VERG Brooklyn

My first dog (rescue adoption) turned out to have severe untreated heartworm and related lung (PH) and heart (RCFH) complications that required extensive treatment over a full year, and ongoing monitoring. Everyone at VERG from intake to nursing to Dr Rossi's cardio team has been kind, patient, and thoughtful about explaining medical terms, treatment options, expected expenses, and potential outcomes. Our experience has been exceptional, and I only wish they could be her primary care vet. Thank you!

I have had to bring my kitty Rocco to VERG twice now, and though I hate being there, they have always taken excellent care of him. The last time I brought him in, he was breathing with his mouth open, which is a sign of respiratory distress, and they started triaging him literally within 30 seconds of me walking in the door. Over the 3 days he stayed, I was well informed of how he was doing and seen fairly quickly during visiting hours. The staff is kind and I feel they take caring for your pet seriously. I got a good rundown directly from the doctors every day: "here’s how he’s doing, here’s what we think is going on, here are your options, do you have any questions" etc. The nurse who ran our discharge described finding a quieter place for him while he was being cared for, because it was loud and he was anxious. That said, the reason I gave 4 stars is that I get the sense that they’re short staffed. Once your pet is stable, the initial intake can easily take several hours. It’s not different from being in a human ER or an urgent care. Not the fault of the staff, but long wait times when you’re already stressed out can be pretty frustrating. I really can’t imagine doing this kind of job myself and I have the utmost respect for the doctors, nurses, techs, and reception. Thank you to all of you for the work you do!

We brought our dog in after a horrible accident, and the VERG team was incredible. Our poor girl had to have multiple surgeries and many courses of medication, but VERG (and especially Dr. Domney) made sure we were kept in the loop each step of the way, answering all of our questions. Everyone was so caring and kind during an incredibly challenging and anxiety-inducing few weeks, and the team took such good care of our dog, who has now officially ‘graduated’ back to normal life. Even during her prolonged stay, VERG accommodated daily visits, twice daily phone call updates, and often sent pictures and videos of our pup. It was so clear that the whole team there cared about her. She could not have been in better hands. We could not be more grateful!!

We were referred here by the ASPCA emergency hotline after our rescue dog vomited 10+ times following her spay surgery. The team was kind, thorough, and took her condition seriously. They quickly evaluated her, provided fluids and anti nausea medication, and performed an ultrasound to rule out complications. She was already visibly feeling much better by the time we left. We’re very grateful for the care and peace of mind they provided during a stressful night. Thank you to the entire staff, especially Dr. Michalik and vet tech Shanelle. I was especially touched by Dr. Michalik’s bedside manner— he spent much of the visit & follow up down on the floor with my pup, helping keep her comfortable and at ease.

I had a deeply distressing experience at VERG Brooklyn with Dr. Elsa Nader, DVM during an emergency visit on November 7, 2025, for my dog, January. After arriving around 5:30 PM, I spent more than seven hours waiting while receiving unclear and inconsistent communication about my pet’s condition and care plan. Treatments and billing were initiated before I provided formal approval, and when I tried to set a clear financial limit of $3,504.18 for the first 24 hours of care, I was told that care could not continue unless I agreed in advance to 48 hours of treatment. This situation left me feeling pressured, misled, and powerless to make informed decisions for my own pet. I consider this experience unethical and emotionally traumatic, especially given the circumstances of an emergency visit. Pet owners deserve transparent communication, clear consent, and respect for financial boundaries in emergency situations. I hope VERG Brooklyn and Dr. Nader take steps to address this issue so that no other pet owner has to go through the same experience.

My family and I unexpectedly had to put our boy to sleep on Saturday morning. Having him put to sleep at a hospital or vet was never my ideal plan I always said I would want him put to sleep at home. Unfortunately we didn’t get to due to the state my baby boy tank was in. We went in Friday evening , they examined him and explained the options we ultimately seeing him in pain was unbearable so they brought him down to us in a private room and kept him comfortable. The staff at VERG made us feel as if we were home. They checked on us as we spent our final night with our boy. They never pushed us to get the process done faster. They even waited for the my siblings and significant others to be able to make it to the hospital which ended up being Saturday morning. They even brought our boy a slice of pizza to see if he’d have the stomach for it💔.We were ready to begin the process and our Dr walked us through the whole procedure before and during and after one of the hardest decisions of our lives with so much compassion as well as all the other staff members there. I would recommend anyone and everyone who has a pet to their establishment. Thank you all for helping us during such a difficult time and making tank feel so much love during his last moments.

My cat decided to attempt sword swallowing (6cm embroidery needle). He was unfortunately successful. I brought him to this location after being referred by a different vet er (blue pearl) since they had the capability to do the endoscopic removal if needed. The vet + nurses + staff were all friendly, despite how busy it was for a Monday. The wait was long after they got his X-rays done, but I had full confidence they had triaged him and were taking care of more critical patients (this is an ER). They were able to remove the needle by scope without having to do surgery, and sidecar is already back to normal. Thank you for saving my cat’s life. I hope I never have to come back but if I do I know they’ll take care of my pets.