The Animal Medical Center

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Nonprofit Overview

Causes: Animal-Related, Animals, Veterinary Services

Mission: The animal medical center (the "amc") operates an institute for veterinary education and specialty care, clinical research and charity care for companion animals at its facility located in new york city.

Community Stories

10 Stories from Volunteers, Donors & Supporters

biancagirl88 Client Served

Rating: 1

03/10/2025

This is a terrible hospital. You know the CEO earns over 550,000.00 per year? But I digress. I called AMC this past weekend 3/10/25 because I had a sick bunny with her head titled. I should also add that I was just watching the bunny while the owner was out of town. I asked if they had vets that treated rabbits and they said they did. When I arrived, the front desk said a vet could see her right away but I had to pay $450.00 first. So I did that, and a vet who did NOT know rabbits told me and the owner who was on speaker phone the obvious, that she had an infection or a stroke. In any case, she said she was not an exotic animal vet, didn't know rabbits, but someone would be there tomorrow to see her and recommended keeping the rabbit overnnight. So the owner decided to do this. I wasn't allowed to leave the hospital or visit with the bunny again until the owner paid $2,000.00 immediately, which was half of an "estimate" of the total hospital charges. This included intake. So he paid that. The next day the hospital called me because they couldn't reach the owner and asked if I wanted more testing. I asked if the rabbit had an ear infection. The vet said she didn't know... All I could think was, what was the $2,000.00 for if it included no tests? They gave the bunny unnecessary xrays, but none of the testing that was in the itemized intake form I was given that they based the $2,000.00. Anyway, long story short, the rabbit was put down. This hospital wanted $5,000.00 to continue care for the rabbit, and it's like, they forgot he already paid $2,000.00. I also noticed my credit card was charged the $450.00 for intake. I called the hospital and asked for a refund, since the owner paid for everything an hour later. Ive spoken to two different staff members. Each of them tried to tell me that I owed this money and it wasn't "double billing" until I explained the situation. They said someone from billing would call. Nobody is calling me... and I got emailed new bills today. It's unbelievable when I found out this hospital is a non-profit! The ASPCA is a non-profit and they don't put animals down!!!! I've reported this hospital to the FTC for financial fraud, over billing, non-transparent billing and holding an animal hostage, essentially forcing you to pay their ridiculous bills when they didn't even improve the animal's health!

4

MotherGodAzna General Member of the Public

Rating: 1

02/18/2024

This place deserves NO STARS!! Horrific experience!!
I arrived at 2:30 a.m. in an extremely emotional state because my dog fainted an it was an emergency.

The front desk woman, told me very abrasively that my pet would NOT be seen by any doctors due to a Billing issue and that I was fired from the Hospital.

Billing error on their part. In July of 2023 I took my pet there and My Bill was for $7,400.00. WHICH I PAID IN TOTAL, with No outstanding balance!!! Somehow, they have made a mistake and sent my account to a delinquent debt collector. I have proof of payment and the receipt from the Hospital that I paid my bill in full. This woman named at the front desk used extreme profanity, became unecessarily belligerent and told me to get the "F_ _ _" out of the Hospital three times consecutively!!!!

I was appalled. I was in shock and in disbelief at what had transpired. My dog was in a life and death situation and I was told to go elsewhere because of a Billling error that I was being blamed for and this woman refused to do anything to accommodate my pet.

This experience has been one of the worst one in my entire life.

Please do NOT go to The Animal Medical Center on 62nd Street and York Ave in Manhattan. You will regret it.

I strongly, strongly recommend the Veternirary Group Emergency on 2nd Avenue. That place is Heaven! Very Professional, Caring, Loving, Kind Staff.

1

Villagette Client Served

Rating: 5

01/24/2024

I brought my elderly cat here for advanced kidney disease. Unfortunately we had reached the point where he was beyond help. The compassion that I received from the veterinarian that performed the euthanasia will always have a lasting impression on me.

