Shoppes at Memorial Villages — Attraction in Houston

I'm not one to write reviews, but this one is a must.

Our rescue, Oliver, first visited GCVS in mid May of this year after being referred by our vet. He had been vomiting bile and had decreased appetite. Our first trip had an estimated price of $980-$1200 but ended up being around $1200 because of more tests. Keep in mind this was just for the general exam and the tests (ultrasound, x-Ray, etc.). The internal medicine vet said our dog either had cancer or a "rare algae condition that's specific to the Gulf Coast" (our dog does not swim nor sniff that much grass/water/?!?!). They said that with surgery to reroute his entire digestive system, he'd have 50% chance of survival afterwards.

We then are referred to the surgeon, who suggested rerouting his gall bladder to another part of his intestine. Hmm. Okay this wasn't what we'd heard earlier so the two departments didn't really communicate (more later). We go through with the surgery (around $4500), and our pup is home a few days later with some medication.

All seemed to be getting better until we went back 2 weeks later for him to get his stitches removed. We were referred back to internal medicine who said he may have EPI (exocrine pancreatic insufficiency) so he strongly recommended a $280 test to see if he needed B12. He doesn't need it. However, I did not find out the results of the blood work on these tests until I had to call. And after getting a report, there was no followup phone call about the report.

A few weeks have passed and our dog has lost his appetite, 3 more pounds, and is getting weaker. I drove him 4 hours to my hometown vet who was surprised that the internal medicine department at GCVS did not call me about the tests. I tried calling the department over 10x when Oliver wasn't eating and when he threw up, and the only response I got was "he will call you back asap. I will mark it as urgent" from one of the workers at the front desk, or from an assistant saying "if he keeps vomiting, bring him to critical care. The doctor will call you soon" (he didn't).

The prognosis is that he either has a critical issue with his liver, kidneys, or intestine. This could have been caught weeks ago in the report, but with no feedback or answers even when I called, we had to find other options for his care. We are still awaiting the diagnosis. I am so extremely disappointed in GCVS' lack of follow through with this case and it seems like a commonality upon patients - go to vets they push you to spend money/have surgery/do more tests/pay for all these meds/they don't contact you again or ask you to spend more money on your next visit there and you find yourself in an endless loophole for your loved one and also very poor. After dishing out over $7000 to this place, you'd think even if it was a "money thing," they'd at least call you back.

I recommend finding other options besides GCVS - especially for internal medicine. I was able to get a phone call at 8pm from the surgeon on the biopsies where she was thorough and explained the next steps. Meanwhile, nothing from the internal medicine department even if it's "urgent."

I was hesitant about bringing our Oliver to GCVS after reading these reviews and part of me didn't want to believe them....

This is the very best Veterinary Facility in the Houston without any question or doubt. The Veterinarians who work there are very intelligent and are the best in this line of work. The amount of gratitude and utmost respect I have for them is beyond words because of how they saved my dogs life. My dog of 14 years, at the time, suffered a infected hemorrhoid a year ago that was presenting him a great amount of pain and creating problems with his daily functions. He was unable to eat, walk, and use the restroom correctly due to his infection. I went to numerous veterinaries in Houston and all of them gave me the exact same answer that my dog had no chance of survival with going through an operation to remove his hemorrhoid and the best thing to do was to put him down. But I was not going to settle for that because my dog has been apart of my family since 1999 and putting him down was not an option for me. Then after finding out about this place through a friend gave me hope. Upon my first visit at Gulf Coast I was directed to the veterinarian named Suzanne Hunter. She told me after meeting with her for the first time that she would be able to remove his hemorrhoid without any complications and save his life. I didn't hesitate with that kind of analysis so we went forth with the operation and as promised they saved his life. I cannot believe that so many veterinarians told me my dog had no chance when there was one all along. A year later after his operation I can proudly say I still have my dog who just turned 15 and its all thanks to Gulf Coast because without them my dog would not be alive with me today. I can't thank Dr. Hunter and the staff who work there enough for their tremendous work and service they provided for my dog. They actually want to help and save dogs versus other vets in Houston who showed me they don't by just saying he should be put down when in reality Gulf Coast said putting him down was in no way necessary because it was a very fixable operation. I hope this case regarding my dog will serve as a true testimony for others to see how highly skilled the veterinarians are at Gulf Coast and that they really are the best...

My fiance and I came in last night because our dog was hit by a truck. I had already felt that maybe he wasn't going to make it. Our dog Jackson was not moving but he was breathing hard. His pupils were enlarged. Once we arrived my fiance came back with an employee and a stretcher. They took our dog to the back while my fiance signed a sheet of paper, he was signing a $95.00 examination emergency form. I was okay with that charge because I knew the Vet had to check him out. The employee that came out with the stretcher (a nurse?) came out and was asking us what we wanted them to do. She told me Jackson didn't look well, as I thought. I told her I was already expecting him to pass away.

My fiance was still at the front filling out the form. I told her I needed a few minutes for us to talk. I knew there was no point of having them do any work on our dog with the strong possibility of him passing. She told me she was going to have the doctor talk to us while we discussed our options. We went to another room and the Vet came and talked to us about our options maybe within less than 10 minutes another employee told him our dog passed away. The Vet then offered cremation options, to keep him in an urn and take him with us home OR cremation and his ashes would be scattered in the Gulf of Mexico. We went with that option (Mexico).

The staff was very friendly but what I didn't like was two of the charges we had. We knew about the $95.00 EXAMINATION EMERGENCY fee and the COMMUNAL CREMATION which was $110.00. We had no idea that they performed and F.A.S.T. ULTRASOUND ($89.78) and INTRAVENOUS CATHETER ($59.48). That is the reason I had told the lady (nurse?) I needed a few minutes with my fiance. I had no idea they performed this on him. I did not want ANYTHING done on him knowing he eventually could pass away.

I am upset that we were not notified about the additional charges. I felt that we were kinda taken advantage of in the situation. They did throw in a Clay Paw print for us, it will be coming in the mail and with no charge. Skeptical if the ashes really go to the Gulf of Mexico....