Animal Emergency & Critical Care of Lynchburg

We had to endure the unfortunate process of euthanizing our sweet cat "Baby." The staff at this establishment made the absolute tragic and sad process of accomplishing this much easier than it would have been. It was one of the hardest things me and my wife had to do, especially on her as it was her cat primarily, but we both felt so loved and cared for by the employees at this animal emergency clinic. No one plans to be in the situation of euthanizing their little pet, but this is establishment ensures to patiently walk you through the agonizing process. Dr. Smith and the nurse were so patient and kind toward us as we slowly got around to ending the suffering "Baby" was going through. Lastly, we were pleasantly surprised to receive a handwritten note from the clinic expressing their deepest sympathies for the process we have to endure a few days later. That was definitely the "cherry on top" that culminated the great service at this establishment!

I have used them twice now, once when our cat got a late night injury to her leg, and another time when my dog was crying in pain and we didn't know what was wrong. Both times the staff and vets were exceptional. They were extremely quick, compassionate, thorough and gave the right diagnosis and medication and had us on our way quickly. They also always send us with a copy of paperwork as well as send the visit info to your regular vet. I am so glad this place exists!

On December 6-7 of this year(2024), we took our Golden Retriever here after she had been hit by a car. I regret this and if there is any way on God's earth to take a future pet SOMEWHERE ELSE to be cared for and ultimately put to sleep.....I'll do so. Even if I have to drive to Roanoke. The female Veterinarian on duty this night was the very definition of "fake concerned ". She also was as cold and as calculated as one would expect from a robot, not a human. I feel, and my family feels, that if this is what happens during "burnout", then changes should be made mandatory when it comes to Veterinarian rotation. This review doesn't concern the other staff on duty that night. They were exemplary and very kind. Sincerely, P. Sutphin In response to this Animal Hospital's answer to my review. Yes, I've been to this Hospital several times before, and dealt with this doctor before. She has changed. She's become insincere with her answers, robotic, non empathic, and does indeed seem to be running from a script in her head. Shoulder shrugging, talking down to, the staring at you numbly basically telling you (without saying the words) that your only option...is to kill your dog....because they don't give out free x-rays here. I think she has both good and bad nights personally. I did not have the option to use the Care Credit or Scratch Pay, but I did have friends working together through the night to put together money. This doctor let my animal suffer for 4 to 5 hours without making a move except to give her some dirt cheap pain medicine. She grew irritated, impatient, and annoyed when I told her that I didn't have enough information to make her suggested decision to euthanize Bella. This vet called her supervisor because she didn't know what to do with me and Bella. She told me that I HAD to do something because I was taking up a room and had been there so long. She came back with the "apparently" courtesy x-rays offer, to determine Bella's injury. However MAKE NO MISTAKE, my friends called over early the next morning and HAD TO PAY nearly $400 for those x-rays and that syringe full of pentobarbitol to put Bella to sleep. I can understand that tests cost money, but I'm in the animal care industry. AND I think the general public should know that animal lovers leave tens, and sometimes hundreds of thousands of dollars to these emergency animal hospitals. This one in particular has been quite gifted. How do you think these nice expensive brick buildings get built? I know exactly what a pelvic x-ray costs. It is low enough that in EXTREME cases you should simply provide it, or lower its cost and if you have to, write off the expense. You write off everything else. EXTREME being .....do you euthanize a pet, or not. Especially to repeat customers with whom you are going to see thousands of dollars from in the future. It took you all of what..1 minute to look in your computer and see how much of a repeat customer I was? And didn't you guys get your money each time? Without effort or fail? Whether to put a beloved animal to sleep or not seems quite extreme enough for me. I'm sorry about the situation with Veterinarians, but medical doctors have to see things they don't want too as well. Soldiers as well. Actual people suffering and dying. Sometimes it can get to be overwhelming. Easily so. Maybe find some way to give this vet a needed break. P. Sutphin

I brought my senior dog in early on a Sunday morning after she was having diarrhea all night. She has several other health issues, so I was not expecting a good outcome. From the moment I arrived, I was treated with kindness and empathy. Thankfully my girl was all right and I was sent home with medication to help her. The prices are more expensive than my regular vet, but that is to be expected from a place offering emergency care and open 24 hours during the weekend. I'm not sure why there are so many negative reviews. I never once felt they were more concerned with money than my girl. I can't say enough nice things about the care we received. I will not hesitate to return if my dogs ever need emergency care in the future.

Over the years, my family has relied on this clinic for various emergencies and have generally been satisfied with the service and reasonable prices, considering it’s an emergency clinic. Firstly, as a veterinary professional, I have a solid understanding of procedures,clinic operations, and customer service. Recently while pet sitting my parents had to rush my dog to this clinic for an emergency and we were extremely disappointed with the staff's behavior. I rushed and met my parents there and upon arriving, I observed the front desk staff (Jena and Katie Sue) being rude to both employees and clients, including myself. My concerns about informing them of possible medications my dog might have in her system related to a previous injury were dismissed. After an hour's wait, Dr.Serocki provided a diagnosis, but made sarcastic comments and behaved unprofessionally when I asked questions about my dog's care and treatment plan. When a staff member Kaylee presented the estimate, she was visibly annoyed and unhelpful when I inquired about medications, treatments, and pricing. While I appreciate having a relatively nearby emergency clinic that is fairly quick as far as treatment and reasonably priced, the dismissive attitudes and disregard for concerns will definitely lead me to consider other emergency clinics in the future.