Testimonials

CVRC -

Thank you so much for your assistance with Jill.  She was 19 years old and her time had come. Everyone’s compassion so helpful during this difficult time.

Sincerely, 

Larry M.

Dr. Gauthier -

Our experience with CVRC was an exceptional one at that. The associates were so pleasant and welcoming. We traveled from Little River, SC and our nerves were shot by the time we arrived. The staff was so understanding and professional, as soon as we arrived we were put right into a room. The tech that assisted us was very compassionate and thorough. When Dr. Chris came in we were treated with the most understanding and respect. He explained exactly what was going to happen and was not in a hurry, very patient and informative. It was a great comfort to deal with this organization. They were very professional from the moment we walked in.

Sincerely, 

Toni M.

Dr. Maston -

I had to bring our dog Sparky in on a Friday morning at like 5 am.

Everyone was so nice and made me feel at ease. They asked if I needed anything and kept me in the loop with our fur baby the whole time! Sparky was well taken care off, I would recommend anyone who needs emergency care to take their pet here!

Sincerely, 

Liz

Dr. Maston -

I can't thank Dr. Laura Maston enough for her compassion and understanding in helping us decide on euthanizing our 11 year old pug.  Boudreaux has been with our family since he was 6 weeks old - my children were two and four years old when we got him, so he is part of our family.  He has been slowing down over the past few months, which I attributed to old age, but this weekend he seemed to just hit a wall.  He was extremely lethargic, and was unable to support his back end.  We waffled back and forth over whether to wait until our regular vet opened on Monday morning, or take him to an emergency vet.  The last emergency experience I had with a clinic on West Montague was awful, so I was reluctant to go again.  Luckily, my vet's office listed CVRC as an option.  So at midnight on a Sunday, we arrived at CVRC.

From the moment we met Dr. Maston, she was nothing but kind, caring and concerned for our pet.  She ran enough basic diagnostic tests to determine what the immediate future looked like for Boudreaux, and sadly, it was bleak--he had a fever, and blood work, combined with his other symptoms, indicated that he might have some kind of cancer.  Although we could have done more tests to verify exactly what the problem was, Dr. Maston assured us that the hard decision we made was the humane one.

I've had experiences with vets who want to prolong an animal's life simply to charge fees.  Never once did I feel like I was being taken advantage of, or that Boudreaux's care was secondary to the almighty dollar.  I am so very grateful that CVRC and Dr. Maston are here in our community.  Thank you for everything you did.

Sincerely, 

The Witherspoon Family

Dr. Crook -

I did animal rescue for years, and have been to countless veterinary clinics. By this time, I know quality and results when I see it.

The Charleston Veterinary Referral Center is absolutely top notch. I took my best buddy, Mr. Pebbles, there for diagnosis of a neurological problem and he subsequently had spinal surgery. Of course, this is not an inexpensive exercise, nor did I expect it to be. However, this dog is very, very special to me and I wanted the best for him. And boy, did I get it. Absolutely superb veterinarians and staff. Dr. Crook, who was Pebbles' primary veterinarian, was just outstanding. The diagnostic procedure was thorough and definitive.

She and all the other staff were WONDERFUL in dealing with Pebbles and understanding his little idiosyncrasies and anxiety. He ultimately had surgery, which was stressful for both him and me. A great thing about this clinic is that you can call day or night, and someone is always willing to talk with you and give you a thorough update. Pebbles is home now and is slowly on the road to recovery. I've talked several times with Dr. Crook about his status, and she is just as responsive as when he was hospitalized.

I decided to give my little guy the best chance possible to recover from a debilitating condition, and I am 100 percent satisfied that I went to the right place.

Sincerely, 

Deborah & Mr. Pebbles

Dear Dr. Rissetto,

I want to start with a big warm thank-you..You are incredible..What a tremendous asset you are to your team and facility..

Thank-you so very much for your wonderful patience with me and helping me decide on surgery for Abbey..It saved her life and I am so grateful..

Sorry it has taken so long to write..I will recommend you and Charleston Veterinary Referral Center to everyone...I can not name all the wonderful people

I came across in my trips to your facility especially all of those at the front desk..Please thank everyone and those I know are Dr.Au,Dr.Torres,Rachael-assisted me with

Abbey the day you and I met and Jen-a Dr.’s assistant who I met on departure day and when the staples were removed 2 weeks later-great friendly woman...

Thank-you all very much but mainly Thank-You..!! You helped me go thru with the procedure and now I am so happy for how well Abbey is doing...Thank-you again..

