Animal General

Brought my cat for a checkup and unfortunately had to put him to sleep. Great staff very sincere, kind, helpful with the process. Thank you so much Dr. Sally Yang and to the rest of the team.

My experiences with Animal General were in line with many of the reviews. They are very expensive, they do unnecessary testing, charge for items that I feel should not be charged for and you don’t get a sense that they are very organized.
The last straw for me was getting billed for follow-​up to a procedure that was not successful and the next morning they had to do it again. (Deostipation?)

My first dog was a patient of Dr. Howell’s since he first opened his practice in the 1990’s. He was a caring young doctor at the time. Fast forward I moved back to the city in 2007 with a different dog and went back to this practice. I did not see doctor Howell again and I got a different doctor every time I brought my dog in for a checkup. I did not mind until, I was out of town for a day and my 2 teenage daughters brought our dog in sick with blood in his stool. The vet saw him and prescribed medicines. However the front desk staff would not give them the medicine because they did not have our credit card and our cell service was poor so I could not reach them by phone to pay for it. After being a patient for that many years I would think the staff could have allowed them to have the medicine. I have since switched vets and I can honestly say I am amazed at the superior service and consideration I receive at the new vets office! I can not believe I put up with such poor treatment at animal general for all those years.

Brought my cat in a couple of years ago for trouble swallowing & gagging so hard there was a little blood in the phlegm. Blood test at vet reveals a bad liver — extremely expensive tests ensue (scans, blood clotting test, invasive procedure requiring general anesthesia). Test were to be that day but weren’t till the next day (not just an extra overnite boarding charge but an extra overnite hospitalization charge). Okay — just help my cat. Kaching!
$ 3,500.00 later & I never get a straight answer re test results, never get to speak to the same vet twice & cannot say for sure that these tests were even done or that they even keep records. It’s like they had no idea what I was asking about. They sell me a box of denamarin (herbal liver pills) for $ 40 (they’re $ 25 @ Amazon/​other online stores). They call in a prescription for a digestive enzyme at a compounding pharmacy (Apthorp) that charges almost $ 4/​pill. But there’s no compounding going on — they just pour the powder from a large capsule into 4 smaller ones. The pills cost about 25 cents each normally. Kaching!
Turns out the vomiting was not caused by his liver & they never checked out his throat & esophagus because they don’t have the equipment (their words). They can’t find their own asses & care about nothing but making a buck.
Stay clear of this place.

Like all veterinarians they nickle-​and-​dime you and charge you absurd amounts of money for stupid things. The vet told me my cat might have ear mites because she was getting over ringworm. She wiped her ear with a Q-​tip and tested it. $ 40. If you do decide to come PLEASE PLEASE do not be a pushover. KNOW your facts. ASK lots of questions don’t ever let them take your money without asking what it’s for. Last month I brought my cat in for spaying. When I dropped her off the woman at the front desk showed me an invoice and upon close inspection I noticed a $ 70 microchip insertion fee. I asked for my cat to be spayed, not have a microchip inserted. This was the last time I went.
In my opinion it’s worth the savings to take your cat to a vet clinic outside of Manhattan which I will be doing from now on.

My dog had his teeth cleaned here less than 6 months ago. he is 6years old and had tartar but it was not terrible and I could have waited another year. but I went ahead and had it done… today I went to get his rabies and his distemper shot and was told he would need an exam by a dr first. the dr examined him and said «oh he will have to have his teeth scaled… the back ones are filled with tartar… I said I just had them done… they must have forgotten to do the back ones… she said no, the nurses here do a good job… It must be the breed. He is a havanese .i don’t believe they would get that filthy in 6 months

I came to see Dr. Sally Yen with my petite Havanese puppy last February for an emergency on a Sunday and she was fantastic.
My pup had chewed through an iphone wire and swallowed some of the frayed metal :(Dr. Yen was extremely professional and explained everything in a friendly and informative tone. She recommended an x-​ray and monitoring my dog without pushing any excess testing. My dog ended up okay and didn’t seem too traumatized so all was well.
I go to a different vet that is closer to my house usually, but I would highly recommend Dr. Yen for anyone in the area!

If you’re one of the millionaires that have taken over this city then fine, go to this place and they’ll patch your dog or cat up after performing a myriad of unnecesary tests, but if you’re a regular person with a real job and a budget stay away!

