Veterinary Referral & Emergency Center of Westbury

If I could leave no stars I would. Do not take your beloved pet to this establishment. They did not use the proper gloves to take our pet out of the carrying case. We were told that he bit a staff member on the arm when he was removing him from the carrying case. Our pet of 18 years was there to be euthanized and too weak for us to bring him back home or put him through the process again at another establishment. Doctor Elsa LeBars came in to inform us that they would be decapitating him to send his brain to Albany to check for rabies. She had the nerve to say we wouldn’t be charged for this as we were sitting there in disbelief and sadness. It is devastating enough to lose a pet, and go through the grieving process and now because of their negligence this is something that will stay with us forever. We are not receiving the ashes of our pets entire body! If you care at all about your pet you will never step foot into Veterinary Referral and Emergency Center of Westbury!

They’re great! They were able to take care of my Buttercup and get her better

I had to rush Irakli (Hercules) the first week of November due to severe neck pain. After sending him in for an MRI we were told that he was suffering from Intervertebral disk disease (IVDD). We were hoping that pain management would have been able to help but we had to send him in for surgery. It’s been almost 2 weeks since his surgery and I cannot express how amazing he is doing. He has officially bounced back to being himself and able to move around more comfortably!
I cannot express how grateful my family and I are for the entire staff who has been there from the beginning ESPECIALLY for Dr. Santare who was so helpful, honest, and truly amazing at her job. Everyone has been so kind and helpful and would answer our questions at all hours of the day. We will be having the best Thanksgiving ever because they made it possible! Thank you!

My Beagle Roxy was Viciously attacked by pit bulls and was rushed here by Nassau County PD. They were waiting for her to arrive and was stabilized. She had surgery the next day and is alive because of the excellent care she received. I am a first responder it was so bad that I broke down when I saw her. And I did not know the extent of her injuries until I asked the doctor to see her initial injury. Which were extremely severe and life threatening and the worse they have seen there in quite some time. I thank the entire staff for saving my little girl Roxy. And for their kindness and understanding under such a difficult situation. She still needs another surgery but the worse is now over.

Dr. Linderman is an amazing oncologist Doctor. The care that has been given so far for my dog has been very consistent and professional. Always checks on his progress and how he is doing. Highly recommend for an oncologist. Makes a really difficult time seem promising and extremely hopeful.

My cat Rimski had difficulty breathing last night and I took him to this emergency facility nearby. All staff including the doctor in charge were comforting and professional. It easily was a $ 1000 spend but that is normal for emergencies and that total already included overnight stay, bloodwork, xray, bp check, and meds. Picked Rimski up today complete with paperwork. They will also fax all findings to his vet. Kudos and God bless all who showed my pet and me tender affection.

I had to take my dog, Doug, to the emergency room when I discovered a huge gash on his face. The people there were nice, despite angry visitors but the service was soooo slow. Doug only had an ear infection and was scratching (hence the gash), I wish they had told me it could have waited until I got to his vet instead of making me wait for five hours AND charging me $ 500…
They were nice though. The place is homey (kind of)

