Charlotte Animal Referral & Emergency Charlotte, South Carolina

Worst place ever. They leave you hanging after dog surgery. They only care about money. They never pick up their phone. The people in the front desk should be fired. Terrible customer service.

We are so thankful for the vets and staff for taking such good care of our many difficult medical cases we bring in. You are all so caring, compassionate, knowledgeable and we couldn’t do rescue work without you.

I am so thankful to Care Emergency! We had a scare in June that almost took my baby girls life! Thank you for taking such great care of my baby (and for dealing with an uset mom)!!! Today, Millie celebrates her 12th birthday!!!!!!!!

I drove an hour to get to CARE and it was SO worth it. ALL of the staff I encountered were so incredibly kind & compassionate to me when I was an absolute wreck. I was impressed with how nice & well kept the facility was as well. I genuinely appreciate how Dr. Pitillo answered all of my questions in a very compassionate & informative way. She made the experience of having to euthanize my beloved pet as least stressful as possible & I will forever be grateful for that. I’m so thankful for the services they provide & I am beyond impressed by them. 10 stars all the way around.

We had an amazing experience with this facility from the second we walked through the door! We were greeted promptly and my dog was immediately taken to the back for evaluation. It was a very stressful situation and we were treated with care and understanding, and a very compassionate and professional staff. The doctor spent time with me, no rush job here, to go over everything I needed to know about my pup’s situation, and what I needed to do to help facilitate her recovery. He provided her with a thorough examination and went over my options and didn’t recommend unnecessary tests, like I experienced at another facility a few years back. Just a wonderful, positive experience and I’m so happy I took my dog there. She is doing great, and definitely on the mend! Thank you all!!!

I am so thankful for CARE and all they have done for my pup, Jovie. They were able to give us answers and find out what was causing Jovie to be so sick when nobody else could. Jovie spent a few days being hospitalized in their internal medicine department and Dr. Lock and the technicians were the best! They always kept me informed and treated Jovie with so much kindness. I can’t recommend CARE enough! I am so glad I found them!

Slow... Slow... Slow service I've been where waiting for them to finish working on my cat and it's been hours... Hours. Unbelievable

Highly recommend!!! All the doctors at Care are amazing. Past couple of years they have been amazing to my Roscoe. He started having seizures I took him to a closer er vet and they just sent him home to watch. My vet referred me to Care because something was wasn’t right. After many test he had a disease that needed treatment ASAP to help save his life. If I had listened to the other er vet he wouldn’t be here today. Neurology, Oncology and the ER department have given him the best care possible and he is here today because of them. I can’t thank them enough.

Everywhere else was busy and “couldn’t take in” my baby. HOWEVER, this place said bring her in over! Supper grateful!

I recently had an excellent experience at the CARE Clinic and wanted to share. My regular vet (Cotswold Animal Hospital) had done all they could to help my sweet pup Ella, and were able to assist in us getting in quickly to see a neurologist at the CARE Clinic. The team was able to not only put me at ease but also to do an MRI followed by surgery within a few hours. I picked her up the next day and aside from getting a stink eye and attitude for leaving here there, she was in great shape! She has healed beautifully and is great spirits! A huge thanks to Dr. Wininger and team!

The BEST experience EVER! I can't thank Dr. Stephen, Dr. Lang, Nurse Brandon and everyone else at CARE enough for taking such stellar care of my little Dachshund, Savannah! She had a herniated disc that was effecting her back left leg and she could not walk on it. After a week of trying to improve her situation with meds, she was not responding, surgery was the next option. Dr. Stephen tried her best to cure Savannah with meds but unfortunately my little Savannah was one of the dogs who did not respond. Almost 4 weeks after surgery, my little Savannah is back to her normal, happy, fun self and has fully recovered. THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart for helping my little girl!!

If I could give a 10 I would! I can never thank CARE enough for all they did for my dog Henry. Henry was 12 and had a massive stroke on March 15, 2021.The treatment and the care they have given him and continue to give is the reason the reason we were able to celebrate Henry's 13th birthday. Dr. Wininger, Dr. Stephen and whole neurology staff have been extremely helpful in answering any questions I had and treated Henry as their own. If you are in the Charlotte area I highly recommend you bring your pet to see the wonderful team at CARE! Picture below Henry is on the left, his sister and litter mate Marley on the right.

