Animal Urgent Care of South Orange County

Reviews 4

J.

J.D. Calzada

On a Sunday evening, I took my 18 year old kitty, Seal, in for an inordinate amount of blood in her urine. It was done out of character on my floor instead of the little box. I knew she needed care post haste. Facility and Care: As a pet industry professional and pet steward, I have high standards. In the past, I have walked out of modern, well rated facilities in favor of the downtown strip mall where I know the vet is good and the staff caring. As a careful observer I did take note: it was clean, the vet on duty was kind and understanding (even when I had "mom panic"), and the vet techs were alert and informative. In my experience, a good vet tech that interacts professionally with both you and your pet is as important as a good vet. They are the ones that monitor your pets vitals, deliver medicine, and have the schlep job of making sure a facility full of equipment and sick, unpredictable animals is safe for your little fuzzbuckets. These guys handled my little girl (and my blubbering, tearful concerns) with efficiency and a smile. Price: I feel I was charged fairly for the services and my cat is healthier now after a follow up with my regular vet. I realize there are industry price differences. I did not get surgery, tests, or any of the usual costly things. I only want to point out that running a facility of this nature here in Orange County is costly, think supplies and space. The techs went to school. They have hard, physical days and emotionally demanding shifts. The Vet went to school, often longer than you and at great expense. They are a business. Because you found it way cheaper online, at clinic, or in the next city over...doesnt mean the facility should eat the difference. I have had, won, and lost many battles with the medical care of animals. Poor reviews are valued and often warranted for caution, but they are also sometimes written in anger and grief over loss of a loved one (blame has to go somewhere, right?). Or they are over money. The first I can identify with, I take those with a grain of salty tears. The latter I find subject to varied degrees of perception and without the whole story, I cant judge. So I dont. The 18 years of companionship from my cat doesnt have a price tag, whether I am hungry and unemployed or simply surviving in Orange County.

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Mark Lovett

I recently took my dog to Animal Urgent Care. My dog was throwing up for 3 days and was really dehydrated. Upon the doctors initial inspection she noted that the dog is in fact dehydrated and would need to stay for 12 hrs to be rehydrated. She said she would need to run some tests to see what the problem was. Total cost was around $1800. I said that I couldnt afford this much so she took some stuff out. After the doctor ran a panel on the dog showed that all blood counts dont match up. I paid $230-$275 for the panel. The panel of course showed that she is dehydrated of course! So I made the decision to keep the dog overnight for $1,300 to stay alive and get rehydrated. At 3am another doctor called me to let me know the dog is still vomiting and she would need to run an ex ray for $280 or so. I went forward with it and they found nothing. She said then they need to do an ultrasound to determine if there is a foreign body found cost $290. She then proceeded to tell me if they did find something in the stomach blocking then the dog would need surgery which would run around $3,200 or more. I said I am already into this around $1900 and cannot afford much more. The new doctor came in at 7am who originally diagnosed my dog, she mentioned the costs again. I stated that unfortunately I would have to relinquish my dog to a charity or put the dog down due to financial hardship. They said give us a minute and we will call you back. They said the doctor has been calling around other vets in the area and found a surgeon in Yorba Linda that would complete the surgery and post op for $1800. So I took my pet and completed the surgery at Yorbalinda pet hospital and they found a palm seed in the stomach. All in all I found them to be very patient and nice however a lot of upselling if I was willing to pay for it. They should just offer to open the dog up for exploratory surgery rather than paying $2,200 or much more to diagnose. I would not bring my pet back again unless I had pet insurance and they paid for the upcharges and hard sell. I will call the doctor at Yorba Linda next time even though it is 30 min. from my house.

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Eli Rosett

5 stars for the doctor, 1 star for the tech. (She sits at the front desk and has curly dirty blonde hair). Came in here tonight because my 12 week old kitten had a huge mass on his inner groin that i suspected to be an umbilical hernia. He had all the symptoms: vomiting, painful large mass on his groin, constipation, weight loss, and a fever of 105. I told this all to the tech who was first checking him out. She takes him into the back room to look at him and comes back 5 minutes later and says (in the snobbiest and most demeaning tone ever), "theres literally nothing wrong with your kitten. Hes perfectly healthy and normal. I searched for a mass and there was nothing. This doesnt even warrant a trip to urgent care." I argued with her and said I know I felt a mass and to check again. I told her specifically to lay him on his back because thats how I felt it the first time. She looks at me like Im nuts, to which I even begin to doubt myself and feel like an idiot. But after thinking about what I felt and what I witnessed, I knew I wasnt crazy and that I felt a mass there. I made her check again. 15 minutes go by and the actual doctor comes in and says it may very well be an umbilical hernia and that hes sending me to Ortega Animal Care Center for a possible surgery. He also injects my kitten with an antibiotic shot and pain meds. If I had listened to that tech and left like she wanted me to, my kitten would be at risk for fatality. The hernia is possibly intertwined with his colon and causing a huge risk to his health. Thanks rude b*tch for making me feel like an idiot, making me feel like my kittens issues werent actually of concern, and doubting everything I told you. You were VERY wrong.

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ben valdez

Needless to say, we were highly concerned when we woke one Sunday morning to find that our Siberian husky Tasha had been vomiting and exhibiting bloody diarrhea several times overnight. We were in a cabin 100 miles from our home in southern Orange County, and we knew this was serious because of the potential for severe dehydration so we drove directly to the Animal Urgent Care. When we arrived, Dr. Diehl, the veterinarian on duty, examined Tasha immediately and tentatively diagnosed her condition as HGE. She put Tash on an IV drip to re-hydrate her and administer medication, and ordered a number of relevant tests, which they were able to perform on site. We left her at the hospital overnight and we were worried that because Tash has acute separation anxiety and especially detests crates and kennels, we thought leaving her overnight might cause her additional stress. Dr. Diehl called us a few hours later with an update on her condition and the results of the tests they had performed. She also told us that in addition to administering a mild sedative, one of the staff was sitting by Tash whenever she was awake to help keep her calm. Tash looked much improved the next morning when we picked her up to take her to her regular vet, and one week later she seems very nearly back to normal. All the staff at the urgent care facility were very professional and responsive. In particular, Dr. Diehls "bedside manner" was superb with both Tasha and her worried humans. We are very fortunate to have such a superb urgent care capability so close to home.

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