My cat Lucas was treated at the Hypurrcat Facility 2 weeks ago and I cannot say enough good things about the people who work here and the way we were treated. The staff is wonderful, thank you Jessica, Tyler and Kelly for being so kind and patient with me and taking such good care of my baby. I was having a very hard time with leaving Lucas for 5 days and was very upset and worried about him, I wrote the staff THREE emails in one day voicing my concerns, and Kelly called me immediately to help talk me through my worries, even while I cried to her on the phone! (Sorry, girl!) Everyone responded to all of my emails (I sent one every day) in an extremely timely manner, they sent photos of Lucas and gave me phone and email updates every single day. Dr. Peterson was very thorough on drop off day, explaining all the details and what to expect, we never felt rushed or overlooked and everyone was just so nice. The clinic itself is very clean, beautiful and calm! It was so quiet and cozy in there, whereas vet's offices often feel chaotic and just add stress to an already stressful situation. I also love how they have the slideshow playing of the cats they have treated and also post the kitties to social media. It really seems like they care about the work they are doing. Lucas is only two weeks post I-131, so I cannot speak to the success of the procedure quite yet, but I can 100% tell he is feeling so much better. This is obviously an expensive procedure and it can feel very overwhelming to leave your pet somewhere with strangers for such a long time but if you are considering I-131 treatment at this facility, you can rest assured that the staff is wonderful, patient and kind, and your cat will be taken very good care of! Thank you again! read more

Animal Endocrine Clinic - A photo of Lucas on the screen in the waiting room when we went to pick him up. - Veterinarians Near Me - Manhattan, New York

I researched several clinics and animal hospitals in the tri-state area (NY, NJ, CT). Hypurrcat is the only clinic in NYC Manhattan, and therefore the most expensive (3x higher than all other places). To begin the process, I was required to pay the clinic $ 300 for a very quick review of my cat's previous medical record. I received a brief email and the findings were basically a repeat (copy & paste) of the info from my cat's primary vet. Very disappointing - seems like a money grab. I totally regret wasting the $ 300 and chose a different vet instead. read more

My cat was treated here over a year ago and she is still doing great. We had a wonderful experience and everyone in the office was kind and communicative. Dr. Peterson is not only a world-renowned expert in this field, he is also a genuinely nice person and a true cat lover. I was so confident that my cat was in the best hands while she was here. Every step of the way I got clear communication about the current situation and next steps. I was a bit nervous at first thinking of leaving my cat somewhere for multiple overnights, but they have created such a lovely environment for the cats. They give daily updates, send photos, and you can check on your kitty anytime via webcam as well. It is an expensive treatment, but was well worth it to have something curative that doesn't require daily medication. The difference in my cat's health and quality of life is a tremendous value. read more