Review from Guidestar

1

luk646 Client Served

Rating: 1

08/12/2023

Not want even talk about this place ! but truth is they killed our dog again ! Is second dog and this place need be closed !!! Is run but kids with no experience ! So many mistakes so many lie . Just dun from there ! They are not good vet working there ! They are kids killing pets for practice after school !

2

AMCISTERRIBLE Client Served

Rating: 1

04/21/2023

This place is truly abominable. I don't believe that they are a real non profit either, but an elaborate tax dodge set up to benefit their wealthy board & "donors". How else are they in the middle of a $100 million cosmetic renovation, but can't provide basic Veterinary care.

I brought my pets there for specialist services & then began to utilize their "Primary Care" division, which is where the nightmare began. You can not contact or get through to ANYONE, they will tell you to email a certain person, but then that person only works specific days & hours, which how is the client to know?? Then one of my pets had an urgent issue related to the specialty field they were being seen for; I called several times & emailed both primary care & the specialty office. No one responded, I called again hours later & was told I had to come through emergency, so had to sit for 3 hrs with my sick pet & pay an extra $275 emergency fee. I brought this to the attention of "Client Satisfaction" (aka HR & damage control), with no response.

Then my other pet became ill. After emailing with Primary Care, they had no appointments & advised to see if it "resolved at home". It seemed to, & because I had consulted with a vet (!!!) I thought it was fine. He then stopped eating 3 weeks later & brought him in again & they said he had to be hospitalized. They discharged him after 1 day, & said he had a chronic problem, based on the repeated ultrasounds I had brought him in for for the past 6 months! Mind you, this chronic problem was NEVER mentioned on any of the previous visits OR when he became ill before his hospitalization, which turned out to be related!!! Is it any surprise that such major breakdowns in communication happen, when you can't even get in touch with them for every day Veterinary concerns, let alone critical health information?? That and they rely on inexperienced Interns & Residents to do the bulk of the care.

Animal Medical Center needs to be thoroughly investigated by the IRS & the NY State Veterinary Board, & should probably be shut down. They are a fraud & a farce, and are doing much untold harm to the City's beloved pets

2

Judythecockatiel Client Served

Rating: 1

05/06/2022

The doctors are nice, techs and the meet and greet as well. However, client service not so nice they are all about the $$$!

This is suppose to be a non-profit organization that profit from the disabled, low income and no income! I visited them on April 8, 2022 because there are no avian vets in Brooklyn and endured a $324 debt to look at a bird and still didn't know if it was an egg or hernia or both. I had to return on Tuesday April 12,2022 to see avian doctor received another bill for $386. I explained my income situation referred me to funding. In order to be funded I need to satisfy a $1,000 debt. They are not too sure what's wrong with the cockatiel received $4,025 estimate bill not a final bill. Anything over $4,000 I would be responsible for it. So if the final bill is $5,000 or more I am responsible for it as well!

Their alledged pledge: "We strive to provide excellent client service and patient care in all cases." and "AMC has established financial assistance programs, to help eligible pet owners who cannot afford veterinary care. Based on financial need, reduced payment or free care may be available."

Moving forward: Their employees get a 75% discount and sign on bonuses, and 1 year free rent if live in another state, paid tuition and so on and they expect those with no income or low income to pay for it and borrow money from wells fargo, creditcare or credit cards not being able to pay it back.

As I stated to them "if my rescue bird passes away is because of their policies that don't apply to everyone and they don't care!"

The negative reviews are real and I will post pictures, you can find on Google and Yelp..some from actual email response, their funding, bill and picture of Judy the cockatiel to verify my review!

