Connecticut Veterinary Center Inc

I am SO impressed and pleased with our experience here… We have a rescue cat with a somewhat healed old eye injury, and a virus on top of that. We saw Dr. Hop and I cannot stop talking about how wonderful he is, and what a fabulous experience we had with all the staff. Pleasant desk staff, a great nurse AND a tech whose role was to gently, but firmly hold the cat still. AMAZING service! The cat and I were in good hands through every step. Dr. Hop was gentle, experienced and such a teacher — he had me look into the cat’s ears, taught me how to administer the eye drops, etc. Treated the cat and me with respect and kindness. Love, love this vet center!

Despicable facility. Sent my gravely ill cat home because I didn’t have $ 1,000 in my wallet at 2 a.m. Asked them to hold my check for 12 hours so I could get money deposited in the bank and was refused and discharged. Shame on them. Inhumane. The staff were completely cold and unsympathetic. Disgusting.

We love our vet, but we have to wait FOREVER in the waiting room. I don’t think it’s always that «there was an emergency», and after a while it just feels disrespectful.
The fees are high, too, although I think they provide excellent care. But the experience of just sitting while so many of the staff are visiting in the front office seems callous.
On this, most likely our last, visit we sat in the waiting room for an hour. Finally I got up and asked when we’d be seen and was told our vet would be another hour late. One of the staff could have come over and informed us on their own, but as friendly as they are when you first come in, they just seem to forget you and socialize away the time. I think it is important to say that it is probably less the office staff we dealt with that is accountable than the people who manage the office.
Sadly, even though we think the world of our vet, «Hoppy», the indifferent way that the office is run has ultimately driven us away.

I wish that I didn’t have so many experiences here, but I do. Last year, my 14 year old cat had several issues that required emergency visits and a total of 6 days of overnight care. This place, as any, has its positives and negatives. Three of the vets that treated my little guy were wonderful and kept me informed throughout the process. I will always be grateful to Dr. Serrano for his candor about my cat’s condition– he helped prepare me for the inevitable, though my cat pulled through that time. While I’ve had mixed experiences with the staff, the day I put my cat down they were very empathetic and kind.
The vet that put my cat down was pretty heartless. She had not reviewed his chart before coming in and asked me if I had done certain things, which I had. Nonetheless, it made me feel awful. I know that it is emergency care, but the prices are sky high. I will be paying off those bills for a long time. I also now wonder if certain treatments they gave my cat were even necessary, but who knows. At least they made him comfortable, which is why I give them 3 stars instead of 2.
Go here as a last resort– it’s not a happy place– and keep your fingers crossed that you get the good vets. There are some good people that work here, but the unkind ones are truly awful.

Many moons ago, before the age of Unilocal,I brought my cat to the emergency vet because he had a urinary blockage. They charged me a fortune and did things to my cat that were unnecessary to drive up the bill, which is something that they do often I was told after the fact by my regular vet who had insider knowledge. This vet pays the doctors based on the revenue that the doctor generates for the office.
I argued with them over the thousand dollar bill, and finally told them if they were so confident that they had given my the right treatment and not any excessive treatment, they would be completely comfortable if I presented the information I had to the regulatory body that governs veterinary clinics and doctors with my complaint. At that point they grudgingly refunded me six hundred dollars and asked me never to return (as if I ever would).
So now I gladly add my story to the other bad stories here. If you want a vet that cares about your animal more than about making money, look elsewhere.

(This was almost a 5-​star rating just because of the kindness of staff toward both me and my partner, and especially toward our dog, Bear. Everyone was so great!)
We had to make two trips to this pet ER in a 24-​hour period – the first around 5am because our dog wouldn’t stop vomiting, and the second around 8pm because he was lethargic and unnterested in food. Everyone was direct with us and very respectful. They didn’t try to push for extra services or charges and respected our preferences if we wanted to wait (for example, we didn’t get bloodwork the first time we went in though we did get an X-​ray of his chest and belly). They will also waive your second admission fee if you come in again within the same 24-​hour period.
They fax your ER visit information directly to your regular vet while you’re still there. (Our vet called to check up the next day without us contacting her first.)
The morning we were there, they offered us coffee, which was desperately needed. They brought in extra rolling stools for me and my partner to sit on because there is only one chair in each examination room. When I went back that night (with a pillow), they let me sprawl out on their cushioned benches in the waiting area while I was waiting on Bear’s bloodwork results to come back. They let Bear wait with me, too.
After they ruled out immediate urgencies, Dr. Flower gave me a timeline of how long to wait for behaviors to pass and what to look out for. This was what I needed the most – I knew what was problematic, but I didn’t know how long of a window we had before we needed to come back or seek further treatment. It was helpful to have some direct, clear guidelines in an ambiguous situation.
My biggest suggestion for improvement is for CT Vet Center to put together a list of pet-​friendly taxis and transportation resources as a courtesy to their car-​free clientele. I know CT is «car country,» but I moved here from NYC where such lists could be retrieved anywhere. For our second trip, my partner had to drop me off so she could sleep the night before a surgery. There is only one car for our household. Transportation isn’t the responsibility of CT Vet Center, for sure, but it worries me to think that the delay I encountered in finding a way to get home could be repeated on my way in – or that anyone without a car might not have access to the life-​saving services provided at CT Veterinary Center.