If you care about your pet, please avoid this place if you can. They extort you for money and don't even do their job properly. It's impossible to get in contact with them, other than emails from someone who is not even a doctor and gives generic responses to every question asked. They did not take my pets well being into consideration. My cat Opal had a hyperthyroid problem. We emailed them (because you cannot call) and were asked to send all of Opal's medical records and history. For the doctor to "review" her files and see if she would be a good candidate for treatment, it would be $300. This is the only place in the NYC area that treats hyperthyroidism and we wanted to do everything in our powers to help Opal. They said Opal possibly has severe hyperthyroidism and would need to be seen by the doctor before they can proceed. That would cost $1k+. We agreed. But, the girl sending the emails, Keara, said Opal would have to completely stop her medication a week before seeing the doctor. Keara was informed that we were concerned about stopping her medication because Opal has a breathing problem; the methimazole seemed to keep her breathing under control. We emailed Keara multiple times stating our concern for stopping Opal's medication... She would reply with the same generic response about how it's a customary routine and stopping the methimazole will not affect Opal. They then recommended we give her Atenolol to help with Opal's breathing. They said we should contact our local vets for the medication. We did. Our local vets gave us the medication because they knew we were working with this endocrinologist to help treat Opal & only gave us what was recommended by The Animal Endocrine Clinic. The day came for Opal to stop her methimazole. I did as instructed and replaced her medication with Atenolol. She took the first dose and was fine. (The picture I'm attaching, is Opal just 5 hours before her second dose. Perfectly fine) 12 hours passed and I gave her the second dose. This is when things got bad. About an hour after, she started breathing very heavily. I tried to calm her down but she started screaming and vomiting. I knew we had to take her to the emergency asap. When I picked her up, she started urinating on herself. Her tongue was sticking out and she was panting. She couldn't breathe. I knew she was dying and there was nothing I could do about it. My cat died in my arms as we were on the way to the emergency. They tried to give her CPR to resuscitate her but she was gone. The doctor said her heart couldn't handle the medication that I gave her. I am kicking myself so hard right now for listening to a "state-of-the-art veterinary clinic" instead of my gut instinct and not stopping her daily medicine. I contacted The Animal Endocrine the next day and informed them of what happened and questioned why they didn't test Opal's heart before recommending starting her on a heart medication. The response was, "it's only speculation that your cat died of a heart condition or if atenolol played any role"... really?? Because she was completely fine before I gave her that second dose of medication. Keara also contradicted herself in one single email stating, "it is not at all clear that Opal had a heart condition" and "there was only a slight murmur on one exam (mild murmurs are common in hyperthyroid cats, and only very rarely associated with heart failure)." Idk, it could just be a me thing but even if heart failure is rare, there's still a possibility of it happening. Clearly it happened with Opal. Why were proper protocols not followed to ensure my cat was healthy enough to start a new medication?? I feel absolutely terrible that I was the one that gave my cat this medicine that killed her. I am literally traumatized and I hope that no one else has to experience what my family and I went through, especially what Opal experienced. For some well renowned cat endocrinologist, I trusted that they knew best but wow was I wrong. I asked for a refund on the $300 because I truly believe that they did not properly review my cats records until after finding out that she passed. Keara had stated multiple times in her emails that this is a standard routine; if Opal's records were properly checked, they would have known that heart failure was a possibility for my cat. Of course, it's been days and they have completely ignored me. I guess they want another $300 to correspond via email instead of having some decency and calling me on the phone to have a discussion on what occurred. To this day I still have not even spoken to the actual doctor. There has been no empathy or sympathy on their behalf of what happened to Opal. It's so unfortunate that this is the only place in NYC that treats hyperthyroidism; I cannot tell you not to bring your pets here, but I can encourage you to question everything that they recommend. Instead of being as foolish as I was for trusting that they knew what they were talking about. read more

Animal Endocrine Clinic - Opal 5 hours before her death of heart failure from the Atenolol recommended by this clinic. - Veterinarians Near Me - Manhattan, New York

