Triangle Veterinary Referral Hospital

My vet’s BP equipment was broken and TVRH agreed to test my dog’s BP as a referral without admission which was saving me a bunch.
The place is big and clean. The front staff were professionally alert and engaged with the customer and pet. Kind words do a lot of good when you are worried about your sick pet.
The tech arranged an environment which eased my dog’s vet anxiety that causes high BP. Tyrone was very capable, helping Foxey relax, quickly enabling an accurate reading.
Then the fee for the BP check was very inexpensive. This experience made my day. While I am pleased with my current vet, if I need an internist or ER care for Foxey, this is the Veterinary Referal Hospital in Durham I would use. I have found the other Vet referral hospital at HW ⁷⁵¹⁄₅₄ way too expensive.

This place is awesome. My dog collapsed on a Friday night and I brought her in to TVRH. Throughout the entire (and scary) process, they clearly communicated everything they were doing or going to do, why and the cost. They then sat and patiently answered every question I had. In the end, we found out my dog had a cancerous heart tumor. They provided initial treatment options and I decided to take a few days to «digest» all that I learned. Over the following days they followed up with me with more in treatment options, some suggestions and the realities, all with great compassion. Again, they answered every question and were not judgmental of any of my decisions. Dr. Hamon and Dr Myers are wonderful doctors who have been kind, intelligent and compassionate partners with me during a really difficult time. We are now working together to keep my dog comfortable and having a quality of life until she’s called over the bridge.
While it is pricey, they are clear about every cost so you can make an intelligent and informed decision.
I can’t recommend TVRH enough. With trust and integrity, they will handle your precious animal children like they are family.

This place is the BEST emergency vet in the Triangle, hands down. I have taken my dog in for after-​hours care on three different occasions, and every time she was treated quickly and compassionately. The staff are knowledgeable and caring, and the cost of care here is incredibly reasonable and affordable. The facilities are clean and very comfortable, too. They have my highest recommendation.

The staff at TVRH are great. My Yorkie, Honeybun has been there several times over the past year, including having to stay for a week, two times. Honeybun has diabetes, cushings disease, bouts of pancreatitis, liver problems and has recently gone almost blind. The staff and Doctors have always taken great care of him and are always there if I have a question. They taught me how to test HoneyBun’s blood glucose levels and also how to give him fluid everyday. I would highly recommend this Vet for any need your pet might have. I especially owe great thanks to Dr. Chrzanowski and her assistant, Susanne. Thanks for the wonderful job you all do with my dog and all the other animals that come to your facility.

A week after I lost my dog, my other dog was diagnosed with suspected type of cancer and referred to Triangle Referral Vet Hospital. Since that day, we have had at least five or six appointments with Drs Chrzanowski (internal medicine) and Eward (surgery). They both communicated very well with me, were very patient, and understanding. They even emailed me a note going over everything discussed in the visit so that I didn’t forget anything. With an elderly dog with various health issues, this was very much appreciated. Drs Chrzanowski and Eward and the staff (internal med technician was very kind as well-can’t remember her name unfortunately) have treated Aspen and I with great respect and care.
As for the clinic itself, it’s very clean, modern, and open. It makes for a friendly atmosphere.
I would highly recommend this clinic.

On March 26^th 2015 I rushed my dog Dexter to my regular vet. And it turns out he has the worst case of pancreatis they ever seen. And they were not able to treat him there to save his life. So my regular Vet called Triangle Veterinary Referral Hospital ASAP. They took my dog I and saved his life. He was there for 4 days and 3 nights. He needed blood transfusions and 24hr care in my dogs time of need. They made sure to call me 3 times a day with updates of my little guy. They also allowed me my husband and my other dog to come visit as long as we called ahead of time. They updated me on everything. They were all caring and very loving to my pet. Dexter does not like Vets but however while there he trusted the entire staff. He doesn’t ever do that. I knew he was taken care of and loved every minute he was there.
I got to take him home today and with the explaining all the instructions on after care for Dexter they explained it perfectly. When I asked a question they were humble and honest. Me and my husband weren’t worried about how to pay for treatment cause he is part of our family so we didn’t care how much it was going to cost. When we went to pay the bill I thought our saving were going to be wiped clean. But when they told us the cost. I was shocked it wasn’t nearly as expensive as I thought it would be. For everything they did in saving my dogs life the cost was extremely fare.
THANK YOU FOR SAVING DEXTER’S LIFE. U ARE TRULY WONDERFUL CARING LOVING ANIMAL HOSPITAL! Thank you soooo much.

