VERG-Veterinary Emergency & Referral Group

DISGUSTED BEYOND WORDS!

Brought my 4 year old cat here for an emergency visit for not eating or drinking. You walk into a very beautiful painted picture of a clean and put together place but passed the doors are another story.

I showed up at 2:00pm they took her right away. They don’t let you stay with your pet so I asked how long this would take until I see her again the girl told me 1 to 2 hours. Perfect, so I thought. After one hour I was presented with a bill for $600 I obviously paid it with no hesitation and ask if this is what was done already and what is the next step. I was told none of it was done yet and they needed my signature and payment to move forward. That was already strike one because what has been going on for an hour, I spoke to the doctor on the phone because they do not come downstairs to speak to you in person and she said she was going to examine her right now. I let it go because I knew my cat needed help and that was my priority.

Until 2 hours more pass and no one has still told me where my cat is and what is wrong. I then asked the girl the front desk if she could please ask for an update on my cat. She called the doctor and I was told my cat is very sweet and she’s doing OK and there are other animals who need more severe help so that is why it is taking a little longer than expected & I completely understand that as a pet parent and one who has lost there pets as well. EXCEPT, my cats life was very much at risk and they either did not tell me or did not know due to lack of care.

Finally now at 7:00pm, me crying in the lobby over fear and anger got someone’s attention.

My husband now demands someone to please give us an answer. That is when the doctor called our cell phones to tell us that they did an x-ray that shows her intestines all bunched up and that she needs emergency surgery that they cannot perform because there are no surgeons on the weekends and that I need to bring her to Manhattan from Brooklyn now at 7:30 at night. And to expect a surgery that is anywhere between $8,000 to $10,000. I immediately broke down crying. And my husband demands my cat back immediately.

After waiting an additional half hour for someone to bring me my cat they bring down two other cats and go to hand them to me and neither of them are mine! Finally I have my cat in my hands and I asked if I could please speak to the doctor that has been with her for the past 5 hours instead of speaking over the phone and they said no that the doctors do not come down. Which I find to be absolutely disrespectful. On top of getting my cat back she smells like urine and looks like a mess I know that my cat did not go in smelling like this and her blanket was just washed and I just bought her a brand new carry case so it just leaves me to believe that she was put into a unsanitary and dirty cage and sat in either her urine or other animals urine.

Finally leaving this horrible place, we ended up in the care of an amazing doctor Who told us immediately that she is severely dehydrated her skin was clinging to her bones which I was not able to see because I was not with her from 2 to 7 and he immediately felt her intestines knotted up in her stomach. Why is that VERG hospital was not able to tell that my cat was dehydrated and need an IV that I would have very gladly paid for or able to tell during her examination that her intestines were knotted up and in less than five minutes this doctor was able to give me all of the answers and heal her with emergency surgery for less than half of what they were telling me.

I cannot and will not sit here and know that this hospital is functioning the way they are getting away with it. Please do not bring your loved ones here at any cost.

Horrible experience that I want to review. I used VERG for 2 years with my cat and we had a wonderful internist following him here. But Charlie had an emergency at the beginning of October and I brought him in to the Emergency Vet. They hospitalized him and during his 3 days stay he was hurt (he was discharged limping on one leg and with one broken nail on another, still bleeding). The day manager was very defensive and not open to listen carefully when we spoke over the phone. I am going against them in court, so I will update this with the results. Nonetheless, if you had a bad experience here and want to connect with me, please do so on my email address francescagaber@hotmail.com. I am bringing Animal Rights Activists full force. It is not ok that places like this operates the way they do.

Paid $ 404.
Appointment was easy to make, I did not wait in line.
Now cons:
I Requested the copy of the report to be sent to me.
After 6 times being rejected, they agreed to send by mail
Since it was live/​death situation I asked if cat has tumor or foreign object in a stomic.
It turned out it was too complicated or I felt lack of desire to provide the answer. I was informed it cost $ 160 for consultation.
As 400 for simple ultra sound test is not enough to say few words.
Not human!

Came here because my cat had reaction after he got the rabies shot from Petco. The front desk is nice. Then there’s another guy came out to ask some questions for my cat. Then the font desk brought to the room and waited for the Vet. Later we was told that the Vet was doing some procedures for another animal, so we had to wait about an hour. It is reasonable and my cat was fine when he got to the Vet. So an hour wait time is fine to me. But it seems there’s only one Vet in the hospital. Which is not enough. However, the Vet was nice to my cat. Thank you for everything. The price is reasonable.

