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October 2024 by Smiley Man
1. Staff were compassionate to cat
2. They were patient providing plan options ,price ranges, treatment medication breakdown
3. They actually told us surgery would do more harm than good for cat’s tumor .
4. We are grateful for the care they provided. Thank you.
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October 2024 by Althea M
Wasn't too busy, and the staff was super helpful and wonderful.
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October 2024 by Nancy Battaglini
Dr. Weston (5 Stars) was amazing with helping us make the decision to say goodbye to our pet. She provided us with the options and walked us through what each decision would look like. I am so grateful to have had her through this heartbreaking time. She is a wonderful doctor.
The reason why my rating is lower has more to do with my earlier visits to the ER. I was disappointed with the recommendations based on age/quality of life for our pet. Our pet was very old and we were keeping him as comfortable as possible as we knew we were close to the end. From this visit to his death, we had 4 days left with him and an earlier doctor recommend we hospitalize him. I am so glad I followed my instincts here and took him home to let him live out his final days with us.
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October 2024 by Michelle Brennan
Though I rarely write Google reviews I felt compelled to share our experience with Central Hospital.
We have used Pieper and West Hartford Emergency Vets in the past and didn’t even know about Central.
Our 13 year old kitty Spooky was recently diagnosed with lymphoma out of the blue. I only took her to our personal vet that day bc my daughter who had been home for the weekend mentioned she seemed as though she lost weight. I did think she had been vomiting more than usual. I brought her home to discuss with the family the treatment options our vet provided. I called them
Back later that evening and told them we had decided on palliative care where she would take steroids until she started to fail.
Her failure basically began that night. She was listless and crying and obviously in pain. We called West Hartford and Piper to see if they could provide some comfort until we went to see our vet the next day. They both said they were overbooked. I was beside myself and found Central online.
They told us to come immediately. They were professional and urgent. They brought her straight to intensive care and immediately asked us what type of lifesaving options we wanted to utilize. The staff were caring and treated Spooky with utmost urgency and efficiency. The doctor who we met with was caring and had lovely bedside manner. I’m sorry I didn’t catch her name. Myself, husband and son were very emotional.She explained that Spooky was bleeding internally from the cancer and we could do blood transfusions if desired but they may not work miracles as her blood volume was so low and her organs were failing.
Spooky was brought into the visitation room for us to see her. She was cozy under heated blankets and was being given fluids and oxygen. She was no longer crying. We were able to say goodbye to her with my daughters on FaceTime before she crossed the rainbow bridge. Everyone on staff was very consoling and caring.
In response to those that were disappointed with their service I would point out that I am not an expert in veterinary care or end of life care for animals. I know the staff at Central are experts and would trust them again in a heartbeat. We are so grateful for their availability, demeanor, care and professionalism.
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October 2024 by Sam Orr
I visited here seeking to have an ultrasound taken of my cat's stomach and lower intestine believing an object could be lodged, preventing her from taking in any nutrients. I arrived in the morning around 9am and was told an ultrasound could be taken. 7 hours later, a vet tech tells me an x-ray was taken (never an ultrasound) and no object could be found, so pills were given to encourage my cat to eat and not vomit. The next morning, I received a call from a radiologist who had only just seen the results confirming that an object was lodged in her small intestine, meaning the pills given would cause more harm than good. I was given the option of surgery for at least $5,000, but instead brought my cat to Moodus Veterinary Practice where she received surgery for less than half the cost and within the same day. This was over a year ago and I am still so upset that I decided to come back and write a warning to anyone seeking help regarding their pet. Take them to Moodus, not here, Central only wants your money. Oh, and no due respect, whoever handles customer service can shove it up their's. I'm sure you'll reply with the same BS you give everyone else.
