The Big Easy Animal Hospital Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

They took good care of our Weimaraner over the years, and when it was time when we had to let her go, they were very caring. We even got a card with her paw print on it, signed by all the staff. Highly recommend them.

Just don't. Despite hearing bad things from multiple people, I took my cat here because the location was convenient for someone that does not drive. I had him there on Monday, they ran some tests and told me it would take 24-48 hours to get the results. Wednesday I attempted to call after hearing nothing, and learned they are only open until 2 that day, apparently. I called this morning, and was informed that the results were in, but they need to be transcribed by the dr. But she would put a post it on it that I called. Now it is almost closing time again, so I called to ask for any kind of update, and I was rudely informed there is only 1 dr and 3 techs doing the best that they can. While I understand this, my patience is at its limit. Me and my husband have been worried sick waiting to hear what is wrong with our cat, and it is pretty obvious that the Big Easy staff isn't worried whatsoever. She actually went as far as to tell me it is possible that THIS doctor might let my test results sit so that the doctor I saw can view them. ON MONDAY. Please take my advice and go ANYWHERE ELSE if you expect actual customer service and timely responses. *Updating this review for transparency * I received a call back on Friday from the dr. She told me what was wrong with my cat, and then she told me that she was too stressed to deal with "hurtful" reviews such as mine. She told me that her own animal was having emergency surgery today, and offered to forward my cat's records to another vet when I explained to her my grievances with her staff and the service I had received. So: if this is acceptable for you, by all means, take your animal to the Big Easy. But, it kind of makes you wonder why they had time to check their reviews and no time to call paying customers to tell them what's wrong with their animal.

Sad this place doesn’t seem to have the same quality care it had a few years ago.

I had a pet emergency on New Year's Eve. Since it was a holiday almost every emergency vet was closed and it was so hard to find someone to look at my kitty. Big Easy was more than willing to have us come in and they treated my kitty with such compassion. While the wait was long due to the holiday and half of the normal staff they did a fantastic job. The treated my cat like he had been coming for years. They took the time with us and gave him a through exam and ended up giving him some fluids and medicine. Our cat has bounced back and is doing much better. I can not say enough about how nice the staff was and how caring they were. The prices they charged were so reasonable and not as bad as I had thought they would be. Highly recommend them and would easily trust them with any future care of my cat.

Sorry to say whoever is working the front desk should probably seek a different profession outside of customer service. She was so unbelievably rude and shamed me on the phone. I am not upset about the information given, it was the way it was delivered, even after stating I wasn't trying to be combative, she met me with the rudest attitude and ended up shaming me because I haven't brought my pet in in some time. WELL FIRST OFF, I WONT BE COMING BACK, secondly, I have had to outsource to other vets in the meantime because it is very hard to book an appointment (they say they'll call back, and never do... for MONTHS) with this vet. And after explaining this, I was barked at that they have walk-ins available, which is great!! but unfortunately I work a job I can't just call off, get up and leave, so that isn't my best situation. I was offered an appointment, but after that experience I'm sad to say I will never take my animals back to this vet. They're professionalism has gone way down since I first came here in 2016. If you're looking for a vet in the Pittsburgh area, I highly suggest you look elsewhere unless you like being shamed by front desk workers. Literally banfield is better than this place, and at least they don't talk to you like human garbage.

My dog had a fall over Christmas weekend and started showing symptoms of severe pain in one of her hind legs. While I have a regular vet, Big Easy walk-in seemed a faster and more viable option because of a backstock of holiday weekend visits at our regular vet. We waited in an exam room for nearly an hour before seeing the vet. At about the half hour mark I asked for a blanket or something soft for my injured dog to rest on as well as a time check, and was told I needed to be more patient as there were actually still 3 animals ahead of me. When the vet did come in, she informed me that she had a lot on her plate and was dealing with "real" emergencies all morning. She didn't listen to my assessment, was dismissive of my dog's pain level, and demanded a Lyme's disease test instead of further range of motion testing. While ordering the Lyme's test, my dog tried to scratch herself with the injured leg, let out an ear splitting Yelp, and the vet continued to ignore it. The Lyme's disease test, of course, was negative. I was sent home with generic dog ibuprofen, and given no instruction for at-home care or a time frame of when to follow up should symptoms persist. I understand we are all short staffed and overworked. I know coming off a holiday weekend, dealing with pet emergencies is stressful. But at no point was there active or honest communication, and I was treated with a very dismissive attitude for the entire 4+ hours I was there. If you want better treatment for your pet than the equivalent of MedExpress for animals, don't go here.