UPDATE: I went back to speak to the hospital administrator who was very nice and very understanding. It was good to be able to voice my issues to an actual person. She was very professional and friendly.
I brought my 8 month old Shiba Inu here last night at about 11 pm after she got into a bottle of pills.
First of all, let me say that the night staff I interacted with were great. The receptionist was nice and the doctor was very competent and friendly.
I walked in and at first they tell me I have to call poison control (which is a $ 65 charge) to tell them what happened, what she ingested, how much and her weight and age. After I give that information, the receptionist over the phone gives a vet the information, then I am given a claim number to give to the vet I am seeing for them to call to get the instructions. This process took 20 minutes. Now my question is, what if it was a life or death situation? 20 minutes could be fatal. And why am I calling? I am not the doctor or technician. I have already given all that information to the vet staff .
The doctor tells me my puppy should stay overnight. I’m told they round on the pets at 8 am and I should get a phone call with an update between 9 and 9:30 am. By 10 am, I don’t get a phone call. So I call them myself.
I speak to the vet who first of all does not at all sound confident in my puppy’s care. AND could not even specify her correct gender. Busy or not, the LEAST you could do is look at what the gender of the pet is. She says she thinks my puppy should stay for observation until 5 or 6. I say I will come in to visit around 2.
I come in at 2:30 (I even called ahead to tell them I’m coming) to see my pup. I ask to see the vet and the tech said due to emergencies coming in, it would be an hour to an hour and a half. Which is ridiculous. My friend and I agreed to wait and took her outside and she was running around, making me think that she did not need to stay the extra hours. I decide I want her discharged.
3:30. No one has come in to see us or check on us. So I go to reception and tell them that I want my dog discharged NOW. The receptionist tells me she will relay the message. She then comes in and says it will be about a half hour as the doctor needs to finish the paperwork after she is finished with an emergency.
4:30. Still have not been seen by anyone. I angrily walk out to reception again. Same answer.
5:00. I’m told the vet is next door and will come see me next.
5:30. The vet tech comes in and tells me that the doctor has released the paperwork and I can take my dog home. But the doctor still can not see me. I have been here for 3 hours and I have NO report on the care given to my pet.
5:45. I am left to dispute one of the charges on my invoice.
I am furious and extremely displeased with the service. I will not bring my dog here again.

No one likes having to go to an emergency vet due to the elevated prices from your pcp vet and because of the circumstances you normally have to go there for. However, this is the best 24 hour animal hospital I have ever been to. Dr. Amanda Capobianco in this office is not only one of the softest spoken and caring doctors you will ever come across in an animal er, but she doesn’t try to over charge you for unnecessary tests. She is straight forward and truly cares for the best for your pet. Unfortunately I had to bring my dog to be put down last month at the young age of 9 due to metastasised cancer. From the minute I walked in to the minute I left, all employees were professional and comforting. They made my Ralphie as comfortable as possible and let us stay with him as long as we wanted once he passed. They let me pick him up the next day to bring him myself to the crematory and supplied me and my family with the emotional support we needed to let go of our little baby once it was time. I recommend anyone who has to bring their pet to an er to bring them here. Best choice for your pets wellness!

If I could give a negative star on them then I would. The doctor felt disrespected after i sourced out a second opinion on my pet and decided to confront me with all of her accomplishments and awards re her schooling. My pet is dying so if I wanted to follow up on her accomplishments I could have taken a look at her plaques on the wall. This place is about money and they will give you indirect answers just to see you spend more money on a pet that will never get better (they will not tell you this, EVER). Shame on this place for leading me on with the reality of my dogs health and shame on them for not even having the decency to be compassionate enough to ask if I want my dog in a box or cremated in person (they asked me right after I put my dog down via phone).This place is lacking heart and if you want a good doctor for your pet then you should NOT bring your pet here (especially in an emergency). If you want a doctor who will tell you each and every day «he needs another day or two» then come here and spend every last dime you own because this saying will start at the time of arrival to the very day that your dog gets put to sleep.
Indirect answers, empty hopes, rude and heartless doctors is what this place has to offer. Even if they didn’t give a shit about my do, it would have been nice if they at least pretended to and not ran out before I arrived (read this happened in another review as well !!!)
DO NOT COME HERE !!!

My experience here was nothing short of perfection!
I ended up here after my pup got a bit too excited at my dog run. He broke a nail at the base, and I knew that it was beyond anything I could tend to on my own. After looking up a 24 hour animal hospital in my area– as just my luck it was 6 PM on a Sunday– I found Veterinary Referral & Emergency Center of Westbury.
The moment I walked in, I was greeted by a lovely receptionist who was friendly and smiling. As any pet parent can attest– when my Buster is in need of urgent care– it has me feeling really nervous and freaked out. A smiling face makes a world of a difference. After checking in and filling out some paperwork– Bianca, who I think was a triage nurse, came over and looked at Buster. After explaining what had to be done (pulling out his nail) and what it would cost, she took him to a back area. Within minutes, she was back out with him. The nail removal went super quick and ended up costing way less than expected. Clearly, this team cares both about the pet’s well being and a pet parent’s wallet! After some parting words about caring for his paw going forward– I was on my way back home, Buster in tow and doing just fine!
I can’t recommend Veterinary Referral & Emergency Center of Westbury enough!

