Ocean State Veterinary Specialists

William Silvia

One of the worst days of my life occurred several weeks ago. After my pup was showing signs of an unknown illness, a last effort was made entrusting that Ocean State would do their absolute best to identify and treat him to the best of their ability. Emergency surgery was performed to the tune of approximately $5,500 (which had to be paid immediately in order to begin) without hesitation. Fast forward about 12 hours and he became stable. So much so that he was tangling himself in his IV lines in true Husky fashion. I was told over the phone after anxiously waiting for an update that the foreign object that caused the underlying condition was discovered and would be placed aside. Relief and hope were just two of the emotions I felt before getting a follow up call that he wasn't able to clot quick enough, and suddenly took a turn for the worst. A stroke had occurred and he was kept alive for a short period of time until we could spend his last minutes with him. The few minutes that felt like an eternity were the worst few minutes, especially when you are thousands of miles away and have to witness the euthanization via video call. Nevertheless, the decision was made to cremate him and await his return. The date of his death was August 15th, 2022. After not hearing a word from the office other than to collect the remaining $4,400 balance, a call was made today, September 3rd, to inquire about the status of the urn. I was informed by two separate employees that would not transfer me to a veterinarian nor any other medical personnel that I would not be able to retrieve the urn until the balance was paid. The urn had a "hold" on it. I caution you; be prepared to have to pay whatever balance is due in full before you retrieve your loved one. Professional? Not in the slightest given the circumstances. The non-empathic "I don't know, you'll have to leave a voicemail with billing or our client liaison" could have been done without. No call was ever made indicating when he had returned and was ready for pickup. While a business is a business; and unfortunate circumstances do arise, one would think that an initial payment of $5,500 would cover the cost of the $150 cremation fee so that grieving can be slightly less stressful. It should also be noted that the "foreign object" that was removed was placed in a sealed bag and was "lost" after being placed on the surgeons desk. I truly hope that our near $10,000 bill was genuinely and accurately compiled without any frivolous expenses, and I hope this practice figures out how to be upfront with their clients that have to put a significant deposit down that they can't retrieve their pet until paid in full. Hopefully the urn doesn't go missing like the "object" that was placed aside.

Laurie Buteau

I am so grateful to Oceanstate Vet...back on June 1,2020 when no one would us allow to be with our 16 year old Cat Sheeba Girl,,,they did..now On August 23,2022..we lost our last cat Lil Mo who was 18 and a half years old ....during those two Horrible days the compassion and understanding they gave us will never be forgotten we are so very grateful beyond words..Thank You to there amazing staff...

Michala Hilario

Waste of time. & clearly the supervisors/ managers just don’t even care. Very poor services. Animals do not matter. It’s just a business & they just want their money. I will NEVER be coming back here.

Victoria Drumm

I’m sure that owners’ criticisms of vets who euthanized animals are less than 100% credible, but the extent to which the two different vets at this practice who saw my cat contradicted each other makes it objectively true that one or the other of them was wrong. My cat couldn’t have been saved and I’m giving the 2nd star for the care he received once the 2nd vet stepped in. But he spent 5-6 unnecessary hours being maintained in heart failure with full paralysis of his back legs, and the second vet told me unequivocally that attempting to treat pets with that combination of symptoms isn’t their protocol. The first vet told me that it was. She only recommend euthanasia in the event that I couldn’t pay the bill, which was for two days minimum hospitalization up front. She might have been inexperienced. The only reason I care is because he then spent 5-6 hours in an oxygen chamber to await treatment that the second vet, once her shift started, explicitly told me they actively advice against. Better training or better sleep, I don’t know what else to say.