I've taken my pets here since they opened. I love the Big Easy! They're are and have always been great with my pets even my very frightened ones. I have had to go elsewhere due to scheduling issues or specialization needs but there isn't anywhere else in Pittsburgh that I trust more.

They care not to diagnose a pet, even if your pet has serious symptoms. Poor customer service no matter the type of phone call, appointment. Inability to let patients know when their facilities are not equipped to handle pretty much anything vet hospital related. Even before the pandemic, appointments were never on time. I gave this place a chance for 2 years since we are neighbors due to a referral, but now my dog is dead too early since the vets I interacted with across months and years just would not try to be a real doctor. Do not take your pets here if you want them to be healthy. I wouldn’t even trust the day care or kennel.

Had used this place for last few months of my fur baby's life. They were excellent all the way through. A great vet office!

If I could give them zero stars I would.

Most wonderful, caring and compassionate veterinarian we have ever experienced. They are truly the best!!!

The past year has been difficult on the scheduling, but the staff has always been as helpful as they can be and very kind to me everytime I brought my dog in. I have been going for years now, right up until I had to put my pet down a few weeks ago. Dr. Ruiz remembered my pet and her medical issues and provided me the best care available and I'm forever grateful of the many years of service from them. Thank you

They used to be a great place until they moved. They didn’t fax my pet’s medical records over, even though they told me they did. I had to almost argue with the vet, to get my pet properly checked out and diagnosed.

September 20, 2021 PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Throughout the pandemic, staffing shortages have been a common thing, particularly in the restaurant industry. People may not realize the veterinary field is also experiencing something similar, creating long wait times for pet owners and pushing vets to the point of burnout. Jennifer Fraser’s new puppy, Simba, was sick with a urinary tract infection when we met her inside Rainbow Veterinary Hospital in Darlington, Beaver County. She said she called multiple emergency vets in the area only to get a response she didn’t expect. “They all said, basically, unless your pet is dying, they couldn’t see him and would have to call in the morning,” said Fraser. Thankfully, Rainbow had an open spot available due to a last-minute cancellation, which Dr. Amanda Fultz says is a rarity these days. “We are booked out of regular appointments right now till the end of November,” said Dr. Fultz. On top of that, Dr. Fultz says Rainbow’s 24-hour ER is having to turn some of the less severe patients away, or have them wait hours before they can get them in. Dr. Fultz says pet owners could wait up to six hours before their dog or cat is seen in the emergency room. “We are recommending in those cases for a patient to try and seek out vet care elsewhere,” said Dr. Fultz. She says people are sometimes being sent as far away as Akron, Ohio, or Morgantown, West Virginia, which Colette Eule says she would have done if she had to after finding a large laceration on her dog Harper’s chest. “Our initial response was we called her vet where she goes for routine care, explained the situation, and they said they, unfortunately, wouldn’t be able to get her in,” said Eule. After calling multiple vets within an hour and a half radius of Pittsburgh, Eule found one. She finally got in at Butler Veterinary Associates, and Harper is now healed and healthy. While a lot of people got pets during the pandemic, Dr. Nicole Palumbo at Butler Veterinary says the main problem comes down to lack of staff, especially in the ER. “When the pandemic hit, we weren’t allowed to have normal appointments, and that put a huge issue on the future because had all these vaccine appointments and everything were put on the back burner,” said Dr. Palumbo. While a lot of general practice vets are accepting appointments now, Palumbo says some still have reduced hours and less staff which is causing exhaustion, especially for the vets who work in the ER. Therefore, Dr. Palumbo is leaving the emergency side of things to focus solely on general practice at a completely different clinic. “I’m burned out. That’s the biggest thing,” said Dr. Palumbo. “Daily, we get calls that we are probably turning down at least 20-50 people a day and it’s disheartening because you want to help them and people give you horrible reviews.” Which is why vets say being kind is so important. “We do see because of the amount of compassion fatigue that’s experienced, the amount of burnout that there’s a high suicide rate,” said Dr. Fultz. Meanwhile, back inside Rainbow Animal Hospital, Fraser is breathing a sigh of relief that her new puppy Simba is in good hands, and is looking to the future. “I have a new puppy appointment for him and it’s not until Oct. 16,” said Fraser.

