Bluepearl Veterinary Partners

My sweet, beautiful baby was tortured and killed in this place, after I spent several thousands of dollars there on treatment (half my savings/enough for a downpayment on a house!). When I brought my dog in and he was under the weather after a small relapse, but relatively normal (with a good prognosis for recovery), and 24 hours later he was in critical condition and suffering, tied to tubes in ICU, injected with 9 very strong meds and miserable. My gut screamed that something was wrong and that I should take him out of there, but they kept telling me to wait as it could be ""unsafe"". \r \r The morning I was finally going to take him home they told me his heart gave out and he died. Then I found out he had been given no nourishment at all the last several days before his death. I'm convinced he was over-medicated/starved to death. They even admitted more or less that this was the cause (another doctor just after he died), then changed their story.\r \r Some of the nurses and staff there were extremely rude and callous. The doctors were polite and helpful, but that's business.\r \r I can't help feeling my lovely, sweet soul, my baby would still be alive today if I had never taken him there. This has broken my heart and devastated me. I adored that dog. He had been though so much with me; he was the sweetest animal, and had a real ""star"" quality about him. Everybody loved him, except this awful place.\r \r BTW, the Better Business Bureau gives this establishment an ""F"" rating. If ONLY I had known. My vet knew little about them, knew none of the doctors there, yet heartily recommended them. I'm wary now, and no longer sure what to believe in terms of veterinary advice. more

I wrote the following review on Yelp. I heard from three people, thanking me for the honest review. One from the Humane Society telling me that the reason is that there are not more reviews like mine is because they have deep pockets and a lot of fake reviews. Two weeks later Yelp filtered my review. BEWARE: They can do any procedure to your pet, but that does not mean they should. They performed surgery on my Friend's 17 year old cat. The owner spent 18,000.00. The cat was hospitalized for 10 days, and then had to be put to sleep. How does a caring vet suggest surgery for an animal of that age. The cat would have died without the surgery. But the owner was not advised of all the possible risks on an animal of that age. Shameful. more

They misdiagnosed our dog. We spent $15,000 and our dog died. The doctors were constantly rotated so it seemed like we never saw the same doctor. we wanted our beloved dog to live so much, we would have paid anything. NYC Vetinary Specialists took advantage of our distress and gave our dog substandard treatment. Need I say more more

Our Husky, Eva, has made a complete recovery after treatment for a malignancy under her tail. She underwent surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy. Dr. Karen Oberthaler was fantastic! Not only was she thorough and knowledgeable, she also showed a degree of understanding of our anxiety that we did not expect. We are grateful to Dr. Oberthaler, Dr. Kyles (surgeon), and the staff of NYC Veterinary Specialists for taking care of our Eva. She is alive and well thanks to them! more

PET OWNERS BEWARE...READ ALL THE BAD REVIEWS for this place...There is a reason so their rating is low and so many horrified pet owners are posting here. This hospital has the worst emergency room and understaffed. Many people like myself have gone in with a pet and come out without one. You won't even get a phone call back and these are the only Vets that are so above it all don't give out their emails. Leaving money aside the Vet's here just don't care you are an Estimate to them not about compassion or medicine...I watched a two year old dog die in waiting room because the non english speaking pet owners did not understand how to sign the papers for the estimate so they refused to give the dog a breath of oxygen and it died. My dog was screaming in pain and they did not weigh it and thus the next day I was not able to obtain medication. Less than One Star\r \r This other poster has posted this link for filing complaints\r How to file a formal complaint. \r by DeadPetsDoTellTales at Citysearch \r Those with such unfortunate experiences may file a formal complaint with the investigative office: Office of the Professionals New York State Education Department, 163 West 125th Street, Room 819, New York, NY 10027 Tel: 212-961-4369 Fax: 212-961-4361 To download complaint form go to: www.op.nysed.gov/opd/complain.htm \r \r It is your legal right to request from the hospital and veterinarian(s) a copy of your pet's full medical records, tests, xrays, labs, etc. and necropsy report if done. Preserve all records. \r \r more

