We needed help with a dog on New Year's Day, and Life Center was helpful, knowledgeable, and professional. Alex, our point of contact, went out of his way to resolve the issue and ensured a good outcome. This is not the first time we have come to Life Center for after-hours help, and each time they have been terrific. read more

I have been there like 5 times, 2 accidents, 3 critical surgery hospitalizations and surgery for my dogs, they revived my beloved Krypto and I'm so grateful for that. Dr Justin did everything possible for my Krypto to bring him back to life and now I do have a 8 years old labrador belly up like a puppy at home. On another note I'd like to add that TLC is one of the ER vet hospital who always have blood available for dogs if they need a transfusion, I have been everywhere and the other VET clinics send me back to TLC for this purpose so is double expense, is better go directly to TLC to save money honestly (last experience). Hopefully they open again on weekends and 24/7 like before. read more

Dr. Church was great! Long over due review! Our darling one eye rescue Kitten (found in field at 3 weeks old) had to have emergency surgery (she got fixed) few years ago, and she came out just fine! I'm so grateful. I was so scared. She's smaller size and it broke my heart her tiny little body at time had to undergo surgery, but they handled her well and she's still thriving today! read more

I'm not gonna say much but, if you really love your pets and see them as a family member don't bring them here. They don't have passion neither the empathy for the animals, they're just gonna see your pet as a normal animal. I'm still not sure what really happened to my cat, took him here because he was injured and he needed intensive care which i don't know what intensive care they give him if they just let him die, well correction they put to sleep, because they said they couldn't do anything, that they were only able to their best, if I was willing to pay thousands of dollars. End up paying 640 just for them to put to sleep and brought him home dead still not sure why they charge me so much for something that they didn't even try their hardest. read more

I had a heartbreaking and terrifying experience with this emergency vet. My dog, Cyrus, had ingested rat poison. When I brought him to Life Center Emergency & Specialty Veterinary in Leesburg, I clearly told the staff about the poison exposure. After waiting almost two hours and being treated rudely at the front desk, the vet told me all his tests were "normal" and refused to prescribe Vitamin K1. I was charged $445 and sent home. The next day, my dog could barely walk. I had to carry him outside to urinate. Another veterinarian immediately discovered Cyrus was internally bleeding and was shocked that the ER did nothing despite knowing about the rat poison. He started life-saving Vitamin K1 right away. That night, Cyrus began breathing heavily, and I rushed him to another ER. They found blood around his chest and pushed hard for risky surgery, using fear to pressure us. Trusting our original veterinarian, we declined and continued the Vitamin K1 treatment. Within days, Cyrus improved and is now back to himself. This experience was traumatic, emotionally exhausting, and incredibly expensive. If the first ER had listened and acted appropriately, my dog's suffering could have been avoided. I would never recommend this clinic to anyone who truly loves their pet. read more

For my 1000th review, I want to give a "shout out" to our local ER vet. We have been to this location a few times in the past but this visit was gold. Our sweet pup had some middle of the nite pain and we were afraid it was "bloat". We drove there and they immediately had someone take her out back and do a full work up. It was NOT bloat but the techs and ER Vet were so responsive and communicated immediately. Our pup had some swelling on her spine but a few pain pills helped calm her cries. The front staff were so amazing. They handle lots of calls, walk-in and nervous patients Kudos to this team. read more

I'm writing this review to share a very upsetting experience I had with The Life Centre emergency veterinary practice at 165 Fort Evans Rd NE, Leesburg, VA. I brought my 2.5-year-old French Bulldog to their emergency department for urgent care. After an initial assessment, the veterinarian informed me it would cost $3,100 for one night of monitoring, after which she could be seen by the neurology team located in the same building. I told them I simply couldn't afford that amount for one night and that I planned to bring my dog back in the morning to try for a walk-in with neurology. At that point, the veterinarian told me I wouldn't be able to get in to see the neurologist and said she would "call them and tell them not to take you." I was shocked. I asked, "Are you really saying that if I don't pay the $3,100, you'll make sure my dog isn't seen by neurology?" She said she wasn't blackmailing me, but then repeated that she would call them and report that I was being belligerent. To be clear--I was upset and emotional, but not belligerent. It was only after she told me she would block my dog from receiving care and falsely accuse me of being a problem client that I lost my temper. I called her a name out of anger, and I regret that--but I was reacting to what I believe was completely unethical and retaliatory behavior. Veterinarians are supposed to advocate for animals, not punish owners who can't afford an overnight bill. This was one of the most heartless and unprofessional experiences I've had with any medical provider--human or animal. If this is how The Life Centre treats people in crisis, I would strongly encourage pet owners to seek emergency care elsewhere if possible. read more

