On Christmas Eve afternoon, our elderly cattle dog was experiencing severe diarrhea and stomach upset and needed emergency services. My husband took him to Colonial because all of the vets in our area were closed that day. I cannot praise Colonial enough. They got him right in and even called to talk with me about his medications and health issues. In addition to treating his gastrointestinal problems, they switched his arthritis medicine to gabapentin because they thought the carprofen he has been on for over two years could be contributing to his stomach upset. They even called Christmas morning to see how he was doing. By today, his stomach issues have nearly resolved and the new arthritis medicine seems to be working wonders for his stiff legs and hips. Thank you, Colonial, for the excellent care and caring attitude!

We had been referred to Colonial for testing twice before with each of our dogs (2012 and 2013). Both times we were treated with the utmost compassion and were grateful for the expertise they were able to offer when helping us make decisions about quality of life for our senior dogs.Losing a pet is so traumatic, and I felt our last vet pressured us to have invasive diagnostics and surgeries and then was dismissive and judgmental when we opted to use palliative care instead. So we knew we wanted something different in the future. Last week, we decided to go straight to Colonial with our 15-year-old cat who had been declining rapidly. The staff and doctors were so compassionate and understanding about our concerns. They helped us come to the best decision for our family once a mass was discovered in her liver and possibly elsewhere. I am grateful to them for their care of Persephone in her last days, and will be transferring care of our other 15-year-old cat, Porter, and all future pets to them.

My experience here was horrible. the staff does the best job that they can. the vets that worked with me were cold and non compassionate. the day that i was there to euthanize my dog they neglected to mention that they have what's called 'the comfort room' and then when i found out about it they refused to work something out with me regarding a discount or returning half of my funds to me. that would have been where my dog and i would have liked to be instead of both of us sitting on a cold exam room floor. one of the 'business managers' there treated me like i was a burden, not a paying client. they are lucky to have an intern named angela. she is the bright light at this location. the day that my dog was euthanized should have been a day where i could put all my attention on her and the last moments i had with her, but instead it had to be infused with this location's serious unprofessional approach. i was heartbroken not only from my dogs death, but the way i was treated, start to finish. it's like being in a classroom, not a professional atmosphere. vets should be able to talk in a compassionate way with their clients, especially when they are naturally distressed when their pet is being put to sleep. they need to take a serious step back and do their jobs by listening from the heart to their clients. it's awful when your pet is sick. you can't communicate as clearly with your pet and it's scary. surely these doctors know how painful it is for clients to have to be there when their pet is in pain, or suffering, or struggle from old age and is dying. surely they must understand that clients and their pets are there under some or a fair amount of duress. i would not recommend that you take your pet here. my dog was like a child to me and i would expect the best when paying a lot of money (they are overpriced too) for their services. think twice. no, think four or five times before you choose this location for your fury companion. seriously. it takes too much effort to try and ignore their careless approach.

When I first read these reviews, I was terrified to take my cat here. However, I needed a second opinion after going to Cornell because I questioned the competency of the residents treating my cat. To make a long story short, I am so glad I took my cat to Colonial. In fact, I have decided to transfer my cat's treatments from Cornell to Colonial because there is no doubt in my mind that Colonial has the best practice in the area. First, you can tell everyone there - from the front desk to the practitioners - is extremely competent. They take their jobs very seriously and it shows. Second, I was provided updates several times while waiting there for my cat's diagnostic testing to complete, even though I was fine reading magazines. In my opinion, this demonstrates an initiative to exceed customer expectation and typical customer service. Third, the doctor I saw there was without a doubt extremely objective, caring, and absolutely brilliant at the same time -- no stone was left unturned and I was confident with my cat's diagnosis. (I know this because I perform tremendous research on my cat's health and illness and the doctor was more than up to date on every single study and treatment). Fourth, and most importantly, my cat is improving tremendously when at least two other vets doubted she would. Fifth, since the appointment the staff and doctor have contacted me twice to relay information as well as discuss anything I needed to talk about. I appreciated this promptness because I knew my cat's health was being taken seriously and thus I did not have worry (and start visiting petmd or other google sites out of angst). Regarding the other reviews on here: honestly, I don't know whether the other reviewers on here are stating objective fact or emotional opinion. But I can tell you this for sure: Colonial is no factory, nor did anything they do raise a red flag. I am suspicious of the posters who complained about the costs of treatment when they are free to go to the 24/7 Cornell Emergency Dept. where there are payment plans and federal funding. In fact, I suspect many of these individuals brought their pets to Colonial because they wanted the best care for their animals, yet are simply unwilling to accept the increased costs associated with superior care. While no horror is more painful than a sick pet, this does not entitle owners to make demands on private practitioners. Nonetheless, these reviewers still stated Colonial accommodated their financial situations, so I just don't understand why they're on here complaining in the first place. I also question the reviewers who complained about their changing estimates. Consider the word "estimate" for a moment and you'll quickly appreciate the absurdity of their complaint. Please remember the scientific rule that deeper investigation may lead to more conclusive findings -- which is why the estimate can increase or decrease -- and which is why these suggestive costs are called "estimates" and not "prices." Ultimately, I take these reviewers' complaints with a grain of salt because they experienced buyer's remorse for continuing with treatment in spite of the high costs, when they could have sought a second opinion at one of the many other emergency departments such as Cornell. And they were free to leave and make the quick drive to Cornell at any point during their time at Colonial. Bottom line is this: in my experience Colonial is superior to other Ithaca vets I have used in every single way. Knock on wood, they saved my cat's life. But it's your decision to do what you want with your pet and I wish you and your furry friend the best.

As a longtime animal lover in a multi-animal household, but newly relocated to Ithaca, I had to cross my fingers when my young cat, Alice, became ill. The Colonial vet staff were ambiguous and uncompassionate about what both I and Alice were going through. Their ultimate incompetence and professional irresponsibility cost me $4,500 and Alice her life.