My co-​worker sent me to Animal General– her dog is a patient here– so I was really nervous when I saw all the bad reviews after I had already made my appointment. My visit could not have gone more smoothly. The front desk staff was very friendly and helpful, as was my vet. Since it was my dog’s first visit to Animal General, she gave me an estimate for the visit and his vaccinations/​tests before doing anything. It’s possible that they’ve seen the negative reviews and are now making an effort to improve things, but I was very happy with my visit and the follow-​up call the next day to check on my dog. I will definitely be back.

Marisa M. hit the nail on the head with her assessment. None of the vets are warm and friendly and they always say «we’re going to run these tests today» instead of asking me if that’s what they can do. It’s a good thing I know what my rights are as a pet owner because if I just went along with everything they recommended, I’d be thousands of dollars in debt.
I discussed my dog’s recent increase in mild aggression and was really looking for advice about medications to help relieve some of his anxieties. It doesn’t matter that my dog is a rescue, I have trained him well, he’s a great dog 95% of the time, and that he is my #1 companion. The vet pointed fingers at me for messing him up and told me that I shouldn’t use a regular dog trainer because they don’t know what they’re doing. So she wanted to run a bunch of blood tests (about $ 420) to see if he can handle prozac (okay okay, but is it really necessary???) PLUS have him see a behavior specialist ($ 350/​hr). I was a straight shooter with her and told her that I can’t wrap my brain around such high costs and that this wasn’t an option. She actually admitted to me that their prices are high due to their NYC rent and she needs to «put food on the table for her kids so she doesn’t feel bad about the prices.» She actually said that…
So you know what she suggested if I wasn’t willing to «take the appropriate steps»? She actually said that putting my dog down was an option!!! I couldn’t believe it! My dog who 17 lbs and is NOT a threat to society??? I was completely blown away and I just nodded my head to get her to wrap-​up our session so I could get the hell out of there. She said that there are many vets who refuse to put perfectly healthy dogs down but she’s not one of them. My dog is not a threat. In fact, he sat perfectly at my feet throughout this entire discussion so she was suggesting such a horrendous option without actually witnessing aggression.
I was so disgusted by my experience that I’m never returning. They are overpriced, unfriendly, money-​hungry, and condescending. They gave me the perfect excuse to finally just leave.

I USED to go to Animal General. for many years .Used to is the key phrase
dog got really sick and we had to go to a Specialist. After almost 25 years with Dr Howell, he NEVER noticed that we left. never even cared. After almost 25 years of caring for my cats and dog. referring patients. and being overcharged.
The front desk staff is lovely, but that is NOT why I use a Vet. and that Office manager; OMG. what a tyrant.
Just an fyi, my new Vet is much nicer, less expensive and cares about my animals. Animal General don’t let the door hit you in the ass …

Go somewhere else, this place is the WORST.
The only good thing about this place is the front desk staff; they are super nice and helpful and always friendly.
The vets on the other hand are miserable, pushy and condescending. The routinely comment on how my dog has the wrong haircut (umm really? I didn’t realize they were expert groomers) while they should be more focused on treating the issue I brought him in for.
Disagree with their recommendations and treatment plan? They will go out of their way to make sure you feel like you are a terrible pet owner and they know best because they went to vet school. For example, they needed to check him for a fever. I had already taken his temp and it was normal. That wasn’t good enough for them, they felt the need to take it again to make sure «I did it right» (is there a wrong way to stick a thermometer up my dogs butt?). Surprise surprise, they got the same reading as I did and my poor pup was traumatized in the process.
I like to conservatively treat my dog for issues because I don’t think he needs 4 different tests and 5 different medicines for a small issue. This makes their head explode. The vets here will push you to get a million different tests or biopsies and other expensive treatment right of the bat.
Maybe if you are willing to blindly follow their treatment plans without question and don’t mind bending over and letting them give it to you while you hand over you wallet, then this place is great. But if you actually want to have a say in your pets care and work with your vet and not against them, go somewhere else.

Agree about good quality… at a high (NYC typical?) price. Also agree that they do more than needed so that they can charge for it.
Also, I don’t mind paying for a good value, but please ask first before doing something you will charge for. ie say we would like to do this. Here is the estimate. Is this okay? Before going ahead with something. And tell your clients when your policies change.
Found them a year ago, when they were advertising that their exam fee ($ 80) included vaccinations. Went there and was pleased with service.
Go again for my yearlies, expecting the price to be the same after all said and done ($ 150), and it was close to double that. And they give you a look when you say something about it. Glad I didn’t have an actual medical issue. Love the service, and the speed, but I have a budget, and don’t feel I should have to interject «how much are you charging for x?» every second. Next year they will probably add an appointment fee as well.
Will look for better value.

