VCA California Veterinary Specialists

This place saved my Dog's life and provided a lot of compassion and 24/7 call in support with NO sign of frustration (I called in A LOT).

I got my wife a puppy for Christmas, unfortunatelythe person we got her from failed to inform us that she had Parvo Virus (kills 90% of small pups diagnosed) the people at this clinic were honest with us about her chances and didn't apply any pressure to put her through the expensive treatment at all (the treatment raised the chance of survival to about 50-70%) because they could tell the cost was pretty high for my wife and I.

Did the right thing and gave the pup her best chance at survival, despite the cost.

They saved her and everyone there was extremely affectionate and kind spirited throughout the gut wrenching 3 day experience.

RED FLAG, Policy banning autopsies, must be approved by vet, which will never happen hence the policy. Vet is not confident in abilities to provide the best treatment.

We have been so blessed to have found CVS. Dr. Proulx and his amazing staff.
We highly recommend this place for anyone having to experience Cancer.for your pet. We also love the Specialist side. Dr. Polansky and his crew have been very helpful with our Quincy.and her liver issues. Thank you CVS.

CVS treated my 14 year old lab twice for a tumor in her chest with some radiation to shrink the tumor, once at 14 years, and again about a year and a half later. She lived to a ripe and happy old age of nearly 17. I could not imagine that anyone could have provided better care for her. We also took our 1 year old mastiff/lab mix to CVS when he had a migrating foreign body (foxtail) that had made its way all the way up into his forehead and had to have surgery to remove it and drain the infection. Again, could not imagine anyone providing better care. I would trust CVS with any of our family pets - especially for specialized care, and could not be more appreciative of what they have done for our family.

How can I rate a place that saved Sophia’s life? They are beyond stars—my sick girl barely walked in and three days later is snoring on my lap again. I am so grateful for Dr. Tse who deftly assessed her infection and acted quickly. Sophia was dying. I admire and respect the entire staff who bravely tended to not just Sophia but also me (wrecked and vulnerable). Dr. Tse’s middle-of-the-night calm strength is sublime—I thank you with the intensity of 1,000 stars!

VCA California Veterinary Specialists is a facility to which I brought my 13 year old cavalier King Charles. After my local vet was unable to diagnose her problem the Specialists were able to quickly diagnose her with a very uncommon condition. They frequently communicated with me regarding their progress and whether or not I wanted to continue testing. The most impressive asset of this facility was the staff’s kindness and compassion which was real. My dog was put to sleep in a quiet room with low light and furniture not exam table. I am very grateful that they made a painful situation a lot less of a bad memory.

Dr. Polansky is responsible for the death of Henri the Frenchie, among several other pet deaths. Do NOT come here if you love your pet. Terrible terrible, needs to be shut down!

We have been going to Calif Vet Specialists for years and have been very pleased with the care they have provided all of our animals. Our newly rescued Lhasa Apso needed Cataract Surgery and the team at CVS was outstanding. Super responsive whenever we call and always informative when we have questions. I highly recommend CVS to anyone who loves their animals and wants the best treatment possible for them.

What a group of poor professionals, anyone who works here should be ashamed of what goes on behind the scenes here. Dogs die and no one cares, poor protocols in place to protect the staff, nothing in place to protect the animals. DONT TRUST THIS FACILITY

Bad practices here and lies. A French bulldog, named Henri died there August 2,2018. The Vet stated to the owners that he had died of a stroke. Once the autopsy/necropsy that showed the real cause of Henri death was a feeding tube that had been stuck through his lung. The vet had told his owners no feeding tube had been used. Now the vet has changed their policy to not allow necropsies/autopsy on pets who die in their hospital with out the prior approval of their medical director.becarefull with this place bad business

Dr Proulx saved my dog. She has lived happily for21 months with hemangiosarcoma. Thank you!

Also Dr Sean Collins has prevented my dog Maggie’s pannus from progressing.

Love you guys ️

The only reason why this hospital/company has a 4.4 star-rating is because they have been clearly advising their customers or people that they know, to write positive reviews for them. The reason they have done this, is because this hospital has been under a lot of fire after the death of a french-bulldog, that goes by the name of Henri. I would advise anyone willing to go to this hospital to please do some research about what happened to the dog Henri, the Frenchie. There is very credible and strong evidence of what happened; during a spinal-surgical procedure, Dr. Polansky incorrectly placed a feeding tube into Henri, puncturing his lungs, and causing almost instant death (this information was achieved from the autopsy). They have now made a new rule under their administration, that customers are no longer allowed to be given autopsy results. That should tell you everything you need to know.
This review is a modified version of another review, which hit the nail on the head. Henri died as a result of their negligence.