They were really good until the surgery was over. Then we realized all of the people answering the calls were only qualified to do just that.. Each specialty is a seperate practice(Cardiology,Oncology, etc..) Tracking the appropriate labwork needed to start chemo was a nightmare. Ultimately,the aggressive cancer took over before we got all of the labwork-six weeks later.The specimen and requisition were accidently seperated,then they began doing the testing. Quite upsetting.:-( read more

We very unexpectedly had to put our young cat down. I waited until the family was all home to say goodbye to him, which put us at after our regular vet's hours. We chose to go here to Life Centre as it was an after hours option and we had an emergency experience with them that went well once in the past. This was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do, and Life Centre made it as comfortable as possible for us. The woman who answered my phone call and helped us at the front desk was so kind, patient, and understanding. The room they had us in was clean and comfortable. The nurses and doctors who helped us with our beloved cat were very good at explaining, giving us options, and helping us say goodbye to our pet on whatever way felt right for us. read more

Dr. Matthew Raleigh and his team took exceptional care of our Boxer! From the very first phone call, I was greeted with nothing but professionalism, kindness and compassion! Everyone I talked to from start to finish was patient with me, willing to answer all of my questions and eager to ease any of my concerns. Our dog had quite the case of gingival hyperplasia (typical of his breed) and in the past, when he was 2, experienced delayed recovery to anesthesia. Dr. Raleigh and his team contacted my vet where the delayed recovery took place and gathered all the necessary information to ensure the procedure would be as safe as possible! They knew I was anxious and called me multiple times throughout the day to let me know what they were doing and how Minion was progressing. You could really tell Dr. Raleigh cares about his patients and loves what he does. He is an exceptional Vet, and great communicator! He even gave me advice for long term oral care for our pup. Our dog recovered very well, and he can finally chew without causing his gums to bleed! Thanks to the Life Center our pups quality of life is much improved! I'm beyond impressed with my experience at The Life Center Animal Dentistry and Oral Surgery. I couldn't recommend them more! read more

The Life Centre - Veterinarians Near Me - Leesburg, Virginia

See all

TLC was fast, efficient, and caring and provided the best care to our kitty. His surgery was conducted quickly to ensure the most rapid recovery. The doctors and surgeon communicated consistently throughout the process keeping me informed of Doc's progress. Clinical notes, estimates and discharge instructions were provided my email to allow time for me to process the information before speaking with someone. Overall, excellent care. The caring environment, frequent communication, and outstanding diagnosis and treatment of my kitty are the reasons I rated TLC so high. read more

Brought my sick dog in multiple times who was losing weight and not eating, but the doctors had no idea what they were doing and the receptionists were rude and unprofessional. The first time I called in to the LifeCentre, I was directed by a rude receptionist to go to another ER, and she would send me the list of alternative ERs, but she never sent it to me. When I took my dog into the LifeCentre to get checked out, I was told by another receptionist to go to Annandale (about an hour away) even though the wait room was completely empty. I eventually was able to get my dog into the ER there in which the head of the ER Dr. Erika Friedrich saw her and had no idea what was going on with her. But she was insistent on keeping my dog in the ER for some time so they could make $4800 off us with no guarantee that an IM specialist would see her! We said we couldn't afford that, so she sent us home with a few medicines and some generic instructions after we paid $1,629 for her terrible medical care. Fast forward 2 weeks later and our dog is getting worst. We have no choice but to take her again to the ER, and of course Dr. Erika Friedrich is there to see her. Same thing once again, she doesn't know what's happening to my dog, but she gives us medicines that don't work and also a bill of $1738 for her terrible examination and medicines. We were also met by a rude Dr. Sienna Church who didn't seem to care about our concerns and just wanted to get back to whatever work she had in the back. After continuously asking for an Internal Medicine appointment as soon as possible from the rude receptionist staff, we were finally granted one on 1/16 to see a Dr. Robert Justin who was no better than Dr. Erika Friedrich. After doing his clueless examination he sent us home with some more useless medicines, generic instructions, and a $575 bill. He also mentioned that she does not have long to live and insisted we do an endoscopy. After agreeing to do the $6100 endoscopy, they scheduled it for 5 days later instead of asap. Well the inability of the IM team to schedule the appointment earlier even though they said she doesn't have long to live, didn't help our poor baby because she ended up passing away 2 days before the endoscopy. We rushed her to the ER the morning she passed away but they were unable to do anything other than give us another $500 dollar bill for their pathetic "life saving" efforts. This place is filled with rude receptionists and clueless doctors. Everyday we saw pets passing away there, and the staff didn't offer condolescences to any of the parents. They really need to do better. read more