Only come here if you don't mind that the receptionist makes the policy and medical decisions, given that she is not even willing to check with the doctor or pass on your questions. While Dr. Peterson is an undisputed expert, it is, as the other reviews state, nearly impossible to reach him; even our own vet is experiencing difficulty in getting past Carol. Even though we now have a second cat becoming hyperthyroid, we do not trust Carol at all, and do not want to have anything to do with her. When our first cat became hyperthyroid, her numbers were confusing and we wanted to be sure she qualified for the treatment, but Carol did not allow us to ask the doctor any questions. In order to find out if she should be admitted, we first had to admit her (by paying the $250 admission fee)! This was the first warning sign. Another was that while we were there, she complained to us that the technicians made her come back for her radiation detection badge; "you'd think I'd have enough seniority to not have to wear it." We were flabbergasted that anyone would think that years on a job would somehow magically make one immune to radiation, but hey, what do we know - we're just Mensa members. Since I haven't been hit by a car so far and I'm 61, by her logic I guess I can stop looking both ways before crossing a street! By far the most aggravating thing was that we had worked out with the doctor that our kitty would get the dose in two parts, a tiny part Monday and the majority Tuesday, and we would pick her up 3 days later on Friday. I said something to Carol about how I hoped there would be no additional charges past the $3000 treatment, and she said "there won't be." But on Thursday, she suddenly said we'd have to pick our kitty up that evening or incur a $148 fee for the 4th night. She refused to check with the doctor; she said she didn't remember what was said on Monday - something I could understand if she sees hundreds of clients a week, but it's only a handful (and couldn't she have checked the chart??) So we had to rush to rearrange plans for boarding the cuddliest cat in the universe in order to avoid the radioactive two-week post-treatment period. And while there's more, I'll end with saying that when our kitty recently passed her one-year mark with mostly flying colors, there was one number that was marked in red (not normal). When we contacted Hypurrcat (hoping the email would be answered by someone other than Carol), Carol responded, in effect saying "the doctor doesn't make mistakes so if he didn't notice it, he didn't think it's important." Um, that may very well be - but we'd like the DOCTOR to say so and not the RECEPTIONIST. Our own vet is not getting through with the question of why the free T4 was below normal (is she becoming hypothyroid??). Again, Dr. Peterson was responsive to our concerns - in 2000, Radiocat nearly killed my Pumpkin by giving too large a dose - and did the scan and divided the dose - but if the illogical receptionist (one who does not have enough respect for the risks of radiation and who does not remember details) is the one calling the shots, we can't trust the Bedford clinic or the info we receive. If she's controlling the info, perhaps Dr. Peterson doesn't even know of the complaints or the questions. Is his expertise, and the scanner, worth giving repeat business? Not if we have to deal with Carol. Update 4/3: "Always respond promptly to vets" - As previously mentioned, that has not been our vet's experience. Admission fee: Not a problem; the problem was not being allowed to ask if strange lab #s meant she shouldn't even BE admitted. Additional fee: We WEREN'T charged, but only because we changed our plans from what was agreed upon. We didn't stay an extra day, despite working out with you that pickup could/should be Friday, the safe 3 days from the larger dose. Perhaps there was only an assumption on our part the extra night'd be free when you said yes to Friday - but we both clearly remember after we gave Carol the $3000 and said we hoped there'd be no extra charges, she said "there won't be." Then to avoid any extra charge we ended up having to come Thursday after all. Cat doing well? Maybe - she certainly improved thanks to you - but currently unsure given the lack of reply re the lower FT4 (5.1), plus your one year checkup had her T4 at 1.1 (a drop from 2.6) and now it's 1.0 (with weight loss), so we don't actually know if she's totally fine. This very week, Sahara's sister is getting treated by a protegee, who has been answering our questions directly. Miss the webcam, though! read more

My cat was recently diagnosed and I spent a lot of time researching options for I-131 treatment facilities. We are half way through our treatment (Olive had her scan and was scheduled for the treatment). My experience so far has been great. They have taken the time to answer all my questions (and I ask a lot), they make sure you know what to expect even down to the time they will call you. I also really like that they are in charge of every aspect of this process, I don't need appointments with different vets for blood work or urinalysis. They also seemed completely unphased with Olive - who fights the effects of Gabapentin and threw up in the carrier. I will post a follow up after her treatment read more

I rarely ever leave negative reviews for any business but this establishment deserves it based on their poor customer service. I live on the west coast and have a puppy where we have been dealing with a health crisis for 7 months now. We're desperate for some vet that can help us. I found the name of this vet on a couple of websites and thought I could call them to see if there would be an endocrinologist vet's on the west coast since I live in AZ. The lady Carol who answered the phone was probably one of the rudest people I have ever spoken to in a customer service oriented field, especially dealing with a sick animal with an unknown illness. Have a little compassion and manners. read more

