VCA Animal HospitalsReviews of vcahospitals.com

I have been a client of VCA San Diego for over a decade, back when it was at the Hotel Circle location. That VCA was an outstanding hospital with a staff that genuinely cared. I trusted it with the most critical moments of my animals' lives. That hospital no longer exists. VCA moved to a shiny new building on Mission Valley Road. The facility looks great. The care inside has gone in the opposite direction. The staff that made this place trustworthy is largely gone, and what replaced them failed my dog when it mattered most. My dog Herb was admitted on March 11 as a direct referral: liver disease, a platelet count of 7,000 (normal is 140,000+), and a swollen hind leg. He walked in on all four legs, was eating, and was alert. Two days later, he was discharged for at-home euthanasia with new internal bleeding, a painful abdomen, and a body that was shutting down. He entered your hospital with a fighting chance. He left dying. The ER and Internal Medicine departments (Dr. Daniel Cahn) operated like they were in different buildings. The ER doctor had Herb's full records Wednesday night and discussed them with me. By Thursday morning, Dr. Cahn told us repeatedly he didn't have access to those same records. In the same facility. Critical hours were wasted while my dog declined. Every question we asked was met with "I don't know." Not "I don't know yet, here's what I'm going to do." Just "I don't know." Multiple doctors brought up tick-borne disease as a possibility despite a comprehensive negative panel completed a month earlier that was in his chart. It felt like no one had actually read his file, and recycling an already-eliminated diagnosis was a substitute for having a plan. Herb's primary care vet at Kensington Veterinary Hospital had successfully treated the same liver condition three months earlier. They knew what worked. Dr. Cahn never called them. The vet who saved Herb's life was a phone call away, and the internist managing his case couldn't be bothered to pick up the phone. We prepared six individual meals for Herb's stay. His specialized diet was documented at intake. The Internal Medicine team fed him processed kibble and canned tuna in front of us, then noted he had loose stool. We did their job for them, packed and delivered his meals, and they couldn't be bothered to open the container. If they got that wrong while we were watching, what happened when we weren't there? On our last visit before discharge, Herb was brought to us with dried, caked vomit on the gauze wrapping his IV catheter and dried feces on the catheter line. He smelled of vomit. This is a dog with critically low platelets and an IV going directly into his bloodstream. When I raised this with the tech, he said: "We are really slammed today" and "We are only able to deal with what is in front of us." The vomit was in front of him. On his patient. When we picked Herb up that evening for his final trip home, they said they'd bathed him. He still smelled of vomit. That was the last thing VCA did for our dog. New building, same logo, none of the substance. The care is apathetic and transactional. This is not only my account. VCA's regional medical director reviewed what happened and acknowledged failures in writing in four areas: records transfer, dietary compliance, catheter sanitation, and communication. VCA offered a partial refund. I declined it. This has never been about a refund. It is about accountability. The California Veterinary Medical Board has three cases under investigation. San Diego County Environmental Health has confirmed a separate open investigation. When VCA Hotel Circle earned its reputation years ago, pet owners in San Diego had fewer options for critical and emergency care. That is no longer the case. There are more and better options today, and one that stands out is VEG Emergency. Please, for the safety of your pet, do not bring them to VCA for internal medicine or emergency care. Your pet deserves a team that fights for them. VCA is not that team anymore. Full account at vcaexperience.com

I had a 4 month long severe flea infestation and brought my cat to be seen. I specifically asked if contact kill Advantage 2 might be better until the infestation was over, than bite to kill Revolution Plus, but the vets are trained to sell not listen. Suffice to say, the infestation kept going and my cat suffered needlessly until I thought for myself. Never again with a large corporate vet. They cost me thousands and my cat misery.

3/29/26 Terrible deadly experience. We brought our 4 year old Shitsu in with a bee sting. We got there approximately 10-11pm. They said it was a snake bite. Their main concern was getting a credit card to charge us $6-8000. They started an IV but said they could not draw blood because the veins were too small. We left the puppy there and called 2 hours later but they still had not drawn blood. When we got home another one of the dops got stung but we gave this one Benadryl and its fine now. All the vet had to do was LISTEN. We told the vet several times about bees in the yard but were told it was a snake bite. I guess they can't charge $6-8000 for a bee sting. The puppy died because they did nothing. Had the vet listened to us instead of worrying about the money our Shitsu would still be alive. We're interviewing lawyers because the vet needs to be held accountable. if you know any.