Only take your dog here if you want your love for your animal to be exploited for monetary gain at the expense of your pet's well being. We took our beloved Sunni, 7.5 year old mountain feist, to the VCA owned TLC animal hospital in Leesburg 3 weeks ago with a urinary tract issue. She had been worked up at our local vets office on multiple occasions in the past 5 months for difficulty and frequency of urination and nothing showed in any labs or imaging. When Sunni had a particularly bad day we decided she needed prompt attention and our vet was busy and suggested TLC for a more thorough workup. The vet at intake hid behind a huge mask as she laid out her case for a $10 thousand dollar care plan, covering some labs, x-rays redundant to what had just been performed at our local vet, ultrasound and observation over the next 36 hours. She discussed the likelihood that the symptoms our dog was suffering from were being caused by transitional cell carcinoma, a cancer of the urinary tract and that though there are procedures to buy time, that when dogs come in with the types of issues our Sunni was dealing with, typically the dog only has days to weeks left. She said that she would run a Braf test which would identify, with 95 percent certainty, that it was that particular cancer. The results can take a couple of days we were told. Then the vet at intake switched gears. She leaned forward and asked, "has your vet ever told you that Sunni has a heart murmer?" She said "it is a 4/6 which is serious and so Sunni needs a cardiac workup and an echocardiogram tomorrow." When I asked if we were still in the same terminal cancer conversation and inquired as to whether the vets at this clinic are paid on commission (they are, VCA pays a base salary plus percentage of production), she locked up briefly. She then said well you can add years to your dogs like if you catch and treat these things. I had to remind her that the last 15 minutes were discussing the imminent death of our beloved pet, we are not jumping into an echocardiogram. At that she left the room and the closer came in. This felt like the finance room in a car dealership. A woman with a contract for over $9K in investigational procedures and tests still including the cardiac workup and echocardiogram. We had them strike that, signed for $6200 and left our pup in the hands of these people. I had a sick feeling on my drive home that I fell for this sales scam and that I left my dog in the hands of people most concerned about profiting off my dog's condition. A call later revealed that an ultrasound found a thickening of the urethra, and that they still felt this was cancer. Early that evening, the next shift came on and another, very pleasant vet called me to say it looked like Sunni was improving, she was getting out enough urine to not stress her kidneys and it was her feeling that Sunni could come home the next day. Early the next morning, the next shift arrived and I received a very different phone call. This vet said she knew we received a more positive report last evening but Sunni now can't pass any urine and is in medical emergency. She said she identified a mass, corroborated by a surgeon, between the dogs anus and vagina and this was obstructing any catheter from being placed. She offered 2 options, one was a $25K surgery to place a stent in Sunni's urethra, with $2K per day after care and then transfer to oncology which in her opinion would only buy us a month or two. Or two, use a cystoscope and surgery to remove part of the mass to place a catheter to drain the enlarged bladder (enlarged by the IV fluids they gave to a dog with urinary difficulty), to make the dog comfortable for transport home to be euthanized. She said the mass would be biopsied. We agreed. Four hours after the procedure was meant to be performed this same vet called to say Sunni is in recovery, a little out of it and with some pain from the procedure. She described the procedure in which the cystoscope was used to place the catheter, that they didn't encounter a mass, but then the biopsy was more complex with the catheter already in place but they were able to remove some whitish tissue from the urethra for biopsy. I asked, why if there wasn't a mass obstructing the placement of the catheter, would you go back into a dog and biopsy, putting the dog in pain from the procedure, when the dog is going home today to be euthanized. No answer. How long does the biopsy take to result I asked. 2 weeks she said. I asked if she thought this made any clinical sense whatsoever? No answer. I then asked when the results of the testing from the day before would be in. She admitted that it hadn't gone out until that morning, after the conversation took place with the conclusion that the dog should be euthanized within a day. Those results she also admitted would take 2 weeks! Why would you send those labs in after this mornings' conversation if you knew they read more

