Humane Society of New York

Despite all the good and the bad reviews of the Humane Society of NY, my experience was horrendous. I always thought vets were compassionate and caring but Dr. Schwartz was neither. She wouldn’t even look at my cats past medical history after I offered them to her multiple times. She did however give me a list of websites to look at to see if I could figure out what was wrong with cat and she did refer me to the most expensive animal hospital in NY instead of the ASPCA. All she had to do was ask for a respitory disease panel, to figure out what was wrong. It took me going to another vet to get that. If you must go, ask not to see Dr. Schwartz. I’ve heard there are other great vets there but she was not one of them. Lastly, there are vets that do offer program for low cost care. There are options, you just need to ask!

Despite some negative reviews posted about the Humane Society of New York, their treatment of my 8 year old pug was excellent. After taking my dog here 3 times, I can tell you that the staff genuinely cares about the animals. And when I was speaking to other pet owners at the waiting room, all of them praised how wonderful the Humane Society is and that they have been taking their pets here for many years. That to me speaks volume about the Humane Society.
I on the contrary did not encounter any rude or disrespectful staff, and the vet’s treatment of my dog was excellent. I thought that the staff was very friendly, helpful and informative, and that the services I received from Dr. Hershberg and her assistant Nicole was top notch. Besides top notch services, it was really affordable (initial checkup, rabies shot, meds, lab work, dental work, etc), in comparison to what other vets are charging w/​in NYC.
Yes, the only disadvantage is that you have to be patient and wait (making reservations on the phone, waiting for the vet to see your pet, surgery, check out process/​pick your dog up after surgery, etc). Please try to understand that they are in such high demand with a limited amount of staff, waiting is something one has to expect. But trust me it is worth the wait. For me, the wait was not horrendous, and time flew by. To make time go by, why not try bringing something to read, or play a game on your phone, or have a nice chat with other pet owners.
I am very grateful and happy to have found this place, and I will continue to take my dog here. If you want to take your pet to a place that cares, and does a good job at a reasonable price — I highly recommend the Humane Society!!!

Please do not subject yourself to the incredible frustration of dealing with the Humane Society of New York. Every interaction with them takes eight times as long as it should. Every phone call, every simple request, every appointment takes SO much longer than it would take a competent staff to manage such basic things.
Expect to wait at least an hour even when you have an appointment. Expect to be on hold for at least 20 minutes every time you call. Their operator will willingly transfer your call to a line that no one ever answers. The voicemail box is full and cannot accept new messages. They will not call with test results when they say they will. You must call and wait for 20 minutes to get through to someone, if you can get through to someone at all.
They’re just always understaffed, which I’m sure is due to funding being tight, but they make absolutely no attempt whatsoever to speed things along.

I called on a Sunday morning and they were completely booked for the day. But my cat showed signs of a possible UTI, and having had him treated just 3 weeks prior for blockage at the ASPCA i was extremely worried. I let the attendant i spoke with on the phone know of my concerns and she placed me on hold. when she came back she let me know that they would be squeezing me in for the afternoon, completely relieved i thanked her.
upon getting there at 1:30 i checked in and filled out quick paper work since this was my first visit. i showed up half an hour early and only waited an hour before my cat was seen, they did blood work immediately and then told me to wait a half an hour for results, true to their word withing the 30 min they let me know what was going on and decided we should leave him over night. i got a phone call first thing this am on his condition and they let me know i could pick him up this afternoon. So far i am completely relieved and satisfied with their help.
I will update when i pick up my cat.

It’s awesome that they provide low-​cost care for people’s pets. We brought my boyfriend’s dog here and they took really good care of him. If I wanted a pet, I’d definitely adopt from here, and I would also donate to this shelter if I was rich — I’m sure they could use the help!

My two chihuahuas have been coming here for 6 years. Yes you have to wait a long time. Guess what? It’s a clinic. What do you expect?
Yes there are numerous vets that see too many patients a day. But if you find a vet you like than request him/​her! I see the same woman every time I go.
My dogs were neutered and spayed here and they were amazing. This is the one place I trust my animals to be taken care of. I tried an expensive vet in Astoria and was appalled by their lack of care, and I will never go back.
The Humane society really does care about animals and are willing to always discuss my concerns and talk me through everything they are doing.

Took a pigeon with a lower beak that had broken off to the Humane Society and was told that he was fine. He wasn’t fine… he couldn’t eat because of his broken beak. The vet then said, «He’s just a pigeon. Nobody cares about pigeons.» And there you have it. The lobby smells like decay and the smell is so strong you can’t breathe. This isn’t the first problem I’ve had there. A cat I brought in to be spayed developed a severe infection. It would be a different thing if I thought they were trying their best, but this latest vet’s dismissive reaction proves otherwise.