I took my Grandmother's cat in to a VCA vet in Redding,California and I should have never trusted them a second time. The first time they put me in a small room attached to their office and I sat there for over 6 hours and they were actually closed and were vacuuming and getting ready to go home and since the room I was in had a door to the outside I just left. The vet never came in at all. The nurse came in for maybe a minute max and just asked why I brought her in and told me the vet would be right in. After two hours I told them my friend whom I am a caretaker of and who has type 1 diabetes and was with me at the vet, needed to get back home for their insulin dose and was told the vet would be in right away, they never showed up. A week later the owner of the facility called my Grandmother apologizing and told her next time she brought her cat in that she'd be the first to be seen. That was a lie. I took her cat in again and was put in the same room after waiting to be called in from my vehicle after an hour and a half( this is after they told me to be there at a certain time and I was even 10 minutes early). The vet did come in this time and she checked the cat out for maybe 1-2 minutes then she told me I had a few options. She said if I wanted they could Clean her up and give her a dose of antibiotic which would cost $150 or we found could have a full blood panel done which would cost $500. I told her the $150 is all we could afford so she said ok someone will be in to get her in a little bit and left the room. About 45 minutes later a young girl comes in and takes the cat and says she'll bring her right back. Another 45-55 minutes until she brought her back. They gave me a receipt and a half Tube of ear drops and sent us on our way. I made the mistake of not checking the receipt before I left. They charged my credit card for $491 which was not what the vet had told me it would cost and I made very clear I could not afford more than $150. Then my Grandmother who is 89 years old saw the receipt and thought it was a bill she needed to pay so she wrote a check and sent it to them. So they got paid over $1,000 for doing nothing! They didn't even clean up the cat as they said they were going to do. Now I have to deal with arguing with them until they refund that money and if they don't I'll be taking this to my lawyer. I'm tired of dishonest people and they totally took advantage in this situation. I'm not at all happy and I'm warning everyone I know that this vet is one they don't want to deal with. There has to be a vet out there somewhere that is competent and honest who won't take as much money as they can from you but this vet is definitely not it.

If I could give 0 I totally would. STAY FAR AWAY FROM THIS PLACE if you care about your animal. They don't give two craps about our animals! All they want is their money and they don't tell you anything. Then they made me pay more money to get my pet back! It was robbery!!!!!!!!!!! Never experienced anything like it.

Left one vet due personality clash. Uniacke Lakes Animal Hospital Nova Scotia Nice and pleasant welcome. Convinced me to have tests and vaccinations done. On further inspection, vaccinations not due. Hounded me constantly after first visit by phone, email and text for upselling. If could give a negative number rating I would.

I would rate this place 0. They killed my cat. They didn’t help my sick kitty which ended up in his death I brought him a month after moving because his symptoms weren't getting better so I figured it was more than the move. I took him in the vet said he had a cat cold didn't clean him up by getting gunk off his eyes or nose sent is home with weak meds he went through two doses the initial and then a stronger dose. Still vet didn’t seem worried he used all second dose had an appointment the day he died. We called the vet to tell them he has passed and cancel the appointment and tell them they sucked and they called us a week later asking if he was going to come in and i also received an email saying “how can you tell my cats name loves you” like this have been extremely hard we don’t need to be more bothered by them. I saw a video of a vet cleaning out a sick cats wyes and nose which didn't tale place at my appointment. The bill was 371 for what then more for meds that didn't work and now a cremation. I jusy wish they did their job id still probably have my cat. DO NOT TAKE YOUR PETS HERE OF YOU WANT THEM TO LIVE!!! Because my cat was sick and lived in a house with my bunny my bunny also passed, i lost two animals in one day because this vets office and their lack of initiative to help my cat like how do you not even clean him. I’m crying watching a video if a vet caring for a sick kitty when this vets office did nothing.

I had my dog in VCA in Fishers,Indiana and i would think that $10,000 we would get some kind of results, instead we get lip service saying they want more bloodwork and another ultrasound . this is bullshit !!. This hospital is doing nothing but overcharging for everything . So yes, I'm not happy.