VCA MidWest Veterinary Referral and Emergency Center Omaha, Nebraska

I have had dogs all my life and loved and grieved the loss of each one. But, if you’re lucky once in your life you get what I call … Your Heart Dog. Kaci was mine. This review is to honor her and in the hope that it may prevent someone else having to lose their best friend. Before you take your beloved pet to this VCA Clinic, please read the reviews, and reconsider. If I had my best friend would probably still be alive. Their misdiagnosis of Immune-Mediated Thrombocytopenia and Immune Mediated Polyarthritis and the steroids they put her on killed my best friend. I had to take my girl to Dr. Shawna Greene DVM, MS, DACVIM at Iowa Veterinary Specialties in Des Moines to get a correct diagnosis … Only, by that time, was too late. The steroids VCA Clinic had put her on had already weakened her body too much. Steroids, when administered in high doses, act as immunosuppressant drugs meaning they suppress or prevent an immune response. She didn’t have a chance to fight off what she really had once they put her on the steroids. Kaci was diagnosed with antibiotic resistant Klebsiella Pneumonia infection. There is only one antibiotic that works on this rare infection. Imipenem – Very difficult to find, and very expensive. I have $900.00 of this antibiotic sitting in my office, as I write this. Sadly, the steroids VCA Midwest Clinic put her on had already weakened her immune system too much to fight off the infection. I had to say goodbye to her September 1st. This is not a clinic of Veterinarians that listen to you. I told them Kaci was not getting better. When I took her back there because her condition was worsening, not improving, the vet who saw her offered to euthanize her for me. They are definitely all about the money. After $5,408.72 spent at this clinic, it took only $1,803.38 and a trip to Des Moines to get a correct diagnosis. Maybe someday, I will be able to forgive them, but I am not there yet. Vanessa Sorensen

Our dog was very sick on New Year’s day and literally no other vets were open. Midwest Vet got us into an exam room right away and all of their staff was super nice and accommodating for it being 1am. We had to wait an hour but that’s expected with any vet ER, and they still frequently checked on us during that time as a way to let us know they hadn’t forgotten us. Staff was overall great and they definitely cared for our dog!

I've updated to 4 stars, since I did have to take my kitty Calvin back for an emergency. He's still due for his visit with the internal medicine vet come the 6th. My poor boy has so many issues, I know there have been times when he was in pain. He's so darn stoic, until he can't take it anymore. His regular vet would for whatever reason not send him home with pain medication, primarily Buprenorphine. Dr Cook at VCA understood my concerns and I have enough to last him till his next visit. As for my prior review below, some still rings true. The expense and the waiting times to see a specialist. Very disappointed with this emergency vet clinic. They're very expensive, I paid over $2600 for my kitty to have tests, xrays, and an ultrasound because his calcium levels are high (indicative of serious disease), and he had vomited blood. Was advised to make appt with one of their TWO internal medicine vets. He needs a "consultation" which I found strange since one of their internal medicine vets had done the ultrasound. Should have been a follow up. So now she's booked for her consultations for another 3 weeks. Will cost me $225 upfront, plus more costly fees, probably again more questions than answers. Meanwhile guess who suffers the most.. the animals. In this case, my kitty. WHY DOESN'T VCA HIRE MORE INTERNAL MEDICINE VETS? For the money you pay here, it's rarely in the hundreds anymore, but thousands, easily. We as caring pet owners deserve better service for these exorbitant fees. Also I'm from San Francisco CA. VCA Emergency was expensive there, but actually more so here. I don't recall paying over $600 for an ultrasound in SF. VCA Emergency in Omaha is terrible, but my poor kitty doesn't have a choice..or he may die. Gave three stars because the staff, supporting roles are just doing their job. It's MANAGEMENT. I feel badly for our pets.

