Hawthorne Animal Hospital, Ltd - Glen Carbon, Illinois

Sarah Nelson

I had to bring my 4 year old baby Kade here for an emergency the other night, I knew the price would be super high as most emergency vets are like this. My cat was born with a kidney disease and we didn't think this would happen so soon, he had started to vomit all day the other day and would not eat or drink or use the bathroom for two days straight. Saturday night he got up to walk and he was falling over. We rushed him to Hawthorne and they told us that he had a urethral plug and his bladder was so full it made his kidneys worse. We kept him there for two days hoping something would change but it only got worse. I know they did everything they could for him. Unfortunately he started to go into kidney failure... I didn't want to bring him home for him to be in pain and suffer, so we chose the euthanasia option.
The staff there were so kind and caring to us and gave us as much time as we needed with our baby to say goodbye, of course I would never be ready to let him go I had to because I couldn't stay there forever with him..
Thank you to the staff for being kind and caring to us during this difficult time, I know you did what you could for my baby.

Ewick Malmer

This is the WORST place to take your animal to in the event of an emergency.

They didn't initiate blood work on my dog, they also made me call ASPCA poison control which cost me an additional $95.00. The phone call was because we gave them a hypothetical scenario that my animal ate salt melt.

Additionally, their baseline blood work machine apparently had an issue so the veterinarian didn't trust it so he said we should do additional blood work. Oh, by the way that costs an additional $200...

So I paid $295.00 for blood.

In an Animal ER you would think blood work, and baseline vitals would be first thing during the veterinarians emergency investigation. There's no standard operating procedures (SOP) or protocol.
During my phone call with ASPCA poison control I asked how do they conduct their research, Google? He replied yes.

I had already googled treatment for my animal if poisoned was the culprit.

At least they gave me a seizure reverse nasal spray.

Most unprofessional medical staff I've ever encountered.

Go somewhere else or wait until the next day to take to your normal veterinarian.

I wouldn't even provide one star.

Ashlea Smith

Unfortunately, I had to bring in our pup for an emergency visit as his condition was declining. Thankfully I called and they were able to get us in. When we got there everyone was so kind and caring and we got back to a room quickly. But a big thank you to Dr. Spaur for being so compassionate with Griffey and being supportive and honest about his condition and the outcome we were facing, as well as the options we had. While sadly we had to leave without him, we were provided the time with him to say goodbye and a plaster paw print. Even with it being one of the worst days for our boy and our family, the staff was so wonderful and informative while being compassionate and caring. We can’t thank you enough.

Scott Smith

The staff was genuinely positive in demeanor and presented an atmosphere of warmth and caring for both pet and owners. Dr. Breashears was friendly and clear about the options for care of my large dog and gave an honest and informative opinion on what my dog needed in our situation. It was nice to know our options and all the details about each.
I'm grateful to have a top notch emergency veterinarian clinic so close to home.

Dakota

I truly appreciate everyone who helped us when we brought in our sweet boy. I will never forget their kindness and compassion. I prayed desperately for a different outcome, but there was nothing we could do. It was his time to go. My little Apollo passed on peacefully with us right by his side, and I felt his love through it all.

When I opened the clay mold of his paw print and saw the Rainbow Bridge poem, oh, the tears wouldn’t stop flowing, but still it managed to bring a smile to my face. Such a beautiful gesture that I will always hold close to my heart. Thank you.

Rosemary Ringer

Wednesday afternoon (7.24.24) "Fluffy" (our tiny kitten) became unwell, and my regular vet was just closing. We decided to spend the money and take this tiny animal to Hawthorne Animal Hospital, Ltd in Glen Carbon.

My husband and I arrived about 6:45 and by 7:00 pm, we were back in a room.

A few minutes later, a veterinarian arrived and made several suggestions for Fluffy's health and care. One of her recommendations was IV fluids.

The veterinarian disappeared about 7:15 or so and said she'd be back in a few minutes.

Now, my husband and I are past retirement age, and after about an hour of sitting in those hard benches, our backs started aching. A second hour passed, and our kitten was perking up and started trying to get into the cat treats next to the exam table.

At 9:30 pm (after more than two hours of waiting), we grabbed our kittens (we had brought "Mittens" with us so she wouldn't be home alone) and went out to the receptionist's desk. We explained that we had a regular vet appointment in a few hours (at 7:00 am) and that we'd wait for that appointment.

Note - in this time - no one told us what was going on. We were left alone in that small room for more than two hours. Someone should have stuck their head in the door and told us something.

On our way out, we offered to pay then and there but the receptionist said, "We'll send you a bill."

It was all very cordial.

On 7.25.24, we drove back out to Hawthorne to pay the bill. We also picked up Fluffy's medical records from the night before for Fluffy.

Here's the rub: In big bold letters on the paperwork it said, "Client took their cat and left without paying or letting us know they were leaving."

I wish that Hawthorne would review their security footage and they would see that we talked to the receptionist and told her exactly what was going on.

Now there may be a day that we need emergent vet care again and I would like to return to Hawthorne one day, but this comment on the paperwork is so damning and so unjust. The bill was paid in full less than 24 hours after initial exam.

Lastly, the bill was $653. When paying the bill, I told the billing clerk that I had no problem with paying the $375 emergency clinic fee but that no treatment was given. I was told that tests were done and that I was paying for the tests. And yet, the medical records don't have any information on the tests themselves.

All in all, it was an unfortunate experience.

And the biggest red flag for me was being accused of "leaving without paying the bill." That's just so unprofessional.

I hope and pray that Hawthorne gets these problems resolved. We love our two kittens but the people in this story (the two-legged creatures that pay the bill) deserve better treatment and a modicum of courtesy.

Sabrina mathenia

All the vets and vet nurses at this clinic are awesome. We have had a total of 10 animals dogs and cats come to this clinic for array of different things. We even had them come to the house for an at home euthanasia for a beloved dog of ours that had spleen cancer. All of our many experiences/visits with this clinic have been and are well worth it!
They really are good at figuring out what is best for your animal. They take the time to listen to your concerns and explain their findings and recommendations. They are also very compassionate. I would highly recommend them and will always bring my babies to Hawthorne Animal Hospital. Also, the staff that answers the phone are also very knowledgeable, compassionate, and awesome at answering questions.

Lauren Price

We had to take our puppy in at 12 am the other day and the staff was absolutely fantastic. The vet (Dr Troy Probst) explained our sweet boys conditions and options very well. Having compassion isn't necessary but he was so kind and reassuring that our puppy would be okay.

The tech that took our puppy back to the vet was so nice and it made me feel so much more comfortable having to l3ave him over night for the surgery. They even let me and my husband give our sweet boy love before we had to leave.

Emergency visits will be expensive, we knew that going in but it was far less than what we were expecting (still expensive but not AS expensive) and the vet walked us through "elective" procedures during our puppy's surgery and what he felt was needed and what he felt comfortable to do without.

When we picked up our puppy later on in the day, the tech (different from the night/early morning prior) was also great! She walked us through what our puppy needed for after care with a lot of clarity. I asked some of the same questions a few times just to make sure I understood correctly and she didn't make me feel incompetent for doing so.

My husband and I are very much considering transferring to here for our primary vet! It's about a 30 minute drive from us but we feel like it's definitely worth it after our amazing experiences.