I've been going to the big easy for years with various animals that have been in my care as well as my own pets. I've had a lot of good experiences with them in the beginning- they have previously worked with me on costs and given me treatment options for a cat that was experiencing a life threatening liver issue that I thought would be out of my affordability. I've also always appreciated their walk in hours and the kindness of the techs to my animals, not to mention how easy Dr. Ruiz is to talk to. But recently, I've brought in a dog that I adopted last year and have not had great experiences. I have found interest in holistic care for my pets since a very young age and have educated myself over the years using herbs and nutrition for various ailments for my pets. When I took my dog in for an issue, I outlined the routine I had began using for his ailment. The vet was very dismissive and told me that herbs don't work and prescribed the same dewormer that could be found for cattle at the farm store for fractions of the price (I later found out). He also was surprised that my dog reacted to a needle on his rear end after coming in and barely introducing himself to my dog before sticking him, calling him unfriendly and saying how ridiculous it was that he reacted- my dog also has very sensitive skin in that area which was completely overlooked. I know times are tough and its hard to fill positions but this experience on top of an experience in which I felt shamed/ pressured to buy a seresto collar has ensured that I'll be looking somewhere else where the idea of integrative medicine and nutrition is entertained before moving onto (extremely marked up) western style meds alongside awful bedside manners. Further more, I keep getting calls months later to pick up said medicine that I already paid for, picked up and administered. If nothing else good comes out of it, I at least feel inspired to try vet school and whatever further education is needed to move away from western medicine and pharmaceuticals to a more holistic approach for myself and my animals sake.

Very professional, seen within 5 minutes of appointment time, very nice place.

I am rating this vet low due to reliability. I have been taking my dog here for over 4 years. The lead time for getting an appointment was 5-6 weeks for an update in vaccinations, to include rabies. The soonest they could see me was August 12th, even though my dog's rabies vaccine lapsed August 8th. August 6th, I received notice that they could no longer honor the August 12th appointment. When I called to discuss another appointment, I expected them to work with me on a reasonable solution. The only thing they were willing to offer me was another 4+ weeks out as though this was the first I called for an appointment, taking no responsibility for canceling on me. They assured me this isn't a problem to let vaccines lapse a bit, but I had to remind THEM that my dog is now at risk due to not having the rabies vaccine up to date. If there is an incident, he will be killed out of caution to test his brain. I cannot in good faith continue using this vet who was so cavalier about a situation they created. Update: The doggy day care associated with this company now won't let me board my dog because of the lack of vaccination...a situation caused by their own establishment. I now cannot board my dog to get home for my last scheduled visit with my family before relocating to another country. This vet is horrific.

Everyone there was great. My dog had a seizure, & they saw Roman right away. They did a perfect job of explaining everything. Definitely the most pleasurable experience I've ever had at a animal hospital. I highly recommend using them.

Really bad experience here with the big easy. Came here because a coworker recommended it but I guess they’ve changed a lot. Your very first visit you must line up super early to get a place in line, it’s not guaranteed your pet will be seen. Then you need to wait minimum 3 hours after lining up all morning for your pet to be seen. Super weird experience. On top of that my dog got his initial check up with them when we first adopted him and they didn’t even take a stool sample.. We had to go back and do the whole 3hr waiting process again because it was an emergency. Could have been prevented if he got a stool sample. (First time dog owner did not know that was the norm with a newly adopted dog!) Had my dog neutered here and they forgot to give us the certificate after the surgery… didn’t even apologize. The surgery in general was a mess, no communication from staff members about how the procedure would happen. Dropped him off at 8:30am and picked him up at 5pm(worst part was that they closed before that and shut their phones off so no way of contacting them). The staff there told me to expect a call around 3-4. I was super anxious the whole time and they never called till 5 and he was straight out of surgery. Why did I have to drop him off at 8:30am and leave him there the whole day with NO UPDATE? Never heard of that before. Their explanation did not justify keeping my dog there the whole entire day with no communication. Although the vet themselves seemed nice and informed the front staff/technicians were not attentive and negligent. I would highly recommend not going to this veterinary clinic.

