Doc we got a call from Dr. Gaerig who explained clearly what was happening, what her diagnosis was, and what treatment options were available. My wife, who was in the car too, is a physician so they were able to talk about the situation on a much more scientific basis while still making sure I was following. We felt confident with Dr. Gaerigs' plan and she helped us through the decision to remove one of Doc's eyes. We scheduled the surgery shortly after and were thankful for how easy the entire process was. The gave us a full quote up front and were able to complete the surgery for under the quoted price. Doc was up and good as new after a few hours once the anethesia wore off. He's been back to his happy-go-lucky self and still loves playing and sprinting circles in the dog park. We felt taken care of by Eye Care For Animals and are so thankful to them for helping Doc. I think the whole experience was more traumatic for us as owners than it was for Doc. Thanks again

Courteous staff and competent doctors - I highly recommend them.

Very nice staff and the Dr. Explains everything she is doing and what course of treatments are best to take

The doctor was so professional she Help for my dog with the problem on his eyes

We received better care, information and prices from Animal Eye Consultants in the suburbs. The doctors and staff at Eye Care for Animals were abrupt and didn't explain options or answer questions and they are incredibly pricey. However, not all Eye Care for Animals locations are like this, Dr. Millichamp and his staff in Houston, Tx are the BEST and very reasonably priced.