Tampa Bay Veterinary Specialists & Emergency Care Center,

1501A South Belcher Road, Largo, FL 33771

"Excellent doctors and nurses. Very attentive and compassionate while delivering excellent care - which is extremely important given the nature of of specialist vet services. However, I feel that the front desk staff lacks these characteristics. I waited several visits to make sure it was not an outlier experience, but have noticed a trend. I want to give 5 stars as the Veterinary staff is phenomenal, but reception is very aloof (which is strange to me, given the nature of the business). Thank you for taking great care of my pets during these crucial moments."

"I can't thank the Dr. Oakes & his staff enough for taking such wonderful care of our Bella Rose!! They were all kind, courteous, & so knowledgeable!! We Love Dr. Oakes, he really saved Bella's life!! We will always be forever grateful for him!!!!"

"My American Bully has been to see both Dr. Fauske (cardiology) and Dr. Lerace (dermatology) at TBVS. In my experience, providers and staff here are communicative and supportive. I appreciated the time and attention paid to us during our appointments and felt like I had ample opportunity to ask questions and discuss prognoses. I feel confidently that he is getting great care here. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them for specialist services. Additionally, I have used their emergency services when my childhood dog became suddenly ill - on Thanksgiving night, no less. I feel they triaged her appropriately, clearly communicated what they identified as the issue and, as compassionately as possible, discussed treatment options and costs. She unfortunately had massive bleeding in her abdomen - the provider was as gentle as he could be while explaining to my dad and I that the likelihood of her recovering, even after aggressive and expensive treatment would be slim. We opted for euthanasia. While I have only ever done in-home euthanasia for my pets, I have to say this experience far surpassed my expectations. They gave us plenty of time in a comfortable room to sit with her and say our goodbyes. The providers that night were empathic and so gentle with her. I’m grateful. Looking at some of the other reviews for this facility gave me pause, initially, and I wasn’t sure if they would be a good choice for us. While I understand the position of other reviewers regarding the cost of care and how uncomfortable it might be to have those conversations (especially in an emergency), as well as frustration in sometimes limited treatment options - I think it’s really important not to compare veterinary medicine to human medicine. They are completely different things. I never felt like TBVS was trying to pull one over on me or make a money grab. The reality of the situation is that vet care is expensive and I appreciate that all of the providers that I encountered gave their honest recommendations and alternative cost-saving options, when available. I am just grateful for pet insurance and highly recommend it to everyone - completely worth it."

"Our dog Ty had a severe perineal hernia surgery by Dr. Garofolo which included being neutered and a skin graft to help strengthen the weakened muscles. He also diagnosed him with a murmur/chronic heart disease that at least 4 other vets have missed over the past 6 months trying to diagnose this hernia. Other surgeons we brought him to were afraid to do the surgery, but thankfully Dr. Garofolo had a good plan and confidence in the procedure. The front desk is responsive and quick to answer any questions, they checked up on him frequently during the healing process and were available 24/7. The surgery went well and our dog had his staples removed last week, but we (un)fortunately found one staple that was missed and it appears overgrown with skin or rotated upside down so there's a small metal end sticking out and he will need to go back in a second time to have it removed. I highly recommend TBVS for major procedures like this and if your dog has staples after surgery just make sure they are all removed on time because I'm sure my dog won't be happy going back to have this staple removed after this long."

"We initially took my sweet boy to his vet for an exam because he was experiencing some weight loss and increased lethargy. During his vet visit, he took a sudden turn for the worst. He started experiencing difficulty breathing and his mouth became pale so the vet advised us to take him to the ER immediately. When we got there, they took him in immediately and started working on him. Come to find out he most likely had metastatic cancer and he was bleeding into his abdomen. The veterinarian said there was little that could be done except for surgery which he likely wouldn’t survive because he had an extremely high risk of bleeding out, even with transfusions. The vet was fair for with our options but also realistic. My baby was fading away fast. We made the incredibly hard decision to put him to sleep so he wouldn’t suffer anymore. All of the staff were very gentle and sympathetic to us. Even though it was a terrible situation, I am thankful we were able to end his suffering with their help. The staff handled it very calmly and professionally. Here’s a silly photo of him sleeping on a bed that was way too small for him. He will be missed by so many people. He was part of our family. ❤️"