They have been great with my black lab who was hit by a car. He needed surgery but didn’t have enough bone for a steel plate. They had to do an external fixator which means weekly checkups for 12 weeks. It has been expensive but that’s what you understand with emergency and expert services. Only have 2 weeks left and were off to rehab! Our tech Jessica is super friendly and obviously cares for Mowgli and us. She understands are pockets aren’t endless and tries to help keep costs down.

Our 2 yr old cat Smoke obstructed his urinary tract and needed to be emergently catheterized; when the cath was pulled a couple of days later, he reobstructed and we decided to go ahead with a perineal urethrostomy (PU) surgery to prevent recurrence.
We were very worried throughout the whole weeklong saga, but the emergency vets at TVRH (Drs. Nunez, Mintz, Hammond, and Duran) as well as the surgeon Dr. Grafinger were informative and reassuring, taking time to answer all of our questions. We got twice daily updates by phone and visited daily. Drs. Nunez and Grafinger were frank with us about the cost, and though the combination of the emergency catheter and the surgery were expensive, the total fell on the low end of their initial estimate (despite the re-​catheterization, which we were afraid would add significantly to the expense).
It took Smoke a little while to go on his own after he got home, and when we were worried he was blocked again, one of the vet nurses at TVRH checked him over at no charge. We’re hopeful that the new anatomy Dr. Grafinger has constructed for Smoke will allow him many more happy years of ruling the roost at our house.

This morning we rushed our 6 year old cat over to TVRH after he had an episode of labored breathing, diarrhea, and vomiting. He has a little bit of a sensitive stomach, but this was worse than we had ever seen before. The staff were incredibly friendly, and took good care of our cat. We didn’t have to wait very long (at about 8am on a Sunday) to be put into a room, and have him seen by a technician and then subsequently a doctor.
The veterinary doctor answered a ton of questions about what we could do, and in my opinion, went above and beyond the required about of time. She answered questions about adjustments we could make to his diet, how to handle this in the future, and preventative care — much more than just telling us he was okay. We really appreciated the extra time she spent with us.
Now about the other important thing about pet care: finances.
Since it can be difficult to find information online about the cost of emergency vet services, I thought I would post some information about what we were charged (we all love our pets, but we also want to know how much money to have in our checking accounts). To note, we brought in a cat that didn’t require too much else besides a work up and some fluids. I’m sure that other services are more expensive, but this gives you information on a starting point.
Emergency fee: $ 55
Exam fee: $ 35
IV fluids: $ 20
Medication to take home: $ 10
These might be off by a few dollars, but our total with tax (for the medicine) came out to $ 126. We thought this was incredibly reasonable for the services provided, and we would be happy to recommend them to others.

When our 1 year old pound puppy ran thru the woods too hard (this was 4 years ago) and impailed herself on a stick… Mike G. & staff brought her back from the brink. Our other vet misdiagnosed the extent of the injury and as Mike told us initial x-​rays with this kind of injury can be tough to recognize.
I wish I would have taken her to Mike G and Triangle Vet first. still you live and learn on this kind of stuff and now that I know better, when or if serious injuries/​illness take place you want the best care with the folks that see it all on a daily basis. This is without question… «that place».
I can’t say enough about the care Izzi got and the staff @ Triangle Vet Hospital. When the outcome was still uncertain and I’d get back late from hockey at 1:30 in the morning, they’d let me sit with her post op. Tubes sticking out of her from every direction… they give me updates on her day and how she was doing.
Izzi version 2.0 is now 4 ½ years old and with about 18 inches less of intestine than what she was intended but overall, no worse for wear and loves chasing squirrels just as much. let’s all hope she never catches one… Bad habits die hard.
Cudos Dr. Mike G. & staff at Triangle Veterinary Hospital!

I would give them 0 stars if I could. I cannot comment on the actual vets as the receptionist and manager refused to let speak to them. I found an animal on the side of the road and brought him in. The receptionist recommended I take him to Raleigh, which I planned to do until he started crashing. The only thing they would do was euthanize him, which I agreed may be appropriate though I wanted to ask the vet if that was the right decision. Apparently, the vet and nurse manager was too busy to pull themselves away from their computers (there was only one other family there) and he died while I was fighting to talk to them.
In the past, they charged me $ 250 for a consultation about my cat– basically saying the fluids her vet gave earlier were pooling and not to worry. Their bottom line seems to be profit, not the animals’ well-​being. Unfortunately, they are the only after hours hospital in Durham (I’ve checked) so there’s not really any alternative. That being said, I’ll drive to Raleigh from now on.

