Animal Specialty Center

Recommends

Elizabeth N.

Joined 2 months ago

Dr. Jeanne Budgin, dermatology specialist at ASC, made the last several years of my cat Olive's life the best she ever had. Olive suffered from chronic skin allergies that a series of vets had been unable to diagnose and that caused her aggravated itching, discomfort, and fur loss across her face. Dr. Budgin began a very thorough course of diagnosis and treatment for Olive that included lab work, dietary testing, interim steroid medications, a customized allergy serum, and finally the gradual introduction of a life-saving drug, Atopica. After Dr. Budgin's careful adjustment of dosage, Olive experienced the first consistent relief of her symptoms ever. All her itching ended, she regrew full facial fur and elegant whiskers, and in her later years she was calmer and happier than I had ever known her to be.

Throughout our years of working together, Dr. Budgin and her staff at ASC showed amazing skill and thoroughness, flawless follow-through, and (perhaps above all) total concern and affection for Olive. I always felt Dr. Budgin's professionalism in equal measure with her loving compassion, and I would recommend her without qualification to anyone needing a superb specialist. She's the greatest, and I know Olive would agree.

Phyllis K.

Joined 8 months ago

My sweet Cody was screaming in pain when we took him to Dr. Joseph at ASC. The MRI showed he needed immediate surgery. From his first moments at ASC to his release, Cody's care was exceptional. The front desk staff, technicians, aides, interns, residents, they all were professional, caring and sympathetic. I even received a text photo of Cody after surgery to soothe my rattled nerves. Dr. Joseph is lauded for his diagnostic capabilities and surgical skills. He must also be recognized for a compassionate bedside manner that is too often missing in veterinarians. I cannot say enough about how positive my experience was at ASC. How indebted I am to Dr. Joseph and his colleagues. And most of all, how strongly I recommend the facility and its staff.

Recommends

Carol and Barry F.

Joined 9 months ago

Our oldest dog Juliette started having seizures in April 2011. Upon having her examined by our vet in Greensboro,NC, she was referred to a local specialty center. She was diagnosed as having a cystic meningioma, and it was estimated that her life would end in two months or less without some type of treatment. Due to her age which was 14 years and 2 months at the time, the recommended treatment was chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Upon further investigation, we discovered that she would have to undergo 16 to 20 radiation treatments within a period of four to five weeks, each time under anesthesia. We ruled out this type of conventional radiation treatment because in all likelihood she would have never survived that many times under anesthesia, and we were very concerned about the side effects of the radiation. If she had somehow survived all of this, the best case scenario was a survival time of eleven months. Our situation seemed hopeless. We desperately searched for an alternative and discovered radiosurgery. Then, we found Animal Specialty Center, the only veterinary hospital in the world with Cyberknife Radiosurgery. Dr. Joseph was frank, yet hopeful about Juliette's prognosis. We drove from NC to Yonkers, NY, and she received one treatment on June 15, 2011.There were no side effects whatsoever. On August 13, 2012 we returned to ASC for a follow up MRI which showed that the tumor was of similar to slightly reduced size, the best news possible! She also had a minor surgery while under anesthesia for the MRI.

Our experiences at ASC have been extremely positive. Dr. Joseph, Dr. Charney, Dr. Bonczynski, and the staff have treated Juliette and ourselves with the utmost compassion and care during both of her stays. It is obvious to us that ASC was founded with the intention of providing the best outcomes possible. We feel so fortunate to have found ASC. Without it, there would have been no hope for Juliette. Thank-you ASC!

Recommends

jay j.

Joined 1 year ago

monicas mobile grooming. Nice experience! Needing to change groomers can be a nerve-wracking experience; everyone wants their 'babies' to feel stress-free and comfortable. Monica made both Candi and Soxie feel right at home, making sure to be aware of their individual needs and problems, and the grooming results have been wonderful! It's obvious that Monica cares a great deal for her animal clients, and it shows in her work and makes their families happy too!

Doesn't Recommend

Bertoni

Joined 2 years ago

DISASTER FOR BIRDS PLEASE STAY AWAY!!!. We brought our Parottlet bird who couldn't move and was leaning forward upon recommendation from Laurie Hess an Avian vet who couldn't care much for the birdie because it was the 4th of July, and her birthday..Well..I don't care. There was no Avian Vet in this outfit, and the staff was clueless. We thought that the birdie would get TLC and feeding, but was put in Oxygen, some heat, and four hours later only there was an attempt to feed him, which may have killed him by feeding through the wrong pipe, since one of the staff member didn't even realize when we came to visit that a bird is not lying on its side, unless it is dead!!! He kept knocking on the glass thinking that it is alive!! The worst experience, and neglect. Looks inviting from the outside, but horrible service for birds. It would have been much better just to keep him with us, and give him the love during his last 4 hours.