Took both of my dogs here to get nuetered. They came home with no issues, but about 3 days later one of my boys started having complications, he got hospitalized there for 2 days, he was put on 3 different antibiotcs until they figured out he had a staph infection. He was oozing and bleeding from his incision site.
I ended up having to take him back after his surgery about 3 or 4 times, I absoutly dreaded every visit. The waiting room is HORRIBLE!!! Even the day I picked him up from being hospitalized I waited 1 ½ hours just for them to walk my dog out to me in the waiting room!!! The dog walkers that work there are kind of rude too! They have to walk the dogs out the front door to go outside and one time one guy told me to «watch it», the second time (same guy) told me to «watch your dog», my dog was fine and standing right by my side, the other dog snapped at mine!
After I took my dog home he still had to come back for rechecks, he would see a differnt vet everyime and I would have to rexplain what happened. Each time they would give me a different answer or prescribe him a diffent medicine.
I seriously would never come back here, I dont blame the infection on the clinic, even my regular vet said it could have happened anywhere I went, and my other dogs nueter was fine. My negative review is really for customer service, wait times, and staff. The only reason I gave an extra star was bc for all the hospitilaztions, after care, meds, etc. they didnt charge me for anything, due to all the complications.

Very low prices for Manhattan, and great doctors especially Dr. Yaron Schmid, who has seen my dog multiple times (for check-​ups, dental cleaning and neutering). They’re very busy so telephone waits and scheduling appointments reflect that. Though waiting time is not long at all, the waiting area is always packed, and not necessarily the cleanest in my opinion, (perhaps because I’m a clean freak). I would definitely keep my furbaby in a cage/​bag until the examination room, which are indeed well– maintained and clean. For such high volume, the staff is overall nice and caring. Would definitely recommend.

This place is awful. So this is my story and I hope everyone out there hears it to make everyone aware of the kind of people that work here. Our rescue beagle Daisy had many health problems after we found her. The only place my family can afford is the Human Society and so we heard from another vet to go here. It all started when we took Daisy to a private vet where they diagnosed her with pyometra but said it would be extremely expensive to treat it. The vet there referred us to this place because it was cheaper and could probably save her life. So we took her to a vet here and the staff at the front, a woman named Brenda (very nasty and rude, laughed at us). We were seen by Dr. Dasbach. We told him we think our dog has pyometra from the way she is acting. He checked her, did X-​rays, and blood work. He told us «she just has an inflamed pancreas but so sign of pyometra». My partner, mother and I were all very relieved to hear this. He told us to give her different food and didn’t prescribe anything and said to come back in a few days. Few days passed and guess what? Daisy was even worse. She looked like she was about to die. We took her back and another female doctor named Dr. Hershberg saw her and eventually said, «oh she has pyometra». I explained how I knew it and another doctor even told us before, but she just brushed it off to avoid the situation. They performed emergency surgery which I was very pleased with them at this point even after she was initially misdiagnosed by Dr. Dasbach. They put us on a payment plan.
Eventually, my cat Simba was also very sick and it turned out he had a tumor in his left kidney. We put Simba to sleep here after they refused to treat him because they feared of complications. One of the managers Sarah didn’t want to treat him and even deleted Simba’s records after she said no as we found out when we put him to sleep later on. I remember this because the managers do NOT communicate with the doctors as they were asking for his records, but oh? They weren’t there when it was time to put him down. We felt like we had no other option because of the money situation. This happened on May 23^rd 2015. RIP Simba.
I had signed for my cat’s remains to be cremated individually. I called the crematorium they are affiliated with 4 times and their service said they would leave messages for the manager. Simba was mistakingly cremated as a group. After I called them the first time, the person who answered the phone listened to all my requests and said they would deliver the message and the crematorium call me back. The third time I called, I even told them it was an emergency and they said they would get in contact with the man who picks up the remains. They got back to me and said they did and that «IT WAS NOT AN EMERGENCY SITUATION». The fourth time I called, the manager Lisa had to say was «OMG, I’m so sorry. this never happens. We always get all our messages, especially ones like yours. Would you like a death certificate?».Um no I would like my cats remains back. We had a falling out. Now keep in mind, this was the crematorium. A separate establishment from the Humane Society, but they are apparently buddy buddy based on how the Humane Society rejected my sick dog afterwards.
Today, Daisy is sick again. She cries when getting up in certain positions. We carried my dog that was in pain to the car, drove all the way to Manhattan to get some help at the Humane Society. We go in and ask for help for Daisy who is in pain. The receptionist tells us to go wait in the lobby for a manager to see if we can be seen. A woman named Sandra who is by the way, the executive manger of the place comes out and says, «you can’t be seen today because we only have one doctor and you can’t come here anymore for services». My mother and I our shocked as we asked if it was because of our money situation and that we will find a way to pay them if it’s that, and all she says is «no it’s not the money, some of the doctors don’t feel like you listen… I don’t know the situation, the other manager Joey who isn’t here knows it». This woman is the head executive manager by the way, but oh, she doesn’t know?!? My mom and I got angry as they weren’t giving us a chance nor did they explain why they will no longer allow us to come there. She then made up excuses on how we use threatening language?!? What? Last time we were here my family was in tears because my cat was put to sleep because he had cancer. Afterwards, Sarah came out and was extremely rude and didn’t give us our records nor explained anything, stating,“I have no time to speak to you”. At this point, why should we not be furious? I told them I could come up with the money, they said no. I asked them why, they didn’t want to explain. Humane Society? I think not. My dog is in pain and they refused us, humiliated us and treated us like crap. It is not humane to refuse an in-​pain dog. If only we could have settled things for the sake of Daisy

