Carolina Veterinary Specialists Winston-Salem

Reviews

• BS

  Barbara Smith

  Feb 22, 2026
  1.0
  I went a friend to have her dog euthanized because it was dying in pain. Was told when we called ahead to bring her on in. Waited over two hours in the car and then we're told it would be another 6 to 7 hour wait!!! We took the dog home to try and rest peacefully. These people have no compassion or empathy for the animals, they are strictly a for profit facility If it is an emergency clinic it should have adequate staff on hand to handle such!!!
• MG

  Megan Guzman

  Feb 21, 2026
  1.0
  DO NOT TAKE YOUR PET HERE! SEVERELY UNDERSTAFFED WITH HORRIBLE SERVICE. I took my three cats here 3 days ago after they accidentally ingested my dogs apoquel overnight. My fiancé sat for eight hours (before they started quoting people 6-8 hours) while they checked vitals on our cats. Only one of our cats (thankfully) showed signs of toxicity and we elected to hospitalize her over night. I was called that evening with the results of her lab work confirming elevated kidney and liver values and told I would receive an update the following morning. By 11:15am on Day 2, I hadn’t heard anything and called the for an update. The vet was unavailable and I was told I would “hopefully” receive a call in the next couple of hours. I called back at 2:15 and asked for an update and was told the vet would call me as soon as possible and that my cat’s lab results just came back. By 3:50, having received no update on her wellbeing, I called back and only after I threatened to pick her up because the quality of her care was in question did I speak with a vet who said I could pick her up. It then took 50 minutes to discharge her when we arrived to pick her up. I was instructed to take her back for bloodwork the following day and was assured that it would be “quick.” This is Day 3. We take her back for bloodwork and they take us to a room and get her blood within the first 20 minutes. We then sit in the room for an hour and a half with no vet update. It took me going to the front desk asking to pay and threatening to leave before a vet talked me with the updated blood values. This vet practice is NOT cheap. Cumulatively I spent about $2500 on exams, hospitalization, and bloodwork. They only staff one vet at a time and people walking in on Day 2 and Day 3 were getting quoted 10-12 hour wait times. We saw dogs defecating blood in the lobby with no assistance. Whoever owns this practice should be ashamed of themselves and is clearly only doing this to make money. To the owner: Staff your facility with more than one vet at a time, especially since it’s the only one in the area. If your animal is experiencing an emergency, you are better off going to another practice in Greensboro or Kannapolis. I will NEVER return to this practice again.
• TE

  Tessa Esca

  Feb 17, 2026
  1.0
  called about considering problems about my cat, caller didn’t even let me get to finish my explanation and told me to try calling another place and didn’t seem to know anything. try another vet and avoid this place, they didn’t seem to care AT ALL!!! told them to have a good night and just they just hung up without saying anything back, I just found it very rude.
• F0

  Fantasitix 01

  Jan 30, 2026
  1.0
  Called ahead. Was placed on hold and nobody ever came back. So I bring my pet up there. She's older and exhibiting the same symptoms that have led to our other two being put down. I am informed a 2-4 hour wait. It is 9 PM. I and two other pets are in the waiting room. For the entire duration of the three hours in the waiting room, one pet was triaged and taken back. Two pets were released, though both had passed. They were triaged only after the pet in question started screaming in agony (because the owner kept adjusting them to elicit noise) and with little haste. That pet had been waiting in the car of the owner for over an hour prior to my arrival. When we are called back, it's 12:30AM. We don't see a triage nurse or another soul for another hour after being placed in a room. I speak to the nurse, she takes my pet for "workup". Another hour passes. Doctor comes in, goes over the plan, lets me know I can pay, and leaves. So I pay (over a thousand dollars, mind you, for two basic lab panels and a urinalysis), then wait another half hour before they bring my pet out from the clinical area. The nurse, while kind, has no idea of what the doctor advised. If I did not have clinical knowledge and track the conversation with the provider well, we would have been clueless. So we leave and arrive home by 3:30 AM. The doctor directed that we should have results by the time we finish the course of basic antibiotics at latest. I call a day before she finishes the course, as directed. I am told results are pending with partial processing complete. That was Tuesday. I call again today, Friday. They state pending with zero clue of what's going on, how they would get the results, or what kind of time frame we can expect results to come back. There is zero clue and zero care. There is a very real risk of a relapse of infection, assuming the basic course of antibiotics touched it to begin with. Despite that risk, there's zero interest in my pets wellbeing on the behalf of the clinic and zero effort to be proactive about the consequences of their lack of action. The nurse was nice. The doctor was professional and kind. These are arguably the only good things I can say. There is a remarkable lack of urgency for this to be an emergency vet. There is a stunning lack of care on account of the front desk staff. While my nurse did not, the "triage" team waltz into the lobby like it was a Sunday stroll. Wait times are not reflected accurately. I witnessed people being put on hold and never gotten back to in my three hour wait. I witnessed a free rabbit euthanasia be prioritized (no wait) over a pet screaming in agony. The pricing is exorbitant and arguably an abuse of the compassion owners have for their pets. If you truly care about your pet, you are better off driving an extra hour to be seen anywhere else. I am certain anywhere else will treat your pet with the urgency warrented and have you out in less time, likely for similar or less expense.
• EF

  Erika Fletcher

  Jan 27, 2026
  5.0
  I cannot say enough good things about this emergency vet team. They quite literally saved my cat’s life, and I will be forever grateful. Finn came in with a urinary blockage and had not peed in about 15 hours. Even though the wait time was over 8 hours, they recognized the urgency and took him back immediately. From the start, everything was explained to me in a way I could understand, even while I was crying and overwhelmed. They were calm, patient, and never made me feel rushed. When I agreed to move forward with the catheter procedure, they started right away. Unfortunately, Finn re-blocked and it was determined that a PU surgery was the best option. This was a huge and scary decision, especially financially, but the team gave my family and me time to process, encouraged us to speak with our regular vet, and thoroughly explained all risks and options. Every question we had was answered. The aftercare instructions were clear and detailed, and anytime we called with follow-up questions, someone took the time to help us. They even cleaned Finn up after surgery when he was unable to clean himself, which meant so much to us. Because of this team, Finn is alive and healing. I am beyond thankful for their compassion, knowledge, and care. If you ever have an emergency with your pet, this is the team you want.

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