VCA Capital Area Veterinary Emergency and Specialty

My dog got porcupine quills in her snout today. I was seen immediately and the vet tech was able to remove them quickly and provided great advise on how to remove them myself in the future. What a great place! I couldn’t be happier with the people ud83dude0a and the service!

My husband and I moved to NH only 2 weeks ago. Tonight at 6pm, both— YES, BOTH— of our dogs got a porcupine. We were in a panic because we didn’t even have a local vet yet, most clinics were closed, and we had no clue where to bring the fur babies. We called our next door neighbor who recommended CAVES, so that’s where we went. They were so, so nice and incredibly professional. We thought we might have to wait for a while for the girls to get in especially because of COVID protocols but the staff brought them in right away. They received great care and came back out quickly, a little drunk from the anesthesia, but quill free. Obviously we hope we don’t have to go back, but if we find ourselves with another pet emergency that’s definitely where we’re headed!

My experience with the Speciality portion of CAVES has been really frustrating, in that the level of care has been exceptional and impressive (and I'm grateful), however the lack of definition between Specialty staff and ER staff (I'm led to believe) means quick check-in visits quickly become all-day affairs when an emergency comes in to the building and your vet gets pulled in.nnSince we are in a pandemic, and you're not allowed in with your animal, that means hours-long waits in your vehicle in the parking lot, with little-to-no updates, and a stressed-out pet in a scary place. Not ideal for anyone.nnI am so deeply grateful for the ER services, however - we've used them many times on a weekend or in a true emergency, and they have been incomparable. I am so appreciative this service is available.nnIt is really hard to align these two aspects of my experience. While the long, quiet waits are ultimately worth it if you're there to see a specialist, there has to be a better way?

We are beyond satisfied with the care our animals have gotten during the pandemic. We have not been able to get into our regular vet and CAVES has been prompt, responsive and professional. Thank you for treating our family with love and knowledge. The staff is the nicest group of professionals we have met!

I've had good interactions with them with urgent issues like allergic reactions to bee stings for my dog and burst surgical wound. They have fast and proficient triage response team. But, I had a bad experience with my cat who had a stroke (rather than provide basic care, they did lots of very expensive tests that they literally immediately dismissed the results of because the tests are unreliable?). So, mixed results. I'd like to give a 3.5 but that's not an option. So going on the higher side because most recent visit was better than past experience.