The worst experience ever! I am a vet assistant so I am pretty knowledgeable about animal medicine. On Sunday my 2 yr old dog was just not acting himself not really moving, not eating, hadn't pooped. My clinic I work at is closed on Sunday so I took him to my sisters clinic. Blood work, x-rays, and a radiologist consult and it turns out he had a hole in his stomach and was leaking into his abdomen. So they told me he needs emergency care so we called and took him to TLC. After we waited for like 30 or so minutes they came and took my boy back for a vital check. We provided them with the x-rays and everything from the other clinic. When we went back in the room to talk to Dr Iovino, she said she looked at the x-rays and rad report and that they looked fine he probably has gastroenteritis and he'll go home in the morning. Also she gave my sister a hard time for putting a 24g catheter in him for fluids and was super rude. So, around 10:30pm I get a call from the next shift doctor saying she did an ultrasound and he has free fluid in his abdomen and he needs emergency surgery which will cost $9,000 plus $5,000 for after care. Dr told me I needed to decide in 30 minutes if I wanted to do surgery or humanely euthanize him since I told her I couldn't afford that. I was so distraught I couldn't speak so when my sister called the dr said we have to decide because no primary care will touch the surgery. Long story short the next morning I took him to the same primary care that saw him the day before and they did the surgery and he survived then I took him to a different ER for after care. Also once I received their notes they put that I took 45 mins- 1hr to give them a call back which you don't really put in because clients can see that. The first dr completely misdiagnosed and if I didn't work in the field would have given an owner false hope and they are just way too expensive and it's outrageous the amount of money they ask for. read more

See all

Our dog had an abscessed anal gland. Her regular vet could not fit her in until the next day. I felt like it needed urgent attention, which the Life Centre gave. Dr. Radford was thorough, and explained everything. Very nice. If he had a regular practice, I would absolutely consider sending our two dogs to him. The technicians were also very attentive, and caring with Minnie. Considering all they did (flushing area, pain relief, shaving area/fur, exam, 3 prescriptions), I thought the price was very reasonable. We've walked out of routine appointments at the regular vet spending significantly more. I was expecting the bill to be much higher. The checkout process and emailed care instructions are also very efficient and 'easy', particularly considering the emergency situation was already stressful. read more

The Life Centre - Feeling much better and able to relax! - Veterinarians Near Me - Leesburg, Virginia

For emergency services for pets in serious concerns the staff at the life center have always provided top notch care with reasonable steps to resolve what is ailing your furry family members to give them the highest chances to get better. Could not recommend them more. They are great read more

Can't praise them enough. We showed up at midnight because our pup was vomiting and had diarrhea from eating mulch. They quickly had someone take a look at him and determined that he would be fine. Everyone was incredibly friendly throughout the whole experience, we would definitely come back (but hopefully don't need to ) read more

BE CAREFUL!!! This place will do their best to exploit you when you're in a helpless and emotional position. Make sure to read and understand the paperwork prior to signing for the $3k-10k estimated charges. About half of the line items are overlapping with other line items, so they are essentially charging 2-3 times for simple tasks. My experience here has reminded me more of taking my car to be serviced at a dealership and the sleazy service advisor trying to milk me out of every dime he can instead of being helpful. After I went through the paperwork they gave me and realized they were nothing short of scamming me. I picked up my 12 week old puppy and took her elsewhere. Their response to this will seem warm, compassionate and caring, but don't be deceived. This company is nothing short of a cash grab corporation, looking to exploit vulnerable people. read more

Always "full" turned away several times over the last two years. Stop being an emergency clinic with the prices you charge and hire more people. Used to be great. AVOID. read more

Should be renamed The Death Center. Not a place to take your dog if you want them to live. Called to tell them my dog was bleeding profusely. They told me to bring her in. When I got there, an extremely rude woman told me they were full and had been all day. I explained that my dog had sustained too much blood loss to go elsewhere. She rolled her eyes and told me to go somewhere else. By the time we got to the very kind, helpful doctor at Blue Ridge, she had lost too much blood and had to be put down. The kicker is the bleeding was from a tumor that was misdiagnosed by a life center vet 4 years prior, and could have easily been treated were it not for their mistake. The most uncaring and incompetent collection of people you'll ever encounter. read more