CVS gave my dog almost 3 additional years of life, that I didn’t think she’d have. I am forever grateful to Dr. Polansky, each nurse that saw my girl, and the receptionists that always had a great attitude.

I was warmly greeted by phone on a Sat by a receptionist. She encouraged me to bring my girl in that day. It wasn’t a long wait. I wldnt have cared. My dog needed help. She saw the vet on call that weekend, and I made a follow up appt.with Dr. Polansky. He’s their internist in Carlsbad.

My girl was stable when we left, and Dr. Polansky put together a “plan” for her, on our visit with him. She saw him every 3 months for blood work. He always called me the next day regarding her results. He took time to answer any and all questions, and made sure I knew I could call him if needed.

She passed away almost 5 months ago. They sent a sweet condolence card, signed by her DR, nurses, and even receptionists, she had come to know. I’m very grateful to them.

My French Bulldog, Henri, died at California Veterinary Specialists on August 2nd. I had just visited him 2 hours prior and been told by his vet, Dr. Benjamin Polansky, that he was going to be fine. I was called back to the vet and told that Henri had apparently had a stroke and stopped breathing on his own. I later decided to get a necropsy and learned that I had been lied to - Henri had died because the vet had stuck a feeding tube through his lung, puncturing his lung, and that no procedure had been performed to release the pressure and save him from having his lungs and heart collapse. There was even a x-ray showing the misplaced tube. The vet told me they had never done a feeding tube. After I posted this information on my dog's Instagram account, I had people reach out to me saying that this vet has a history of making fatal mistakes and lying about them and making others lie as well. And I got a copy of an inside email sharing this vet's new necropsy policy, which they changed after I learned that I was lied to about why Henri actually died. Now no one whose pet dies at California Veterinary Specialty is allowed to have a necropsy/autopsy without the hospitals medical director saying it's ok first. (I have attached the email below.) I have heard so many horrible things about this vet and this hospital. I wish I could go back in time and save my baby. He was the sweetest soul I have ever known and my heart is broken. Please, please, please do not bring your pets to CVS.

CVS is top notch specialty care for your dog. Dr Greg Ogilvie, one of the Oncologists, is a world reknowned cancer specialist who is the most caring and clinical vet I have ever met. Unfortunately we had a golden retriever with a very aggressive form of melanoma. He walked us through the process with so much care and love he treated the whole family with his compassion. We are grateful he is was there for us all. All the IM docs and surgeons are equally amazing as well as Dr Proulx the other Oncologist. I pray we don’t every need them, but they are there when emergencies or specialty level care is needed.

I love this place you can get in and get out any time of day or night and it actually ends up being less expensive than my visits have been with my regular veterinarian

Incredible, wonderful, outstanding!
Thank you Dr. Osten.
I had been to my local vet three times in two days. My new Dam of two day old puppies was acting labored and stressed.
She had a large amount of discharge after 9 PM at night.
They were able to stabilize her with fluids and antibiotics. She was able to make it to the wee hours of the morning where she could be spayed immediately. She is spayed and recovering well. Her babies are doing great. We are beyond grateful to the team at the desk I wish I knew all the names individually and Dr. Ostens wisdom.
Coffee and a Disney movie helped. We are eternally grateful for our Barbie doll.
Thank you Alexis Bailey

Pushed a feeding tube thru a dogs lung and the dog died. Then they told the owners that the dog had a stroke and died. Very sad and very bad business ethics

My little girl Macie loves this place and so does her mommy. What a excellent staff super nice.
Felt so comfortable from the time we walked in the door. A true love for our four-legged Family members. Thanks ️Macie

If I could leave no stars I would, they don't even deserve 1 star. They are a corporate company looking at meeting their quotas at the expense of your pets suffering and making as much money as they can. I will be updating.

This so called hospital wouldn't even look at our dog after a Cayote attack until we gave the $500. They didn't offer CT scan or ultra sound to analyze the severity of his injuries.

They did exploratory surgery 6 hrs after his attack, meanwhile our pet is bleeding internally.

After surgery they told us that the kidneys and the pancreas were punctured, with no emphasis been put on the pancreas.

Next day they were concerned about his kidneys not putting out the same fluids that he was receiving through the inserted tubes.

They suggested further surgery to fix the punctured kidney. When we told them we had no more money after spending $7,000, they suggested could we ask family members to raise the money. When we said no it's not possible, their attitude became uncaring and and telling us there was no hope.

Shortly after our dog went into cardiac arrest and passed away. It was only after we reviewed his chart that we discovered, that additional surgery would have not have saved his life, as his pancreas was severed into several parts.

They kept our pet alive, knowing there was no hope.if you love your pets, stay well clear of this money profiting corporate organization.