Sesser Animal Hospital — Local services in Christopher

I would not recommend this vet to anyone for their pet. When things are given to them on a platter and planned for they are great, but the second things get tough they're no where to be found.

On 10/18/2025 we arrived home and found our cat very sick. We called Sesser Animal Hospital and explained that he had thrown up large amounts multiple times and they said to we should go to Collinsville. We went. Blood work slightly abnormal, X-rays showed he is constipated but no major concerns. The Collinsville vet did note he had a pretty significant weightloss since our yearly check up in March. She recommended following up with Sesser and doing an ultrasound. We were also told to monitor his litter trips to make sure he was using the litter box as he might need a prescription laxative.

On 10/20/2025 He still had not had a bowel movement and we called Sesser Animal Hospital to get his laxative. Dr Spence stated on the phone that “it’s completely normal for cats weight to fluctuate with the seasons.” Even when we told them he had lost a little over three pounds. As we were preparing to leave to go get the laxative, he got sick again and we called our Sesser Animal Hospital worried.

The receptionist told us to get there as fast as possible, like they were as worried as we were. When we got there they had us wait in the lobby as they took him back. We thought that was unusual as we always go back with him. After about 5 minutes, Pam brought him out and told us our charges. We were very confused. Charges for what when we didn’t even get to talk to the vet?

She said they gave him a shot to stop the vomiting. We asked to see the vet and ask some questions but they refused because it was 5 o'clock and they had to go home. Pam’s direct quote to us was “there must have been a miscommunication. We thought you just wanted the vomiting to stop.” We did, however, THEY TOLD US TO GET THERE AS FAST AS WE COULD SO WE THOUGHT THEY WERE ACTUALLY GOING TO EXAMINE HIM. We wanted to know the cause of his vomiting and weightloss. We pleaded but they wouldn't see him or even answer the questions we had. They were not even interested in looking at his paperwork from the emergency vet in Collinsville.

We decided we were done. We booked an appointment with Troop Veterinary Clinic in Marion. Dr Seals heard us! We felt seen and validated and did the necessary tests. We found out today, 11/05/2025 that our cat has a significant mass on his intestine and has to have emergency surgery tomorrow to attempt to remove it and save his life.

These last two weeks could've been the difference in him making it tomorrow or not. Had Sesser Animal Hospital listened to our pleas, this all could be different.

Go to Troop in Marion. Dr....

I’m leaving a 3 start review bc I have had good experiences here before for vaccines. Taking my dog here for vaccines wasn’t an issue, loved the staff and feel like they answered my questions. However not so thrilled about how they handle spay and neuters. I booked my dog in for her spay well over a month ago and was told I’d get a call with information a few days before which is pretty standard. During the week leading up to her spay my boss who got her dogs spayed here said that they would be keeping my dog overnight and to just be prepared. Which I was not told when I booked the spay so that would have been a complete surprise to me the day of had my boss not told me ahead of time. And something I’ve never heard of even after having 6 of my other animals fixed all around the country with different vets as I move for work. Now to the Monday before her spay(she was supposed to get spayed on a Wednesday) I was waiting for a call for them to confirm and ask my questions about the overnight stay and instead received a text to confirm her spay instead of a call, so I had to call them. They told me the overnight stay was required and so I asked if the clinic was staffed overnight and they said no. They have cameras, but that the owners will sometimes come by and check on the animals. I asked why they needed to stay if no staff were staying at the hospital and they said it’s bc the pets need to be crated. Something I told them I already planned to do at home(bc who lets their dog fresh out of surgery just run the whole house) and they said it was still required. When I asked for other vet recommendations that didn’t require and overnight stay I was told there was none and that basically no clinics do spays around here. Felt like they were trying to make me keep the appointment with those statements considering I found another vet in the area within 10 minutes who can do it and won’t be keeping her overnight. This is a very common surgery and after talking with my friends who have had their pets fixed as well as two other vets, all have said that keeping them overnight is unnecessary, ESPECIALLY without staff in the building. Lastly seems very unfair that this information is not given outright when people are...

We’ve been bringing our cats and dog here for several years. One of my cats developed diabetes and I had to take him in so much that they recognized him on sight when he was rushed in for an emergency that we can only assume was a stroke. He died several days later, but I feel confident enough to say that they did everything within their power to help him, and even a year later they were still talking about him like they still saw him on a regular basis.

That same year my mother’s dog developed a very severe form of anemia that often turns out to be fatal. He needed a blood transfusion, which isn’t something they normally do here. He spent several days in this hospital, and when my mom was about to give up and have him put down because all of the animal hospitals within reasonable driving distance charged more than we could afford, Dr. Lauren intervened and said she wanted to try one last thing. The next day, a member of the staff brought in HER OWN DOG and the one doctor there who had any experience doing a transfusion for dogs gave him one right there in the clinic, then they put him on anti rejection medication. It was a last ditch effort, but it was one that paid off. I can’t describe in words just how bad off this dog was. He was too weak to walk or even control his bowels. But thanks to these amazing people who are willing to do just about anything for their patients, he is now a happy and healthy (as much as he can be) dog.

Dr. John also came in on a holiday for us when our kitten became seriously ill. We had to pay an emergency visit fee of course, but it was more than worth it and I felt kind of terrible for pulling him away from his family on a holiday anyway. Through lots of antibiotics and worming, our sick little kitten is a happy, healthy, and fat little cat. The only reason I take my animals anywhere else is if one of my exotics needs attention or if this clinic for some reason is closed or out of operation (i.e. family vacation for the vets). Outside of that, I don’t take my animals...