I am new to the area and have two cats. I have found the CT vet center to be excellent, and all the doctors are very caring and never rush our appointments. I especially love Dr. Kubis and Dr. Puskar. Both my cats have incurable immune problems, and so they often need to come in at the last minute. It is easy to get appointments (I especially love that I can call 24 hours a day and talk to a receptionist), and if there isn’t an appointment, you can always do a walk in. I also love the reasonable prices!

We went for the first time yesterday to visit dr valipe. I have read some good stuff about a couple of the other vets but whatever you do don’t pay to see this guy. To start off, he was literally afraid of my 19 lb friendly happy boston terrier. He was scared to pick him up onto the table so we had to for him. Soooo weird. A vet that doesn’t like dogs and is afraid of them. Also, he had never heard of any places requiring bordatella every 6 months. How has he never heard of that? And to top it off the dude left the room when he was done and just left the used needles lying on the table with some other trash. So unprofessional. He spent a whole 20 seconds giving each of my dogs their physicals that we paid $ 50 each for. Such a waste of money. Then once we left they didn’t even update their records properly to reflect the vaccinations they got. It’s like this guy was just picked up off the street and put a lab coat on and took our money. Don’t go to this vet, get a diff doctor.

I was really impressed with Dr. Cox and his knowledge of sight hounds. Although we had to wait for about an hour to see a vet, the staff was very good about updating us about our place in the emergency line. The place appears very disorganized but having worked in a vet clinic, I know that there is a process and a lot depends on how long the doctor takes in each room. Like most places, if you are nice, they are nice back. Everyone seemed to do their best in a chaotic emergency environment. Dr. Cox really helped our dog and we went home feeling at ease. I would go back. Just be as patient as you can and you will get good service with quality veterinary care.

It’s tough to assign a rating to a place that seems totally disorganized and incompetent 90% of the time, but the other 10% they’re saving pets lives. Including mine.
The most positive thing about the CT Vet Center is that they are a 24 hour emergency facility. Since I’ve had to put down two cats in the last year (boyfriend’s cats, really), I appreciate the convenience and efficiency of handling emergency walk-​ins, despite how upsetting it is.
After adopting another cat in June, I recently had to take him in at 10pm the night before a huge snowstorm because he was suddenly very sick and I didn’t want to risk us being snowed in. We ended up paying $ 1,200 for his treatment and overnight stay even though they never determined what was wrong with him (a vague explanation of an internal infection). When we came to pick him up the next day, ALL of the computers were down in the entire reception area — not for lack of electricity but because they decided to do hour long updates on every computer at the same time. So they had to write out our bill, DIDN’T KNOW what kind of medication our cat needed (because it was in the computer) and all sorts of other lunacy.
Two weeks ago, I brought him in again because he’s an asthmatic lil’ thing, and I wanted to get him checked out to make sure his lungs were okay. The vets are all nice enough but the administrative staff is pretty atrocious — rude, unprofessional, and all around pretty clueless. I was given some prednisone tablets to give the cat and after two days I gave up on the pills and asked for liquid (since other vets work with compound pharmacies and have fish/​meat flavored liquid meds). They told me to pick it up in an hour, so I arrived promptly. Turns out, the prescription was never put in, no one knew who was responsible, and 20 minutes of waiting, they give me CHERRY flavored prednisone. FOR MY CAT.
Anyway, overall it’s just kind of a mess here but I can’t justify a 1 star rating for a place that helps animals.

