VCA Central Animal Hospital

If I could give more stars I would! After multiple vet offices told me they didn't feel confident enough to do a surgery my dog needed immediately, Dr Bryden, Sabel, and the overnight staff there took Kenai in and assured me they could get it done! I was given a complete detailed list of everything to be done, they worked with me financially, walked me through the surgical plan and called me immediately with any findings during his exams. I have never felt so confident and pleased with a vet office in my entire life, they really did treat my dog Kenai like their own family.
The morning shift gave me a complete breakdown of what was done, suggestions for his recovery and treated us amazing as well! I am so pleased im switching to this hospital as his main veterinarian office. I can't thank this entire staff, Dr Bryden and Sabel enough for their caring, professional attitude and great work they did. Best veterinarian office and emergency hospital around!

Money hungry. Dog was dying and the first phone call was basically how much they want to charge my credit card not how my dog was. They wanted to charge $3,000-$4,000 for surgery before he was even stable. I declined and my dog was dead a few hours later. Still they charged me over $1,000. If my other dog needs emergency care I’ll never go to this place.

I called them first because we had a good past experience.a bit disappointed that they told me my cat who has been vomitting bile for theee days and is very lathargic was not sick enough to be seen or evaluated.we did find another clinic willing to see him.

Out of all the emergency hospitals I have visited because of my dog’s sudden health situation, this has been my favorite. Over the phone, the staff was very patient and allowed me to tell them all of the details regarding my dog’s situation. They allowed me to bring her in immediately and were incredibly kind. The prices were higher than they originally estimated but at that point I didn’t care because they were the only place that were able to successfully help my dog.
I brought my dog in for a vaginal mass removal and they treated her with so much care. They had to have her at the hospital for a while but they would make sure to call me to tell me she’s doing great. The vet that treated her was Dr. Ho. But the best staff member there was a younger man with glasses and short hair. I didn’t get his name but he was incredibly kind, caring, patient and informative. He was the one who gave me back my pet at the end of the day with her medicines and invoice papers. I wanted to cry with how pleased I was with their patience, helpfulness, and care. Thank you.

Initially I was skeptical after seeing the reviews for this place but my primary vet referred me after my sick pup had diarrhea/ vomiting concerns. We checked in at 4 and they followed up quickly after with some questions. However, after waiting an hour In my car in 99 degree heat with no follow up I called to see if they could at least check in my dog because he was dehydrated due to the diarrhea. My pup was becoming agitated and I could tell he needed to use the restroom (the nurse before had told me to call back if he appeared agitated so they could get him inside). I speak to Megan and when I try to explain to her what the previous nurse suggested she rudely interrupts me and tells me their is a 20 minute wait and there’s nothing she could do about it. Her attitude was uncalled for and it resulted in us leaving without treatment. Luckily I found another hospital that was helpful and friendly.

My husband brought my dog Lexi in on Sunday because she had been lethargic. We got blood work done to find out if it was something systematic. I then took her in Monday night because she had gotten worse. We got the lab results and got bad news. Based on the disease and her state, my husband and i had to make a difficult decision to put our beloved Lexi to sleep. Dr Jonathan Ho was extremely compassionate and explained everything thoroughly. I feel like he really cared about our dog and was sympathetic. He made us feel like we made the right choice. We got to stay as long as we needed with her. Dr Jonathan Ho and the assistant Melissa were very nice and sweet to my Lexi. They made me feel like she mattered. Thank you for your compassion and for making us feel comfortable in such a difficult situation.

My 8 year old dog Thunder Bolt just got home from one night of being hospitalized here for sudden onset of Grand Mal Seizures. The care he received was so good. I felt like every one of the people working here cared about my furry little guy. Dr. Cristina Christianson is absolutely amazing! His nursing staff to the receptionist's, every one of them was awesome. The communication about my dogs status was exceptional. I called several times and every time was treated with courtesy. I'm so very happy with them and definitely trust Dr. Christianson with the best interest of my dog. Thank you Dr. Christianson and Staff.
** Only downside is Lab prices are pretty high so be prepared.