Place is garbage. I had an appointment and waited like 2.5 hours. Walk-Ins were blowing by me. I nearly walked out, and the lady at the front desk begged me to stay saying the vet would be available any minute. If you want to go to a vet that lets you see the vet at an appointment time, don't go here. North Boros on Babcock Blvd is much more reliable.

They picked up the phone and just hung up before I could say anything. Not very professional if you ask me.

They don’t care about your pet. They would not release my dogs records so I can go somewhere else. So I have to wait for a month or two for my dogs heartworm medicine. So they have no care for your pets they do not care.

Friendly, attentive staff. The folks here genuinely like animals. I board regularly at Dog Daze and Big Easy is our vet. Cherry on top is it's in the neighborhood. Love this place.

I have been going to the Big Easy since 2013 and up until recently I found out much I am valued as a customer. We would be there every couple of months - 4 - 5 times a year - each time I had taken my baby there always was pleasant experience and she received excellent care. I recently had to say good-bye to my fur-baby the early part of June. I recently decided to adopted another puppy and needed to get her checked out - dewormed and shots the whole bit.... I called to make an appointment, and was told that they are not taking any new customers. I was told that they are accepting walk-ins from 9am to noon Monday through Friday. Trying to explain that I am not a new customer, however I guess my puppy is... Unfortunately I do work hence the need for an appointment. When I said then I will have to go to another Vet they simple said you have to do what you need to...... After spending thousands of dollars with my other baby..... I was told that they are not taking any new customers...... NEW CUSTOMER.. I just got my babies ashes back and now I am a new customer... My pet does not pay the bill... I do.. My pet may be your patient but I am your customer... Show a little loyalty your patience do!

Refuse to give me a refund. Lost my job. Called 2 week's before her appointment to cancel. And they told me my 50 dollar is non refundable..

Only place I will take my dog ????

Clean lovely atmosphere with professional caregiving crew for your pet. Been coming here for years great place.

Can't say enough good things about this place. I've been bringing my dog here for boarding, daycare, and vet care for years and she loves it. I had tried other doggy daycare places before trying Big Easy, and she didn't seem to be as comfortable and happy as she's been with the staff here. Also, the staff are so responsive and helpful also! Would give 10 stars if I could. Prices are high, but seem to be in line and maybe a little bit less than other doggy daycare/ boarding services in the city. It's also really convenient that the animal hospital is right on site - there have been a few instances where they could treat my dog while she was at daycare and the care is great. The cafe is a nice touch and the coffee and pastries are delicious!

Never again will I take my dog to this place the people are real short with you they push test and blood work on you to raise your bill long story short my dog had an appointment today to get lepto shot they gave him his shot and released him less than five minutes later my wife was driving home and my dog got really sick we really thought he was going to die and they told us to rush him back and gave him all kind of medicine and charged us an additional $170 this place is all about money I wouldn't even have given them one star if I was allowed to give them a 0 * when it comes to recommendations I will tell everyone I know not to bring their dog there and I also have contacted my lawyer to take action against them

My friend and I found a “stray” cat And long story short my friend brought her to the vet (aka big easy) to see if there was anything wrong with her. She was not chipped. We posted multiple ads on Facebook and paw boost to try and find the owner. After her appointment she was aloud to be boarded there (cause my friend couldn’t take her home cause of her other pets) The big easy told me I was allowed to take the cat. I paid for a chip for her and signed a financial agreement for the cat. That evening they called me and told me that I could no longer have the cat because someone reached out claiming to be the owner. The next day they gave me another call back saying that there was no owner and I could come pick up the cat, but if the owner did reach out they would put them through to me because I signed the papers. I told them I would pick up the cat next day. When I went to go pick up the cat, they were trying to get me to pay for the extra boarding days she was there, but someone else we had spoke to was paying for it. After a long discussion and explanation on the situation on why I shouldn’t pay for boarding, They told me that the owner came and picked up the cat. My intentions were not to keep the cat but the lack of communication And going back-and-forth on what to do with the cat is what really has me furious. For three days nobody knew what was going on and apparently nobody knew that the cat was missing. I will not be coming back here.