Milwaukee Emergency Center for Animals LLC

You can never discover these things at a convenient time, am I right?
Earlier this week, the fiancée and I were settling down to go to bed when the cat jumped up with us. She’s not a very friendly cat, so that was weird enough but then I discovered her entire back half was absolutely covered in blood.
You just can’t ignore something like that, so off to the emergency vet we went. I suspected it was a bladder infection (based on the origin of the blood), but had to be sure.
They’re significantly more expensive than your regular vet, but that’s the premium you pay for access at 1:30 in the morning.
We’ve used MECA for different things in the past, especially with some pet rats that we’ve had (we haven’t had the best luck with rats – one grew a huge abscess, and another had to be put down with an inoperable brain tumor that threatened to push an eye out of its socket). Everyone at MECA has been consistently professional and sympathetic. We’ve used a handful of doctors there for a variety of things and they’ve always struck me as knowledgeable and skilled.
In the latest case, it turns out I was right. It was a bad bladder infection; they gave her a shot of antibiotics and sent us home with some anti-​inflammatories.

Our cat Sam took a turn for the worse over this past Memorial Day Weekend. He was my wife’s cat but I’ve been his «step dad» for over eight years. Our regular vet didn’t have any appointments today to put him to sleep. We couldn’t put him through another day of the pain of oral cancer. We made the decision to go to Milwaukee Emergency Center for Animals this morning. Dr. Jochman and staff were incredible and treated all three of us with care.
When the tech took him back to start an I.V. when the cat was brought back to us his bandage had a red heart graphic on it. The vet asked us if we needed any time. It was fast. It was sad but it was the right thing to do and end his suffering. (There’s a black leather couch, plenty of tissues and grief/​heaven posters in the private room where the procedure happens. The cost was $ 268 that includes private cremation.)

There aren’t many places to go at 1 am when you have a sick pet. I’m grateful that this place exists but I wasn’t blown away by (most of) the staff’s professionalism or compassion.
The receptionist seemed positively aghast when I didn’t have a «regular vet» for whom to fax the updates too. Lady, it’s 1 AM, I’m tired, my cat is bleeding and scared. I have a declawed, spayed 10 year old rescue who has never been out of the house (and is actually terrified of being outside) and has never been sick before. No, I don’t get her an annual rabies shot, no she doesn’t get flea pills or whatever and yes, I have taken her to several vets for minor issues, but I don’t have one she sees religiously. Lets not get all judge-​y here. I think she was new, because I overheard the other receptionist tell her, «one of the tricks I do is to stop answering the phone and let it go to voicemail. Otherwise you’ll never get anything done.» Uh, what now? So apparently, if you try to call, it’s hit or miss if they decide to answer the phone. Professionalism. (She probably used to work for Time Warner).
The vet tech seemed completely disinterested in my cat, the issue, his job, life in general. I was about to ask him what he REALLY wanted to do in life, because 3^rd shift veterinarian technician was obviously not it, but I refrained.
The wait to actually see the vet was kind of long, but she did apologize saying they were really busy. No problem, I totally understand and I recognize that there are a lot of other pets that need attention too. She was very nice and seemed genuinely concerned, which I appreciated. She explained what she would do and gave me a written estimate of what it would cost so at least I wouldn’t be totally shocked by the bill, and then required me to sign it. My only complaint with that is they give you a printed estimate with a high & low cost. The low cost for my cat’s procedure was about $ 300 but the high cost was almost $ 800. That’s kind of a huge difference. I was assured it wouldn’t be the high cost, but I was kind of skeptical, since once you sign it, what can you do? I mentally calculated which of our credit cards had the lowest interest rates in case it was about to cost a small fortune. Luckily, it ended up being at the low end.
The procedure was done pretty quickly and my cat is now healthy and seems happy (except for wearing the cone of shame — this does not please her). The cost here is DEFINITELY higher than a regular vet but it is an ER. Be prepared that just the exam is $ 90. Like a people ER, I expected it to be pretty spendy, but overall it ended up being right about what I thought it would cost given that it was urgent care. I would take my cat here again if she were ever in crisis, but I hope I never have to!

My review is based on just one experience so far. We got troubling news about one of our cats and it was suggested we get a second opinion from a specialist. This facility was suggested, but after reading some of the reviews I was leery about them. However I’m happy to report that we didn’t experience any problems. Gayl the receptionist was delightful to deal with and the facility itself was clean. The cookies and coffee were a nice touch as well! And the candy jar… but I digress. The doctor we saw was professional and courteous and treated us and our girl with respect. It’s true their policy is that you must pay at the time of service but I didn’t feel it was over-​emphasized. Even if it was it’s no different than any vet, or doctor for that matter.
Everything was carefully explained to us and we received a follow-​up email with the details of our visit, which meant we didn’t have to wait for her to write them up. I was impressed with the knowledge shown about our cat’s possible condition, and then her probable condition. The fact that we were seeing a specialist was very clear and I was comforted knowing that we were getting the best possible care.

Whatever you do, don’t go here. My experience here was so awful, I am literally haunted by it. My pup passed due to an accident. We waited for hours here with no updates and we were not allowed to see him, to be with him before he left us. They chastised us the entire time, as if we weren’t feeling guilty enough. I later found out it took them three hours to do just one procedure that should not have taken that long and that ultimately could have lead to his passing. To this day I wonder what would’ve happened if we had taken him elsewhere. There is not a day that goes by that I don’t think about all of the things that I could’ve done differently. I loved my boy so much. Their insensitivity and lack of professionalism only compounds the guilt and regret. I will never be able to forget our awful experiences here.

Unfortunately, I recently had to make the toughest decision a pet owner has to face and have my 13 year old Siamese, Kahlua, put to sleep. Dr. Maria Lichtenberger and her staff treated us both with care and dignity during this incredibly difficult time.