My doggy Mia was transferred here from Dulles South for seizures. Mia was admitted on a Sunday. Because of Covid, we waited in the parking lot. The wait was only about 40 mins. That was the last time we saw Mia until the doctors could not get her seizures under control without stronger medicine/sedation on Tuesday at 2AM. We were told it was likely that with a liver shunt operation she may live a good life, but the seizures were concerning. We agreed to an MRI. Unfortunately, Mia's heart stopped Tuesday morning, and she was given CPR. We were able to come back and spend some time with her before putting her down. Mia did not react well to sedation back in March, so it's possible that she was overly medicated and that the sedation put her over the edge. We will never know. Unfortunately, this 3 day stay cost us over $7000. She was shy of 4 years old. The three stars is between the cost, the wait times in a parking lot (they wouldn't let us leave even though we told them we ran out of gas and the car was off and hot), and the fact that I think Mia was over medicated for what her liver could process. We'd never know the latter, but this was my experience. read more

Please if possible avoid this place at all cost. They are money grabbers that move on from your pet when they don't know what to do. We took our Baby girl in for Emergency care for something they admittedly missed in a 2020 Xray. 6,000 dollars later and a damaged Baby girl, they dumped her in our lap with syringes to get her home if she had a seizure. Then Management called my wife and I liars when we called them out for their mistakes. I also got falsified reports for a consultation that hasn't take place. These people if you can call them that. Have no shame. They will create a narrative to prove they didn't mess up. read more

I took my dog soulmate of 11.5 years in on a Tuesday due to significant back issues/pain and loss of function. From the front desk, to the technicians, and ultimately to Dr. Church I was treated with respect and kindness. I got to take him home that day and night. Unfortunately I had to bring him back in the next morning as he got worse. The team was thorough, educational, respectful and the process of having to put my dog down on Wednesday was seamless and as positive as that kind of horrible process can be. Thank you is not enough for this team of amazing humans. Should I ever find myself having a pet in the future I will absolutely use their services if I find myself in a similar situation. read more

The Life Centre - Barney - Veterinarians Near Me - Leesburg, Virginia

I had to go there to say "goodbye" to my dog who was very sick. The front desk was so rude to my mother as we were waiting for my dog to be brought in to be euthanized. They hounded her about a mask, right in front of me, while I was crying. I snapped b/c I am clearly distressed. (albeit not necessarily the right thing to do). A bit of compassion would have gone a long way at a time like this. Then when we were leaving, she gave me attitude. No compassion what so ever. I don't know what changed here, I used to go to them for emergencies over the years often and never NEVER was treated this way. I would only use this place as a last resort. The next time I have to put a dog down, I'll call one of the mobile vets. Oh by the way the government lifted mask mandates. read more

Thank goodness my stepmother is a Cornell educated DVM as this place literally left us out in the cold when our dogs ingested a bottle of magnesium. She unfortunately does not live close. This clinic refused to see us until we contacted Poison Control directly. Now I have no issue with the 95 dollar call to Poison Control, but think is is poor service to expect the worried pet owner to call directly and then have that same pet owner communicate the protocol to the clinic. This is the worst game of telephone I could possibly imagine. The lady supervising the front desk was completely rude and unprofessional. You could see the assistant was as dismayed as we were not to even start the intake process until we had called Poison Control. Well back to that recommendation from the family DVM. Induce vomiting within two hours. Same thing poison control said. If we would have waited on this place, we would have missed our window. What was even worse is the clinic was not busy. I've had good service in the past here, but am so disappointed that I would opt for another emergency clinic before going to this one. read more

