Fresno Veterinary Specialty & Emergency Center

I had to take my 17 year old kitty to Fresno veterinarian specialty and emergency. I have only good things to say about the staff and Dr. Lazarcheff treatment of my kitty. They presented us with different treatment plans and I was able to pick the option that I could afford. Being a Level 1 trauma vet The costs are a little bit higher, but so is my veterinarian on the weekends and my kitty received good care. I want to thank the staff and Dr. for making a bad situation good

I visited this facility on sunday evening and showed up right around 930pm. My puppy had been vomiting and just didn’t seem like his usual energetic self. The check in was quick and easy and he was seen right away. He had tested positive for parvo ($ 146.00 to see a vet for 5 mins was a little high) this is when the visit went bad. They gave me 2 options which I appreciated and opted for the lesser of the 2.
I had my husband’s visa and wanted to pay with that. He said they had to email an Auth form for him to fill out and email back. (He was home with our 3 year old so he was unable to come in person) it took them an hour to send him the form and it wasn’t even r the right one!
It was already 1130pm at the point and I asked «would it be faster if I just went and got you cash?» They said «Yes it would but we can’t let you leave, do you have enough money to pay for the services so far?» I said «Yes it’s on the card that apparently I can’t use. Can I do debit?» They graciously agreed to allow me to use debit. I got up to front handed the guy the card… HE RAN IT AS CREDIT!!! Then he proceeded to tell me «that’s ok we will just run it was credit» so basically I waited for a total of an hour and half for some form that didn’t go through, held hostage so I could go get the payment, and then allowed to use it as credit be he «accidentally «ran it as credit
At this point it took them all of 15 mins to give my dog treatment and while I was the ONLY patient in there at this time it took them another 45 mins to get me discharged.
Sorry but while the staff was kind they have their priorities mixed up. They are way too financially driven and if it’s that important to you get payment before even doing and exam or test.
I was there for almost 4 hours and only 20 – 30 mins of it had anything to do with helping my Baymax get better

I would discourage anyone from taking their pet to this hospital. They spend more time making estimates than treating animals, even when you’ve told them repeatedly what you want and will pay for. Our story:
Our 8yr-​old otherwise healthy kitty had been sick for 3 days (not eating/​drinking, mopey, etc) and we were concerned about severe dehydration. We took him in and the vet confirmed he was very dehydrated simply from her exam, and his temp was 106! Then she proceeded to talk about every test she wanted to run, including several that wouldn’t come back for DAYS. She did NOT mention treatment options for his fever/​dehydration until I asked. I said that some basic labs were fine, but no matter the cause of the dehydration we wanted it treated… NOW. They could do the testing simultaneously (that’s how it works for humans. You treat the life threatening condition while you’re waiting for all the answers to come back. Knowing every lab value isn’t going to change the fact that he is dehydrated and needs fluid resuscitation). She refused to rehydrate him until she had lab results. Then an hour and a half was wasted making and discussing estimates, etc. We got the labs back, she then assented to fluids and said we could take him home. I have never been treated with less compassion and more condescension by a veterinary staff before. The saddest part? He coded and died the next morning at our primary vet’s office. I’m just glad that when he passed at his own vet’s office he was surrounded by compassionate people.

Sorry for the long review, I just like to be thorough lol! This is a very clean and nice looking animal hospital. I came here today to bring my dog in, he had been vomiting all morning and was showing very similar symptoms to pancreatitis (he has had this before so we know what to look for). We were taken to a room immediately but sat for a bit. After my dogs vitals were taken we sat for another half hour before the vet came back. We explained to her his symptoms and that we thought it was another bout on pancreatitis. After some back and forth she had recommended multiple blood tests and went to the back to draw up a diagnosis plan for the tech to go over with us before agreeing. The total for all the tests came out to almost $ 800 and that didn’t even include medication if he would have needed it, she recommended all these different types of blood tests and X-​rays. Now since we have experienced pancreatitis before I felt all these tests were not necessary cause at the point my dog was back to normal. We ended up going with one blood work test that actually tested for pancreatitis and declined the rest. We were told the test needed 20 – 30 minutes to be prepped and than it would best 10 minutes for results. We were there for another hour and a half waiting for his results. Now I understand animal hospitals get busy but it seemed to not be that busy when we got there and after awhile it seemed like we were the only ones in a waiting room. We asked the front desk how much longer the results would be and asked if we could pay and go home and they could call us when they were ready because my dad, who was with me, is diabetic and needed to take his meds at home. They said it would only be a few more minutes. Well we sat and sat and finally the vet came and was kind of snippy about «how busy they are and she is doing her best». Again I understand if a vets office truly is busy things take time, but it didn’t seem that busy, and I don’t see why we couldn’t have just paid and gone home and waited for the results rather than sit there for almost 2 hours. Well turns out he doesn’t even have pancreatitis, my mom apparently fed him a new wet food that is high in fat and that most likely upset his stomach (dogs with pancreas issues don’t do well with high fat foods). So I’m really glad we didn’t shell out $ 800 dollars just to be told nothing was wrong with him. I’m going to follow up with our regular vet this week just to double check. I would probably go back if another emergency came up and my normal vet is not open like today, but I feel that it is important to not be afraid to question test recommendations and if you truly feel your dog doesn’t need it don’t be afraid to say no. I don’t know if this office is a test pusher like some other places and over charge, or if the vet might have just been the type that is very thorough but either way they were unnecessary. Thankfully my dog is better now. But again it is a nice office.

