VCA Aurora Animal Hospital

We were beyond scared when my family had to bring our beloved 4 year old bulldog emergently to VCA Aurora thinking she might have a spinal injury. We were met at the side entrance to have the vet techs bring her right in. She was examined quickly by Dr. Good who was so sweet when delivering news that our sweet baby might have to have emergent surgery. Since she is a bulldog, surgery is very risky. We were given a ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ chance of survival. But she was not quite stable enough for an MRI. She therefore spent 3 days in the ICU. Her first night there, Dr. Good called us many times with updates on her. We visited every day at least twice and were always met with care and concern. Our dog’s care was transferred to the ICU doctors. Dr. Mac was AMAZING! She treated our baby like one of her own. She was very straightforward and didn’t want us to rush into anything until we had more information. We then met with neurologist Dr. Mercier. She was fantastic as well. Our dog was finally ready for her MRI on her 3^rd day there. We knew that if the MRI showed a buldge impinging on her spinal cord, she would have to have surgery. We were terrified. Luckily, she did not need to have surgery and is now recovering at home. Since she is still not very responsive on her right front paw, we worry but know we’ll be ok! I’ve even had to call the neurology service to get answers to questions and Delany always called me back with potliteness and concern. Along with never making me feel like I was bugging them.
I would recommend VCA Aurora for any emergent or specialty care for any animal. We are truly blessed to have found them!

We were sent to VCA by our Vet. She was a 12 ½ year old Diabetic Maltese who had not eaten for a week. Zoe was very ill. Dr. Medinger diagnosed her as having Pancreatitis. She was put into intensive care on Monday. We adored her and felt if she had a chance we had to try. By Wednesday she was much worse. They could not get her to eat but had not hook her up to a feeding tub. She was had five iV’s for medication. Dr. Mediginger kept reasuring me she could get better. He always had a lot to say but never listened to anything about Zoe’s personality or habits. Never did anyone suggest we put her out of her misery. By Friday we were ready to take her home to die but we were triple teamed by Two Doctors and a technician. Who bullied us into leaving her there. We held Zoe tried to get her to eat. They had a cone on her in her cage but she could not get a drink with it on.Dr. Middleton was the worst. She said it may take 3 or 4 more weeks and that she had to suffer to get better. When i stated to the technician earlier in the day that Zoe was miserable she ask nastily why i would say that.
Finally they called me Friday night and I said to please have Zoe ready to go home Sat morning. I refused to talk to any more doctors. We picked her up and they sent us home with pills, for a dog who can’t eat. What a nightmare. Zoe past away the next day. Could their judgement have been clouded by the nearly 2000.00 a day it cost.

This year our 4 year old huskey got a rare cancer. We were referred to vca aurora. The staff was great the surgeon tech, I wish I could remember her name, and the surgeon, dr. Peacock, were beyond wonderful. Dr Peacock was honest, provided facts and best outcome scenarios, along with realistic not so great outcomes. I did not know what questions to ask, and I could tell that he, and the tech, tried answering all my questions without me having to ask. The surgery went great, the recovery was speedy, the Dr follow up calls welcomed and his post surgery appointment today, resulted in promising and good news.
All this to say, I think we made a good decision to go to vca.
I will agree with other comments, it is expenssive, but I have to remind myself that it is a full hospital with specialist doctors and surgeons alike.

