Moon Veterinary Hospital in Allegheny County

I meant to leave a review from when I was here a few years ago. Anyway, I had brought my rabbit here for a routine checkup as there was one exotic-animal veterinarian here at the time who could care for rabbits, and she did a great job with him and was very gentle. She also let me come into the room with him. It was my first time there, so they didnt charge me a cent.However, the second visit wasnt so great. The previous vet was no longer there at the time, and I just needed to get him and another bunny an X-Ray and nothing more. I told them in-person and over the phone this, and to not perform any treatments until after asking me first. So I get there and a man comes in to take them both away to another room and wouldnt let me go with them this time, which started raising red flags. I should have said nevermind and left on the spot. Anyway, the same man brings them both back to me about half an hour later, but one of them had SHOTS AND BANDAGES ON THEIR FEET. He could hardly move. And then the man left, came back in to tell me that they administered medication and did blood work, and then charged me $300~$350. I specifically told them repeatedly to do nothing else but the X-Ray. Thankfully they werent injured and the bandages didnt need to stay on his feet long, and he was able to move again and go back to normal.I was very close to suing, but it was my own fault for going there knowing that the first doctor wasnt there anymore. Had they injured my rabbit, I would have.My choice since then has been to see Dr. Wagner out in near Ross Township from then on, even though its much further out.

I don’t like being sold vaccinations for myself or my pet. The tech was amazing. But the doctor wasn’t very warm. I’ll be honest they are nice people but I don’t trust them with my dog. I think they need to change their formatting. In all honesty people should go elsewhere. I will.

Way over priced for quality of service. Place is a mess you walk in and want to walk out. They are remodeling for 2 years Your bill certainly doesnt get a break for the mess!

Prompt service even though it was a emergency. The people are cool but it was pricey. Its the place to go if you have a emergency.

If I could give zero stars I would. Such a disappointment. We lost our family cat of 15 years. They asked if we wanted to add my pets paw print with his ashes. The clay one. We said yes, I picked up only my cats ashes today for them to tell me they didn’t make the paw print with no other explanation other then sorry we will refund everything. How do you explain to your children you were getting something so special for someone to so carelessly forget to make it? There is absolutely no excuse, other then lazy. Do we not double check our work & files? How are children held to a higher standard at school yet these ppl we trust with OUR FAMILY MEMBERS. Or who has my pets paw print & it was mislabeled? How do they know they didn’t give it to someone else’s how do they know they didn’t make it? I don’t understand. How do you make a “mistake” like that?!!!! I was told “at least you have his ashes”. So you lose ashes too sometimes? Don’t go here, obviously careless, lazy & has no respect. We were also told to calm down because of other clients HAHAAHA as if our feelings didn’t matter.

I called to bring my cat in on an Emergency (this was a Monday afternoonand was told they wouldnt have an emergency vet in until Sunday. Now, they were already my last resort call because of experiences in the past, and this just showed again why they continue to be my very last resort vet option. So seriously, if you have options, go elsewhere.

Used to be 24 hours. This "plandemic" has destroyed that feature. Now open until 4-5 pm. Low on staff. Other than that, this is the best bet clinic I have been to. Been taking my loved ove the since 2011. Always sends helpful hints about pet care.

Overall I like this vet. They have been able to fit my senior dog in when hes got an acute issue that needs seeing to urgently, and both of my dogs have always received excellent care. The reason that they lose a star is because its can be very difficult to schedule with them if you work full time Monday-Friday. They used to have weekend hours but those are now gone. If its not an acute issue, youre looking at waiting at least a month. While I like the Care Club plan and the care my dogs receive, the scheduling is just too difficult sometimes. I dont know if its a staffing issue, too many patients, or what, but it can be very frustrating at times.

I took my kitten there they never told me it was sick and ended up dying. Still mad till this day

Wonderful staff, so helpful when a crisis arises with your pet.

I am so grateful for this Animal Hospital. I found ticks on my 3 week old kitten and with it being a Sunday no one would take her. Even with them being booked they still made time to squeeze us in and remove them. Top quality service and very kind staff!

