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July 2024 by Larry B.
InAccurate diagnosis. Took our dog over July 4th weekend as our vet was closed for growth on her rear leg. They said it was a skin tag. After our vet saw her and did tissue cultures it was diagnosed as a cancerous tumor that was then removed surgically. If we had relied on the diagnosis from this hospital and not followed up with our vet I fear what the outcome would have been
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June 2024 by A M.
Terrible service. When you request a call back, they never call you back. Prescriptions aren't filled in time. The doctor wasn't thorough or even personable, seemed careless. I don't recommend this place at all.
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June 2024 by Mark C.
Need to replace the hacks there esp in ER that are concerned only for ur money not ur pet & misdiagnose recommending wrong treatment by surgeons who don't know jack about what their doing but operate anyways to pad ur bill to get most money from every client to pay for their new costly facility there while carelessly treating ur pet unnecessarily in the process only to pitch their heartless apology and fat bill after killing ur pet like all those we've brought there thru yrs! They are pros at euthanasia though! Par for the course there now in their new butcher shop! Many of our pets through the years were brought to their prev North Andover facility in emergencies that sadly never made it out but always had a big fat bill they ran up (pretending?) to save ur pet when in the end their only medical expertise was really euthanasia! For example my doG I brought there w droopy stomach and chronic diarrhea that their ignorant vet misdiagnosed as just an old doG's weakened abdominal muscles aft their quick ultrasound scan (supposedly) aft his bowel movements had been abnormal for longest time even though he was eating ok and energetic at 10 yrs! I ended up having to watch his health then decline & them re-diagnose him w liver cancer that was the real cause of that poor boy's enlarged abdomen all along! I love and still miss him so much! But more recently my friend's beautiful shepherd I used to gladly walk for her who I loved suddenly became ill out of nowhere that his owner thought was poison who rushed him (unfortunately) to Bulger's new Lawrence facility thinking he was in good hands at this new state of the art ER (even though their surgeons aren't )! They diagnosed her as Bloat when the stomach suddenly flips over cutting off entrance and exit producing excess gas in gastrointestinal track which according to them required immed surgery to fix tacking it to the intestinal wall! In the right vet's hands it's routine though risky & expensive ($10k+) but if vet is a good experienced surgeon which I'm assuming wasn't the case there that night as they operated only for it to get infected and them needing to refer owner elsewhere to fix but sadly this awesome doG didn't make it, no surprise there! His owner said she could see in his eyes he was slipping away and so decided to end his suffering w decision to euthanize him that they gladly did to void liability! I would have suggested Acton or Westford AH instead or Angel Boston but it was too far but which I consider the finest and more affordable around! I also have cat that jumped(or fell) off my porch one night and ended up getting run over who AC brought to Bulger to treat him and $900 later he still had broken leg they didn't treat but sent him home like that! They then recommended amputation! Fast fwd 2 yrs and he's running and playing on all 4 like no injury ever happened! Anyhow, back to poor germ shepherd doG who was a gentle soul and bigger than life and an epitome of a happy healthy canine now dead!! goD forbid if I ever have another pet emergency I'll NEVER bring to Bulger where they seem to care more about if and how much $$ u can afford vs actually saving ur pet's life! I suggest u go elsewhere!
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June 2024 by Todd S.
I have never felt so comfortable bringing my dogs into an emergency or specialist vet. I have been to several Vet ERs in and around Boston, and I will travel over 1.5 hours to come here. Their critical care and incredible staff are very knowledgable and compassionate. They are one of the few hospitals that has true imaging in-house and you can even make non-emergency imaging appointments (nowhere else in New England does this). They have diagnosed several of my multiple dogs' ailments that others missed, and the ER is cheaper than some of the big places in Boston. The hospital is bright and open, the desk staff are very friendly and attentive. I do have a closer primary care vet now, but I still bring my toy poodle in for her G.I. disease issues for quarterly check ins, as the internal medicine specialists are amazing. I know this sounds a bit strange, but it just has the look and feel of a "real" hospital (similar to Angell in Boston), not some back country clinic or strip mall plaza. You walk in and there are tons of staff on duty, everything looks clean and taken care of.