Our dachshund had some recent back issues and due to the way he was walking and responding to the neurological exam they recommended a MRI and possibly surgery depending on their findings. Mind you our first meeting was just the neurological exam and we were there for 2.5 hours and not because we had to wait but because they took their time with Scout and with me. Going over all the possible options and what his issues were and so on. Not once did I feel rushed!
Scout was dropped off April 13 early morning and had his MRI shortly after. Results came back with ruptured discs and compression issues on his right side. Dr Murcier recommended surgery or if we didn’t want to do that we would have to go back to crate rest. Let’s be honest no dog belongs in a crate for his or her whole life so of course we said yes to surgery. She proceeded right away.
Surgery went well and he responded great to the whole process.
I was able to pick him up Friday (2 days later) because his recovery time was going so quickly and his advancements were just beyond what they expected.
It was an expensive bill, of course, but REAL committed pet owners should know that vet care is expensive. Especially proper care. We have seen some pretty dark reviews on here which just made me mad. Mistakes can be made and it’s sad that for some it resulted in a negative ending but complaints about PRICE? You should have never gotten a pet. A pet isn’t like an accessory that you get to show off for awhile and once it’s not looking good anymore you toss it to the side. These are family members which means health care is important, which means surgery can occur, which means MONEY will be a key factor to resolving their health issues. The staff members are NOT volunteers. (It’s the same way people act towards me because I’m a photographer then if someone brings me a sad story I should do the shoot for free and if I don’t I’m a horrible person — this is my living, not my hobby)
So get over it or don’t bring a pet in your house!!!
I was lucky to have some help with cost however I was fully prepared to go back into debt if it meant my Scout was going to be healthy and happy again!
So Sunday we had to go back because Scout was having some issues holding up his back legs (he was holding them before). We went to the vet and he was just fine for them. I believe he was just so relaxed at home he didn’t want to hold himself up. He gave us a little scare. Since we had to go back we of course had another bill, but they were so kind to not charge for the checkup or his bladder expression and that was extremely helpful. After paying thousands for surgery I’m sure they were happy to see Scout was doing good and that was their concern.
To finish I would like to add that the staff members we met have been amazing. Some people have a little edge to them but keep in mind everyone’s personality is different. It doesn’t necessarily mean it’s towards you.
Our doctors and technicians and the neurology department have been a huge blessing for Scout and I. I was worried that he would have a much darker story but so far he’s been home for a few days and is doing great!
Thank you to the staff for your help and being on top of everything for Scout

I called to ask for a prescription because my appoint was 2 weeks away. The person at the dermatology office calls back to say they couldn’t because it had been a while since my pet visited the office. I was okay with that, but the guy started blaming me and he starts talking down to me «like you didn’t bring him back for follow-​up» I said, I took him back to his regular vet since you all had me spending almost $ 500 and didn’t help my Yorkie poo.
Keep in mind, my dog fur is falling off his body and he has sores, I was torn because I need to get the proper help for him immediately. The person on the phone at VCA kept arguing with me, I was crying explaining, sir my dog is sick and you’re blaming me and trying to make me feel bad. I had to hang-​up the phone because I was so upset and told him he needed to have some professionalism. I took my dog to his regular vet for treatment, since they referred me to VCA.
I don’t know about anyone else, but I don’t have $ 500 to keep spending, and my dog was not getting better. I couldn’t believe the staff member demeanor toward me and the fact he went back and forward was horrible. After today and the argument with the staff member, I will never step foot in that place again. I found another Dermatologist in the city that specializes in these type of condition, I need a dermatology and staff to treat me with respect and dignity not some over the top employee that’s feeling himself.”

Our cat, Bob, was hospitalized under cardiac care this past week. He was sent home with about five bottles of medicine and one prescription on Thursday. Our cat hadn’t eaten in nearly a week, and they said they had gotten him to eat a few bites, but if he wouldn’t eat on Friday to bring him back on Friday night.
We attempted to have the prescription filled on Thursday night at Target, and they put in a call to the doctor, and no one had called back by Friday afternoon to answer the question that Target had. In the meantime, Bob was getting worse and worse. He would not take the medicine, would not take water, would not eat, and could not get him to eat from a syringe. His diagnosis was end stage heart failure, and by now he was so weak that he wouldn’t move at all. We would not be bringing him back to VCA if we could not even get the doctor to answer the pharmacy, and this was for a needed medication.
We decided not to put Bob through any more, and had a compassionate vet come to the house and euthanize him on Friday night. I don’t think that Bob was ever going to make it, and that VCA might have known that when they released Bob, and as soon as they had our money, we couldn’t get hold of anyone there again. I would not recommend if you value your pet. They are probably okay if your pet has a broken leg or needs stitches, but if it’s life threatening, forget it.