I am going to give them 1 star for being available 24 hours, and regardless that is very meaningful. However, these folks could certainly work on their processes, and their attitude. Their intake is questionable, and antiquated — work on fixing your attitudes and operation, not just the patients. «VERG, heal thyselves» My biggest issue is the nasty attitude of the dr.(no capital letter for her) that is doctor with a small d. NASTY, RUDE, and just unkind. I’m sorry if I woke you up at 3:30 am, but that is when we needed you. It is tough to trust someone (especially with your extended family member) my pets are a large part of my family dynamic. I feel the same stress level having to take them into an emergency visit. I will not condemn the final treatment, according to my regular vet — the end result was right on. But the process and experience was less than 0. After we realized the bedside manner of the vet, we decided to give the silent treatment. It became so apparent, the vet began to feel less than comfortable, and we did not see her anymore. She kept sending out the vet tech. She was embarrassed. Silence is so golden. At the end the vet tech asked if we wanted to see the or ask the dr any questions, we shook our heads, still no words. My pet insurer wanted to send VERG a thank you Super Hero card. I said absolutely NOT. The insurer asked why, I sent them a written review of VERG and that vet as well. It too bad these folks are not better at what they do.

VERG is an EXCELLENT emergency clinic! They have been there in my worst and most fearful times. Dr. Clark (one of the vets there) is one of the most compassionate vet I have ever dealt with. I have used them at all times of the night, and have dealt with many serious problems and they were always very caring and treated me and my dogs good. Most of all, my dogs were cared for and thats what matters the most!
On my last visit we had taken my dog Bandit to be put to sleep. It was the worst night of my life. He had lung cancer and it had come to the stage where he struggled to breath. I love him dearly and it was that time. They made it clear I was to take all the time I needed to say goodbye. I asked them to give him a needle to have him sedated before they gave him that final shot. They worked with me and did everything I asked of them. I wanted my dogs end to be peaceful and that he not be afraid and these wonderful people made his passing as easy as it could be at a time such as this. The techs they have there are wonderful too. They talk to you, they make friends with your dog so the dogs not so afraid. After my dog had passed, as I was walking out they asked me if I wanted a paw print of him, I did and they made one for me. I have to cry just thinking about that night. I am so grateful for all they have done for me.
Other cases for my visits were for aspiration pnemonia. My dog Brownie was hospitalized for 3 days being treated. I went and visited her each day and night and they let me stay for as long as I wanted. That meant a lot to me and Brownie recovered nicely. Before that She had an operation at her regular vets and I had her stay overnight at VERG to make sure she was being watched and given IV antibiotics. I wouldnt have trusted to leave my dog anywhere else.
I have been there for seizures, and other serious medical situations. Thank God they are here! We needed a good ER for animals for a long time!
About the way they bill. Someone mentioned it and I want to make it clear. When you go in, your dog is taken to the back to be examined. After the initial examination you will be shown an estimate of what will or may be used to treat your dog or cat. There is a high end and a low end of what the bill will run you and if there is anything on that bill you do not want done you let them know. And the ID is only asked if you use a credit card so they know its your credit card, just as any store asked for ID now.
And last, if you have an extreme emergency they will take your dog right in. VERG is a very good place, this is why I use them.

I came to this place because I says on the website and they said on the phone that they specialize on the exotic animals (!). And there are only a few in Manhattan. My hamster got something happened with an eye, and I wanted to that her. I know that it’s a hamster and It costs 10 bucks in petco, but it’s still an animal.
So I came to the hospital, personnel is very nice and friendly (that’s totally true) … To cut the story short, I spent 3.5 (!) hours, though there was NOBODY before me, because they kept getting «emergency», to pay 120 bucks and to hear that «we don’t specialise on the hamsters, she has something with her eye, we can give her eye drops with antibiotics. But we can’t take any other tests, so this can be an eye infection, or infection in her body…» and that’s fine, OK, I tried to be nice. But when I waited 30 minutes for the nurse to bring me eye drops, sorry guys. I told them that they should probably stop telling on the phone that they specialize on exotic animals, since they couldn’t help me in an appropriate way. The nurse responded that on website it says that they SEE exotic animals. Yeah, cap, I got that. Hopefully, you don’t treat dogs and cats the same way.