This treatment has a very high success rate. Given that everything usually works out with it, it's easy for folks to just get on with their lives and forget to write a review. For this reason, I think there are a disproportionate number of negative reviews for Hypurrcat. Right before we brought in our kitty in, I looked on this Yelp page and felt worried. Hypurrcat had been highly recommended by our vet who I very much trust, so I told myself that there are always potential negatives to any treatment and consoled myself with the knowledge that reviews, especially of high stakes procedures, can be misleading. Now, almost a year later, I am purposely writing this review, because today I was playing with our cat (who is completely cured) and it occurred to me that I had nearly forgotten we ever brought him to Hypurrcat at all. That's how well it worked. I'm sure he'd rather forget about it too. They do everything they can to make the cats comfortable and happy, but who wants to remember being quarantined in a glass box for a week? In no way do I mean to diminish anyone else's experiences with the procedure. However, a forum like Yelp, where people review ice cream, is not likely to accurately reflect patient satisfaction with a procedure that takes time and patience to show success, AND that once it is successful usually just means a return to the status quo. It's simply an unexciting success that doesn't motivate me to write a review at all. I'm only writing the review, because I want to tell people, like myself a year ago, who see this page, that it's okay to trust your vet over Yelp. Your vet is, luckily, looking at a well-documented statistical rate of success, not this page. read more

No. No. No. Run the other way. The staff will bend over backwards when they are trying to sell you the treatment. When your cat dies later - you will hear crickets. Absolutely not. My 15 year old cat became extremely sick after Dr. Mark Peterson's radioiodine treatment - she came home vomiting and with terrible diarrhea (both radioactive) - stopped eating for days. I ended up needing to bring in multiple-interventions with other vets. Nobody on Dr. Mark Peterson's staff could explain why this was happening but of course chose the explanation of "atypical reaction". Some months later, my cat died. Dr. Mark Peterson's input = none. Never heard from him after her "atypical reaction" or after she died. I ask you - should this be allowed in practice? We are very patient people but in hindsight and based on how we have been handled, we thought we'd add this experience here: Here was our first experience with Dr. Mark Peterson's office: We arrived early morning before our appointment. Several other clients arrived after us. We were told that we were welcomed to stay during our cat's scanning and testing so that we could speak with Dr. Mark Peterson in person afterwards. We chose to do so but clients who arrived after us - none of them chose to stay for the testing. The staff then brought those clients in to see Dr. Mark Peterson before us because they did not want to stay, resulting in us waiting even longer than expected to see him. When we finally got in, he was quite dismissive regarding our concerns. So unacceptable. I absolutely cannot understand how this office is running in this way. read more

This would have been a 5-star review if it was based on the treatment I received before and during my cat's radioiodine treatment for hyperthyroidism. Unfortunately, all that "warm, fuzzy" relationship dissipated very quickly, once the bill was paid. I had extensive, informative, and friendly conversations with the office manager, Carol, before making the final arrangements to bring my cat in for treatment. Although the price was high (almost $2,000) the cat would be given the "best" care by the originator of this treatment, (this is HIGHLY touted) Dr Mark Peterson. In addition, the rate of complete recovery was 95 percent! It was a high price to pay, but the prognosis was great. I brought my cat in for the treatment in Oct, 2010. During her stay, I got many supportive phone calls from Courtney and the rest of the staff. I even got one call from Dr. Peterson himself. By the end of the stay her T4 had dropped successfully from 15.3 to 5.6, a great drop. I left there happy, with a wonderful Discharge Report written by the Dr., himself, including an invitation to "Do not hesitate to call," and "Please keep us posted." I actually believed that he meant this at the time. In August, 2011, nine months later, I took my cat in to my local vet to have her blood retested. The cost was almost $400. And, the news was bad. Unfortunately, her T4 level slipped down to 0.5. It was now in the HYPO-thyroid area. I never for a minute thought that Dr. Peterson or anyone else was at fault. I knew that the treatment was not guaranteed. But, of course I was very disappointed. I called in and spoke to Courtney (she is so great) who invited me to fax in the info and give it to Dr. Peterson. I asked her to please have him contact me so that I could ask some questions. She totally agreed and said she would find him and let him know. Unfortunately, rather than calling me back, Dr. Peterson chose to email my local vet, suggesting that they should perform even more, very expensive, tests on my cat. This caused insult to the injury. I called in and spoke to Carol, the office manager, to say that, although I appreciated his "vet to vet" communication that I really would appreciate a call from him. I explained that I had some basic questions I wanted to ask him, even telling her what they were: (How low is 0.5?; is there any possibility that it could go back up?; is medication available?) I never got a call from the doctor. Instead I got a rehearsed email from "Carol" who patronized me saying that Dr. Peterson does not want to "speculate." Speculate??? It was at this point that I realized. . . . THERE WAS NO WAY DR. PETERSON WOULD EVER CALL ME AT ALL. My money was in his pocket, my cat was a failure and could possibly make him look bad or bring his 95 percent down. Carol, who I had thought highly of previously, turned out to be nothing but his PR coverup girl. I lost all respect for the place except for Courtney, who seems like a really caring, smart, pet-loving person who works for an arrogant Vet who cares more about his reputation and money than about the animals he treats. My advice? Find another place. They are out there. You are taking a chance with iodine treatment no matter where you go! You may as well pay a more affordable price and you might even get a vet who cares enough to speak with you even if your pet is not among the lucky ones. read more

