I have had great experiences here. Obviously not a fun place to have to go to but the staff are kind and knowledgeable.

My parents brought in my dog today to be put down. The lady on the phone was just cold and they waited 2 and a half hours to be seen. My poor baby was wimping in pain during this time. I understand others are waiting but my little one was dying she need to be put down immediately. So she continued to suffer while they had to wait. My mother went into the hallway to ask for assistance. The vet tech kid was rude and argumentative. Finally a vet or tech came in and said they are starting the drip. My parents said it cost $285 for a baby pup who 12lbs. All I can say vets are killing it in $$$$. If you can try to find a clinic who truly cares. PS: for the cold lady on the phone, try not to talk about dumping the animals after cremation. What on earth is wrong with you. read more

My friend had to have her cat put down. Went here for the 2nd opinion which unfortunately did not change the outcome. When we went to pick up the cat remains she was met at the door and the ashes thrust at her and no " I'm sorry for you loss", etc. Wasn't even spoke too. I had to #1 witness this and #2 hear my friend morn a cherished member of her family on the way home. Based on that alone I would not choose to have any of my pets seen at this location. read more

I can't say enough of how over-the-top Veterinary Specialty Services in Ballwin, MO helped me and my dogs in our time of need. Dr Black and the entire staff went out of their way to make a horrible situation more bearable. My sweet Tyson was too sick to survive his illness. Dr Black let me go home to bring back Tyson's sister, Rosie, so she could be present to say goodbye. This will help Rosie adjust to Tyson's absence. We never felt rushed and they were all so understanding and empathetic to the situation. Thank you to Dr Black and everyone we met today. read more

When we brought our cat to VSS for a routine exam, she was reasonably healthy and alert. During a 3-day stay, with daily phone calls presenting no concerns, when we picked her up, she was dying. They hid this from us, even placing her in our carrier with no mention of her deteriorated state. It was only after a two-hour drive home that we discovered her condition. We rushed her to our local emergency clinic only to have to put her down. To add insult to injury, she had dried feces over her tail, hind quarters, and legs. And when we picked her up she had fresh feces all over her hind quarters. They wrapped her in a pee-pad when handing her over to us. Their sheer neglect and unprofessional actions are astounding. We discourage anyone from using this facility. read more

Waited for 3 hours. Doctor never came into our room. No one came into the room to give us a ETA or to even to check on our sick dog. I understand there are emergencies and those come before non-life threatening visits. But, at least let your customers know what's going on! Don't stick them in a room for hours on end and not check in on them. We thought we were forgotten about. We might have been. We left after 3 hours of waiting. Unbelievable. My advice- only go if you have a life threatening emergency. Otherwise, wait until your vet opens the next day. read more

I had to bring my dog to this location twice. The first time was the day after Christmas in 2021. He had to stay overnight due to congestion heart failure and lack of oxygen. He had to be readmitted with couple of hours due to laboring breathing. In March 2022 he triaged there from another animal hospital and I had to pick him and take him to VCC. My dog didn't come home this time, I had to have him euthanized. Cons - it always seems like they are trying to upscale you in care, when your dog is ill, for example, offering different testing a and procedures and having a cardiologist to look at the exams, when they know if your dog has congestive heart failure, there not much they can do. I paid almost $1300 for my dog's care in the last week of December and in March they were asking me to spend more money, knowing this is my second time I have had to rush him to the VCC due to lack of oxygen. No other testing or a cardiologist reviewing his X-rays was going ti extend my dog's life to another 3-5 years, more likely 3-5 days but probably less than 3 weeks. Due to COVID, I had to wait in the car for hours in the dead of winter and had to talk about his car in a cold car at 3 in the morning. Pros - when it was time to say goodbye to my sweet dog, I was able to come into the building and the room they sat me in was quiet and tranquil. The vet patiently told me the process and what his role was going to be. The tech that sat me up in the room, came in and said I was making the right decision because she had a dog with congestive heart failure and I don't want my dog to continue to suffer and struggle breathing. Once she told me that, I was able to get my emotions in check. When o was ready, they came in to start the procedure and the vet talked to me the whole time. Because of the way I was treated during that very difficult time, I was able to recommend the VCC to a coworker when it was time for her family to say goodbye to their beloved pet. read more

