VCA Animal HospitalsReviews of vcahospitals.com

The animal hospital I go to - Garden State Animal hospital is among THE BEST in the land, but VCA is terrible. Especially their website. It literally takes 10,000 hours to check out on the website. TERRIBLE!!! Just go to literally ANYWHERE ELSE to buy because the website NEVER EVER works! Like never. I am done placing orders on their website because I have reported it so many times, and VCA just sits back, counts their $ and could absolutely care less about the experience their customers have on their website! Do yourself a favor - need an excellent vet, see Dr. Fisher at GSAH. Need to buy anything from their website, forget about it!

I was a breeder of Pembroke corgis and toy poodles. Vca came and made themselves a monopoly and then pulled the plug on service... 1st) complaint...female toy just gave birth and started getting sick. $400 for pymetria test...confirmed fluid in the uterus they sent her home with no antibiotics and she almost died $3000 spay....2nd complaint...female toy poodle over gestation period..has a history of this. Vet administered oxytocin at 2pm and sent her home where she stalled labor and left us looking for a surgeon for hours...2 puppies died. $3500 c section. 3rd complaint...male toy neutered came back bruised from his knees to the head of his penis...next day thinking he was in shock I called to get a follow up and they told me the couldn't (wouldn't) see him (big difference) so after all this and roughly 100 grand I've done with them in business they took payments on 6 care clubs then closed them and my whole account after taking payments for services they had no intention of providing....contacting a lawyer

Avoid this place if you love your pet. They are not professional. They upsell to run unnecessary tests. They do not provide the treatment your pet deserves and will charge you an arm and leg to get substandard care. They send me an appointment and when I arrive they tell me they don't set appointments. I understand that the waiting list can vary but they are unaccommodating to drop off or get a call to come back. The staff is rude if you ask any questions. I will never go back and find I need to warn others about this place. Even after I showed them the email they said they don't set appointments and said I was rude when I asked them to read the email to me if I misunderstood it. They wrapped his leg so tight from where they drew blood that his paw swelled up 300% normal size. They told me on a followup visit they should have removed that before he was sent home. It wasn't. They will not allow you to drop off a pet until someone talks to you. That can be over an hour and they ask 2 questions. Is he vomiting or has diarrhea then they will hold until they are ready. The staff apparently thinks they can treat their clients any way they want. Stay away!!!

My dog has been suffering from seizures. I called the clinic early in the morning to get him on anti-seizure medication until he could be seen by his neurologist. I called early in the morning and was assured by whoever answered the phone that it should be ready, no problem and that they would put a rush on this so a few hours go by I still haven’t heard anything so I give them a call. They tell me that he probably won’t get to it until after lunch but by then I should have it then it’s 330 and I have to call again and I’m told that oh there’s other people and other appointments and what not I was not told that in the morning, I was told that it would be handled very quickly and a very timely manner because my dog needed it for seizures. I called for the third time. Finally the doctor calls back and says that he is going to call it in. Come to find out an hour later. It still wasn’t called in. It is now 7 PM almost full 12 hours since I started this whole process and I still don’t have my dogs medication. It’s supposed to be ready by 7 PM. My frustration is that no one took this seriously enough. They took their time with it. They dropped the ball with it and then gave me some lame ass. Excuse of oh well we have other patients and other prescriptions when I was told that this would be done in a timely manner and it wasn’t. I do not recommend going to this clinic. They are extremely expensive and they really don’t give a shit about you or your Animal.

Since this vet was purchased by MARS, it will never be the same. They are not the vet office they used to be. Whenever you have a corporate takeover - all they care about is profits, and nothing else. I have to find a new vet now.

I’ve made the difficult decision to stop bringing my pets to VCA Encina Animal Hospital after years of increasingly disappointing experiences. What ultimately drove me away was a persistent pattern of poor communication, dismissive staff, and what I believe are questionable business practices that prioritize revenue over genuine care. Communication at this clinic has been a consistent struggle. Phone staff, especially Emily and Christine, have often been curt and unhelpful, making it feel like I was an inconvenience rather than a valued client. My questions or concerns were frequently ignored or brushed off, which only added to the frustration. I also have concerns about the medical decision-making at this facility. When my puppy Jameson was seen for a simple cyst, the proposed response was a full dental cleaning and biopsy—costing around $3,500. In the end, I received no real answers, and the cyst resolved on its own, raising doubts about whether the procedure was ever necessary. This wasn’t an isolated case; I’ve experienced repeated pressure to approve costly and seemingly excessive treatments, like being told to submit multiple stool samples when one would suffice. Over the years, I’ve felt less like a pet owner seeking help and more like a target for upselling. Even treatment records are written in ways that subtly shame clients for opting out of high-cost procedures. It’s emotionally manipulative and inappropriate in a setting that should be focused on trust and compassion. Even my conversations with the hospital’s leadership left me with mixed messages and little clarity, further damaging my confidence in their transparency and professionalism. The only exception to this experience has been Dr. Yates, who consistently provided compassionate and thorough care. Unfortunately, her professionalism stands out as the exception, not the standard. I’ve since compared pricing and services with other veterinary clinics, and VCA Encina consistently ranks as one of the most expensive, without a corresponding improvement in care. For example, I was quoted nearly $1,500 for a neuter procedure I had done elsewhere for a fraction of the price—with no compromise in quality. In short, my experience with VCA Encina has been one of increasing disappointment. I can no longer justify entrusting my pets’ health—or my peace of mind—to this clinic.

Update to earlier review: June 11th - VCA Encina, who I have learned is self-insured, is no longer responding to me or my concerns. March 25th I mailed a letter to the VCA medical director, the hospital manager and the CEO of VCA Corporate, Patty Wu, requesting the name of VCA Encina's professional liability insurance so I could pursue a claim of medical malpractice directly with them. After no response, April 4th I emailed a reminder of the request and was told: "Hello, We have forwarded your request to VCAs legal team after your response to the email sent on March 18th. From my understanding, our legal team has reached out to you and will assist you with anything further." The legal team has not reached out to me as of 6-29-2025. This feels a little intimidating and threatening. My cat died last year in extremely unfortunate circumstances. My family has been and continues to be devastated, and now we're being told that 'legal is going to reach out to me' but instead they seem to have ghosted me.

VCA Twin Rivers Animal Hospital does not really care about the animals. They just care about making money. They are overpriced. They do not care about the pets at all. As they stated they are a "BUSINESS!!!" Better vets are out there. Look for another vet.