In less than a year and a half, at least two (2) separate cats died without warning the day after Dr. Karen Oberthaler gave them chemotherapy at NYC Veterinary Specialists (see ComplaintsBoard, Vetratingz, and Yahoo! Web sites). My young cat was one of them. He was terminally ill with cancer but still playful and energetic when I brought him to her for palliative care. He died abruptly and painfully less than 18 hours after she injected her chemo and wrote in her discharge orders that ?Everything went very well today.? NYCVS, by the way, makes heartwarming promises: ?We treat your pet as we would treat our own pets; we treat you as we would treat a family friend; and we treat your family veterinarian as our partner.? Unfortunately, Dr. Oberthaler ignored those claims in every way ? she refused to do follow-ups for crucial biopsy results; she did not confer with my vet; she failed to give relevant discharge orders that might have helped save my cat?s life; she never offered condolences. NYCVS?s slogan is ?Your pet is part of the family.? Yet they waited two months before responding to letters that asked them to explain my cat?s post-chemo death. Their idea of comfort was to offer me a guided tour of their facility to show how wonderful it was, while they stonewalled. They testily advised me to get over my cat?s death. On my first visit, Dr. Oberthaler was cordial but self-serving ? she inappropriately proposed treating my cat with Palladia, which she was actively promoting, a costly canine cancer drug approved by the FDA, but only for dogs with mast cell tumors. She raved about it as if it were a wonder drug that could help cats with other kinds of cancer. But it had adverse side effects and at that time, no clinical cancer trials to prove its efficacy for cats. Also, Animal Medical Center and other animal hospitals had stated online their refusal to use Palladia for cats. It meant my cat would serve as a test animal for her ?off-label? research, at my expense and my cat?s. When I rejected Palladia, she lost interest in my cat, so that getting vital updates from her was like extracting teeth. Later, she denied that she had proposed Palladia for my cat ? despite the fact that there was a witness who confirmed she did propose it and had even given me the protocol and cost estimates for it. Chemo and prednisolone were her other options. The chemo, she insisted, should be combined with a chest tap. Oncologists usually say: ?Dogs and cats generally tolerate chemotherapy much better than human patients do.? If this is true, then something was deadly wrong with her prognosis (3 months) and diagnostic or treatment skills, since two cats died the day after her chemo. Her instructions before and after the chemo were inadequate and sloppy: She mentioned only minor side effects (nausea, diarrhea) but no risks. She gave no warning whatever of symptoms that might indicate life-threatening complications or that her treatments could result in death the next more

When my 12- and-a-half-year old cat was was diagnosed with a squamous cell tumor in his mouth, the surgeon who biopsied him at my vet recommended New York City Veterinary Specialists for further treatment. I was fortunate. I walked into their airy, windowed, ground floor waiting room, which is comforting in and of itself. My even-tempered, and understandably scared maine coon was gently examined, first by an experienced technician and then by Dr.Lachowicz, a kind and thoughtful oncologist who gave me the treatment options (chemo and radiation), thoroughly explaining the pluses and minuses of both. Though I agonizingly decided against either, after four months my cat is still alive and eating, with pain medication to ease the process -- The cost at NYVS is fair. In the interim, I have called NYVS for help and advice, once late at night when I spoke to Dr. Bessler, on overnight call. Dr. Bessler, despite not knowing me, was friendly, of good humor and very helpful. I have subsequently had further dealings with Dr. Bessler and he is a is a true sweetheart. All the doctors I have encountered, in bringing my cat for further examination, have been empathic and knowledgeable, as are all the technicians, with a kind support staff, as well. For a 24-hr. specialty hospital, New York Veterinary Specialists also seems reasonable and is generous. more

My husband and I found a small bird in the street, It must have fallen out of its nest and it couldn't fly. We called 311, 911 and got very little help. We decided to bring the bird to an animal hospital. After many calls, some places were closed (ASPCA, etc.),311 operator also sent us to a place which was closed. Tried our local vet which wouldn't take the bird. It was Sunday night and finally we found NYC Vet. Specialists. They saw the bird for no charge. Dr. Bessler examined it and identified it as a house sparrow and then gave us instructions as to how to handle the situation. more