I could not rate them high enough. my little vest friend broke his paw in several places. they got me in fast right befor a holiday. the staff explained everything in great detail. they did a perfect job with the repair, with the pain medication as well because I asked that he would have enough not to cry the first few days. they gave me plastic bags to put over the splint. they provided food and vetsulin while he was there. all the follow ups were incredible because they told me exactly what to do after his surgery. he healed perfectly and I could not be happier. they are world class! read more

So patient and caring when we had to put our cat to sleep here, love them. We also had our dogs Acl surgery here and they were nothing but helpful read more

Our puppy was spayed by our vet & we were told to call VSS if we had an issue on the weekend. Her incision was looking red & draining as well as she had a possible UTI. I called & got 2 choices to pick from. Directions & what to do if we were sitting in the parking lot! No choice to speak to someone! This is our second unfavorable event with VSS! I ended up speaking to Fox Creek Veterinary. They were great! read more

I had the unfortunate but fortunate opportunity to receive care here. I rushed my oldest dog, Brooke who was 12 years old, here in December of 2022 for labored breathing and she unfortunately passed away when we got here. They sent me a card in the mail for their condolences. Even though I had never meet anyone here prior to that experience they seemed like they really cared about my pet and my loss. Then skip forward a few months, my puppy started having labored breathing and coughing up blood. So I took him right in and they got him back right away. The vet came in and explained everything to me and even showed me Maverick's X-rays. I hated the thought of him not coming home with me that evening and needing to be hospitalized but they made me feel at ease. Maverick made a quick turn around, came off oxygen and was able to discharge and come home with me a few hours later and the doctor made sure I was comfortable with bringing him home that night. Everyone I have encountered here has been great. read more

We came home from an evening out and our furbaby was not himself - crying, in pain, wouldn't move. There was a snowstorm drumming up outside but we knew we had to get him to a doggie er asap. We found this place close to us and called to make sure they were open. The person who answered the call let me know they were and also inquired what was going on so they could prep for us to come in. I appreciated that. They got us in a room right away when we arrived and let us know there was an emergency situation they needed to attend to in another room and it would be awhile. We expected to wait a long time, but the Dr was in soon, ordered and completed an Xray and injected pain meds. She referred us back to our regular vet for maintenance and she proactively obtained their info, sent the xray over to them along with her notes. Her manner with our pet was loving, helpful and direct with information. She took a scary situation and made it bearable. We left understanding next steps thoroughly. Though you don't need this service often, it is important to know it's available when you do need it. I highly recommend your emergency pet needs to this business. read more

Waited 2 1/2 hours with a sick dog before being seen, then another 30 minutes before any tests were done. Then another 45 minutes for a diagnosis. Grossly understaffed. None of the staff have any sense of urgency. And the charges were over $450.00 for a simple UTI. Don't take your pets here. You'll regret it. read more

Very caring staff. They were extremely patient and the doctor was amazing who helped us with our dog. Unfortunately we had to put her down but they were so wonderful with the process. Thank you again for everything. The wait time was very long (as to why I wouldn't give 5 stars) but understandable with staffing shortages. Thank you!! read more

In a world of emergencies... These people are not perfect but they sure try. Remember animals can't tell you what's wrong with them. The staff the night I came in was running around like crazy. Everybody was doing double time and there must've been 40 cars in the parking lot. Yes I was on hold for too long and they were a little disorganized but they're trying to do their best I would recommend them in an emergency. read more

This place completely wowed me. They were so kind and helpful while we were making hard decisions for our sweet Maci. Would definitely recommend this place to anyone needing special care. read more

Veterinary Specialty Services - Sweet puppy's last day. - Veterinarians Near Me - Ballwin, Missouri