I have taken my pets to VCA before for specialized care, prior to taking my dog in for an emergency situation a week ago. Overall, I would come to VCA again for emergency/specialized care but I do think there is room for improvement. My biggest pro is that the doctors are well versed in their trade which is of highest importance. Their front desk staff is helpful and kind, but the hospital as a whole could do better with their communication. We were told our dog's emergency lacerations would take approximately 45 minutes to do, and I understand things can take longer but 2.5 hours lapsed and no tech came in to update us, and the doctor would not come in until he was ready for discharge. They could have had more going on in the back, but the lobby was completely empty and it seemed like they could have sent a staff member to us sooner to give us an update. My biggest comment for VCA to consider- you deal with emergency situations all the time, but it is a scary experience for any pet owner, and pacing around for 2.5 hours waiting and wondering is pretty excruciating, assuming the worst. The female tech that was sent in briefly to let us know he was waking up was a bit short and rude when we asked questions, reiterating the doctor would come in and discuss everything when it was time to discharge. I felt like a discussion with the doctor should have happened immediately after he was out of surgery, and didn't need to wait until discharge -especially given the assumption the severity was worse than discussed pre-surgery in that it took a out 3x the estimated surgery time. I am not asking for multiple discussions with the doctor, I understand they are busy attending to others, but consider talking to pet parents immediately following a procedure, go over discharge instructions then, provide an estimated wait time and than and than have a tech conduct the final checkout when the pet is ready to go. My experience with VCA is they care for the health of your pet and are attentive to their needs, which is primarily important, but bedside manner/communication could improve. I am appreciative of the expediency they took care of our dog in the emergency, and they are pricey, but you get what you pay for.

Very overpriced and are money grabbers. They were honest with their pricing though, admitted to being on the high end in pricing compared to other places. My cat was having breathing issues on Christmas Eve, so I brought my cat to VCA, being my primary was closed. They immediately put him on oxygen, which I'm grateful for. But here is where the money-grabbing and guilt tripping starts: They said they needed to do x-rays in order to figure out what was going on. Price quoted was between $800 and $1100, just for the x-ray, on top of the $250 I was already in for. I said I'll wait to see my primary (Pittman Animal Hospital) on Monday. The vet then says that they don't think my cat will make it till Monday, but I took my chances and said I'll just take him home. Then when the vet gave me my cat in his carrier, she said he could pass that day or the next. Welp, my cat is doing great now. Took him to Pittman and they gave him an x-ray, a diagnosis, and meds for only $95. Make VCA your last resort (absolute emergency) when it comes to pet care. Unless money and dishonesty isn't an issue with you. Stick to the little guys, like Pittman, being they care more about the animals than the money. Oh by the way, they said my three options were 1) Let them x-ray to find the issue 2) Suggest meds for him or 3) Euthanasia. Really? Put him down when you don't even know what the issue is? That's crazy! Pittman diagnosed him with asthma, which could just be seasonal. Choose wisely folks.

We’ve used this clinic twice this year when we had emergencies arise. Both occasions we were met with incredible professionalism and care. All staff from start to finish showed great empathy and was very accommodating. I can’t say enough great things about both experiences, and will definitely go back in the future if we have any emergencies with pets.

My dogs let isn’t looking so well and I’m not extremely concerned

My kitten broke his leg. It should have been splinted at the time of first being seen according to my regular vet. So my baby has been in more pain because of it. The visit cost $800! And still no proper care. The surgery he needs they want to charge $3000-5000! They are totally NOT worth the price they charge. No quality care. I will NEVER go there again.

Our 11 year old 12 pound dog was badly injured in a dog attack. Our regular vet referred us to this location on a Saturday afternoon. Upon arrival, staff performed triage to assess her status, and we were seen by a vet within the hour. My dog was damaged, but calm and stable, and there were obvious higher-risk patients needing immediate care. After meeting the tech for history, we saw the Vet and received a thorough explanation of her recommended exam and treatment plan and cost. There were options and levels of precautionary testing that we had to consider, and could have "skipped" but felt they were necessary for her health and our peace of mind. The techs, staff and DVMs were busy, but respectful, compassionate and thorough. Surgery was done to repair tears and trauma, meds dispensed, and explanations for what they did, observed, and treatment recommendations made. We were released and saw our own Vet on Monday. Total clinic time, including anesthesia, surgery and some recovery time was about eight hours. The notes and documentation we received was comprehensive and understandable and rivaled most MD dismissal material. As hard is it is to wait, and as expensive as it is to obtain EMERGENCY treatment, this clinic did a superior job on one of our scariest days. One thing that is clear from both human and pet ER experiences: People so often wait until situations and conditions become an "after hours emergency" instead of seeing the regular vet first. It's unfortunate that many folks feel emergency care should be fast and cheap. I applaud VCA Mockingbird for their help and would recommend them.

I took my baby girl here for an emergency visit. When I left they said she was ok and I could pick her up on that follow Wednesday. Unfortunately an hour later I get the message she had passed away. Now to the billing part I went ahead and paid around 1300 dollars before I left that was for all the treatments she would need. I had no problem doing this as she was my baby. What happen next was out right ridiculous. I went back to the hospital and made arrangements for my pet and they told me I would receive a partial refund. When I got back home which I live an hour away I get txt with a link saying I owe another 200 plus dollars. I’ve called them 4 or 5 times asking for an itemized bill and have never received a response. So let’s forward to yesterday I get a letter informing me that I have been sent to a collection agency for 200 and some change. Now I have no problem paying the bill but I’ve asked for an itemized bill many times and have never received anything not even a phone call. I feel they are trying to hide something like maybe they overdosed my pet. I really don’t know. I would not recommend them to anyone who has an emergency.

