East End Veterinary Emergency & Specialty Center

I wish I could give them NO star. After bring my 7 month old cat with a severely mangled and degloved front paw to a local vet in East Hampton (they will have another review) and was told it was beyond their scope, they directed me too the EEVEC. when I arrived they acted as though they were going to be nothing but kind, caring and have the best interest in my cat. they took us in an exam room and told me the surgeon would not be in till Sunday or Monday in the mean time they would take xrays and keep her comfortable till that time. then the shocker I come out and am presented with an estimate for 1200. to 1350 dollars. I was then told I must pay the lower estimate IN FULL before the would work on my cat. At this point they had done 0 work. So i figure ok so 12 to 13 hundred dollars they are going to fix my cat up. I told them I did not have that amount of money but I could leave them a check until I could square away Care Credit to pay this bill. The front office staff said ok and I told them I would contact them on Monday to arrange payment. When I called I asked the front office staff to have billing contact me… they never did. I called again after 9 am spoke to billing and told them I would have the arrangements for the bill latter in the day so do not deposit my check. They told me too late they already did. Then I spoke to the surgeon who gave me two options for my cat. reconstructive surgery (for around $ 50,000.00) or a total amputation (10,000.00). When I told them I could not afford either of those options I asked if I could just take my cat home and see how she heals they said yes but I would need to drive 50 miles everyday to change the bandage. (I decided I would find someone closer or do it myself.) So back to billing and they tel me they have another ESTIMATE for 1500) so my total bill for my cat is 1500 to stay in the vet center for two and a half days, get some xrays have her wound cleaned and bandaged a couple of times? NO THAT WAS IN ADDITION TO THE 1150 the already charged me. Bottom line it cost over 2100 for my cat to sit in the center for two days while they tried to get me to spend 10s of thousands of dollars. They wanted 3275 at first to release my cat. and wound not do it till I paid in full. the system of the ESTIMATES is confusing they present an estimate never a bill but close that out give you another estimate that does not reflect anything from the previous estimates. These owners are greedy and just out to get as much out of your wallet as the can and have train the staff well at the art of double talk and confusion. Bottom line they did little for my cat and took alot of money find somewhere else to go.

Around Thanksgiving/​Christmas 2014 my dog was diagnosed with heart disease. I brought my ten year old lab to find out my options. At the time I did not have pet insurance and couldn’t afford anything quite expensive. After waiting for about 30 mins we finally saw Dr Parente and a vet tech they suggested and pressured me into doing elaborate testing including multiple sonograms and x-​rays. They took my dog from me and said they would complete the tests within a hour. Well we waited for two hours which most of it I could hear my dog in the back barking excessively. When the vet tech called us in she provided no empathy and simply stated that my lab was in critical condition and that he needs emergency surgery. I told them no i cant afford a 10k surgery so this young lady turns to me and says maybe you need to put him down then! That’s when I flipped out and demanded that they bring me back my dog. I was livid, the vet tech continued to prevent me from seeing MY DOG. Finally after i threw a fit she brought me my dog and demanded I signed paperwork stating that i’m taking the dog home against medical advice and discharging him. Well I never admitted him, so I walked out of there and went back to my own vet, where our dog went on medication and it prolonged his life a few more months.
My recommendation is that the Staff at East End learn empathy and learn how to discuss options with clients and not just simply say the first thing that comes to mind. DO NOT go to this place they are overpriced and promise you via phone that they will work with you, LIARS!

I wish I could put a negative star rating here. We brought our 13yr old shepherd/​husky mix here with we didn’t know what. Turns out it was bloat. His stomach was completely turned and twisted blocking his organs from anything. We couldn’t afford the $ 7k plus they wanted to charge us for the surgery so they told us they would try «non-​surgical» ways. Well after about 3 days of pain and suffering he died. :(They charged us over $ 3500!!! What the disgusting part of this is that after some research it seems there IS NO OTHER TREATMENT BESIDES SURGERY!!! When we refused to pay Rothman took us to court. These people don’t care about anything but the almighty dollar! AVOID THEM IF AT ALL POSSIBLE!!! THEY HAVE NO MORALS!!! SOUL-​LESS!