I should have written this review a long time ago. I had recently rescued a lab mix dog and had left him home with our cousin. The cousin thought it would be okay to have my new dog mingle and get acquaintance with our 3 other dogs. That was a big mistake. I came home and there was blood all over our 4 dogs. The dog I had adopted his name now is Tyson was on the floor with a pool of blood. I looked at the time and I needed to be at work. I told my fiancé to rush Tyson to emergency and he did. The emergency bill was about 1500. I picked Tyson up and had him be seen by a day Vet in Hanford. Tyson had to stay over night there and iv was given. The day Vet Dr. Singh said he would need to be seen by a Specialist and he recommended we take Tyson to Fresno Veterinary Specialty and Emergency
Services. There he was seen by a Specialist name Dr. Peter Walsh who came to Fresno either once or twice every week. This Dr. put Tyson joint back in place and bandaged him up. I was told to make sure Tyson gets new bandage every day for the next 2 months or a little less. The days and the weeks passed and the bill kept getting bigger and bigger. Each time you do a bandage change it cost between 50 to 75 dollars. The day has finally arrived and Tyson was scheduled to see Dr. Peter Walsh to see if his joint has stayed in place and if he has recovered enough where he didn’t need to do more bandage or have surgery. The week prior to seeing Dr. Walsh I was told by one of the Doctor there that Tyson joint looks like they’re staying in place and he’s healing well so I was excited to go see Dr. Walsh the following week. When I got to the Vet office they took Tyson to the back and came back out telling me that my dog needs surgery. I was in shocked because I have done everything they have told me up to this point and the doctor from last week said Tyson was looking good. Dr. Walsh and his staff told me I have 3 options. The 1^st option was to do surgery. My 2^nd option was to do nothing but in time Tyson will and can only get worse and will be in pain. The 3^rd option was to have his leg amputated. Note my Vet bill was already around 6000 at this time and the surgery was going to cost another 2500 or something along that line. I knew something was terriblt wrong. I didn’t believe them when they told me that Tyson wasn’t getting well and he needed surgery. I know my dog and I know he was healing. I asked the Vet Technician if she can take Tyson back to the exam room and have Dr. Walsh check again. The Technician went to the back and talked with Dr. Walsh and he told her she can bring Tyson to the back again and they will remove the bandage and see his joint. A few minutes later the Vet Technician came out with Tyson and told me he doesn’t need surgery because the doctor was looking at old x rays. Could you believe that? Imagine if they would have amputated my dog’s leg if I didn’t have the money for surgery. One might say «well the doctor should be able to tell nothing is wrong with his leg before going through with the amputation.» Well what if they don’t. Nothing would surprise me especially after telling me they looked at the old xrays. Thank goodness they even considered and actually removed his bandage to see his joint. After all this I never got one apology. Never got an apology from any of the staff or the doctor Peter Walsh himself. I will never take any of my babies to this Vet hospital again. I do not trust them. If you decide to take your pets here if you feel something they’re telling you is wrong please speak up because you’re your pet best advocate. You’re their voice.

I would recommend this business to anyone who loves their animal.
Their staff was very kind and compassionate. Thank you.

Thank you to the amazing staff at FVSEC for taking excellent care of my black lab Brooklynn this weekend when she was having surgery. Everyone on the staff was friendly, knowledgeable and skilled at their jobs, especially Dr White and Angie who took care of Brooklynn during surgery and Brandee for arranging the surgery. I knew Brooklynn would be in good hands and well taken care of. Thanks again for everything!