My husband and I originally picked this facility because they offer a free exam if you are a first time customer. We recently moved from Wheaton and want to find a vet near us. While all the staff we came into contact with was very friendly and the facility itself was very clean and nice looking we think the prices of the services are high. Initially we only came in for a wellness exam for our dog but then noticed a lump by his ribcage and told the vet about it. He said he could take some cells from it and see if he could diagnose what it was. That would be $ 80. If he could not and had to send it out so a lab could look at the sample it would be $ 200. Of course he had to send it out so we ended up paying the $ 200 for that. Thank goodness we had the coupon or else we would have had to pay an extra $ 63 for the exam.
I called the vet that we used in Wheaton and found out if we had gone to them we would have paid less as the wellness exam would have been $ 49 and to have the sample sent out to the lab $ 140. Keep in mind the total price for the Wheaton visit would have been $ 189 while the cost of the VCA visit would have been $ 263 if we didn’t have that coupon. That’s a $ 74 difference for the same services!
So, while the staff and the service at VCA was very nice the prices are not worth it in my opinion.

Well anytime we as pet owners encounter a problem, its real good to know that there is a company out there that is open 24 hours for our pets. in case of an emergency. So was the case in this my review and true thoughts on VCA animal hospital. I have never been hear me and my friend were so gratefull this place was open to see my 2 month old kitten I just got a couple days ago. My kitten at that time was in rough shape and had no idea what was going on.
I felt I was in the right place. OR WAS I? I handed over my near limp kitty to the agent at the front desk, I was real frantic and was hopping he would live. I talked to several of the LADY staff doctors and techs there, and they at first said it didn’t look good. I was introduced to the doctor a Ms slaughter, a very nice woman, however it was so apparent with talking with her she had no idea what they were doing. I wanted to feel I could trust the life of my kitty in their hands. As HOURS past. it was time to look at the PROCEDURES and their GAME PLAN…
As I looked at the sheet they came in with I was shocked to see a 1300 – 1600 ESTIMATE. this is just to START… as I was reading the lady came in and said the HALF down is due tonight, and as I kept reading the other half when I pick him up the FOLLOWING day. I bought this beatifull kitten which showed no signs of fleas and he had a flea infestation, that PROBBALY led to a large blood loss, and she had anemia, I was told they COULD get a blood sample however the 130 vist the 49 dollar pill, and over 100 dollars for the IV put me so far at 260, I knew if he took the glucose well, I would just bring him back, well he did, so from the doctor telling me as soon as I saw her SHE IS IN CRITICAL condition, to him running away after taking a bit of food, was a bit misdiagnosed. The FACT is they had NO IDEA what was wrong and said they would have to run more tests… I shared with them that price is WAY out of my budget, and they came with a different woman to explain «the credit card of vets» to be able to put on payments. When I expressed my frustrations that this isn’t about trying to help animals, if the person doesn’t have 500 on them THEY WOULD NOT SAVE THE KITTEN… I said this point blank to one of the ladys“so what you are telling me is if I don’t pay 500 tonight my cat is going to die, she didn’t like that truth hurts…
so they came in with a ADJUSTED estimate. as I told the DOCTOR that I want to keep BELOW 400 and do what we can do, she came back with a NEW estimate of 568. after expression to them I feel like I was being sold a used car by several salespeople that were not even that good, as I a salesman for over 33 years myself. we got there at 9:30 and left there after one all they did was IV… COST 278.00 included flea treatment. and when it was time for checkout because they already «started the procedure» I signed off under duress, to get my kitty back, other wise if I didn’t pay she would have to stay over night and I would have to «get the money» they also were pushing to sign a credit ap, when I knew my credit wouldn’t fly .this would of brought the bill to over 600, clearly almost like a bait and switch…
I was truly dissatisfied with the LACK of management by these women, there were no male doctors on staff, I was offered several plans and CLEARLY it was ALL about the MONEY$$$$$
The kitty is not doing to good, I did have a doctor call me at my home today, fairly nice explaining there not much they can do unless I can pay… again its not about saving anaimals its about get that money, if you don’t have that cash theres a good chance he or she is not going to make it… I would NEVER go back here… Horrible. the atmosphere was so pushy, and hopeless… there has to be better out there, as I researched on the Net, I told the one who called today and she agreed I did diagnose properly, more than likely what was going on with the kitty, HOWEVER just to be sure they wanted to run about 4 – 5 test totally well over 600 dollars…
FInal thought: the sugar they gave, BOASTED the kittys ENERGY level…300 bucks a lot to pay for sugar IV…
latest update, a girl NIKI called me, said I understand your problem, but maybe you need to go somewhere, with «more bang for your buck“i though that was one of the most rudest krass comments I ve heard in a long time, meanwhile my kitty is dying in front of me…
kitty died at 9:00 am in horrible pain and anguish all because a hospital wont treat UNLESS you have the cash… HORRIBLE…this experience made me feel so taken advantage of, and done in a very almost sly approach…