I Went here to put my kitten down, after a very hard decision to put her down for her rather than keep her alive for me, VCA Not only was kind to me but they treated my kitten like she mattered.

They went above and beyond what they needed to do going out of their way to make things easier. I got her ashes back today and even bringing me the ashes she held them carefully and thoughtfully. I will never go anywhere else when I bring another animal into my home.

Thank you VCA for making the hard experience feel personal.

On August 31 my wife and I took our terrier mixed Charlie to Central Animal Hospital. We knew Charlie was in his final days though, of course, we hoped for more days together. We took Charlie in at about9 PM. The personnel walked with us and looked closely at Charlie. After looking at the options, Joy and I decided that it was time to put Charlie to sleep. We were given time to be with him, we were explained the procedure, we paid the reasonable price. We were present with this dog we had loved for 14 years; Present with him as he breathed his last. We are grateful for the personnel at CAH.

Sadie is three weeks out of her knee surgery and is right on recovery schedule. Dr Beeley did a super job and Dr Kessler has an incredible demeanor with animals. Can't really compare with prices as our usual is shots and other routine things with our cats and dog. The facility is spotless and we had positive responses and attitudes from every staff member we encountered.

This place and some of the staff is horrible! It is over priced and they run it like a human hospital. They killed my kitten Billy. I told them to control his diarrhea so his body temp and hypoglycemia would stabilize they didnt. They didnt do much for his sister either and she was in worse shape. I took her to a couple other vets and now she is thriving and playing.

I took my lab to vca on May 17 th
They ran tests and couldn’t figure out what was wrong with her they thought it might be a bee sting and wanted to keep her over night.
Put her on an IV and see how she was in the morning. The following morning they contacted me and said she was doing better But wanted to keep the IV in her throughout the afternoon and asked me to pick her up by 6 PM
Throughout the day they contacted me three times about payment I told them I would pay them when I got to the hospital to pick her up. They stated she was doing well so I had no concerns. My dog did not bark or make any noises for the last two years not even a little weep. When I picked her up they were rolling her out on a cart and she was screaming bloody murder howling and was in a lot of pain
I said what the hell is wrong with my dog their response was she’s just happy to see you.
My dog was in a lot of pain and I asked them to roll her back inside and I wanted to see the doctor immediately. The doctor on duty was Mr. Johnson that evening
Dr. Johnson stated that she was vocal all day my response was you mean she’s been in pain all day like this he said no she has been like this all day just take her home and see how she does. I repeatedly told Dr. Johnson that my dog hasn’t made any noises not a bark nothing in two years she was very loud vocally crying and howling. She was obviously in a lot of pain.
Dr. Johnson repeatedly told me she’s happy to see you just take her home and see how she does I was in total shock that Dr. Johnson wanted me to take her home who was in a lot of pain. For 2 1/2 hours I told Dr. Johnson to put my dog down and he kept on repeating take her home and see how she’s does overnight.
After 2 1/2 hours he finally put my dog down it was the worst nightmare any dog owner could go through knowing that Dr. Johnson and his staff knowingly knew all day long my dog was suffering she was in distress and a lot of pain.
Not one time when they called three times during the day did they tell me my dog was in pain they said she was doing well.
VCA and Dr. Johnson are the most inhumane caretakers of animals I have ever seen. If you care about your animal go anywhere except to VCA. I called David the office manager and he contacted Dr. Patel Who did her independent investigation and Dr. Johnson told dr Patel that my dog was NOT vocal that day and was not in pain. Dr. Patel spoke to workers in the office that day and they all stated that my dog was very very vocal all day long. VCA hospitals have a very high turnaround rate with employees and doctors. My total bill was over $2000 they made three mistakes on my bill and credited me about $200. In the end because of the negligence of Dr. Johnson I got credited $1000
If they were not at fault why give me half my money back.