I cannot sing enough praise for the staff and oncologists here. Recently, I had the horrible misfortune of having two cats receive a cancer diagnosis in less than two months — I spent $ 1200 being bounced from vets and specialists in Brooklyn and Manhattan (I live in Brooklyn) who pushed for diagnostics that cost upwards of $ 6,000 alone WITHOUT treatment and who seemed deeply uncertain about the type of cancer my cats had. Since that amount was wildly beyond my means, I was crushed, afraid that they might die because I couldn’t even afford to have them diagnosed, much less treated.
In desperation, I began to reach out to every veterinary specialty center within 100 miles of NYC to inquire about the costs of their diagnostics. Most refused to even give me a ballpark estimate unless I brought my cats in for another costly exam I couldn’t afford, but Veterinary Referral and Emergency Center was different: not only did they quote me a price for diagnostics that was 70% less than the cost in NYC, but they set an immediate appointment with an amazing oncologist, Dr. Linderman.
Linderman immediately recognized the type of cancer my cats had and outlined a treatment protocol that, with CareCredit and donations, I could afford and that still added up to less than the diagnostic prices quoted in NYC. Better still, seeing our financial need, we were given some donated chemotherapy drugs to begin treatment immediately. For the first time, I felt like an empowered patient and my cats, who seemed to be at death’s door, are thriving. I’ve since returned to get IV chemo for my youngest (and most likely to go into remission), Jack, and the experience was quick, painless and handled beautifully. No waits, no terse, hopeless people expressing bleak outlooks, just vets and staff who are true animal lovers that tell it straight and compassionately.
It may be a 1-​hour drive in a Zipcar, but it’s worth every bit of time for the quality of care we have received.

I am so grateful to have found this emergency vet. I’d known for a while that my 14 year old cat was not doing so well… but it wasn’t until one night when she was moaning and couldn’t walk that it really hit me. I called this center and they told me to bring her in. From the moment I walked in to the moment my sweet little kitty was gone, the people here were so incredibly nice. They expressed their sorrow for my situation and I felt their genuine sympathy. After asking what I wanted to do, they told me putting her down was probably the best thing for her in her situation, which gave me great comfort. They wrapped her in a blanket and let me sit in a room alone with her and that time alone with her meant the world to me at that moment. I cried from the moment I walked in until the moment I walked out… but it would have been a much harder night if not for those wonderful, kind people working here. I even received a sympathy card from them a few days later. Thank you so much to everyone at Veterinary Referral & Emergency Center of Westbury.

I cannot begin to thank the people of Veterinary Referral for all the help they gave me. I just rescued a kitten we found in my friend’s back yard. He was tiny and refused to eat, but I loved him. I set my alarm for 3am to try feeding him, and what did I find? Poor kitty lethargic, with agonal breathing. Aka dying.
I frantically searched for 24-​hour vets around the area, and came to this place. I told them my plight and they greeted me at the door and whisked kitty away to treat him immediately.
My poor kitty coded, but they were able to bring him back with CPR and IV dextrose. While this was going on, someone was always coming out to update me on his condition. They then told me that kitty might have congenital issues, and gave me the option to put him down. It was the hardest decision I could make, but I knew that I just didn’t have the time to feed him every 2 hours, nor could I put that on anyone else.
So i made the hard decision to put him down. They wrapped him up in a blanket and took me to a private room to say goodbye. They let me stay while they put him to sleep. I was so distraught, and their kindness and understanding meant so much.
A month later, I got a handwritten sympathy card from them, saying they were sorry for my loss. While I had the kitten for a very short time, the experience was traumatizing and awful. I’m so grateful for the help I received from the people here.