Some of the reviews are a bit harsh. The Humane Society offers the cheapest veterinary service in New York City and is a VERY high traffic facility. With the number of people they interact with on a daily basis I can forgive the perceived rudeness.
Most of the vets are excellent although I have mixed feelings on one of them.
My only two wishes are that they would offer emergency vet services. The only options in NYC are INSANELY expensive. Also, they should redesign their waiting/​staff area to be better organized and efficient.
BUT– If your animal is already a patient of theirs they WILL go out of their way to get you seen the same or next day in an emergency. So I won’t fault them on this.

We’ve been coming here for the past 8 years. Although it’s a drive from White Plains, we don’t mind getting the service that our dog needs here.
Waiting is very minimal and I get to chat with other «Mommies» there while we wait
Dr. Hirschberg (My apologies if I misspelled your name) as well as her assistant Nicole! who is very sweet and took ver good care of our dog.
You check your little one in, and in all honestly, as mentioned earlier, we only waited about 15 or so minutes.
Thank you so much

I got my dog neutered here and it was quick and easy. One day operation, $ 125 and they even tattooed him with a little green dot to show that it was done. A great money saver and seriously, there is NO NEED to pay exorbitant vet prices in NYC. I highly recommend everyone go here for altering your dog. Save some money and buy your puppy treats instead!

Steve at the front desk is a wonderful asset to the clinic! He greeted me warmly even though I probably looked stressed. I was having difficulties with another female staff member who answered my call a few days earlier. she was short and dismissive on the phone and actually never even pulled up my information in computer-​just pretended to and said «no worries»!! So I was patient and waited and waited but my concerns were urgent: I had to get approval to refill my beloved 17 year old cat named Currrys Thyroid prescription. I had run out completely. Her lack of caring and professionalism costed me a four days of having no medication. So I decided to make the train ride in from Brooklyn on my day off. The five stars here goes to Steve! He got to the bottom of what the hold up was and did everything he promised to do, talk to Currys vet personality, Dr. Dasbach, who I also like, made phone calls, and called me back ASAP to let me know the situation had been resolved. He went the extra mile, he actually cared, a rare quality in today’s busy world. I am very grateful! Thanks Steve and Dr Dasbach!
Update: Dr Dasbach committed suicide after being publicly arrested by this institution. My heart breaks for such an unfortunate event.

I was looking to adopt a cat, and although I went with the ASPCA, I had to leave a review to tell everyone how awesome, helpful and considerate the adoption staff is here.
They take care of the cats and dogs here. All the pets up for adoption had been seen and treated by a veterinarian.
They take great care to evaluate the animals personalities to make a good match with the people who adopt.
They also are very friendly and did a great job of expediting the adoptive paperwork even when very busy late in the day.
I would definitely look here for a new pet, addition to your family.