A month ago, our 13-year-old labradoodle exhibited some gum swelling, and after being examined by Dr. Eric Chafetz, Medical Director of the Vienna Animal Hospital, we were given antibiotics to see if it might be a simple infection. However, after a week with no improvement, it was likely a cancer spreading within the soft tissue and jaw bone. Dr. Chafetz agreed with our recommendation to contact Dr. Mary Buelow, who heads up the Animal Dentistry & Oral Surgery group at The LifeCentre. (Dr. Buelow is one of very few Diplomates of the American Veterinary Dental College in the U.S.). After contacting the office and completing the online Patient Registration, we were asked to have our dog's medical records forwarded, and to provide a picture of the gum inflammation. Dr. Buelow reviewed the information and saw this as an oral surgery emergency, wanting to see us immediately. We had a noon-time appointment, a visual diagnosis was made, and we agreed to move forward with a complete diagnosis (including CT Scan) under general anesthesia, immediately followed by surgery. The tumor, found in the inflamed gums and in the front part of the jaw bone, was totally excised along with several teeth. The follow-up visit showed remarkable healing. The doctor and staff were welcoming, friendly and compassionate, answered all our questions and concerns, and followed-up several times during and after surgery, and while recovering at home. In addition, Dr. Buelow provided us thorough details/reports regarding the procedure, biopsy results, and follow-up. We are very appreciative of the high-quality service provided. read more

Took my cat here about a year and a half ago because she threw up blood and all 7 vets I tried to go to first told me to take her to emergency. I asked them to also check her ears because I was worried she had ear mites. The staff here decided my pet's health wasn't as important as the other animals that came in(and even shamed me about the condition of the other pets) so they obviously didn't even look at my cat. Here's how I know: I took my other cat to their sister clinic in winchester, my family vet of over ten years, guess who had a gnarly case of ear mites. Both of my cats suffered because of this clinic's incompetence, I'll be surprised if they even did the bloodwork they said they did since the aftercare letter I got had ANOTHER PETS NAME in it. Sure, maybe it was a careless mistake, but deciding that my animal wasn't worth the 10 minutes it takes to check and clean her ears should've been worth the $1500 I spent over that BS. read more

Last night my dog started coughing and gagging like she was going to get sick, but nothing ever came up. I figured it would pass in a minute or so, but she kept doing it for about 30 min and I started to get pretty concerned. I called the LifeCentre and they put me through to a nurse who explained to me, "if the symptoms are concerning for the owner, it's probably concerning for the dog" and I should bring her in if it doesn't stop soon. I ended up bringing my dog in at about 8p on a Friday night and although they had some other pets in there, they saw her right away. Of course, as luck would have it once we arrived the symptoms stopped. Dr Reese did a quick exam and explained it may have just been a blade of grass caught in her throat or something which had probably cleared on the car ride to the vet. Dr Reese spent a few minutes with her and let us know she should be fine, but I felt better having her checked out. As I was leaving, I was expecting to have to pay a decent amount for the emergency visit, but they told me there would be no charge since they really didn't have to do anything. I would have had no problem at all paying the money, but it was very nice of them to not charge me a penny for the visit since they symptoms stopped once I arrived. It is nice to know there is places in this area that are friendly and care more about your pet's health than making money every chance they get. You do not see that much these days, so Thank You! read more

Moving on from the previous review of the Wildlife Rescue League - the story now finds our intrepid concerned conservationist en route to Leesburg, VA to find someone to take care of an orphaned and potentially injured baby bird... TLC - The LifeCentre is where the wildlife rehabilitator requested I take the baby bird. I walked in and was immediately greeted by a receptionist/nurse who had me fill out a short "Good Samaritan" form for bringing in the baby bird. She gently took the towel from me and peered at the baby and oohed and ahhed over him, then quickly took it back to an area where they placed it in an incubator so that it would be as safe and warm as it could be - until the wildlife vet could examine it. I noted there was a statement on the form I signed that mentioned that they provide these wildlife services for free - but that it costs them money to do this - they ask folks to make donations to help them continue to support this important work - so I made a donation of $25.00. Seemed like a nice place, lots of people coming and going with their pets, and everyone was very nice. I sure hope that baby bird makes it! read more

Horrible customer care for dogs...it's all about the money. If you love your pet...take them elsewhere. I took my dog late Mon. night 6/6/22 after he broke his leg. I rushed out of the house without my purse and my daughter drove us. They wanted me to pay $2900 for that nights treatment. I said i do not have my purse. The person at the front desk said well maybe you can drive home or call someone for payment at 2:27AM. I said I know you are kidding me as I live all the way in Loudon Valley, Ashburn. Then they said you can complete a CreditCare application for payment. I said I now you are joking. Not!! Then the lady at the desk said, "well we will not be able to keep him." She said this is "Big Business" and our office is out of California. So not that you aren't going to pay, but we don't know that. I asked, "do you think i would leave my dog for surgery and not come back to pick him up?". Can you give me to morning time. They did not even place a splint on his leg. My 18-year old daughter paid $800+ dollars for the pain meds and x-rays. I told them to go get him now and I will take him to where someone cares about pets and not just BIG BUSINESS. He is now being treated wonderfully at Hope Advanced Veterinary Hospital in Vienna. read more

