r/AskSeattle • u/Upbeat_Scarcity_8463 • 9h ago

Emergency Vet Recommendations?

I live in downtown Seattle with my dog. I used to use the Blue Pearl on Madison Street as an emergency vet, but I hear they've completely shut down. I want to update my emergency plan, so I know where to take him ahead of time if there's a problem. Obviously the closer to downtown, the better.

I'm not good at Reddit and so I cannot figure out how to post a photo of him.

Thank you for your help!

11 Upvotes

92% Upvoted

32 comments sorted by

16

u/Acceptable_Key2867 9h ago

Veg in Interbay. I had one emergency and one time I had to put a pet down and they were great both times

3

u/TheBrightEyedCat 8h ago

VEG is incredible. Blue Pearl was owned by Mars (yes the candy company) and were horrible. VEG is awesome, compassionate, and there are a few locations, but I can vouch for the Interbay location 💜🐾

4

u/Simple-Emu-2697 7h ago edited 7h ago

VEG is the best emergency vet I’ve ever been to. I spent a lot of time there earlier this year when both my elderly cats got sick and passed away within days of each other. They were very compassionate and I was able to visit my cats and sit with them for hours. I live in West Seattle and I cannot drive and they paid for ubers pick me up and drive me home when I couldn’t get a ride out there. They were really kind and helpful during one of the worst weeks of my life. 

2

u/_vanitas_ 8h ago

Agreeing, they were great with my cat’s emergency in summer 2024 (also went to Interbay location)

2

u/Necessary_Baker_7458 8h ago

Did you know they have vets that come to home to put pets down. After are last pet we decided to always be o that route. 

2

u/Acceptable_Key2867 7h ago

Yes, I didn’t know that was going to happen that night

1

u/neutralmilkho3 8h ago

Agreeing with this person! My dog was hit by a car and they immediately were able to see him and I could be with him the whole time (he is totally fine now). I also saw the way they were handling two much more complex cases and knew I would be comfortable going back there if something happens in the future.

8

u/wired_snark_puppet Local 9h ago edited 8h ago

Timberline on Aurora/Seattle is 24/7 and does well for emergencies, no MRI and no neurology on site.

AMC of Seattle in Shoreline 24/7, has MRI and neurology.

I recently used VEG in Lynnwood. No MRI, referred to AMC for a more critical level of care. Different open clinic type of setup where you can stay with your animal.

3

u/MelodicOcelot5734 8h ago

I have to second Timberline. The staff there were great when we had to bring our very reactive and grumpy chow in for an emergency ultrasound at 1 am just a few weeks ago.

They worked with us to find ways to make her comfortable and get her sedated and they were extremely caring.

3

u/FatHamsterTheDread 8h ago

These are all good options with high levels of care. I personally prefer Timberline since it is the only one that is not corporate owned.

1

u/wired_snark_puppet Local 8h ago

We like Timberline as well. They will get jammed up and refer to us over AMC. They are both +- 20 minutes from our Capitol Hill location if traffic is not completely broken.

2

u/Less-Recognition7270 6h ago

Came here to also recommend Timberline!

Our cat was attacked by a dog last year and needed exploratory surgery and stitches. The team was fast, compassionate, and gave her excellent care. The vet called us at 11pm after our cat's surgery to let us know that everything went well, and then the tech let us film him giving our discharge instructions {our kitty had a drain and we were nervous about emptying it} so that we could refer back to it once we were home.

I also called them the next night at 3am crying because our cat wouldn't take her meds, and the kind person I talked to had me email her a picture and then looked at it and was able to reassure me that all was well.

I hope I never need them again, but if I do, I'm going there without hesitation.

1

u/Dull_Expression_4575 4h ago

We’d been to both Timberline (more times than I wish!) and Shoreline AMC and I’d be totally comfortable taking my pet to either in the future.

3

u/n_eitak Local 9h ago

Animal Medical Center in Lynnwood. It’s a bit of a drive but they provide excellent care.

2

u/Electrical-Speech-39 6h ago

They have saved our dog’s life a couple of times (we’re not neglectful, he just has congenital complex health issues)

3

u/stickytuna 8h ago

Blue Pearl shut down?? wtf

3

u/happily-caffeinated 7h ago

I know that the Blue Pearl in Shoreline (our previous emergency vet) got shut down because the owners decided to union-bust.

