VCA Cottonwood Animal Hospital Salt Lake City, Utah

PLEASE PLEAS PLEASE go read about our experience before you bring your animal here! you can find the story on instagram @camikesler …

We are EXTREMELY grateful for Cottonwood animal hospital as they did such an amazing job with our dog Libby! Our dog Libby is a dachshund that needed to have an emergency spine/back surgery due to a slipped disc which caused her back legs …

We brought in our little one on a Saturday morning after we realized he was no longer eating and acting out of character. Our Cupid was the center of our lives in this family and we were all deeply concerned about him. We called ahead to let them know we were on our way and they took him back within 10 minutes of arrival because he was not in good condition. Cupid had multiple health issues before coming to the clinic and they knew he was in trouble. The staff was so kind, attentive and informative. Turns about he had aspiration pneumonia and it was suggested he stay over the weekend to get fluids and antibiotics into him via IV. We called several times during Saturday afternoon and night and the staff was so helpful in providing updates. Unfortunately by Sunday morning, cupids health declined and we received the phone call every pet parent dreads. He had stopped breathing. The clinic called us and updated us in real time as they were doing CPR on him. They got a heartbeat but informed us that he didn't have much time. We rushed to the hospital to spend the last few moments we had with our fur baby. I cannot begin to understand how anybody can give this clinic a bad rating. Yes, there was a long wait, but when you have limited staff with so many different emergencies.. why would you expect anything less? I am grateful for the staff that chose to work and sacrificed their during a pandemic to help our pets in need. From the moment we brought in our baby to the last time we held him.. Dr Porter, Dr Niel, and his staff were the most compassionate, caring and understanding clinic we have ever been to. In the hardest of times, we found comfort in the staff at Cottonwood Vet Hospital. Our Cupids ashes were hand delivered to us today and everything we ordered is beautiful. Thank you thank you thank you to everyone at the clinic that helped us through such a difficult time. We are forever grateful for you.

It’s a pretty good vet, the front desk girls are super sweet and caring, my cat had a urinary blockage and I had to take him in suddenly last night. They got on it pretty quick and he seems to be doing better. My only complaints are prices are insane and they don’t have options for people that can’t afford it, only care credit which I was denied due to being 19 and not having any credit yet. No payment plans or anything, I sat in the room for two hours just crying because I didn’t know what to do. I ended up getting the cheapest service which was $630. Anytime we needed to talk to someone no one was at the front desk, they were probably just assisting other people which is fine but slightly frustrating when we had questions and concerns. Another problem was the vet technician we had was really snide and rather rude, putting my already anxious and upset mind in even more stress. My cat was in severe pain and struggling and she couldn’t even take the time to be nice about it. She only started to seem sympathetic after I was crying and we didn’t see her again after that. The doctor was great tho, they were very good about explaining the situation and what I am supposed to do after we brought him home. If you’re not super finically stable this isn’t the best place to go, but it was worth it for my cat and I’m glad they have a good doctor. Should probably have a talk with their technicians about being more sympathetic and nice to clients who are stressed out. And maybe look into setting up a payment program for people who can’t afford to pay $2000 out of pocket:/

They immediately diagnosed our Bernedoodle and did emergency surgery after his stomach had "flipped". They hand fed him and kept him comfortable for several days as he was recovering. The doctors are very experienced and make sure you are aware of the cost each step of the way.

SO thankful for this place- my furbaby had a surgery to remove a mass at our former veterinarian. We’ve lived in the valley for less than a year, and I was incredibly desperate for some help after two separate suture failures/wound dehiscence episodes and two separate needs for after-hours emergency care. Our former vet was unfortunately less than helpful even during normal business hours, so I went to Cottonwood Animal Hospital. We had Dr Wagner at our first visit, and we had Dr. Neal at our second visit. We had the same tech as well, and though I can’t remember her name, she was fantastic! They were all absolutely amazing with both me (frantic dog mom) and my nervous, senior rescue dog. They even followed up his wound care with us and removed his staples/sutures, which is above and beyond for me (I was incredibly apprehensive about going back to the vet who did the original surgery). I really can’t say enough positive things about the techs, staff, and vets here. Everyone was so kind and helpful in a moment where I felt totally helpless. My only regret is that they aren’t closer to our home, because I would definitely never go anywhere else.

