BluePearl Pet Hospital Richmond, Virginia

We took our puppy to this vet for surgery. Told us all she needed was one procedure then after that failed they turned around and wanted to do another procedure for more money. Like who has thousands of dollars to spend on guess work?! Go elsewhere for your pet's health care and this place is only after your hard earned money.

I'm not recommending this pet hospital!!! My baby was diagnosed with Salivary Mucocele, we've been suffering for 5months by hand feeding and going to vet every 3weeks just to drain her swollen neck and tongue. I'm also pregnant while taking …

The hospital had some mild communication deficiencies that happen to affect my family and our pet in a very big way. Although I had to be patient, management was able to really compassionately help to resolve the situation--what's important isn't the mild deficiencies a company has, it's the way they respond to them that matters! Thank you Blue Pearl Hospital.

Honestly. Horrible. Christmas eve I bring my dog in and get thrown a curve ball of basically a death sentence for my 3 year old dog. The vet then jumps to the conclusion that it must be heart worms and makes me feel like it's my fault my dog is dying. Then throws the fact most pet parents euthanize when I'm not even fully understanding what is going on then someone walks in with a $2800 invoice to even FIGURE IT OUT and I have 2.5 seconds to decide what to do. I then decide to do actual stuff somewhere else and get a second opinion so all I asked them to do was drain the fluid and confirmed the price then they add another $100 on that price magically and all I can say is these people don't care about your pet. It's all money

I took my cat sparkles here after he was hit by a Henrico county cop. My mother went with me as I'm disabled. They said they could fix his broken leg. At a very high cost but no way could I look my 7 yr old in the face and tell her I couldn't fix her cat. It was 5000 and credtcare paid 2000. We were left to pay the rest. They gave sparkles excellent care and in but after this expensive surgery he just died. I had an autopsy done. Apparently he had heart issues no one not even his regular vet detected. He had a massive heart attack. They cremated him and sent him back to us. They did provide him excellent care but it's a shame you don't do payment plans.

Dr. Litterine-Kaufman, Dr. Grewal, and their team saved our cat. Our kitty needed urgent emergency surgery and finding a surgeon capable of doing what was needed (removing a cancerous intestinal blockage) was almost impossible given how busy vets have been since the pandemic began. We looked everywhere within about a 3-hour radius and no one had availability and a board certified surgeon capable of doing it. We were truly running out of time. Blue Pearl initially said they had no capacity but after hearing about our difficulties through another vet at VVC, Dr. L-K and Dr. Grewal stayed way, way past their shifts to fit our cat in. They went above-and-beyond for us. We are so grateful for Blue Pearl and for the team that saved our girl's life!

When we first rescued our newest baby, he was barely 6 pounds & actively declining. We took him to this emergency vet & they gave us the honest truth and when we decided we wanted to give him a fighting chance they did just that and helped us do everything to bring him back! He now gets to enjoy his life with his sister & get spoiled. The only thing I would’ve changed while we were there was the amount of time it took to get seen, an other steps but that’s with a lot of emergency places. But we can’t thank them enough for all their help with our Buster!

Don't come here if you have an emergency....or for any reason. You will be put aside- and our situation was an actively dying cat. She had to go thru it for 15 more minutes while we rushed her somewhere they could put her down peacefully. Our baby was actively seizing, and they said go to the car and wait...this was over the phone while we stood outside. No one actually talked to us in person....no name or information about who we were, but they did know what was going on. There was no miscommunication, and we understand Covid restrictions, so I don't want any excuses. When we complained after all was said and done, we got more excuses and were told to call to resolve the problem. Really? She was already gone....why bother? You didn't care when it mattered. What is actually considered an emergency? Horrible. Took her to a much busier vet who took her right away and thankfully her last moments were peaceful. I don't want anyone to have to see their baby go thru anything like this. Seems like a shady place, and compassion doesn't exist. Thank God she was not aware of anything at that point because of brain activity, she had had a benign brain tumor for a while and we knew eventually something would happen. She was happy literally until the end. Had a great day, then this happened in the middle of the night/early morning. She didn't know what was going on, but we watched. We watched for longer than she should have had to go thru it. They didn't even sound like they were paying attention, so maybe that's where the miscommunications come from. From one pet parent to others....please...just don't. PS: You don't see it, because we left. Excuses. Shocking.