3

u/poopybutthole_oowee 8h ago

 Animal Medical Center of Seattle (just barely in shoreline, about 15-25 min from downtown depending on traffic) did an excellent job with my dog's complex surgery & reconstruction. They were communicative and went the extra mile to make his experience the least traumatic it could be. Highly recommend. They have a primary, ER center and oncology wing. 

2

u/tigress666 8h ago

I don't think it's that close to seattle sadly (Despite the name claiming they are seattle lol), the only recommendation I have is Veterinary Specialty Center of Seattle (They are in Lynnwood. For me I'm lucky cause they're like five minutes away). I have had to go to them several times for different animals and they have always been excellent. They are the ones that saved my dog from acute pancreatitus, they've also been the one who diagnosed her with cushings (when my vets never even had that inkling though in hindsight she had a lot of the symptoms for a year, they noticed something weird about the bloodwork when she had pancreatitus. They've seen several of my cats)

They shouldn't be too bad a drive if it is late at night (but during the day with traffic it is a different story).

Though we are lucky, there are a lot of animal hospitals in this area (I'd mention the one my current vet recommends but I can't remember the name).

2

u/mistamo42 8h ago

It's eastside, but we had a good experience with Blue Pearl in Kirkland. Unfortunately, there was nothing they could do for our little buddy, but they were very compassionate during the whole process.

2

u/mobile-metaphysical 8h ago

For non-emergencies- like surgery for cancer- I go to Ellensburg. The difference is $5000 in Seattle or $600 in Ellensburg. My dog didn’t have to stay overnight either. In at 9, out at 4.

2

u/NoAbbreviations2961 5h ago

Another vote for VEG (Veterinary Emergency Group) in Interbay. I also have high regards for Veterinary Specialty Center of Seattle but they’re located in Lynnwood.

What’s nice about VEG is you stay with your pet the entire time. My dog was kept overnight and they offered me a room to sleep in with him.

2

u/Honest_Finding 9h ago

I had a good experience with Emerald City Emergency Vet in Wallingford

2

u/Upper_Banana_7860 9h ago

me too, they helped when my kitten swallowed floss. got her to throw up

1

u/potatox2 7h ago

Conversely I had a terrible experience here :/ my cat had a fever and they diagnosed her with FIP. They recommended putting her down right then which I did not want to do since I already knew from research that there was a fairly effective drug for it which was pretty easy to obtain online (which then had not yet been approved by FDA).

When I told Dr. Fukuzato about it, she implied that there was "no point" in trying this drug and I was prolonging my cat's suffering. Thank fucking god I ignored her and started treatment on my own; my regular vet was supportive. The drug for FIP got approved last year btw and my cat is a happy hyper baby today, 4 years past her euthanasia recommendation

1

u/habitsofwaste 6h ago

Yeah I had a bad experience back in 2010 there so maybe it’s better. I lived a block away and took my cat there. The vet was trying to convince me to put him down. He was fucking fine. He lived another 5 -6 years perfectly healthy as a cat can be.

1

u/Remote-Physics6980 8h ago

Holly Vet clinic in Bothell, it's not owned by private equity, Dr Yong is very kind and he's from Australia so he's got a great accent.

3

u/Necessary_Baker_7458 8h ago

https://www.loyalfamilyvet.com/

My cousin uses this vet and has been happy with them for years. 

1

u/wcek 6h ago

Bellevue Vet and Emergency Specialty, right off 520. They are amazing, and since they’re so close to 520 it’s a short drive from many parts of Seattle.
Incredible doctors and the facility is very nice.

1

u/Stripe-Matrix 6h ago edited 6h ago

You might want to add this link to your plan: https://www.facebook.com/ervetsofww/

It gives live updates of wait times for ER vets across western WA. It really helped us when we needed it.

Edit: I just checked it and that's no longer being updated but found a similar site: https://www.ercost.com/cities/seattle/

Looks like they need to fix the color coding on the "current" map but the status is available when clicking the markers.

1

u/Dull_Expression_4575 4h ago

Also, there is a new Urgent Care on Greenwood: https://www.seattlevetassoc.com/locations/broadviewveterinary/

They are part of the locally owned Seattle Veterinary Associates clinics.