DO NOT TAKE YOUR PET HERE IF YOU CARE ABOUT THEM. Please read our terrible experience. My five year old French bull dog had an ultrasound at another office and the results were forwarded over to this veterinary hospital. We never saw a copy of the results. Dr. Lombardi and Dr. Jäger failed to disclose our dog had cancer and played on our emotional state over our sick dog to get us to comply with «exploratory surgery» for what they told us and explained that it was a blockage and intestinal issues. We were charged an astronomical price to have him undergo emergency surgery, told us it was a blockage with severe intestinal issues, he could survive, and Dr. Lombardi said it was a 95% NOT cancer. That was the only time the mention of cancer was brought up during our consultation. While our dog was cut open on the table we were told it was cancer and we put our dog to sleep. After the loss of our dog, we went up to EEV a few days later to get our dogs records as something didn’t sit right with me. After I asked for my dogs records I asked how they could justify a bill knowing our dog had cancer (he had a 16cm/​6inch tumor and was only 18 pds in his intestinal area– with the xrays and ultrasound report– how could they not see the size of this mass). We had received our ultrasound results from the other vet’s office because when I asked Dr. Vitash– co-​owner/​director who came out to speak to us, he said they did not have the ultrasound report?! Hmm… shocking and convenient. How did they NOT have a copy of the ultrasound yet that is where they got my dog’s assessment from…
Dr. Vitash (who sweet talked us out of the office when I started getting upset about records mysteriously missing) told me he would review the audio/​camera tapes in the office and get back to us. He said he felt terrible regarding our dog and he wanted us to be satisfied with their care. He told me he saw the pain in my eyes (another sweet talk line out of his mouth). He told us he would sit down with his team and either wipe the bill out or take half as his responsibility. He told me he would call in three days.
During the three day waiting period (for Gal Vitash to call back) after we had already put our dog down, I retrieved the ultrasound report from the other vet and right away my husband and I noticed that the overall assessment pointed to cancer and discussed the mass as lymphoma and large, severe and to «Warn of PTE» (short for cancer). They had told us our dog had a blockage through our emotional visit which prompted us to elect surgery because we were given false hope he would survive.
Dr. Gal Vitash called in two days (rather than the three he stated) and the first question he asked me is where I work?! Initially when I had gone into the office it asked to list my place of employment. Obviously Dr. Vitash was checking me out to see if I could pay the bill when the bill wasn’t the issue! They performed unnecessary surgery on a dog that weighed 18 pds and had a 6inch tumor! They knew it was cancer and they led us to believe otherwise to get their money’s worth out of us! Dr Vitash told me I was «under the impression» that it was a blockage and I misheard what they were explaining that Dr. Lombardi did address it was cancer. Dr. Lombardi did tell us it was cancer, after our dog was laid to rest but not during the initial consultation. When I asked him if I could come in and view the videotapes, he told me his rate is $ 400 an hour and he would need to charge me. I replied that he is a vet and I am not an animal so why would he charge me so much to justify that we were told a wrong diagnosis?!
IF YOU LOVE YOUR PET, do not take them to EEV. This place is a disgrace and Dr. Vitash, Dr. Lombardi and Dr. Jäger should be ashamed of themselves. You don’t take advantage of people’s emotional state to «sell a surgery» and hide a diagnosis of CANCER! My dog did not deserve to end his life this way. He deserved to be put to rest peacefully. Not cut open for their monetary gain.

I can’t begin to explain the wonderful care my dog received during a recent life-​threatening emergency. They were literally waiting out front when we arrived and were quick yet calm in assessing the situation. She spent 4 days in the hospital so we met with numerous different doctors, techs and nurses, all of whom were kind and compassionate and above all, patient with my many questions and concerns.
Yes, its expensive but it’s no different then visiting the ER versus your regular doctor. Most of the animals being seen here have serious medical emergencies and waiting until Monday is not an option. Unlike your normal vet you do have to pay upfront (half of the projected high end) but I imagine that’s a result of customers not paying in the past. I actually ended up getting a refund since they were careful about doing tests. And yes they do have vets on 24÷7− since not all animals get sick between 9 – 5 and some animals need round the clock care and monitoring, as was the case with my dog (2am was one of her dosing times).
I can’t speak highly enough of the staff and facilities here. Although we never want or are prepared for our pets to get sick there is peace of mind knowing such a fabulous facility exists.

My dog Hannah drank too much water while swimming in the pool and was in very bad shape. She was experiencing severe hyponatremia so I rushed her to the Vet. They kept her overnight and only did necessary tests. Next day she was back to normal. The Vet on duty was intelligent and kind. The front desk lady wasn’t nice but it was understandable because the ER was packed and she was stressed out. I did have to pay in advance but didn’t mind because my dog was sick and I would have done anything to get her well. Total cost was $ 900 for EKG, blood work and overnight stay. I recommend this place and would go again in an emergency.

Misleading presentation of estimated costs and outrageously expensive… they charged over $ 2000 for a stay of less than 24 hours for our dog who they diagnosed with «gastroenteritis»…basically an upset stomach.

This place was great when my dog had an emergency out on North Fork. They were very thorough and importantly, sympathetic and human towards me, the pet owner, who was freaking out. They treated me and my dog with kindness, both the receptionist and the vet, and they followed up with phone calls and test results. The vet and technician went out of their way to make sure my dog was comfortable and safe, and reassurred me without bsing me. These are good people.

For weeks I have been trying to find an unbiased way to talk about this place. Have not found one yet. They charged me $ 4500.00! Which as it turns out is typical for a 2 to 3 day stay.
This is a very expensive operation. They have vets there ²⁴⁄₇. The vets also drive very nice cars. If money is no object and you have a few extra thousand kicking around come right in. Otherwise see your vet on Monday.
You will get what you pay for. But it will not change why your pet is sick and money may not cure the problem. Also the prescriptions filled here cost 10x more than online vet pharmacies. In speaking with my regular vet he hinted they may have run some tests which would come back with redundant answers.