Last night was scary as our Charlie had extensive bloating. We were quite worried he might not make it as GDV has to be dealt with urgently. Dr. Neal and the good staff took care of him and he's fine. We are grateful.

My family dog was in need of care and BluePearl was closed, MedVet in emergency surgery. So, I made the decision to take my dog here. I was quoted a 2-3 hour wait period which is more than fair for an ER but after the fourth hour, I called and asked why I was still stuck waiting. Then hour five, hour six, hour seven, and finally, after hour eight, I was able to get inside and wait another hour to be seen. By this time, my poor dog had vomited all over herself in the car, her breathing was labored, and she was drooling everywhere. They continued to tell me that she was okay to wait. Finally, the vet comes in, does X-rays and blood work and can’t find anything so she sends us home with some antibiotics and a few injections. So, after waiting nine hours a vet visit totaling $500, my dog was looked at for thirty minutes and sent home. The vet clearly couldn’t care anymore at that point in the day. A day later, the side effects of the injections hadn’t cleared up and I was able to take her to MedVet where they immediately took her in and kept her for several days to monitor her. Their doctor called with regular updates, goals for the end of the night, and did the best he could to get her back to recovery. He even spoke to us in person every time we went to visit her. Despite his efforts, after four days in the ER, she was taken from this world on Christmas Eve and we had to say goodbye. I understand that there are emergency cases that cannot wait but I can’t help but feel like my dog and I were thrown to the side as they took in appointment after appointment and rushed us out. I thank and commend the friendly and caring vet techs who took care of us when they could but the way things are done at this place is horrible. My dog was clearly in a lot of pain and they saw me crying while I waited in the car but I guess we just weren’t enough of an emergency to even be seen until eight hours later. I would never recommend this place to anyone. Better to drive outside of the Salt Lake area because at least, your pet wouldn’t be sitting in agony in the backseat for an entire day’s work shift.

If you like sitting in the parking lot for four hours to be told they can’t serve you then this is the place to go. Wasted my day and was a miserable experience. Sad thing is I was able to be seen in Draper the same day with little wait times. Won’t ever consider this company EVER!

I've been meaning to write this review for quite a while but it has been a hard thing to relive - that said - my corgi went unresponsive very suddenly back in October so we rushed to the nearest 24 hour vet - Blue Pearl, only to find that they were closed that morning for something covid related. We rushed up the street to Cottonwood but unfortunately our boy passed away before we could get there. Cottonwood did everything they could to resuscitate him and were so incredibly sweet and sympathetic in helping try to save him and setting up his cremation. I am forever grateful for their efforts and their kindness. I couldn't have asked for a sweeter team in our worst moments. They even notified our regular vet and both wound up sending us sympathy cards. It speaks volumes that they would go out of their way to do something so sweet for us when we weren't regular patients. Thank you, Cottonwood team.

I went in Tonight for a emergency with my cat and when I got there I went in and they got my information. After they took my cat to the back shortly after they brought her back and said they can’t help me out and that I have to talk to the manager before they can help me with anything. I felt really unpleasant with how they treated me and hope this gets rectified.

We arrived with our foster pup Sully who had been really ill all day. They told us upon arrival that it would be a 4-5 hour wait. We waited about 2 hours in the car before we got moved to a room where we waited another 2 hours when we finally got to see the vet. I’m thankful that the estimated wait time was correct - it was long but they are one of the few emergency vets in the area. The two vets we worked with were so involved in Sully’s care and give us updated a few times a day. One of the vets communicated heavily with MedVet who had specialists who could preform the delicate surgery Sully needed. I’m so thankful for the vets here for caring for our girl like she was their own dog and for communicating so well with the specialists at the other hospital - it took a ton of stress off our shoulders. They also have visiting hours which is nice, especially since Sully spent 4 days there. I’d hands-down use Cottonwood Animal Hospital again!