Scruffles and I have been coming here for bout 6 years now after relocating from LA. Sure, there’s a long wait and its generally pretty crowded but the vets are professional, caring, thorough and the prices just cannot be beat! We see Dr Schmidt and he is conscientious and has great bedside manners.
Scruffles has done everything from vaccinations, dental cleaning, cyst removal, nails, anal glands, etc and I always trust she is in good hands. I was extremely impressed when one time after her surgery, I was waiting for the pick up phone call and the surgeon noticed Scruffles was still waiting in her kennel. Unbeknownst to me, the clinic had already closed but she called me, then waited at the clinic to avoid Scruffles being locked in there overnight, which would’ve been very traumatic for her (and I!)
Schedule appointments a few months in advance because they are really jam packed!

The Humane Society is SO MUCH BETTER than the ASPCA. They are truly low cost (unlike ASPCA) and their vets are truly expert, experienced vets (unlike ASPCA).
I had 3 cats spayed and neutered here, as well as taken in for several other things on different occasions, and couldn’t be more pleased. I think it’s the best care you can get for your pet.
The location is out of the way, and the wait can be long, but nonetheless this place is worth it, and I’ve become a loyal client.

I found really nice staff & knowledgeable Japanese veterinarian, Dr. Shingo Soeda! It was quick and reasonable price to do my cat’s IC-​tip, vaccination and check ups (around $ 100)! Although you cannot change your appointment time once you made it and you have to prepay for it, it is still very good deal for this quality service. I’ll come back again!
ここには日本人の添田しんご先生と言う獣医さんがいらっしゃいます。 日本にペットを連れて帰る際の、検査や書類のことなどを300件ぐらい扱ったそうで、それらのことを、よくご存じです。 しかも、獣医さんとのアポイントメントが40ドル、ICチップやワクチンもそれぞれ35ドル前後ととてもリーズナブルですので、かなりお勧めです。ただし、電話で予約をして支払いをして飛躍してなくてはいけないことと、基本的に予約時間の変更はできません。

Came here for a regular exam and tests for feline leukemia & toxoplasmosis for my cat Tofu.
Most info you can get from
. I wish that they put their prices online as well for clarity.
* Stool test (Giardia/​Ova Parasite): $ 49 (Prices range from $ 10-​$ 50– so make sure you know what you want for your pet)
* Toxoplasmosis IGG/​IGM $ 90
* Testing for Feline Leukemia: $ 33
Pros:
* Easy to make an appointment over the phone, never waited more than a couple of minutes to reach an agent. To ensure follow-​through you have to pay an upfront nonrefundable exam fee of $ 40 with a credit card.
* My appt for 10:15 was pushed back about 15 minutes due to high volume of patients before mine, which wasn’t bad
* Although a bit small & cramped (especially when there a lot of patients and waiting in line in the narrow corridor during checkout), the clinic is clean and staff is very friendly and attentive
Overall had a good experience and will definitely come back.

Humane Society deserves major props. You can tell that everyone is overworked and stressed — the staff is always in a frenzy! Multi-​tasking to the max. Patient files and meds are processed and passed at every turn. There is a constant flow of puppies and kitties in and out of the door, literally every 30 seconds. Vets are yelling out for tests to be done, pet owners are bothering the front desk incessantly about wait times, etc. Yet, every single staff member I have encountered has been courteous, professional and helpful. I don’t know how they do it!
I came here for the first time after I moved back to Manhattan last year. My poor Bobo bear started peeing everywhere and it turned out he had kidney failure. Dr. Schmid was extremely helpful and sympathetic during the whole ordeal, up until when I had to put him down, which was one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make. He cleared out a private room so that I could have time to say goodbye and also gave me Bobo’s paw print for keepsake. which was just so thoughtful.
Since Bobo’s passing, there are now 3 pets in my household, two kitties and a pup! I actually picked up one of the kitties this past Sunday (I found the poor little guy in Cold Springs after hiking) and took him to Humane Society for his check-​up today. Dr. Schmid was as great as I remembered. So easy to talk to and super thorough. Kitty had a clean bill of health!
Few things to note;
1) MAKE AN APPOINTMENT. If you just walk in, you will pretty much be told leave, unless your pet is foaming at the mouth or something. They won’t be able to fit you in because they literally see as many pets as they can in one day, which explains the long wait times. You shouldn’t come here if it’s a legit emergency. Call and then press 0 to skip the long automated message, or email them with your requests.
2) Reserve about a half day for your visit. Wait times may take awhile but it’s really not a big deal because…
3) Visits are $ 40! You will not find cheaper, anywhere. You have to pay at the time of appointment, no exceptions! Their other procedures are super affordable too. I inquired about kitty’s future neutering and was told it was $ 62.
Luckily for Humane Society’s low cost visits, I can afford to have all of my pets and be a responsible pet owner, woo!