I’m so completely disgusted with our first experience here.
VCA Naperville and VCA Aurora are like night and day. We loved VCA Naperville. Vet bills are a pain in the butt, but you have to do it, and at least at Naperville they were friendly and answered your questions while being courteous.
Aurora is a miserable place. The office staff are not friendly at all and barely acknowledge you. The vet we saw was OK, but it wasn’t enough to offset the cold environment, being overcharged, and almost getting shots we didn’t need.
This VCA can be defined with one word: NEGLIGENT.
I asked my husband to take our dog for a heartworm test and heartworm meds. They also did a fecal test.
But they charged us for all of that AND a full exam (he just had one in September!) AND they attempted to give him a bordatella shot — which he also got 3 months ago! Lucky for me, my husband called me since this wasn’t on the agenda. Aurora’s staff is so lazy they kept insisting he needed the shot, instead of calling Naperville to double check — which is exactly what I ended up doing and then practically screaming into the phone at my husband, «DON’T LET THEM GIVE HIM ANY SHOTS!»
They also tried to upsell us on some kind of health plan. As if charging us for the exam wasn’t enough of a shady used car salesmen tactic!
It’s only 5 minutes from home, but well worth the 30 minute+ commute to Naperville instead. What a waste it was having our records transferred.
Not all VCAs are the same. Lesson learned.

You know what? Eff this place in the A with a broken broomstick, cactus, nailbat, or any other similar object you can come up with. In fact, I feel like that’s being nice.
My puppy was hit and killed by a car on December 11, 2015. She was my best friend and my shadow. She went with me everywhere and was the biggest sweetheart ever.
The service provided to us on December 11^th was good enough, so there’s always that. The rest of it? Inexcusable. The definition of sloppy and incompetent.
We chose a private cremation for my poor, departed best friend. We also chose to have her paw prints cast, which I wanted more than anything. I don’t have the invoice sitting in front of me, but I’m 100% certain there were only three, THREE line items on the invoice: cremation, urn, and paw prints.
So what does VCA do? Call me today (December 18, 2015) to tell me my puppy’s ashes came in. As if that wasn’t hard enough to hear I received another call minutes later that they forgot the paw prints and were «very sorry.» WTF?! Are you f**king kidding me?!! Three line items and you inept, blundering freaks forget the paw prints? Lovely. Quality control? About as much as getting a cheeseburger from Whammy Burger (a reference from Falling Down… watch the clip on YouTube for a giggle because you’ll know exactly what I mean afterwards). I’m sure you treated my puppy’s remains like trash, too given your complete lack of giving a s**t about something so special and sensitive. Do you think I believe for a second my puppy’s cremation was private? Who the hell knows if the ashes are even hers. Bulls**t!
As for the rest of the reviews on here does anybody notice a pattern? Lets see…
1. 2015 was/​is packed with more bad/​lower reviews than any prior year, especially very recently.
2. The business owner didn’t respond to any negative reviews prior to 2015. Did ownership change? If so, it’s not for the better.
3. In 2015 the business owner responded to nearly all of the bad reviews with the same canned rhetoric garbage which chaps my ass more than getting rimmed by a cat’s tongue. If you’re going to respond to a negative review at least make it seem like you give a s**t. Your «email me to discuss» or whatever worthless drivel you’re spewing isn’t fooling anyone with half a brain. A negative review means you f**ked up, plain and simple. So what do you do? Add fuel to the fire with your insincere responses. Please, save yourself the «copy & paste» time and don’t bother responding to my review. As for any other unfortunate person who winds up in the same position as me, there is a rather sizeable garbage can out in front of the facility. Save yourself the money and throw your deceased pet in there. If anything else at least you’ll know what happened to your best friend’s body because who knows WTF you’ll get if you choose cremation. It makes me sick just thinking about it…
If this review has spared anybody a trip to this dumpster fire of an animal hospital then I’ve done right by Blaze. I love you so much babygirl, and I’ll see you on the other side. But not yet… not yet (I hope).
PS…they did refund the entire cost of the cremation. Not good enough. I don’t want money back. I want my best friend’s paw prints. I want to feel secure knowing that the ashes I have are hers. I want to know that her remains were respected. $ 1xx.00 won’t give me any of that comfort. Some things in life are more important to people than money and pets are right at the top. Thanks VCA for making a traumatizing experience exponentially worse. An extra star for the service I received on December 11^th. Everything else? F–

