VCA Veterinary Referral and Emergency Center

I can’t say enough good things about VCA. From our first visit with Dr. Whitney after being referred by our regular vet for an ultrasound — she was knowledgeable, and explained everything so well — to meeting Dr. Corrie and Dr. Palmisano, the surgeon, who I was also incredibly impressed by. Follow-​ups with Dr. Palmisano’s assistant, Stella and Dr. Corrie — they’re just a really great, conscientious, capable group. Cooper had his spleen removed, due to a mass, and a growth on his liver biopsied (all benign!) and his very large incision has been healing great. They let me visit him and gave me frequent updates while he was in their care. They’ve also checked in several times since he’s been home. They made what was a very stressful time just a little easier on me and Cooper, and for that I am forever grateful. My 12-​year-​old dog is on the road to recovery and it’s all because of their great care. Thank you all!

Brought my cat in a few years ago. He had a hairball stuck in his intestines. the nurse said to me «Is $ 5,000 ok with you?» It ended up being $ 3700 and surgery went well but I would still go to my regular doctor for this same type of surgery. They did save my pets life but at the same time they empty your pockets! Shave your persian cats to avoid the hairballs!

I have been here three times in the last year and half and the staff, doctors and facilities are all top notch. Absolutely recommend it,

This remarkable set of facilities has all the best diagnostic machinery and tools. None of that would be worth anything, however, without their their best asset: A seemingly endless stream of compassionate, deeply loving and caring veterinarians and support staff. At any time, day or night, they will see your pet, diagnose, treat, or consult. They are interested solely in the health of the animal, and take their cues from the pets and their owners — no ‘agenda’. The system functions much like a people hospital, with an extremely dedicated group of interns and residents overseen by staff doctors that are more permanent. While many will experience this place when the situation with their beloved pet is less than optimum, the atmosphere is professional, courteous, kind and always intuitively understanding. No unwarranted judgements are handed out concerning owner decisions regarding the pet, and the care is infinitely supportive in nature.
We have worked closely with at least 5 doctors between their Shelton and Norwalk, CT locations and the excellence of service, care and bedside manner has been nothing short of extraordinary.

This is no a review of this hospital but of one of its doctors. Dr. Avery Krein a assistant vet. She was filling in at Cheshire VCA. I had a emergency with my Boston Terrier who was being treated for Cushings disease and had stopped eating & drinking. My primary was treating him and had set up appointments for a MRI and ultrasound bc we feared the tumor on his brain grew. When my dog took a turn for the worst I brought to the ER and this vet diagnosed his with possible Lyme disease and severe neck & back pain. I requested euthanizing but she absolutely refused saying «I was making a rash decision». She prescribed pain meds and 7 days of cage rest, the meds which I force down the dogs bc he wasn’t eating. She stated wishing 48 hours I would see him improve. I called 2 days later and said he was still not eating and getting worse. I was told that those were meds and that Avery Krein notes stated no euthanasia and wait until my Monday appointment with my primary doctor to conduct tests. On Monday my vet rushed me in and determined my dog was suffering and that any could see that. My dog was immediately euthanized. My vet was appalled that this so called doctor of veterinary medicine refused euthanizing and that she did not take into consideration the information I provided and diagnosed the possible Lyme disease (after I provided recent documents say he was Lyme negative) and severe neck pain. If you get the vet request another one I would even trust her with vaccinating a animal.

Without question some of the kindest most compassionate people I have ever met. It’s an efficient amazing place to bring a dog in an emergency.

Last Saturday afternoon, I rushed my 11 year-​old Wheaten into VCA fearing that the end was near from kidney disease — much sooner than I expected.
While there was no traumatic injury, the staff immediately knew it was a dire emergency. The front desk called for a vet «stat» and in seconds — yes, seconds — Bailey was being rushed into treatment. The vet quickly came in and told me that the staff was performing CPR. I could tell from her face that Bailey wasn’t going to survive. She died despite their efforts to save her.
What happened next is something I will never forget… the staff became part of my family. They grieved with me and walked me through everything I needed to know. It was my first to VCA and I felt like I was an old friend.
I have never felt such empathy from any business, or hospital — ever.
VCA is an amazing place staffed with wonderful people.
The fee was more than fair and, I will tell anyone who will listen to go to VCA in Norwalk whenever your pet needs help.

My 9 year old dog Marley had a bad fall & splayed, leaving his thigh bone detached from his hip joint. In addition they found he had a parathyroid issue which showed up during blood work.
The parathyroid issue was an ongoing problem my dog had experienced for several months, being constantly thirsty. Unfortunately both things occurred simultaneously. It was indicated if the parathyroid had not been addressed he would have kidney failure.
The wonderful Drs including Dr George Kartsonas and Surgery liaison Stella Drakoulias couldn’t have been more helpful. They constantly reassured me through 2 surgeries that my dog would improve. In addition the desk assistants knew Marley’s name & greeted us warmly. The staff continually called me on my dogs progress. 6 weeks later, my wonderful dog is getting back to his normal life.

I have been here several times and had a wonderful experience every time. One time, they didn’t even charge me because there was nothing wrong with my dog. (I’m a nervous Mom)
It’s an emergency vet, so they’re going to be more expensive than going to your regular one, but at the same time I feel like they actually care about your pet, rather than just getting as much money from you as possible.