Like everyone else, it was a true emergency visit to Dogwood. It says on their website to call them to let them know you're coming so they can be ready and that's what I did. I walked in the door, they knew who I was, what I was there for and got right into action. My very, very ill cat didn't have to wait at all. He ended up in their ICU for that day, that night, and into the next. Yes, they are expensive, but they are an emergency vet service with top notch work, so why would anyone complain? They treated my Happy with such care and me with such empathy and warmth. My cat is still not close to out of the woods but everyone is doing their best and that's all I can ask. I have nothing but praise for Dogwood. It's 2 yrs later, Dec 12, 2021, & my update is for my 18 yr old Lucy, my wonderful longhaired tuxedo girl. Renal failure finally took it's toll on her and pain began last night. First thing this morning, I was ushered into Dogwood (Blue Pearl). Taylor had taken my phone call & was so sympathetic and empathetic. She was also part of the help in prepping my girl. It's a terrible day when you have to say goodbye to your beloved pet. Dr Alyssa Thompson was my vet on duty. Soft spoken, gentle, & patient with my tears and emotions & ulta gentle with my Lucy. It was all over in a minute with my Lucy's head tucked into my chest. She was at peace with no more pain. Can't say the same for myself, but I can say that once again Dogwood/Blue Pearl came to the rescue with all the gentleness and compassion anyone could ask for. They are my angels, true angels.

I went to two different veterinarians after my dog June’s cough worsened over the last year and unfortunately, neither vet was able to diagnose or treat her condition. A friend of mine then recommended Blue Pearl to me. I made the appointment and was able to bring June in soon after. Dr.O’Connell, one of the internal medicine specialists, did a thorough check up of June including X-rays/radiographs and spent a great deal of time on the phone with me (Covid-19 protocol at the time) to get the most accurate medical picture of June so that she could understand what triggered this worsening cough of June’s. Dr.O’Connell was able to figure out the trigger (a teeth cleaning where she was intubated several months prior) and diagnose June’s condition (a collapsed trachea and chronic bronchitis) after the first visit and prescribed medications that improved her cough almost immediately. During this time, June developed a hernia that needed to be operated on and it was then I was introduced to another veterinarian at Blue Pearl, Dr.Litterine-Kaufman, one of the surgeons. Like Dr.O’Connell, Dr.Litterine-Kaufman was very thorough in explaining the reasons for the surgery and any potential risks. The surgery went very well, and I received a phone call as soon as June came to from the anesthesia. June’s recovery from surgery went smoothly and there were no complications. I continued to work with Dr.O’Connell and one of the vet techs Tyler throughout the year and while June’s condition ended up being too severe in the end to continue treatment, I know that they did everything they could to help June and minimize the discomfort and severity of her respiratory condition. Though the services at Blue Pearl are not cheap, they reflect the excellent value in the quality of care received. You get what you pay for and in this case, throughout the year there was constant communication via phone calls and emails regarding June. These were all included in the service and anytime I called to ask questions about June, within 24 hours I got a response and was always asked to follow up within a few weeks to let the team know of her progress. It was always very obvious to me that the team at Blue Pearl really cared about June. I rarely write reviews, but I was so impressed with the team at Blue Pearl, from Gretchen the friendly, kind receptionist to Tyler and Dr.O’Connell and their professionalism, expertise and love of animals that I felt inspired to share my experience.

I took my dog overnight only to get there and see signs posted that the ER was closed. The website hours said they were open and when I tried to call ahead there was no answer, but the VM said to proceed to the ER. Luckily, my dog was stable enough for me to find another emergency vet to go to, but that's a very dangerous risk to take for an emergency clinic.

A couple weeks ago we brought in our dog, Blitz, who was old & very sick. The wait time was a nightmare because it was an emergency, we were there after hours, & they were SEVERELY short staffed, but the front desk ladies were lovely & very apologetic for the several hour wait. Then the vet finally got to us & he really took his time making sure we understood our dog's condition, which is very much appreciated at a time like that. He gave us his thoughts & what he thought would be best for Blitz, who was in a great deal of pain, & he recommended we end his suffering, which was just validation & that point. We already knew it had to be done. He was so sweet & didn't rush us at all with our goodbyes. The staff even made little hearts out of red gauze to put on his paw where his IV was, which I kept & gave to family members. Then a few days ago, we got a letter from the office saying it was obvious how loved Blitz was & how sorry they were about his passing. Even though we had to wait several hours, it allowed us longer to snuggle our dog for the very last time & they get 5 stars. Thanks guys ???? ???? ❤