Don’t come here if you want fast treatment and to be able to afford it. Omaha needs more emergency clinics, this place doesn’t cut it

WARNING **** WARNING *** PARVOVIRUS CONTAMINATION Please be aware that on 21 September 2021 I encountered a man with 60lb 7 month old puppy with parvovirus symptoms and vomiting sitting on the sidewalk directly across from VCA Entrance. He told me he had been instructed to wait there. His sweet dog was vomiting on the Rocks near the tree. I encountered them when I was instructed by the tech who returned my dog to me after to take my 5lb sick little girl outside to that exact area to pee. I am angry. I am concerned. She is already was fighting an infection so immune compromised. I had already picked her up and put her in my vehicle when I saw the other dog vomit and drooling on the rocks right in front of my vehicle. Tonight my girl started having symptoms that resemble Parvovirus so I called the clinic. They told me —well if your dog were vaccinated then you would avoid this problem and we are seeing an influx of Parvovirus cases. Well I wondered why was I not warned and why was I instructed to take my girl outside to relieve herself in a contaminated area? Perhaps it is my fault for rushing out and forgetting a pee pad for her. But regardless I find this unacceptable. Please head my warning and keep your animals as safe as possible. I did not have a problem with the care my dog received but I think warning pet parents is vitally important. I held my girl 100 percent of the time in the clinic to try and protect her…but I don’t think the area they instruct you to take your dog to relieve themselves should also be where they instruct highly contagious animals.

I wish someone else would open an emergency vet clinic and give Omaha a true alternative. My dog injured his neck on a Saturday and was unwilling to move and yelling in pain. Other places could see him but not for several hours. I called this clinic, described my dog’s condition and was told I could walk in immediately. I told them how far away I lived. Got help carrying the dog to the car, drove nearly an hour with a yelping dog, arrived and lifted him out of the car. He walked inside (although he immediately laid down once inside) and I was told that because he could walk, there would now be a 3 hour wait. Had I known that before driving, I would’ve waited at home and then gone elsewhere, but I was there now so we waited. My dog was yelping and shaking in pain. I asked if he could have pain meds while we waited. They gave no meds but said we could wait in a room. After waiting for hours, a vet examined him. He did no diagnostics and gave no conclusive diagnosis but said he’d give an injection of pain meds and send him home on meds. Fine. Wait some more. Tech comes and takes the dog for his shot of pain meds. An hour and a half goes by. I go to the front and ask where my dog is. They say he is still waiting for the shot. Dog has been in pain for 5 hours at this point and is who knows where, lying in a run or something. Continue to wait. Tech finally comes back with paperwork. I demand the dog. We take our pain meds and go home. Dog is still yelping on the way home. Spent the next 24 hours absolutely refusing to move an inch and yelping frequently. I call on Sunday and say these meds don’t seem to be touching the pain. Isn’t there anything else he can have? They tell me my only options are to bring him in again for another exam or I can try to call back on Monday when the vet who saw him is working again. What was even the point? I wasted an entire day, a few hundred dollars, and my dog is still in absolute agony. I do get that imminently dying animals need to take priority but I think humane vet care also involves at least evaluating an animal’s condition and providing pain relief. No one in this clinic seemed to care at all except another pet owner in the lobby who commented that looking at him made her want to cry.

This place is a disaster. I took my dog in that was in critical condition around 1am and the tech comes out and takes my dog by the leash and the only thing she said was “this will be $300-$500”. They took my dog back and came to tell me that it would cost approximately $10000 to save my dog. I don’t have that kind of money so I called the emergency vet in Lincoln and told them what was wrong with my dog. He said it would cost me $3500 for the exact same treatment. The tech came back in the room and told me I needed to hurry up and make a decision and that my dog was beginning to have heart palpitations. I told them I wanted to take my dog and go and they stood there and argued with me. When I told them I’m taking him somewhere else they woman literally said” I don’t want it to seem that I’m holding your dog hostage” but that’s exactly what it felt like. They told me he didn’t have much time and that they recommended euthanasia. I was emotional wreck and finally gave in and agreed to euthanize my dog. I didn’t feel any kind of care or compassion for me or my dog while I was there. They took my credit card from me and ran it before they would euthanize and initially told me it was going to cost $750. I became angry and told them to forget it and they said “ how much are you willing to pay? How much do you have?” Then they said “fine we’ll do it for $450 and I unhappily agreed because I wanted to leave. I truly felt evil presence inside of this establishment and would never recommend it to anyone. Take your dog to Lincoln if you can and avoid being extorted.

