Tampa Bay Veterinary Specialists & Emergency Care Center, A Thrive Pet Healthcare Partner

Our dog Ty had a severe perineal hernia surgery by Dr. Garofolo which included being neutered and a skin graft to help strengthen the weakened muscles. He also diagnosed him with a murmur/chronic heart disease that at least 4 other vets have missed over the past 6 months trying to diagnose this hernia. Other surgeons we brought him to were afraid to do the surgery, but thankfully Dr. Garofolo had a good plan and confidence in the procedure. The front desk is responsive and quick to answer any questions, they checked up on him frequently during the healing process and were available 24/7. The surgery went well and our dog had his staples removed last week, but we (un)fortunately found one staple that was missed and it appears overgrown with skin or rotated upside down so there's a small metal end sticking out and he will need to go back in a second time to have it removed. I highly recommend TBVS for major procedures like this and if your dog has staples after surgery just make sure they are all removed on time because I'm sure my dog won't be happy going back to have this staple removed after this long.

posted: 10/17/2023

We initially took my sweet boy to his vet for an exam because he was experiencing some weight loss and increased lethargy. During his vet visit, he took a sudden turn for the worst. He started experiencing difficulty breathing and his mouth became pale so the vet advised us to take him to the ER immediately. When we got there, they took him in immediately and started working on him. Come to find out he most likely had metastatic cancer and he was bleeding into his abdomen. The veterinarian said there was little that could be done except for surgery which he likely wouldn’t survive because he had an extremely high risk of bleeding out, even with transfusions. The vet was fair for with our options but also realistic. My baby was fading away fast. We made the incredibly hard decision to put him to sleep so he wouldn’t suffer anymore. All of the staff were very gentle and sympathetic to us. Even though it was a terrible situation, I am thankful we were able to end his suffering with their help. The staff handled it very calmly and professionally. Here’s a silly photo of him sleeping on a bed that was way too small for him. He will be missed by so many people. He was part of our family. ❤️

posted: 05/11/2023

I wanted to leave this review before I forgot to…I just returned with my pups from a scary hospitalization and the staff was amazing! Justin at the desk was very calm and compassionate and awesome customer service. The nurse Arlene was amazing! Felt like she likes to build relationships with her patients and owners as if they are her own. Charlie and Gunner were lucky to have had such great care. Thanks again!!!!

posted: 09/09/2023

First of all I don’t post reviews unless I feel like it’s absolutely warranted. Prior to posting anything negative, I try to resolve it with the business first. Anyway here goes. The administration that has taken over TBVS is clearly money hungry. They don’t return phone calls nor are they compassionate. 70% of the staff left due to them creating a “Thank you, next” model where they focus on quantity over quality. The new owners want a money machine and sadly I got a first hand account. Our experience and story: We were given a referral from our vet for a true cut biopsy and scheduled the surgery due to our beagle mix(Holly) having a possible cancer diagnosis. The day before our scheduled surgery TBVS called asking what we were coming in for, we again explained and emailed our referral to them telling them we needed to know for sure what Holly has because a fine needle biopsy test was inconclusive. We went to TBVS on our appointment date and they took Holly in the back. About 30 minutes later they walk her out and provide us with ultrasound results saying she has a liver tumor. We were shocked and said we had a surgery biopsy planned, we were told they didn’t think that was the best course of action for Holly. We got charged $780 for the ultrasound visit and we’re told “They must establish a patient vet relationship” I.e. squeeze more money from each patient prior to giving the care you’re requesting. After several phone calls and asking to speak with a supervisor I was transferred to JB. She claimed there was a miscommunication and would speak to the accounting side of TBVS however it’s been over two months of phone tag. They clearly don’t care about Holly nor do they want to provide an explanation. Frankly I would be terrified to bring my pet here. My business stopped using them as their after hours emergency vet due to another incident I will not discuss here. There are much better places in Pinellas county.

posted: 05/18/2023

Can’t say I’m happy about this visit. I feel like we wasted 4 hours and a ton of money. Dr Goranova was the most unprofessional vet I have ever experienced. I explained that I didn’t see a need for things like an infectious disease blood panel and she was pushy and demanding. We said no multiple times and made ourselves clear that we didn’t want it and she rebutted with she wouldnt properly diagnose without it. Forced us into it even though it came back clear as we knew it would. The dog hasn’t been around another human, animal or outside really in multiple years. She would not take no for an answer. We asked her multiple times why our dog was away from us for over an hour and she told us for observation. My dog seized the day before. And it wasn’t something that was normal for her. She said she was panting aggressively and they had to give her something to calm her. Later the tech informed us nothing was given at all. She didn’t listen to our questions and tried to tell us things completely false relating to humans. She walked in the room the first time as if my dog passed away, maintaining her somber and dry attitude, asking the same question several times as if she wasn’t listening. We asked several questions regarding the cost of the medication and the side effects and she kept telling us not to worry. We asked for a paper prescription of the medication she was prescribing and she told us she would but did not. I feel like we paid a lot of money to be told things we had already confirmed elsewhere and told her. We left with no answer except that our dog needed to be on heart medication. I would consider asking for a different vet if you go here, especially if you are looking for options and actual answers. The technician Jill was fantastic. I could have wasted $1600 and 4 hours of my time elsewhere. We drove 40 minutes for this.

posted: 09/04/2023