Bay Street Animal Hospital

"We are the owners of terminally ill German Shephard Dog suffering from degenerative myelopathy and myelopathy caused by intravertebral disc degeneration. Our dog is paralyzed and has urine and stool incontinence. This dog has been seen in the past, when still walking, by two doctors at the Bay Street Animal Hospital. Yesterday my dog was drooling, gagging, retching and finally abundantly vomiting. We had the last bottle of Ringer solution at home and Rex got in at night. He has another order of Ringer solution approved by his veterinarian to be delivered from Chewy; however, it cannot be delivered today and most likely also not tomorrow. Our dog is dehydrated and needs fluids today. I called Bay Street Animal Hospital to get JUST ONE bottle of Ringer solution for today. Instead of helping me, I was told to BRING my dog to the Hospital. I have severe respiratory failure and my husband has another severe health issue and none of us is able to carry 40 kg-weighing, dying dog to our car in the garage via two flights of stairs. We have medical and biomedical background and we are experienced in handling a wide range of medical procedures. By refusing to help my dying dog and probably condemning him for death from dehydration in the middle of NYC metropolitan area, people from Bay Street Animal Hospital showed unimaginable cruelty towards other human beings and towards animals. Keep far from them. Cruelty and indifference are contagious. My good, old, sweet dog Rex never tried to hurt another God's creature and does deserve the same from us."

"I have been to Bay Street Animal Hospital 5 times - including 3 emergencies and 2 follow-up visits. I have also been to 4 other vets on Staten Island. This is the best vet practice I have experienced so far because: Check In: The front desk personnel are always cordial, immediately acknowledge my entrance and diligently sign me in or address any questions that I have. I have dealt with 8 receptionists so far. Whether it is during the day or night, I usually wait no more than 10 minutes to see a vet when I show up without an appointment (but this could just be luck). Facility: So clean and sterile looking you could eat off the floor. The facility is brightly lit and the equipment/technology looks modern and well maintained. Vet Assistants: I have dealt with 3 vet assistants, but I only know the name of one - Kayla! All are extremely genial and upbeat, showing lots of empathy to the situation. They ask lots of questions to assess the health situation, take extensive notes and always leave room for me to thoroughly state my observations, concerns and questions. They are very patient with the dog and do their best to put the dog at ease. Vets: I have dealt with the vets Dr. Ashley Aanonsen and Dr. Justine Candrilli – two extremely caring and empathetic people! The vets seem to always prioritize care for the animal’s well-being over making money by trying their best to avoid unnecessary procedures, medications and costs. They always try their best to avoid invasive surgeries/procedures that carry a risk of further injury/death. They spend more than enough time with my pet and I am always given enough time to voice my concerns and questions. I am always asked for my permission before performing any procedure on my pet. So far, all the treatments that I have been given have restored my pet’s health within a week. The visit notes have been very thorough and honest (leaving no information out). Overall, both vets give the impression of knowing-their-stuff, being-on-top-of-their-game and being highly competent! Costs: I feel that the costs are fair and/or low. As of the time of writing this, it’s $150 per visit not counting procedures, medications, tests, etc. which is similar pricing to other vet clinics in this area. If you make an appointment before you go, then the visit is half the price. (I think free pet trimming toe nails is included in the visit price).. I have always been advised on the additional costs before any procedure is done. Once I get the final bill with the medications, I am usually surprised by how low the bill is and I am a cheapskate. Pay with cash or debit if you want to avoid credit card fees. Negatives: Twice I have gone there, only to find out that the hospital is not 24/7 as advertised. Once it was closed at night and another time on a national holiday. So, please check their open and close times on their website or via an Internet search before you go. Also, I have never been able to go in with my pet while he is being treated. In general, I am very critical of most Western doctors and tend not to trust that they care about their patients or are competent. However, my experience at Bay Street Animal Hospital challenges my belief and makes me feel otherwise. Please give this place a chance; I cannot praise it enough!"

"I would like to thank Dr.Ashley & Dr.Theresa and the amazing team here for saving my dog cannon's life. He went into an emergency surgery due to swallowing an object that we did not know about at the time, they did x-rays and blood work to identify what was wrong with him and they acted quickly to help. They updated us a few times through surgery which was very helpful in the stressful situation it was, the doctors and team did an incredible job throughout the whole process. We highly recommend Bay Street Animal Hospital."

"Trashy service from front desk. One day I came in to pay and was a $60 short. They let me go home, drop my pet off and pick up some money. I came back an hour later and paid my bill. Fast forward a few years later, I send my wife for our pets. We were short $60 and they wouldn't let her leave. She hadn't even left the examination room when they were already pressing her about the money. They were very hostile towards her. It hadn't even been 30 minutes by the time she settled the bill."

"DO NOT GO HERE. We took our dog here because he kept throwing up his food. I felt like he had an allergy since after we changed his food he was starting to feel better. When we brought him in, they recommended an xray to see if he had anything stuck in his stomach. They told us they saw an object in his stomach and he would need surgery. After explaining that I am out of work right now and that we have a newborn baby, we asked about any less expensive and invasive alternatives, we were told no. The vet, Dr Aanonsen said she understands it is expensive and would give us the barium series and clip his nails for no charge. We did not want to see our dog in pain so we said to go ahead with the surgery. They called us right before the surgery to let us know it would begin. I reminded them to please TAKE A PICTURE of the object they would be removing. I was told by the vet tech “ofcourse we always take a photo”. They asked if I wanted him neutered, obviously wanting more $$$ After we took him home we noticed he was still vomiting. I called 3 TIMES & NEVER RECEIVED A CALL BACK. When we brought him back in the vet Dr Stora told us that a biopsy was done on his stomach which WE WERE NEVER INFORMED. On top of that, they received the results and never cared to inform us. I was told that its because the vet who performed it, Dr Aanonsen was on vacation. After spending $5,500 on an avoidable surgery; our dog was diagnosed with IBD which is essentially an allergy, that I was questioning in the first place. Dr. Stora told me that the lifelong medicine for my dog is “ dirt cheap”. I was charged for the barium, and they never clipped his nails. DO NOT TAKE YOUR ANIMALS HERE. My dog was not treated with care, they laughed at how frightened he was to be there. I had to walk all the way to the treatment room with him each time because he was scared of the staff."