Update on 12-31-20 the vet from Banfield called on her off day concerned about the conflicting notes and what was done and didn't understand why they didn't start iv fluid for the dog. The vet asked if I can bring him somewhere because they were concerned. I don't understand how they allow this to happen. So now I have no other option but to go back to get fluids and monitor as other er I've called won't take him since he was already seen and will have to be referred and it's a holiday. So I'm praying this will be final and last time dealing with this place. The one star is for the young female vet on duty the night of 12-30-20. Dr kelly Joseph. My 50 lb puppy staffy( not pit bull) was at Banfield on veterans memorial pkwy and they mentioned that he was in critical need and he was given fluid and needed him to be monitored at a 24 hr facility due to possible obstruction or blockage. The puppy 12 days prior had slight bleeding when trying to make a bm. Some days would not and leading up to going to the vet for 4 days had not made a bm. Leading up to this place. I know there were two other places they mentioned. They took the puppy back sedated him and said he seems fine. So no mention about the bleeding noted or anything from what was mentioned at the vet earlier that day. They said it was serious and just gave a stool softener and the discharge papers said to follow diet as usual, what diet? They didn't even give him anything for his stomach, do they not assume he will be nauseous, he had not had anything from the vet earlier. That was unbelievable. I don't understand how a dog with a possible blockage, even with that when mentioned critical need turn to " he's fine". This was a young vet and I understand it's a shortage, there are a lot of younger ones I've been experiencing and yes sometimes a new set of eyes and ideas helps but when they just disregard... I'm assuming maybe they were tired that night. I have to either go off of what was done previously to my other dog to give a bland diet. What about someone that's a first time pet owner or doesn't google to see. I am very upset because it's nothing that I can do but I'm still trying to understand the two totally different outcomes that happened yesterday. It's very hard due to covid that you cannot go back and speak and talk to the vet. I believe you truly have to have faith and trust that they have your pets best interest at heart. read more

Went for care for a vomiting dog on a long weekend ONLY open vet and should only be used if can't handle animal! Would not let us visit the dog Called to give a report daily but when questioned cut us off It was costly and they did not follow the dog by giving antibiotics when asked how about with increasing fever they did Never did any lab work to follow care response Did not call for status changes as promised Be CAREFUL!!!! read more

TLDR: VSS saved my cat's life and his quality of life and went above and beyond in doing so. In October of 2020, my cat had several near-fatal urinary blockages. We went to VSS for surgery to widen his urethra. Despite following post-op directions to the T, he ended up forming strictures and scarring in his urethra and had developed several problems. He wasn't able to urinate with a normal stream, he dribbled, he leaked while he slept, and he still sometimes cried while urinating. I took him back to VSS in January 2021 for an eval and the vet took one look at him and said he was strictured and needed a revision surgery. If that didn't work, we'd have to talk about putting him down. I was bawling at this point and the vet was extremely kind. We went ahead with the revision surgery. I was not charged for the initial visit that identified the problem, I got a huge discount on the revision surgery, and was not charged for subsequent post-op rechecks. The vet stayed in touch and was extremely helpful and concerned for the weeks following the revision surgery and I felt very supported. My cat is happy and healthy, cone free and enjoying very strong urinary streams today. I could not be more grateful for the care we received at VSS. read more

Veterinary Specialty Services - Veterinarians Near Me - Ballwin, Missouri

I tried to removed this 5 star review with no luck. My current review of VSS and their oncology department says it all. Be very cautious putting the life of your best friend in their hands! read more

It's always weird to see how low this rated and people still attempt to visit this place. Save yourself time and money. Do NOT use this place. read more