. Please please please do not respond back to this and see how you’re sorry about what happened to my dog
You REVIEWS speak for themselves and you people should be ashamed and disgusted with yourselves shame on you Dr. Johnson and shame on the staff at VCA

Took my cat in twice specifically saying he was having incontinence issues and wasnt pooping. Dr crystal lauw tells me well he's old and it may just be cancer (without formal workup mind you) because he's lost weight even though on the xray it clearly showed large amounts of stool (I'm a nurse practitioner I can read the xray even though it's a cat and I know if u cant poop u wont eat). Basically told me to think about putting him down. Did nothing about the stool but charged me a hell of a lot of money for doing nothing but happily wrote for a controlled substance to dope up my cat which would further worsen his constipation. Even if he did have cancer at least give him a laxative for comfort but after taking him to banfield (paid half the price) they diagnosed him with constipation gave him a laxative and guess what he's pooping and eating and putting weight on again. I was in tears at the idea of putting my 13 year old cat down but my gut told me her diagnosis was completely off base because she didn't even treat the obvious issue. Im hoping her incompetence as a clinician is merely due to lack of experience because she had severe tunnel vision with his diagnosis. Remember doc since u are fairly young.when you hear hoofs think horses before zebras!

Never in a million years did I ever think I had to rush to an ER for my dog Cooper. But unfortunately it happened on Sunday night when my fur child went into shock and collapsed on the ground, full limp mode, not even moving. As soon as we came through those doors, we were immediately helped. Every single person took care of him and looked after him as if he were their own child. They saved our dogs life and they did it out of love. Even during this traumatizing experience, they made us feel safe and welcome and I knew we could count on them. They made us feel like their family and no offense, you don’t always get that. Even when taking your dog for a quick check up. I cannot thank this team enough for doing what they did and if anyone has an emergency with their beloved pet, I cannot recommend VCA enough as they are highly professional and incredibly knowledgeable. To the entire staff that assisted with Cooper and my girlfriend and I’s rollercoaster of emotions, we want you to know how appreciative we are in everything that you did. A million thank you’s to each and every one of you.

Here is my experience/knowledge that I will share with this E-Clinic. I should also mention that I don't really care for a reply from the owner as it will not remedy my concern. We went in yesterday for a 4: 45pm emergency exam as our dog was in Dystocia (unable to birth puppies due to Uterine Inertia). May I also disclose I have a previous knowledge of Animal Sciences as I used to work prior in the medicine field. Upon entering I explained my concerns about e-clinics typically get students fresh out of school to finished their residency (as I know this is normal practice for some clinics) and the tech then explained the on duty DVM has been in medicine for several years and was experienced. Upon physical exam from the vet a tech had called us back to explain certain treatment/diagnostic plans. We went through the estimate and I notice a service that I felt was not conducive to my situation and had it removed off the estimate. After initial radiographs were presented the vet finally made her appearance to discuss our situation. She stated she would only perform a c-section w/spay and I told her I understand you may not be comfortable doing a c-section without a spay but this particular dog was co-owned for show and spay was NOT an option. I stated it is my understanding most vets opt for a spay during c-section as that procedure is easier for the vet with less complications but this is not needed as our dog was a younger animal with no known medical ailments. I then asked the vet how long she had been in the meidcal field (Dr. Cristal Lauw DVM) and she said several years. Upon further review on her LinkedIn account she graduated Davis in 2017. So technically she is still very "green" in my opinion. But wait, it gets better. I then asked how many c-sections have you performed and I believe at first she said a few. My next question was, well how many c-sections have you performed without the guidance of another Veterinarian/instructor - her reply was "This would be my first c-section". At that time I nearly got sick. I said okay go ahead and draw up an estimate and I will go outside and make some calls. At this point I called Grand Terrace Emergency Vet as this had been my trusted e-clinic for many years but due to the urgency we rushed to the closer vet. I was told over the phone c-sections can be typically around $1500 give or take unknown variables/possible complications (which I am fully aware of). So Dr. Lauw had her tech return which an absurd estimate of $3800-$4800! I, at that point said give me my dog back that we will go elsewhere. The technicians at the front desk were polite and got all my records together as we prepared to head elsewhere. So in short, I will tell anyone who visits this e-clinic or any e-clinic to make sure to ask about the on duty vet's qualifications and experience. I will never return here due to the fact that there was not a supervising vet on staff. My dog WAS NOT going to be her experimental c-section, which could have ultimately cost me the mother and her babies if over- anesthetized. Please don't be afraid to ask these questions when it comes to your animals health. Just because you may not have an understanding of the animal medical industry does not mean you have to accept their treatment plans or recommendations. Please consider a more experienced facility or make sure the overseeing vet has been established for some time. I may also add, our dog started birthing in our car on the way to the other e-clinic and we ended up making it back home and delivering the babies naturally and all are healthy!