All the vets here have been wonderful to me & my cats; as well as my family members who have dogs. Dr. Priebe is wonderful, practical, & caring. The ER staff is always great. It is worth paying a bit extra to for the peace of mind that they know my animals, are close by, open all the time, & ready for any problem my kitties may have.
I trust them.

We had taken our puppy to the emergency room. They rushed him back right away. They are very friendly at first. By not getting ex-​rays we were told we are going against the doc orders. They are not friendly if you don’t go along with what they want you to pay for. At one point the assistant said your dog could pass away tonight by going against the doc orders. I feel like they use scare tactics to make you pay a really large bill for something simple. We will not be going back.

This place is expensive, yes. But they provide good care and when I need to come here, I know my pet will be in good hands. I go elsewhere for my regular vet visits but I rec this place if you need more than that. The staff and doctors have always been nice and caring

Was referred here by another vet to see a eye specialist. I will never go back and I would not recommend them to friends or family.
The place is very corporate feeling, felt like they were herding sheep. The bad part about it was that they weren’t even good at herding sheep. I showed up to my appointment 15 minutes early to fill out paperwork. I wasn’t brought back to the room until 10 minutes after my scheduled appointment. I was then greeted by 3 aids, who manhandled my dog with me in the room, to preform 3 tests on him (more on this below). They left, and I waited in the room for 50 minutes before the doctor came in. No one else came back to apologize for the wait, or to even tell me they were running behind. My appointment was at 4:40 and I wasn’t seen by the doctor until 5:40.
After the doctor examined my dog (about 10 minutes), I was sent out to the lobby to wait for the discharge instructions (another 10 minutes). I just wanted to pay and get out.
Prior to going in I went to my regular doctor. She performed the same three tests, with normal results. I provided medical records to VCA, but they still insisted on preforming the same three tests.
Bottom line: I overpaid ($ 375ish) for a diagnosis and prescription that my regular vet already gave. I only paid $ 75 for my regular vet.
UPDATE: I spoke with the Hospital Manager (Audrey). She stressed that the level of service I received is not their standard. She apologized that the service I received was less than standard. Because of the great response to the review I have decided to update the star level.