I recently took my fur baby in because of seizures. We decided that it was time for her to be freed from her suffering. The decision was heart wrenching, but the staff did a wonderful job of keeping me distracted with light-​hearted stories while processing the paperwork.

Just took my chihuahua for a abscess by her butt. Very nice place.
One of the nicest I have ever seen. The receptionist I think his name was Bill… very sweet.
Francisco the vet tech was so awesome! So compassionate, sweet and attentive. He was the best thing about this place! Five stars for him!
The Doctor… don’t know his name he never introduced himself. Don’t have to much to say about him good or bad he was only in the room two minutes.
Here’s where I have a problem. I get the fact you’re going to pay more because it’s after hours. Just to walk in the door is $ 94. 50.00 for after hours 44.00 for the exam… I think that’s fair.
They tell you how much it’s going to cost before they do anything like most vets. While we were in the exam room my dogs abscess burst before the doctor came in, keep that in mind.
After the exam Francisco came in and told me in detail how much it was going to cost…820.00!!!
I was in disbelief. The abscess was already popped but it still need to be flushed out and cleaned. Really? 820.00
My dog had this once before and her vet charged around 140.00
Antibiotics 65.00? My vet charged me 13.00 for the same pills.
Seriously I would be embarrassed at what they charge.
People have NO CHOICE if it’s life or death… so they pay no matter what. This is what they feed off of… makes me sick!
Fortunately mine wasn’t life or death. Anabiotic’s and a pain shot is all I agreed too, The abscess was already draining. Sweet Francisco cleaned her up and actually flushed it… Which he didn’t have to do.
179.00 is what I paid and I’m fine with that.
Saddens me because they have great employees, thought I found a great place to take my dogs in an emergency.
If you can afford it, I recommend it.

My German Shepherd had been battling epilepsy for about 2 years when suddenly last week her seizures became uncontrollable. over the course of 48 hours she got to a point where she could no longer function and we had to make the decision to have her put to sleep. This was a very hard time for our family and Fresno Veterinary Specialty & Emergency Center made this more tolerable process on us. Everyone we encountered hat evening was compassionate and understood that this was a difficult process and helped us through as much as they could. They were gentle, caring, and truly treated us like we were important and not just another customer or patient. I cannot recommend this facility highly enough as I am very grateful for the excellent service that they showed to me and my family.

My dog recently fell ill and we took her to our regular vet to get checked out. She ended up having pancreatitis and the vet recommended we hospitalize her overnight. I didn’t feel comfortable with keeping her at my vet’s office due to the office not being staffed overnight. I brought her in to FVSEC and I am happy to say she is on the mend! She stayed overnight and I am very happy with the care and service we received. Dr. White was very thorough with his examination and treatment and the staff was so friendly despite my numerous calls to check in on my pup. The office is spacious, clean and a good location. I am happy to have found a 24 hr ER vet close to home.

Approximately 3 weeks ago, my chocolate Labrador puppy was throwing up and not eating. He was taken to this facility, and we were told his Parvo test was negative and sent home. We were never advised that you can get false negatives for parvo, nor were any secondary tests recommended. He died a horrible death 2 days later at another clinic. I have since learned that Parvo has certain core signs, and my puppy was exhibiting most of them.
I’m not so much concerned about the misdiagnosis, as I am about the events that followed:
My other Labrador puppy (a yellow lab) also (and expectedly) contracted Parvo the day after the chocolate one died. I once again rushed him in. The vet recommended that we admit him, but said we would not be able to have contact with him. That was the dividing line for us, as the other puppy died horribly with us not around, in a new place (not this facility). I wasn’t about to let my other puppy die like that, so we decided to purchase a bunch of IV drips, medications and even homeopathic items and dedicate ourselves to caring for him ²⁴⁄₇. Before leaving, I asked the vet about plasma transfusions (as Parvo depletes white blood cells which leaves the dog with little way to fight off the virus) and he was dismissive of it.
After a couple of days of constant care, the yellow puppy seemed to be improving. But then his poop started looking reddish (a bad sign) so I took him back to this facility, as I said I would do if his state worsened. The vet repeated that a blood transfusion wasn’t a viable option. I still question that decision, as it turned out my puppy had almost no remaining white blood cells, and I’ve done a fair amount of research on this since. Without such a transfusion, I was literally dropping off a puppy with no hope. And, sadly, he was dead within 3 hours. I was pre-​charged close to $ 4600 for 48 hours of vet care. I received just over $ 3000 back, but doing the math on what I paid for 3 hours of care was a lot comparatively. I would have remortgaged my house to save those dogs, so the money issue is not my biggest beef.
It’s what I saw when I was in the waiting area to pick up the puppy’s paw prints that prompted me to write this review: a couple of EMT guys (or a similar agency) walked in with a larger dog that had been hit by a car. The vet (who I heard was the actual owner of this place) talked to them near the door, and appeared annoyed that the dog had been brought in. He asked the techs what they wanted him to do, and made a comment about how the dog appeared fine and was walking. I heard them tell him (kinda exasperated and surprised) that they just wanted someone with more expertise than they had to check the dog out. The vet told them to take it to a shelter, and they left.
That pissed me off. I started thinking about how long I had to have my dogs seen, predominately based on a vet putting together a price plan. Then how they wouldn’t even bring my dogs back to me until I’d paid. ER expenses are pricey, and it seemed more fuss and time was put into making sure I could pay then even looking at my dogs. Seeing the vet/​owner turn that dog away left a bitter taste in my mouth. I know this is still a business, but there are times that call for compassion, and this vet’s attitude toward a dog that no one could pay for was alarming, and my father shook his head as we left.
I will say that this clinic does have some great employees. One that stands out is a purple haired girl who was excellent with us, and kind to my dog. She is why this isn’t a 1 star review. The vets could learn a lot from her demeanor and compassion.
Lastly, it would be nice if they were consistent — my puppy would have been admitted immediately had we been told we could visit him. Why did it take until he was close to death for that stance to change? When you love an animal, you want to trust people you feel are professionals. You just get desperate. I felt like I kept getting different answers each time I came in…
I hate to give bad reviews, but this is the experience I had. I’m happy for those who had better experiences here.