Since you wanna take my google review down. PLEASE READ DO NOT TAKE YOUR PET HERE THEY WILL KILL THEM IF YOUR NOT PAYING ATTENTION This place was so rude and has very poor communication. i had called and told them what happened to my cat. (Got stuch in the kitchen drawer handle and ended up branking his paw) She relayed back what I told her mixing up stuff that happened. From my cat tryubg to lazy lise off the conter gettung his paw stuck to the "he jumped off the dresser getting it stuck. I had to correct her 3x. I believe he starting to go into shock. Due to him becoming stuff which i have seen aniamls going into shock before. and told her while I was on the phone. She giggled and asked why I think that told her well he was screaming and shaking to now he frozen and breathing hevy. She replied with, ohh? Okay. Bring him in. We waited for 6 hours in the car before anyone would even check to see if he was inshock *which can be deadly* The lady who came out to my car and relayed the info told me "however, he did brake his paw, my story didn't add up, that's a strange brake for that kinda accident" and that he will need surgery to fix it. Which I didn't care how much it cost. Or anything i just wanted him better and have them fixed it. The tech came out and explained I will need to call my vet and make a follow up Appointment for surgery So this morning I call my vet show them the papers. He asked where are the x-rays. I told my vet the tech said they where in that bag. We look. They never gave us the x-rays. Then my vet said idk why they said you need to do a follow up here you have to scudual an appointment though them. So I called to *here*. They gave me a number to call for there surgery department that i had to call. After getting the run around. They told me there vet that seen my cat has to call me... very poor communication. On top of all that not even an hour after we got home my cat popped off his cast. As it was too lose. So I called back here and they I told me " it's fine its not a big deal, go to your vet and they will recast it." Told the person on the phone, my cat was trying to get to his foot and Bair weight on it and it needed to be redone for his safty. told me they will call me back never did.... So I called them again the lady got an attitude with me and said someone already told you call your vet tomorrow have them do it. After I reexplaied she put me on hold for about 30mins I finally just hung up and said screw it. My vet was floored by this and how they casted him the first time. My OWN VET SAID THAT WAS A HORRIBLE CASTING (let alone the whoke med issue...) My vet said "they do things like this all them time they should have done this way better" He was not happy with this place. Said my own vet cared more then these people if I could I would have waited to just have my vet look at my fur baby and not this people. So unbelievable rude Wednesday my cat had surgery and came home with 4 meds which should have been 5. The 5th one they told me they didn't have time to fill so have my vet do it.... When I got home I realized I had someone else's meds.... which they gave him someone elses meds.the meds he had they give to me in powder form non-diloted... if I wouldn't had read and gave him all the meds they gave me he would have overdose. Due to the amount and a medication not being diloted. 2 bottles where the same meds 1 was a higher dose then the other. And not diloted. on top of that wasn't even my bottle. 3 was his pain meds all 20 of them was supposed to be at 4ml (for pain managment) and not 3ml-2ml-5ml-6ml. Not a single one was measured out correctly. Also still missing 1 bottle of meds since they gave me someone else's It took 6 calls and no response I told him I will not be Givin any if these meds. Due to the lack of consistency there team has shown. I had my own vet replace them and had to pay for them all over again. My vet was floored and said this should NEVER happen. He gave me a number to call because the drugs they gave me are regulated which mean and their books has to be doctored some how. There book keeping of drugs can not be accurate if i am getting medication thats not mine and wrong dosage of controlled meds.... please for the love of your pet don't bring them here. When I called again to complain about the meds. It took 3 days for someone to return my call I had to threatened to call repeatedly until I get a supervisor on the phone to hold up their phone lines until someone answered me onky to be told that "that could never happen well here is the proff it did. You people are completely irresponsible with your med count your books and giving controlled substance out at it incorrect ml. Thank God I am a tech and always look at meds before I hand my kids or pets anything. Someone should have lost there license(s) this day this could have ended up with a aniaml dead. read more

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If I could give this place no stars I would. I have taken my 18 year old cat 3 maybe 4 times in past 6-8mos here. Needless to say, the staff seem to be uncaring, non compassionate, unethical, rude is an understatement and I noticed the rudeness and unprofessionalism to be really with just about everyone that I encountered /interacted with sadly. It comes down to money first and foremost. And... the cost is astronomical. I feel Sorry for those that can not afford vet care for their animal during an emergency and I can tell you that they won't see or treat your pet if you don't have the funds. The woman who works and answers phone at front desk told me when I mentioned I lived down the road and it was late in eve, I was tired and when they called me to come pick TJ up i would be there within 5 min. (Yes, I live that close) this woman at front desk/receptionist or whatever she is told me that if I left parking lot, my cat would not be seen and or treated. Lol wow.... This was even after I put down what they asked $200-$300 to start treatment. Money was not an issue, and by time you get done answering all the questions, filling out paperwork, providing them with a form of pmt, signing this and that online etc... well if you brought your pet in bc of an emergency , good luck bc knowing a little something something about medical... minutes count. Seconds count and just pray your fur babies make it. I had words with few of the staff and 1 vet as a matter of fact and the receptionist or whoever answers phone at front desk in eve to the point when I said can we pls get my 18 year old cat In first and then discuss all this on phone, she literally started to yell at me and hung phone up. Well, I was getting ready to leave and take my cat somewhere else when a woman walks out front door and walks up to my car and said "yah wheres TJ?" Lol just like that. No smile, no hello. No, my name is so n so. Total flat effect. Terrible attitude and like she didn't want to be there. I wish I would of read all these fairly recent reviews before taking my cat here. This place has went down hill big time since I had brought my sons GS in for parvo in which they saved his life few years back. I don't know if it's under new mgmt, new owners or what, but it's def went down hill. I mean you would think they would re-evaluate things and change looking at all these multitude of terrible reviews. Many are relatively the same compliant. Oh did I mention they had given me last 2- 3 visits the same paste for my cat to improve his appetite. I even told them last visit as well as reminded them when my cat was being discharged that I do not want nor need that medication to increase his appetite. Was told ok, no problem. Lol... low and behold, tech that brings my cat out to me hands me a brown paper bag with meds in it and there it is the same exact drug I had told them I did not want nor need. I hand it to her and say I already told them twice NO I do not need this so pls take it back and credit my debit card. She goes in building, comes back out and says to me, I'm being told that you have to keep it bc it was already charged and it's yours now. I said what? No, no it's not. I want a refund. That never happened and really? Goes back to attitude etc etc I advocate for my pets and question things, and not going to put up with an attitude, non- professionalism and few acting unsure of their self bc of things they said to me with medical jargon that I know quite a bit about and when I questioned them, it was like they shut down after they didn't know how to properly answer my questions and realized I must be in medical field. They clearly didn't like that. Also wanting to do unwarranted test on my cat and vet went as far as to say that my cat she thought had cancer in his nose. Lol he has seen another vet and he absolutely does not have Cancer. Just another way of trying to get more money out of you by running more tests. Lastly... I received a letter in mail or maybe it was an email a few months back telling me that they would no longer see TJ and basically I was not allowed back there or on the premises lol no worries VSS. I didn't plan on it anyway after last 3 visits, the last one being icing on the cake and by looking at all your reviews and not just on one site. Many can clearly see who the common denominator is. Think you would get it and do something about it. I'm as usually a very nice person but when it comes to my Pets, diff story if you act like you did with above I mentioned. Like I said few years ago when I brought my sons German Shepherd in, they were amazing and actually saved his life. Not to mention kind and caring. The vet was outstanding and knowledgeable. I don't know what has happened to this place. Think they would get it with multitude of reviews. And... they wonder why I was upset and acted way I did. Lol.. Needless to say, if you can go elsewhere peeps! read more

