Veterinary Emergency, Critical Care & Referral Center

BEWARE
Below is an e-​mail I sent to VECC in February 2016 — it pretty much sums up my view of the services they offer. As background, I walked out with my injured dog after being provided an exorbitant estimate for attending to a minor injury that required stitches. Fortunately my dog was not in pain and was not bleeding, so I was able to defer treatment until my regular vet was available. (The e-​mail below was in response to an e-​mail sent to me by a clinic employee asking how Kota, my dog was doing.)
Cindy–
Kota is doing very well– cut has been stitched and a drain has been inserted in wound.
I’m very disappointed in your fees at VECCNH — being a Newington resident for over 20 years, and owning several dogs, various residents have told me to avoid your clinic due to excessive charges and unnecessary tests which pad the bill. However, with Kota’s injury, treatment is less complicated if the injury is less than 2 hours old so I disregarded the advice of my friends and arrived at your clinic within about 1 hour and 50 minutes of the injury, informing everyone that he needed a few stitches (hoping that he would receive expedited and less complicated treatment within the 2 hour time frame). I was the only customer during my visit. After about a half hour I was presented a multi-​page estimated charge of about $ 790. Such a charge is beyond excessive for what should have been a routine procedure. Thus I declined to have you attend to Kota’s injury.
Your $ 88 charge for taking Kota’s temperature, checking his heartbeat, and briefly looking at his gums and injury is also excessive and in my mind unjustified, particularly in light of the fact that you did not prepare and provide me with the results of the exam.
Anyway, my regular vet agreed to see Kota early Monday morning and attended to his injury. The charge was just under $ 400, and the vet advised that Kota would not have to have a $ 50 «wellness exam» during his annual physical next month, since he received the «wellness exam» prior to getting the stitches.
You may wish to consider sitting down with your team of veterinarians and revisit your pricing policies. Absent an effort on your clinic’s part to develop a realistic fee schedule that is more in step with the community you serve, your organization’s reputation will continue to suffer, and it is likely your colleagues will have a lot of time on their hands while on duty at the clinic.
Despite residing only 3 miles from your clinic, and an inclination to support local businesses, I’ve concluded that there are far better options to me as a consumer; and I’m not alone in this assessment.
Doug Ross
Newington, NH

My sister’s little pomapoo was stung by a bee today, and the site of the sting was swelling. They answered the phone immediately when I called. As soon as we arrived, they immediately took the dog for a Benadryl shot; they didn’t even make us wait for my sister to finish filling out paperwork.
This is a large facility with a big treatment area and many exam rooms. The place has a homey feel, including a waiting area with toys and games for kids. Everyone was very polite and helpful, and the vet seemed knowledgeable. They asked us to stay after the shot to make sure the dog was okay, and they checked in on her a couple of times. They answered all our questions too.
I just wish this place were closer. Thank you, VECCNH!

Once again I found myself in need of their services, this time for my other cat Coheed. They were wonderful as always and really put me at ease.
Cookie (Coheed) had been throwing up for a few days, seemed to be loosing a little weight, and most notably was not acting like his usual attention seeking self. I took him in, they ran x-​rays, gave him subcutaneous fluids (which made a HUGE and IMMEDIATE difference in my little mister!), and recommended a Pepcid regimen along with a follow up at another non-​emergency vet the next day.
These guys are great and I am so thankful to have a wonderful animal ER so close.

I had an excellent experience here, a dog in my care had ingested a sock (prior to his visit!) and was blocked up. We brought him to VECC on a Saturday, they quickly assessed him and took him into surgery, while communicating effectively with me as well as the owner. They were great about checking in with his progress, and very nice and helpful with follow up questions. I would highly recommend their services.

Yes, I am a crazy cat lady. With four fussy cats and one cheerful beagle, I find that my life revolves around fur, poop, and vet visits.
Though I live in Portland, I take one of my sickly cats to VECC because they have the best specialists in the area. Drs Garrod, Fiakpui, and Morgan came highly recommended by my regular vet and I have found them all to be extremely thorough and kind. And they have a staff member who is a bona fide cat whisperer. My tiny little Tortie is such a handful she requires some kind of Hannibal Lecter-​grade restraints but, in the hands of their talented tech, she takes all manner of offense with more reasonable complaint.
If you are scheduling with a specialist (as opposed to visiting as an emergency), they book a few weeks out and some of the specialists have limited schedules. Also, their rates are higher than your average vet but you do receive great care in exchange.