VCA SouthPaws Veterinary Specialists & Emergency Center
3.6 from 298 reviews
Address 8500 Arlington Blvd, Fairfax, VA 22031
Phone Number +17037529100
Description For over 20 years, the board-certified veterinarians of VCA SouthPaws Veterinary Specialists & Emergency Center 24/7 have been serving pet owners from the communities of Virginia, Maryland and Washington, DC. Founded in 1995 by three left handed doctors, VCA SouthPaws offers pet owners the peace of mind that some of the nation's top veterinarians are here addressing challenging health problems in pets. The years of advanced training required to become a "Specialist" help you rest assured that your best friend is in the best of hands.
Kyli Bechtold
I had to make an unexpected trip here earlier this week with my fur baby. The staff was unbelievably kind and compassionate. They were prompt, communicative, clear about what they observed, and upfront about the costs (yeah they were kinda high but it's emergency services so that should be anticipated). I ended up having to put my cat to sleep. The nurses enabled me to spend time with him privately, facilitated me paying through my phone so I didn't have to sob all over the front desk, and immediately connected me with a cremation service. If that wasn't enough, I got a handwritten sympathy note in the mail today from the doctor who treated him. I would hands down recommend this location.
Kennedy Horn
I am finally leaving a review after months of considering if I should or not because of bad karma. But I want people considering this place for their pets care to know about my experience. In short, our puppy was playing with our friendly golden who got zoomies and tramped on our puppies paw. She broke 4 bones in her paw — equivalent to the bones in a human hand. Our poor girl was seen right away, which was great. The next part was not so great. We went home to wait out the time and received a phone call that was quite destabilizing for only a bone break in the paw. The vets demeanor was ominous and prefaced the conversation with ‘is everyone in the room that needs to hear this right now…’ I said yes? Like can we cut to the chase. The vet then proceeded to go over a bunch of random things before saying so your dogs paw is broken, you can come pick her up. Imagine taking your child to the hospital for a perceived arm break and the doctor comes out into the waiting room and ominously alludes to something bad that happened while in their care. Anyway we pick up our puppy and the vet tech hands her over and says ‘keep her crate bound for 10 weeks. Limited to no mobility’. I was like how am I supposed to keep a puppy crate bound for 10 weeks when she isn’t fully potty trained and not socialized? Like are there other options or suggestions? The vet tech said I don’t know what else to tell you. You need to do this. I call the vet back an hour later and said I need to speak to a veterinarian about what the vet tech shared with me. I got a ring around trying to get an actual vet on the phone. She finally says ‘ah looking at the X-rays right now… seems like yeah there is a break… we could cast her if you want? That would be better. If you bring her back we’ll charge you for the casting but not a reassessment fee. I’m like at this point so fed up with the experience and misinformation that I relayed to them I would be going to my primary vet after the weekend to pursue additional treatment for our puppy. This was long winded but ultimately comes down to the lack of compassion, bed side manner, and quality care that is missing here.
Martha N. Marshall
It breaks my heart to reread my previous review from last May when my beagle, Belly, received her stage 4 lymphoma diagnosis here. The entire experience was incredibly traumatizing. The only vet that had an ounce of compassion was Dr. Lin Luong. She was kind, and understood our pain and shock having gone through something similar with her own pup. I cannot say this for Dr. Alyssa Przydrozny and the rest of the team here. Engaging with Dr. Przydrozny was like talking to a wall. No emotions, no kindness, just dry, bland words. It felt like she was reciting a memorized script. I’m not sure if maybe that’s her approach to working with patients but it was very unsettling and cold. She didn’t give Belly the time of day, didn’t want to pet her or anything… and this is the person I’m supposed to trust with my baby’s life? My last review goes more in depth, but for this, I want to share Belly’s story in the hopes that helps any pet parents navigating a recent cancer diagnosis. Keep in mind I’m not a vet and each diagnosis is different, this is just what worked for my baby. In May of 2023 when we received Belly’s diagnosis, Dr. Przydrozny gave my boyfriend and I three options: do nothing, which would only give her a couple weeks; put her on the steroid pill Prednisone to buy her a couple months; or weekly treatments of chemo for 5 months to give her 6-12 months of life but nothing would be guaranteed. One of the additional recommendations was to give Belly multiple heavy doses of Gabapentin everyday for pain even though she showed no signs of discomfort. Of course the instinct from these people was to pump her up with pills… This would’ve made her a zombie and perhaps would’ve shorten her life significantly. When we asked if there was anything else we could do, any holistic options or a diet change, Dr. Przydrozny said no with certainty. That nothing other than chemo could maybe give her substantial time