VERG- Veterinary Emergency and Referral Group Brooklyn, New York

Excellent job. I am grateful for the doctors who saved both of my pets. Very professional, patient, compassionate staff and wonderful doctors. Thank you!

If you bring your pet here got any other reason aside from a life or death emergency you are insane. While the staff is caring and does s good job the hospitals purpose is to milk as much money out of you as they can. …

Do not bring your dog to the ophthalmologist here. She’s new and very inexperienced. She messed up badly on a regular routine surgery. I had to go do an emergency second surgery to fix what she did. I wanted to switch to a different ophthalmologist right away but all the ones near by had at least a six week wait. So I had to come back for post op because my dog had to be seen a week and 3 weeks after surgery. VERG offered me 3 free appointments after the 3 that are included in the surgery price. I declined they’re offer because it’s not worth going to an incompetent free vet if she’ll mess up again and it’ll cost me to fix the next time she messes up. And when I tried to talk to Mike Levitzke (one of the people that run this place) he tells everyone to tell you they can’t reach him because he just doesn’t want to face you and deal with the problem.

My cat swallowed a sewing needle and my vet recommended this place to have it removed. What an amazing experience. The staff was professional and even though they said a surgeon wasn’t on staff the front desk employee( I wish I got her name) really stepped in and made the process a lot smoother. She even reached out to other emergency facilities after my failed attempts until finally she was able to get in contact with Dr. Ben Donati. What a godsend. From what I was quoted to the price I paid after the procedure was finished wow. All around great experience.

I took my little yorkie there last night, they are amazing and so caring. She was taken care of. I was expecting to pay alot of money but I have to say they are affordable and this made the whole terrifying situation better. Thank you

I was waiting more then 2 hours after visual exam was done for technicians bring my cat out . For my questions why it’s take so long when nothing was done anyway . Secretary at the front desk told me just to sit tight. I so people leaving with their sick pets after 3 hours of waiting without any explanation. They didn’t help at all .

Our cat had a blood clot in his back leg that proved to be terminal. The staff at Verg were amazing and took care of us for our cat’s last hours. Highly recommend.

I have nothing but good things to say about VERG !!! They took my pup Gizmo back right away into a room and everyone was so kind and amazing, especially Dr. Kasprow. They got him checked out and x-rayed so quick and kept me updated throughout the exam. I would definitely recommend this hospital! They also had complementary coffee and tea and snacks which was so great :,)

Expect a 4-6 hour wait. Hope for the best.

They called to let me know my dog was ready to go home…. I arrived and then Waited an hour for them to bring him down a flight of stairs - which should take all of 10 minutes, maybe 20 if they’re busy. The Front of house staff was unhelpful and rude when I asked that they confirm that the staff upstairs knew I was waiting.

This is one of the best animal ERs I've had to work with. Both times we've had to go there have been wonderful. I felt compelled to write this review after the 2nd visit. Sadly, we had to bring in our 15 yr old cat to be put down here because our normal vet was closed. They treated us, and our sweet girl (RIP), with so much respect, love and empathy. The whole experience made the process much easier. They let us hold her until she passed and wouldn't even give her the anesthesia or the final doses until we said we were ready. Today, our little girl arrived home in an urn and they included a paw print impression. I didn't expect the paw print and it brought me to tears immediately! I hope you don't have to put your pets down, but if you do and you find yourself unable to get to your normal vet, these folks are wonderful and will take the utmost care of you and your pets.

DO NOT GO HERE.I came in to get some medical assistance regarding my ill cat and the guidance I received from doctors couldn’t have been more ambiguous. Firstly, I waited over three hours to receive just a preliminary diagnosis on my cat. Secondly, the diagnosis I did receive was incredibly unclear and vague, and was prompting me to come to a decision on the appropriate treatment for my cat. Thirdly, the doctor himself wavered on recommended injections for my cat, initially suggesting he didn’t see any reason for my cat to receive one and then later deciding that taking the injection was his “recommendation”. My experience here couldn’t have been more of an annoyance to both me and my poor cat. I left incredibly displeased with the service I received. If I could, I would give negative ratings but alas, Google requires me to give a minimum of a 1 star rating. I came here in desperation to seek adequate care for my cat and after having wasted three hours of my and my cat’s life here, I still don’t think I found it. Please don’t make the mistake I made, and take your pets elsewhere.

Paid $250 just to be told my dog is fine after being monitored for 20 minutes. - Another woman was sitting next to me trying to figure out how she’ll pay $15,000 through PayPal just to get her dog back from verg staff.

My cat ingested a cleaning solution. They received her as soon as we arrived. The Staff was kind, responsive and quick to provide immediate service. As you can see, she was not so happy, but now she is home sitting on her throne. So thankful.

