West Chelsea Veterinary Hospital

I do TNR (Trap Neuter Return) of free roaming and feral cats, as well as doing animal rescue, so deal with hundreds of animals each year. I felt compelled to finally comment on this SUPERB vet practice because they have saved countless animals' lives. They have been particularly effective at saving the eyes of kittens whose eyes were so infected that we didn't think there was any way their vision could be saved! With Dr. Mlekoday and the other vets, you will get thoroughness in diagnostics and incredibly great care here! more

I had a horrible and traumatic experience at West Chelsea Vet. Originally, I thought people at the facility were very caring and knowledgeable. I seriously thought that I found the right vet for my dog. However, about 4 months ago, my 3yr old dog started vomiting and diarrhea. My boyfriend and I took him to west chelsea vet. We were expecting to hear that he had a bug or parasites but instead we were told that he had end stage liver disease. They determined this based on his low albumin test result and ultrasound. Dr. Maeda told us that he only had a few weeks or months to live and there wasn't anything that we could do about it. She said that we can give him meds to prolong his life but the prognosis is dim and he would eventually pass. We were also told that gallstones were all over his body. It was so devastating and we were dumbfounded! Our dog looked so happy and had so much energy. We didn't understand this at all but we trusted her and the radiologist so we decided to give him one last but best weekend ever. We let him eat all of his favorite foods and took him on long walks in the park. On the following Monday, we were going to put him down as we didn't want him to suffer through any pain. We didn't want to see him lose his passion for life. I remembered waking up in the middle of the night crying because of what was to come. It was so difficult to go through. One day before we were suppose to put him down, we decided to take him for a second opinion just to be 100% certain of our decision. Instead of hearing the same thing as what Dr. Maeda told us, we were told that he didn't have any gallstones in his body and that more tests were needed to determine such a severe disease. The new vet advised that a biopsy is normally the next step after an abnormal ultrasound result. After reviewing the liver cells by 3 different specialist (as requested by our new vet to be absolutely certain) and many tests afterwards, our dog was finally diagnosed with mild to moderate hepatitis and inflammatory bowel disease. Both were NOT in the end stage and were even treatable! We ended up putting him on a strict diet and gave him meds for his diseases. His albumin level started to go back up and his other bloodwork were slowly getting better. It's been over a month now and his bloodwork is completely back to normal! He's also expected to have a very long happy life. It still makes me upset to think that we were one day away from making the biggest mistake of our lives. I don't want to bad mouth West Chelsea because I truly believe they were trying to help us and provide the best care for our little guy. I'm just not sure if they have the experience to handle cases like ours. more

They are up to date on the latest surgical techniques available to your pet. I like to the fact they are very concerned with pain management. My dog had surgery here and they were wonderful. They also will put soft paws tips on your cats for a fee so you can keep you furniture without declawing your cat. more

We take our dog here for his care and have been impressed with the compassion of the staff and doctors. Also, they are open on Saturdays and will fit you in any time you have an emergency. PROS: Great staff, great doctors, great care for your pets CONS: Expensive, but most vets in NYC are. more