Summit Veterinary Referral Center

Most pet owners, faced with the need for an emergency trip to the vet, have to weigh whether or not to spend what can be significant money. We had decided that question in the affirmative for our 12 year old lab who I thought had swallowed a bone whole, so we went to Summit. After our dog went in for evaluation, what a joy it was that the tech brought reassurance from the doctor that likely nothing was wrong since there were no symptoms. And an almost equal pleasure was being informed that because no procedures were performed, there was no charge for the visit! So maybe emergency vet service is spendy, but at least at Summit, they charged us nothing when there was no testing or intervention required. I think that is very fair.

a year ago you saved my sanity and my kitten!!! she is now a thriving 20 month old kitten who loves biting ankles lol! but i cannot ever forget the kindness you gave me when i stumbled into your establishment crying and my kitten was shaking so bad and she was crying! her name was Tinkerbelle not sure if you remember but the b/​w/​o calico! she is so healthy and happy and its like the leg break never happened!!! the vet that talked to me about her leg was also the most professional ive ever seen! he did say he would never put her to sleep but to fix the leg would cost a lot so he worked out a plan so they could fix her leg and i could take her home and it wouldnt cost anything (upfront anyway)!! you went the extra mile to help my kitten get well and i thank you all for it! your receptionist is also amazing, she gave the play by play of tinkerbelles care since she saw me pacing all over the reception area and helped me stay calm. sorry for crying everywhere though lol! wish i could post a photo of her but maybe ill run one into the office this week.

This is my second review for Summit. After seeing Dr. Demuth, (one of their Neurologists who was amazing) for our puppy that was diagnosed with SRMA, we had a consultation with Dr. Kelly McCord.
Dr. McCord is one of their Internal Medicine Specialists. He gave us great insight into the treatment protocol with Prednisone for our puppy.
Everyone knows that there are those in college that graduate top of their class. well, I am speculating but Dr. McCord and Dr. Demuth have to be those guys. Not only are they super intelligent, but they are extremely compassionate and patient with our questions. They represent the perfect combination of ideal traits for the kind of doctor we wish to work with. If only our «human doctors» were this good. :-)
With these two amazing specialists and our own wonderful Vet of the same caliber, we have the best team possible for our puppy.

The front counter staff is very nice.
The prices for care are very high. They do not make any payment plans.
We did have a good experience with the Night Techs/​Vets upon first exam & during discharge, they were caring, informative, and helpful.
We were told (by a Veterinary Physician) that spoke to my mother on the phone if we could not pay for my mother’s dog to stay for another night of care we would be sent home with pain medication for him and «see if he’ll make it».
He had a wound from a procedure that was done at a different clinic that had got infected and he was at Summit for 2 days receiving IV antibiotics, pain medication, and the dressing for the wound was changed a few times. Average of $ 1000 a day.
I wish I could give separate reviews for the Physician and the staff

Front desk service can be kinder and offer better customer service. We’ve been in probably a dozen times with follow up appointments after our dog’s surgery and we’ve had to wait sometimes up to one hour. They could care less that you are waiting never one apology or a follow up with you on how much more waiting time. Last week we had limited time since our day was packed and after almost 20 minutes I asked how much longer and was told the doctor had emergency surgery that morning! We received no call to reschedule and I had to leave… waste of time and gas! Patients time is just as important and a courtesy call would have been nice. When I asked why they didn’t call, the lady just shrugged her shoulders and said nothing. NOT acceptable! If my dog needs surgery in the future I would not choose this business.
Plus my regular vet charge more than 50 percent less for same bandage change! Do not be fooled… you have options… this place acts like you are made of money!
I’M not saying the surgery was bad or that I had any issues with the surgeon.
It’s the service that needs to be improved. There are a few rude front desk people. One is a blond lady that always wears her hair up, in her 40’s always has an unfriendly tone of voice and rude every time!

I can’t thank the Summit Veterinary Referral Center enough!!! Obviously our fur babies can’t tell us where or how bad something hurts and with that a lot of faith and trust, ends up in the hands of our vets and veterinary surgeons. I was extremely nervous to have my english bulldog undergo surgery (anesthesia specifically) when his knee became debilitating. I can very thankfully say that my pup is now recovering after 2 successful surgeries. Dr. Hofeling and Staff, thank you again from the bottom of my heart! I could not have put my faith and trust in a better group of people.