Sincerely, 

Jeff & Abbey

Dear Dr. Rissetto, Suzanne, Sadie & CVRC:

For a year and a half we fought a valiant battle to keep Put as I called her most with us. Unfortunately she lost the battle recently. The card I received from the staff with the love and messages showed just how invested they were in her as I was. She touched theirs hearts and lives just as she touched mine with her tenacious attitude. She was just that kind of cat. I can not thank you all enough for the love and care you gave her so I could have more time with her.

Sincerely, 

Louann & Lilly

Dear Dr. Rissetto & CVRC:

Just a update on Bootsie.  I don't think we ever mentioned that Boots loves to be brushed.  She will sit and make sure you hit every spot.  Well needless to say she hasn't wanted to be brushed for almost 3 months now.  Starting on Wednesday she has been getting us to brush her at least 2 times a day.

Another milestone she has accomplished this week is the cat pole that we bought her.  It has a kinda like bowl on top.  She would lay in there for hours and just be happy, you know how she likes to chill!!  Well again for about 4 months she hasn't been able to climb up (and it's really not high, maybe 3 feet tall) we came home Thursday and found Boots in her bowl and just looking out the window.  She has seen been in there 2 other times this weekend.

Two major come backs for her.  We have you to thank for this.   It gives up hope and after that review on Tuesday it really makes us say YAY!!.

Once again Thank You Dr. Rissetto.  You and your staff are giving us back our Boots.

Sincerely, 

Laura

Dear CVRC:

Going to the vet with a sick animal can be overwhelming and expensive. Dr. Graham did a wonderful job explaining everything to me, and why each test was necessary and what the cost was. I never felt rushed in our appointments and I was updated promptly every step of the way. The staff were all very nice and I can tell they care about each animal that comes through the door.

Sincerely, 

Mallory & Tasha
Erin & Jordan

Dear CVRC:

Remington came into CVRC on deaths door. He was in ICU for 10 days!

He had 3 surgeries, 14 transfusions, and probably every other thing they offer. He was bleeding from his intestines due to too many steroids given for fast heart worm kill treatment and he still had hookworms that were eating through his intestines causing the bleeding. No one could figure out the problem. But CVRC did! They answered all of my annoying phone calls and never sounded annoyed that I was calling up to 10 times a day. They were very honest with prognosis. I knew if he had a chance it was there. after his 5th day there when all hope was fading...CVRC changed the game and Remington started pulling through. He has been home for 5 days now....and not only do I have my big boy back...He is now acting like his normal self. They have even called to check on him several times since he has been home. They were so thrilled to see my baby pull through they acted as if he were their own.

Thank you CVRC for doing what no one else could do and loving and caring for my big boy like he were your own. I will be forever grateful for you for keeping our family together.

Sincerely, 

Heather

Dear CVRC:

We are very pleased with the exceptional level of care that Wally received while at your facility. My husband and I could not be more elated with the love and attention that was given to him throughout his multiple stays. You have some of the kindest and most compassionate veterinarians that I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. We could not be more appreciative of all the doctors and technicians that tended to Wally.  To give a few some shout outs:

Dr. Rissetto-you are truly one of the best veterinarians that we could have possibly asked for in caring for Wally. You were ALWAYS accessible via email and phone. You display a level of compassion that is unrivaled. We are so grateful that Dr. McCaskill referred Wally to you.

Dr. Au-your expertise as a surgeon does not go unnoticed, as Wally was quite the case. Thank you so very much for your attention to detail throughout Wally's surgery. We could not have done this without you!

Dr. Welch-your concern for Wally's critical care was sensational. Thank you so very much for paying attention to his pressures, as this was a major concern during his operation.

Dr. Sayer-we did not have the pleasure of meeting you; however, we know you were there for Wally's surgery in order to keep track of his ticker and rhythms. We are thankful!

Other Staff and Technicians-Suzanne, Wally is thankful for all the love and attention that you gave him and so are we!  We were informed that anytime you could not be found around the clinic by staff, they were sure to find you in Wally's cage loving on him. This means a lot to us! To anyone who helped with Wally that we may not have met in person, we are so very grateful! And to the staff members who brought their dogs in to donate blood to Wally after his surgery, THANK YOU!

There are no words that are kind enough to thank you all. We will never send our dogs anywhere else in the event of an emergency or that we may need a specialist.