My dog got bitten on a Saturday night and I called them first thing in the morning...they were able to get me on the schedule for a few hours later. Its not easy to find a vet on a Sunday, and the 24/7 vets have insanely long wait times, so it was a relief that it was so easy to get in. The entire staff and the doctor were all wonderful. They thoroughly examined my dogs wounds, treated them, and had the proper meds on site. They didnt recommend any unnecessary procedures and were very straightforward. Also, I found their pricing completely fair given the circumstances. Thank you again for your help!

They are extremely companionate and kind. Had to have my dog put down and they did every step on my on time. Talked me through everything. Extremely kind people.

A bit of a wait time but what vet doesnt. Very nice and knowledgeable Staff and doctors. Listened to what I thought things might be and understood exactly how I was attempting to explain things. Had a cute little goody bag for us at the end, one for each cat probably since it was our first time at this VCA. All the VCAs Ive been to are great.

We are so lucky to have found VCA Castle Shannon a few years ago. Everyone there is very kind, understanding and willing to answer any and all questions.Our 9-year-old lab retriever mix recently had a spot we wanted checked out. We had been considering changing vets after moving to someplace closer. I called the new vet to explain my concerns about this new lump we had found. They quickly dismissed me and said it was fine. Not feeling right about it, I called VCA CS and they got us an appointment the very next day. Turned out this lump needed removed and it was actually cancerous. Thanks to VCA and specifically Dr. Patterson, they were able to remove it early enough and no cancer had entered our dogs blood stream or gotten anywhere else.Following the procedure, Dr. Patterson went above and beyond for us. She called me multiple times to check in, patiently answered all of my questions, and even helped us straighten out an issues with our dog’s medical insurance.I can’t recommend this vet enough! We will drive the extra few minutes to continue bringing our pup here because they’re the best!

Great animal Hospital. They were able to accommodate my emergency visit and they actually fit me in very quickly. VCA enjoys their well deserved reputation as a top notchprovider of pet care. The prices are on par with the private practices.Their corporate identity helps them defray costs and allow them to be very affordable.

I generally like this place for the following reasons:They are caring and do a thorough job.They are efficient invoicing with pandemic standards.They were kind during my elderly and very ill dogs euthanasia.They were great with my other very old dog with severe anxiety and significant dog dementia.They were great with my cat and all her issues.They took me in promptly for an emergency on Thanksgiving day once and even with the emergency fee, saved me the money I am would have had to spend at pvsec otherwise.I think they could improve:-Their turnover rate. Vets and staff are constantly changing. If I find one I like who gets to know my animals, theyre gone in a month or so. I dont know if the administration is underpaying them (I hope not with how much they charge,treating them poorly, or what, but they should do better for their employees and give them incentive to stay.-They are pricey. Possibly the most expensive vet Ive encountered in a long time. Im willing to pay a little extra for exceptional care within reason. Sometimes their bill exceeds reason.

I had a very ill pup they got me in the same day Dr Threadgill was amazing. Unfortunately she passed the next day. Have also taken her sister there for a check up the staff is always pleasant & the prices are reasonable.

Yesterday I had to make the decision to help my boxer pass. She was sick with cancer. 12 years old. It was a Sunday. I called here. The people on the phone were above and beyond professional. They got me an appointment that day. When I arrived they were just as professional. Caring and understanding. As for the Dr. Larisa Niehaus,she was the absolute most compassionate, caring and understanding Vet I have ever met. And I have had Boxers for over 20 years. This woman is by far the best. She help comfort me and my parents and especially my boxer in the worst times. I wish all people in the world were like her. I will be taking my other boxer there from now on to see her. Thank you to the staff and Dr for helping us through a very bad time.

GET A QUOTE.Our 8 month old kitten began vomiting on Saturday. This continued into Sunday and we were concerned enough to take him to the vet. I was the last patient of the day, as Castle Shannon is not a 24/7 vet hospital.After a physical examination of our kitten, the vet offered to quote me for blood work and an X-ray. It was Sunday night at 7 pm, my cat was very ill, I needed the issue fixed, so I told her to just run the tests, fully expecting an actual diagnosis and guessing that it would cost me under $600 (as I’ve dealt with similar tests in the past for several other cats).An hour later, I was told the cat was basically nauseous, maybe ingested something bad, but there was nothing physically wrong (aside from gingivitis, which was a separate issue not addressed in this visit). My total came to an outrageous $943.39… for an upset stomach. See the attached picture of my bill.Super unfortunate that vet offices get pet owners over barrels like this. Even if I had opted for the quote, what would I have said on a Sunday night with a very sick animal? Make sure you’re ready to pay the absolute highest possible cost for treatment if you choose this practice.

