Central Texas Veterinary Speciality and Emergency Hospital

0 stars if I could If you are looking for a place that will be patient, considerate, or caring towered you and/or your animal, go elsewhere. This business is only interested in money, fear mongering their clients into spending more money, or up charging the most basic care. From the moment I walked in, at 1 in the morning, I was greeted with nothing but attitude from all the ladies at the front desk to the "vets" in the back. (There was ONE Burnette gal at the front that was kind during this entire process.) We filled out paperwork and gave the information that we had. They took him and said, "is your phone number on the paper? we will call you." I verified it and assumed I can go wait in my car if they are going to call on my cell. Not a single front desk worker called out to my boyfriend or myself as we were walking out "hey we need you to stay here." Right when we sit in the car, we see a lady rush out and wave us down and say, "ugh we have been shouting for you, he won't let us put a muzzle on him!!" Nobody called my phone. I stated that and with the same, annoyed, irritated voice, she says "well we kinda need you guys to say in the waiting room." The moment we walked inside, the "vet" walked out, clearly annoyed, and said she got it on him. This took a total of 5-8 mins. That's it. Then after waiting for about 10 more mins, we meet with I am assuming the lead "vet" in this clinic who couldn't have been more robotic or disassociated to us if she tried. We explained the symptoms again. She basically said our only option was leaving him there for 2 more days so they can do blood work. Otherwise, lost cause, no clue what could be wrong, symptoms could mean anything, take it or leave it. We brought up payment, and she sprinted out of the room without another word. Not only were we talked down to, but she barely looked us in the eye she was so busy rolling them every time we asked a question. We told her we couldn't pay more than the emergency fee, she said we check and then left. Another woman came in, likely the assistant "vet" and she was even worse. She cared more about proving we lied about timelines or symptoms rather than the actual animal in their back room. She had the worst attitude especially after we brought up how the quote she brought it was too much. Keep in mind it was between 2,000-4000 and I am rounding DOWN. This was for standard blood work, standing x-ray, and meds to put him to sleep because as they loved to keep reminding us, he was "being aggressive." Every time we asked a question the answer was "well I don't know what you expect us to do if you don't want to pay the full amount." I would ask if there were anything we can do from home so that we could avoid him staying at the vet overnight for multiple days, and she looked at us and said, "well yeah if you want to take him home, his stomach could flip and he'll die in two hours you can." very judgmental as if we were a burden trying to figure out a cheaper way to help our dog. Then she again asks, "so who's the dogs real owner? are you just dog sitters?" after we have explained that he is our dog, he's the family dog, either way how exactly does that pertain to the emergency we brought him in for? She then asks, "well you told the other vet a week, but you told me 4-6 days we are just trying to actually figure out a real story here." (4-6 days TO a week was what we had said.) We stood up and left after this because we were not paying 4k for a service that wasn't even going to happen for a few more days, and due to the last of empathy, care, and utter dismissal the staff displayed. I see why this place has so many 1 stars. We took him elsewhere and got all the testing they quoted us and more for $900, AND they were much more patient. They also didn't try and scare us into leaving our dog in their care, so we'd owe them an arm and a leg. Extremely disappointed by at every turn from this place. Everybody here was unprofessional, incompetent, and waisted our time. This is a business of saleswomen, they only care about their pocket, don't bring your animals here if you want them taken care of, you're better off going legitimately anywhere else, or use and AI chatbot, at least it will be more empathetic.

I am struggling to understand why there is such a significant delay in following up with patients after referrals are received. My cat's neurology referral was sent to this office on July 28, 2026, yet I did not receive a call to schedule an appointment until today, August 5th. When I finally spoke with a representative, I expressed that referrals—particularly for specialty care—should be handled with a sense of urgency. Every case deserves prompt attention because the severity of a patient's condition is not always apparent from the referral alone. Delays can have devastating consequences. Unfortunately, while waiting to hear from this office, my cat's condition worsened, and I ultimately had to make the heartbreaking decision to lay my beloved pet to rest following our last visit to the emergency hospital. This experience has been deeply disappointing. I hope this facility will review its referral and scheduling process to ensure that future patients and their families receive more timely communication. No one should have to endure unnecessary delays when seeking critical medical care.