This place does not deserve a single star. Horrible! Do not bring your pets here. My dog had a very nasty abrasion on his paw I brought him here to have it examined which was my only resort since it was after midnight. We waited in the waiting area while a vet «tech» came out and spoke to us. She was extremely unprofessional, her nails were long and fake which is against the infection control regulations. Instead of inquiring about my dogs injury she was asking what type of food he ate and how he sleeps. Nothing related to the chief complaint. I am a physician and was appalled at the dynamics of this place. After waiting almost two hours the vet came in for literally 5 minutes and did not even want to look at the injured paw. She said «it’s probably a little cut, it’s fine». I had to insist that she take him to the back and take a look. She came back about 5 minutes later and said everything was fine. My dogs paw was bleeding and he was obviously in pain. I had to pay $ 100 for a horrible patient care and bedside manner and nothing was even done. The next day my dog was limping! Thank God for the Animal Hospital of Brooklyn where Dr Campinelle works I had to take my dog there. He wrapped the wound with antibiotics and gauze and my pup was back to running in 3 days. Never ever take your dog to VERG Brooklyn, it is a make shift clinic with quacks working there.

I was so relieved this place was here when I needed it.
(Note: All the negative reviews I’ve read seem to be based on experiences at night. As such, I want to make clear that my experience was in the afternoon.)
I have a little fat dog that is the Delta Burke to my lesser other Designing Woman. Although she’s a little overweight, she’s very active and loves to go on long walks. Yesterday, temperatures crept into the low 90s and I didn’t pay any attention as my dog was just running around, being a badass dog. Up until yesterday, whenever she got too hot she would just walk up to me and demand I pick her up, at which point I would carry her home (we live very nearby said park).
WELL, yesterday my dog was so excited to be running around that she was paying as little attention to the heat as I was – obviously this reflects badly on me and not my dog, but bear with me. Suddenly, she collapsed. Her little legs tried to stand back up, but couldn’t because they were too wobbly.
I flipped an S, assumed heatstroke, and rushed her home for air-​conditioning and fans. My usual vet (which shall remain nameless) literally didn’t pick up the phone for the entire 30 minutes I was trying to reach them. I called my old vet while researching dog heatstroke online, and they referred me to VERG. By this point, my dog’s eyes were listless, she couldn’t sit still, and she was bumbling around like a zombie. The scene would have been a very effective commercial for Paxil.
Literally the first person who picked up the phones at VERG was a five-​star experience. I told her my situation, explicitly said I was freaking out but wasn’t sure if my dog needed emergency treatment, and the lady calmly asked me questions and eventually suggested I monitor my dog’s condition for an hour, then bring her in if she wasn’t obviously better.
An hour goes by and my little dog starting having recurring shivers (!!!). Southern people’s response to trauma is like a million times more hyperbolic than other people, so I called this same lady at VERG back, edge of tears, saying my dog had the shakes and that I was ready to make the afternoon an episode of ER. She said to bring her in, so off we went!
The staff was expecting me when we rolled up, and nobody said a word about filling out paperwork until a tech had come out, very friendlily and professionally assessed my dog while asking me thorough questions, and then taken her to the back for an exam. I should add that at this point, it probably seemed obvious to the staff that my dog was going to be fine, but everybody still remained so respectful of my concern. I have tremendous gratitude for this level of compassion, since I have for real encountered some d-​bag vet staff in NYC.
I was escorted to an exam room and waited for the vet to finish up the exam and come tell me the situation. When the vet came in (with my dog!!! who was wagging her tail!!!) she was very friendly and polite, and very calmly explained that my dog had had either a transient heatstroke or a dip in blood sugar, but that she would be okay and I had done the right thing by bringing her in.
At this point, I was so relieved to hear my dog was going to be okay that I started to tear up. The vet was so extremely professional in how she didn’t mention it or draw attention to it, but continued to veeeeeery caaaaaalmy reiterate that my tiny hairy Delta Burke was going to be fine. She stayed to answer all of my questions, and also diagnosed my dog with «extreme cuteness,» which I’m sure she’s never said about anyone else’s dog before because mine is so special. (*^, ^*)
The exit process was also simple. The bill came to a bizarrely reasonable $ 97, and the staff at the desk even explained why it wasn’t higher when they saw my (O o O) face.
Honestly, I approached this place with pretty pessimistic preconceived notions because so many businesses in NYC seem third world in terms of service and response. I was so pleasantly surprised and delighted by this place that I wanted to leave a good review to assure other people who might be similarly wary about NYC business etiquette.
In closing, please note that my dog was in an emergency-​response situation that did not end up warranting emergency treatment. As such, this review is more about the ambience, tone, and demeanor of the staff, which I found to be tremendously spot on. Based on my experience, I would feel highly comfortably relying on VERG for emergency vet care.
tl dr; My dog had a heatstroke and the staff here handled our pre-​arrival, arrival, and exam with flying colors! I was so relieved after we left that I wanted to buy everyone a new chaise lounge from the Ashley Furniture HomeStore across the street.