I brought my cat here for a wound repair after he had gotten out of the house and was missing overnight. They did a simple staple repair and gave us meds and a cone and we were on our way. A bit of a wait but that is normal for a Sunday at a vet clinic. Staple removal 10 days later was also fine. I would recommend for minor emergencies/urgent care.

The vet laughed in my face while telling me about how my cat had a UTI, saying it’s “common but expensive”. Also stated they will die if I didn’t pay for them to get cleared and stay over for a few days. Zero respect from any of the staff then they used that to get me to sign up for CareCredit to finance the $1,800 where they send out a fake acting person to pull on your heart strings where their pet conveniently has had the same issues and just had to put them down (turn on the waterworks). Awful people taking advantage of people who care for their pets. I’d give them 0 stars if I could.

After a few days of no appetite or bowel movements, I took my cat in to a local clinic, who scared me half to death saying she might have an intestinal blockage and would need x-rays. I came in here, absolutely beside myself, and fearing the worst.I was expecting a multi-hour wait on a Sunday afternoon, but got lucky to be seen in under 30 minutes. Dr. Threadgill looked at my cat hands-on from the beginning and safely assumed that there was no blockage or even constipation, and that her appetite was poor from a manageable intestinal condition. He also explained that x-rays would likely be unhelpful because my baby was too thin, so he didnt feel the need to do them. I brought copies of bloodwork from about 3 weeks ago and they didnt make me repeat those either.They very thoroughly explained the treatment plan and associated risks, even if I was already familiar with them. The techs were amazing and gentle and they all let me hold my cat whenever she wasnt being directly examined. I made it clear that the cat was in good spirits and the stressed one was me, and they were calming and compassionate.We walked out with a bill under $250 when I was fearing thousands. Overall, Im extremely impressed with the quality of care. Kitty is already eating and feeling better, and we didnt have to go through any redundant or unnecessary procedures that would have racked up our bill. Staff was friendly and thorough, and were a great support on a very stressful day.

The five stars are for a kind and selfless woman named Lisa. She helped me through a most trying time I was having ordering a refill for my dogs medication. Since we were on the phone Im not sure of her title. I am sure in saying that VCA Castle Shannon is lucky to have her! Thank You again Lisa for all your help and support.

I have been bringing my dog to VCA for a while now and the largest mistake I made was continuing to give this hospital so many chances. They have many times given a VERY wrong diagnosis for for my dog (example- needing to amputate his eyeball for his allergiesand telling us we needed to put our dog down for having diabetes. The staff and most doctors are very rude and don’t care to help the animals that come into there hospital. The last straw was when I ordered insulin 6 days prior for my dog, got a call that it was ready, and once I went to pick it up the day after they were unbelievably rude. They had not started on his prescription and refused to work on it when my dog needed it. Following up with finally receiving the prescription they only gave me half of what I ordered. Would highly recommend never bringing your pet here even for an emergency.

Dr. Dave Mikoloski and Crew are Top Notch. My 5 year old was spayed in mid May. Every Associate listened and properly addressed any concerns. Although a little bit more, I am very Pleased with this experience. Good to know a Reliable Vet Facility.

I took my 1.6 yr old cat here, he has stopped eating and wasnt moving. The doctor checked and said he looks healthy nothing wrong with him. they did not want to give him the medical care and pain meds I asked for, I could see he was in pain. They instead made me go to PVSEC. PVSEC wanted us to wait outside in freezing cold at least for 2 hours before taking a look at him. Both these hospital failed to give my baby the attention he need and he died painfully in less than 24 hours. I would suggest to take your pet to other place that would actually care for your pets needs. I am devastated because of their negligence

I just want to express my gratitude to the Vet and all the staff at Castle Shannon animal Hospital. I had never had a pet as a patient there before but last week I had a 14 year old dog that was dying and my regular Vet could not see him for 2 days. When I called Castle Shannon Animal Hospital they were completely booked also but due to the situation I was in went above and beyond to get me in that day. Everyone was so compassionate and caring and made me feel like I had been coming there for years. I will never forget what they did for me that day and would highly recommend them to anyone that needs care for their pet. What a great place for your pet’s care!

