Tufts Veterinary Emergency Treatment and Specialties

My geriatric dog had a serious neck injury and he was in a lot of pain, so at about 9pm we made the trip to Tufts to get him checked out and get him some good pain meds. Under the circumstances, it couldn’t have been a better visit. Literally everyone I dealt with that night was very sympathetic to the pain my dog was in– you could tell you were amongst animal lovers. I was treated kindly– the receptionists (I’m sorry I can’t remember any of their names!) offered coffee or water and a choice in tv shows in the waiting room, and when I asked for possible suggestions of where to begin my search for a primary vet (I have recently moved back to the area), they were so helpful and reassuring. Dr. Taylor was absolutely compassionate and informative without being pushy– she couldn’t have had a better bedside manner, and she treated my dog with very obvious love and care.

If you look at Ming L’s review, you’ll get a good sense of what Tufts in Walpole is like in an emergency situation. Up-​charging pet owners with unnecessary, lengthy or expensive treatments. Lack of follow-​up. Poor communication with my dog’s primary vet. An attitude – ie., the pet-​owner is always wrong. I brought my dog here for a quick blood panel because my vet was concerned he wouldn’t be able to get results right away. (It was a Wednesday. He wanted them before the weekend.) Well, they did the blood panel. But I didn’t get the results for more than a week. In fact, I had to track down the vet and get the info sent to my dog’s primary. This «premium» service cost about $ 1000. All along they kept suggesting MRI’s, an endoscopy, an internal medicine follow-​up. About $ 5000 more in unnecessary stuff. What a racket. Very disappointed in what I understood to be a first-​rate veterinary hospital.

A few years ago my dog Max on a Sunday morning needed a Hemilaminectomy surgical procedure. A local Vet said it would cost $ 10,000. I asked for financial assistance then I was told they could perform the surgery for $ 8,000 when I asked if they knew of any organizations that could help with the costs they said no. (I learned afterwards there are a few organizations that can help) I was left with a choice to pay $ 8,000 in two days or euthanize my dog. (My family was crying all night)
No compassion what so ever from the local vet. The vet said to go home and think about it. We called around and found Tufts Vets in Walpole. We were told by our first Vet the better outcome diminishes with time. We brought Max to Tufts on Monday night. A really late time for a good outcome. We expected the worse. The Tufts Vets performed the surgery and to our amazement our dog Max who arrived without the ability to walk within a few months had almost a compete recovery !!
The only thing he no longer can do is jump up on the couch which is something he should not have been doing in the first place. They saved his life ! Max is a Pekingese
and is 12 years old this year. I will always be grateful for the skilled and compassionate Drs and staff at Tufts. (The surgery cost was $ 4,000 and we received help with Care Credit who were generous enough to increase our limit to help with the surgical costs !!