back. We heard the usual “chemo is different for animals, it doesn’t impact them the same way. They can handle it.” However, there’s a lot of fine print that comes with the CHOP protocol, which was the recommendation. For example, it’s recommended that “people who are pregnant, nursing, or actively trying to conceive and children, should not handle their dog’s urine or feces for 48 to 72 hours after treatment.” Something about that didn’t feel right. For us, quality of life was top priority because with lymphoma, it’s not a matter of if, but when. We knew whichever direction we took, it was a gamble. After meeting with a few amazing holistic vets, we put Belly solely on Prednisone, Chinese herbs and homeopathy remedies. We also gave her CBD, and after some deep (and scary) research, we also immediately switched her food away from kibble to Farmer’s Dog. From there on, Belly became a marvel. Everyone who met her couldn’t believe she was on month 4, 5, 6, 7 following her diagnosis and still thriving. VCA South Paws was never aware of her progress either because nobody cared to follow up and we decided after her diagnosis to never bring her back to this dump. Belly did the impossible and proved everyone at VCA South Paws wrong: she made it to 12 MONTHS post cancer diagnosis without *any* chemo. She made it to her 7th birthday without weekly treatments and hit so many milestones along the way, making our wildest dreams come true and blessing us with another year of memories. After her year long battle, it was her time to go to Rainbow Bridge in May of 2024. My heart goes out to anyone reading this and looking for a lifeline. I wish I had a story like this to lean into during the early days of her diagnosis. Think positive thoughts and don’t give up, these vets and their fancy degrees are not the rule makers. There are no rules in life and shame on the vet system for making pet owners think these people are God. They do not call the shots. There is no money in healthy pets for these greedy corporations and ignorant vets. Fun fact: Mars, Inc. acquired VCA in 2017 for BILLIONS. Yes, the candy company. 🤔
Maylis Ramirez
I will NEVER bring my dog here ever again. I do not trust these people with my dog’s care. They lack compassion, don’t respond in a timely manner and just look at you as a dollar sign. They’ve been nothing but unprofessional and unpleasant to work with this entire process which has only caused more stress. Coming here was a huge mistake. They came up with over $900 in new/random charges 4 days before my dog’s surgery. I was “assure” her surgery would be within a certain range (email proof) and they refused to give me an estimate when I requested it 2 weeks ago. I was spoken very rudely on the phone multiple times when asked questions and for clarity before signing paperwork. My dog’s care is the most important, but these people were ridiculous. I decided to cancel and book elsewhere. Do yourself a favor and go to Columbia Pike Animal Hospital. I’ve always been treated with respect there and no hidden fees they try to squeeze out of you last minute. I genuinely feel like they care about my pets. When VCA sees this review and tries calling, don’t bother. I won’t be bribed to take down this HONEST review. I’ll never bring my dog back here so nothing you could have to offer would be worth answering a call. Just get better practices and train people better.
Astrid Gruenert
If you care about your pet at all, stay away. If you would prefer doctors that want to put your animal to sleep WITHOUT tests or a diagnosis, then go ahead. That’s what happened to us. Our cat was sick, weak, hard time breathing. We already had been at our vet and they ran blood tests that didn’t show what is wrong with her. Then our cat had fainted again, and we came here because they supposedly had an internal specialist 1. They did not have the internal specialist like they said they did 2. Even worst - the doctor just briefly looked at her, said her organs were enlarged and probably have to put her down. No other tests, she said “just experience” I guess she has no experience because she was wrong. We took our cat to a much better place where she is getting proper care and a real diagnosis based on evidence vs euthanasia based on a gut feeling. We got much better care at the Hope Center in Virginia and in the end found a specialist in friendship heights in DC based on the other vets referral. Oh yes, they didn’t even want to give us an referral to another place and tried to make us feel guilty for taking her somewhere else. I guess they had too much euthanasia meds in on hand and wanted to use it badly.
Annie Hammel
Dr. Hoch is the most incredible internist. She has been helping my pup for many years and we have been through many ups and downs. Today, my dog is in incredible shape. Dr. Hoch knows the science. She has a brilliant mind and is open to lots of questions. She is kind, compassionate, and funny and clearly loves our pets. She has kept my girl alive and, now, thriving. I'm so thankful we have her in our corner.
Business Hours
Monday:Open 24 HoursTuesday:Open 24 HoursWednesday:Open 24 HoursThursday:Open 24 HoursFriday:Open 24 HoursSaturday:Open 24 HoursSunday:Open 24 Hours
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible entrance
- Wheelchair accessible parking lot
- Wheelchair accessible restroom
Amenities
- Restroom
Planning
- Appointments recommended
Categories
Services
Latest Businesess
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