Would not recommend. My papillon dog who I rescued died in their parking lot 24 hours after their vet did a procedure on her. I returned to them 24 hours after the expensive procedure with her in distress and I was told there was no vet in and there is nothing they can do. The vet tech slid their window shut and she died in my arms right there in their parking lot. The other horrible thing they do is, Nick their rude unprofessional pharmacy tech refuses to sell me a special prescription food that my second papillon requires. Well today Nick denied to sell me any food at all. So first, they denied proper care and treatment for my first dog and now Nick is refusing to sell me a special prescription food my surviving papillon. VCA Castle Shannon is a heartless establishment, would not recommend. Find a vet’s office who actually cares about animal wellbeing because this place doesn’t.

Went to VCA on a Sunday since my vet was closed, they allowed 1 person to go in. Explained my dogs symptoms which were not very active, seems to walk with his head down, and would just plop down in the middle of the room like he didn’t want to move and wasn’t really sleeping. When the doctor examined him he checked vitals which were good and did a physical exam which I noticed when he touched his neck he got real tense but the doctor didn’t seem to notice btw my dog is only 5 lbs. After the exam he diagnosed my dog with seizures, we discussed different meds but decided to wait , when I took him home he seemed worse than before. The next night Monday we went to bed and again he couldn’t sleep, this time it was non stop panting 2 hrs of this I rushed him to the emergency vet in Mcmurry. When we got there the nurse came out and took him inside. I waited in the car giving her the information from the previous day from VCA. I did not mention him tensing up during the physical exam only because I forgot. When the doctor called she said it’s not seizures and she believes it never was in fact he had a neck injury. She gave us pain meds and anti inflammatory meds for the next week . After 3 days he was back to normal again. When I received the follow up call from VCA I explained they misdiagnosed my dog and the response was “maybe he injured his neck during a seizure “ , they didn’t even offer an apology or money back nothing. Maybe the doctor needs to go back to school !

I first went to VCA years ago with my dogs. At the time my parents were making the choices where to go.Last night about 8:00pm my wife found our hamster unresponsive but breathing. We got him out of the cage and he attempted to open his eyes for us. He barely moved and he had been with us over 2 years.We called VCA right at 8:00p when they are closing. We ask if they can help us put him down safely and humanely.After a short back and fourth they agree to allow us to come right away to help make our little guy at peace.I can’t say enough positive about our experience with them last night. The staff was incredibly sympathetic and caring. The doctor and the vet tech came out to our vehicle to let us take our little guy home to be buried in our pet cemetery.Thank you VCA.

we had a just-okay experience here. my cat was sick, and this was the only vet in our area that was able to get us in same-day. our appointment was for 5:30; we were not taken in until 6:45. frustrating, but i guess understandable since this was considered an emergency appointment.the vet was really nice, and was generally upfront with me about the cost of the recommended procedures, which i appreciated. however, two separate vet techs (im assuming), were unable to tell me what medications my cat received while there, and also didnt seem to know the purpose of the medications we were being sent home with.i probably would not come back here again, unless it was for an emergency with no other choice.

We have had our dogs to VCA for emergency and end of life care. We have always appreciated the level of compassion and care that we have gotten from them. After recently getting dismissive care for our other dog at two other local vets, I took Rocky to VCA for Dr. Iacovelli to see for bloodwork that one vet declared terminal, and the other nothing to worry about. Dr. I has not only taken the time to do workup on my dog, but she takes the time to talk to me to explain the what and the why of what she is doing, and I know she cares for each dog as a sentient being who deserves the care and attention that she is giving to them. She spent 20 minutes of her time going over his test results and digging into his medical care. THAT is a great doc. She had the unfortunate task of helping us send our beloved Tee over the bridge a month ago, and she was a strong and reassuring voice during that time. I ran into one of the techs at Starbucks later that week and thanked her for how compassionate they were, and she was also there when Tee passed. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking care of my fur babies.

