BluePearl Pet Hospital — Local services in New York

BEWARE. My senior dog had been battling cancer for 7 months. It was clear it had reached the point of no return. She was showing end of life signs. Pacing, pain, whining, struggling to breathe, exercise intolerance, urinating inside. I scheduled euthanasia for the next morning with her regular vet, but she became worse. I decided to take her to Blue Pearl to end her suffering that night instead. It was too unbearable. I called ahead. I was told to fill out their intake form online. I was told the fees for euthanasia & to just come in. I was not told to send over medical records or asked to pay for a prior examination. I wasn’t told an examination would be needed. I made it clear I was coming in to put my dog to sleep. I followed the instructions I was given. Due to covid, a tech takes your pet away from you outside. Please keep in mind that through all of this, my dog was scared & feeling very unwell. The tech didn’t show any concern for her whatsoever. The same tech emerged from the building a few minutes later, with my dog, and said- “Take her. She’s too alert. We’re not comfortable doing euthanasia.” I was stunned. It was a freezing Friday night around 11 pm, and she was dragging my dog back into the street to tell me this. When I asked the tech if I could please speak with the vet, she sharply said, “Nobody wants to talk to you.” I explained that I realized my dog was having an adrenaline rush from the terror of being taken to the hospital and appeared alert, but it was misleading and I’d like to be able to speak to the vet regarding the long, very bad medical history that resulted in my decision to come there. I understand pets can become temporarily excited from the experience of being taken to a hospital & might appear better than they were just moments ago at home. That’s why I was quite literally begging to speak to the doctor. I asked if the vet had seen the 4 glaring mast cell tumors all over my dog’s left side, including one spread to her lymph node. “Well,” said the tech. “You didn’t want to pay for examination, so the vet didn’t see anything.” I told her I was never once asked if I wanted an examination, nor was I told an examination would be required. I understand the need for a practice to ensure this is an ethical decision. I would’ve been more than happy to come with all the records & I would have agreed to the examination upfront, even though it’s an obvious & disgusting money grab. This was thrust on me as I was at the most agonizing moment of my life, my sweet baby had just been traumatized & dragged back out into the street- what was I going to say? I’ll put her through this all over again at another hospital? This was a shakedown at my most vulnerable. I agreed to the examination & still had to plead with the tech to allow me to speak to the vet. The tech then took my dog back inside. My dog was a recovered rescue, an abuse victim prone to anxiety, & now she was dying. She was digging into the sidewalk not to go back in- the tech tried to pick her up totally incorrectly & my dog cried in pain. The tech was mean & rough. She told me to email any records to the vet, but couldn’t even tell me what the email address was. It was sadistic the way she prolonged this. She went inside & used a paper to write down the email address- the back of the paper had all the personal information of another patient printed on it. I was in my car, desperately looking for medical records on my phone, crying in the cold. I was able to get enough information to the vet in order to proceed. The only reason I didn’t leave was because I knew how sick my baby was & I just wanted to end her suffering, which I eventually was able to do.

Bottom line: pet owners, beware and avoid. Blue Pearl: shame on your business practices, shame on the vet tech, and I’m sorry to the other kind people who work there- including the vet was very nice & capable & did help my girl in the end- who are associated with such an awful institution. The vet tech working 2/26/21 around 11 p.m. was cruel & incompetent & has no place at...

Please don't take your pets here if you love them, especially if they're dying. They deserve better than than this place. I'll be warning everyone I know.

My best friend and I are animal welfare volunteers who care for sick and abandoned animals in the city. Last night we took a poor rescued stray here to be euthanized on an emergency basis. She was a geriatric cat who took a very sudden and unexpected turn for the worse and seemed to be in a lot of pain.

This was an after-hours emergency, so we didn't have time to compare whichever limited options were available. We chose the nearest open clinic and hopped in an Uber in a hurry. A quick Google search would show you everything you need to know to avoid this place. Believe the bad reviews.

We had called ahead while packing up the cat. It was a tense ride in the cab. We pull up and the door is electronically locked. The facility looks clean and modern.

Standing out in the cold, we buzzed. The receptionist (who seemed like the only staff member on site) seemed uninterested. She waved us in impatiently without looking at us. Strike one.

We approached her and explained that we had a dying stray and needed help putting her down. She stared back at us blankly and with impressive disinterest asked, "Mhmph. So what are you looking for? Euthanasia?" Strike two. We responded in the affirmative and she took her time showing us to a back room to fill out some forms. They weren't going to charge for an emergency exam given the circumstances--OK, great.

As we filled out the paperwork, we checked the patient only to find that she had no pulse and was not breathing anymore. She had probably passed in the car ride on the way over. Poor girl. As sad as we both were, we were somewhat relieved that she died on her own terms rather than in the uncaring hands of this weird apathetic hospital. Not needing the service after all, we walked out.