My puppy got his foot stuck in an elevator and luckily it was only the nail bed that was affected. I took him to the vet emergency room late night. Upon waiting in the holding room for an hour, they took my dog and cleaned up the wound and inserted the sutures, all for a modest $750.00!! I understand this rate, given it was an emergency room visit. The very next morning the bandaging literally slipped off of his foot. I took him back to have the bandage put back on properly. They charged me another $67.00, for what I consider to be unacceptable bandaging the first time around. I could have gone to Duane Reade and bought some gauze and tape and done it myself, had I thought they were going to charge me AGAIN for what I consider to be a poor bandaging job the first time around. more

They butchered my cat while withholding material information that I needed to know so I could have peacefully and appropriately put her to sleep. This is a chop shop. No one has called with condolences but they sure do want thousands and thousands for their opportunistic practice. This place is a hell hole for animals. They recommend too much surgery and too many treatments all to get money while the humane thing would be to let these sweet creatures go with dignity rather than cut them into bits on the operating table and left to suffer with tubes and painful procedures for days at a time. Someone needs to investigate their practice of preying on the frightened and traumatized owners of animals who will say yes to anything to keep their loved pets alive while they cash in. It should be illegal. more

It’s a beautiful hospital and the nurses were great. I also had great experiences with the ER vets but had the absolute worst experience with Dr. Daly! She speaks to you as if you are a child, keeps you waiting to speak to her, has the voice of a child with a high-pitch speech impediment and the forehead of an elephant. Eighteen thousand dollars is what it cost for me to put my dog to sleep. I did everything she asked me to and now I will be paying off my dog’s medical bills for the next 5 years. I have later learned that the success rate with my dog’s illness is poor and I was never told that and given false hopes. This doctor took the last few days that I had with my dog and communicating with her through the process was just painful. I hope she can sleep at night. I am sure there are vets there with better bed-side manners that don’t look like a god damn chewed-up plastic Barbie doll. She probably would of made a better lawyer than a vet—at least we know lawyers are good liars! My vet later told me that a couple of her other clients have also been disappointed wit h this vet for medical decisions and communication issues. Think twice before you put your dog through anything extensive…it’s not worth it. more

See blog re: Lawsuit filed against Blue Pearl Veterinary Partners a/k/a NYC Veterinary Specialists located in New York. Google tikothecat.wordpress com/2011/12/13/step-1/ Please read the filtered reviews & reviews on other sites. If your pet has been a victim of veterinary negligence or unprofessional conduct at NYC Veterinary Specialists/Blue Pearl or any other veterinarian, it is imperative that you file a formal complaint with the investigative office: Office of the Professionals New York State Education Department, 163 West 125th Street, Room 819, New York, NY 10027 Tel: 212-961-4369 Fax: 212-961-4361 To download complaint form go to: www.op.nysed.gov/opd/complain.htm Obtain and preserve your pet's medical records from all vet practices that treated your pet. It is your legal right to request from veterinarian(s) a copy of your pet's full medical records, tests, xrays, labs, notes etc. and necropsy report if done. Obtain copies from ALL vets and preserve ALL medical records. Contact: The Animal Legal Defense Fund or The New York City Bar Association for an attorney referral should you require one. If you have filed your reviews under NYC Veterinary Specialists, you will need to repeat them under Blue Pearl Veterinary Partners under the applicable web pages. more

I have been there twice with my cat, both times I saw Dr Bessler. I have no complaints about the facility itself, however I am dissapointed in the advice given and would have headed down a completely unnecessary and traumatic (for the animal) path if I had followed their advice. I feel they want to ""do things"" becuase it is a business.\r \r The first time I went there because my cat had what I found out to be a ruptured anal sac abcess. Dr Bessler examined and washed the abcess and recommended that I return the next day to have surgical debridment. I left and consulted via phone with an academic veterinarian who told me to simply apply a warm compress every day, no need even for antibiotics and certainly not surgery. Indeed it resolved within less than a week.\r \r The second time with a minor complaint but otherwise totally health cat. I was told my cat might have kidney failiure. Not believing them, I went elsewhere (cheaper single Vet practice) and had tests done. indeed all was fine. So again, I was given alarming advice which would lead to them doing extensive work with extensive costs.\r \r On the one hand one wants to go to these big, shiny, good looking hospitals becuase one assumes they should have the best knowledge and technology and on the other hand, I have no doubt from my two experiences with them that they operate primarily as a business rather than in the best interest of the animal.\r \r Sigh... more

