Oakland Veterinary Referral Services

Our 40 lb beagle dislocated/​jacked up her front leg, needed sugery + cast for 2+ weeks. The hospital and Drs were extremely courteous and informative. My wife and I have been working in a «people» hospital for over 30 years, + we had no problems with the services here. It seems like a lot of the negative Unilocal reviews here complain about the cost and money. I’m pretty sure that we could have gone someplace cheaper, but in an emergency, what is best for your pet is worth it in the end. And… we have been carrying pet insurance for over 9 years. They provided all the necessary itemized receipts and notes for us to get reimbursement for our dear Lili.
Thanks again!

This place is seriously wonderful. My dog was four years old when he started getting sick, he lost a lot of weight, had no energy or appetite, and would have occasional seizures. The doctors at Banfield/​PetSmart had no idea what was wrong and after three months of appointments and a bunch of blood tests, they said they didn’t know what was wrong and told us to come here for a blood test.
Before going in, we were nervous and had little hope, we expected around the same thing as they did at Banfield and didn’t know how long it’d take to get results and expected a huge medical bill. At the first visit, Dr. Clooten did a blood test and bone marrow test and diagnosed my dog with essential thrombocytosis (high white blood count), gave him some medicine (baby aspirin and chemo pills). They were so nice and only charged him for a short term visit even though he stayed longer than that, and coming home the day of, he already seemed a big more energetic.
Within a week, he was eating regularly and asking to play again. Now, two months later, my dog is pretty much completely healthy and he has no signs of seizures or brain problems! We still take him in once a month and give him pills to make sure his blood count doesn’t go up again, and he loves going in. With Banfield, he was unwilling to go inside, at Oakland Veterinary, he gets so excited to get out of the car and come in. Every time we go in, everyone is so friendly and you can tell they’re not just clocking in and out, but that they seriously just love animals.
The difference between a normal vet and a great vet that cares is huge. If your dog is sick, this is definitely the place to go!

I will avoid this place in the future and drive as far as I need to in order to NOT experience what we went through with this practice. Our overzealous little pit bull jumped through a window on a Sunday and got a very deep cut in her front leg, through the muscle to the bone. My husband took her in and she was bleeding profusely during the 20 minute drive. (The car looked like a murder scene.)
When he arrived, the first and only concern seemed to be financial. They took the pup back and he waited over an hour in one of the rooms for an «estimate of costs.» He finally ended up leaving, as he had to pick me up from an event. FIVE HOURS LATER, they called with the estimate. We put the tech on speaker phone and listened to the estimate detail. Honestly, the items they were quoting were things that they wouldn’t even do for a human being at the ER. But, in spite of this seeming emphasis on great care, they leave the dog with her leg cut wide open for five hours, so they’re sure they get the money.
Of course, we feeling desperate, and since it was after hours, we felt stuck and agreed to whatever they said. This is our second experience with this place and we’ll never go there again. While the service was good, it’s very obvious that they want to take you for every penny they can. Money first, service second. Ugh.

Amazing place. My dog was in a lot of pain from over activity and a pulled muscle. They knew what to do immediately and what to check/​rule out. Everything was discussed upfront and within a day my dog was on the mend. They even sent a report to my vet who called to check up on Monday and they sent a follow up email later in the week. A+ place and they really understand that our animals are part of the family.

Couldn’t be more satisfied with the outcome! Our 90 pound lab/​boxer mix «Wilson» had been severely hampered by left knee troubles for a over a year. Our local vet suggested a couple of alternatives. We sought a consult with a specialist, in this case Dr. Griggs at OVRS. We met for the eval and consult, and found out that not only his cranial cruciate ligament was gone, but that his knee cap had never tracked properly, likely to a femur that was broken prior to adoption, which healed slightly off center. In brief, Wilson would need two operations at once if he was to walk normally again. Dr. Griggs answered all of our questions and was happy to respond again by phone when we had more. He was realistic yet had the confidence he could help, the kind that only comes with experience.
One week later we returned for the surgery. Dr. Griggs created a new groove for the knee cap and performed the TPLO, and we took him home for recovery. He and the staff were very thorough, and answered all of our questions. it was clear they cared about our dog and wanted us to be informed. Wilson had a long and arduous recovery, requiring him to be inactive for 6 weeks, due in large part to the knee cap surgery. Then a slow build up to activity over the next three months.
Now, 6 months later, the results are pretty amazing. Wilson’s gait has dramatically improved, he walks without a limp, has his pep back, has lost weight, and overall is much perkier and «ready to go». Last week, he even frolicked and ran around like a puppy for the first time in at least two years when a neighbor’s dog visited. We didn’t realize how much mobility he lost until he got it back.
Another tidbit: during the first exam they found a cyst on his rear that our own vet had missed! Given the possibility of cancer, we had to have it removed and sent to the lab prior to the knee surgery. Fortunately it came back «benign» and we went ahead with the knee surgery.

