Friendly Animal Hospital

Reviews 3

CA

Carla Iseman

Took my dog in to get her annual shots as a first time new client and was delighted that the first time visit would be free and the rabies vaccine would be free also. Awesome! Not so much. Want some reasons? Heres 3- 1- The rabies vaccine was free but the other plethora of shots that the front office staff recommended (not from the doctors recommendation, just the front office staff PRIOR to even getting into the exam room) cost me about 100 bucks. Cost really isnt the main problem that I have with this...when it comes to my dog, shes family, Ill pay whatever I need to in order to keep her healthy and on the right track. But when I went for a second opinion to another vet after this appointment they were disgusted that this office would even administer these vaccines to my 9 year old dog. Excessive and unnecessary medications...great start. Except that wasnt even the start...the actual shots werent even discussed with Dr. Tran in the room and didnt even happen until about 3 hours later. Yep 3 hours... 2- The appointment took almost 3 hours including Dr. Tran walking out of the room in the middle of talking to me while saying "be back in a minute. you can wait a little longer, right?" and then leaving without hearing me respond. Now, for an office to try to attract new clients with "free first visit" or the numerous mail ads that Im sure youve seen...WHY WOULD THEY MAKE A FIRST TIME CLIENT WAIT ~3 HOURS FOR THE APPOINTMENT? Talk about making a terrible first impression. Again, this isnt only about my discomfort or disappointment but how much does your dog like going to the vet? Let alone sitting in the exam room for almost 3 hours...All the while theres a computer screen mounted on the wall that plays a video talking about periodontal disease and a whole slew of other issues that will ultimately kill your pet if left untreated. 3- Dr. Tran finally comes into the room and starts off by drawing a bell curve on the back of my dogs chart and explains that this is the way a dogs life progresses. He then asks me how old my dog is and draws a line on the downhill curve towards the end and says that my dog is basically going to die soon so lets start there (didnt bother asking any health history or if theres any concerns or even the breed!). Now Im here as a first time client just trying to get my dogs annual exam and the doctor starts off by essentially telling me my healthy dog is going to die soon. Awesome. I cant even comment on professionalism because there was none displayed by Dr. Tran. As I mentioned above, he left in the middle of the exam, but also didnt even know his vet techs name who came in to help him. He berated her for not holding my dog securely (didnt offer to show her, just condescendingly snapped at her) when he grabbed at my dogs mouth before his tech was even close enough to hold the dog... At this point I shouldnt have been surprised to hear his recommendations for a new finding that he discovered in my dog. Instead of trying to describe it to me (maybe theres a communication or language barrier?) he decided to google images on the mounted computer screen and then leave the room again to not return at all. Finally a different staff member came in with an estimate of surgical procedures the doctor recommends and briefly went through it. Needless to say, I sought a second opinion at another office. Surprisingly the other office had a first time visit free also and the experience was like night and day... Im hoping my experience was a fluke at FAH but I couldnt in good faith NOT write this review in case this is the norm for their office.... excessive medications, extreme wait times, terrible bedside manner, no questions answered...just overall really disappointing and frustrating.

A

A Private User

I wish I could give this place NEGATIVE stars. I have been there three separate times for my pets and always been disappointed and shocked at how incompetent that staff is and how indifferent the doctor is. I tried to give them some slack as everyone is human and has their off days, but I am now certain that the idiocy, rudeness, and lack of professionalism I encountered each visit is the norm. I just cannot risk subjecting my beloved pets to people who are as uncaring and idiotic as these people. Every time I would call the vet clinic I would be put on hold for ages, while being told that the doctor is in surgery. However, I later found out the doctor only does surgeries at noon and I would be calling in the AM or late evening. Moreover, I would have to wait ages in the waiting room or in the clinic rooms once I visit while being told EVERY time that the wait is so long because the doctor is working on an emergency case. Im certain I was being lied to at some point in time, and I dont know why they think they should treat their clients this way. Just be honest! I was not irate or angry but I just want to be told the truth. My worst wait time there has been four hours and I had an appointment. Maybe it was because it was the "free first examination" so they didnt want to deal with me as they werent milking me for cash. The flaws of the staff has been cited over and over again on these yelp reviews, but Id like to add that I would be told incorrect information by the staff on as simple things as appointment availability and as important things as timing of pet treatments. Absolutely TERRIBLE service and the staff is rude on top of being incompetent. As for the doctor, he does not have any bedside manner whatsoever and I kept on getting the impression that he was annoyed at me every time I would ask a question. He could not wait to rush out of the room and I would have to tell him or remind him over and over again about my pets situation or what happened on the last visit. Sure he sees a lot of animals, but doesnt he keep a chart or anything? He would also tell me one thing about how he thinks he should treat my pet, then would do something completely different and charge me for it. These surprises are horrific! Please note that while some people have discussed language barriers/accents being a problem I did not have this situation whatsoever. I am Asian and it is not a matter of language problems. This place is simply terrible. The clinic has the words "Honesty, Quality, and Affordability" on the top of their waiting room wall. The first two items are an utter fallacy at this clinic. While the prices are indeed affordable, you get what you pay for in this situation, so if you care about your pet and want the best treatment do NOT go here. I would recommend the Warner Animal Clinic or the Mile Square Animal Hospital over this place.

SH

Shakey Videos

Dont waste your time! Impatient and doesnt listen. Please Read! Went here a few times with our dachshund, who is just about to turn one. First visit or two was okay, ended up paying a little more than we wanted to but we figured that was worth making sure our pup was going to be okay. One visit they said he had kennel cough, gave us anitbiotics and it sort of went away but a few weeks later we went back to see if it was something. Next visit they said it was bronchitis, gave us two different medications and cough syrup, sent us home and said come back in two weeks. A day ow two later we noticed our dog acting very slow very lethargic. Stopped giving him the syrup to see if he would act normal and he did. At the one week mark we took him in because we found a little blood in his stool. My girlfriend said she went in and with only a quick stool check the Dr. was saying he had parvo (which our dog already fought 11 months ago) so we knew that his chances of getting it were very low. He wouldnt listen to her when she tried to explain what was going on with our dog and he walked out only to have a nurse come back with three different estimates for treatment. She refused treatment, walked out and is never going back. We ended going to the South Orange County Animal Hospital. We had been there once before and it is hands down the best vet we have ever been to. Everything about them is amazing their staff and process is so welcoming and thorough. But yeah we went there and our boy is fine. NO PARVO and after a very reasonably priced and agreeable stool test we found it wasnt parasites either( which was another possibility). Our dachshund is fine and will enjoy a one year birthday no thanks to friendly animal hospital. South OC Animal Hospital in Lake Forrest is my #1 choice and Ive had dogs my whole life and have been to plenty of vets. Beach City Animal Hospital woud have to be my #2 simply because they are much closer and Ive had very pleasant experiences their with my families golden retriever who is 11. Both good vets both better than this dive.