Don’t let the negative reviews or the three star rating deter you. We had to come in late at night with my dog because she was in incredible pain and was extremely anxious. With interactions that we had with the nurses and the doctors her anxiety slowly deteriorated and while her pain continued and we’re still trying to figure it out she seemed more and more comfortable at times went on. They gave me options as far as payment goes and we’re honest and upfront with cost. I’m very pleased with our visit.

We took our 14 year old Diabetic Puggle in last night, he was shaking, panting and could not urinate. When the lady took him she said just taking him back there will cost you $300-$500. We were like our dog is hurting please look at him. They took him and put us in a room, the doctor came in and said his glucose levels were good and they took an X-ray but didn’t see any stones but would put a treatment plan together to move forward. The assistant came in and told us it would be $3500 and he should stay the night to watch his glucose levels as well. The doctor had already said those were fine. In the meantime I started looking at the reviews as it felt like we were being scammed. When they came in we told them we were taking our dog home and taking to our own vet in the am. We took our dog to our own vet and they said looked at X-rays that the VCA sent over and there was a large mass in his bladder. Not one time did they mention a mass. “VCA wanted to keep him overnight for observation” Sadly, We had to put our dog to sleep today but grateful we didn’t get scammed out of $3500 when they knew it was something larger than kidney stones they could not see. ????

We have had our dog here twice for after-hours emergencies and have been so pleased. They are very upfront and transparent and don’t make us feel pressured. They provide excellent and professional care, and they love our dog.

Our dog had some kind of infection that 2 other vets said that they couldn't treat. VCA has access to excellent medications and well trained vets. Their price was very high, but was reflective of their quality, and they saved our pup's life. A few months later I was dog sitting for a family member and the pet had an emergency that was handled quickly and inexpensively here. They're our go to when we need anything besides the basics!

I was hesitant because of the Google reviews but still went to my scheduled appointment with Dr. Donaldson for my Violet's neurological issues. He explained very clearly what was happening and he explained several treatment options. I highly recommend him with his knowledge and all of the staff were very friendly.

A terrible experience for me and my dog Mia. The receptionist were amazing. The Doctor was horrible. She did not want to try to save my dogs puppies. She wanted me to surrender my dog to the humane society. She does not care about the animals only the money. Tried to charge me an extra $3000 for a c-section. After I said I was gonna go somewhere else she tried to lower the price and said it was an accident. She told me to take my dog home and let her puppies die and then try to find a vet the next morning that will be willing to do the surgery. I would not recommend going there. Update 08/03/21 because I never updated the story. ALL 10 of the puppies survived and the mama and we were all taken care of at Urgent Pet care. ????

We were referred to the VCA by our primary vet. Our dog had a cancerous tumor in a very unfortunate location and many surgeons do not have the skill set or equipment to carry out this type of removal. I have nothing but praise for everyone at VCA. Dr. Meyer and her team did a great job in caring for my boy, we're only a week post surgery but so far we have had the best outcome. I've seen reviews on here about the cost, from my experience with them we did a CT Scan pre surgery and then the surgery. For both procedures they gave us a low estimate and a high estimate, and for both procedures the final cost ended up being a few hundred dollars under the low estimate. So they do factor almost every possibility into the low estimate. You're also paying for a board certified surgeon with top of the line equipment. (at least in my case) Dr Meyer seemed very confident which helped calm some of my nerves. Communication between me and everybody I spoke with was great. 10/10 I would feel comfortable recommending this place to anyone and wouldn't hesitate to bring my doggos here if the situation arises in the future.

Walked in at 730AM on a Sunday to an empty lobby with my dogs foot and leg bleeding. I was told that because they had a computer problem yesterday they could only see critical patients. That is not emergency care!!! My dog is being seen currently at the Urgent Care. Don't bother stopping at VCA they have no compassion.

Every worker, from the phone call until the end of visit, was so empathetic and kind. I had to bring our Daisy Mae here on a Sunday to be put down. I was such a wreck and they were so understanding and explained how it would be. I can't thank them enough for their compassion on one of the worst days of my life.

