Pet Specialists of Austin

Dr. Wilber, technicians, and office staff were amazing!! My poor 11 month old cat was lethargic, not eating or drinking water, as well as losing his balance. His temperature was between 103-105. Dr Wilber got his temp down and after the examination, gave me insight into possible causes and suggested the neurologist at the clinic. Between the excellent care and medications, I have my kitty back!!

There is no better place in Austin/Austin Area than Pet Specialist of Austin. Top notch veterinary medicine. While the other ER in Austin and my local vet gave up on my Frenchie, PSA saved our Louie (aka Dew-Dew). Dr Phan and Dr Simmonds were amazing. Receptionist, Melinda H was pleasant and helped us remain positive. Thanks to everyone who helped Louie. We are forever grateful.

Dr. Passmore and her entire team did such a phenomenal job taking care of our boy. He had recently been diagnosed with IVDD and needed surgery very quickly. They were so incredibly kind, went the extra mile and did a great job at easing our anxieties. Surgery went well and we are now on the road to recovery. Initially, I was hesitant to bring my dog here because we are from out of town and weren’t familiar with the clinic. But wow, my husband and I were both so blown away and are so happy we stumbled upon this gem and the wonderful people running it. I doubt we’ll ever need to visit again with it being 5+ hours from home. But I just had to say a huge thank you to Pet Specialist's of Austin for being a light in a really scary time for us. We are so appreciative of each of you.

Over a year ago, our rescue cat, Yurt, started experiencing serious health issues, and with no known history, we were terrified we were going to lose him- especially when cancer became a real possibility. After being referred to Pet Specialists of Austin, their team ran extensive testing and ultimately diagnosed him with histoplasmosis, a semi rare and potentially fatal fungal infection. What followed was a long, expensive, and emotional year of treatment, monitoring, and medication adjustments- but through it all, the team at Pet Specialists was incredible. They were thorough, compassionate, and genuinely invested in Yurt’s recovery. Today, I’m beyond grateful to say that Yurt has officially tested negative for histoplasmosis and is happier, healthier, and more playful than ever! (See before and after pics attached!) We still have a road of monitoring ahead of us, but it's so reassuring to know that I have an awesome team in mine and Yurt's corner. A special thank you to the Internal Medicine team, to Dr. Hetrick for the clear communication and consistent follow-ups, Kelly for being Yurt’s biggest cheerleader (he says thank you for all the Churus), and Katie at the front desk for always handling everything with kindness and care. Thank you to everyone in between- every interaction we had with anyone in this office was always a positive one so thank you to the entire Pet Specialist team for being so amazing! Pet Specialists of Austin truly saved my cat’s life. I cannot recommend them highly enough and will forever be grateful to this team for giving us more time with our sweet boy. 💙🐾 Side note: I also highly recommend that any pet owner consider getting pet insurance, if it’s financially feasible. What would have cost us nearly $7,000 this past year ended up being just around $1,300 out of pocket for my partner and me. You never know when unexpected health issues may arise, so it’s always best to be prepared- for both your wallet and your fur baby!

Writing this review was not an easy decision but I’d like to honor my cat, Sunday and hope to inform others. Last month, Sunday died unexpectedly at this clinic under their care. She was 14 years old and was sick with an illness that was not yet fully diagnosed. We were days from seeing her regular vet when I noticed she had labored breathing. But she wasn’t mouth-breathing or in distress. She even jumped on my lap, purring, while I had coffee that morning as she usually does. I was just being cautious. I called PSA before I took her there. They told me that they had an oxygen kennel to get her comfortable and encouraged me to bring her in. I was hoping for a physical exam, to get a vet to listen to her heart and lungs to see if they noticed anything alarming. And just to stabilize her over the weekend. When we got there, a tech had me sign an intake form and took her back to the treatment area and we were separated- due to their policy. The tech assured me that Sunday was doing fine in the oxygen kennel. About 20 minutes later a vet came into the waiting room and informed me that she wanted to take a chest x-ray of Sunday. I was a bit worried about giving her anesthesia because her senior lab results weren’t in with my regular vet yet. The vet assured me that they’d be using a mild sedative and that she would be semi-conscious. I agreed to it, putting my trust in the doctor’s professional hands. I waited nervously in a small room when I overheard someone yell out, “I need a doctor in here now!” outside. Now, when I was separated from Sunday I expressed worry and they assured me that if anything unexpected were to happen they would come get me, so I could be with her. But no one came to get me, so I was hoping that call wasn’t about Sunday. But about 15 minutes later the same vet came into the room and very matter-of-factly told me these words: “So, after we gave Sunday the sedative, she stopped breathing.” She didn’t prepare me for what I was about to hear. She didn’t seem bothered. It was as if a mechanic had just told me that my car had died. I asked to take her body home to bury her. When they gave me her body her mouth was open with her teeth showing. I couldn’t help but wonder if her last facial expression was one of fear or shock. I was devastated. Devastated. I had Sunday’s regular vet look at her ER records the next morning and talk me through what she thought might have happened because PSA did not have an explanation for me. My vet assured me that she thought they had used a mild sedative and it isn’t what killed her. In her professional opinion, they tried giving her the shot too quickly after removing her from the oxygen kennel, not giving her enough time to readjust to the low oxygen level atmosphere when she was already short of breath. And she likely “decompensated” while she likely stressed over the needle being put in her muscle. Knowing her personality, especially under duress, I’m quite certain that she suffocated to death in this scenario. An expected reply to this comment might be that she was an older cat and that she was already sick when she went in. X-rays later showed fluid in her lungs. But she wasn’t at the brink of death, gasping for air, or mouth-breathing. All I wanted was for her to be more comfortable until she saw her vet a couple of days later. Realizing that she lived 14 years with me until she got sick and died isn’t the sad part. I’m grateful for the magical years we shared since she was a kitten. And for all of those years until the end she never had other health issues. It’s that I wasn’t given a chance to hold her in her last moments or to say “good bye”. A part of me regrets taking her to an emergency clinic, like somehow it’s my fault that she passed away like this. But I’d like to ask the medical director at this facility to examine their operations. And as their clinic director assured me that “they are trying to improve things”, it’s not far fetched to say that they do need improvements. I hope no other beloved furry family member has to go through what Sunday did.