First time using them in an emergency. And I was not pleased with them at all. I choose them because they are slightly closer and my regular vet recommends them never again.
I went their when my kitty was having trouble breathing and very distressed. Every min counted and they are 15 min closer then other 24hr vets. I felt like I was being pushed into making a decision fast. Unfortunately, My kitty did not have a good prognosis. and I had to euthanize THEY DID NO LET ME BE WITH HIM! He has been my baby for 8 years and I could not be with him. The wisked him out of the room And immediately brought me the bill. I asked to say bye again, and when I was done I let them know 20 min later still no one came to take his body, I asked again… yes I know they are an emergency clinic but I could hear the techs talking about their plans this evening and chit chatting. 15 min after I asked the 2^nd time they finally came for him. What did they expect me to just leave him on the table? I know his soul was already gone but come on he was my baby and the best cat I have every had the pleasure of rescuing Show some respect… UNLESS less you have no choice anf every min counts like in my case, don’t go here.

Well, this is going to be a wishy-​washy review.
My time with this place has come to an end, because I lost my sweet little cat just before Thanksgiving. It was her time, and i could tell she’d turned a corner. My best friend met us at the ER, and it was time to say goodbye. Everyone who was there that night that we encountered, everyone without exception, was wonderful with me. They all seemed to know what I was going through and reassured me that the decision I was making was the right one. They gave us time to say our goodbyes, they let me hold her when the time came, and as soon as she was gone, one of the techs came in with a slab of clay he’d printed her name on to get a print of one of her paws for me. The girl who rang me up said, «I feel like [expletive] to have to charge you for this, you know.» I know. It was the best way it could have happened, since it had to happen, and their professionalism was very comforting at that time.
Having said that, when and if I get another pet, I’ll be finding a new practice. Dr. Cumberbatch was the reason I stayed with this one, despite the issues I had with the front desk staff on almost every visit (except the above er visit); she was fantastic, but she moved out of state. When I boarded my cat for a few days this summer, I’m sure Mittens was in good hands, but one day when I called to check to see how my (senior, terminally ill, shy) cat was doing, the woman who answered the phone said, «You know, you don’t have to call us every day. We’ll tell you if there’s a change. You can just assume she’s fine.» Oh, OK. But I’m PAYING you for this.
Just stuff like that. I know my cat is not my child, but she was a member of my family, and any animal lover should understand that. Right???

We have always had a great experience here and at their Windsor office. My pets have been through a lot in the past 20+ years and I have never had any reason to question the care they received.

The veterinarians here should be ashamed by the staff they have representing them. I have never encountered such unprofessional and rude women in a professional setting in my life. Every time I have been in there, you can tell they are completely unorganized.
Case in point, my puppy was due for her 12 week shots which were scheduled by the receptionist. I arrive for her shots only to be told they messed up and she couldn’t get her shots for another two days. So they reschedule me for Saturday afternoon and I am assured I will be in and out in 15 minutes, as all she needed was a quick vaccine. When I arrive ten minutes prior to my scheduled appointment, the young woman in front barely looked up. Over an hour later, I was still sitting there (along with about a half dozen other antsy dogs and dog-​owners.) The receptionist kept telling me I had come at the wrong time, despite the fact that I played her the voicemail confirming my appointment from they day before and the appointment reminder card given to me by the vet. It turns out SHE had changed my appointment time, pushing it back an hour because my vet had called out sick without informing me.
Every other appointment I have gone to has run consistently 15 – 30 minutes late.
Additionally, they insist on having a vet tech assist with the exam and hold the puppy during shots… they insist this is a «safety precaution.» Are you effing kidding me? I am not allowed to hold my scared puppy, but instead I am supposed to allow her to be manhandled by a vet tech whom she doesn’t even know. Doesn’t that pose a greater safety risk?
This leads me to my next point, the staff don’t even necessarily appear to be «animal people.» They seem skittish and nervous around the dogs, which simply increases the animals’ fear level. On the occasion where I was sitting in the waiting room for more than an hour, I witnessed a dog clearly in respiratory distress, panting and heaving heavily for 15 minutes before someone even offered to get the dog water. Another fifteen minutes later, the dog ended up getting brought down to ICU for an ice bath!
This place also has a distinct dinginess to it. It could use with a a REALLY good cleaning. The exam rooms are downright disgusting, smell and all. My pup has left every appointment covered in other dog’s hair.
The vets themselves seem fairly competent and nice, but not really overly concerned or interested in the animals. I have brought many a puppy to a vet and am typically asked a lot of questions about the dog’s progress, training, etc. Here it seems like they are just rushing through the exam with no personalized attention. I know bringing your pet to the vet is never a really fun experience, but this place causes undo stress and anxiety for pet and owner alike. Now, that my pup’s original shots are finished I will be instantly seeking out another vet. There is NO way I would entrust any future medical care of my dogs and cat to this office.
The vets should really take a critical look at their staff, and the customer feedback they are receiving. I know I have nothing nice to say about them and will make sure my friends and family who are pet-​owners are aware of the type of place they are running.