The entire team was amazing. My dog was having hives and didnt sleep last night due to the pain and scratching. We could not afford tons of testing and the dr was very understanding of our financial situation. She gave our dog meds to make her feel better right away with out breaking the bank. I highly recommend this place after hours on Sunday! Or any day really!

If I could give 0 stars, TRUST, I would. My senior dog, Lola, suddenly developed a severely swollen abdomen, and we rushed her to Central Texas Veterinary Specialty & Emergency Hospital, terrified that we were about to lose her. Unfortunately, our experience was devastating. Dr. Nicholas Millington told us Lola had only a 10% chance of surviving surgery, because of her age and quoted us around $20,000 for emergency surgery. He also told my son, "She's going to die if you all don't put her down."When I told him my family needed a moment to process everything, he responded that if we didn't make a decision within five minutes, Lola would die. Instead of feeling supported during one of the worst moments of our lives, we felt pressured into making an impossible decision. Something didn't feel right, so we trusted our instincts and immediately drove across the street to VEG ER for Pets. The difference was unbelievable. Dr. Q took the time to explain exactly what was happening. Lola had GDV (gastric dilatation-volvulus), and Dr. Q carefully walked us through the diagnosis, treatment options, risks, and prognosis. We were quoted a much more reasonable cost for surgery, and Dr. Q explained that Lola's chance of surviving surgery was approximately 90%, not 10%. Dr. Q performed Lola's surgery, and today, Lola is alive because we sought a second opinion. I also cannot say enough wonderful things about the staff at VEG. Caitlin at the front desk was incredible from the moment I called to say we were on our way. She was efficient, compassionate, and reassuring during such a frightening time. Fernanda was especially kind, patient, understanding, and bilingual, making communication effortless for our family. Alissa, Dahee, Nora, and Clint were all equally caring and professional. Every single person at VEG treated Lola like she mattered and treated our family with compassion instead of pressure. I understand that emergency medicine involves difficult conversations and that every case is different. However, based on our experience, the difference between these two hospitals was night and day. One left us feeling rushed toward euthanasia, while the other gave us information, hope, and exceptional medical care. We will forever be grateful to Dr. Q and the entire VEG team for saving Lola's life. If your pet is experiencing an emergency, I strongly encourage getting a second opinion if something doesn't feel right. It made all the difference for our family.

I brought my little dog, Theo, in for possible concussion-like symptoms after he and our other dog collided. We were warmly greeted by the front desk staff, who even remembered me calling beforehand, and we were seen pretty quickly. We explained the symptoms to the vet tech, who took us back, handled our dog with care, and listened to our concerns. While his vitals were good and his wobbling was still very noticeable, we waited in the room for about an hour before the main emergency doctor/vet came in to see us. During that hour, Theo was gradually improving at balancing and following my commands, as usual. When the main doctor, Sam, came in, he was very cold towards the dogs (we brought both dogs - only 1 was being seen) and didn’t have the same welcoming vibe as the others in the office. He took Theo back, and within five minutes, he returned, holding him by his harness and dangling my dog. His first words were, “Well, that was gross, he got gland juice all over me and tried to bite me,” and he seemed annoyed. Ultimately, he said my dog was high on THC, which we knew was impossible. He was rude, kept saying it was a judge-free zone, and claimed our dog got into our “stash.” My husband and I repeatedly insisted it was impossible since there was no “stash,” but he suggested maybe our neighbor had thrown a joint in the yard or our dog had found a roach and ingested it. He was very insistent that it was THC. When I asked if it could be confirmed with a test, he said no, but he was 90% sure it was THC. We do not accept that answer. He didn’t check for bites or ask about any other possible ingestion and never addressed our thoughts on it being a possible concussion! His tone was rude, and his attitude was extremely off-putting. We paid the $225 fee and I mentioned to the front desk staff that we weren't really happy with the answer we got. While she was nice and explained the THC being a possibility, she literally said “It's Austin, it happens all the time”. Sure that can be true, I do not live in Austin and the true concerns of my dog were never taken into consideration. All in all, if Sam walks into your room ask for another doctor.