VCA Milwaukee Emergency Center for Animals

Reviews

• BJ

  Bob Johnson

  3 days ago
  5.0
  We would like to thank Dr. Larissa Wiger and the staff at the VCA Milwaukee Emergency Center for Animals for helping us during one of the hardest nights with our dog, Charlie. Dr. Wiger was compassionate, honest, knowledgeable, and caring during a very emotional and difficult time for our family. At first, after reading some reviews online, I was a little unsure, but after meeting Dr. Wiger, we felt much more comfortable and supported. She helped guide us through an incredibly painful situation and helped us come to the right decision for Charlie with kindness and professionalism. We just want to sincerely say thank you. The Johnson Family
• MO

  Marlene Montes De Oca

  May 3, 2026
  1.0
  I don't recommend VCA. There are more unhappy people with them than what you think. I'm not one of with a write reviews, but I can't let this one go without letting people know what a bad and sad experience. One late night, we brought in my 6 yr small male dog, not knowing what was wrong. He wasn't himself, didn't want to eat, play, or even get up from his bed. The VCA front desk is horrible staff. After waiting over 20 minutes in a room with our little one in our arms, someone came to talk to us and took him to examine him. She came back saying we needed to take him to get x-rays because they didn't know. She also said, we had to wait for the next day for the results and we had to keep him home for that night. We saw he was in pain just by looking at him. She also said, it could be internal based on his breed is usually a mass in the belly and it could be bleeding. She offered to operate without the x-rays results and go directly to remove any mass found. Our family was devastated and we didn't want him home in pain and had him wait another day. She brought us a quote plus asking for a credit card and deposit to start surgery. She also said it could be more if anything else needs to be done. Our desperation to save him got us to agree and signed. That night around 10:30pm surgery was done and no information was given to us except surgery was successful and we could come see him the next morning. The next morning I didn't get a call. I call around 8:30am and the front desk person transferred me to another worker and she said he was not completely awake and they were waiting for him to come out of the anesthesia. At 2pm, I got the call telling me he had passed away and no other explanation was given just "we're very sorry..." The invoice was over 6,000 and was charged on the same day. We know that we had to pay, but we found that this same procedure was very common with VCA. We found out too late for not checking the reviews. We also heard they only care to collect the payment and not care for your love ones. We regret deeply in our hearts for not taking him to another ER that same night. Please stay away from this place. Get second opinions and aware others about their practices. We miss him dearly and live with we could have saved him by taking him to another ER.
• JW

  Josiah Woods

  Apr 30, 2026
  5.0
  My dog had a huge medical issue last week and the poor thing went down so fast. I pulled up to this facility and ran in asking for help and they rushed out right away and revived him and evaluated him immediately. They helped him be comfortable and explained everything so calmly. The vet and staff were so kind as we had to say our goodbyes to our best friend.
• LR

  Lori Anne Riegler

  Apr 27, 2026
  2.0
  I wanted to share feedback about my visit because I have been bringing my pets to your ER for years and have always trusted and recommended your hospital to both friends and clients. I brought my dog in because he woke up making concerning noises and I was worried he may be in respiratory distress. While I was in the waiting room, I could hear him in the back stress barking continuously for quite a while. My dog has significant anxiety, and hearing him in that state while I was sitting right there was incredibly upsetting, especially when he was already not feeling well. My concern was not about being difficult or challenging your team’s process, I was trying to advocate for my dog because I know that stress escalates his symptoms and nervous system response. In my line of work, I spend every day managing anxious dogs and helping clients understand how stress impacts behavior and health, so this was very hard for me to ignore. I asked if he could be brought back to me so I could help calm him, and while he was eventually returned to me, the interaction that followed was disappointing. I was told that I would probably do better going to another ER down the street and, during a follow-up phone call, I was told I was being rude and that the call would be ended. That was honestly shocking, especially because I have had positive experiences with your hospital for years and have consistently referred people there because I trusted your care. I understand emergency hospitals are busy and policies exist for a reason, but the communication felt dismissive rather than collaborative. I was scared for my dog and trying to advocate for him, not create conflict. I wanted to share this because it felt very unlike the level of care and professionalism I have come to expect from your hospital. I value the relationship I’ve had with your team and felt this deserved to be brought to your attention.
• AM

  Ahriah M

  Apr 17, 2026
  1.0
  I almost was forced to make the decision to put my cat down because they couldn’t figure out the fastscan imaging. They said it would be a minimum of 6,000-8,000$ just to explore in the abdomen not including the surgery and they said my cat most likely had cancer. I called back to ask if they could give her a prescription to make her comfortable and the doctor declined without reevaluation which I somewhat understand but they were very cold about it. I’m 9 months pregnant and very emotional so seeing her in pain I almost decided to put her down. I got in somewhere the next day and they did her surgery for 700$……….. she is doing GREAT now post op. That day caused me so much stress and looking back on it, it freaks me out that a place can take advantage of someone that way.

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