Veterinary Referral & Emergency Center of Westbury

Came in on Labor Day with my 8 month old Boston Terrier Mabel. She just wasn't her self. She was unsteady and had some tremors. She was seen and evaluated quickly. Seems she ingested something and was having a reaction. Some IV fluids and a little medication and we were on our way home. The entire process was the best ER visit I have ever experienced. I have had other dogs and been to other ERs in Nassau County and VREC was by far the best. The prices were inline with what my vet would charge which makes me question some of the other reviews. Everything was explained upfront, including price so I don't get what others are complaining about, when it comes to my pets cost is not option and if I don't have the money I tell them, it can be worked out. In short, I'm glad my veterinarian recommends VREC. I felt really comfortable there. I will be recommending them myself after my excellent visit. Thanks VREC.

posted: 09/04/2023

Took my little dog Laura there this morning since she was throwing up white phlegm/acid 4 times in an hour early in the morning. Got there and the place is very nice. She was quickly seen by someone to get details (triage) and check vitals. After that she was given a room for us to wait with her. All good so far and I was happy with the response so far. This was around 8am give or take. Fast forward over 2 hours later, almost 2.5, and no one ever came in. We were just sitting there with no one examining her, no update, no comminication, etc. I asked for an update at almost 2 hours and was told they would check. The woman I spoke to behind the desk was nice. However, I still did not hear back. Then my mother asked. She was told the doctor said another 20 mins from that time of asking. By that point I was done and said we are leaving. I had no faith 20 mins would be 20 mins either, esp with 1 doctor working. Also, we waited enough. (Of course if Laura was in a dangerous stage I would not have left. I also feel she would have been seen a lot quicker if her symptoms were more serious from the time we would have arrived. Time wouldn't have been an issue then anyway.) I have 3 points to make: 1) No one checked in on us to make sure Laura did not get worse. I figured at the least they would organize some tests and analysis once in a room even if the doc was busy. Luckily she did not throw up anymore when we got there. She also started to act more like herself. These were the reasons I mainly used to decide to not wait even more than we did. 2) We were told 3 critical patients came in and put them behind. We were only told this when we asked about the delay. If that was an issue you need to comminicate it asap. With that, while I feel for those animals, why is it assumed my dog is OK to wait to be treated? I was better off lying and making my dog's symptoms worse so she would been seen asap. I brought her cause I was scared for her health and to catch a possible problem before it got more serious. To be trivialized like she gets the short end of the stick, no pun intended, bothers me. All animals matter and it is not like I came in cause my dog was just sneezing. 3) You need a 2nd doctor and/or a nurse who can see dogs while one doc is stretched thin. I respect the place for what it does and glad it was able to help the other critical pets. However, to hear they only have 1 doctor working is not comforting. Time is valuable for us and should be treated as such. Update as of 8/4/23: I never heard back from the center after emailing them. Would have been nice to discuss further but once again my poor dog got ignored. Very disappointed.

posted: 08/04/2023

Dr. Kimmel and the staff here are absolutely amazing! My dog Rocky was there for an unexpected long stay and the care they gave not only my pet but us as well is unmatched. They constantly called with updates as well as patiently answered all our calls and questions. As sad as I was to have Rocky in the hospital I felt so much better knowing he was in the best hands! Everyone there truly cares about your animals as if they are their own.

posted: 04/19/2023

I would have given five starts because everyone who helped me with my dog was very sweet, helpful and understanding (the doctor, receptionist, nurse) But I could hear from my room as I waited for my elder dog to be put down for mouth cancer someone talking to my doctor saying my dog smelled like a potter potty (a symptom of his tumor that had opened up his gums and caused an infection). I found that extremely distasteful and unsympathic.

posted: 09/12/2023

We want to thank Dr. Stern, Dr. Chu, Dr. Fejfar and the entire staff at VREC of Westbury for saving the life of our dog Darby. Darby is a 10 year old cocker spaniel who had been in great health until a Tuesday morning, 2 weeks ago, when she woke up and began continuously vomiting. Over the next 2 hours she became weaker and weaker. After a phone consultation with our veterinarian, we rushed Darby to VREC of Westbury. Darby was admitted to emergency where she was attended to by Dr. Fejfar. After running a battery of tests, it was determined that Darby had a gallbladder mucocele that was obstructing her bile duct. Her gallbladder was dangerously inflamed and a cholecystectomy was needed. Dr Stern performed the surgery that evening. Darby was released 2 days later. During her period of hospitalization we were kept updated by Dr. Stern and Dr. Chu via text and phone calls. We even spoke with Robin, the social worker on staff. We just returned from having Darby’s staples removed. Dr Stern said she is doing great and can resume full activities. Darby is healthy, happy and behaving as if nothing had ever happened. We are eternally grateful to everyone at VREC of Westbury. They treated us with compassion and sensitivity and gave us our baby back.

posted: 08/08/2023