The Animal Medical Center

Absolutely wonderful, under the circumstances, from first telephone call to end of visit. Everyone was professional and empathethic. more

Professional & thorough. We brought our cat in for an emergency. She was having trouble breathing and she was seen by a doctor and treated immediately. more

It was great, love the staff & MD's @ AMC more

really great, where else would i be able to get such great cancer care for my dog??when the other ate a rubber ball he got great care. it is a bit pricey when the dog on chemo needed a cbc after a treatment (nothing but drawing the blood) I was to be charged $80 just for the visit--i really don't think that is right especially with each treatment costing over $500? more

Everyone was very professional. My dog was in kidney failure (I know that now) and they took him back right away and helped him as much as they could. I had a very, very positive experience with everyone there. more

I cannot describe the number of times the AMC has come to my aid. As a perpetual cat owner (now with six), the AMC has helped me to navigate diabetes, urinary tract issues and routine care for my crew. They were extremely supportive during the end time of two of my elders. One cat lived to the age of 22 and the other to the age of 21. That would not have been possible without the profoundly good care at this facility. Run, don't walk, to get the best pet care anywhere. more

I'm a big fan of the Animal Medical Center. they are a 24/ emergency room for pets, and also offer regular, office hours veterinary care. They treat everything from cats and dogs to reptiles, birds and mice and other small animals, and are extremely knowledgeable. They've saved each of my cats lives, and provided necessary urgent care when one of my cats got seriously ill on a Sunday. Prices are not cheap (and so I don't recommend it for regular care), but it's great that they are there when you need them. Staff has always been considerate and communicative with me, and when one of my cats had to stay for several days, let me come by for visiting hours. Every Manhattan pet owner should have their number handy. Please be aware that because this is an emergency setting you may witness some disturbing and tragic events in the waiting room. more

I don't know if this is standard operating procedure, but I thought I should share an experience that I found upsetting when I took my pet to the Animal Medical Center in May 2000. My small animal was suffering from severe edema (water retention). The vet could not feel anything through all the abdominal fluids, so she took an X-ray. The X-ray was equally useless, due to all of the fluid obstructing the view. The vet then told me that the animal probably had some kind of tumor which was causing the edema, but it could not be seen or felt well enough to be sure. Here is where it got upsetting... Having worked with lab rats, I knew personally that it was possible to anesthetize a small animal using cotton balls soaked in ether, and use a fine needle to draw off fluids. I myself have drawn blood from rats' tails and hearts, and the rats all lived to squeak another day. So I suggested to this vet that she follow this procedure to draw off some of the excess fluids from the abdomen, so she could then either feel or X-ray effectively. She refused to do this. To this day, I can't figure out why. She had an inconclusive, educated guess for a diagnosis, and there was only one way to find out for sure. The only alternative was to put the pet down. Given that we were going to kill the pet anyway, why not just take this last measure to be sure? Is this how you would let a doctor treat your grandmother? Feeling powerless, I let the vet kill my pet first, THEN draw off the fluids for an exam, This seemed maddeningly backwards. Thank GOODNESS the brief autopsy confirmed the diagnosis (inoperable fatal tumor), or I would have been livid that they had killed my pet essentially for no reason except to follow their infernal protocol. Or DID the exam confirm it? I'll never know if the vet just told me that to get rid of me or not. I got the feeling, despite her compassionate tone, that she really didn't feel like expending a lot of effort on my pet who was only a few ounces. To add insult to injury, when I asked for the X-ray, they would not let me have it. At this point, my pet is DEAD, and I am never coming back. Why not let me have the X-ray to keep, especially since I had just paid $25 for it? Pretty upsetting. What do you think? more