Please note: this review is biased as hell (excuse my language) but it's 100% honest. I spent the last month of my life with the people in this facility, waiting lots of nervous hours in the rooms, drank a lot of their coffee. I listened to staff interact with other patients while we waited. We came at night shift, we came at day shift, we came at weekend shift. If you ask anyone in that building about my little tripod princess, they've all seen her on their Slack chat now. I owe the fierce, loving, compassionate, intelligent group of men and women who work in those walls more gratitude than I can ever properly articulate. But I'm an author and I like a good story, especially if I'm trying to decide who to trust with my animal children of all things.
So, I ran over a cat.
Before you come hunt me down, I have now, VERY TRAUMATICALLY discovered that sometimes, feral outdoor cats in Florida like to sleep under/in cars. We have two massive wonderful dogs we take on walks every day. We saw this momma and her two babies out. What I didn't know was that a quick trip to the pharmacy to pick up meds was instead going to be a trip to the Animal Specialty and Emergency Center with one of the six week or less old baby feral kittens who had decided the best place to take a nap was by my car belt.
Enter Oliver, one of the reception team members. Who deserves praise all on their own. We come rushing in, explain the situation, I'm feeling like an animal serial killer or something and it was like they knew exactly what to say to me in that moment, and explained they had similar circumstances happen and it worked out and it's scary but their cat was healthy and happy. Anybody who has had that feeling like they're the only person in the universe that made a mistake knows when people show that kind of compassion, it is so special.
Two hours later, we meet Dr. Kendra Eginton. And hey! It's her first week at the clinic doing surgery and we've brought her the world's most mangled cat. Dr. Eginton and Heather, her nurse, are so intelligent and thoughtful and compassionate people. They're the kind of people if I moved to the other side of the state, I'd drive over for if my animal needed surgery. We flailed and panicked over the vet bills briefly and consulted what we were going to do, but by the time we'd gotten her to the emergency clinic we knew she was ours and that was it. So in went Bran, who we had yes named after "Bran the Broken" from GOT we were just rewatching, and we find out she's a girl. She goes in for surgery to have one back leg amputated, stays for two days and then comes home with us, stitched nine ways to Sunday and with a huge bandage on her other back leg from a wound that couldn't be stitched.
The care during the surgery was enough for this five star review. But our three weeks of visits post surgery, is why I tell you go to these guys. We sometimes had to be patient waiting because of the nature of an emergency clinic. I am a writer and sometimes love to just watch and listen what's going on. Everywhere you look in this building is sweet, compasionate people who adore animals and their owners. It was a treasure to just get to listen to them sometimes have to give the most horrible news, but in the most graceful manner, or share in pet parents joys. The day Bran got her cast off three weeks after surgery, Dr. Eginton and Heather stayed with us for a long time for no other reason thank to just share in our joy that she was okay.
I don't cry writing reviews for things. Definitely not for a business. But this is not a business. You are getting fifty-something of the most compassionate, caring, animal-adoring humans by going here. They took my mangled little nugget and put her back together and I am so grateful as I write this review, finally, that she is purring and asleep in my lap. Alive and happy.
October 2024 by Melanie Rocha
Dr. Kelsi Early was great, she diagnosed and prescribed a treatment plan that has my dog back to her old self.
October 2024 by Joe M
They saved my cat’s life after she was gone over a month, came back malnourished and sick. She certainly was on death’s door and I’m more than thankful for what they did to save her life. ?
October 2024 by Aaron Gregory
Horrible horrible people that work here. Do not bring your pets here. Absolutely shameful terrible people
October 2024 by Ellen Moorehead
The people were very kind and kept me informed as to how my dog was doing. They explained this throughly so that I understood exactly was going on and what my options were. I was taken within about 15 minutes which I was happy about. I would highly recommend this place.
October 2024 by Kylie E
They don’t care about your pets, they care about how much they can make off of your pets pain and suffering.
October 2024 by Toni Chan
I adopted a dog who was in physical therapy post extensive surgery at University of Florida. He needed an ortho exam for referral to PT locally. They got him in quickly, recommended exercises and will follow-up in a couple of weeks. Well done!
