Iowa Veterinary Specialties

Everyone was prompt, very competent and kind and kept me and my dog at ease during a stressful situation.

Not at all impressed. This place was recommended to me and so this is where I sent my Dog who had escaped and gotten severe heat stroke. We were quoted $7,000 to $14,000 to have my dog there for what they estimated could be 4-5 days of care. My Dog was so bad that he was displaying neurological issues, to the point they had to give him hypertonic saline to try and put a stop to those issues. They should have been upfront with us from the get-go, we prolonged his suffering because we were holding out hope that potentially paying for this astronomically overpriced treatment would potentially save him. I knew in my heart though that he had reached a point where his chances were not there and that we were going to need to euthanize him. When you know, you know. The Dr (Vet) on staff was not very friendly. She was very abrasive. My Mom came up to help us out as she is an RN and more knowledgeable that my wife and I. They had brought our dog to be in the room with us and my Mom asked a simple question about why he wasn't on fluids currently. This Dr responded very rudely that he wasn't on more fluids because we hadn't given permission yet and then proceeded to toot her own horn for giving him fluids before we even arrived. Am I supposed to give you a cookie for doing the decent and right thing that any decent person should do in that situation? Also you never asked us about giving him further fluids, you dropped him off in the room and then went elsewhere. I had to eventually ask this Dr outright if it was her dog what would she do, and got the honest answer that his chances weren't good given his symptoms so that she thought we should euthanize. So I will give some credit where credit is due for honesty in that regard. That being said, once we made that decision we waiting something like 20-30 minutes of hitting their button that we were ready to end his suffering before she finally came back in. During that time we got to watch him start to have a seizure, and defecate on himself. It was torturous for us. This is already one of the most horrible days of our lives having to watch my 4yr old son's dog suffer because he escaped our yard and we weren't able to get him back in time on an extremely hot day. We had already been through hell, and so watching him further deteriorate, was just awful in every way. I will be clear that the front office and support staff were fine. They were nice, understanding, and professional but overall it is criminal how much these places want to charge you in your time of need. There is no logical reason these services should be as expensive as they are. They don't cost this much for humans, and these people know they have you backed into a corner and take advantage of you in your most dire time of need. The animals suffer because of it. What person just has $7,000 to $14,000 to drop on a whim like that? It shouldn't be about how much money can be made, it should be about helping the animals. A better job could've been done here and the Vet on duty could've been a bit more compassionate given the circumstances. We were going through enough without having to deal with a poor attitude. Needless to say if I have an emergency again, I'll go elsewhere. These "emergency" vets need to be Federally regulated as to how much they can reasonably charge people. Same with Dentists, and trades jobs that take you out behind the woodshed in your time of need. We are human beings, not walking $$$ signs.

I am writing to express my significant concerns regarding recent experiences with your services, despite my thirty-year history of loyalty and recommendations. Unfortunately, my experiences over the past few months have been marked by recurring billing discrepancies, including duplicate charges and a lack of transparency regarding treatment costs. Furthermore, I encountered inconsistent communication regarding patient status and found the clinical advice provided—specifically regarding medication—to be inaccurate and potentially unnecessary, given that I had viable alternatives at home. Despite attempting to address these administrative and clinical issues with the facility director, the follow-up process was inadequate. Given these challenges, I believe there is an urgent need to improve your billing practices, internal communications, and professional accountability to ensure they reflect the standard of care I have historically associated with your practice. It appears that the focus has shifted from animal welfare to financial gain. While I appreciate the availability of facilities for our pets, I am grateful that there are alternative providers available beyond IVS.

Excellent emergency care, clear & concise communication of costs & treatment options at all times. Thank you!