3

LLMOOOJ Client Served

Rating: 1

02/18/2022

We are writing to get on record our profound disappointment with the service and experience at AMC with the last 12 days our our beloved Pet's life. She had a brain tumor.
To say we were unhappy with not only our treatment personally, by the majority of the staff, is a gross understatement. We, on our very last day, wrote
desperately to Dr.XXX and others, who encouraged this communication, to no avail, although it was clearly an emergency. We were never able to speak directly
to anyone who knew anything about our Dog's treatment, and once we finally were able to reach a receptionist, we were assured 2x we would have neurology
contacted and we would certainly get a call back from someone. No one responded. Regardless of a life or death situation.
To give you more color, on her last day, she was released from the hospital with the suggestion she had done 'wonderfully overnight', after focal facial seizures,
and we took her home, with her medication doubled - anticipating even more grogginess. Within an hour, she had collapsed on the floor and we were unable to wake her. We called and called AMC, to no response. Finally, we had our superintendent carry her to a car and brought her back to the hospital. An incredible, wonderful ER doctor named Dr.XXX revived her somehow, and let us know that this 'cranial episode' was not unusual, could happen at any time again, that she could pass, and that in fact this had happened just the previous night (when we were never informed - instead, we told she 'did wonderfully overnight' and she should come home).
What kind of treatment is this? We spent thousands of dollars and more importantly, invested enormous trust in AMC doctors. We were given hope that all our girl needed was a couple of weeks to get used to the medication and she may have 3-6 or more months of life, to run on a beach, and live fairly normally. This was not only impossible, but unfair and to think we, as non vets, could manage this kind of care, was impossible and frankly, cruel.
A brain tumor is very serious. We understand this. But back and forth to AMC multiple times was confusing and impossible for our pup, too. And, wrong. It would have been kinder to admit that you could not get ahead of her serious symptoms, rather than sending a very very sick dog home, only to get her back with heartbroken parents, within a 24-36 hour time frame, over a 12 day period. It has been gut wrenching.
This is inconceivable to us. We can't get our beautiful girl back. But, we can let others know that AMC, your organization and concern for the pet parents, is terrible. With the exception of Dr. X and her kindness, along with Dr. X, all of you ignored us, and the specifics of our pet's case. And, it is a profound disgrace.

eastvillage Professional with expertise in this field

Rating: 5

10/08/2017

Two years ago I rescued a kitten who was hit by a car and had been left in a paper bag for over a day. She had 12 pins put into her hip at AMC (thanks to a special grant from AMC) and is now an active and happy kitty. AMC staff were so sweet and loving, I was so impressed and thankful for their care. The last appointment we had several of the staff came out to say goodbye to the kitty (Tuxie).

3

RachelHill Client Served

Rating: 1

11/21/2015

My cat Amanda died last year from injuries sustained during an ultrasound at Animal Medical Center. They have sent me a request for a donation every 6 weeks since then. I cry for hours each time I receive these requests. My husband has called them each time we've received one of these requests and explained that we will never donate to them, that their direct mailings are traumatizing our family.
Each time their Customer Service Representative at their Development Department claims they will remove my information from their mailing list. Then we receive another solicitation in 6 weeks. This has gone on for more than a year. It seems it is corporate policy at Animal Medical Center to assure people they will take them off their mailing list, and then leave them on it. Even when the incompetence and carelessness of their staff has led to the death of a loved one.
Shame on Animal Medical Center the animal hospital for harming my Amanda. Shame on Animal Medical Center the charity for causing my family a huge amount of pain in addition, over and over again. What kind of a charity is so callous?

1

lois greifer Client Served

Rating: 5

01/26/2013

The AMC performed surgery to remove a liver mass from my 13 1/2 year-old shih tzu. I was terrified to have her undergo this operation BUT she emerged with a clean bill of health and I emerged with a profound sense of gratefulness to the AMC. From the beginning, and throughout the ordeal, staff was kind, understanding, empathic and HIGHLY competent. In fact, because my beloved doggie had some other health issues, I have completely switched her medical care to the AMC; I am that confident in the talent of their veterinarians.

Yes, they are very expensive, and I was surprised to learn they are a nonprofit because of how expensive they are. And I am not at all knowledgable enough to make any kind of statement about how they manage their money. I am speaking ONLY from the point of view of a client who loves her dog and who now also treasures the AMC

Review from CharityNavigator

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