Julia W.
Yelp
In brief, Dr. Charles Berk, his associates and the staff at the West Village Veterinarian Hospital are absolutely the best!
I have lived in NYC for 6 years and have seen several vets for preventive, maintenance, and emergency care. Sure, there are many good vets who can provide the basic standard of care, but if your four-legged baby has any complicated issues, requires surgery, or you just want a second opinion, run, don't walk, to the offices of Dr. Charles Berk. I would trust him with my own life!
The quality of care, compassion, understanding, the patience in answering all of my questions, and the network of specialists has been incomparable! Having worked in the medical field for years, I can say that there are few doctors of any kind who are as dedicated as Dr. Berk.
Now, just so you don't think I'm an employee or a paid viral marketer, let me give you more specific information. I have (had) two dachshunds. Within the past 13 months, we have had to spend thousands (!) of dollars on vet bills and have been emotionally drained because of previous vets' inaccurate test results, misdiagnoses, procedures, and a surgery that never should have taken place.
Unfortunately, our 'little girl' had a pre-existing heart condition and should not have had dental surgery in the first place. She died 24+ hours later. Had the proper pre-surgery workup (an echocardiogram) been done, she would still be with us, at least for a while longer, and we would have had the opportunity to discuss and to choose other alternatives. I wish I had trusted my instincts and gotten a second opinion at the time. Had we taken her to Dr. Berk, I'm sure the outcome would have been very different.
Learn from our mistakes. Trust your instincts, do research, ask questions, get referrals, and don't be afraid to get a second opinion because healthcare for animals is becoming a complicated industry. So, don't just drop off your beloved pet and just assume that everything will be fine no matter what. Mistakes can be made, too, at the vet's office.
As for our 'momma's boy,' he was put on medication unnecessarily (I'm sure some would debate this) from which he could have died twice due to a bad reaction. At one point, we were even told that he was on the brink of liver failure. Had that same vet done the ultrasound and the lab work properly, we could have avoided the associated complications of going down that wrong path as he was not in liver failure at all. Thankfully, soon afterward we were scheduled to go out of town for the holidays, where a local vet, Dr. Lori Horn in SC, saved his life that time.
Between our two dogs, we've had to deal with an enlarged heart, epilepsy, Cushing's disease, allergies, skin irritations (cysts) on the paws, gall bladder concerns, ear infections, eye injuries.... did I leave anything out?
So, you can understand why by the time we found Dr. Berk, we were exhausted emotionally wiped out from the long standing roller coaster ride. When we walked into his office, I just cried, thinking that things would never be normal again and fearing that no one would be able to resolve all of these issues and to stabilize all of the drug levels.
Well, for the first time, in 13 months, my husband and I can breathe, and most importantly, our baby is happy, healthy, and stable! It's been a long haul, and there is a hole in our heart from an untimely passing, but at least, now we have enough peace and great doggie health to move forward and live a healthy life..... thanks to Dr. Berk.
We will be grateful forever!