I left without any instructions for a dog with a high fever and diarrhea.It appears that they are just racking up the tab. All of their testing is double $$ than a regular vet. They offer more testing and more testing after that. They could have offered a sonogram before their pricy X-ray. X-rays showed nothing , but cloud. Maybe that was the techs fault? I would have done the sonogram if it was offered before the X-ray as it provides more info.Meds are twice as much here. They offered fluids which I declined.Bottom line is they had no clue what was wrong and I spent over $600 and my dog’s still sick.It seems like a pyramid scheme if I had to compare. They have no answers after testing and keep wanting you to spend for more testing.They have you sign documents that prove you declined what was offered. They are either afraid of law suits or the vets needs to prove that they were promoting expensive care. Either way, I need to see my regular vet. They will be more forthcoming. Staff was nice. The vet was meh.

Our experience with VCA has been during end of life treatment for our dogs. Four years ago, they helped us send our Sam over the bridge when he came to the end of his life, and just a few weeks ago, helped Tee on his journey. We have only had our pets to VCA when critically ill, and both times have been treated with respect, professionalism, and compassion. Although we have had the worst experience with our pets here, we have had the best treatment. Thank you for making these hard experiences as easy as possible.

I had an emergency with my blue tongue skink last night. He dropped his tail and it scared me really bad. My ferret scared him through the glass tank & he tried to run and scratched his little head & dropped his tail. I called every Exotic animal hospital within two hours of me and they were the ONLY place that would see him if I needed, but informed me over the phone that he should be fine. Told me not to bring him in unless he was bleeding non-stop or completely in shock. I called another place before them & they just told me to put him down and that it would cost $400 to put a lizard down. He’s fine. He just dropped his tail and he’s back to his normal self, eating and all the next day. Every single other animal hospital in the Pittsburgh area just told me there’s nothing they could even tell me, because they didn’t have a doctor that knew about blue tongues. Very grateful for the receptionist and doctor I was able to speak to last night because I would have ended up putting him down due to the other hospital giving me false information.

Fast forward 2 years...unfortunatelyUnfortunately, after leaving such a wonderful review 2 years ago, I now have to leave a bad review here! Just 2 1/2 weeks ago I scheduled an appointment for my Border collie to get his rabies shot. I had a lot of trouble scheduling this appointment, had to call back 3 times. I was told they "did not have the doctors schedules yet" so I had to keep calling back. Granted, this is during a pandemic, but scheduling appointments with all my doctors and dentist were very easy.I was told to park in their lot, then call to tell them what spot I was in. It takes me 45 minutes to get there. I sat, and sat, and sat for 45 minutes. Then I saw a "tech" take an animal from a car that had just pulled in. I said "excuse me, but I have an appointment and have been sitting here 45 minutes. That car just pulled in, and you are taking that pet in already?" I tried to be nice, although it was a hot day and my car AC is broke. I was in fact the last one to be called, with 5 other cars before me, so I needed to ask. The man said that he was a tech, and that the doctors were "running behind" and that my dog has an appointment with a doctor.Ok, Thankyou, I said and continued to wait. 2 other women employees came out the front door, looked me over, then walked around the building to the back. What was that about? Finally one of them came to my car and took my info. I told her that when I made this appointment that I also said his claws need trimmed. So I told her this, and I specifically told her "especially his back dew claws, because they are the hardest for me to do with him squirming so badly". Ok, she took him in and said theyd bring him back to me when done.The doctor called me on my cell, told me my dog was in good health, but a bit overweight. Then he proceeded to try to sell me extra vaccinations and flea meds! I told him I could not afford anything but this visit, his rabies shot and nail trim. I told him I faithfully buy Frontline Plus and never miss a month. He questioned if I use them in the winter too, and I said yes, that I have to because of the large feral cat population in my neighborhood! I never miss a month, but have had one infestation even using flea prevention.After I got home I looked at the paws. The 2 back dew claws were never even touched, after specifying its important they are done! I was so angry, after the long drive and waiting in my hot car for 45 minutes. I wasnt about to call back, and spend another $100 or 2 hours and fifteen minutes to go back and have these done correctly!Today, just 2 1/2 weeks after going there, I had to once again do my dogs nails, I am angry that they did such a terrible job! I use a Dremel to grind the nails, and have to practically sit on my dog to get his nails done. Its very stressful for both of us! CSV used to be a decent place to take pets, right now I would not recommend them to anyone! Over $100 for a lousy job and all that trouble, just not worth it! If I want to get ripped off, I could go to Petco or PetSmart and only be charged $10 for a nail trim! CSV management needs to get a grip, and make sure you get the service you pay for (being overcharged to begin with). I am elderly, disabled and live on a very tight budget, but my beloved dog should not have to pay for what I cant afford. Shame on you! Guess next year I will have to look for another vet for my dogs 3 year core vaccine combo. You have upset me too much with this whole ordeal!