On one Monday evening in July, our beloved dog Winky suddenly became lethargic. We rushed him to the Summit Veterinary Referral Center where he was checked in immediately. We received bad news and unfortunately, lost him that night.
Dr. Aaron Maderia & Natalie took exceptional care of Winky, as well as my husband & I throughout this sad process. They both went above & beyond offering much needed support and came across as knowledgeable professionals with a passion for animals & their human parents. I’m very thankful for everything they’ve done for us (to include the pepperoni of Natalie’s pizza that Winky just couldn’t resist).
We were offered a private room where we were able to spend as much time as we needed with our dog & say the final good byes.

I called Summit Veterinary Referral Center on Saturday. My Vet had discovered a tumor on my Rat Terrier’s liver. He referred me to schedule an ultrasound. I knew the person who schedules the ultrasound would not be in on the weekend, but I was told that I could leave a message for a return call.
The woman who answered the phone, to my surprise, started asking me questions. Based on her tone and the rapid fire questioning, I wondered if I was under suspicion of committing a crime, I explained that my vet referred me and that I did not know the answers to most of her questions. She said that she would have the person who does the scheduling call me.
On Monday, after not hearing back from Summit, I called again. I explained that I was referred by my Vet for an ultrasound. Again, the questions started coming. I told the woman I did not know the answer to her questions. She said she would call my Vet and call me back. I waited 3 hours for a call back. I then called and asked for the manager. Again the questions. I hung up and called my Vet to let them know how I had been treated by Summit.
Now I am afraid to take my dog to this facility. If they threat me like this, how are they going to treat my dog?

Update. Another positive experience. Came back for the recommended test. Dr. Okrasinski went over the results with us and recommended that we take a conservative route and treat her pain with medicine instead of surgery. We used the medication last week at the beach and our dog has absolutely no issues with pain or limping.
Other people on Unilocal have complained about the price of the tests, I actually thought they were reasonable. You sure couldn’t have the same tests done at a hospital on a human for anywhere near that price!
I do wish this hospital was not a two hour round trip drive. But if we are ever in need of specialty veterinary care in the future, we will be back.

They take such good care of every animal we have brought there

front end ladies are very kind, the Techs are also VERY smart and informative VERY CARING, all the vets over a whole YEAR with Different pets and different difficult situations have been the TOP in my book.
The Exception has been Dr Wolf I went to visit my dog and asked many Questions of the Tech, thrilled with the techs answers and info, dr wolf seemed to be upset that I asked
The Tech questions and Dr wolf interrupted and became very rude not only towards the tech, but towards Me. I am a nurse that works in a special area of medicine and have worked with many Drs in different situations HER (Dr Wolf) I could NEVER work With or for. She is NOT A TEAM PLAYER AND TREATS YOU LIKE YOUR BENEATH HER! RUDE, RUDE, RUDE!
As far as cost for this clinic I have spent a hefty sum close to 25k over a year all Exactly what I expected. You get what you pay for here. 99% of the care here is the Best EXCEPT WITH THE ABOVE MENTIONED DR.

Top notch care! We have unfortunately had to visit here on emergency visits in the middle of the night and they are awesome, great staff, great doctors, great care. Also had the pleasure of having surgery with Dr. EB on my sister’s lab for a torn ACL, same day we had the consult, they did x-​rays to confirm and had her into surgery that afternoon! She came home a few days later like a different dog! After a few weeks she was back to 100%, her recovery was amazing, the only reason you could tell she had the operation was her shaved leg! We will continue to go here for our specialty care and the unexpected weekend emergency trip.

My poor dog was attacked by a strangers dog. We called on our way to the clinic and when we got here they rushed him right into the emergency room. The vet explained the extent of his injuries with compassion and honesty. She told us our options and made a recommendation. Unfortunately we had to put our sweet boy to sleep. Life won’t be the same without him but I want to thank all the staff at Summit because we could not have asked for a better experience in what was one of the worst moments of my family’s life. Thank you!