Great experience, though it is good to call ahead as they are often busy. They helped remove a bone that had broken and lodged in the roof of my pups mouth. Took a while, but everyone was wonderful! read more

You know how some people dread going to the dentist because they usually end up needing a cavity filled or something else that isn't fun? I dread going to the animal ER because I had a traumatic and sad experience with a cat a few years ago who didn't end up making it home (was given a horrible prognosis due to his medical condition). So anytime I have to go, there's a sense of dread-doesn't matter if it's unwarranted, it's still there. I had to take my two cats in last Tuesday because they both might have accidentally ingested ibuprofen, which is highly toxic in cats (the kitten saw mine out and before I could take it, had snatched it without my knowing off the table and played with it until it burst and the other cat decided to take a lick-I mean seriously, not a fun night). The doctor who handled my case, Dr. Graves, was very kind. He called my pet insurance company (thank God for Nationwide) as they have a poison control center and can explain based on animal weight, age and amount ingested what to do. That saved me $65 because otherwise he would have had to call ASPCA who uses same poison control center lab. He gave both fluids and the one needed an anti-nausea med (she'd already thrown up, a good thing) and made recommendations to be sent to my actual vet. The pricing was of course for an ER visit, yet reasonable. I find the doctors here to be very good, including the specialists. My one cat has had to see the cardiologist specialist previously and he was very kind and helpful. I wish you could be with the animals when they are being seen in the ER; it's hard to be in the waiting room, but I understand why. read more

DO NOT BRING YOUR DOG HERE!!!! If I could give this clinic 0 stars I would. I brought my dog here as an emergency patient after being kicked in the face by my horse. I called on my way in to inform the clinic that I was positive my dog's jaw was broken. The vet (Karen lovino) was able to see him almost immediately but did not listen to me, gave him a rough and painful exam, and very quickly concluded that his jaw was not broken. She noted that a pre-molar was chipped, he had swelling and bruising, and would be sore. She prescribed him a painkiller and sent us on our way. Knowing that my dog was still in extreme pain and unhappy with the care he received I brought him to a different emergency clinic in DC where they immediately found 5 shattered teeth (Dr. Iovino completely missed these), doubled the pain killer that Iovino prescribed in addition to two additional painkillers, and referred us to a clinic where he could get a CT scan. This CT scan showed that his jaw was broken in multiple places and he received emergency surgery to wire his jaw together and pull the painful shattered teeth. I understand that swelling could have made identifying the broken jaw difficult but not even noticing obviously freshly shattered teeth shows complete incompetence. I feel that not only did I waste time and money by going to the life centre but my sweet dog received painful and inept care. I was not listened to and felt that my dogs accident was minimized. I will never return here and would not trust this clinic with even routine care. read more

This place is the worst! They call themselves emergency care, yet they turn you away when you're pet is having an emergency. My dog was having a medical emergency and needed immediate attention- after numerous calls I decided to go in and upon arrival to their empty parking lot I was told if my dog wasn't bleeding or didn't get hit by a car it wasn't an emergency. A nurse did come out and checked my dogs vitals and agreed that she needed to be seen but refused care. Do not recommend this place! read more

A stray Great Pyrenees dog near our home was hit by a car and taken to TLC, and donations were being sought for his care. We own a Great Pyrenees and wanted to contribute. When I called for information about the dog "Brittney" from TLC would not release any information about the Rescue Organization or a POC for the dog claiming that it "violated the patient's (dog) confidentiality." I have never heard of a more heartless response. So, TLC is just VOID of any actual TLC. Why is such a horrible person working for TLC? I will never take any pet of mine to this vet hospital. If this is how the receptionist acts, I can only imagine the demeanor of the actual vet staff. HORRIBLE! read more

Last week, we had to use the services of The Life Center. They were absolutely awesome, more than we could have ever hoped for. Our dog was on a slow roll to the end of life but suddenly began rapidly declining. The staff and vet were THE BEST, full of compassion and love. It's extremely difficult when you get to this point with your pet and have to make some decisions about the end of life. We don't post much on Yelp, but this crappy experience was softened by an extremely caring and attentive staff. read more