I was so grateful for the staff here during a scary time for my dog and I. They were in the middle of a really rough shift when we arrived in the middle of the night for some emergency stitches, and they were nothing but kind and professional. They had us in and out in 3 hours with outstanding care for my pet and clear communication with me. The cost of the service was absolutely reasonable given the situation & was presented BEFORE I made any decisions on what to do. I really appreciated their transparency. Kirtsy & Dr. Tracy were so great & if anything ever happens to one of my pets again, I won’t hesitate to take them here. Thank you all so much!

I've tried to use this place 3 times for emergency services and each time they were too busy to see my dogs. I get being short staffed, but if you are an emergency vet, you need to have more than 1 doctor working. If it's a serious issue go somewhere else. This place doesn't have the time to see your pet.

My dog was experiencing a “ red rocket” I called them and they said to come in, I expressed his urgency to want to go outside and pee every 5 minutes, so I went in and they were so kind to look at my dog ( free of charge, about the only good thing going for them) and said oh that’s totally normal... Ummm no it’s not I have had the dog 6 years and never seen this before, so next day I get him into a vet get some X-rays and he has three kidney stones blocking him from peeing. They did not want to take the time to care for my pet and find out what was really wrong with him. Shame on them!!

I recently had to take my dog to be put down. I wouldn't normally take her to an emergency but our hands were tied when it comes to after hours. I can say the girls that came to the car were very nice and polite and concerned.. The veterinarian who saw her was completely uncompassionate. I can understand there may be some desensitization after caring for so many animals.. but she was rude and so without feeling. Right off the bat ask me if I wanted to put put her down. She didn't even ask or want to listen to her health history. When I finally made the decision she was irritated that I wanted to wait for my daughter to come say goodbye. She was only 3 minutes away.. She left the room abruptly saying she had other animals to see. Granted they put down several animals for different reasons.. but when it's your pet and family member to be put down she needs to be more compassionate and understanding. This was one of the hardest decision to ever make. When she came back and injected the medication she waited for 2 seconds listened to her heart and said she's gone and then abruptly left the room. She was completely uncaring as to what we were feeling.. we were sobbing and trying to say goodbye. Worst experience. Then to top it off a card was sent with her signature with condolences. Just a slap in the face after how we were treated.

Waited 7hrs during “emergency hours” for a 10-min exam only to find out that my dog’s post neuter surgery injuries didn’t qualify to be emergency enough. I understand when there’s only 1-vet on duty and a few other “better qualified” emergency animals that needed higher priority/attention. But all I’m asking is, if anyone that had an inkling of knowledge that my dog’s injuries weren’t an emergency the LEAST they could’ve done was tell us and not have us spend the night in a Vet hospital room. Check in time: Nov. 18th, 2021 at 10PM Check out time: Nov. 19th, 2021 at 5AM Total wait time before the vet came: 7hrs Time with vet: 10-mins Total bill: $125

Long wait times in emergencys but great care

This hospital did everything they could for our baby. While she was hospitalized they let us visit every day and would provide updates whenever we called. My heart is with everyone who works here as they are too good for this world. Especially Dr. Larsen. He did everything for our little baby and was there for us up until the end.

I brought my dog in at midnight due to having pancreatitis. My dog was treated and the staff was very professional. Hours later they still answered all of my questions over the phone. Highly recommend if you need emergency care for your pet.

I had to bring my cat in to Cottonwood Animal Hospital on Friday night because she had been vomiting all day and there was a possibility that she had eaten some yarn but it was too late to take her to our regular vet. Every single person who helped us was great, specifically Jim and Dr Larson. I was a mess and they took such good care of my baby. Dr Larson discussed all of our options and helped me feel as reassured as was possible at that time. They let me spend time alone with her to say goodbye before taking her. He performed the surgery that night and called me as soon as she was out to let me know how it went. He called me again the next morning with an update and then again later when it was time to bring her home. And then called again on Sunday to check on how she was doing. I am so amazed at how much care they have shown for my baby and how much communication there has been. On top of everything, he helped keep the costs as low possible which helped so much. I can’t even express my gratitude for everything that was done for me and Lily. They saved her life and I’ll never be able to repay that. Honestly if I didn’t live so far away I would make this our regular vet. I love them!

Top notch care for our fur babies! Can't tell you how many times they've helped us out.

