VCA Milwaukee Emergency Center for Animals

"Brought my very sick cat here last night since I wasn’t sure if she was going to make it through the night. Every single staff member I talked to had no sympathy. As soon as I walked in I told the front desk lady everything and that she was on prednisone and she was like “well maybe she’s just tired”. We get into a room, they take my cat around 10:30 pm and said a vet would come in to talk with me in around 15 minutes. At 11:45 I rang for help since I hadn’t heard anything. And they then told me it would be a four hour wait. I took her home after that."

"Not happy.. we brought our dog in on a referral from a local office near us. Our dog who we have had since she was a puppy had fluid in the lungs. We have been charged over 3000 dollars for tests and treatments and they can not even diagnose the issue causing the fluid in the lungs. And when it comes to the treatment after getting her back today it has seemed to only get worse. I do not how this place can live with them selves and they need to be shut down."

"I took my bird in when he was having trouble breathing. It had been an ongoing battle for 2 years with a mysterious illness. I had taken him in almost every other week to other vets to try to get him diagnosed. He was on a lot of different medications but no one could tell me what was wrong with him. I had him for 20 years and he was my best friend. I even took bird classes to learn how to care for him better throughout the years and spent many sleepless nights during those 2 years doing my own research and watching him to make sure he was ok. I tried to be the perfect bird mom. When I took him in to get emergency care the first thing the vet said to me was "how did you let him get this bad?" Following that conversation, I received a call later that day that they needed to put my bird down. I tried frantically to get my family together to say goodbye. We called them back to tell them we were on our way and were put on hold. While we were on hold the vet called my personal cell and told me they made the decision to put him down. They couldnt even call me to tell me they had to put him down first. I understand that things may have taken a turn for the worst but we were literally on hold with the clinic for over 30 minutes when this happened. The absolute disrespect and insensitivity I faced during this situation was unacceptable. My bird was my best friend and they treated me like I was the problem. I didn't even get to say goodbye. Don't take your pet here, they don't care."

"We unfortunately ended up here last night and had to unexpectedly say goodbye to our best doggy pal. The staff here were amazing and supportive during our emotional time. The doc was straight with us and helped us make the best informed decision. I’m so sad I needed their services, but they treated Boomer with the dignity and respect during his most vulnerable time"

"Dr. Shimon is the most compassionate, caring veterinarian there could be. After bringing our cat in, he listened to our concerns, and we felt that he truly treats the animals in his care as one of his own. We were kept up to date with the status of our cat, the plan of care, and options for treatment. As with any ER trip, animal or human, the costs are going to be elevated compared to a primary doctor, but it was by no means unreasonable. Dr. Shimon was transparent with cost estimates and alerted us prior to any medical intervention. The staff were pleasant, and they made us feel comfortable about leaving him in their care when we couldn’t be with him during the visit. They all do so much to help animals around-the-clock. Please understand that this is an ER. Our pet was immediately brought back for triage, as are all pets. It was after midnight and while we did have to wait a few hours, we understand that his condition was determined to not be emergent, but he was being monitored at all times in case issues were to arise. As with many pets, he’s the most important and critical thing to us as a member of our family; however, we know that his overall clinical picture determined him to not be categorized as critical status and there were animals who needed to be attended to first. But throughout the process, they still made sure it was known that he was being monitored and cared for which is all we could ask for. We are so appreciative of the care our little Buddy received."