Recommends

Chmash

Joined 2 years ago

Excellent Care for our pet!. We had a fantastic experience at ASC. One of our dogs was recently diagnosed with a brain tumor. Our regular neurologist referred us to Dr. Joseph and he was more than accommodating answering all of my questions. His team was fantastic from his techs to the front office staff. There was one over night tech I was less than happy with but over all the experience was a good one. Our dog went in for Cyber Knife treatment. We spent a week at ASC and our regular vet was amazed at how good he looked after the procedure. They took very good care of him and called me in the AM and PM every day with status updates, and someone was always available to give me a status update when I stopped in or called. We could have taken him over over night, but I thought it might be best to keep him at the hospital during the week. They were always more than accommodating. I also witnessed them with a lot of other patients while hanging out in the waiting room and they did a very good job I thought, and we've spent A LOT of time in ER rooms and vet hospitals.

Doesn't Recommend

corbit

Joined 2 years ago

DONT GO. New to the area and having pets we asked many people in neighborhood what was the best place to go and were surprised that they did not recommend Animal Specialty Center. Sadly we tried ourselves and were very disappointed in the lack of caring, could not get a Dr on the phone, and lack of communication for care when we left ( we did get alot of care when we paid). The overnight team was terrible as our pet looked half dead in the morning. The place looks very modern and well equipt but bells and whistles do not make a caring pet hosptial. Appears the warnings about this one specific Dr. who is not liked are all true. We would not recommend this at all.

Recommends

Simonesays

Joined 2 years ago

A wonderful and compassionate clinic. I took my older dog to Dr. Joseph at ASC for acupuncture every two weeks for almost two years and I simply can

Recommends

mstmadison

Joined 2 years ago

Thank You Dr. Joseph and Staff!. We were there on Tuesday with our dog Kobe. Dr. Joseph examined Kobe after doing an extensive history. He then did an MRI and spinal tap. His manner was professional and compassionate to both Kobe and us. His knowledge seemed to be extensive. Other than my personal vet I have never been made to feel so secure to know how well my baby was being taken care of. Dr. Joseph also went above and beyond by keeping my personal vet in the loop of everything going on with tests and results. The other employees we dealt with were great too, not only making us feel at ease and calm, but telling us where we could grab something to eat and any other info we needed since we are from southern NJ and not familiar with the area. The hospital was very clean and did not smell like an animal hospital.

Thank you Dr. Joseph and staff for everything you did!

Renee, Mike, and Kobe

And no I do not work there, I do not live in the area, and yes I would use Dr. Joseph again.

Recommends

LaurieJean

Joined 2 years ago

My Pug and I had a great experience with ASC. My vet at Smith Ridge in South Salem recommended an MRI for my pug, who showed signs of IVDD. She sent me to ASC, where Dr Joseph, the Neurologist, agreed with the diagnosis and showed me the MRI, taking longer to explain my dog's condition to me than any of my human doctors (including Hospital for Special Surgery!) spend with me.

Nurse/technician Emily took care of my little pug, held her and made me so comfortable that my baby was in good hands.

A short course of steroids was suggested by Dr. Joseph, he sent us home, and he monitored her reaction over the next few days by phone with me.

Steroids did not improve her walking.

The decision to do surgery on my pug's spine weighed heavily on me. My vet at Smith Ridge agreed with Dr. Joseph that surgery would be best.

But it is a terrible risk, and it was all on me to decide.

I went ahead, and on the day of surgery, I left my sweet baby angel again in the arms of the same nurse/technician, Emily. Her love for my baby allowed me to leave.

The staff were wonderful, taking my anxious phone calls and getting status for me throughout the day, up to the wonderful news that she woke up from anasthesia, and even up to 10PM reporting that she took steps! she ate! And was resting comfortably.

During her 3 day hospital stay, technicians and Doctors Berkl and Berg filled me in on her progress.

She is home now, with a big zipper-like set of sutures running down her back, but happy and recovering every day more of her mobility. Nurse Emily taught me how to monitor the condition of the incision.

My bill was in the range of what was quoted. and frankly, for all the staff, building, and equipment they need, I think it is a fair price.

I was told both by Dr Joseph and by my vet, that anasthesia is a risk. this surgery is a risk. It was a fearsome, hard decision. I asked my vet why I should go to ASC for this surgery, and she said, "We send our pets there."

I don't want to ever have to live through this again. but if my sweet baby angel ever has to, I will go back to ASC.