Update on 12/7: Jason (Client Care Manager) & Dr. Wininger (didn't realize I previously misspelled, sorry!) both called to apologize for the bad experience I had on 11/15. I sincerely appreciate when a business is not only receptive to client feedback, but also takes it upon themselves to make things right. Jason apologized & emailed the MRI & chest x-ray to my dog's family vet and me during our phone call (which I received immediately). That afternoon, Dr. Wininger called & apologized & provided me with recommendations for my dog. I am appreciative of Jason and Dr. Wininger for reaching out. Review on 12/2 re: visit on 11/15: Absolute worst customer service ever. The consult with Dr. Wininger at the end of October was the only good thing about CARE. I was referred here by our dog's family vet and also by a friend of mine who brought her 2-3 month old puppy to the neuro dept for treatment. Both spoke VERY highly of CARE. As such, my expectations were reasonably set high. Everything after the initial consult was downhill. I live 1.5 hours away. I was initially to bring in my dog for an MRI of his brain on 11/12. I got a call one day prior saying "we will be closed tomorrow, so can you come in on Monday at 7am?" I made sure in advance that I had rearranged my schedule for 11/12. Of course, that didn't matter to them. So, I had to rearrange my schedule again for 11/15. It's not easy when your roundtrip commute is a total of 3 hours and you are a full-time law student. I brought my dog in for an MRI on 11/15. I was told during the consult with Dr. Wininger and by the tech who checked in my dog on 11/15 that I would receive a call in the late morning after the MRI was conducted. 12pm rolled around and never got a call. I sent an email and a text, no response to either one. I called at 2:30pm and asked if my dog was ready for pickup. I was placed on a 15 minute hold and the only thing the tech said was, "yeah, he should be ready for pickup." I said, "what do you mean should be? I live 1.5 hours away. you guys close at 5:30pm, is he ready or not?" She put me on hold for another 5 minutes, came back, and said, "yeah, you can get him." I said, "Ok, great. so, what was the result?" The tech said, "I'm not sure. we will tell you when you get here." I said, "Seriously? Can I speak to Dr. Wininger now? He never once called me today." She put me back on hold, and then after a few minutes returned and said, "He's busy." I hung up. I immediately started crying. I was so nervous about what could the diagnosis would be. Imagine trying to control all your emotions while driving 1.5 hours to pick up your dog. It's not easy. I arrived, entered, and told the front desk, "I'm here to pick up my dog". I waited 10 minutes, and my dog was brought to me. I asked the tech, "So, what's the diagnosis?" She said, "Oh, they didn't tell you?" I said, "No, they did not. Can you tell me please?" She said, "Oh, he doesn't have a brain tumor." Thank the lord. I said, "Great. Can you email me the blood work and MRI images and x-ray images please?" She said, "sure." My dog and I left. I received the blood work results a few minutes later. It has been almost 3 weeks and neither myself nor my vet have received a copy of the MRI images, x-ray images, nor the official report with the doctor's commentary. Over 24 hours later, I received a phone call from Dr. Wininger and he said, "Your dog doesn't have a brain tumor. It's just senior epilepsy." I said, "Ok, well what about the chest imaging?" "Normal." "Well, what about the abnormal levels on a few of his blood work results?" "Oh, that can be due to a number of things." It was the worst 10 minute conversation ever. It was literally like pulling teeth with him and his staff. How hard is it to be forthright about EVERYTHING: good and bad?! I paid $2500 for the MRI, not including the consult. The least CARE could do is actually care for its clients. Worst customer service ever. Will never bring my dog here ever again. Will not recommend this place to anyone. Still waiting on the chest x-ray imaging and MRI images.