I brought my 3 year old cat here about a week ago, he was very lethargic and losing weight. The vet tech came outside to get him while I waited for a phone call for them to tell me that his sodium levels higher than she’s ever seen it and he’s critically ill. She told me that he needs hospitalized for 3,500$ and since moneys an issue, she recommended euthanizing him. I said absolutely not, I’m taking him home. I took him to affordable care vet in Finleyville 3 days later and the veterinarian there did the same blood work. He said my cats just dehydrated and gave me IV fluids for him. And now he’s 100 times better and back to his old self. Thank god I went for a second opinion instead of listening to her. I will never return to this vet or recommend it to anyone. They were cold and didn’t even send me home with instructions to help him, they made it as if my baby didn’t even have a chance.

Our Cat Tessa was not feeling well so we found our way to the Castle Shannon Animal Hospital on a sunny Saturday. Per the current Covid 19 protocol, we let them know when we arrived and then a vet tech came out and took Tessa in for her exam. All concerned from the vet tech to the Dr. were very kind and explained things very thoroughly. We still have to await test results but I felt that Tessa was getting excellent treatment and I would recommend Castle Shannon Animal Hospital to others if asked.

We recently had to make the very difficult decision of putting our 14 year old lab mix down, Nova. When I called the evening prior, he had just had his 5th seizure and this one was particularly bad. Obviously upset and doing my best to convey over the phone what had happened, the woman I spoke to was so patient, sweet and answered all of my questions. She was able to talk me through the process and I had not had to do this before and took her time in explaining everything, which I appreciated. When we arrived to the appointment, every staff member was wonderful, patient, thoughtful and kind. While the situation was incredibly sad and difficult, they were able to provide us with the assurance and care we needed and for that we are so grateful.I cant imagine trying to work under the current circumstances and expectations, while operating any sort of health service or clinic. They truly are accommodating to the best of their ability given the current climate. Ive been to this vet a few times and theyve always been fantastic to work with.We will always appreciate the staff at the VCA Castle Shannon animal hospital.

Extremely disappointed with recent services done during COVID-19 in 2020. I understand that these times are stressful with having to social distance and not be able to go in the building with my puppy, however I feel they could have handled our appointment differently: My boyfriend and I had a serious concern for our new 9 week old puppy who we just brought home the day before. He wasn’t eating or drinking water, only napping, and having diarrhea. I called prior and the first lady I spoke to was nice and advised me to email over his health record we had on file and they were only taking emergency appointments at that time. We arrived 15 minutes later, the exchange from the parking lot was fine but when I spoke over the phone with the vet as well as the technician I didn’t feel valued as a customer as well as the fact any question I asked when they responded, it came across as if I was bothering them and they didn’t care to answer. They never looked over the health record that a different technician asked me to email over when they should have and the technician on the phone kept talking over me when I was just trying to receive information. On top of the bad customer service, the bill was over $400. So we paid over $400 for my puppy to get some fluids and reluctant, short answers to my questions like they were pushing me out the door.2 years ago (in 2018we had to put down our family black lab who was almost 18 years old. We had Luna since I was 3 years old. That appointment and process was very respectful and caring of our last moments with our dog giving us as much time as we needed in the room to say goodbye.I’m giving 2 stars instead of 1 star because of the one good experience I had back in 2018.

I just wanted to take a moment to truly thank the incredible doctors and staff at the Castle Shannon animal hospital. We brought our beloved dog Diesel in not knowing what was wrong but knowing he needed seen immediately. Sadly, our boy was in worse shape than we thought and we made the heartbreaking decision to put him to sleep. Every single person we talked to was so incredibly kind and compassionate, allowing us as much time as we needed for my husband and I and our two small children to say our goodbyes to our sweet “snuggle pup”. The time and care they took with him and us, from explaining what was found and what it meant in terms we could understand, right up to the end when he took his final breaths, made an awful situation a little easier. So thank you for being there when we needed you most and for helping us do right by our sweet dog when he was in pain

Do not go to Castle shannon animal hospital. My experience was HORRIBLE to say the least. My beagle was a puppy at the time getting into everything. He ended up eating all of my vitamin d. I spoke with a toxicologist. And it was recommended to take him to the vet asap. So i did. It was 2am, was not seen until 5am. They did not induce vomiting, pump stomach, draw blood. They informed me that he has a heart murmur which i already know. They wanted to keep him for 3 days. Absolutely no idea why. They didnt do any tests to warrant that! I waited until my vet was open. Id save your time, and money and go somewhere else.

