Pet Wellness Center of Southern Illinois Effingham, Illinois

I moved to Effingham last year from Chicago with my four cats (aka "furkids") and was worried about finding good veterinary care in the area. My first experience with PWCOSI was May 2020 when I found an abandoned baby blackbird in my backyard and called around trying to figure out what to do with it, including PWCOSI. Dr Nanci personally called me back and invited me to bring it in, as a wildlife rehabber happened to be coming by later that day. The second thing that impressed me is that the clinic is AAHA-accredited, the only one in the Effigham area that is. This speaks volumes not only to Dr Nanci's commitment to the best care she can provide but also in demonstrating that commitment in a very tangible, and in-depth process, way. I know this showed up when one of my four cats was in distress several months ago from straining so hard in the litterbox, and she saw him right away and successfully resolved the problem while providing me invaluable information to carry forward, including finding signs of IBD and the recommendation of adding fiber to his raw diet, which I did, along with water. The improvements in his bowel movements and coat since are very noticeable. I really didn't expect her to be knowledgeable about a raw diet! Really impressive. She came across as neutral regarding raw and respected my choice, which honestly exceeded my expectations. In working with my female tabby for routine bloodwork, she and her staff worked with Tupelo to draw blood while laying comfortably on her side, which is Tupelo's defensive position (going limp). Most recently, my cat Linus totally freaked out while trying to draw blood and rather than forcing the issue, we aborted and strategized on making another attempt at a rescheduled appointment, which went very well this past weekend. She even called me the night before to check in and discuss various situations and options, just in case. Last, as someone who was involved in the cat rescue community and volunteered at Chicago Animal Care and Control, I love love love that PWCOSI partners with shelters and runs spay/neuter clinics (please, spay/neuter your pets!). All told - I fully trust and value the care my furbabies receive at PWCOSI - I'm so grateful for that peace of mind, too! If you're still reading (lol), you must alerady know that I highly recommend them!

I brought my chihuahua Princess Lulu as a walk in. I am a truck driver and needed a vet convenient for a truck driver. This is the place! Everyone was ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC and I will definitely stop here if I need them again! The prices are extremely reasonable. As a truck driver, away from home in need of a vet, I can't say enough good things about this place! THANK YOU!!!!

I do not use this veterinary clinic for my pets and after the experience with Dr. Nanci over the weekend, I will encourage everyone I know not to go to this clinic due to her extremely unprofessional, rude behavior. I had a very strange situation happen at my house when a large buck was stuck in between my fence and a neighbors fence. The police were called and they were very helpful and polite. We were finally able to get ahold of Nanci to come and tranquilize the deer. When she arrived it was very obvious that she was frustrated and extremely unhappy with the situation. I understand that she was called out on a Sunday afternoon and had to spend a couple hours dealing with this but so did the rest of us that were there. We were all very concerned about the deer and tried thinking of everything possible to save the deer. Several minutes after the deer was tranquilized someone asked if it was out enough that we could start taking down the fence. Nanci’s response was “Oh darn, I forgot my crystal ball at home. I don’t know” Isn’t she the vet? The one who should be educated on what a tranquilizer does? It was a simple question and the response she gave was completely out of line. Since Nanci didn’t know how long it would take for the tranquilizer to affect the deer, we waited and waited and waited. Too long, in my opinion. At one point she was telling everyone that if we open up the fence the deer could be groggy and stumble around and might not know how to get out of the gate entrance of the fence. At this point someone asked if it would help to put a rope or leash around it’s neck to help lead it out. That was obviously a stupid thing to suggest because Nanci responded “Hmmm, you know that’s a good idea. You can be the one to walk around a wild animal on a leash”. After that comment I should have just told her to get off of my property but I didn’t because I just wanted the deer out of there. We eventually opened the fence and pulled the deer out. Unfortunately, it didn’t make it after being tranquilized. Those weren’t the only rude comments that she made but they were the worst. She was smarting off to everyone there and very rude the entire time. I have thought about this situation since it happened. I’ve debated whether or not to leave a comment about Nanci’s rude, unprofessional behavior. The way she made everyone at my house feel that day was terrible. I will never use her for any animal needs in the future. She will never be asked to return to my property. And I will tell people of my experience with her anytime her clinic is brought up to me. She was rude and completely unprofessional in this situation.

Dr. Nancy is the BEST! She always goes above and beyond to make sure my cat gets the best care possible.

This is regarding our MGD Nala and her first haircut, we were nervous about the first haircut at 9 months old she was a shaggy fluffball. We explained our wishes to Jennifer and she did a great job and exceeded our expectations, its so nice to have someone we can rely on to take care of our pets needs and give us reassurance it was going to come out well. Thanks Jen, you have created another happy customer.

Late night emergency call. They were amazing and so kind and understanding.

Staff always treat my dog so well! The atmosphere is comforting, along with the staff members. Though they no longer provide boarding, I never once had doubts while leaving our dog with them for a week at a time. Moose loves everyone there!