Update: after the conversation with the the manager of VERG and an accurate analysis of the facts as I have experienced them and as they presented them, I decided to go against VERG legally. In the written communications following my complaints to BBB there were many questionable statements and several points of contradiction. I will update at the end of this process. My complain here is specifically for the ER department. I had a wonderful internist following my Charlie (cat) here for years, but what happened when my cat was brought in for an emergency and admitted at the hospital changed my perspective on the hospital. I brought Charlie on October 1st as he was not eating and vomiting. Upon been admitted, the first labs showed a sudden acute anemia. The doctor called me to ask authorization to sedate the kitty as he was in distress and they wanted to perform x-rays. I granted authorization. X-rays Charlie ate litter pellets and was hospitalized to monitor for obstruction. I visited Charlie on Saturday and noticed he was limping, but wasn't sure. He was then discharged the following day and when I picked him up I noticed he was bleeding from one toe where there was now a missing nail and he was limping on one of the back leg. I mentioned this to the ER doctor who discharged him to me and she simply applied some Kwik Stop. I called the hospital the following day as Charlie was severely limping and having a hard time in his recovery. Three days later Charlie had to be let go and an autopsy revealed advanced metastatic cancer. Why did they not request an ultrasound for an acute case of anemia? I also had a conversation with the manager about the injury sustained by Charlie while in the hospital- as those injuries happened while he was in their care and with authorization to sedate. I will post at a later time about the results (or not) of that conversation.

YOU PAY FOR THE REVOLVING DOOR OF DOCTORS. AND THEY NEVER DIAGNOSED MY DOG! On my initial visit for my dogs eyes we paid almost $300. They weren’t able to figure out why they were constantly watering and suggested it was allergies and to try eye drops for a few weeks. A year later we returned for her annual eye exam (supposed to be $125). She’s STILL having the same issues. Because a new doctor was there it was another $300 because it was an initial visit to the doctor. So if we have to come back three times over the next year and there’s a new doctor it’s $300 each time. When I asked why it falls on us to pay for their revolving door policy of doctors I wasn’t given an answer. The new doctor didn’t know why her eyes were watering, didn’t know what other tests to do, and recommended an $1800 cosmetic surgery (that we would have to do every three months) and she wasn’t even sure it would work. We were given a “good luck try eye drops” diagnoses. Complete waste of time. Skip these con artists and find a private practice. We will never return!

They only care about money not the animals very money driven no money we put your love one down no exceptions. Sorry we couldn't milk you for as much as we could . Please if you can help it don't go there if u want to save your pet. Horrible place.

I have used Verg a few times over the years and the doctors are very good but whomever was working the front desk yesterday, November 16, 2021 had the worst energy and customer service skills. I brought in my two dogs because I wasn’t sure which one ate a big brownie or if they both ate it. She was so nasty, wasn’t helpful and was unprofessional. I will never step foot in there again. I went to Blue Pearl instead and Blue Pearl was wonderful from the front desk to the doctors! Another plus is that Verg doesn’t take insurance- you have to put all the money out and wait to get reimbursed. Blue Pearl submits directly to insurance and you just pay the balance. After going g to Blue Pearl can see why Verg only has 3.3 stars.

I came here with my sick dog at 11pm and was completely ignored by all staff for a full ten minutes before I gave up and went elsewhere. When I finally got someone's attention they said it's because they're so busy. The was only one other person in the waiting room, there was no sense of urgency anywhere to be seen, and nobody could be bothered to even make eye contact or acknowledge that I was standing there. If you bring your pet here in an emergency I can only hope you're treated better than this.

Absolutely shocking care. We brought our cat in as a last resort as he was vomiting and had diarrhea constantly for two weeks. We arrived at 7am, and naturally we anticipated a wait. He was seen around 8:30am, and we had a call with the vet at 9:30am with the verdict and next steps. We thought our cat would be returned to us shortly after as there was nothing more to do. But, it was another hour until he was returned (did they just forget about him and left him alone)? We were presented with a set of instructions, but no information about what to do with the bandage on his leg. At 11:30pm, we found his left hind foot was swollen to approximately twice the normal size. We immediately called VERG and were hung up on several times. We asked multiple times to speak to someone, this request was not honored and left us/our cat in distress. I understand that they deal with high volumes of animals, but this whole experience was sub-par and traumatizing.

My dog had knee surgery (a TPLO procedure) in September 2021. She had the same injury on her other knee a couple of years ago, performed elsewhere, so we mostly knew what to expect from the procedure. However, we were told to drop our dog off early in the morning and that we'd receive updates later in the day and would hear then when we could go pick her up. So it was that around 8am I handed off my dog and about $5,000 and was told I'd receive a phone call later. When it was the afternoon and we hadn't heard anything, we called for an update because we wanted to make sure we'd be able to leave work to get her ASAP when she was ready. We made sure not to be pushy but the people who answered the phone were super unhelpful. We explained that we understood we may not be able to speak to the surgeon directly, but we just wanted to have an idea when we needed to go get our dog. This didn't matter. They rudely turned us away and told us that we'd have to wait to hear back and that they couldn't tell us when that would be, and that we shouldn't call again. We got a call late in the afternoon to tell us that our dog would be staying overnight and that someone should have told us at drop off. NO ONE EVER TOLD US THIS! And they never told us when we called for updates. We spent all day worrying about our dog and whether we'd be able to pick her up - FOR NOTHING. We breathed a sigh of relief that nothing had gone wrong and prepared to be ready to pick her up tomorrow. When we picked her up, it seemed the procedure had gone well. And to their credit, she seems to be healing well so far. But to add insult to injury, they decided to charge us for an extra partial day of hospitalization because "you dropped her off at 8am and didn't get her until about 3pm the next day". What actually happened is we dropped off our beloved pet and $5,000 at 8am, didn't hear anything for hours, were worried and then rudely turned away when we requested any update, and then picked her up ASAP when we got the call back. We explained that it didn't seem appropriate to charge us this additional fee on top of the communication issues and stress, but they wouldn't hear it. VERG is a factory. They are maximizing the number of animals they "process" at the facility and do not care at all about the fact that these are our loved ones we are trusting to their care. I guess that's what the rent prices they pay in Brooklyn dictate, but I will never go to VERG again and will travel elsewhere for quality and compassionate care for my loved ones. You should do the same. Go anywhere else.