We sadly went to have our 22 year old cat euthanized. She was a very shy, once feral, cat that only let me touch her. After waiting an hour we were led into a room. After another 15 minutes, a technician came in and whisked off our cat to have a catheter put in, despite our protesting vehemently that our pet should stay with us. I like vets that don’t insist on removing one’s pet from one’s sight. I said the cat needed to stay with us, that the situation was bad enough, that she was frightened and only my voice and touch were calming her.
What we wanted didn’t matter. Listening at the locked door, we thought we heard the tech curse and then a thud on the floor. She had dropped the dying cat! When our cat was brought back in, she looked dead already. She didn’t respond at all to my touch. After the vet gave her the final medicine, we said we were going to bury her in our garden. It took another 20 minutes until they returned her to us. It was such an unpleasant experience. It made a sad time much worse, and I can’t stop crying over it.

A wonderful staff who took excellent care of my dog. Costumer service was amazing and they worked as quickly as possible. Would recommend to anyone who needs help for their pet right awah

Wow! I can’t believe this place got such great reviews. I was actually recommended to go here by a friend. I know that I will never return no matter what!
I brought my 9 year old Maltese in at 4am because he was choking and having difficulty breathing.
The staff took 2 minutes to open the door. The 1^st person to speak to my son and me was a young girl who immediately asked for my ID and paperwork to be filled out. I was concerned because my dog was not able to breathe properly and was shaking. She took the dog to the back and then a 2^nd employee come out and asked me to sign a form and give her my ID one more time. The price of $ 97 for the exam was mentioned 3 times. I asked whether or not the vet was attending to my dog and I was ignored. About 5 minutes later we were asked to wait in an examining room and our dog was brought in clearly still in distress. The vet came in and seemed as though we were bothering him. He was not at all cordial or friendly. He didn’t care that we were insisting that our beloved maltese was choking. He told us to video tape him if he turned blue and stopped breathing and to take him back in to see him. He did say that it would cost $ 220 to intubate and that he would also need a catheter that would be an additional cost.
My question is; Why would he need a catheter if he is choking? We went back to the front when he finished doing absolutely nothing. I had to ring the doorbell in order for someone to come out to take care of us after waiting 10 minutes. This was a 4^th person that went over the doctor’s instructions. Video tape your dog. We then had to wait for the 2^nd employee to come back to take our money. She was half asleep and looked like she was on something. Our dog started gasping and choking and we video taped him. When we asked the employee to get the doctor so he could hear and see what we were talking about she ignored us both. I screamed at her to get the doctor, NOW. She nonchalantly said, Oh, I didn’t hear you.
We were the only people in the whole place. The vet came out and reiterated what he had previously said in the same monotone voice. We took our baby boy home and I took care of him all morning until he passed the object obstructing his airway.
Needless to say… Never again. No compassion, No concern and definitely No customer service. Ick!

I rarely even sign into this Unilocal account, but had to leave a review for VERG. This past weekend my husband and I woke up at 3 AM to our dog having a violent seizure. We are first time dog owners and were terrified. We’ve only had our pup for 3 months and he never exhibited this kind of behavior. We called VERG and they picked up the phone right away, and the vet was exceptionally calm and clear in explaining what was happening from my description. When we arrived they were ready and waiting for us. Everyone was exceptionally helpful, caring, and clear on our options. The doctor and vet techs did an amazing job calming us down and caring for our dog. They made the seizure seem less terrifying and answered all of our (sometimes ridiculous) questions compassionately. After a blood test came back negative for anything that could cause the seizure, we decided to take him home. He seems to be doing okay. Time will tell what we do in terms of next steps, but I feel so much better knowing I have an emergency clinic to rely on if necessary.