So far this is second visit and both experience were good. Dr attended to my pet's needs satisfactorily.

I would highly recommend you don't visit this place for a REPTILE. Walked in a couple of days ago with a sick bearded dragon, and got charged $80 for a vet to tell me he thinks its just an upset stomach and to wait it out. He gave me his card to "contact" him if anything else happens. The contact was for VCA so obviously only relevant if he's working. Few days later my lizard is now dead. Thanks for your tremendous work!

I took my cat in because I didn’t know what was wrong with her. Dr. Jennifer Godfrey examines her and sent me home saying she might have a parasite and that her breathing wasn’t normal because she was anxious. I go home and her breathing gets worse. And her fever gets worse. I go back. Another vet looks at her saying that she might have swallowed a bug that she was allergic to. Even after blood work and examining her X-RAYS she had to send the Xrays to radiology because she didn’t know how to read them. Telling us she has been there for 2 years and still can’t read XRays? What kind of people are they hiring there? When the results came back it turns out that she had 3 BROKEN RIBS and she was suffering trauma from an ingury. Then after she spent the night there another vet found a puncture wound on her left side. My cat suffered a bite from a dog they believe. But it took 3 “vets” to figure that out. They don’t look at your animal they just assume what’s wrong with them. They don’t take care of them. The doctors there don’t know much so why are they even there? Never going here Again. Waste of time and money.

Please never take your pets to ANY vca if you love them. They are the 99¢ store of pet hospitals. Not only are they horribly over priced, but they also do not care. It's all about how they can take advantage of people & rip them off in their time of need. I WILL NEVER TAKE MY PETS HERE AGAIN. Vca pet hospitals have poor ratings for a reason. They don't tell you how much you're actually paying until you're at the front desk & you're about to have a procedure done. I get it's a business and you have to make a living, but the way they run this facility is very underhanded & they make a killing off scared & desperate people who love their pets. The assistant I dealt with was extraordinarily rude & treated me as if I had murdered her entire family in front her. She was very disrespectful & judgmental. The vet was at least kind & understanding of the situation, so I'm grateful for that, but I won't ever be back, not even in the worst of circumstances.

If I could give ZERO star I would Earlier tonight I made to make the horrible decision to put a cat to sleep he’s been battling leukemia and been hospitalized recently I noticed earlier in day it was his time and I thought he would go peacefully yet he needed help, he was starting to have heavy breathing and struggling so I rushed to this ER and I called ahead to speak to Jennifer to inform her of my emergency. I explained to her I’m in cat rescue I know about I v and sedation I requested a simple euthanasia due to the fact that cat was stressed and to take in back try a I v on a cat who is clearly dying wasn’t what I wanted. She, Jennifer took my car from me and began to leave as I told her that I’m sorry but I do t want my cat to die alone in back, since I was clearly loosing him at that Point. He was very unresponsive. To put a needle in directly would’ve been less invasive and quicker and this kitty could’ve crossed over the rainbow bridge peacefully instead Jennifer tried to control everything and got mad took my dying cat later him on the table roughly left then came back minutes later and said doctor would be in I explained to her this was Dire kitty would die in minutes. Infact doctor never canne I sat there with my now dead cat who had no help from your doctors or staff to pass peacefully with help of euthanasia, I sat there for ten min doctor never arrived and I took my cat and walked out the door was locked and a young darker shorter nice lady opened it.
You lost business from me and I will also tell my rescue friends.