Excellent care for Cully! We were visiting from out of town and decided that our cocker’s lethargy and suffering from a rash was bad enough that we wanted some one to see him, even at 1am with our departure for Illinois set for 9am.
We were very pleased with our whole experience at Triangle! The facilities are bright and inviting; the support staff were changing shifts but both crew gave him attentive and friendly care. Dr. Russell was particularly patient to hear his complicated recent history, gave him a thorough exam, and after necessary tests was very specific about his condition and about a course of treatment that we could feel safe with over a three-​day road trip.
Cully made the trip home well and continues to improve. And we know where to take him if he ever needs medical care in the Triangle again.
Thanks, Dr Russell and staff!
Lois, Bob, and Cully
Sycamore, IL

Excellent care — from the 3:30 a.m. phone reception, to welcoming us to the clinic. Staff, Doctors, all were professional, compassionate, thorough in the diagnosis and treatment of my beloved dog. They listened to me and responded with understanding and communicated clearly our options. Grateful they’re here and definitely recommend.

When you need emergency pet care, this is the place to go.
They’re open 24 hours and when we took our sick cat in, they restored her to health. They’ll go to whatever lengths and expense an owner is willing to do. They’re very professional and sympathetic.
They have ICU level care and can do surgery there on the spot.
They’re not cheap, but when is emergency medical care cheap? They are good about letting you know what it could cost at a minimum.
I’d say you should see your vet as your primary care, but if you have an after hours or weekend emergency and you know it won’t wait, this is a good place to go. As Helena K said in her review, this is a good number to keep in your phone.

After a morning spent romping in the garden, our 10 year old mixed breed developed a severe limp and her entire leg swelled up. We brought her in early Sunday morning thinking that she had a fracture or sprain. Dr. Nunez found a localized swelling and said that he thought that it was just a reaction to something (insect sting, perhaps?), rather than a tissue or bone injury. He admitted that he was uncertain about this diagnosis, and said that the only way we could rule out a break for sure was to get X-​rays, which, he pointed out, would be expensive to do at her regular vet’s office and even more expensive to do at TVRH. We decided to hold off on the X-​rays and instead treat her injury as if it was an immune reaction. Dr. Nunez’s hunch was right on the money. Two days later our dog was back to her old self.
Dr. Nunez could have easily fleeced us for an unnecessary procedure (the X-​rays) that would have turned a profit for TVRH, but opted to give us his honest medical opinion instead. He was also forthright about his uncertainty regarding the diagnosis, which is a rare (and highly appreciated) quality among medical professionals.
The facility is beautiful and the service at the front desk was prompt, attentive, and competent. This I rarely post on Unilocal,but I was motivated to post this after having such a good experience at TVRH.

Continuing my saga with Molly we were referred here when one icy morning when the roads were treacherous as our regular vet was concerned she has possibly ingested some rat poison from a dead animal and wanted her to receive further evaluation at the emergency clinic in Durham.
She was kept over night and she had some additional tests run, was observed overnight. They actually have someone there 24 hours which was comforting. They determined that it wasn’t rat poisoning, thank goodness, because I hated to think that this could happen again if a neighbor was using poison as pest control. They determined it was colitis and she was put on medication to help with potential ulcers as well. She is doing so much better and we are grateful to have this service available.
We interacted the most with Dr. Graffinger who called us personally with updates and gave us options and explained why some of the tests we were requesting might not be the best use of money and services which looking back I appreciate because we would have paid whatever at that point. He talked to us as if it was his dog he was treating and what he would in our shoes. That was very comforting. Yes, I am the neurotic mom that was asking for a $ 500 tox screen and endoscopy. And he calmly assured me that would be overkill at this point.
She is doing much better and I hope I never witness that again but it is good to know that there are many capable hands in the triangle area. Thanks, Dr. G!