It makes me sad to write this review. I’ve taken my pets to Castle Shannon Animal Hospital since the late ‘80s when I moved to Pittsburgh. They came highly recommended at that time. I found the care & customer service was great. Over the last 4 -5 years the care & customer service has really been negatively impacted, possibly by a greater volume of patients. I will admit to skipping taking my cats to the vet for a couple of years because the attitude of the staff was so negative. I had requested to always be present when the vet examined my pets. That way I could answer any questions the vet might have about my pet, explain any current concerns & ask questions of my own. This “demand” on my part has apparently led to me being labeled difficult. So be it. I waited 2 weeks for an appointment for all three of my cats. After chasing, catching & finally getting all three cats in crates & loaded in the car & driving thru rush hour traffic, we arrived 10 minutes early. I walked in behind two people & found a completely empty waiting room. The one staff member greeted the two people before me & engaged them in a looong conversation about their pet. After 5 minutes, I walked up to the counter to sign in but the only pens were in front of the other customers. Still no acknowledgement from the staff that I was there, even though she saw me. Another staff member walked up & asked if I needed assistance. When I identified myself & explained that I had an appointment, I was told that they had had a power outage & couldn’t see patients because they couldn’t pull up records. I understand that but did that also mean they couldn’t call me to cancel & reschedule the appointment? The fact the waiting room was empty would indicate that they had probably contacted other clients. Did this power outage also diminish the courtesy of customer service? Who knows. So I now need to find a new vet for a senior cat with a past history of seizures, another cat with an increasing difficulty of moving food thru her body & blood flecks in her stools & a cat who was feral & is only comfortable with my husband & I. Thanks to Castle Shannon Animal Hospital for their past excellent care. Shame on you for your current rudeness.

Seriously felt compelled to write this review. Not one for giving one star but my experience here was a 0. My dog was bleeding out of his mouth so I ran here for some help, very concerned about my dog. I arrived at 7:19p to be told that I won’t be seen even though they close 41 minutes later. They advised me to go to the MedVet which took me 30 minutes while wiping my dogs blood. They told me they had one doctor and that they were behind, which I am completely capable of understanding. However this is an “animal hospital.” You shouldn’t be turning animals in need away. Especially close to an hour out of your closing time. Like where’s your pride in your work? This really upset me because I actually work in a hospital. You stay a little after hours sometimes because it’s in your profession. I understand that my dog looked “stable” (what the front desk lady told mebut that’s only because I was constantly wiping all the blood from coming out of his mouth. I just felt no compassion whatsoever. Also, why is there only one vet staffed here? I’ve relied on this place in the past once or twice for minor things and even with their outrageous prices I thought they were somewhere I could run to in an emergency. Nope. My dog was clearly uncomfortable and probably in pain so that really didn’t sit well with me. I had to race across town because they closed in 41 minutes. If I did my job that way, people would probably die. 0/10 experience for me.

I first had contact with this veterinary office due to an emergency with my dog. I appreciated the care they gave and decided to make it my full-time veterinary office for my 2 dogs and also convinced my mother to switch to this office as well for her 2 dogs.Everything was great until this past Saturday when I had to put my 14 year old dog to sleep. Over the past year we have requested NUMEROUS times to have the correct owners listed on the dogs accounts, but that has never been changed. Even when we filled out the paperwork to put my dog to sleep we advised them that my mother was not the owner, that I was and they just smiled and said okay. I came home from work today and in the mail was a sympathy card addressed to my mother and her family. I cant even describe how hurt I am. I am the one who had to make the decision to put my dog that I have cared for to sleep, not my mother. They didnt even have the decency to update their records and send the sympathy card to the right person.I called the office and was told that a message would be given to the office manager ato call me. Well Im still waiting on the one vet to call me back about a prescription question from 3 weeks ago, that luckily just had to do with the amount of refills and nothing life sustaining. So Im not holding my breath to get a call back for this issue. Then I was transferred to a Regional Director who Im sure will not have the time to call a grieving pet owner back with their busy schedule. It may not be upsetting to some but it was a very hard decision to make and they act like it isnt one that I made and someone else did due to THEIR error and lack of attention. My only other concern is that if they lack attention to detail with their care of the animals, too. If you cant fix a clerical error as simple as a name change, are you really giving quality care to my pets?