What is a good vet? Why Dr. Rocha is among the most competent ones? Dr Rocha has many degrees and titles in his office. He has carefully placed them on the wall (or someone did this for him, not sure) but what you need when your pet has cancer is ,first of all, someone that ""feels"" someone that is ""present"". These qualities are not known by Dr Rocha. You might confuse compassion or care with the fact that Dr. Rocha seems to have answers for everything (something that in cancer is very unrealistic) and also because he is very calmed, which is more like cold and restrained. Sometimes cancer responds to treatments and it is not precisely because the doctor is good. Oncology is one specialty that shouldn't take the pain nor the glory of the outcome. Thus, an oncologist should be very humanistic, very present, very real. Before you became an oncologist... how did you think this profession would affect your emotions Dr. Rocha? Do you think that the more experience you have, the more control, clinical wisdom,the better you are? The only consolation you get if your pet has cancer is that someone goes with you through the experience. For those dogs that don't make it, once surgery is over, Dr. Rocha will never call you to find out what happened to your dog, specially if you decide not to go on with chemo or radiation. He is all for treatment not for palliative care. Also, Dr. Rocha has a dual role: administrative and clinical, so he is the director and he is a doctor who see patients. It is hard to reconcile the humanistic mind of the vet with the colder, analytical mind that all administration duties involve. But Dr. Rocha does it all. And how?Not compromising. Usually, people who are not thorough, blame grief if you are unhappy with a doctor. I say that because you have grief you are very keen to recognize who is good and who is not for the more vulnerable you are, you will recognize who has real talent to treat people who is suffering. Dr. Rocha lacks this talent. Whatever is the doctor's talent that has been attributed to him, must be because he seems smart, serene, confident, qualities that do little in the long run. In the long run you need: presence, authenticity,warmness and commitment. He is also very crafty (really good actually at talking without saying anything ) about the answers he gives (like all of those who have an administrative hierarchy) I did have very good experiences with other doctors there. Because of these doctors and nurses, I give NYC spec. 4 stars. Dr. David Bessler (compassionated, honest, real) Dr Elizabeth Wolf ( good listener, respectful, compassionated, with a purity in her practice that is hard to find) Nurse Laura (don't remember her lastname) A nurse that listens, insigthful not only about the pets' medical condition but also about their mood, she is also very patient. Dr. Cetina( She is famous for speaking too fast, however, she is such a good listener that speaking fast doesn't affect the communication at all. She is very thorough and vey honest. She didn't give us false hopes and even asked us if we wanted to euthanize our dog that night, (which we didn't do) but she also talked about her own grief experience with her dog and empathized with us, earning my respect in no time. Unlike Dr. Rocha, who said to me when he told me the diagnosis and I started crying: But he is old, he is ten years old! And I said: How long would you want your dogs to live? And he answered: ""One thing is what I would like and another is the reality. I would like my parents to live 115 years"" Precisely because Dr Rocha and I (like other human beings) share irrational wishes, he should empathize with me and with others and forget about the ""reality"" that he was talking about before. Other people saw the puppy face in my dog and disregarded his age. They loved him.But Dr. Rocha only saw cancer and treatment. Who I do complaint to? Dr. Rocha is the medical director. more

I truly cannot say enough good things about NYC Veterinary Specialists--and I needed to visit them after regular business hours and during a very difficult time with my cat being so sick. Not only were the staff patient and kind to me, they treated my cat with so much respect, did not rush me, gave me extremely fair pricing (I've been to many vets over 15 years with animals and I was amazed at their fair pricing). While the Vet is not close to where I live in NYC, I've decided that it's more than worth the travel to get such kindness, professionalism and good care. Pros: Caring staff, beautiful establishment, fair pricing more

My dog Sammy and I are more than happy to recommend this great Veterinary in the city. My dog was not feeling well at 3AM in the morning (!) and almost could not move by himself. I immediately contacted the Veterinary and brought him at night (they are open 24 hours a day!). The staff their was so nice, and we got the best service a Veterinary could offer. Sammy is now healthier than ever! Recommended! more