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February 2024 by Jonathan Bartolotta
We made a huge mistake using Bulgers to handle the birth of our French Bulldog puppies. The first appointment confirmed she was pregnant, and the option of anything but a c-section wasn't recommended. We were told if she goes into pregnancy early to come through the emergency room. We knew this from general knowledge being Frenchie owners and one google search will tell you the same. A week prior to the scheduled c-section we called to confirm the time we should come in and when the last time we should feed her prior to surgery only to hear we weren't on the schedule because the doctor was on vacation, and then got covid. At this point everything changed. "Come in for an x-ray so we can check the skulls and see if they will fit naturally". $500 for an x-ray to be told "There's 4 and they will fit!". Against what we believed in, we fully trusted Bulgers and got ready to have puppies at home. We were told to watch YouTube videos on natural puppy birth, which we did that night. Ironically the next day, our dog went into labor. 2 puppies were born within 1.5 hours. YouTube said they should come every 1-2 hours max. 2 hours passed since the last puppy, we called concerned. "Give it a few more hours". Feeling of relief, they said everything is okay. 2 hours go by, no puppies. We call again and a random guy picks up "Give it a few more hours". We gave it almost an hour and called back again to be told to wait longer. I hung up and we said no this isn't right. We packed the 2 puppies up and our female Luna and rushed to the hospital. When we got there, they took her into the emergency room right away and a woman came back to tell us there's only one heartbeat and the other is beating very slow, and they would need to rush to "save puppies". We were told to go home, and they would call within 2-3 hours. It was a long 2.5 hours to get a call to find a puppy suffocated in the birth canal, and that because Luna was struggling in labor for so long her blood pressure dropped extremely low, they had to save her as well.Dr. Scott was our original "doctor" and she happened to be there at the time we came into for the emergency and her only response to our extreme concern was "It happens."I do not want a response to contact "Cat or Allison". When we went to pick up Luna and the 3 puppies at 2:30am in the morning and told the emergency crew what happened they were absolutely shocked that we were even in this position and had us speak to the nighttime manager Emma. She makes you feel really good taking notes her in laptop while you're speaking to her and that she'll talk to higher management and to expect a call within 7 days. After 7k spent, they offered us a 1k refund, admitting to their fault. When told that wasn't acceptable the only answer given over and over was "Thats what we as a business feel is deemed acceptable."Yes, you proved, you're a business and the concerns are not of the animals, but of the money. If one animal is saved from this review, I will feel content.
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February 2024 by Cody Dennisey
I would give this establishment 0 stars if I could. DO NOT bring your pet here if you always seek out what is best for them. This place is not only euthanasia-happy, falsifies paperwork and openly lies to owners about procedure and status of your animal but lacks any bedside manner or compassion whatsoever. Beware of Dr. Joseph Rea, and Nicole Atwood (assistant clinical supervisor) who are liars and butchers (at best).Edit to Bulger’s comment: Case was escalated to a ‘Lindsey Renzullo’ who was equally as uncommunicative and a liar, failing to take the time to return a phone call or hold a meeting. Apparently she has been promoted, that must be her true area of focus.
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February 2024 by Ben Silva
Do not use this vet. Do your research. This is a money hungry business who rotates through employees. I've received a lot of referrals for other vets and the one we ended up with was night and day difference. They actually care, long time employees, and don't price gouge everything.
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February 2024 by ben hans 2 ay
I can’t begin to express my gratitude to Bulger animal hospital. My dog Ava had a terrible seizure at 2 am on Sunday morning! We didn’t want her to suffer any longer and brought her to Bulger. From the moment we walked in they treated us with kindness and respect and sympathy! Gave us time with our pup (she was 14 1/2) and it was a very peaceful transition for her and us of course. While it was very sad we knew it was time to let her go! I would not hesitate to go to this facility again. Thank you to all that were working that night! You will never know how much you helped us.
