VCA Valley Oak Veterinary Center

Reviews 4

CH

Christine Cox

I will NOT under any circumstances bring any of my dogs back here ever again. I will be driving to redding if I ever again need any after hour assistance. Tonight I called because my small dog chowed down on my bigger dogs flea and tick medicine after my larger dog spit it out while I was trying to give it to him. Of course I was immediately hoping this wouldnt have severe consequences so I called Valley Oak Veterinary Center because in the past Ive used them before due to unforseen medical issues with my pups. NEVER AGAIN. I call tell them the brand, size of dog vs the size of dog that ingested the nexguard and they would not even tell me to bring him in or not. I was not asking for any over the phone treatment....simple question....DO I NEED TO BRING IN MY DOG OR NOT???? the girl on the phone sent me to spca poison control hotline, which costs $65 for one phone call or $120 if you go to the vet and they do the same thing! Am I wrong for expecting a vet that youve trusted with other animals to know whether or not you should bring your animal in??? what the hell is wrong with these people? If my dog needs medical care, I need to know NOW not after looking up the number for poison control, not after having to ask for it, not after waiting to find out the phone call will cost me $65....do I need to bring him in, based on your (should be) knowledge as a doctor that cares for animals....you should know this....you should be able to tell me this.......what malarkey! I just cant with you people and I wont again. Ive spent money there before. A simple question deserves a simple and straight-forward answer, a) no the dog will be fine or b) you should bring him in just to be safe. They took decent care of my older dog last time I was in so I gave them 2 stars even though they missed some bite marks that caused an additional infection and an extra week of grief after he was attacked by another bigger dog but I will NEVER again go back there.....and guess what else? they DO NOT care if you go back or not, that is a fact after speaking to them tonight. It cost me $12 for an online veterinary specialist that forwarded me to medical studies re nexguard and explained the dog may not feel so good but luckily it wont kill him. You people gave more explanations, in rebuttals to other bad reviews here than you gave my simple question over the phone. Clearly all about the money for you. I dont care about the money but I resent you for all the reasons Ive listed above and wont ever be back because of it.

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Dorothy Reid

Hi, Just wanted to tell you how outstanding the service I get from the whole staff at Valley Oak continues to be. I was a patient at Mangrove before Valley Oak opened and made the move with them. I have three miniature dachshunds who get their immunizations, have their yearly checkups and dental work, and get checked for anything I think needs attention. Ive been through surgeries as "routine" as spaying/neutering and as difficult and traumatic as emergency back surgery. Everything from routine to emergency care has always been explained thoroughly from the beginning of the procedure to the end. Sadly, my review of their expertise extends to having their help in putting one beloved baby down when the end had come. The special treatment they give and the fact that they even have a special room for these final procedures show how much they care about both the pets and the owners. Ive also had occasion to have one of my three use their physical therapy services post back surgery; and I cannot stress enough how lucky we are to have an animal hospital and a veterinary specialist in our area who offer this type of treatment. From the time I took him in on an emergency basis early one morning with his hind quarters paralyzed; through the surgery several hours later and the healing process as he slowly began to get the use of his hind legs back; and finally to the various physical therapy procedures (underwater treadmill, laser treatments, acupuncture, and obstacle courses Dr. Wippman devised to meet his needs), he was treated as a "member of the family." My three board with them when Im away or unable to take care of them at home for some reason. Each one has some special needs, and I can feel very confident that theyre getting expert care and lots of love. Sure, theyd rather be at home, but the tails wagging when they see their friends at Valley Oak show how well theyre treated. Thank you to the whole staff... and especially to Dr. Portillo, who has been my babies doctor from the time I got them. We love you all. Dorothy Reid

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Claytonian Rees

I do not recommend anyone take their animals here! Ive owned and operated 11 successful businesses over the past 35 years with hundreds of employees ( one of them a pet store here in Paradise ) so Ive been able to work with lots of vets, some good, and some not so much. This operation even failed to give me an opportunity to talk to a doctor asking me to wait for hours, so falls into the not-so-much category. My impression is that Valley Oak Veterinary Center seems to regard their patient/clients as not much more than just cold hard cash flow. I grew up in Chico, but have lived in the Bay Area for the past 40 years and have also noticed a substandard medical culture here in the Chico/Paradise region, one that operates at a lower level of care and service than Ive grown accustom to. I think people should simply expect the highest level of professionalism and care from their chosen medical providers and that also includes their Vet. Long waits are unnecessary and unprofessional for a medical provider, but here in Chico, it seems to be accepted as the norm. When I arrived with my cat, the receptionist told me ( with a big smile ), that I would need to wait an hour and a half ( of course this generally means longer at a doctors office ) before they could look at my cat who was suffering with convulsive coughing and wheezing after weeks of cold symptoms which were getting much worse and now probably a serious condition. It was around dinner time so I asked if I could leave the cat, have dinner and return before the doctor had time to look at the cat. I think this is a reasonable request as by then, theyd have all of my vital information and knew my referring veterinarian here in Paradise ( who was out of the office ). The receptionist said no, Id have to sit and wait. I had an appointment at 6:30 in Paradise so could not have waited an extended time anyway, but something in the way the receptionist told me this felt wrong to me. I wont return.

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Chad Azevedo

If you have deep pockets and dont mind getting the run around on whats wrong with your pet, the go ahead and bring them here! This place is a joke, and all they care about is how much money they are going to squeeze out of someone. About a year ago we had taken in a 2 week old kitten, that was abandoned by his mother, cause he was not eating..we had to wait about an hour for anyone to take him... then after they had took him, it only took about 10 min for them to call us back to exam room, just to tell us that they want to run numerous tests on him (which would have cost over $600, plus the emergency after hours fee) sorry no need to run a bunch of expensive tests on a 2 week old kitten.. we took him to our regular vet the next day, and they showed us and gave us what we needed to get the little guy fed. Also dont call them for any type of advice or have them help you put with a question.. my wife had called to ask a simple question.... "Is it normal for blood to discharge from a cats yoo-hoo during birth?" We had a pregnant stray cat get into our house and started to give birth. The cat has been around the house and we have never been able to touch or even get close enough to touch her. But she somehow got inside and now is having her litter.. so when my wife called and told the employee what was going on, they said they cant tell us if it was normal for blood to be coming from her yoo-hoo without us bringing her in....... apparently they dont understand that, 1. We cant touch her! And 2. Is it normal for her yoo-hoo to have a lot of blood... It just sad that some people go to school to learn how to help animals when they need it and truly care for the animals, and others do it cause they think its a cake job and dont give a rats a** as long as they can figure out how to make a lot of money from people....

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