Based upon my experience, the veterinary care here is mediocre. I agree with previous reviews that the cost of care and preliminary/​standard testing is both rigid and expensive. I was surprised by how much one routine visit and basic blood tests cost ($ 100 and $ 400, respectively) given that other veterinary clinics I visited only charged between $ 75-​$ 200.
I brought my adopted cat here for a check up and was told the prognosis was bad, despite inconclusive and costly diagnostic tests. I consulted two different opinions from two different vets. Both seemed attentive but on the inexperienced side. I hesitate to write a poor review based on inexperience alone, but I was a little caught off guard by how quickly the vet insisted on euthanasia. My cat was not even 10 years old, and I did not feel this was the best medical expertise.
She was nice and the clinic followed up by mailing me a condolence card. It was a thoughtful gesture, but again, mediocre given the circumstances. I suggest the vets receive more training and expertise before making such abrupt and permanent medical decisions.

I took my cat Terrance in today and the doctor and tech were amazing! We’ve moved a bunch and have seen many vets and this was the best experience I’ve had!

Following up from my previous post– spoke with Dr. Medinger who was a real treat. Glad to see this is how you guys handle your clients and patients who have had a bad experience. By defending an incompetent doctor (I can’t even really call her that as I’m not sure I believe she has a license) and suggesting a dog who Medinger has never laid eyes on needs all these other exams when we now know he has heart worm. By far the most out of control practice I have ever seen and I’ve lived a lot of places.

My opinion… this place is a used car lot.
They had me waiting three hours and they gave me a list of items I wasn’t sure if I needed. So I called my primary veterinarian and he told me what I needed and didn’t need. So I told them what I needed.
Waited another 45 minutes and a different girl game back with a completely different list. I asked her some questions and she could not have been more rude or disrespectful.
I left and called my dog breeder friend, afterwards. She told me never to go there, «It’s a ripoff.»
— — — — -
Audrey we have ALREADY talked on the phone because I called your office. As a matter of fact you told me, «We don’t respond to Unilocal reviews.»
Now you have responded to a Unilocal review.
Several reviews and myself agree… VCA does not care about the animals as much as they care about getting paid. After gathering further information… more than Unilocal reviewers are in agreement with the previous sentence.
As stated my dog breeder told me «Never go to VCA, it’s a rip off.»
VCA gave me an estimate of $ 2,100 — $ 2,400. My dog breeder told me to go to BluePearl vet in Northbrook. I did go to BluePearl, the SAME treatment was $ 900. Stay away from VCA!!!
This place NEEDS to be reported… the way they take advantage of animals and their owners is a crime. I keep reading reviews with the same elements as my review and it is total BS. How do these people live with themselves!

This is a necessary evil in emergencies, but this is not a place you’d want to go for regular treatment.
I spent $ 400 on my dog who had a splinter in his paw… and meds.
I spent $ 5,000 in treatment and diagnosing my dying (3yr old) dog after she was brought in at 1am having seizures. They took her away from me, and until 9am they were «observing» her. She had seizures the whole time and went ignored.
They make you feel bad when they recommend the most costly tests/​procedures and you admit you can’t afford it. I asked for necessities only, and they guilted me into $ 2,000 worth of testing which provided absolutely nothing.
They want your money!

This place is nothing short of amazing. Let’s face it, one hopes they never have to spend a lot of time with their pet at a place like this, but unfortunately, I did.
I was referred here when my vet (Gateway Animal Clinic in Saint Charles — also amazing) could no longer help my senior cat with what we hoped was a fungal infection in her nose. She wound up having a squamous cell carcinoma tumor in her nasal cavity; the prognosis was poor. All staff were very straightforward and laid out the facts for me; my family decided to move forward with a 2-​week round of radiation treatment.
I wish I could remember every staff member’s name that helped me in those weeks/​months I was at the hospital on a daily basis. Even when I had to make occasional calls/​consults with other VCA hospitals in the area, great customer service and compassion abounded.
My kitty did well for a short while, then rapidly declined. The radiation oncologist and technicians offered more treatment and medications, but we had decided enough was enough and they respected our decision without any pushing at all.
Yes, they are extremely expensive, but hey, it’s not cheap to become a veterinarian, either. And they are great at what they do. They also have payment plan and credit card options if you need assistance. But for basic animal care, I would definitely stick to your regular family vet.