My dog almost passed away because of ur clinic

For the past year and a half our 16yo dog and family member “Orejas” came to your doors for help, and every time he received the care and veterinary services that your team at VERG provided. We have come to you during COVID, snow, rain and on really hot days. Your employees have always been friendly, comprehensive and helpful. Some knew my dog’s name just by looking at him. Everyone comes to you in one of the worst days for their pets but I don’t have any complaints. I am thankful that you were there for him (and us), thank you to all the VERG team who helped us take care of our old friend and special thanks to Dr Cook (Internal Medicine) and Dr Gallo (Neurology). Thank you for going above and beyond on your busiest days, and allowing us to enjoy our dog’s company for a little longer while providing him with the best care.

VERG has multiple times caused issues with my pet getting food delivered properly due to issues with their pharmacy. Completely unprofessional and incommunicative. Avoid if you can.

My cat recently spent almost a week at VERG. Although the outcome wasn't what I had hoped, it was nothing due to VERG and I have nothing but good things to say about the vets and staff. They kept me very informed, checked in with me frequently, answered all of my questions, and showed incredible compassion and composure when it was difficult. Hospital care like this isn't cheap, and that's because the care they provide is outstanding. They were extremely up front about costs and regularly updated me. I would bring my next cat here in a heartbeat.

9 hours… for eye drops.

This place is highly recommended for medical pet emergencies. I came here recently with my dog because the prior urgent care veterinarian I went to was misdiagnosing my dog with a hernia or an intestinal parasitic infection. After bringing my dog to VERG, they carefully assessed my dog and finally diagnosed him with an obstructive object (Multiple Bones) in his digestive tract. Not only did they identify the health issue and resolve it with an endoscopy, but they also negotiated the price with me allowing us to set a very reasonable price for everything including the treatment, procedure and consultation. My Dog’s vet was Jennifer Kwok. She’s amazing. She has a passion for dogs and pets. She also is very attentive and relentless at figuring out the issue. She’s an amazing Vet. I highly recommend her as an emergency Vet to visit.

My vet and I had worried that my 14-year-old dog had a tumor in her head, and then she had a long seizure at home. I brought her to VERG to have them put her to sleep that night. Despite a full waiting room, they prioritized getting us roomed immediately, were extremely responsive to my desire for her to not suffer, were attentive to her comfort. I am so grateful for their care of her in this difficult time. It really made an awful thing as peaceful and meaningful as I could wish for.

I wanted to make sure some time went by to write this review after my cat's condition has settled a bit and I can write a non-bias review. Needless to say, no one wants to go to an emergency vet. I really really didn't want to go to VERG because I had read some reviews from upset parents who had really bad experiences here. With unsolved diagnoses, or even worsening sicknesses, parents will inevitably be distraught. Add on the high prices of emergency room, there will be bad reviews. My poor cat was really ill, throwing up, diarrhea, then complete loss of appetite. I took him to my vet and he didn't get better, and they said the next step was to take him to emergency. I reluctantly did so, and I was really surprised by the pleasant care at VERG. I was seen right away (when I thought it would take hours) just for the quick diagnosis of severity. They never pressured me for any treatment, I even wanted him to stay overnight to stabilize him, but the doctor said it was not necessary, but did show me the treatment plan for that (around $2k for 2 nights). The tech was sweet and I felt like the staff cared. (minus the front desk, they seem to hate their jobs and there's other reviews that will confirm this). Even though the process is weird, you don't get to be in the room with your pet and the doctor calls you on your phone, the doctor was caring and patient the whole time explaining my cat's diagnosis. We still don't quite know what happened, perhaps upper respiratory issue as he was coughing and wheezing uncontrollably. He seems to be much better on antibiotics and his appetite is back. In total I spent around $600 for xrays, adminstering fluids and medicine, and prescription medicine. It is expensive, but worth it for your little ones.

We waited 4 plus hours for our dog to get checked out and this place was beyond unprofessional, disorganized and insensitive. The place was unprofessional because they only told certain people about space inside and weren’t responsive to everyone. They were extremely disorganized because they let people that came in after, go before people waiting for hours while people were waiting in the cold. I witnessed employees being insensitive to a family after they put their dog down and coldly asked for the bill without saying I’m sorry for your loss and such. I don’t recommend anyone going to this place..