Sincerely, 

Renee & Matthew

Dr. Welch and staff -

We  took Toby our 4 year old Bulldog mix to our vet in December of 2013 for his annual checkup/vaccinations with that we also had full blood work drawn up on Toby. He had always had great checkups in the past so we were not worried about this particular exam. Two days later the doctor called and said his kidney levels were a little high and they wanted to run more blood work to make sure there was nothing serious going on ,in the meantime Toby was put on a renal diet as a precaution, He then began to have diarrhea. We just thought it was the new food he was introduced too and that he would eventually adjust to it, He would vomit occasionally again we attributed his symptoms to the new diet. We became concerned and took him back to our vet. Dr's ran a gravity test on Toby which came back normal. Toby's symptoms continued for months back and forth to the vet constantly started to wear on us emotionally and financially. At this point we were getting frustrated because Toby was starting to lose weight and this scared us. Toby was on antibiotics for at least 2 months it would help for a while and then it got bad again once the meds ran out. He was dropping weight, he started to develop dandruff, his stomach would make gurgling noises, his rectum would leak an oily substance. We took Toby back to our vet, the Doctor that saw Toby that day stated he may have Endocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency but a blood test would need to be run. We had the test run and it came back negative, We were certain Toby had EPI because he had all of the symptoms, Our vet referred us to Charleston veterinary referral center. In June of 2014 we brought Toby into the clinic and met with Doctor Welch and explained our situation she immediately performed an ultrasound on Toby and drew blood and she wanted a second blood test run. The results came back positive for EPI and  treatment began immediately. Toby lost 15 pounds he was down to 50 pounds, he was skinny, he had no energy, and was very weak. I am certain if we had not walked into the clinic with Toby that day he would have died eventually. Today Toby is 60 pounds and thriving and getting more beautiful each day.He is continuing to have his B-12 injections monthly along with pancrezyme powder mixed with his food daily. Toby is back to his normal routine and getting along beautifully. It is a great comfort knowing that a state of the art facility such as CVRC will always be a phone call away if needed. We finally have a proper diagnosis.We owe a huge Thank you to Doctor Welch and the Staff for being so caring and kind. 

Connie & Bob

Dr. Welch and staff - 

After running several tests, Daisy was diagnosed with IMHA, Immune Mediated Hemolytic Anemia.  Dr. Welch, Chelsea and the CVRC staff delivered superior care to Daisy while providing thorough education to me and my family during this difficult and emotional time.  We can not express how thankful and grateful we are to have Dr. Welch and her staff available to us in Charleston. They are truly a blessing!

Gracie

We are so grateful for the care we received at Charleston Veterinary Referral Center. Our dog Henry was very sick for over a month with too many complications to name, so we met most of the staff. We were always treated very kindly and were always impressed with the staff. Though we are grateful for all of Henry's doctors and techs, we had a special connection with Dr. Graham and Dr. Au. Dr. Graham really "got" Henry and I know she lost a lot of sleep trying to figure out what was going on. She called us every morning with an update without fail and both her and her tech were easily accessible when a question or concern came up. She worried over him with us and I really appreciated her kindness. Her instincts and Dr. Au's surgical skills saved our dog's life. We just weren't ready to say goodbye to our sweet boy and thanks to them, we don't have to. The staff at CVRC really care about their patients and their parents. Words cannot express our gratitude.

Candace

Dr. Rissetto and staff,

What can I say but so many, many thank yous to you and your staff. You are one of the kindest most compassionate people I have ever met. I have never seen you without a smile on your face even though I know you deal with happy results as with Brandy but not so happy in others.

When Brandy was diagnosed we were to go to another place. My daughter told Melissa and she immediately said go to Dr Rissetto as she is loving and caring and you can communicate with her when you need her. And she was so correct in that. You always responded when I needed you and you did it quickly. You have always been there for Brandy and me as if we were the only patient that you had.

I also cannot say enough about your hospital. It is like one big happy family with the great staff who are responsive and always pleasant and willing to help. When I visit your hospital it is so heartwarming to see the many people who go the extra mile with their animal because of their love for them. It is very obvious you and your staff love animals and are dedicated to giving them and their family a happy outcome.

Again my words just cannot convey to you how much you and staff have meant to me. Even though this has been a serious situation it has been pleasant in so many ways. I know that whatever the future holds for Brandy you will be there for us both.

My very sincere thanks and also our love for all you have done. Through life our lives cross with many individuals, some good and some not so good. But crossing your path has been a blessing and one I am glad I got to cross. You are a super and very special young lady and doctor of course!

I would ask that you pass this letter to your "boss" as I want them to know what a valuable and wonderful doctor they have in their hospital. When people do good things their superior should know!

 

Much love, Susan and Brandy

Thank you Dr. Heather Graham and the wonderful staff at Charleston Veterinary Referral Center. Our two year old Welsh Terrier started with gastrointestinal problem at age two. He continued to decline and after seeing six veterinarians from Pennsylvania to South Carolina with no solution, we were referred to Dr. Heather Graham. We have never met a more caring and special veterinarian. She immediately ordered the test she felt necessary, diagnosed his problem, and started treatment. Buddie continues to thrive and brings us much joy every day. He is so very happy now, and we thank God that Dr. Graham was able to help him.

Love and Licks, Karen, Skip, and “BUDDIE”