We were referred to this place when our puppy Buddy was having some blood issues and we needed more testing. The vets at this office are absolutely amazing! They offered us compassion and great care! Our dog had blood work, ultrasounds and X-rays done and at a reasonable price since we don't have pet insurance on him. They gave us some answers, provided literature and educational materials on our babies diagnosis and sent us home with a dog that was on the mend and some piece of mind. I hope that you never find yourself in need of emergency pet services, but if you do, this is the best place for your pet! read more

I really wish I was in a position to never review VSS. I can only review VSS based on a non-emergency visit, BUT I visited both the o'fallon and ballwin location. For those of you who have had emergency on both of my visits patients were seen in front of my dog. Everyone had to wait in the car.I definitely understand the urgency of every animal issue. After a recent visit to my vet in May it was determined that Bear had anal gland cancer. It took over a month to get in and i tool the first appt available which happened to be in o Fallon. The dr was amazing and compassionate. The staff was very nice. The facility is clean and right off the highway. VSS scheduled bear's surgery at the Manchester location since it was closer and the original vet also performs surgery there. Same experience. They are a very compassionate group of individuals. Another thing to note is that we are extremely lucky that we have VSS. Mizzou is one of the top vet schools. We may not be seen as fast as we would like. Be thankful your animal can be seen! read more

My heart has broken at the negligence that resulted in my puppies death here. She went in for a procedure that was described as 99% chance she'll go home in 2 days. It was only 30 hours after her surgery that my 10 month old puppy was declared dead. The ventilator during the surgery over inflated her lungs till they both popped. Its been 3 weeks and I'm still at a loss for words. She was my heart and soul. I felt like my heart stopped when hers did. I've been debating writing this review, or reporting it to the veterinary boards only because I know it won't bring her back. The anger and emptiness this has left in my heart is something I hope no one else ever has to go through, and that is why I have decided to write this review. Also: And after their negligence killed my dog, they still charged $1500 for the surgery, this was a reduction of the total $6000 for the surgery, but $1500 is still offensive. read more

We had to put our 14+ year old retriever down Monday night. He had cancer for 6 months and took a very fast turn for the worst on monday. As he was laboring to breath and unable to stand up any longer, we felt it was appropriate to put him down rather than struggle through the night. We arrived at about 9:30pm. (This is not our normal vet office) They got us in quickly despite 25 cars in the lot. Staff was very sympathetic and handled our situation perfectly. Not that we were in a hurry, but we were out of the building in less than an hour. Doctors and staff were excellent. Thank you for your professionalism. read more

Pros office staff friendly and they tell you costs up front. Cons. Wait time, cost $$$$ not all doctors communicate well. I walked out of room with doctor thinking we have made a game plan only to be asked to sign ama (against medical advice) upon discharge, from front office girl. Doc never mentioned it. read more