GREATEST PLACE I’VE EVER BEEN!
They totally saved my dog. Kind, compassionate, thoughtful, thorough, articulate. Not cheap but it was totally worth it.
Dr Kittrell is like an angel.
I would drive back up to CT just to go to this place from Brooklyn!
I will recommend that friends w/​animals in distress go here instead of anywhere in the city!

DR. KITTRELL & VET TECH LAURA ARE AMAZING LADIES!
When I relocated to CT, I was very concerned about finding a quality vet clinic… again. Knowing how crucial this is to my pet’s wellbeing, I was not looking forward to the process. I tried some but much to my dismay, left due to poor service and soaring prices. I needed to act quickly because my Cattledog was showing odd signs and the vets I tried were blowing it off because they couldn’t diagnose the problem. I knew something was wrong so I looked for a specialist and found Dr. Dianne Kittrell at VCA Animal Hospital in Norwalk, CT.
I first met with her assistant, Laura Dotta, who was amazing from the get go. Not only did she attend to us in a manner I felt very taken care of, she has continued to do so over the years. She goes way above and beyond, faxing info to me, researching labs, teaching good injection sites… everything to ensure my pets get the best care. I just love her!
Then I had the honor of meeting Dr. Kittrell, who in my opinion is the best vet I have ever worked with! She is an Internal Medicine Specialist and was able to diagnose my Cattledog in an instant. She had Acute Cushing’s disease. Dr. Kittrell order an ultrasound to get a baseline of the tumor and we’ve been doing one a year ever since to make sure the tumors stay small as well as the liver health remains constant. She is amazing! Even though she couldn’t be my «everyday» vet because she’s a specialist and doesn’t do annual visits/​shots, she referred me to Dr. Ragan out of her sister site in VCA Darien who is equally talented.
This year, when my dog’s blood work showed anomalies both he and Dr. Kittrell were in close contact watching it. After a few months and blood values rising, she had another look at my pet and diagnosed a serious tumor that needed removal from her parathyroid gland. I was floored because my pet had been through enough but Dr. Kittrell alleviated my worries and concerns and set up everything. The surgeon, Dr. Matthew Palmisano was outstanding, after care doctor, Dr. Lacassagne, who made sure she stayed stable and Stella, surgery liaison who made me laugh when I needed it. The teams, as a whole, made «people hospitals» look amateur! My pet recovered perfectly and the team got us ready for the next relocation to FL. I was sick to my stomach leaving this incredible clinic and Dr. Kittrell and verbalized my dismay to Dr. Kittrell about starting my search again! Both she and Laura offered to do it for me so I could pack and start my move free of worries. These ladies are a class act!
There are few times in life you meet exceptional people you know you will remember for a lifetime. Dr. Kittrell and Laura Dotta will always be two of those people for me. I am so grateful for their compassion toward my pet and excellence in knowledge that I always felt and knew my Quigley was in the best hands ever. Thank you Dr. Kittrell, Laura and the entire VCA Norwalk staff for being remarkable! I stand in awe of you!

I recently went back to the specialist at VCA and do appreciate that it was a much better experience this time around!

Be cautious about this place. We took our dog here when our vet couldn’t fit in a Saturday appointment since our dog was wimping and not wanting to put any weight on his back right paw. They did see us right away and were very attentive but they said he would most likely need a surgery that cost $ 5,000 but the surgeon wouldn’[t be in until Monday. You can imagine how stressed that made me, not only is that a hefty price which I am more than willing to pay for my pup’s health but the recovery time and effort keeping him contained (when he’s never been crated) would be almost a full time job. Turns out, when we finally got our pup into his normal vet, he was diagnosed with Lyme’s disease and just needed an antibiotic for the next 28 days to clear it up. I can only imagine if we had said okay with the surgery, all that money wasted along with my poor dog having to recoup from a procedure like that. It makes me question how many other animals have been misdiagnosed here.

Never, ever, ever again! We brought our dog in when she was sick on a Sunday (only place very near us that was open) and they proceeded to recommend thousands of dollars worth of tests and the student vet decided to tell us that the issue «could be cancer». Really… are you even able to comprehend anything else after someone says your 2 year old dog may have cancer? When you have a very generic symptom, that could be one of 5 different things, you should CONSIDER THE AREA you live and what the high probability is. You also shouldn’t freak an owner out saying, «Well, it could be… [insert and one of 10 different life-​threatening diseases] or she just ate something that doesn’t agree with her». COME ON.
Suffice to say that after almost $ 3,000 in tests and an overnight stay (where we were not allowed to come visit her), our dog came home the next day FINE and HEALTHY. Worth noting that I also refused some of the tests that they recommended! Can’t imagine the bill if they ran them all!
I was later told that this is a TEACHING HOSPITAL so you will often get lots of tests run that are unecessary because the vets are too inexperienced to know what to focus on and they tend to test for any and everything that could be even a very remote possibility.

They diagnosed my cat’s cancer and operated on him. They also treated him about a year before that for a seizure and both cases they were great, treated him very well and he recovered.
Dr. Palmisano was the surgeon and he was very good. everything healed well and he was in constant communication with me after the procedure while I was out of town for work.
They are expensive, let’s not delude ourselves into thinking otherwise but they aren’t your normal vet, this isn’t the place you go for a regular checkup for your pet. But if you’re having an emergency or your pet needs serious surgery then I highly recommend this place as well as Dr. Palmisano.