Seriously after reading reviews and speaking to the receptionist I am skeptical. Whoever was speaking with me clearly did not care about my concerns for my pet with me being out of the country. What a joke! Unwilling to give me any sort of helpful guidance other than to wait at the office for four hours or see my vet, to which I initially explained could not see my pet in a timely manner.

I brought my 7 month old puppy here this past week, it was the first time I have had to bring him to an emergency care place. I can't say enough great things about CARE. I gave them a call and they took information over the phone. Once you arrive, you give them a call and someone comes out to greet you and get a little more information on what's going. I didn't get to inside with my puppy, which made me a little nervous at first, but once I met the vet tech I felt so much better. She was so sweet and could tell he would be in good hands. I sat in the parking lot for maybe 40 minutes before they called and said what his diagnosis was going to be. I paid for everything over the phone, and it was no where near as expensive as I thought it would be. The experience was so seamless which is exactly what you want when your under stress with a sick pet. They explained medication instructions very well and I even recieved an email today checkon on how my pup was doing. Will definetley be using them in the future :)

Had a very sick dog, and they wouldn't even respond to calls or voicemails WHILE WE WERE IN THE PARKING LOT AND AT FRONT DOOR! Very very disappointing. Go somewhere else when your pet is in need! Our vet said go here for an ER visit directly, we had to then waste time going elsewhere that provided great care!!! They still haven't returned my calls..... IGNORE CARE! Edit:. Jason, we got there at 10:55 am Monday, November 1, just checked my phone log. Wife was in spot 10 and then 23 while I was standing at your front door on the phone, and then left when phone just continually rang on and on. We have not been there before so would not be in your system. You have it clearly marked with multiple huge STOP signs etc to not enter the building, I was trying to respect your procedures so didn't just barge in. Maybe update your signage with better instructions, but my review was our experience and we could not have been more disappointed with CARE during a very high stress time.

I actually came to this location by accident when I was trying to get to another animal hospital. Thank God for the wrong directions! I was extremely nervous when I arrived, they immediately asked me what was wrong with Thumper and 2 assistants came and took him with them and asked the gentleman up front to get info from me while they deal with the situation with my fur baby. They were concerned about his care first rather than about how I was going to pay because Thumper was in a crisis. (for the record..I paid) :) I knew then I was at the place where God sent me and they truly care about their fur patients. Dr Shaw was amazing, he listened to me and wasn't rushing to get me out the way and explained to me what was going on with Thumper. Thumper stayed overnight and was left in great hands with Dr. Huang who contacted me and gave me detailed instructions on Thumpers care. She was fantastic as well. If I could give them more than 5 stars I would.

Love them! they are an amazing team

By far the best emergency and specialty hospital! We’ve been here for a little over a year and we had a bad experience at one not too long ago so I was a little reluctant on coming here. From the beginning, the whole team was communicative on the status of our baby girl with morning and evening updates. They didn’t run unnecessary tests like some places have, listened to all my concerns, and made sure to send her home when they knew she would be ready and not try and force her out. I am forever grateful for the team and will be recommending everyone to them for any service.

If I could give them 5 stars a thousand times over I would! I can’t even begin to explain how pleased we have been with their services. Our dog was in a dire situation that required a specialist (and a much more reasonable price than we were quoted in Winston Salem) and CARES absolutely delivered and then some. They do not price gouge (I was even given a refund of over $800 they didn’t use from my initial deposit for my dogs surgery), they keep you informed (even at 2am!), and they understand that your pet is your baby! We will absolutely drive the almost 2 hours again and again in a heart beat to get their care for our Rosie. She’s worth and the staff and doctors at this facility is 10000% worth it!

The doctors and staff are so wonderful. I can't praise them enough. Feel so fortunate to be referred to them for my kitty's heart murmur. I trust Dr. Sayer and staff completely; I can now rest assured that my Cookie has the absolutely best heart care available anywhere!

I took my pug Julio to see Dr Fred Wininger on the strong recommendation of our trusted Vet. He was having isolated, "shaking," episodes that had previously been diagnosed as a spinal nerve issue. Fred was extremely thorough and when Julio did not react well to his new medication, he walked us through each step with patience. I am very impressed with both his knowledge base and love for animals. I would highly recommend him for any neurologic or neurosurgical issues with your animals. I also found the Team at CARE to be responsive, knowledgeable and overall just easy to work with. I know my pug is taken care of and loved there!