To BluePearl Pet Hospital Forest Hills,

We were in for less than five minutes. Your receptionist was FRIGID and made it clear she had no concern for us or our animal. There was ZERO compassion or sense of urgency in the way she looked at us, spoke, or moved---just boredom and something very close to contempt (like we were ordering euthanasia in a drive-thru). We were the only other people visible in the clinic. Our impression was that we were somehow disrupting an otherwise easy overnight shift. Our bad.

I cannot imagine how I would feel if this were one of my own cats (rather than a stray my friend and I were just trying to help). I know I would never forget that your clumsy bedside manner tainted my final memories of a beloved little someone.

I am leaving this feedback hoping to spare any readers the indignity of interacting with your employees, while hoping you might feel fired-up enough to adjust your practices. I hope it feels as awful reading this as we felt in your care last night. I hope you never encounter this level of indifference while someone you care about clings to their final moments.

BluePearl management, get a grip. The gap between the friendly professionalism of your website and the way your front-of-house staff represent your company is appallingly wide. It's a sensitive industry. Your clients are going to be people and animals suffering the lowest lowpoints of their lives. They love their pets enough to leave their homes on a weeknight and pay a premium for emergency care.

Don't hire apathetic jerks and morons as the face of your company. You have one of the most competitive labor forces in the country to pull from, even if you choose to pay minimum wage. If you insist on staffing complete fcking aholes, at least include some basic acting lessons as part of their training. For example, if a client comes in with tears in their eyes, visibly distressed about their dying animal, advise your staff to Buy a dictionary. Look up the word "emergency." Reach deep into the hollow void where your heart would normally be, and pull out some basic humanity. Figure out what it looks like to give a sht,...

I wish there was an option for negative zero stars. Please do not go here for an emergency. This place is not honest and will price gouge and price inflate a bill to their advantage and not yours. The mistake I made aside from going here was letting them know that my sick pet was an emotional support animal, this disclosed to them that I was disabled and I felt that they priced gouged me even more. Then after my pet was released from BluePearl, I found out the standard of care that was received was negligent and I was heartbroken because he suffered. They stopped a critical medication for my young cat that I was informed that was critical for him and that he must remain on. Blue Pearl gave my cat this critical medication briefly while with them, then stopped his critical medication before his discharge and did not inform me of this critical medication, or my critical need to give it to him. I brought my pet to Blue Pearl to treat a critical urinary unblock and my pet was given the critical medication while with Blue Pearl very briefly, it was stopped I was informed by an expert to encourage another urinary blockage again. Blue Pearl is not the place for professional and veterinarians that truly care for animals. When I brought this information to Blue Pearl's attention when disputing their inflated bill and stating my dissatisfaction of services, charges, and the standard of care of my cat, I was told that their medical negligence of my cat regarding his medication will be sent to their medical review team. Despite their negligence, which I reported to the state and informed them, BLUE PEARL STILL LEFT THEIR FULL COST INFLATED BILL OF $5,851.00 FOR ME TO PAY...COMPLETE WITH MEDICAL NEGLIGENCE! Blue Pearl will take advantage of you while you are under duress, financially exploit you and exaggerate their fees anyway even if you tell them you cannot afford what they are charging, do not want their services, or for necessary services ask them to work with you-their services are still extremely expensive in comparison to other vets. I was constantly tried to be upsold on surgery for my young cat. The vet that followed-up said surgery is a last resort...he is not a good candidate...he is too young for surgery. Blue Pearl didn't want to discharge my young cat. It was stated after the medication negligence that they care about pets, I did not agree with that statement, nor will I be a repeat customer. Other vets that reviewed my charges said many of the charges were inflated, extra services, and unnecessary. I discharged my pet and continued care elsewhere with an honest vet and ethical vet. Additionally, after my pet re-experienced the same condition that was the reason for going to BluePearl, I was informed that BluePearl discontinued critical medication after discharge. It was stated that my pet needed hospitalization and monitoring, I am perplexed as to what was being monitored? Clearly this was inflation of the bill, my family, friends are in awe of the bill exaggeration, prices, and service charges, and staying swaying from this place. My pet was only on this critical medication while in their care. I am disputing their bill and charges. I do not expect Blue Pearl to act professionally from what I have seen and I will stay far away with my pets. BluePearl did not even inform me to get this medication. I did not even call for follow-up tests that I was charged for due to their negligence and constant upselling I do not believe anything they say. I paid for tests to be performed again for honesty, accuracy, and reliability.The follow-up vet took care of the critical situation with an honest evaluation and visit. No 48hr exaggerated hospitalization charges like BluePearl, no excessive X-rays and excessive sonograms, no excessive lab tests, no excessive hospitalization and associated fees for a simple critical visit that can be rectified to result in a bill that results thousands of dollars. Again-if you care about the health of your pet, go somewhere honest, reliable, and where the vet services are...