We visited CT Vet Center when our cat needed emergency care for a broken bone. We were never made aware of the emergency fee, never provided with an estimate of costs throughout the visit, and not given any explanation as to why she was treated the way she was. We were bounced around two or three assistants and only one person in the whole office was helpful in answering our questions.
After the lack of attention our pet received there and the terrible customer service, her injury drug out for 2 months beyond their estimate due to their lack of explanations to us as the parents.
Eventually, we found New England Vet Center and LOVED it! I’d highly recommend that as an alternative for more professional staff and a much more involved experience as a concerned pet parent.

I’m sure folks have had better experiences than we’ve had. A couple years back, our dog was sick, almost dying. He was old, and looked almost gone. We took him into the ER where we had to wait for hours. The doctor told us they were going to run some tests MRI, but it had to wait until the morning. They wanted to keep him overnight. He looked like he wasn’t going to make it through the night and I asked Dr. Ford if this was really the right decision to go any farther. He assured me it was and then we had to put over $ 2000 on our credit card. Long story short, he never got better, the scans didn’t show anything or at least they couldn’t figure it out what it was. On the third day, I made the decision to euthanize him although they wanted us to keep waiting and seeing. I couldn’t take it anymore with this place. The total bill was over $ 3,000. I made them discharge him and took him to my vet in Cromwell. I knew in the end he was more comfortable and reassured to see a friendly face in the end that he had seen for many years.
It’s not my first ER visit. There is one in Shelton which is farther away, however my experience with the Shelton vet ER is that they are more upfront about the chances and quality of life the dog has rather than the Connecticut Veterinary Center. I know I was only there one time, but I felt like they cared more about getting paid then telling me the truth about my dog. They longer they kept him alive, the more I was to be charged. Maybe it wasn’t really like that, but it sure seemed like it and that’s enough for me to never go back there.

They were great for emergency care for my two puppies. All of the staff members were very pleasant and helpful, and I appreciated receiving a call the next morning to check up on my puppies.
However, I paid the (very expensive) bill in full at the time of service, and then received an additional (non-​itemized) bill 3 weeks later for an additional $ 200+ without any indication of why I owed money. When I called to ask, they told me that they «forgot» to charge me for X-​rays, with no other explanation. There was no apology or anything, just «they forgot to charge you, so now you have to pay.»
If I need emergency vet services in the future, I will use one of the other area animal hospitals.

Great for emergency services but for just mild concerns they try to get you to come in as an «emergency» which will cost you a lot more than finding an open appointment.
I really like the doctors here! And they have saved and helped my pets on more than one occassion.
*My biggest issue with this vet center is the front of house /​reception staff. Most of them lack ALL professionalism. They sound just like the cashier at Burger King… kind of ghetto and they always seem disorganised, they don’t really seem to care what your issue is and they never EVER hear your name the first time. You will always have to repeat who you are and what your pet’s name is. That may sound petty but it happens every time… they just don’t listen. It’s hard to ignore.
Certainly this is not all of their reception and general stuff. There is a lovely smart british woman and some other cheerful intelligent staff.

I’m surprised to be the first to write a review of this place.
First let me say that they’re not my regular vet but I live nearby and I’ve had to use their Vet ER countless times. There aren’t too many 24 hour vet ER’s around and I know people who don’t live nearby who have had their pets saved at this facility.
I wouldn’t make them my permanent vet as I truly think their strong point is in emergency care. Also it seems to be kind of a learning hospital in the sense that many of the Dr. s are rotated in and out of there and you can’t develop a bond with them, for your pet’s regular care.
I’ve had occasion to bring both cats and dogs there with urgent issues and my pets have always received great care. They’re good at giving you as much information on their condition, they tell you up front what the ER initial visit cost is (expensive but worth it).