I called VERG since my small dog had some gastric issues and I was concerned. The receptionist put a Vet on the phone he listened to my dog’s symtoms and my concerns. He was attentive and suggested just monitoring my pet this evening with watchful waiting. He added that if anything changed that I could call again or bring him in ²⁴⁄₇. Excellent and compassionate service.

I had sort of a mixed experience here, but overall I’d say it was good. The pros: Really polite staff. The receptionist was very polite and understanding, and the vet techs and vets took the time to explain everything very clearly to me. I brought in my cat with a urinary tract blockage, and two days later he was out and much, much happier. I was also happy that I could call at any time and get an update on his condition. The cons: Cost. Any emergency vet is pricey, but this little episode cost me more than $ 1000. To their credit, they didn’t press me too hard to get the really expensive surgery and gave me other options when I declined an xray, but it still cost me WAY more than I thought it would. Also, the location isn’t great. This was a pain for me to get to from Bushwick. I think my biggest complaint though is that they didn’t tell me what a pain it would be to get my cat’s prescription filled, nor did they really offer me any guidance. They could have faxed the scrip over to my local petsmart but failed to do so, meaning I couldn’t fill it when I needed to. Other than that, I’d say I would go back if I faced a real emergency.

so excellent. I’ve spent some really stressful times here, but I couldn’t have asked for better care. they’re honest, upfront about cost, and you can tell they really care.

My poor hubby went to take my cat there a little after 11pm. He said that he was grateful that this place is open 24 hrs but that the wait is mad crazy. He also said the bathroom was out of service which is an inconvenience when you are waiting for as long as he did. He said that there was only a couple of people ahead of him and after awhile it was just him. Basically he said the vet seems knowledgeable but he was not happy that he was there for 5 hours. My poor hubby is an officer for the PD and is on his feet for long hours. He had not had any sleep before this visit. I was even getting angry because I knew how tired he was. My kitten was seen and taken care of for the most part. We will be following up with our vet.

Been helping my dog out till the end fast service they really care about there job and help thr animals that come there

Hi mini pin suddenly got very sick one night and I took her to this facility because it was the only one open. The staff is great. Everyone is friendly and shows concern about your pet’s health. The doctors are very knowledgeable, and take their time to explain what they did and why. The hospital is very clean, and welcoming. After spending three days in the hospital by puppy was brought out to me bathed, smelling fresh, and with a cute little scarf on. The only down side to this hospital is that it is very, very, very expensive. This experience made me get insurance for my dog. BUT, if you are having an emergency with your pet, take them here! It is a wonderful place for your pet to get better.

After midnight this morning one of my cats suddenly went lame and started yowling in pain and hissing, with no sign of trauma. We googled «24 hour vet Brooklyn» and found VERG, and rushed her over there. Parking was no problem even during this snowy winter because they have a small private lot all shoveled out and salted. The facility is spacious and immaculate. The wall TV quietly plays News 12. There are vending machines with snacks and drinks. The receptionist, vet and assistant all had a very calm demeanor which helped my mood level out after being hyper about our emergency. I appreciated their gentle and confident manner when handling my cat, and their patience with explanations and questions. My cat had an x-​ray, an anti-​inflammatory, and 5 days’ worth of mildly-​sedative pain meds to go home with. The diagnosis is luxating patella (dislocated knee), which we’ve known was a risk for her since she was a kitten. The remedy is surgery, which I will arrange ASAP with VERG’s orthopedic surgeon or through my own vet. VERG’s service was expensive (nearly $ 400!) but my cat came home in manageable condition and is resting comfortably. IMO it was worth the money.

My husband and I brought our pomeranian in with a dislocated hip. We were the only people there as we walked in and were given papers to fill out before we could see the doctor. I started to do so right at the counter thinking it is the quickest way, but was scolded by the receptionist to just go sit down amd finish. About 10 minutes later another couple walked in with a small dog and without even finishing their paperwork they were taken by one of the nurses into a room! We set in the waiting room for AN HOUR! and were not acknowledged at all! We were the only people there! The staff was walking in and out yawning, chatting lazily to each other and nothing! Luckily my situation was not an emergency and we had the time to just go to another hospital, but really???

This place is great for an Animal hospital! They are attentive with the animals… they explain everything that is going on they don’t care that you ask many questions they are happily answer your questions… this place is busy though but at the same time they tell you the best ways and what you can do for your pets. don’t make you feel alone and have another persons opinion. Not all animals hospital can do all these things… Glad I went here with my kitty. It was not a happy moment but it was great to have such caring and nice people helping you with pet issues