Short story: KEEP YOUR PET AWAY FROM HERE
Tufts seems to have a great reputation, which is what brought us here. How they have maintained their reputation is beyond me. Our experience from beginning to end was nothing less than completely dispicable.
Long story:
We brought our dog in on a weeknight to the ER for evaluation. Two docs who seemed like they knew what they were doing, listened to us and asked us questions, did some quick tests on him and then told us they would like to keep him for the night for «further testing’». we said no, and they advised that we bring him back the following morning to be admitted for the day. They said they would take care of all the information since it would no longer be them in the morning, but a new set of hands and doctors which would be seeing him. We PRE-​PAID the night before and arranged everythying for the morning.
I showed up less than 10 hours later with him, and it was as if we had never been there the previous night. None of his information had been passed along, and no notes were left as was promised by the doctor. The «new» doctor came to see the dog and had no idea what he was there for. I had to try to relay all the medical talk and words I could remember from the previous doctor and try to explain as best I could. I was very uncomfortable and uneasy with the fact that they were this lazy and unorganized. Also thinking that they were relying on me to explain to them what was wrong with my dog? Then I was ofcourse asked to pay, and explained we had already paid. She said they had nothing in their system. I luckily had the receipt in my car and was able to prove we paid. ($ 700)
This «style» of unorganization, mis-​information, complications, un-​professionalism, lack of customer service, no bedside manner continued during every time we had to call them or come in. This made everything so much more stressful for us and really made the whole process excruciatingly difficult. We not only had to worry about our dog but if the information was being relayed, who was taking care of him and if what we were being told was accurate.
After keeping our dog for the day, they called yet again and said they wanted to keep him for the night. Over $ 1,000. He now was with yet ANOTHER doctor who was on his case. She was extremely cold to us over the phone and made us pull teeth to get explanations of what she was talking about and referring to. She did not provide us with the information we needed. She called to diagnose him and said she would leave us «information packets to pick up» instead of explaining it to us by her, a DOCTOR. She did not leave us any information packets.
When we picked the dog up, he was having a reaction in his eye due to a certain eye drop she was putting in his eye without our consent. He looked like he had been punched in the eye and it was bulging out his face. We looked at him and immediately asked what was going on and what had happened. I couldnt contain myself from crying. The vet assistant looked at the dog and acted surprised, saying «oh wow, it wasnt like that before» we asked him to take the dog back to the doctor to look at it. He came back 5 minutes later saying the vet said she «didn’t have much expereince with the drops. but to keep using them»
We immediately took him off the drops and his eye immediately went down.
We were given a wierd serum liquid that we were to give to him to «ease his stomach» he had been vomiting after we were very careful with everything .I was convinced this is what was making him sick. We googled and it said used to treat «vaginal diseases» in humans and to avoid getting in eyes or mouth. We immediately took him off of this and he has not gotten sick since.
We were then prescribed medications that she again did not explain to us. Yesterday by accident the dog was given full pills instead of his «prescribed» amount of ¼ and ½ pills. We immediately called the hospital and the doctor called us back saying she would «need to look up the amount that would be toxic». When she called back she said she «had no information» on the medication and didn’t know what to tell us. She said «you can call the pet poison hotline for $ 40». I asked her if there were any other doctors there who could help us or knew about the medication and she said «no.»
How can she be prescribing a med to my dog that she has «no information» on, and how can be prescribing a dosage amount to him if she does not know the dosage that would be toxic to him?
We rushed and were able to find another vet who could help us to make sure the dog was going to be okay and did have the information and capability to help us.
I am writing my experience here, in the hopes that I can prevent even one person from bringing their loved pet here.

Very nice staff here, and they always keep you updated on each and every thing that is going on with your pet, even throughout the night which I really appreciate!!!

Outstanding! Cannot say enough good things about Dr. Paul and the entire team at Tufts! We had a scare with our puppy, which landed him in the hospital. He was there for 3-​days and underwent several procedures including surgery. Fortunately he is home and doing great! He’s running around as if nothing happened. Thank you! The team was so compassionate during this very stressful time. We were on edge and even in tears when we weren’t sure how things would go. Every member of the staff was understanding. Every call was answered and messages were promptly returned. I knew exactly what was going on every step of the way. Should you ever find yourself in need of a hospital for your pet this is the place to go. Our puppy is a member of our family and that is exactly how he was treated while at Tufts! Like a member of the family.

I cannot say enough about the wonderful and caring treatment my dog has received at Walpole. We’ve been part of the «Walpole» family since December of 2012 when my dog came to be treated for a very serious eye condition and bladder stones (all at the same time). The coordination of efforts between the Walpole vets and my own personal vet helped ease my concerns about the two operations my dog had to simultaneously receive. Dr. Maggio is one of the most incredible doctors I have ever met. Her dedication and work ethic (along with her assistant Jen) to save my dog’s eyesight was something I had never witnessed before. I am happy to report that KC continues to do remarkably well since his surgery and I think it is in large part to the care and continued treatment he receives at Walpole. Everyone… from the front desk to the all the staff I have encountered are caring, knowledgeable and polite. Thank you Tufts at Walpole on behalf of all those animals you help everyday — for all that you have done and continue to do every day you show up for work!
Nikki Davidson