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January 2024 by Colleen Chittick
We took our 3 year old GSP there to the emergency vet and Joanna the vet tech was fabulous. She was very knowledgeable and helped guide us through the process. I cannot say enough about her!!! She was very reassuring and kind
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January 2024 by Tessa Alexander
There was a problem after my first appointment with Dr. Hornberger, where he left during the appointment and forgot to send in the Medication for Dolly and Belle. A year later, Dolly and Belle were seen by him again (last week). Dr. Hornberger told me that Belle has a diagnosis for her knees. I was waiting for him to come back with the information about it. Unfortunately, he left again during the appointment, and I was upset about it because nobody knows what the diagnosis was. The other problem I experienced is that I wanted their daily medications to be lowered, and he wasn't there to assist me on how to do so. Dolly and Belle take a daily medication for trauma, and it works well for them, but they have been at the "highest dose for their size," by accident. The voicemail says that anyway. I want them to thrive, and to not run out of their meds due to refills being submitted late. There were two occasions within the past several months that Dolly and Belle ran out of their daily medication, due to refills being sent to CVS from the vet too late. I expressed concerns about the accidental high dosing and the trauma they show when the meds aren't properly submitted on time. Simple solution= lower the dose so they don't have bad reactions when they're out. The voicemails I have show that the dosing was an accident. Forgetting to submit the meds is one thing, but I'm just not comfortable with the level of care from this one doctor, so I requested a new one in order to get the knee diagnosis properly handled and to lower their meds like I had hoped. Unfortunately, Stacy was prepared to yell and be angry, Allison was prepared to protect the Doctor, and I made an appointment with a new vet for Dolly and Belle so they can be examined with care. After all, the vet, Dr. Hornberger, was too busy for Dolly and Belle, so a different vet would be a better bet, in my opinion. I received a call today, and it seems that Bulger has the problem of having too much drama within their management team and they believe that seeing another vet within their practice is not an option for me. I don't think Dr. Demers or Dr. Shinohara would have been okay with the behavior from the management team. Retaliation is not free of drama, and I frown upon it. I actually saw Dr. Demers that same day last week and we had a little heart-warming talk and it was quite pleasant. Again, it's a classic case of too many cooks in the kitchen, and my little beagles have to suffer at the hands of the Bulger management team instead of simply offering a new veterinarian like I had asked. I didn't ask to make an appointment with a different vet for my health. I just simply wanted a better fit. Doesn't this seem like a really weird case of women in management being dramatic and butt-hurt? Yikes. My advice for anyone seeking care from Bulger is to remember not to voice your concerns, and if one doctor isn't a good fit for your dogs, then just keep it to yourself because the team will retaliate every time. Dr. Demers saved my late Coco's life. Dr. Shinohara was amazing as well. No problems with them, and Dr. Demers only works in the ER now. We talked last week and all was well until too many unprofessional women were involved. Women are just nasty to each other and we all know it. Retaliation at its finest. Be like Dr. Demers! Don't be like Stacy, Allison, or the other angry ones. They'll punish your dogs lol. Dr. Demers, if you read this, I'm in your corner. You do great work, so thank you and I wish you were still in GP.
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January 2024 by Emily Richards
Unfortunately had to put my sick hamster down this morning. The front desk staff as well as the vet tech who came in to get him, were incredibly kind and patient with me. I cannot recommend them enough
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December 2023 by Kevin Bianco
I brought my dog there for fever trouble breathing lerthargic coughing. They said he had cancer in lymphodes when in fact he had the virus that dogs have been getting across the country and if they had given him the Covid shot that one vet in Colorado gave to a dog with those symptoms and became better in a few days then my dog possibly would be here today. Never again would I bring a pet there. All they want is money to pay for that ffcffff building.
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December 2023 by Debra Ryan
I just brought my 13yr old cat to Bulgers ER. From the moment I walked in everyone Iencountered was compassionate, and sweet. We are very fortunate to have the facility in our area.
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December 2023 by Charlene Vasapolli-Bryan
If you have any animal other than a cat or dog don’t bother going here for an emergency or any time this month since their exotics vet is gone for the month apparently which wouldn’t have made any difference tonight anyway since she’s not part of their ER team anyway! They’ll turn you away or gladly put your pet to sleep if need be. If you have an exotic pet just go straight to Boston don’t even stop here. My experience here tonight was underwhelming and down right heart breaking to me that a place that calls themselves an emergency vet so close to me wouldn’t be able to treat my sweet pet ferret whom I love very much just as much as any dog or cat owner loves their pet and would just turn me away the way they did. If you’re not a cat or dog you’re not important here! Awful!
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December 2023 by Jessica Burke
We went to Bulger tonight after cutting our cat’s nail a little too short. Staff was super friendly and even though his wound stopped bleeding by the time we got there, they checked him out and gave us some Kwik-stop to bring home just in case it happens again.While our emergency was small in comparison, we felt taken care of and we’d come back here if we ever have another emergency!