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October 2024 by Terrell Naumann
We use all 3 locations for our 3 dogs. We go to the Wellness Practice for regular checkups, etc. and have used both Central Emergency 24 Hour locations for surgeries, physical therapy and eye problems, etc. We have always been happy with the Doctors and staff. Dr. Morgan MacKay has been our Wellness Vet for over 20 years. He always gives us plenty of time to answer questions and go over any treatment plans. Dr. MacKay also calls to follow-up see how the patient is doing if we were there for a problem.
We would not take our dogs anywhere else!
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October 2024 by Angela J
Please don't bring your pet here if you have a real emergency. My chihuahua was having trouble breathing, they put her in some sort of oxygen cage and told me she was resting comfortably. They had her in there for hours while I waited to hear something and they worked on animals with minor issues. They told me I couldn't see her and finally went to give her xrays after being there for several hours. Five minutes later I heard "code blue" and knew my baby was dying because we were the only ones left in the waiting room. They lied about her condition, then left her to suffer and die alone. I know if we had gone elsewhere she would still be alive. These people do not care about your animals, it's all about the money
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October 2024 by Nicole Bernardo
We unexpectedly euthanized our senior cat, Pepper, at Central Hospital North Haven on September 26. I strongly recommend that owners who love their pets NOT go here for end of life services. Bedside manner is lacking at this facility. I would have never willingly chosen Central as the place for Pepper to pass as the experience was both traumatic and chaotic.
During the brutal 4-hour visit, I was separated from my cat for almost 2 hours and repeatedly rebuffed when I requested multiple times to be reunited with her before her death. My sister was forced to shout over the phone and demand that my cat be brought to me for any action to be taken. Only the vet and one staff member out of the 6 people I interacted with offered any kind of condolences.
The worst offenders were the triage vet tech who basically asked me “what do you want us to do?” at intake and who callously made definitive statements on our cat’s critical condition without any kind of care, and the front desk staffer who coldly processed the $600+ payment while I was grieving and crying, including telling me if I didn’t pick a cremation service, urn, and other keepsakes immediately I would have to wait longer and who placed the invoice receipt and my credit card right next to my dying cat’s head on the examination table.
Pets are triaged right out in public in the waiting room and then taken from their owners to be seen in the basement alone. Owners can only see their pet when staff deems it convenient, even when discussing treatment or next steps, which is both outrageous and cruel. Because the hospital was rather busy, and because a dog coded on their table while I was there, they used those excuses to not bring my cat for hours even after my family had decided on euthanasia. I even asked if I could collect my cat myself but was refused. I was an emergency room walk-in, so I understand having to wait, but at least have the decency to let my cat of almost 20 years wait for her end with me and not in a basement.
The walls between examination rooms are also thin, so I could clearly hear another family screaming and wailing next door. I had to ask to be moved to a quieter room because I didn’t want my cat to go in a such a noisy area. The room I was moved to still had a staffed desk and printer right next to it just out in the hallway and a man was loudly making phone calls at the desk while my world was falling apart. Even when leaving, I had to ask for my cat’s carrier back because staff didn’t bother to remember, and it was additionally painful having to wait in a busy lobby while they searched for it.
Central prominently advertises “Dedication to the Human-Animal Bond” and a “Compassionate Approach to Medicine” on their website as part of their services. I saw none of that dedication nor compassion during my first ever visit there on one of the saddest days of my life. Central needs to train their staff to at least pretend to care and they need to change their intake and emergency examination policies and processes if they want to ever live up to the ideals they promise. Do yourself and your beloved pet a favor and seek services elsewhere.
While I firmly believe that the entire staff, vets included, should be properly trained in how to provide compassionate care, I particularly wish that the two staffers I had negative interactions with be re-trained and reprimanded. For identification purposes because I don’t know their names, I was at Central from approx. 10:30 AM - 2:30 PM ET on Wednesday, 9/26/24. I was seen by Dr. Weston who failed to mention hospice care as an option. The triaging intake vet tech was a white middle-aged woman with brunette hair. The front desk staffer who processed payment was a younger woman of color, possibly Hispanic, with blond/brown dyed hair and another woman was shadowing her.