They have been awesome with all my dogs, it is a 24 hr animal hospital, they do get busy but just be patient. They have been able to see my dogs on short notice even if there is a hold ya you may need to wait an hour maybe even two but they know what they are doing and they are there for your pets and your pets needs 24 hours of the day. I am grateful to have them in our lives. Thank you guys for all that you do.

I have unfortunately had to use this vet twice in two weeks and both times I had to wait 4+ hours to even be seen by a vet. The first visit for my pup totaled 7 1/3 hours and they forgot to bring my dog back into the room after giving him IV fluids. What would’ve been 15 minutes took 45 and me asking the front desk where my pup was all for them to say “there was a mix up” The second experience is the most irritating though. I check in and about ten minutes later a tech comes to get my dog to get vitals. She comes back out with him and tells me that they can’t treat my dog and to go to one of three other vets they had put on a piece of paper. I leave the vets office and decide since my pups vitals were okay that Ill just go to my normal vet in the morning. As soon as I pull in my driveway I get a phone all from this vet office stating my room is ready and to meet them at the front door, naturally I’m extremely agitated about this and I kindly informed the woman calling that their tech had told me they couldn’t treat my dog, she was kind enough to hold my spot because the tech messed up but this wasted easily 45 minutes of everyone’s time. I checked in at 5 pm and it’s now 10pm and still no vet. At this point I regret even coming back, obviously they do not feel concerned enough about my dog to see him in a timely fashion so I probably could have made it through the night and taken him to our regular vet in the morning. I have purely come here out of desperation and never intend to return unless absolutely necessary. The care for the animal is fine but be ready to spend literally your entire day here if you have an unexpected need for a vet. Also expect to be met with rudeness when after an agonizing four hours of silence you have the *audacity* to ask if they know how much longer it might be. The only reason this has two stars is because they are one of very few who actually take walk ins.

I only go here because they are one of few that take walk ins. By far the slowest place I’ve been, expect to be here for a very very long time just waiting in your car. (I’m currently out here going on 4 hours.) definitely not the cheapest or best place you can go but at least they take walk ins... Update: now that we have been giving a room it’s looking to be a few more hours of waiting around, the nurse herself said “no one wants to work here, the pay isn’t good” after my dog has laid on the ground in the room now for a hour and a half I finally got to talk to someone and they said one still 4 people behind and it’ll probably be another 2 hours. What a joke this place is. There staff just sits in the fro t laughing and doing nothing while no one else seems to want to work here.

I’ve always been impressed with my visits at the VCA but today blew me away! I ended up doing a curbside visit for my appointment because of some emergent pets that came in taking their rooms. Within not even ten minutes of taking my fur baby inside I seen Dr Cox bringing Sadie back to my car. He even answered some questions I had before heading back in. I’d recommend VCA to any pet owners! Dr. Cox made my anxious dog seem okay with people she doesn’t see everyday!

We brought our two Jack Russell's in, one for an end-of-life emergency, and the other to be with him. Both were 16 years old, and ready to move on. The team was wonderful in our time of distress and grief; patient, kind, empathetic and supportive. Thanks so much for what you did and how you did it.

Great vets but their process is to have you wait in the parking lot for hours, yes, hours.

As of an ER clinic, this isn't a reliable place to rush your animal too. I totally understand how busy they get but I have been refused care a couple of times. Their staff and doctors are awesome and I can tell that they work really hard to try and do everything they can. I did have to bang on the door and windows just to get someone to realize how serious my cat's injury was. The wait is usually 4+ hours which is concerning when its serious.

Can whole heartedly recommend them for emergency visits, but suggest looking elsewhere for routine care. I’ve had a positive experience with the veterinarians here, but over the course of the past 3 years, things have been a hit or miss with the front desk staff at routine wellness checks and for vaccinations. The manager did acknowledge an email I sent, which was appreciated. Example: My dog needed an update on one of her vaccinations. I was told I could bring her in anytime during normal business hours; no appointment needed. When I arrived around 3:30pm, I was told it would require waiting 4 to 5 hours and paying the extra cost of an emergency visit fee. Alternatively, I could try to come back the following morning, but was told there was no guarantee a vet will have signed off on the vaccine by then, despite the fact that my dog is healthy and was last seen for a wellness check there 6 months prior. I drove elsewhere and within 45 minutes my dog had her vaccine.