Took my 9 year old dog to Tufts as she needed supportive 24 hour care as it was detected by my regular vet she had bowel disease and had chronic diarrhea. Her protein levels were low so they transfused her with human albumin, human blood serum, which was explained it was a low risk. Next day the doctor performed the endoscopy. After the procedure, the doctor called to say she has bowel disease and needs to be put on a strict diet and needs B12 shots. Later that day, another doctor called to say she is doing fine but a little woozy from the anesthesia. Saw my dog that evening, and she could barely walk. She fell on her face, was walking into walls, very hyper. I asked the vet tech what is wrong, and she said it is from the anesthesia. I said is this normal, she said no, most dogs are fine hours later but dogs react differently to anesthesia. I was concerned as I thought this was not normal. The next morning, the doctor called to say they thought it was the anesthesia but it is because she has high sodium. Told me they will need to get her sodium level down but slowly. I will be able to take her home at the end of the week. This was repeatedly told to me that she can come home. At 3 that afternoon, the doctor called to say she is having seizures and I need to see her. Later as I was driving to Tufts, the doctor called me again asking if I was on my way as we have big decisions to make. I told her I will be there in 10 to 15 minutes. When I arrived, another doctor who I saw the first night, came into the waiting room. When I approached her, she coldly said to me I’m not your doctor and walked away. The vet tech brought me into the room and my dog was lying in the kennel in a vegetative state. There was no reaction when I came over to her. I asked where the doctor was and was told she left. Another doctor came to me and said there is nothing more they can do for her, couldn’t give me a clear explanation as to what happened, and I had to put her to sleep. Next day Tufts accounting called to tell me I owe $ 3800. Told them I was not paying for the entire bill. A week later the hospital director called and basically told me I have to pay for the entire bill, told me I did not appreciate the work the doctors put in to helping my dog, defended the doctor for leaving without waiting for me.
I will NEVER bring any animal to Tufts. The staff totally misled me about the treatment of my dog. Dr. Cooper, the primary doctor, who I never met, abandoned me and left as apparently either my dog was not important to her or she felt guilty about her treatment decision and could not face me. I never received a call from the doctor expressing her condolences and/​or any explanation of what could have happened. The hospital director, Dr. Steven Rowell, only cares about the money. He could care less about what your thoughts are on the animal’s treatment. Very Unprofessional Staff!

Good Customer Service!
My dog took a walk by himself one Sunday evening, and after hunting for him for over two hours I phoned Tufts to ask if they had heard anything or if he had been picked up. They had gotten a phone call about a dog that had been picked up. The lady who answered the phone took my details, investigated into the dog that had been picked up (which did happen to be mine) and then called me back within minutes to help me find him.
Relieved!

Be watchful! 1. Always request a copy of the medical records. When my dog became gravely ill after treatment at Tufts, I repeatedly wrote to Director Dr. Steven Rowell. He repeatedly lied to me regarding the treatment my dog received. I then obtained the medical records showing that Tufts had NOT administered the medication that they told me they had and that I had been charged for. 2. Always ask for the most likely cause of your pets illness. Tufts has a tendency to start with the most dire prognosis which will require more testing.

Not very impressed with my experience here. Brought my dog in due to a leg injury. The first doctor was not very thorough and as a result just medicated him and sent us home. We returned two days later only after I insisted on an xray they found it was more than a sprained leg. The dog put my dog in a splint and said to follow up every two weeks with the doctor. I asked for a written report of the visit i.e. diagnosis and it was like asking for the world. They actually wanted to CHARGE me for another ER visit just to write a diagnosis. The most ridiculous thing I have ever heard of! After putting up a stink the Dr. gave me the written info so I could submit to the insurance company. Before leaving I wanted to schedule a follow up appointment as I was told to do, however only one person could do the scheduling. After waiting for her, I said I could come in on a Tuesday or Friday anytime day or night. They said the Dr. could only do Fridays. So, I scheduled it. I got home tonight and they want to move the appointment to another day. This place is VERY disorganized. They can’t handle simple tasks without over complicating them. They are in great need of an Office Manager to implement basic processes that are «CUSTOMER FOCUSED». The care was ok, but the first doctor missed the mark. Let’s put it this way for an emergency involving life or death I would return because it’s close, but for anything non emergency, I would go elsewhere. Very unimpressed.