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October 2024 by Craig Amell
Immediately saw my dog at 8pm at night and were extremely kind. Front desk instantly pulled up my records while the vet checked us in. We were in and out in fifteen minutes. Amazing place with amazing people.
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October 2024 by Kristin Parry
I rarely feel compelled to review, but the service and care at this hospital truly exceeded expectations. Dr. Alexopoulos (ophthalmology) was professional, kind, informative and took the time to answer any questions we had about my dog. The care from the front desk to the nurses and technicians was superb. Knowing this hospital exists near me truly gives me peace of mind as a pet owner.
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October 2024 by Howie Parnes
We were in town visiting family and far away from our home vet. We found the staff to be very friendly and compassionate. They did the minimum of testing before asking us how we'd like to proceed and the pricing seemed fair.
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September 2024 by raven
Extremely unorganized and money hungry the nurses and doctor lacked compassion and empathy. During my visit many people were saying goodbye to their pets as they had to put them down and the entire staff were laughing and joking as if they weren’t 5 feet away from someone saying goodbye to their family member. I waited 30 to 40 minutes in a room by myself waiting for them to give me my rabbit so i could say goodbye and their excuse was they forgot i was in there. The vet mocked that she “looked healthy except for right now” which broke my heart. I wouldn’t even go here if they were the last place on earth. Extremely rude as well. I also wasn’t able to afford to get her ashes back because that was an extra 400 dollars and NO payment plan available. I’ve seen comments from the owner stating they do offer payment plans but they do not as i have called and asked.
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September 2024 by Paula Machado
I cannot say enough good things about this hospital. They took such great care of our little rat Tatl and kept her comfortable through the entire visit. Together with the vet we came to conclusion that unfortunately euthanasia was the most humane option, but they were SO compassionate through the whole process and we felt like our beloved pet was truly taken care of until the end. Such a knowledgeable empathetic amazing staff.
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September 2024 by Rich Grenfell
I euthanized my cat today at this facility, and came here to post my experience.
I do not understand any of the negative comments posted here.
The emergency department is a triage system. That means, that the most unstable get seen first. Just like at the human hospitals. If that bothers you, then perhaps make sure that it is a real emergency, before you check in to the emergency department. If it is not an emergency, you're going to wait.
We can squabble about pricing all day long. The point of the matter is that good work isn't cheap, and cheap work isn't good. Life is expensive. If that bothers you, perhaps pet ownership is not for you. The reason that finances are discussed before treatment is so that everyone understands what to expect. When they don't do that, then what happens is everyone tries to get out of the bill because "no one told them" about the cost.
My cat was losing weight, refusing food, and quite tired and listless. Here ears and head were hot indicating a fever. I checked her into the emergency room at this facility, and waited the 3 hours that it took for them to get to her.
I didn't get the Dr's name but whoever she was was not just professional, but gentle, supportive, and caring. In fact, there was not one staff member there that wasn't all of the above.
My options were explained to me. We did not get to the cost because it became apparent to me that euthanasia was best. Not because I was pressured, but because it was easy to see that I was going to put this creature that I love so much, through all kinds of procedures, and a hospitalization, put her through all of the fear and pain that goes along with that, and she was probably going to die anyway. Prolonging something like that is not for her, but for me and my own selfishness. I don't do that to my animals.
At no time was I pressured, to make any decision. I was informed of the situation, and I proceeded based on that knowledge. The only time that finances were discussed, was when I asked.
Anyone being overly critical of such a fine facility should be ashamed of themselves.
I'd like to take the time to thank the staff, for helping me through such a difficult day.
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September 2024 by Madeleine Moro
We’ve had to put two dogs down at this location. All I can say is the people that work here have the most compassion and consideration I’ve ever seen. They will drop everything theyre doing at their desk to console you and make sure you’re okay. On my previous visit, we had to put down our dog due to unforeseen circumstances, and the doctor who performed the procedure displayed such emotion and compassion. It helps to know that people at this office sympathize with us and want the best for our pets. Thank you so so much.