It was time to say goodbye to our sweet Buddy and randomly chose Fresno Veterinary Specialty & Emergency Center. He passed enroute. It was a horrible scene but the staff moved swiftly and with compassion. They allowed us time to say goodbye, casted Buddy’s paw as a keepsake and later sent a card. Our family had dreaded this time for a year but things were handled perfectly. The loss is still raw but it was a great relief that Buddy was taken care of.

Our family member Bella fell tragically ill. On day two of our four day journey seeking a proper diagnosis and a plan of attack, we landed in the Emergency Care of Fresno Veterinary Specialty & Emergency Center. Very Good is the only thing to say about the entire experience that late night. Unfortunately, by day four our Bella girl’s smile had faded and tail was no longer wagging… she was hurting. Without any idea what was wrong and obvious pain worsening, we had to let her go.
We called ahead to Fresno Veterinary Specialty & Emergency Center, while we took care of the expense they prepped Bella who the family then joined in a comfortable «living room» setting where we loved on her and said our final good-bye’s. The staff was so mindful and caring of what a difficult place it is to say good-​bye. We weren’t rushed and they truly assisted us making the situation less difficult then it needed to be. We were offered a memorialized paw-​print, and opted to have her cremated at my son’s (her boy — now a man’s) request.
We received a sympathy card from the staff there shortly there after, and again upon retrieval of her remains.
I cannot verbalize to the height it should be, the high level of customer service provided. the respect and care shown. A business yes, but I think it takes a backseat to why every member we encountered there chose the profession they are in and it showed!

This place, and especially their staff, are amazing. We unfortunately had to say goodbye to our 16 year old dog today and took her here. The staff was very kind, sympathetic and took care of us on the worst day ever for us. They gave us time and space to spend with our dog until we were ready to say goodbye. If you unfortunately have to let one of your pets go, I can’t recommend this place enough to you. Thank you for all you did today Samantha and Peter. You guys were amazing and words alone can’t express our gratitude.

So compassionate and caring. There was no wait and they took the best care of my dog. Highly recommended.

This place is the best er by far! I have been here many times and have been treated with kindness and respect each time. Amber and Dr. Judge are the best! My pets get treated very well and I am so glad this place is there for us when we have an emergency.

Took good care of our kitty quickly! They offered a lot of options and information so we didn’t have to spend a ton. Very honest and kind to our cat!

Took my dog Turbo here at 2AM on Saturday because he kept scratching at his ear the last couple of days but really bad tonight. Didn’t want to wait until his vet opened on Monday. Ended up he has an ear infection. The staff was friendly, caring & not pushy. Gave me a few options on care & treatment for him. Cost was higher than a regular vet check up but I expected that since this is an emergency room for pets. But I got him some meds & hopefully this will help him until I can get him seen at his vet. Thank you to all the staff!

This place is great! I’m a skeptic when it comes to new vets and/​or hospitals. They didn’t try to upsell. Just loved our pug.