Just took my dog here to get 2 shots that I knew she needed updated. First, I waited in the waiting room for 30 minutes for my appointment. Once I was in the exam room, I told the vet what I needed done. While we were talking about the shots, she was petting my dog, feeling her skin, and listening to her heartbeat. I thought she was being nice and just looking her over to administer the shot. My dog was obviously very healthy and I told her that she wasn’t experiencing any issue, just needing her shots.
After listening to how she needed a fecal exam, a heart worm exam, and kennel cough vaccinations, the vet took my dog and told me to wait in the waiting room. My dog is brought out and the bill is handed over.
Magically, $ 170 worth of charges show up on the bill. The shots each cost $ 25. What is this shit, you say? While she was asking me about the shots for my dog, apparently she was giving her a wellness exam and thought she’d take it upon herself to give her the extra kennel cough shot.
I tried to dispute the charges but it was to no avail.
The vet is nice and seems knowledgeable but they are extremely manipulative. Hide ya dollas! They will snatch them anyway they can.

My dog injured his leg on a Saturday and I was afraid it was broken or that the injury was serious so I wanted to get him looked at before work started again on Monday and he had to go back in to daycare. Many of the vets in the area charge $ 150 or more just for the weekend walk-​in, or are just closed altogether, but I called Animal General on Sunday morning at 9 am and they said they could see him at 11:30 and the visit would cost $ 60. Wow! Much better price, and they were very nice. While it was definitely a bit of a wait in the waiting room, I REALLY appreciate them being open 7 days a week and being cost effective. We saw Dr. Howell and he was a super sweet, thorough and knowledgable doctor, and didn’t push anything unnecessary either. I feel much better after having him seen. We will definitely be back even though it is not the closest vet to us. Thank you Animal General!

So my normal vet was closed and I needed to take my asthmatic cat somewhere ASAP. Unfortunately I walked the 10 blocks down to Animal General.
I handed my kitty over and said «she has asthma and needs to be in your oxygen chamber.» Now somehow they felt the need to do 2 x-​rays «to make sure there was no obstruction» and some other such tests… so by the time I talked to the vet, we had wracked up a $ 300 bill! So the vet comes in and says «ok, well there’s no obstruction… it does appear that it is asthma.» I was confused… I live with a cat with asthma… obviously I knew that it was asthma when I walked in.
THEN they said they’d like to do an expensive blood test to find out if Tilly (my cat) was one of a small percentage of cats that cannot tolerate prednesone (sp?) and requires predneseline (sp?). I asked how much the drugs would cost me and was told «They are the same price, $ 10» Are you serious??? Just give her the drug for cat’s that cannot tolerate the other. Why should I pay $ 150 to find out which $ 10 drug she should take? I felt like I was there to spend money just to satisfy the vet’s curiosity!
I never returned to Animal General after that, but once I mentioned it to a few pet owners in my building I found out that this story is all too common. MY vet, Symphony Vet Center, would have charged me $ 20 to put her in oxygen for an hour until she felt better. I hope Animal General is happy that they got that money out of me. They would have done better charging me less so that I came back the next time.

I’ve been using AG for the past 5 years and my dog has received amazing care, but like everything else in NY if its worth it is going to be expensive.
However, the doctors could not be nicer and I would recommend them to anyone I know.

The service is good. The staff is well informed but clearly pushes for extra work and analysis than needed:
Two days overnight, I came out with close to 2000 USD. My pet was on antibiotics, fluids and pepci AC IV. I am grateful he is back home but still not convinced it needed to incur such an exorbitant bill.
We all love our pets, and this is the UWS, I know but still …

Our kitty hates getting in her carrier and into a taxi, but the nice people at Animal General always greet her like a rock star and put her right at ease. Kitty has seen several vets there and they always tell you everything they are doing and communicate what you need to know very clearly.
Going to the vet is never cheap, but I don’t really expect it to be. However, right now AG is doing vaccines for free because of the recession.

We have been taking our cat to Animal General since 2000, and I believe this one of the vet practices in NYC. Everyone on staff, from the veterinarians to the nurses to the front desk and office staff, are just fantastic. Our cat has been to animal general for both routine care and emergencies over the years and she has always been treated with the best care, and we have always been treated with respect and compassion.
Going to the vet can be stressful, and this is the place to go for the best care for your pet.