after a nice fun walk late at night with our 3 dogs, we got home and one of our chihuahuas slipped and fell down the stairs! and broke a few of his nails :(which wouldn’t have been that bad but they were horribly broken and bleeding all over. I’m lucky my dad didn’t wake up in the middle of the night and wonder if a crime scene took over the kitchen :) I mean those things were gushing!
Anyway I took to google as my husband held him, found this place and off we went.
they bandaged him up and totally took care of our baby. wasn’t crazy expensive either :) so good to know there is a good nice vet for emergency’s at 1 am in the area. highly recommend this place.

TLDR: vet was a little pushy (and presumptuous), vet tech was nice, place was hard to find but all in all as far as emergency vets are concerned it seems to be a good choice.
We had a little scare last night with our pup — and this place was recommended to us by a friend (and another vet who said this is the closest 24-​hour that won’t rip us off). We called and let them know the symptoms, and the woman on the phone (who we later found out was the vet) said it sounded concerning so to bring her in. She had a very calm demeanor on the phone and made sure we had the correct address before we were off the phone. Our two GPS (phone and car) couldn’t quite get us there, but we found it after passing it. The sign on the street is «Bright Hearts» but it is the same place, back to the left in the industrial park (sign does say VCA on the building).
Since we were there at 3am the door was locked but just ring the doorbell and they’ll come let you in. They got her in quickly and ran some quick regular vitals, and then came out to talk to us about whether she got into the garbage and what her symptoms had been. The one thing that really did get to me was that she kept asking about «illicit drugs» and trying to get us to do a drug screen if she got into anything. After we said there was no chance of that she recommended it at least two additional times later, including telling us that if the dog got into marijuana she’d would be fine in a day or so with some fluids and rest. I thought that was quite disrespectful, she clearly had some preconceived notions about our little family that she just couldn’t shake — and couldn’t believe us when we said it wasn’t possible! Either that or she really wanted that extra $ 90 on the bill, but either way — not cool.
In the end, she reassured us the pup would be fine to sleep tonight and to keep an eye on her, and did recommend we take her to her regular vet in case it wasn’t something she ate and actually a neurological issue. Oh also, the vet tech there was very nice, walked us out after and popped out the side door after to say goodnight.
All in all I’ll chalk up the parts that rubbed me the wrong way to it being a personal issue that the vet had. The rest of the experience was good, and if you live near Westbury it’s probably your best choice.

This is the place to go when your dog needs emergency medical care. The receptionists were very helpful and professional the doctors were very caring and compassionate. They explained everything to us in great detail and made us feel very comfortable I highly recommend

Back again for my very sick pet. The staff where so attentive. The communications to me and my family where exceptional. Dr. Kimmel, was very patient and answered every question we had. I was given updates twice a day. You can tell she really cares about your pet. I wish human medicine operated the same way.

The people here are excellent — I can’t say enough good things about them. My greyhound spent 5 days here. Throughout that time, the doctors would call me twice a day with updates on her condition. They were very professional & took the time to answer all of my questions. They were also very knowledgeable about greyhounds and their different reactions to medicines, anesthesia, etc.
I was concerned about how my family would take the appearance of my dog (from swelling) when I brought her home and mentioned this to the vet. When I picked her up, they had her all bandaged up in bright pink and decorated it with little purple bows & hearts. I thought this extra step they took was really thoughtful.
Everyone I had experience with there from the assistants to the billing department were excellent. No complaints whatsoever.

Though the outcome was bad the staff & their knowledge was top notch
I unfortunately had to put my cat down. He was very sick but the vet & staff were kind & caring

Great place, care and help! It’s great to know where to take my dogs if sick at anytime. The ladies who work at reception are also great and very kind in your moments of stress.
I Love this place!