As a referring veterinarian, I am so thankful for the entire team at CARE. Whether it's Dr. Wininger and the neuro team, Dr. Sayer and the cardio team, or any of the other specialists and emergency team, working with CARE has been a joy. Pet owners and doctors in the Charlotte area are so fortunate to have such a wonderful emergency and specialty hospital so close - I hope they know and appreciate that. To everyone at CARE who lives their lives to help animals like I do, please know how much you are appreciated and respected!

Amazing care and wonderful staff! In our time of urgency and worry the team was supportive, thorough and very attentive. Emily was helping us and took the time and attention to take care of our Birdie (senior pit mix) she was absolutely lovely. Couldn’t recommend more!!!

We had a great experience with CARE in both the surgery and oncology departments. Having a dog with cancer is extremely hard, but CARE makes it as easy as possible. They are kind, organized, positive, and have overall amazing communication skills. When my dog was diagnosed with cancer, I reached out to CARE even though they were 1.5 hours away. Right off the bat, they were responsive and got her in quicker than any other oncologist. They were even able to squeeze her in for surgery the next day after her very first appointment. Dr. Dvorak got great margins on my dog’s cancer spot which was huge for us. She was thorough in communication, confident, and reassuring. After surgery, my dog went through a couple rounds of chemo prior to us moving. I felt confident dropping her off each time. Her chemo sessions were usually done very quickly. Dr. Walters, Brodie, Blair, and Liz were also exceptional! Compared to other places, they are priced really well. Our girl is still doing great to this day. I highly recommend them.

Brought Dakota my 12 year old lab to Care after having a new onset grand mal seizure. Although I had to wait in the car, I knew she was in good hands with Doctor Kelly Lang. Meds were prescribed and I was able to take Dakota home. Later that evening Dakota had another seizure. I called Care and was lucky to get Doctor Lang again who was still there doing charting. She was patient kind and informative. Dakota had a third seizure the next morning but it was shorter in duration. I called Care and through the wonderful work of Nicky, I got an appointment to see a neurologist that afternoon. Dr Wininger was wonderful. Patient and compassionate he answered all of my questions. It was nice that I was able to meet him in an office. A MRI of the brain with sedation was ordered for the next day. When I picked Dakota up 2 wonderful staff members brought her out in a wagon and put her in my car. The MRI showed a blood clot or stroke in her brain and more meds were prescribed. Dr Wininger called me with the results. Today Dakota had a follow up visit with Dr Wininger. Although he was busy with emergencies and they were short staffed due to Covid, Dr Wininger sat on the floor with Dakota and patiently answered all my questions. Anna his assistant was fun to talk with. Dakota is doing great. I will always bring her to Care because they give her the best care! Thank you to everyone!

Excellent place for pet emergencies

Dr. Flood and her team saved the life of my four year old golden lab mix. Out of nowhere, a happy healthy dog developed a condition called Immune Mediated Hemolytic Anemia. Our family vet was unable to diagnose the condition, so we were referred to CARE. CARE’s team rushed her inside and had multiple doctors and staff working on her at once. This is a serious disease that came out of nowhere and punched us in the gut. She needed five blood transfusions and over a month stay at Care Hospital during the height of Covid. We are forever grateful to Dr. Flood and her team for saving our dog. They spoke to us daily with updates and managed our expectations. One of the best decisions we made was buying good pet insurance which made the hospital bills very manageable. We have Healthy Paws and they worked with us and paid out the checks quickly. Thank you again Team Care!

Fantastic experience! The staff was super pleasant and I knew my dog was in good hands. They were very up front about timing of the visit, cost etc which I really appreciated. Would highly recommend as the animal hospital to take your pet to.

Ginger had a ruptured disk that was surgically repaired at CARE. This facility is wonderful. They take appointments on time and call you daily with updates. They treat the patients and owners with kindness. Wonderful place