VEG ER for Pets — Attraction in Alpharetta

Update: The business manager informed me that they could not locate my name in their system, as the appointment was booked under my significant other’s name. Our dog’s name is Whiskey Bear. I want to clarify that I have no reason to be dishonest or to provide feedback without cause—my intention was solely to share my experience as a caution to others, while acknowledging that everyone is free to make their own choices.

In my opinion, the hospital manager’s response to my review lacked empathy and did not address my concerns in any way. Instead, you question if I ever came to this location...Based on my experience, I cannot recommend this facility. I’ve finally gathered the mental and emotional strength to write this review with a clear head.

We have a 3-year-old chocolate lab mix who is truly our pride and joy. We’d do anything to keep him healthy. Last spring, we brought him to this clinic. At first, everything seemed fine. We had just adopted him and hadn’t secured pet insurance yet, but he was sick and needed care. The front desk staff told us it would cost around $1,700 just to see him—an outrageous price. Still, we agreed, because we understand veterinary care can be expensive, and we wanted to do what was best for our dog.

We were then seen by the vet, who recommended labs and tests. That was fine—we agreed immediately. After the results, we were told our dog had pneumonia. But then the vet added that she “thinks” she sees fluid in his lungs (which can be normal with pneumonia) and that he might need parts of his lungs surgically removed. We were completely shocked.

What made it worse was the vet’s cold, detached manner. There was no reassurance and absolutely no effort to guide us through the next steps. We weren’t offered any options—not even medication or a referral for a second opinion.

Scared, frustrated, and confused (especially since this was our very first vet visit ever), we asked, “If we take him home tonight, will he die?” The vet bluntly answered yes, unless we paid nearly $10,000 for more tests and scans. No compassion. No explanation. Just a price tag. We even had to be the ones to ask for antibiotics and other medications ourselves. Despite explaining we were paying out-of-pocket while working on getting insurance, there was zero effort on their part to help us find a reasonable path forward.

Fortunately, our dog is doing great—back to his happy, healthy self with no complications. The medications, along with my own research into natural remedies, helped him recover.

Looking back, if we had let that vet’s scare tactics and cold delivery push us into spending thousands, we would have wasted so much money, time, and unnecessary stress. I understand veterinary care isn’t an exact science and outcomes can’t always be guaranteed, but this experience was deeply unsettling for a first vet visit.

Because of that, I absolutely would not recommend...

IF IT IS LATE AT NIGHT AND YOU NEED IMMEDIATE CARE THIS IS THE PLACE TO GO!! I was immediately greeted at the door, they made accommodations for my reactive dog, they were very gentle and slow (which is needed for my dog due to her reactivity and being nervous). I told them upfront she can be aggressive and they would have the sedate her. I wish that I would’ve gotten the two ladies names. One was a manager on duty and the other was a vet tech. The vet tech was very gentle and cautious of my dog’s nervousness. The manager helped figure out how to sedate her without fear. Once the sedative was given the manager sat and let my dog lay in her lap (all 75 pounds of her lol). She comforted my dog while the vet tech took her blood work and gave her anti nausea meds. Once the blood work was taken the manager STAYED to hold my dog, pet her, she even brushed her with a deshedding brush, and when I told her about how I can never cut her nails due to her reactivity with her paws…she cut them at no additional charge. She sat and loved on my dog until she was up and able to walk after the sedatives (took about an hour or two). I cannot express how grateful I am for their compassion and kindness towards not just me but MY BABY!!!

In regard to why she was there: My dog had thrown up twice and when I went to take her outside to potty…she did not want to leave her crate. Once I finally lured her out she was extremely wobbly, eyes were twitching and she did not want to stand. I KNEW something was wrong. Once we got the blood work back we narrowed down the concern to epilepsy…this isn’t the first time she’s had wobbly episodes and I had videos to show what it’s like when it happens. I was worried it was a kidney or liver issue but after blood work came back we all determined it was seizure activity. They let me know what to expect and what to do about it. I’m extremely grateful for this place.

Of course with it being an emergency vet it is going to cost more than your regular GP….so if your dog seems fine until the morning I’d wait, however these people take you seriously and are very kind!

UPDATE 8/10/24: My newly rescued cat, Tinkerbell, knocked over some glass jars and was bleeding pretty bad from her back paw. I knew VEG was the place to go since all of the primary care vets were closed. They took amazing care of her and made sure she was okay. We got some sutures after further examination she had a deep gash in her back paw. They gave her so much love and also educated me on all of the after care. This is one amazing team of people. They are so kind to these animals and very supportive. 10 out of 10 would always recommend! I wish they were a primary vet because I would never take my babies anywhere else!!...

Our family recently had the unfortunate experience of needing an after hours emergency visit for our beloved pup.  After calling the VEG team in Alpharetta shortly after midnight, we discussed the issue with them and received calm, intelligent advice which led to us racing over to save his life.  In the end, the visit did exactly that.  Had we not gone, we understand now that it would have been a tragic outcome for all of us.  The team we started with was led by Dr. Dennis who kept her calm demeanor throughout the initial chaos of this medical emergency, but also communicated the grave concerns and treatment advice she had with clarity and compassion.  Her entire team of 5+ vet techs/ladies were all very communicative and compassionate throughout the entire experience. They allowed us to hold him while seated on the couch as he received the necessary iv fluids which I believe allowed him (and us) to relax some despite the strange, unfamiliar and scary circumstances of even being in the hospital to begin with. Once our pup was finally stable, we had to depart around 3:30am so my mom could get some much needed rest.  I called for an update at 4am, received a text update from them at 6:15am, called again at 9am and 11am for further updates and spoke with Dr. Howard at that time.  She was so kind and caring, very informative as well.  Later that day, my mom received additional updates from Dr. Johnson.  Everyone from the receptionists to the medical staff is superb here.  Anyone who has had to experience after hours/emergency care knows how ridiculously expensive it can be.  However, if you need it, this is the staff I would want for our fur babies to receive the best, most compassionate and competent care.  Thank you for saving our sweet baby! p.s. We received the final bill and the way they handled things on this front are consistent with our experience with the staff. When we arrived, we accepted and paid for the maximum amount expected if they would have needed to do every possible treatment for a positive result. However, since our pup pulled through beautifully and quicker than expected, they refunded approximately 25% of what we paid. This ethical level of honesty is unfortunately more rare in these times, but I find it incredibly refreshing (and a relief). Granted, each patient's experience will be different but between this and the extensive/excellent notes provided for his medical records, they are extraordinary. They were meticulous down to every vital/exam/action taken, the specific time/date, every communication with us and what was said documented. Just...