I never write reviews but I have to disagree with BOTH previous posts. I'm truly sorry for the loss and/or declining health of your pets. I just want to post my experience which happened to be a very positive one. In March 2013, I took my then 9 year old male neutered cat to Dr. Petersen after an annual check-up revealed that he was hyperthyroid and this was the reason for his ravenous appetite and frequent vomiting. I drove both Carol and Dr. Petersen crazy with many emails and phone calls asking questions. I finally decided to go through with the radioactive iodine treatment and dropped off my cat on a Sunday morning. After meeting with the doctor, my cat was treated - in 2 minutes, right in front of me and then tucked away in his spa cubby for the next 4 days. I watched my cat via the webcam all day and night for those 4 days. He was visited often enough to check his food/water and was given treats at night time. Dr. Petersen even enrolled my cat in his current research which included paid bloodwork every 3 months to see how my cat's health was progessing. It's now a year later and my cat is cured! He put on weight right away and was back to normal in about a week's time after treatment. Yes, this doctor and his clinic are expensive and focused on research, but in my experience - it was worth it. I'm actually going back again to treat my other cat (they are siblings/litter mates) and hope to have the same fantastic result. read more

I was so happy to find the Animal Endocrine Clinic when my dog was facing a diagnosis of hyperthyroidism. They were kind enough to answer all of my repeated questions, review my dog's bloodwork and they had not even seen my dog. I was treated kindly and respectfully and it is a great comfort in knowing that there are experts in this field of care. I would not hesitate to recommend them to any one who has a dog or cat with an endocrine issue. Their knowledge is invaluable. Thank you Dr. Peterson and Keara for your kindness. read more

I feel for the people who posted bad reviews, but their problems likely had nothign to do with this treatment. My cat just had it, and is 100% cured. Her coat is so soft now, and she hardly sheds. She seems happier and healthier too. She is 10. It is very expensive, but you do get what you pay for. The aftercare is also quite difficult while they are still irradiated, but this is the nature of the treatment, and does not reflect on any one clinic. All in all, I am glad I did this! read more

I looked up Dr. Peterson on the web to get his fax number and was shocked to see these negative reviews. This procedure extended my pets life by years. My cat was headed toward kidney failure and death before Animal Medical Center referred me to this clinic. We had it done 5 years ago and our cat still has no thyroid issues and is happy and healthy at 15. The staff and Dr. Peterson were fantastic and we were able to view our cat anytime via web cam. Highly recommend! And just a caveat, I was getting the fax number for our local vet in the suburbs to fax the latest blood test results for Dr. P's long term results study, and his exact words were "Oh, Dr. Peterson?? Well, he is THE guy". I think that says a lot. read more

I had a wonderful experience at Dr. Peterson's treatment for Hyperthyroid cats, Hypurrcat from my initial contact on the internet with Courtney until discharge with Aiesha. I was walked through the process with plenty of time for questions so that I was comfortable with our decision. When I arrived Courtney had our appt organized for time and our meeting with Dr. Peterson. Dr. Peterson was wonderful with his handling of Jacob and explained the process with possible changes of course we may run into with Jacob as he appeared to have had the hyperthyroidism for some time. The camera viewing was set up on my phone before I left and I felt he was in good hands. Anne called with a daily report and took such interest in our cat which was very comforting to us. The pick up was as efficient as the drop off. My follow-up paperwork was reviewed as well as his after care at home. Couldn't ask for more. Jacob is home now more than a week and I see more energy and an improved appetite already. read more