It has been a few months, and I am now able to write this review without emotion or anger. I brought my 17 year old dog in (family pet his entire life), in distress, knowing it was his last day. The vet was compassionate and agreed that it was his time and we arranged to have him euthanized at that appointment. I spoke with 2 techs and the vet, indicating that I wanted his ashes returned. When I was filling out the form I was emotional, so I asked the tech if I chose the correct option. I was confused why the individual cremation was cheaper than the group cremation. She assured me that it was, I paid for the service. Our beloved family member was calmly and peacefully euthanized while we were sitting with him, holding him. As we were leaving, in tears, the girl at the desk and the tech both indicated that we would get a call in about a week when he was ready to be picked up. We heard nothing for a week and a half, so my son called and they informed him that we had chosen group cremation. We had not, we made it very clear that we wanted his ashes, and there were conversations about when we could pick them up. Needless to say, we are devastated. We asked questions to make certain that we would get the ashes. The woman on the phone with my son was cold and indifferent. We tell everyone that we know with pets to NEVER visit your establishment. Our children have since convinced us to get a new dog and will have chosen a different vet and have taken our new family member all the way across town to an emergency hospital when she has a scare at the vet, even though we knew that your establishment could handle it. We have mentioned our experience to other visitors at our new vet to warn them away. We also told our new vet staff so that they could warn other people as well. We will never get our beloved pets ashes back, and his collar and name tag that he had worn since he was a pup was also not returned. What a heartbreaking experience.

I had to take my cat Sam to the VCA Castle Shannon Hospital this past Saturday night 02/17/2018. I would like to thank all the people there for being honest honest with me in regards to Sam. Unfortunately his time was coming to an end rather rapidly. I would to also thank everybody for dealing with me, I became a complete mess because I was losing my buddy and I did not expect that. Thank you All So Very Much!!!

We lost our dog very suddenly last night. She was fine in the morning and by dinner she was acting very strange. We just knew something was very wrong and had to rush her late to the vet. My husband rushed her in and though she went very quickly the staff did everything they could to make it comfortable for her and us. They offered testing and to try to keep her alive but we knew she was already gone. They were very delicate with my husband and let him have a moment to cry and some of the staff even cried with him. They offered us several options and asked every step of the way what we wanted to do. At the end of the evening they gave my husband our sweet girls paw print and some angel pins for our kids. This is not easy but the staff did a great job of making it easier. We are going to miss our girl so much.

Terrible vet. The people here (especially the night staff for emergenciesare not nice people. They were generally nasty and inconsiderate to not only me but also the other PAYING CUSTOMERS in the building. And now for the sad part (so if your a big animal person you may want to stop now). My cat had urinary track problems for over a year. He would start acting up and wed take him in to get everything straightened up. While I say that like its no big deal it really is because the cat is a great amount of pain and would die within 24 hours without help. We always took him to our local vet and it cost us around $50 each time. Unfortunately he had one of his attacks on a Friday night. Our vet is not only not a 24 hour vet but he is also closed on weekends so we had to find somewhere fast. We took him here and expected similar care. Ignoring the rudeness to us the employees were decently timely and brought us in. The doctor told us that this was more than what it really was and that we had to do a lot more than usual. Reluctantly we said ok, but how much? She gave us a quote of $550 without an overnight stay or anything like that. No we arent exactly millionaires so we couldnt afford this extra work, so we asked if they could just take care of it so he would make it to Monday and we could visit our normal vet. She refused saying that this is what he needed. In the end we had to put our cat down because we couldnt afford all their extra charges, there were no other vets that would be open in time to save him and we didnt want him to suffer and die from the poison due to his blockage. The sheer inconsideration and caring for a family pet was mind boggling. Do not give this establishment your business.