Had to take my dog here a few times. Compassionate service and good care. I had appropriate expectations for an emergency veterinarian regarding costs and wait time. I was informed of both during my visit. I will use again for any pet emergencies. read more

Our dog was very Ill late in the evening. We called life center since our normal vet was closed. The veterinary assistant said we should monitor the situation and to come in if our dog got worse. An hour later our dog was worse and we brought her in. They said they could not take her despite being very obviously I'll. When we reminded them they were the ones who said we should bring her in, they denied it. Their attitude was not only un-compassionate, they were rude. This was our second experience with this clinic. The first was several years ago when they misdiagnosed her cancer. We only tried to go again because it was an emergency. What a mistake. read more

I'll lay out the facts for you to decide if I'm overreacting or not: I brought my dog here in August 2017 after something appeared to be wrong with him. To make a long story shorter, my dog was given IV fluids for a high fever and was immediately feeling like his normal self. The veterinarian explained that he had discovered two masses inside him. She gave me two options: admit him to remove the masses or let him live out his remaining days (however long that may be). I opted for option one, since it clearly needed to be done and I didn't want him to feel that way again. I paid around $11,000 for the visit and the surgery. The next day the surgeon called me and indicated everything went great, but they needed to keep him for a couple days until they could remove the drain they installed in him. The following day I received a call a day saying my dog suffered a heart attack and they they revived him, but we should get there ASAP because he was fading. We immediately drove there and were brought into a room with Dr. Glover. She struck me as someone who either had some personal issues going on in her life or she just didn't care. There was not an ounce of sympathy there. Dr. Glover started talking about how my dog's bladder was starting to fill up and he would not urinate when they walked him. She decided to have a catheter administered. Dr. Glover stated that my dog "tried to bite" the vet tech (in a tone like this was all my fault). She continued to say they gave him a sedative which caused him the cardiac arrest. I immediately cut her off because I knew time was of the essence, and I said "can I just see my dog?" She said sure. She walked us into the back room and I immediately observed the vet techs doing chest compression on my dog. This caught me by surprise and caused me to turn away. In a very unsympathetic (a monotone "you're wasting my time" kind of tone) tone Dr. Glover said "do you need a minute?" We were not expecting my dog to be dead when we went back there. There was no heads up given. Jumping ahead the following day, I contacted the Life Center and asked for copies of the medical records. I was provided the the pre-op and op records right away. In my phone and emails conversations, it took days before I was given the actual post op records. Even the receptionist found that it was odd that I had not received them yet. After days of pressing the issue and finally speaking with an office manager I received the records. The records were clearly written after the fact and in a manner that distanced Dr. Glover from any sort of malpractice. A number of out of place phrases/caveats were written throughout like "...but [he] is not out of the woods yet." Here are my issues aside from those indicated above: Why was I not called in to walk my dog? Why was I not called to provide any insight that could have saved his life? I knew immediately that the whole "he tried to bite the vet tech" was him just doing what he did with my family in very rare instances: he was giving a warning that he did not like what was happening (in this case I am referring to having a catheter installed while he was fully awake and coherent). My dog never never bit anyone in his life. He was a true gentle giant. I could have told the doctor that, but Dr. Glover made the apparent call to sedate him in what I would imagine was a fragile post op state that led to his death. At any rate, the surgeons and receptionists were wonderful and I wish I could provide a separate rating for them. Dr. Glover and those over her receive the lowest possible rating. I'm not bitter about the loss of the money. I'm bitter about the loss of my dog of 12 years, which was completely preventable. read more

My 12 year-old Shih Tzu has had recurring UTIs but this time was different. Her vet said that he could feel something but his x-ray showed no signs of kidney stones so she needed an ultrasound. The ultrasound shows a tumor...not good! We found TLC's oncology group and they explained everything. The options were few as the tumor is inoperable and incurable, but they deliver the news in a caring manner that I really needed. I was an emotional, devastated wreck! The staff is thorough, takes the time to explain everything and answer questions. The job they have is not an easy one and delivery of bad news has to be done in a caring way...which they did. Daisy can't be cured, but the care she's getting is top notch and I trust this facility. I'm glad I found this group in her time of need! read more