I cannot recommend VSS. We rushed our 2.5 yr old Boston Terrier to them late in the evening with breathing problems on 7/25/23. We didn't have to wait too long and the vet who saw him seemed reasonably concerned and said he would need to stay with them. We were called in the morning on the next 3 days and although I do think they were trying to figure out what was wrong, they kept telling us they didn't know. We were told on Saturday that he needed an ultrasound as they thought he was bleeding internally but it would have to wait for Monday as there was no one to take or read the ultrasound until then. Come on--would you go to a hospital and be told you have a serious problem and are struggling to breath but you needed to wait until Monday for an ultrasound?! We authorized them to do everything they could think of and ran ups bill of over $5k in just 3 days--which we agree we knew the risk...run up a large bill and still lose the dog worst case scenario. We get a call at 3am on Sunday, 7/30, and are told he was dying...did we want Cpr? We said YES! To which we were told it wasn't recommended as he'd just keep dying. Was the dog even alive when they called me or did they get distracted on the night shift and find him dead in his cage?! We'll never know. My daughter insisted on seeing him immediately so we drove up and she and my husband went in (I stayed in the car, just couldn't bear to see him). My husband was stopped on the way out with insistence that we pay the bill right then or they would not send his body for cremation. My husband said to send the bill and we'd pay it and the receptionist reluctantly agreed. No one ever called us in the following days to tell us what they think happened and express condolences. We were not offered an autopsy but in honesty, my husband probably would have refused it--couldn't stand the thought of them cutting him up. We were called to pick up his ashes and they were in a plastic bag in a cardboard box. We received a very generic card from them a couple weeks later. Did he receive good care with VSS? Probably but since no one communicated with us after he passed, I would not take another animal there if I could help it. It will be the Brentwood pet er or somewhere else, if there's a next time, which I pray there isn't. I thought they were the very best but now have my doubts. read more

The business is run poorly. We waited forever and the assistants were short with us and rude. They refused to bri g us out fog after we paid and made us wait over 20 Minutes after waiting all day. read more

Staff was so kind and reassuring. Dr.Scott and the kind techs took care of our Great Dane who had bloat late at night. Surgery went well and we couldn't thank them enough. read more

We contacted VSS when our almost 11 year old boxer, Harley, showed signs of labored breathing, failing back legs and a protruding eye. After conferring with the vet & talking to each other, the decision was made to be humane, as Harley's quality of life would be diminished. The staff & vet were wonderful, explaining every step along the way. We also received a beautiful sympathy card signed by each staff member. Another plus, is the service is open 24 hours. Lastly, they were cautious and correctly enforced COVID-19 guidelines. I highly recommend this business! read more

I brought my dog to VSS after she ingested a poisonous food while she was staying with family. They had us wait outside and would not even talk to us until we were in a designated parking spot. Then they had us waiting for over 90 minutes because they decided my dog wasn't as important as other dogs. I'm fine if other situations were more urgent, but they were not honest about their wait time and kept telling us that someone would be out when it was our turn. They hung up on us every time we called to check in on the wait (maybe every 25/30 minutes so not very often). The people answering the phones there are incredibly rude and have no compassion at all. I will absolutely NEVER take a pet to this facility ever again. We got to Webster Groves Animal Hospital and they had us in within five minutes. read more

When you come here, your most important priority is that your pet is given the care that it needs. I have no issue on this. I do think that VSS did a very thorough job in taking care of my two cats. However, there's more to a business than making sure that a pet's needs are taken care of. The wait times here are always ridiculous - doesn't matter if you come here on a 7 pm on a Friday night when there's a dozen people, or at 11 am on Wednesday when there are just a hand-full of people. I came to pick up my cat (who was just suffering from indigestion) on a Wednesday at 11 am and had to wait 1 full hour before they brought her out. I didn't need a follow up or anything - just needed to scoop her up and they made me wait one hour. Also, I believe they do some referral business with local vets (like Millis animal hospital). There are other, closer emergency animal hospitals to us (that are less busy and have helped us just as much), but for some reason Millis pushes us to go to VSS which is really far for us. This is more of a issue I have with Millis than VSS, but still irks me. read more

Horrible and traumatizing experience for not only my dog, but me as well. After struggling to get a muzzle on him, the staff decided nobody wanted to see him when his case was extremely emergent. I was not helped with getting him back in my car and asked several times for assistance. I will never take another pet back here and I recommend you steer clear from this place. read more