its nice to hear that they are a real emergence care hospital. Their specialty doctors come in on a holiday weekends to save a dog life, Not like other so called emergence care hospital in the area that wait until normal business hours,

Everyone at OVRS has a special heart for animals. My experience there with my sweet girl Riley was exceptional. Dr. Reipe and her staff took such interest in how my Riley girl was doing. It was just the best feeling to know she was in such good hands. My last visit, was an emotional low spot and Dr. Green who saw us for the last time, was so kind and loving to me and to Riley. We had an extra 4 months that we certainly would not have had, and it was a great 4 months for all of us. Thanks and blessings to all you special people.

Horrible experience and pet owners should avoid this place. Worse than jacking up an astronomical bill is that my dog is in worse shape than when we went there.
I took my dog there for an ultrasound per my vets request and they loaded up on tests, expensive consultations with their own specialists, and unnecessary services. They jacked up the bill and I ended up paying 5x’s what the original estimate. (Think at least one months mortgage…)
Care was very rough and my dog is traumatized. My dog was painful and they had a harness on him and were dragging him out to go potty. He was so frightened he urinated the whole way out. He was in distress and panting so they turned a fan on him (which makes him pant harder). I brought him some things from home to make him comfortable and they weren’t there when I came back.
They convinced me to keep him there overnight for «supportive care» and then refused to release him the next day. Not once did anyone update me with his conditions nor advise me on what course of action, why it’s necessary and what to expect. I spoke to one vet at his arrival but then found out later he was assigned to a «critical care specialist». (He wasn’t critical). I called again and was told he was assigned to a different critical specialist who informed me she was in charge– she was even more abrasive. At no point did anyone ask me about the dogs history habits behavior or characteristics. After 2 days I had to show up and almost cause a scene to get him released.
He’s home and I only thank god I got him out of there. While it cost a fortune what upsets me most is what they did to my dog. He didn’t deserve it.

Top notch experience. In a few words: They saved our dog from certain death due to Addison’s Disease (which they diagnosed within an hour of admission). Two blood and parasite tests and a week+ of useless medication from our previous vet yielded nothing close. This wasn’t even brought up as a possibility.
Our pooch was starving herself for over a week without improvement. Within a couple of hours of hospitalization & Dr. Fleischaker’s care, she was on the mend.
Drs. Fleischaker, Snow, Holahan, and ALL OF THEIR WONDERFUL ASSISTANTS & TECHS literally brought our girl back from a hopeless spiral of kidney failure to her normal, playful self.
We are so very fortunate to have found them!

Our primary care vet referred us to OVRS when Lucky, our dog, developed a serious heart condition in 2012. Dr Reipe, Holly and Emily have kept him happy and healthy. He just was in emergency care with pneumonia (not because of his heart) the emergency physicians, Dr Fidell and Dr Snow worked with his cardiologist to devise proper treatment and Lucky is home. The doctors and staff at OVRS are the best!

The BEST of the BEST! Would not take my pets anywhere else. I tell EVERYONE about OVRS!

OVRS is AMAZING! On Saturday, 6/​27, we took our precious cat, Baby, into OVRS as she was very sick. We came all the way from Macomb Township. Another veterinary hospital was going to make us keep Baby at their facility until Monday when they would have their ultra sound tech available. We decided we could not wait until Monday to get the diagnosis of what was wrong with Baby so we drove out to OVRS and we are so glad we did. They took her in immediately, got her in for an ultra sound and, unfortunately, gave us the sad news of inoperable tumor. We made the decision end our precious Baby’s suffering that day. I cannot tell you how COMPASSIONATE the entire staff was with us. From the minute we walked in the door until we walked out the staff was AMAZING! I highly recommend this facility! This place is just plain AMAZING!!!

It’s the best place to take your pet in the state. Our dog had two cruciate ligament ruptures and was treated by Dr. Hewitt. We could have had the surgery done much more cheaply elsewhere, but you get what you pay for. He recovered faster than expected and had no complications from the surgery.
For those complaining about the price, this isn’t just a vet that’s open 24 hours – the doctors are board certified specialists. There aren’t many of these people and it isn’t cheap to train them. This is the place your neighborhood vet goes when they don’t have the answer themselves.

I can’t say enough about OVRS. This is the only place to bring your beloved pet. They have an excellent ²⁴⁄₇ emergency room. The staff and doctors are excellent and take wonderful care of your pet in this situation. The hospital also has every specialist doctor under one roof. My dog saw Dr. Riepe who is a cardiologist for 4 years. I am forever grateful to Dr. Riepe, Holly and Emily for the care and kindness they showed me and Ruby.

