Pet Medical Center-Chatoak

Reviews 5

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Bill Fregoso

Thank you Dr Morshead, his Assistant Sara, and all of the kind staff at Chatoak. We have 2 female Yellow Labs. Our youngest "Mandy" who is 5 now has developed ongoing leg, joint & knee problems, likely some arthritis too. We have a great Vet where we live near Frazier Park, but she does not perform what was needed for Mandy. The Surgery that our Dr Cosko recommended (TPLO), just the thought of it scared me having to put our poor little girl through such intense surgery. At this point I was not convinced that this surgery was really necessary, but I couldnt ignore the fact that she was having trouble just getting up and down the stairs at home when our older dog who is now 10 goes right up & down. After doing a lot of research, my wife found Dr Morshead on her own. I was still very apprehensive, but upon our 1st meeting with Dr Morshead, he gained my confidence and we chose for him to do the surgery. Beyond his knowledge, expertise and great bedside manners with our dog (and us too), was his ability to clearly describe the entire process so that we could make the right decision. At this point, cost was not the deciding factor as this surgery is not cheap, but we are sure we got the best price overall in the end. Surgery was performed on her right leg last March, then her left leg was done in October. We just got back from a trip on the Big Sur Coast. We travel in a 35 Motorhome and our dogs go everywhere with us. The 1st beach we found to let them loose just north of San Simeon, Mandy charged down a steep rugged trail to get to the beach. We just love seeing her run and play again with her new legs as well as getting back to our regular off leash hikes in the mountains out of the back of our property. Though she may never be 100% again, partly because she still has issues with her front legs and was always a little clumsy anyway, but for us, its still a worthwhile miracle! Bill & Barbara Fregoso

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Mark S

I was originally going to post a positive review, as we were grateful they were open at night to accept our pet. They came in under estimate twice so we believed they were honest This is the end of my positive comments. When we took our pet back for a recheck, because he was not improving, the situation turned into a nightmare. Our 7 year old cat was suffering a urinary blockage the week before. He had re-blocked and needed additional hospitalization. My first reaction was that I had just spent $1100 the prior week on their services and I didnt have the money. Her response was that this was likely to occur again and, if I couldnt handle life long care, I should put him down. I couldnt believe my ears...there were no other options? At this point I asked about Care Credit that friends told me about and her response was "yes, would you like an application?" Seriously? Why did I have to request this...do we just throw around euthanasia as a fail-safe bandage for everything? After signing a release, I took my buddy to our vet. Chatoak estimate for 3 days - $1950. Our vet - flat $1600 for unlimited days. Chatoak estimate for 4 days - $2518. Our vet - flat $2500 for unlimited days AND surgery to give him a 90% chance of a block free life. I very much disliked the way that there was a different doctor at all times, that death was offered before Care Credit, and the fact they made me feel like he was just a file number. They get the second star only because they made it easy to transfer him to our vet where he will ultimately receive what I deem to be superior care in a more compassionate environment. Sorry, but I stand by my words and I would never return to Chatoak.

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A Private User

We recently faced having to euthanize our very elderly cat who had been cared for at a sister clinic to Chatoak. Due to it being the day after Thanksgiving our clinic was closed. We called Chatoak the night before and had our questions answered by a very caring person named Paula. We didnt know if our cat would last through the night but wanted to know if any of the Drs. that we knew would be on duty the next day. We called again in the morning to confirm that we would be coming in and requested to see Dr. Belding. When we arrived they had all the necessary papers ready and we were not left in the waiting room for very long. We were taken into an exam room that had a lovely soft flannel blanket with moons & stars on it laid on the table. Dr. Belding came in soon after and greeted us very warmly and listened to our brief explanantion of what had been going on with Gibson. She had her assistant dim the lights in the room and assured us that what we were doing was indeed the right thing. She talked us through the whole procedure, making sure that we understood exactly what would be happening. It was a very peaceful ending for a dear family member. As we were preparing to leave the room Dr. Belding wrapped Gibson in that flannel blanket and held her in her arms as you would a newborn babe. That allowed our last memory of Gibson to be quite wonderful. Thank you everyone that was there the morning of November 25, an extra special thanks to dear Dr. Senta Belding. You made a tough day so much easier.

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Leonie Castro

We went to Chatoak Vet. Medical Center on a Saturday, Emergency visit. Our puppy was in need of care and we were seen immediately by Dr. Ram. He was very professional, excellent way of physically checking our our puppy (I could tell because I am a retired nurse). He gave us great advice on what we can do to make it more comfortable for our beloved Angel Rose. He prescibed medications, gave us a written a note as a reminder to help us with her care at home, prepared meds for us by placing it in syringes just to make is easier for us. He was very attentive and concerned with her care. He called us the next day to follow-up on Angel Rose. We are very pleased with his care along with his awesome staff. They were all very good to us and made us feel very, very welcome. I would highly recommend Chatoak Veterinary Medical Center to anyone. You can be sure you will get the best care possible. We have been to other veterinarian clinics, and we were very displeased. At Chatoak Veterinarian Medical Clinic, the staff are very good made us feel at home. A week passed and we needed to drop off lab specimen and the staff was quick and efficient. Dr Ram made another follow-up call the next day for the results. We are very happy with the care we received from Chatoak Veterinary Medical Center.

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A Private User

Uncompassionate Dr. Chezi Ram!!Our family has been bringing our dog to this clinic for over 15 years and in a late night emergency was treated by Dr. Ram, only to have him sarcastically respond to my concerns (i.e. when I asked if we could wash blood from her wound and his response being "why- when its just gonna bleed again") and cut me off at every sentence (not an attentive listener). The best part? CASUALLY mentioning that our dog most likely had cancer... and didnt go on any further to tell us any options. Horrible, HORRIBLE bedside manner and "tact" from this particular doctor. The staff could be a little more compassionate/concerned about customer service as well (as they obviously chose careers that specialize in caring for anothers well-being!) We did receive kind service from a long-haired brunette girl whose nametag I unfortunately did not see. Hopefully, her manager will see this and acknowledge good work. As far as pricing goes, I am unsure if this is high, but we were charged a $70 emergency visit fee. Good luck to you. VERY UNHAPPY with Dr. Chezi Rams behavior and attitude.

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