My experience with Carol and Dr. Peterson shares a lot of similarities to the previous reviewers post. My dog was being treated for Cushings disease but wasn't responding to the treatment. After months of tests and thousands of dollars, I ended up at Dr. Petersons desperate and looking for answers. Carol was super nice and told me not to worry, Dr.Peterson was the best. At her suggestion, I FedExed Daisy's records to his Westchester office so that he would have time to review them before our Sat appointment in Manhattan. When I arrived with Daisy he met with us in the waiting room. He hadn't looked at the records at all and spent most of the time asking questions. He never touched Daisy once. His big pronouncement was that he didn't think she had Cushings, to take her off Trilostane and put her on Rimadyl. That was a total disaster and after a few days she was drinking 2liters of water a day and peeing like a racehorse. I emailed him with a list of questions and received a one line response via Carol "Put her back on the meds" That was it. My local vet ran into the same wall of silence when he contacted him. For the $350 consultation fee I received bad advice and less than 100 words via email. When I asked Carol why he didn't make treatment suggestions she replied that "You have to ask right questions" like this was a gameshow. As my frustration mounted she became increasingly cold and unhelpful. I believe that the great Dr. Peterson has come to believe his own PR and is no longer interested in getting involved in cases, He prefers research, his blog and resting on his laurels, not helping dogs like mine. Don't waste your money and time with him. Go to the 5th Ave vets at Union Square, the AMC, VERG or any one of the many excellent veterinary facilities in NY. They're all expensive but you may actually get help. I'd pinned my hopes on him and he didn't give a damn. Daisy died on November 26th. read more

My experience with Dr. Peterson was extremely positive unlike the previous post author. I found Dr. Peterson to be professional, courteous and sincerely interested in the well being of my dog. He gave us more than adequate time during the visit, answered all questions and provided a fully thought out treatment plan for my "Cushings dog". I went to him because our local vet was not getting the necessary results with treatment protocol after 5 months. Dr. Peterson has a stellar reputation for being an expert on Endocrine disorders which seems richly deserved. His staff is delightful starting of course with Carol who is absolutely wonderful. She truly is dedicated to her job and it shows.Courtney in the Manhatten office also made our experience very positive. She made sure we were comfortable and understood what the doctor instructed us to do. We even had a bit of a dilemma 2 weeks later regarding treatment. This had to occur late on Saturday afternoon so i NEVER expected a call back when I left a message at 5PM. Sure enough I got a call with instructions telling me how to proceed an hour after I called. So I totally disagree with the post saying the Doctor is unconcerned or only "money oriented"..he deserves to be compensated for his efforts and time. I could only say what a high opinion I have of Dr. Peterson, Carol, Courtney and the Animal Endocrine Clinic. We will absolutely be using him in the future even though he is an hour plus from our home. read more

I had a good experience with Dr. Petersen several years ago. The procedure isn't cheap, but if your cat is fairly youngish (my cat was 10) and you expect them to live more than 4 years, the cost and hassle of giving them medication twice a day everyday for the rest of their lives outweighs the upfront costs. Before deciding to go with Dr. Petersen I had contacted two other facilities, one was called RadioCat, I think, but they didn't have any vets that I could speak with which made me nervous and it seemed as if your cat would basically disappear into the void for week. Dr. Petersen and his staff were very communicative during the procedure and afterwards, calling to give me updates everyday and I loved that I could watch the cat on camera while she was in her radioactive bunker for a week (they pushed mice and fish in front for her to watch and every day a man in an anti-radiation suit would pet her for a while.) Overall it was a good experience-- pricey, but worth it to have piece of mind that my cat was ok and being properly taken care of. read more