Iowa Veterinary Specialties - Des Moines, Iowa

Macie S.

I am very thankful for IVS. I brought my cat in for an emergency euthanasia around midnight on the 3rd. My cat had been a little sick but declined fast that night. They were very helpful, patient, and caring. I paid just under $500 for private euthanasia and private cremation. I think that’s reasonable especially for it being an emergency situation. They gave us her ashes back in a beautiful wooden box, ink paw prints, some of her fur, and a clay paw print. Thank you IVS for making a horrible situation a little easier.

Hava D.

I would rate 0 if I could. They sent my dog home with a tangerine sized tumor, that they shockingly missed, and their medical director was so unkind. I took my dog in for rectal bleeding on January 15th about midnight. They diagnosed her with acute diarrhea disorder. They kept her for 36 hours to get I.V. fluids and sent her home with medicines to stop the diarrhea and some sort of antibiotic. She was supposed to be better in a few days.

We brought her home on the 17th and called them on the 22nd because she wasn’t better, but they didn’t return my call for 7 hours. By that time I had to get her into a local vet because I knew something was wrong. Gave them the paperwork about the diarrhea disorder and they refilled the meds that the emergency vet had given. Two more vet visits in the next week and was finally told she has a tangerine sized tumor in her rectum and we took her to Iowa State the same day.

She had a CT scan, biopsy and was diagnosed with colorectal lymphoma. I called the medical director at the emergency vet and wanted some of my money back. We had gotten their records and they did NOT do a rectal exam on a dog that had been treated for rectal bleeding, when she was in their care for a day and a half. The tumor was only 1-2 inches inside her rectum and should have been caught immediately .

It took 3 sets of phone calls and 6 days before she called me back and she was uncaring and condescending. The medical director said they wouldn’t have done anything differently if they had found the tumor, but she did agree they should have done a rectal exam. Apparently, if they found the cancer they wouldn’t have referred her to a surgeon or oncologist and would have just sent her home with useless meds for diarrhea. The medical director was not empathetic at all and made it feel like I was was talking to a bill collector, when I had already paid my bill. She made several snarky remarks and I’ve never felt less heard by someone in the line of business that should show compassion. She even went so far as to ask if I was telling her I wouldn’t have wanted my dog treated for her vomiting and diarrhea. I don’t like the implication that I wouldn’t do anything to help her when I spent 10k in two weeks just to try to get her help. Of course I wanted her treated.

I made the mistake of relying on their “expertise” and never thought they would miss something so detrimental and obvious. The emergency vet was $3200 for some fluids, pills and a ONE night stay. It was $6000 for a biopsy, CT scan, FOUR night stay and her first round of chemo at Iowa State. And we did go to Iowa state on a weekend, so I’m sure they had emergency charges in their number too. Something doesn’t add up. I didn’t even want all my money back. I just wanted it back for all the needless things they did to her when she desperately needed treated for cancer. $3200 is nothing to them, based on how much they charged, but it would help pay for part of my girl’s upcoming chemo.

I would never recommend this place to anyone who loves their pet. Go to Iowa State, K State, Omaha or anywhere but this place

Tammy D.

A Vet hospitals first concern should be for the welfare of the pet and the pet parents concern. Most of us will pay their out ragious fees because our fur babies are very important to us.
I have brought my pets to this facility many times and always when it was an emergency. I paid huge fees and was fine with that. Tonight I really needed some answers. This so call pet hospital was all about the money and not about my pet what so ever. I am hour away from this hospital and my question was very simple. My 23 lb pug ingested banana peel from the trash that had coffee ground in the trash. I simply wanted an opinion do I need to drive an hour or would he most likely be fine based on I did not see any coffee grounds where he had been eating the banana peel. All they could do was quote me we don't do phone consiltation. I explained I am an hour away, I do not have funds to pay for an opinion then have to drive an hour to pay for their services which I would if the vet felt I should. I ended the call "thanks for being a pet avocate vet hospital" NOT!!!!!!!! Hell will freeze over before I call again for any reason.

Kelc

I received wonderful care from the techs, front desk staff, and the vets. My cat needed seeing for urinary issues, they addressed my concern and gave me the items and knowledge I needed. Yes, no one wants to pay high fees for an emergency, but it’s not their fault they need to be paid for us to bring them in at any time of day.

Logan C.

I had to get my dog immediate help in the middle of the night, and they were incredibly helpful in assisting me quickly and kindly. Albeit we were the only ones there, they were very prompt and got my dog the care she needed quickly.

It was a great experience for what started in a bad situation, and I will definitely return if an emergency happens again. Price can be a bit of a sticker shock, but then again, it really would be anywhere for this sort of service.

Jordyn H.

I had to rush my dog here after he ate a whole bottle of my medication. I want to say that staff and the veterinary here are more than professional and empathetic. They immediately took my dog back and started discussing procedures, payment, and his condition with me. They took such good care of him that he made a whole recovery.

They’re open 24/7, so you’re able to call and check in with your pup. They are more than happy to keep you updated and you can tell everyone there has a passion for animals. They even called and texted a couple days after just to see how he was doing! They sent me pictures of him when i asked, and more. I’m so happy with how they handled our emergency. I never felt like my dog was in bad hands.

I’ll say, any emergency vet is going to be expensive, you put 70% of the estimated bill down, then pay the rest when you pick your pet up if needed. We ended up not having to pay the full estimation and actually got refunded some money! That being said, their care is worth every penny. They saved my dogs life, and for that i am beyond thankful.

Josh D.

The staff and doctors at IVS are amazing. They cared for our silver lab like they would their own pet. No one ENJOYS having to bring their pet to the ER, and it’s never enjoyable to have to pay for care. That being said, if you are in need of that emergency care, you’re going to pay for it regardless. Our experience with IVS was top-notch, and our dog is now recovering well and should be healthy again soon. Thank you to everyone at IVS for your amazing guest care!

Richard N.

Our cat had lost some weight over the last few years, then suddenly stopped eating and wandered around in a manner like she was lost, so we took her here at 8am. They didn't know what was up, and said it could be something simple or serious, so they gave her medicine for an infection in case it was simple.
Well, it wasn't simple, when we got home later she couldn't walk in a straight line and I knew it was the end, so we were back at 8pm. They confirmed it was likely to be a brain tumor and so it was goodbye kitty. They took good care of us and gave us options and didn't double charge us for the duplicate consult.