Atlantic Coast Veterinary Specialists

Money is their primary motive of operation. They take advantage of you when they know you have nowhere else to bring your critically ill pet in the middle of the night. Shame on them. They basically finished off my little boy when we brought him in after 4am after he had been demonstrating a breathing/coughing issue coming out of the blue a 1/2 hour earlier the morning of Sat, July 29. Initially Dr explains Papa, our dog, is experiencing congenital heart failure but paints an optimistic picture by explaining once stabilized and evaluated by a cardiologist, Papa could be sent home with medication. Then put into a waiting room where a receptionist, who might as well have been dressed as the grim reaper starts laying out monetary options of treatment, all in financial ballparks that sadly and astonishingly fall way beyond my means. Just preposterous estimates in today’s world. It’s Bohemia, not Beverly Hills. All/any attempts of asking for a payment plan or negotiating payments are rejected. I’m gainfully employed and would have signed a binding contract if that’s what it took to treat my beloved boy. Papa is merely allowed to receive just another hour’s worth of oxygen, all without our observation, and then returned to us in worse shape than we brought him in. He was clearly oxygen deprived, uncomfortable and likely anxiety provoked, coughing more pronounced than we had arrived. That’s what oxygen administration does? We brought him home, tried to calm him without success and brought him to our vet when they opened who wouldn’t see him bc they work BY APPOINTMENT. Even after we pointed out his tongue had begun turning blue. SHAME ON THEM TOO. Left with no reasonable nor logical choices but to bring him back to the Bohemia SPECIALISTS, spoke to another doc who seemed to possess some degree of empathy but cutting to the chase we had to make the unbearable decision, bc we didn’t have between 5-10k to invest in treatment we had to put our wonderful boy down. To my own dying day I will never truly know if July 29th was Papa’s day to die or, if compassion had overruled greed, could that beautiful boy have had more days left in him had he been administered proper medical treatment w/o the distraction of immediate financial profit. Again, I’m employed over 28 years in local government. Not that they even asked my employment history. Shame/Damn on these “specialists”. All of us here who’ve had bad experiences, and there seems to be no shortage, should band together and consider some type of legal action. No it won’t bring our babies back but perhaps it’ll spare future families from certain anguish. Had I read these reviews at the time my little guy was in duress I’d have never brought him to this morgue. They are ghouls!

posted: 08/25/2023

I rarely write reviews but Dr. Kramer and the team at Atlantic Coast deserve one. I have three dogs and have visited countless vets. We were referred to Dr. Kramer a few weeks ago through our regular vet because one of my dogs (Pluto, 13 yrs old) had a severe collapsing trachea and needed a stent procedure. With that being said, Dr. Kramer is hands down not only one of the best vets I’ve ever met but also a great person. He is caring, and very honest. After the procedure, my dog was coughing and needed to stay another day. The day after he came home, Dr. Kramer called me to ask how Pluto did overnight. I had never had a vet call me to ask about my dog’s progress. I greatly appreciated it and this gesture proved to me just how much he cares about his patients. Aside from Dr. Kramer, the team of doctors including Dr. Wong, Dr. Wright, and some others I forgot the names of (oops), the vet technicians, and ladies in the front are incredibly patient and compassionate. Whenever I have called to ask a question, a doctor or resident has spoken to me answering all my questions, never rushing me and always being thorough. Last but certainly not least Ms. Vicky!! She’s incredible. Every time I was concerned about something she was ready to explain or give alternatives. I told her I have a hard time giving my dog shots because I get nervous that I will hurt him and she immediately showed me on her own hand how to hold the skin and where to enter the needle. She even suggested we try liquid medicine to avoid stressing me and my dog out! Overall even with all the stress my dog has been putting me through, I am glad I have found a place I fully trust. If my pets are sick, Dr. Kramer and the team at Atlantic Coast is where I’m bringing them. I live close to 40 mins away from them and will drive there every single time that I need to.

posted: 09/20/2023

A good place to go if you have a pet that is sick. They saw my little cat that was sick at 9:30 pm. They were ready and start helping my cat as soon as we arrived. They were very good and caring about our feelings. Unfortunately, I lost my pet that night but they were helpful, they allowed us to go and say our goodbyes. They told me at the beginning the bill will be approximately 3k to 4k. However, after they check my pet they told me he was sick and they couldn't even do the 3 x-rays they want to do. They told me they only did one so my bill was less than 1k.

posted: 03/09/2023

Zero stars. We lost our cat, our precious family member, as a result of a sudden and rapid illness. She was her normal playful self last week. She lost her appetite on Thursday and was lethargic. On Friday we decided to take her to the vet but our regular vet was not available. We knew we should not wait so we rushed her to Atlantic for emergency care, trusting that they would give her the care she deserved. Almost FIVE THOUSAND dollars later, an overnight stay, and a battery of tests, all we were told on Saturday that her blood work showed a number of "possible" ailments and that they needed another SIX THOUSAND dollars to keep her another night. No explanation of what direction they were headed with her care or what they would treat. But if we didn't pay the additional six thousand, we would have to take her home, although they went out of their way to state that this was "against medical advice", although I cannot figure out what medicine they were proposing to practice. What a terrible choice we had to make but we were given no medical plan from Atlantic and we knew our baby would be more comfortable at home. We took her home even weaker and skinnier than when we dropped her off. That is what five thousand dollars gets you there I guess. Our previously healthy cat was now given meds and supplements for kidney disease, high blood pressure, infection, nausea, and possible diabetes. You name it, Atlantic claimed she had or "might have" had it. Our heads were spinning. We cared for her every moment and followed all instructions but by Monday morning she was twitching, weak, unsteady on her feet. We called our regular vet who agreed to see her right away. We were told that she was dying and they could not see her necessarily making it through the night. We had to say goodbye to our baby and our hearts are shattered. What was Atlantic thinking? Keep her hooked up to tubes, keep taking blood, and keep running tests until she expired and they got a nice fat fee for their "services"? If she was indeed dying, the "experts" there should have done a better job with the diagnosis. And if they were truly unsure, they should have come up with a more concise and fair treatment plan that we could understand. Do yourself a favor and stay away from there.

posted: 08/16/2023

Anyone entering a 24hr emergency veterinary clinic isn’t there for good reason and we were no exception. Frankie was vomiting and lethargic. After a night of fluids and meds, he hadn’t improved. Following some tests, they discovered he had blood in his stomach and prepared us for the worst. Something they probably have to do over and over again in their field. Dr. Clemente arrived and sat down with us to go over surgery plans. It was not hopeful but we appreciated his bedside manner and honesty. 2.5hrs later we got the call that he made it through and the prognosis was better than expected. Frankie is home with us now and expected to make a full recovery. We were at their mercy and they saved his life. I also want to thank Dr. Mesgarani, Dr. Naseem, all of the vet techs and front desk staff for their care, their efforts and the love they gave Frank when we couldn’t.

posted: 07/05/2023