We took our 6 1/2 mo old maltipoo puppy to the 5918 west broad street location yesterday. My puppy was suffering with a gastrointestinal issue because she ate something in the yard that made her so sick. She was shaking and crying in pain. The receptionist was Cold and Uncaring from the start. The tech Andy who came out and began questioning us was cold and stoic and did not introduce themselves until I asked who they are (are you the doctor?) Thank goodness the Vet Dr. Grewal was very nice and somewhat comforting. My dog feels better now. Blue Pearl needs to TEACH COMPASSION AND CUSTOMER SERVICE TO THEIR RECEPTIONIST AND VET TECHNICIAN AS SOON AS POSSIBLE! They were rude.

Do not come here if you need emergency treatment. They will see they are overcapacity and will not take your dog. The closes one they will suggest is in Fredericksburg.

At this moment in time it is 6:27am on 11/6/21. I got in with my kitten at 8:42pm on 11/5/21. The majority of my time here I have been alone. Literally nobody else, I've called out and no response. They locked me inside overnight and checked on me three times. I asked to just take my kitten and go home, they had me pay, and said they'd quickly bandage her wound and I'd leave soon. That was at 4:24am and I haven't seen anyone since. I have now been awake for over 24 hours and I'm still locked inside. I haven't seen my kitten since 9:30 last night. This place sucks.

I came home to find that my dog had gotten into the trash and had eaten some chocolate. This place showed up as the closest to me. I called them looking for advice and I was redirected to the ASPCA because there was no vet there yet. I call the ASPCA and couldn’t get in touch because they wanted almost $100 over the phone to tell me if my dog was going to be ok. By this point, my dog has thrown up 3 times. I say screw it I’m just going to head over there and hope someone will help me. The lady who answered the phone when I pulled into the parking lot was cold and rude telling me that if finances were my concern I could take my dog somewhere else. She also told me another vet would tell me “if he was ok to wait or about to die”. Do not go here….these people don’t care about animals at all

I took my kitten here because they'd hurt their paw. My animal has never been aggressive and was always excited to meet new people but that changed after I took them here. Everything was fine in the waiting room, but after they were taken back I was told they were hissing and swatting (which they had NEVER done before) and I would have to pay for sedation. I asked to see my kitten to try and calm them- then was placed in an exam room where I had to wait HOURS just to see and comfort MY PET that also happens to be my emotional support animal. It seemed I was forgotten about as my kitten was scared and alone in the back probably mortified by the different smells and sounds. Now here's the kicker, when I finally got someone to bring me my pet- they were placed in a muzzle and cone to "protect the technicians" and carried by hand with their injured paw rather than be placed inside the carrier and brought back to me. Why would they do any of that without my consent?? My animal has been TRAUMATIZED and is even skittish to me and the people he's been around his whole life. The only redeeming quality about this place is the coffee/tea bar for when your waiting for hours while your pet is being terrorized in the back.

My sister, Vicki Satterwhite, just posted her experience at Blue Pearl Pet Hospital in Richmond, Va. I am appalled at the treatment her 3 yr.old Bernese Mtn. Dog received there when she arrived w/critical blood loss. By removing her spleen without my sister's permission, her extra blood supply was disabled, causing her unnecessary & unimaginable pain & suffering &, ultimately, her death at such a young age. The experience of this loss has been heartbreaking for all of us. I'll not fail to mention the burden of ridiculously outrageous costs for the improper care of this beautiful dog who was never given the chance to live. Blue Pearl has now asked me to delete this review of what actually happened to my sister's precious Berner & I certainly will not! Their negligence in causing my sister's Ellie to become even more critical is inexcusable & should be shared w/ the public in hopes of preventing this from happening to someone else's beloved pet.

DO NOT USE THIS PLACE! My poor 13 yr old cat was in horrible pain & they kept him in a back room in his kennel for 12 hrs no treatment or pain meds. They were "busy" with more important pets and finally I had to threatened to call the cops because the lady at the front desk wouldnt discharge my cat until I spoke to the Vet before leaving but they were so busy and I was tired of waiting so we left with no meds to help him.