Oh my... as if Covid hadn't changed our lives enough, our darling little spitfire (a 16-year-old Chinese Crested) was diagnosed with cancer. Bad cancer. A mass the size of a baseball. Our regular vet didn't give a great prognosis, so we brought her to AVS. Bless Dr. Cocayne's heart, she said exactly what we wanted to hear regarding surgery on an elderly dog: "Age is not a disease!" AVS referred our Sophie to VSS, where Dr. Rausch performed surgery within a week of her diagnosis. Sixteen is a very senior Chinese Crested, and not everyone would have risked this surgery, but Sophie is otherwise healthy and she loves life. We love Dr. Rausch at VSS! She saved our girl's life, and we have her back, cancer-free, active, happy, and full of joy. The VSS office has adjusted to pandemic-safe social distancing as best they can, yet still managed to keep us informed of Sophie's progress all throughout the surgery. We will always be grateful to Dr. Rausch, and can't say enough good things about her compassionate manner and her skill. read more

I can't say enough about this place. My 5 year old GSD had some scary symptoms over Thanksgiving weekend and I was trying to decide if it could wait until seeing our normal vet on Monday or if I needed to bring him to VSS. I called twice with questions and the person I spoke to was so friendly and I could tell she really cared. We ended up taking him in- got taken into a room immediately. Dr Zufall was amazing and got my boy feeling comfortable again. It's just like an emergency room- so you should expect to have waits and staff to be pulled away for more urgent situations. I hope to never need their services again, but I will definitely go back if I do! read more

Veterinary Specialty Services - Veterinarians Near Me - Ballwin, Missouri

If there was a way to give this place zero stars, I would. First, the door is locked at 7:30am and you have to ring the bell, but the two ladies working the front counter were right there but did not come to the door or even motion us to say "hold on sec." Nope just let me stand there with a 45 lb puppy in my arms. I had to wait for someone to leave the place to get in. They are unbelievably unfriendly and condescending. I haven't been talked to like that since I was a kid. I understand having to ask some basic questions to get an idea of what was going on and what steps I had taken, but the tone in which they were asked was extremely condescending, and the responses to my answers were even worse. They made assumptions like I am an idiot and didn't think to do certain things before coming to their place of business to undoubtedly pay large sums of money...because I love doing that. So after a few minutes of their extremely unfriendly and condescending attitudes, I decided to leave because I don't trust these people to take care of our puppy when they can't even treat people with basic respect. You aren't the only game in town. Whoever owns this place, I hope you realize you have jerks working for you at the front counter. I will never give this place a penny. read more

VSS is simply the best. My French Bulldog broke her elbow in January 2020. She had emergency surgery at a local ER vet. This surgery did not work and she needed a second surgery to remove a pin mid March. After the 2nd surgery, she still had the bump & swelling (see photo). After seeing Dr Anderson, he removed all the pins in her leg and she healed quickly. He was very understanding of our situation and the fact that we were on surgery #3 in 5 months with a puppy under 1 year old. Can't recommend them enough to take care of your babies. read more

Veterinary Specialty Services - Post surgery may 2021 - Veterinarians Near Me - Ballwin, Missouri

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Crooks. Period. You don't have to charge $500 a day to babysit a small dog, give him his meds, and make sure he's going to be okay to go home. There's no excuse for that. There's no other way around it. And anyone who claims otherwise is simply ecstatic that their kitty or puppy was treated and survived...which is what vets are SUPPOSED to do. What they are NOT supposed to do is nickel-and-dime you to death during your time of need. What they're NOT supposed to do is tell you it would be a good idea to let your pet spend the night without telling you they're going to charge you $500 a night to do so. It's not the stay that gets you either...it's every 8 hours is ANOTHER DAY and they charge for everything all over again. They charge $90 a day for the pet to stay more than 16 hours (it's not prorated), $75 a day to monitor your pet's heart rate, $96 a day if your pet is old and requires oxygen. And that's for an old pet asleep the whole time. Seriously? And that's before the $95 examination fee or the $65 consultation fee or the $390 (one-time) EKG test. Yep, almost four hundred dollars for a test that can't possibly take ten minutes. Honestly, Barnes would have probably been less expensive. I can't tell if they did a good job or not I'm so angry at the way they handled us. Basically, they see an opportunity at a weak point when your pet is not doing well and they exploit it. read more