I recently visited OVRS back in June when my regular veterinarian referred us there. My 8 year old Shih Tzu was having some irregular heart related problems. We were able to get an appointment in 2 weeks from then with Dr. Riepe. We printed all required paperwork before hand and everything was filled our before out appointment which made the initial visit go smoother. Holly, Dr. Riepe’s assistant, was very nice and welcoming. She was very kind and gentle with my dog. Dr. Riepe was awesome and explained everything to me, in a way i could understand. Overall it was a great first visit. We will be back every 8 months until my dogs condition worsens. Thank you to the kind staff
at OVRS.

We have taken two cats to OVRS and on each occasion I have been very happy with OVRS. Our first cat was older and was losing weight. After examination and ultrasound, the staff ruled out everything but cancer. They provided guidance to keep Maltby eating and comfortable. Maltby was able to live with us for another nine months. Our second cat, Shadow, suddenly lost weight and stopped eating over a New Years. We called OVRS and they took Shadow in on Sunday morning. By Monday morning they determined Shadow had a pancreatitis. The staff was great when we went to visit and provided updates whenever we called. Shadow is now home and is doing well. We won’t soon forget the kindness and caring of the staff show towards us and the care they showed toward Shadow.

We called Oakland Veterinary Referral Services after our black lab ate a pair of boots. They told us to give him 4 tablespoons of hydrogen peroxide to induce vomiting which we did. Everything was fine for a few days until he started throwing up right after he ate. We called them to see if we should bring him incase of blockage in his intestines but they referred us to a different place because they were too busy. Thank god that they did. Turns out that they told us to give him WAY too much hydrogen peroxide and it basically poisoned our dog! If they hadn’t have told us to give him so much he probably would have ended up being fine and it would have saved us 600 dollars. Do not take your pets here. Go to BluePearl in Auburn Hills!

Dog had another pancreatitis episode and my Vet wanted an ultrasound so she ended up staying here instead of places she had previously weathered this condition. The people were awesome. The pricing was horrendous. This visit cost 250% more than her other two episodes for the same services.
Unless you absolutely need a specialist, you can do much better elsewhere. Was also charged for food that was not provided… unless they are trying to say she ate 6 cans of food overnight which seems unlikely.

I can’t say enough about the level of care, compassion and thoughtfulness here.
YES, they’re expensive; they are specialists with unique equipment and offer a variety of emergency services.
NO, they can’t save everybody’s pet, but they will do everything they can to try.
We weren’t able to save my cat, Milton, but Dr. Latra here, along with his staff, made every effort to help him and were so compassionate when we decided to euthanize.

So… our 3yo cat Maggie (aka the bad brown cat) has been peeing on our bed. No place else in the house, just on our bed. We’ve had the bedding professionally laundered, used Urine-​Off, changed the bedding completely but to no avail. I took her to our local vet to rule out a urinary infection… sorry for the TMI, but some of you will appreciate the detail… and she got a clean bill of health. The vet recommended OVRS’s Behavioral Vet group. Yeah right, I can just imagine Maggie lying back on the couch, telling the cat psychiatrist all of her problems (too many spots to nap, too little variety in her Temptations treats). Next!
After she peed on the bed another couple of times, twice with us in the bed, I’d had enough. I called for an appointment. One month’s wait? Excuse me! So we set the appointment and went on the waiting list. And filled out the 12 page required questionnaire, including a drawing of our home and answering when we would consider euthanizing our pet (which made me cry).
They were able to get us in earlier — we only waited two weeks. Off we go with a meowing, scaredy cat in the backseat. OVRS’s address says Bloomfield Hills… but it’s a hike. Close to Pontiac. I mean, far.
We spoke with the behavioral vet, who Maggie wanted less than nothing to do with, for over an hour. Her takeaway was we need to try a different litter, or maybe a different litter box location, or maybe both. We should play with her on the bed and give her treats on the bed. Here, try this plug-​in thingy that puts the cats at ease.
That’ll be $ 500.
I wanted drugs. If not for the cat, then for ME. Because moving a litter box cannot possibly be the answer to our problems. I thought we’d get some drugs. You’d think you would get drugs for $ 500, right?!!
So we’ve added another litter box of scoopable (both of our cats use clay, and neither has had anything to do with this box for the 3 weeks we’ve had it), and brought one of the clay boxes upstairs by the kitchen (yummy, I know). And Maggie’s been successfully sleeping with us for over a week (Jesus, I just jinxed us). But I do NOT think she’s cured…