Do not take your precious animal to this non care facility. They do not know what they are doing, staff, doctors, CEO’s and all affiliated with Blue Pearl. They let a dog that was admitted already in distress and removed her spleen with no owner consent! Then 5 days into critical care they could no longer do anything and recommend moving her to DC. Unfortunately the damage was done and Ellie past. A beautiful 3 year old gone because of Blue Pearl. Oh, the insurance adjuster did call to offer $1800 for her, guess the felt GUILTY! Stay Away if you love your pet! You all should be ashamed!

My family brought our cat here when he couldn’t stop vomiting. The staff were incredibly helpful, kind and calm, which was welcome as I was having a bit of a breakdown. The medical staff were extremely patient when informing us of our options. I’m so glad we brought Marlon-Verdell to BluePearl, and I would do it again in a heartbeat if he were to have health issues. At no point did we feel rushed, and the staff did a wonderful job of keeping us informed throughout the process of taking him back and having his vitals checked. We had never been here before, but I’m so thankful we now have a solid resource for both of our cats should they ever have an emergency. 10/10 would recommend BluePearl Pet Hospital! Marlon-Verdell is feeling much better better and says a big “Thank you!”

In 2015, I brought my baby to receive emergency care. He had been hit by a car. He was blessed not to die. After spending, considerable amount of money, the lead veterinarian told me the best was euthanasia. I wanted to take him back home. I said, patch him up, as the veterinarian said could be done. I wanted to take him to his veterinarian who had taken car all my dogs for 14 years. Informed he could die at home. I was so distraught. With hesitation, I agreed. I thought, when the veterinarian brought him out for me to say “see you later”, he was going to be weak. He sat up when he saw me. The veterinarian said his bone in his back was severely fractured. That for the remainder of his life he would need to be taken care of and not be able to control his bowl movements. Since, I have done my research. I should have brought my baby back home. I hate this place. I will NEVER recommend this veterinarian emergency hospital. All the veterinarians do not care. Wanted me to pay $2000 to have a MRI. If all what I was informed, I could not understand why a MRI was recommended. The only reason to me was so they could make money. I am still in pain. I look at pictures and tears come to my eyes. He could do all the obstacles, at the dog park. The other owners asked me where did I have him trained. I informed them I did, I have always trained my own dogs. How he get hit? He was going to the bathroom. A car comes flying down the street, without their lights on and hit my baby. I had no time to react. To this day, still unsolved. I only gave one star because that was the only way I could post.

I would NEVER recommend this Pet hospital for an emergency! My prior veterinarian sent me here when he botched my 3-year-old Bernese Mountain Dog's spay. All Blue Pearl had to do was stop the bleed and save her life. Instead, they performed more surgery on my already critical baby....taking out her spleen without consulting me. ( Spleen was benign.) Twice during the 5 days my precious girl was fighting for her life, the doctor tried to send me to DC, saying she would get better care. What? I thought Blue Pearl was a specialty/emergency hospital! Turns out he was right. My baby died from infection and fever after too much surgery. After paying over $12, 000, Blue Pearl's insurance company offered me $1,800 in compensation. My heartache continues from losing my baby over 2 months ago. My anger at this hospital, the surgeons, and the CEO's of this company will never go away. They should be ashamed!

Very helpful in a successful situation. Thanks for taking care of Atticus!

The staff were awesome and took wonderful care of my dog. They were extremely busy but they were up front about the wait and kept giving updates on how much longer it was gonna be. They explained the plan of care and came up with two invoices to choose from. They answered all of my questions. I never felt rushed. They were kind and everyone had a smile on their face. My dog is feeling better. I would definitely go back if needed.

We are so thankful for Blue Pearl and all of their staff there. Our kitty Magnus went in Saturday morning for what we thought was constipation but ended up being much more serious. Although he spent the entire weekend their with them I had no doubt in the amount of care or high quality of care they gave him. Not only were they exceptional at staying in touch with us (even being short staffed and overwhelmed), they made sure he was comfortable every step of the way and it is because of the wonderful people there that Magnus did not die and got to come home Monday. They were thorough discussing with us the treatment plan before anything was done, after he was unblocked and recuperating in the hospital but also at discharge. Although I hope I never have to visit a emergency vet again, this is my first and only choice for an emergency vet and I appreciate everything they did for Magnus in the time that they had him ❤️

I honestly do not know why there is an ER for animals if they (Vets) are overwhelmed and cannot see a pet. My dog and I sat there for three hours just to be told his vitals were okay and that we need to follow up with our regular vet for stitches that were in fact bleeding out. There was blood on the ground. Seriously?

