Saint Francis Veterinary Specialists and Emergency

I strongly advise against seeking oncology treatment at this facility. My experience was deeply disappointing and distressing. I regret bringing my dog here more than anything. The lack of compassion and professionalism was evident throughout, culminating in an extremely upsetting final experience. Firstly, communication was severely lacking. Instead of receiving a phone call from Dr. Cletzer after my dog's euthanasia, I received a sympathy card weeks later with a photo of my dying pet in a heart-shaped cutout. This was deeply upsetting and inappropriate. A phone call on the morning of the euthanasia would have been a far more respectful gesture, especially since my dog missed an urgent chemo appointment that Dr. Cletzer was pushing for that day, however, he ended up in their morgue instead. Despite spending nearly $7,000 in less than a week on diagnoses and ineffective treatments, Dr. Cletzer continued to push for more aggressive treatments. I was misled about the nature of Crosby’s treatment and not given the option for palliative care, which I had explicitly requested. Dr. Cletzer assured me that the aggressive treatments would be worthwhile and would not harm Crosby, stating she would pursue them if it were her own dog. His final day was spent at the vet for what I was told would be an hour long procedure that morning, only to have him returned to me later that evening in horrific condition. Neither Dr. Peters nor Dr. Cletzer talked to me about it upon checking out (they were nowhere to be found). I only received a text after 6pm from Dr. Peters to get my dog: “Hi it's Dr. Peters. Crosby can go home, he is panting but I think it is nerves and drugs. He can go home like you and Dr. Cletzer discussed.” I was advised to purchase an additional $200 worth of medications to stimulate appetite, which proved unnecessary as Crosby was euthanized just hours later. I would appreciate a refund for these unnecessary medications. If I had known how poor his condition was I would not have allowed him to stay there all day. He was fine when I dropped him off that morning. He should have spent his final hours at home with me. Given the substantial expenses, it would have also been considerate to offer a complimentary euthanasia. Instead, the first thing requested upon my arrival to euthanize Crosby was my credit card for the $158 fee. Based on my experience and other reviews for this business, I fear this facility prioritizes financial gain over compassionate care. The euthanasia process itself lacked adequate care. I had to fight to ensure a less distressing end for my pet. Additionally, when I returned to collect Crosby’s body for an at-home burial, they couldn't locate him (and they let me know they couldn’t locate him multiple times) for 20 minutes, further compounding the emotional trauma. There are other details I am leaving out to try to keep this as concise as possible, but I hope what I was able to share will help others ultimately avoid the painful experience I endured by not taking your beloved pet to this facility. I’m attaching a few non-dying photos of Crosby so that maybe Saint Francis can see why it was inappropriate to send me the card with the photo they took. It immediately went in the trash.

All staff interactions I’ve had have been very pleasant. They seem to really enjoy animals, so it’s great to take my dog somewhere that I can feel good about who is treating her. When my dog got her last chemo treatment, the vets all came out to clap for her and signed a “graduation” certificate- it was very heart warming!

I have had about 5 experiences with St. Francis through many years & without a doubt, would highly recommend this emergency Vet to anyone needing emergency care. The wait can be very long depending on what has walked in before you (just like a human ER), but it will all be worth it when you and your pet receive the incredible care they give. My most recent experience was with Dr. Katie Holmes. I knew she was advising my pet and I with exactly what she would do for her own pet. The empathy & care was amazing, to the point that I will be sending a nice thank you card to this wonderful Veterinarian. Thank you Dr. Holmes. ❤️

Though no one wants to be a frequent emergency vet visitor, we've used St Francis many times and they are always efficient, communicative, and thorough. Highly recommend them to take care of your furry family members.

Generally if you're bringing your pet here something has gone wrong. I've had to bring multiple dogs in for various emergencies over the years and the staff has always been great and done everything they could to help our pets. I recently had to bring a dog in to discover that he was dying and would be in hospice care from here on out. It sucked, but Dr Kylene and Dr Bridgid were so supportive. He passed peacefully at home a few days later, comfortably because of the hospice care they set us up with.