I'm about 1.5 - 2 hrs away from Philly, too, I never thought about taking my kitties there, thanks for the info! Not familiar with Red Bank, where is that? I don't really have any big veterinary operations near me, they're mostly owner-operated, and even the VCAs that are closest to me are very small.
When J.D. had DKA, we were at the ER in Somerville NJ. It was a Monday morning, and they closed when normal vets opened (at that time).. I was advised that I had to transfer (drive) him to either Philadelphia (Penn State) or Red Bank in Tinton Falls NJ. They were both over an hour away for me, and with commute traffic about 2 hours. I chose the U of Penn. For 8 and 1/2 days, through Christmas, J.D. was hospitalized, starting in critical condition, and working his way through Critical Care to ICU, to Internal Medicine. Finally being released with a feeding tube (because he refused to eat for the vets the entire time) just before New Years. $4K something was the total and not bad for all that care, tests, IVs (in every leg), round the clock care, transfusions, daily bath?, and finally going home with a feeding tube. If he were a human, it would have been 100 times that amount! (that's how I saw it anyway). They let me visit him every day, although, they could not get it into their heads
, that when they called and said I could come visit him
now, that it was over a 1 hour drive in the snow, to get there, or if they made a follow up appointment at 9:00am, that it would take me 2 hours to get there in commute traffic.. I'm so grateful, J.D. made it through. I am so grateful to them. Red Bank, is also a great hospital, I just thought they were further away during commute traffic (going east towards New York City). Red Bank has a couple of satelite hospitals, but their big hospital (is impressive and) is in Tinton Falls.
When J.D. was 18, I felt he needed a dental (and my regular vet kept saying "No" because of his age (and because he had diabetes, I guess), and I took him to the big Red Bank hospital (of my own accord) in a carrier, and he had a major abccess of his canine tooth which needed to be removed). In advance, I had made an appointment with the cardiologist first (to make sure he was okay for surgery), an appointment with the dedicated anesthesiaolgist second (to make sure they were on board with his health issues), and with the Veterinary Dental Specialist (
Dr. James Anthony who comes there from Canada periodically) third to go over everything. When J.D. was at Red Bank for his dental, I felt so at ease, because of the competency I felt of the vets there.