I believe the techs and vets care at their core, but keep in mind who they work for at the end of the day. It is the Mars Family, one of the richest in the US and the world, and one of the most private, probably because they ultimately have something to hide. Their motive is profit at the expense of you and at one of the your most desperate times. Test after test, which only racks up the bill, and the only answer is more tests. A pool hustler at the local bar would be envious of their skill. And if you leave a comment here their answer will be evasive, expressing courtesy sympathy and telling you to send an email (check any negative review too see the trend) to a generic address that is most likely monitored by someone that isn’t even qualified to work the 3rd shift at a Burger King. I’m $6k in trying to save a life and no break, no sympathy extended from a monetary perspective, no olive branch, no thing. Be prepared, their is no limit on what they will take from you. It’s really sad, but they suck you in and prey on you like an addictive gambler. After I spent $5k, which they received in full, with no diagnosis the tech still had the audacity to tell us they’d waive the ‘deposit’ in case I left the pet behind. Anyone with half a brain would’ve realized that wasn’t happening in the situation and what they learned in their corporate training with a stock answer wasn’t applicable to the situation. That’s a flat out insult to my character and what I just entrusted them to do. They may help you, but keep in mind they have no skin in the game before you make your choice. This company has a choice. Do what is right, or what is convenient for them. I have zero issues with them profiting at a reasonable level. But they have no problem taking it beyond unreasonable.

I went in there at 11 am. The procedure itself which was just blood work and a urinalysis was 500 dollars, which I was told included medicine, after they determined my pet had a UTI among a few other issues, they quoted me 250 dollars worth of medication. The medications included an antibiotic, anti anxiety medication, a pheromone spray, hydration supplements, and a food stimulant. I was baffled by the fact that they told me it was included in the original 500 and it wasn’t. I proceeded with them as I saw fit for my animal. PSA: they don’t do payment plans or billing, something MOST vets do. Anyways, aside from the expensive part, it took 4 HOURS. The diagnosis took 2 and then I sat there for another 2 just waiting to get my cat back and get the medicine. My cat is extremely skiddish and scared of everyone and this absolutely traumatized her. It was a horrible experience all around and I won’t be going back.

I was recommended to bring my dog to this business from my primary vet. I’ve legitimately now considered leaving my primary vet for even recommending this place to me. My primary vet sent over all my paperwork on my dog (literally just had blood work + x rays done) and got sent here for an ultra sound. What is the first thing they do? Try to sell me on a $450+ X-ray.. unreal. This vet is 150% all about the money, no empathy towards the animal (at least in my experience there). This place did absolutely nothing to help my situation, they actually wasted valuable time that my dog could have been on an IV to get better elsewhere. They should be ashamed of not only their pricing on things (2-4x as much as every other place in town) but the way they send in an unexperienced “assistant” to explain everything and force you to sign paperwork with outrageous prices on them before trying to even consider helping your sick animal. This really isn’t even worth typing out to explain, I just wanted to leave a review so others know not to come to this scam of a business. I will never re-visit this vet in the future, nor would I recommend using them to anyone.

Would definitely recommend any of the Urgent Cares in Omaha, but was forced here because of the timing of my dog’s injury. Long, long, long waits in their parking lot on a 97 degree day, when the parking lot was completely empty and it was clear I was the only patient. Make sure you’re aware that you’ll need to pick up your dog immediately after an emergency surgical procedure or you’ll be charged $35 per hour. Despite the $35 dollar an hour charge, their staff sent my dog home with a catheter in his leg that they forgot to remove. Had to drive back across town to have them remove it. Disgusting care.

My dachshund needs IVDD surgery. We live in Kansas City where there are almost no options available. Called here for details and to possibly schedule with them. Was told that they will only quote after a nearly $200 in person consultation. I told them that I can't drive 3 hours with my dog in pain and pay $200 to roll the dice and see if we can afford them. Obviously one of those "if you have to ask, then no you can't" situations.

I am so very thankful for all the workers here, I came in late last night due to my puppy getting in an accident which panicked me and made me hysterical, although he calmed down and walked fine I couldn’t possibly relax until I got him checked out, they let me come straight there and had someone come out to check on him immediately upon arrival they were so kind and understanding to the situation and thoroughly checked him over, once the nice girl was done she gave me the run down and that he was good and safe to go home which was so relieving to hear and they also didn’t charge me whatsoever for any of it! Just so thankful they were here to help when I really needed it.

I’ve put two animals down here and I love the whole process. The staff is so kind and sensitive to the situation, they make you feel really comfortable. They allow you to sit in a room until you’re ready to proceed. They give you a doorbell to press when you’re ready. The dr talks you through the whole process. I would never go anywhere else.