I am so grateful to NYC Vet Specialists. I went in there tonight upset and frantic because my Goldendoodle had something lodged way down in her ear. It was late at night and I assumed that, like the other vet offices I have visited in the city, I would have to wait in the patient room for an eternity in panic mode. Contrary to my expectations, a doctor greeted me and my dog at the front door, asked what had happened and began to assure me that everything was going to be just fine. Dr. David Bessler, (my hero) was outstanding on so many levels. And it wasn't just him! The nurse was also incredibly attentive and I really appreciated the way she was with my dog. I could tell that the staff genuinely cared about my dog and her well being, I cannot even describe how much better that made me feel. Although my dog's ear situation was probably not as urgent as I believed it to be at the time, she was rushed into treatment within the first 15 minutes of my arrival. The material was removed from deep within her ear and she was back in my lap shortly thereafter, happy as a goldendoodle with the silly grin having returned to her face. I just read another comment posted by someone else about the expense he or she incurred, and how surprised they were that animal urgent care was so expensive. I can only assume this is a first-time pet owner, as I have been well-aware of the high cost of pet urgent care ever since I encountered my first pet emergency in Salt Lake City some years ago. I am a starving graduate student, and even I was pleasantly surprised when it came time to pay the bill. The prices are more than reasonable and if I can afford it, anyone can! I am contented to know that there is a place in this city that I can trust to take care of that being most precious to me. Thank you NYC Vet Specialists! And to the Manhattanites- if you find yourself in need of animal urgent care, rest assured this is the place to go- and ask for Dr. Bessler! Pros: See review! Cons: Cannot see clients on a regular basis- ER services only more

Our cat was in distress on a Sunday afternoon and since our vet recommends NYCVS for emergency service, we called to see if we could determine if she needed to be seen right away. I was pleasantly surprised when a very sympathetic doctor got on the line (one frequently can only reach an answering service or tech in these situations) and listened to my concerns, explained possible issues, and recommended we bring her in. The moment we arrived, we were ushered into an exam room, where a vet tech took our cat's history and explained in advance the basic costs involved (how nice is that?). After a short wait, Dr. Bessler examined our cat and listened to our description of tests that our vet had ordered earlier in the week. He was very reassuring and knew exactly what our vet had been looking for with the tests. He explained the issues and concerns relating to her health and prescribed medication that he thought would help her until we got the test results from our regular vet. Later that evening, after taking the meds, she was eating (resolving one of our main concerns) and clearly much more herself. Given that we were extremely worried about our pet, it was as positive as any such experience could be. We left the clinic feeling much calmer and reassured that we'd done the right thing by bringing her in. Everyone at NYCVS was pleasant, helpful, and understanding. If we didn't like our regular vet so much, we would definitely bring our cats to NYCVS on a regular basis. Pros: Pleasant, knowledgable staff; really listen and explain well Cons: Nothing comes to mind more

My experience with NYC Veterinary Specialists has been good so far. The front desk staff was friendly upon arrival and ushered me and my dog into an examination room immediately. I saw Dr. Rocha regarding my dog's fibrosarcoma and he was both knowledgeable and kind to me. He put my fears about my dog's cancer to rest and let me know the path he would choose if it were his dog. Additionally, a few months ago, my neighbor's Rottweiler was attacked by another dog.Then, too, the staff and vet we saw was both helpful and knowledgeable. I haven't yet had a bad experience with this facility and, although I wouldn't use it for regular veterinary care, I would continue to go for emergency and oncology needs. Pros: Clean facility, Knowledgable docs, Friendly reception staff Cons: None to my knowledge more

I took in my animal last year and they took him in and fixed the problem. My animal was bleeding internally. I am writing this review not about the medical treatment. they had my animal a day and a half and the bill was over 2000 dollars. They won't do anything for you without having the money first - which is odd, unless they are accustomed to ending up with poor results causing people not to pay. My animal was in bad shape. I had no cash, but I could have used one of my credit cards. They offered a ""Care Credit Card"". I should have known by the name of the card to not take it. Care Credit has a deal set up with NYCVS that pays them for every new ""client"". In other words, they quickly offer the Care Credit plan because they make more money than the already prohibitive cost of the actual treatment. I realized that the 12 months no interest that the person behind the desk offered, turned into 3 months no interest and at the end of three months went to over 21% interest. Now I have to eat that. don't go to this place if at all possible. They take no prisoners, and the DON'T ""Care"" at all. Pros: Clean Cons: No Ethics Whatsoever more