At 4:30 in the morning on a Saturday, my son — a nearly eighteen-​year-​old terrier mix — had a violent seizure. It was the most haunting, horrific way I have ever been awoken. I had programmed TVEC’s (then TPET) phone number into my phone — at the time, a first-​generation Nokia of some type — when we first adopted Goshnips, some eight years ago, hoping I’d never have to call them. Even in my state of confused shock, I remembered that the number was there and called them. Someone answered on the first ring, told us to bring him in.
I wrapped Goshnips in a blanket, tried to hold him still as he came out of his seizure. When we arrived, they took him in right away. Two vets and two vet techs were on staff at 4:30 in the morning, which I round comforting even in this distressing situation. They gave him valium, the standard treatment for seizures, then got all of the details from us about his medications. He was on an antibiotic for a UTI, but I couldn’t think of the names and, in our panic, we left the pill bottles sitting on the counter at home. The antibiotic started with the letter B, I told the vet, Dr. Dawn Coy Lanza, and she immediately knew what we were talking about, stated that it was unusual that that particular antibiotic would cause a seizure, and deduced that there was another trigger.
Goshnips had just had blood work done at his regular vet, New Hope Animal Hospital, earlier in the week (when he’d been prescribed the painkillers and antibiotics), but of course we didn’t think to get a printout of the results to bring with us. TVEC did more blood work and a chemistry panel on-​site; it took only about 15 minutes to get the results. Just as Dr. Soren Windram had told us at NHAH a few days prior, the blood work showed kidney disease and elevated liver enzymes, none of which were elevated enough to cause him to seize. It could likely be a brain tumor, Dr. Lanza told us, handing me a tissue as I broke down in tears, or it could’ve been cancer elsewhere that spread. The only way to know for sure was to do an MRI but, of course, why run a $ 3,000 MRI on an 18-​year-​old dog when there’s nothing to be done with the information that such a test would garner?
The vet got Nips calmed down, told us to keep him comfortable till our vet opened at 8:00 a.m. and then get him in there to see Dr. Windram ASAP. Dr. Lanza was — respectfully, sympathetically — telling us that he needed to be euthanized, and that it would be best if his vet of eight years did it, rather than her, a stranger.
Our trip — after-​hours visit, valium, blood work, chemistry panel — cost us around $ 300. I feel that we were taken care of, treated well, and definitely that TVEC could’ve easily taken advantage of us in our semi-​conscious, heartbroken state by ordering unnecessary tests, but they didn’t. They referred to Nips as our «baby,» so I felt that they understood how unbearable this situation was for us.
We took our baby home and I laid down with him, tried to keep him quiet, but the aftereffects of the seizure made it obvious that he had been irrevocably injured and that this would be his last day with us. I am grateful to TVEC for being there when we needed them, for seeing us through one of the worst days of our lives, and for encouraging us to get to NHAH as soon as they opened so Nips could be treated by people who knew and loved him. Dr. Windram came to the same conclusion that TVEC had, so I knew they had taken the situation seriously and put forth their best efforts in diagnosing my son. I imagine one of these years I’ll feel open to letting another pet into my heart and, while I do hope I never, ever, ever have to call TVEC again, I am relieved to know that they are there … just in case.
VERY IMPORTANT: Don’t confuse TVEC with the similarly named Triangle Veterinary Hospital (the key distinguishing word here is *Emergency*), which is located nearby at 3301 Old Chapel Hill Rd. TVEC is at ****3319 DURHAM-​CHAPEL HILL BLVD.****

This is a hard review to write. I have taken numerous cats and dogs to this Clinic over the years. There have been nights that I was able to sleep because I knew they were taking care of my sick pet. The vets and staff have been kind, gentle, and sympathetic, which is no easy task at 1 or 2 in the morning. They also have a full clinic open during the day, so if you need care to continue during the day, you’ve got it.
However, my one caution is be careful which vet and which staff you are working with. I have had wonderful experiences with Drs. White, Coy, and Graffinger, but recently had a really awful experience with Dr. Russell. After a disagreement with her and a staff member about our dog, she was just awful… dismissive, disrespectful, and antagonistic. She and her tech were being incredibly evasive and resistant, so I suspect they were trying to cover something up. Rather than communicating openly about the problem, she refused to address the issue and made derisive comments about our concerns. I almost never cry, but I tears just kept pouring down my face. I kept thinking: here is someone I can’t trust who can’t be bothered to be respectful to a human and she has my sick, old dog in the back of the clinic where I can’t see him. What is she doing to him? So… bottom line, yes, in a heartbeat, I would trust my pets to this Clinic with the very, very strong exception of Dr. Russell.