An update: we’ve since been back to Summit, first for a followup surgery for our Italian greyhound. Turned out he had some retained tissue and his mucocele returned. (Yikes!) Summit heavily discounted the second surgery and he did great. This was over the summer. Today I took our Parson Russell terrier in because of lethargy, lack of appetite, and possible difficulty urinating, all of which was extra troubling because of his recent history of liver issues. Fortunately the news was good and nothing appears to be seriously wrong with the little monster – and I was, again, very appreciative of the staff’s professionalism and expertise. Great communication from front staff and medical staff plus clarity and compassion from Dr. Clark (one of the emergency specialists).
One of my coworkers recently had her elderly shih-​tzu treated for colitis at Summit and she also had an exceptional experience. It really is the best place around for specialist/​surgery/​emergency care, and I would recommend them without hesitation. It’s not inexpensive but I certainly feel Summit is an excellent value and well worth the cost. (Although I should stress that I don’t think they’re *over*priced; it’s just that quality care isn’t *cheap.*)
Honestly, if I could somehow bring my dogs here for routine vet care I totally would.

Pretty professional although the gals at the front desk could be a little more friendly and open about the fees. Made me feel like I shouldn’t be concerned about the price at all.
The staff that took care of our cat was great! Doctor spoke clearly– and answered all our questions.

My mom went here with our cat today.
They did almost NO diagnosis and wanted to charge $ 400 for an overnight IV.
They wanted to then do about $ 1,500 in total work without even knowing what was wrong. They had NOT seen the cat for more than a few seconds, they called HER a BOY cat.
They knew NOTHING of what was wrong but had at least $ 1,500 of «treatments».
We were told by others how expensive they are, but were kind of desperate as no one else was open.
My mom asked them if they could anything and they did give her some subcutanious liquid to help with dehydration. 5 minutes of work, $ 100. That is about $ 1,200 an hour…
Pretty steep hourly price!!!

My cat, Buffy, likes to eat hair ties, which is a new thing. She threw up SIX of them on Friday when I went home for lunch and then seemed fine. On Sunday she started acting super lethargic and meowing sadly so I called my vet and they recommended taking her to Summit. We were seen right away and they took Buffy’s vitals. I was informed that the next vet rotation didn’t come in until 2 PM and it was 1:30 PM at the time so we waited patiently and were seen promptly after two.
The vet I saw was super nice! She explained everything very carefully and gave us a couple different treatment options. She was very patient while I decided what plan of action I wanted to take. She even explained everything on the phone to my father who lives in Texas. I finally decided to go through with surgery. Dr. Heiser performed the surgery and called me before and after to explain everything he was going to do and even joked a bit with me.
Overall I loved my experience with this place. My one qualm is that they originally quoted me a very high price for the surgery and didn’t explain to me that it could be done by the resident, who is very capable of performing the surgery but is not board certified, until after they provided me the initial quote and I turned it down. I have never been to an emergency vet before and they made this experience as stress free as possible. Everyone from the receptionist to the vet were compassionate and understanding while I was balling my eyes out! As well the reception area was super comfy. Lots of space, couches, and free wifi!

Dr. McCord is awesome. The staff is sometimes great, sometimes not. The last time the tech copped an attitude because I wanted to be in the room with my cat (like I always have done there.) The tech said «treatment would be faster if she could just take my cat in the back «where we line them all up.»
Then the same tech diagnosed my cat with a anal gland blow out and mentioned surgery. When the vet came in she said my cat had been bit in the penis and said «that’s not where the anal glands are located.»
On the way there I called to tell them I would be there in 5 minutes as they had asked me to do. Then I got a lecture on how I need to get there as soon as possible. Did the receptionist not hear me???
So I’m just saying I have had mixed experiences there, but overall I am grateful for Summit.
Janet Vodder

The local is in a industrial park area. Easy to find if you have the address. The staff are friendly, the facility is very nice, one could even say stylish lol. Now I know why my bill was 1500.00 for a sick dog. Ouch

I recently took my wire fox terrier Lacie to the vet only to discover she had pancreatitis. I have to say that I was very pleased with the service provided by the clinic especially by Dr. Herman. She fully explained the situation and how she would proceed with Lacie’s care to get her well. The staff was kind enough to answer all my questions, multiple phones calls and letting me have mini visits during my nine hour vigil the first day. The amount of money spent to get my baby well was well worth it and I will absolutely use their services again!
THANK YOU SUMMIT!
Cheryl and Lacie