My dog was recently diagnosed almost 2 months ago with and has been getting treatment for epilepsy by a neurologist at Bush Vet Neurology Services in the same building as Blue Pearl. Over the past couple weeks, my dog's meds haven't been able to keep her from having seizures...the frequency and intensity have increased as time has gone by. Of course, when my dog is having a crisis, our neurologist is on vacation, so my normal vet referred us to Blue Pearl ER when my dog had cluster seizures yesterday and today and maxed out her rescue med doses. It seems as though everyone assumes that Blue Pearl ER has neurologists on staff since they share the same building and waiting room with other specialists, but that is untrue. Blue Pearl ER is ran entirely separately. As soon as I stepped inside I was asked to pay $600 upfront, before they even had time to evaluate my dog. Someone whisked her into the back and we never saw her again until we left. In the meantime, my daughter and I sat in an exam room for about 3 hours. I brought along the seizure log I keep to share with the doctor...she didn't really want to hear all the details. Despite me calling over the past few days to BVNS, begging for someone to please prescribe my dog some prednisone, no one would do it. I told the ER dr that my dog had 12 seizures over the past 10 days, and that number of seizures would most likely cause brain inflammation because she had it before and it was seen when the neurologist performed a MRI and spinal tap a month ago. The ER dr suggested we leave our dog overnight because they said they could administer IV meds to stop her if she was seizing. I was presented with an estimate of over $2000 just for them to keep her overnight. I said I preferred to take my dog home. I doubt anyone there would watch her as closely as I can, plus I don't have thousands of dollars to throw around, especially after spending $5000 on vet bills just last month. So the ER dr said she would go "consult" with one of the neurologists next door, which seemed to be a federal case. The ER dr reappeared with a new quote...now they wanted to do another MRI and spinal tap....for $2000+. I couldn't understand why it was necessary...they said they needed proof of brain swelling before prescribing anti inflammatory meds. Again, I said no, I thought it was completely unnecessary and inhumane to put my dog thru that again. Stess causes seizures, and she just had it done last month! Her hair still hasn't even grown in fully on her head, and they wanted to stick a needle in the base of her skull, as if it's no big deal? Do they really think I can afford to pay for monthly MRIs and spinal taps just for the heck of it? After I said no to the the MRI, the ER dr disappeared and then came back with another proposal...this time she said we could assume there's inflammation and prescribe prednisone. FINALLY! GOD, IT WAS RIDICULOUS! I've never seen so many people acting like prednisone is basically an opiod. My dog had been on prednisone last month,, so I couldn't understand why everyone was doing their best to deny it to her...it's not as if it could hurt anything! The fact is these people prey on the emotions of pet owners who feel helpless, and push costly and unnecessary procedures on you because they know you'll feel guilty for questioning it. In the end, I was refunded about $250 out of my upfront $600 payment, but was still overcharged for all the more they did. They put a catheter in my dog's leg in case she needed IV meds, but she never seized while we were there, so they never gave her anything. No bloodwork. I basically spent $350 for prednisone and a liver supplement. All this place cares about is $. The ER vet didn't even care enough to refer to my dog with the proper pronoun...she's a girl, she was wearing a sunflower bandana and floral collar...her name is Fiona, yet the ER vet kept saying "he/him", and even on the discharge paperwork the ER vet gave me, she referred to Fiona as a male. I will never go back to this ER.

Went in because my dogs back legs were unable to be used. Had to wait 4 hours to be put into a room to wait 2 more hours to be told we had 8 hours more to wait. I understand the severity of some cases and I understand that means we get continually shoved back in emergencies but it’s absolutely ridiculous to think its not an emergency he’s unable to use his hide legs.

Worst vet out there waited 8 hours for a dog that has a cut on her neck the size of a baseball went home to let my other dog out when I called back to see if I could get in they said I’d have to start the process all over again while my dog sits there and bleeds!!! For 8 hours!!! Do not recommend this place very slow and inattentive to your pets needs! Did not even address her open wound to stop bleeding and wanted me to wait another 8 hours to get seen