Excessively overpriced for the care delivered. Extremely rude nurse. Nurse argued with me and my father in the lobby in front of every customer very loudly. When I asked her to stop arguing with my father because he’s disabled and it makes his condition worse she argued more and louder and ruder. My father left then I started saying what part of stop do you not understand? She finally left and I got my cat and left with my father. I will never return I will go to a better veterinarian where they have considerate staff and reasonable prices and actually call you and update you on your pet as promised they do not do that here.

A caring staff makes sure you & your pet get what you need.

The did good work on my pup but their prices are higher than all the other local veterinary clinics..

They are very caring and friendly staff. They will work with you if your bill is high.

Would recommend this place to anyone with pets. I take my dog there and wouldn't trade vets for anything. The staff is amazing and the doctors are WONDERFUL.

Friendly Caring Staff Makes My Lil Pitbull Happy To Visit.. Quality So Pricey But Worth it for my PitBaby

The staff and pet care is wonderful here!

Awesome very knowledgeable and so very friendly! Not only to our animal but they are very considerate of people also.

A little pricey but they do good work

Great vet, just a little expensive

Beyond Wonderful! Dr. Nanci has the Heart and Expertise for your pet.

Wonderful pet center for our town.. reasonable prices and very caring staff.

PWCOSI is a great place to take animal family members. Dr. Nanci and her staff are such fine people. They keep up with current trends in vet care (yay AAHA accreditation) and use the most up-to-date methods of treatment. Laser treatment has been a godsend to 2 of my fur babies, and got them back on their feet after having back problems. The techs go out of their way to be helpful, and the front desk staff, too, are always helpful, kind and considerate.

I have a standard poodle and have tried this groomer three times. The first time, I picked him up covered in urine. They blame my dog for getting excited but my dog unfortunately has to be kenneled during the day when i am at work and does not urinate on his self or in cage. The second grooming appointment, the groomer did not do as i asked and they cut his hair in areas i requested them not to. I was upset and voiced my opinion. This last appt i went in to pick him up and the cost was different than prior appt's so i questioned it as anyone would. I had only brought with me the 60$ that I normally pay and let the lady checking me out know this. She tried to contact the groomer but she did not answer, due to not knowing, she took the cost back down to 60$. I thanked her and went on my way. I received a letter that due to my expectations of the groomer they would not see him. Little did the office know i had already changed groomers after getting my dog home and seeing patches of hair that was not cut. My 12 year old could have done a better job of cutting his hair. I do not recommend this groomer at all. After my experience at this groomer compared to all of the other groomers i have been to they are not professional and just want to rush your dog through. The more dogs the more money.

Love this place! They are the best in town! I will continue to take my cat here, as well as any future pets!

Friendly ppl nd there cheaper than others

Expert veterinarian and a very knowledgeable staff.

They have an excellent staff and helpful to every pets need. They explain everything greatly to where I understand ! Call for follow ups to make sure my pets are doing good.. I can tell they work their tails off to make sure your pet and you are taken care of.. Beautiful building !

They provide a thorough exam and explain everything.

Awesome, friendly, caring, and knowledgeable people. Dr. Nancy wonderful.

If I could give this place 0 stars I would. I have had multiple bad experiences. My dog was lethargic and immobile and they sent us home with antibiotics for an ear infection and told us they wouldn't have time to see him the next day if he got worse. He ended up spending 3 days in ICU at U of I--obviously not an ear infection. Fast forward to his vaccinations. We asked them to clean his ears and they offered to trim the hair on the inside of his ear to make cleaning easier. He came out with inside and outside of his ears shaved and looking like a 3 year old took scissors to him! I cried right then and there. Now, we just had him neutered and specifically asked that they not shave his arms any more (he has many patches from his time in ICU). They shaved his arm bald. I have never heard of a dog's arm needing shaved for a neuter. Finally, we gave them the number to call to update us on his procedure. They called a totally different number.., leaving us worried sick all day! When I called to have him transferred and to tell them all the reasons why, I did not get an apology or offers of any explanations. I got "Ok, we will get that sent over." I wouldn't recommend this place to anyone. So disappointing to feel like your vet does not care about your dog.

Nancy and her team are absolutely amazing. Always so very helpful and welcoming. They treat our animals as if they are their own. We just went in last week and got our 1yo black lab fixed. They were running a sale on it for the month and so we hopped on the money savings. Upon arrival our pup decided to poop in the lobby and I felt horrible and offered to clean it (it was my dog afterall lol) and the lady insisted she do it for us. Then when we picked up our pup after the procedure he peed in the lobby and the same lady insisted on cleaning it up. The hospitality is amazing there and I highly recommend anyone with four legged family members to go see the Pet Wellness Center of Southern Illinois! Im soo glad they made the move from Altamont to Effingham too!

I cannot give high enough praise for Dr. Nanci. I did extensive research on local veterinarians because I wanted to find a place that had the most modern treatment options (like laser treatments), but did not charge an arm and a leg for services. I had Dr. Nanci spay my 4-month-old Boston Terrier and decided to board her for the weekend. During that time, she had a blood clotting issue. Dr. Nanci stayed in constant contact with me, took any necessary precautions, but did not go overboard with tests and treatments. Her staff was loving and compassionate with my fur baby- even getting her a snazzy new sweater when she was cold. <3 I drive over 30 minutes to get to PWCOSI, and I can't imagine going anywhere else.