VCA Animal Emergency Hospital Southeast Calder Road

"I called before driving here to see if they take walk in.. explained to them what was going on with my 7 week old puppy that I adopted. I was told to come one in, I immediately left my home in Tx city only to be told they couldn’t see him because they were under staff when I arrived. I got upset and told the young lady, why in the world would you guys have told me to come here. I was afraid for my fur pup that I had adopted from Bark. The young lady then proceeded to tell me, “ We have dogs dying.” I ask her how did she know my baby wasn’t dying… that they wasted time telling me to come there and not help me. I drove to the Pasadena location and got help for my baby. This Leagues City is horrible, the front desk young lady with the short shoulder length, wavy hair (who was wearing glasses) needs to learn to talk to people better. Sorry was my baby wasn’t showing better signs of death for her."

"Terrible place, my dog became ill after eating something unknown. I took her and their immediate response was that she ingested marijuana. There is no possibility of this, I told them how this was not possible and for them to try and figure out what it actually was so they could take the right protocol. They insisted that it was so they asked if they could drug test and I agreed. Then they said they couldn’t because she was dehydrated they didn’t even bother to give her water, they insisted she was going to die but gave her nothing. They then said they were going to keep her 18 hours to give her fluids that would be over $2k. She didn’t explain anything and didn’t make me feel better after asking questions. Every question I had I was wrong. And the only right diagnosis was that she had ingested marijuana. This was the laziest “professional” I’ve met. She didn’t even try to figure out was actually wrong. Worst vet experience."

"We just adopted a dog this week and scheduled an appointment to establish care with a vet later in the week. However, he woke us up coughing and heaving. We brought him to this clinic at midnight. The assistants and desk staff were friendly enough. There was more emphasis on getting my initials on the paperwork than listening to the problem or watching the video I took off his coughing fits from earlier in the night. The tech bonding with my dog quickly and got lots of love. When the vet entered the room, everything went downhill. He crouched behind my dog and began to push on his throat and beat his back side while the assistant was holding him down from the front. The vet made no attempt to bond or acknowledge my dog before prodding him. He looked trapped and surrounded. He growled, my assumption in pain or fear. I called him and comforted him by petting his head and face. The vet’s reaction was a bit shaming and dramatic. He stood back in the corner and told me that I need to watch out because this dog has an “aggression problem.” He stood in silence for a bit, and it felt shaming. I explained that his behavior was very friendly, in general, and asked if it could be the circumstances and that he’s sick. I had not seen a problem all week and he’s been around a variety of people and pets. I told him that we have not noticed that behavior. He clearly behaved as if he didn’t believe me. I was asking questions about why he might growl: pain, feeling sick, being scared. Is there something stuck in his throat, etc? Dr. Palm rolled his eyes at me and continued to tell me that my dog is a problem. He was condescending and sprinkled little insults about the growling throughout his speech. I was on the defense, having to prove I was a good, responsible pet owner. I confronted him about his attitude and eye rolling. He told me he didn’t appreciate my denial that my dog tried to “attack” the staff. We disagreed about the event. I didn’t notice any attempts to bite anyone. He told me that he would be sure to make a note in our files that we would not return and would never get future service at his clinic. Regarding the hacking and vomiting … He didn’t listen to what the problem was, and there was a communication gap between him and the rest of the staff. For example, he said it must be kennel cough because he hasn’t vomited. Yet, I told both assistants that my dog vomited clear fluid within the last hour after hacking. My dog lightly growled when the staff returned to the room later. No lunging or biting. He was clearly scared of feeling threatened. I just don’t think the vet has a good manner with clients and their pets. He may have a bias towards the breed of my dog, which is a terrier- retriever mix. Though I’m glad to get meds and hope that actually cures the problem, I will never return to the clinic due to the way the vet made me feel during this stressful time. I’m an experienced pet owner and did not feel any compassion, just judgment."

"I am so thankful for the great people who were here in the late hours of Easter Eve into the next morning for our beloved dog, Molly. Molly was in severe distress and we let her go across the Rainbow Bridge with the assistance of Dr. Palm. They were so busy that night but made her care a priority. I can’t thank everyone enough for their genuine care and love for our Molly. When our beloved’s body was brought out to us for burial, the techs said what a beautiful dog she was and that meant so much to me. They are all the best people at this animal hospital and I am so thankful they were there for us. (In the picture of the paw print, you can see a heart that Molly left for us. Since, I have seen two rainbows - one on my desktop computer when turning it on and another on my TV's background picture when first turning the TV on for the first time since Molly's passing.)"