Despite our high hopes, our actual experience was far below expectations.
I became alarmed at the severity of the suggestion of treating the symptoms and not bothering to find and treating the cause.
And grew further alarmed at the insistence on blindly submitting one already prone to gastrointestinal distress and arthritic tremors on Cyclosporin.
Upon arriving home and confirming some specific pieces of information given by the vet to be unfounded/​false (we’re an MD household with access to medical publications database) was troubling.
And what little benefit of doubt remaining became eradicated after finding medication mix-​ups.
Cost of such experience = previously undisclosed «one time registration fee» + vet fee of more than double our regular vet’s (knew about this) = too costly (well over $ 500, but less than $ 1000 for the visit).

I took my Shar-​Pei dog Lucky here because of the name and I would say it was the worst experience I’ve ever had at an animal hospital. I drove from East Greenwich RI to come here and was enraged at their lack of thoroughness and failure to properly advise us on the proper care for our beloved pet. We spend over $ 3000 here and couldn’t have had a worse experience if we were in a third world country. The incompetent vet Alexandra Pfaff is a poor excuse for a veterinarian. She over medicated him with prednisone and cyclosporine, and were unable to conduct an exam on him even after he was heavily sedated. He was very traumatized by the way they handled him. After this I took my best friend to Angell in Boston and am elated with their care. I suggest drive the extra 35 minutes and go to Angell if you care about your pet. And oh by the way Lucky is doing great now! :)

Can’t say enought about the staff and their diagnotics. If it wasn’t for Dr. Cooper my baby wouldn’t be alive. Expensive but worth every penny.

I’m new to the area and my dog needed immediate medical attention at 8pm. The staff at Tufts were amazing! It was not as expensive as I thought it would be (though any emergency off hours care will be higher). Highly recommended!

Absolutely amazing emergency care. They look at your pet as soon as you walk in the door to assess how serious it is and will move you in front of others if it’s serious. Expensive but if you’re a panicked pet owner in the area after hours, this is definitely the place to go.

Monday night we had a big scare with Hugo the Pug. While we were running around the house trying to do laundry and other chores Hugo happen to get into the mouse poison that our landlord happen to put in our basement stairway.
We didn’t know what to do. We try to call Poison Control but since we didn’t have the package and it was 11:30 at night and we couldn’t call our landlord to find out what type of poison it was, they were useless. So we called the Tufts Veterinary Emergency. They advised us to bring Hugo in right away, so we packed up the pug and headed down to Walpole from Quincy.
When we got there the nurse who greeted us at the desk was very nice, asking if our pug was «Hugo» remembering his name from the phone call 20 minutes ago. They brought him in the back right away, while we filled out some forms in the waiting room. After about 40 minutes the nurse came out and let us know that they were able to make Hugo vomit and they were able to get all the poison out of his stomach. The whole time that she was talking to us she made sure to comfort us and let us know that everything was going to be okay. She explained the different types of situations that could happen with Hugo depending on the type of poison. She said that they were going to give Hugo some charcoal and let us know if she thought that we should let Hugo stay overnight or if we would be able to take him home. About 20 minutes later Hugo came out to us, wagging his tail. We were so happy to see him. The nurse said that we could take him home, that they gave him fluids under his skin and gave us some Vitamin K to give him as a precautionary measure against any blood clotting issues.
While we knew that it wasn’t going to be cheap, I was quite surprised that it wasn’t as bad as I expected. All payment is due before you can leave, so you might want to make sure that you have the funds available. The staff gave us their number it told us that if we needed to call for any reason that it would be no problem. At 2:30am, we could finally relax knowing that our puggy was going to live!
Awesome Bonus Points: We called to follow up with our regular veterinarian the following day and the staff from Tufts Emergency Veterinarian had already sent over Hugo’s chart. Way to be on top of everything!!! Thank you so, so much Tufts Emergency Vet!