Category: | Animal Hospital |
Address: | 5425 Laurel Canyon Blvd, Valley Village, CA 91607, USA |
Phone: | +1 818-766-2140 |
Site: | bestfriendsanimalhospital.com |
Rating: | 4.7 |
Working: | 7:30AM–7PM 7:30AM–7PM 7:30AM–7PM 7:30AM–7PM 7:30AM–7PM 7:30AM–5PM Closed |
J
J Lytle
We have taken our past and present dogs to Best Friends and are happy with the services provided. The front staff has always tried to work us in (on the same day) if there was an urgent need, and weve pretty much had a pleasant experience dealing with them – whether its for an appt, or to pick up food or meds, or pay the bill. The doctors are caring, informed and clearly love animals. We have met with both Dr. Ingram and Dr. Heim, and both are easy to talk with and have practical solutions to our dogs issues. They presented an estimate that includes every aspect of care, and we didnt feel pressured to agree to everything on the list. After seeing either vet for a non-routine visit (meaning, our dog was sick and this was not a yearly visit), both have called the next day to see how she was doing. If lab tests were done, we got calls from the doctor with the results. There has been some turnover of both staff, doctors and owners over the past few years, so maybe this is where some of the negative reviews are coming from. It can be traumatic to come in and expect to see a vet or staff member that has some history with your pet, only to find that theyre gone! Some of the past doctors were wonderful, and we were sad to see them move on. But as mentioned above, we are happy with the doctors there now. Veterinary medicine can be expensive, but its something that needs to factored in when you own a pet. We feel routine care expenses at BF are fair. Weve tried other vets that might have been less and some that have been alot more. The fact that Best Friends has good vets, extended hours, is close to our home, has free parking, has an onsite lab for some tests, an onsite pharmacy and medical boarding really is worth it if your dog is sick. They will write you a script, too, which might help with costs for a chronic problem. And they will match any online price (plus the shipping fee) of any med.
TA
Tamara Lay
Excellent care of my dog thats been sick for several months & previous vet couldnt get to the bottom of his problem. My only recommendation is to not take the dogs away for simple treatments (blood draw, etc.)- this was the only thing that bothered the person who recommended this office to me & I agree w/ her. In fact, I find this to be the single biggest dissatisfier amongst pet owners in general & its NOT unique to this office. That being said everything else has been nothing shy of stellar. Easy to book an appointment including urgent ones. We have only seen Dr. Heim and shes great, clearly cares about your pets health. Both visits Ive had I was given options for treatment & their associated costs. There was absolutely no "up selling" and I had no feeling of being pressured to do something that wasnt completely necessary (and Im a Nurse making it relatively easy to spot this kind of practice). Dr. Heim called the day after each visit to check on Oscar. Front staff very nice/ accommodating. Cant complain other than Id rather be able to comfort my dog when hes getting needled. Highly recommend!
MA
Magdalena Wyler
I have been taking Fluffy and Bubbles to BFAH for at least 6 years. I feel very comfortable with the care they have received. Everybody, at BFAH is empathic and caring. The front desk staff is always willing to help and have been always courteous and supportive. I appreciate all the technicians that I have worked with. They are relaxed and supportive to me but most important of all, they are gentle and caring to Fluffy and Bubbles. All the veterinarians that have seen Fluffy and Bubble have been very professionals. I used to work with Dr. Concepcion. She was wonderful and was upsetting when she left. Since then, I have been working with Dr. Lital Kirszenbaum and I cannot be happier. She has been wonderful to both of my cats but especially to Fluffy who is the one that needs more care, at this time. Besides being professional and caring, she is very knowledgeable and has been taking wonderful care of Fluffy. I recommend BFAH to everybody who wants quality care for their pets.
SA
Sandra Laione
Was referred to Best Friends when my regular Vet was closed for the holidays so the visit was sort of an emergency. Me and my kitty were both a reck when we arrived, but the staff and especially Dr. Heim made us feel great, especially my kitty who had progressed cancer in her foot and it was becoming difficult to walk on. After cleaning her wound up, Dr Heim convinced me to revisit the possibility of amputation to see if she was still a good candidate for it and after several tests, it turned out that she was. It is now 5 months later and I have a very happy and healthy "tri-pod" kitty. The surgery was actually done by our regular vet, however if it wasnt for Dr.Heims great knowledge, compassion and care for animals, we would not be in this very positive situation today. Thank you very much Best Friends Animal Hospital!!! P.S. Best Friends is a bit pricey compared to my regular vet, but if you can afford it, it is totally worth it!!!
PO
Portia Reddy
I have been bringing various pets here for over 10 years because of your office manager. She is amazing. I was in the slow process of adopting a neighborhood stray and took her to a local 2 min drive for a quick check up since it was hard getting her in the house in April. She seemed sick the beginning of August so I took her back for a check up and meds but the care and examination were lacking. A few days later I noticed my other cat was sneezing and made an appointment to bring both to Best Friends. So glad I did. The exam was so thorough for both cats, a full explanation of the health concerns and type of medications being prescribed along with why liquid instead of pill or shot, and my favorite the follow up call to see how they were doing on their meds. Incredible service. The doctors show true caring and compassion the front desk and tech staff are kind and sweet with the people and pets. The care plan really is tailored to your pet.
AM
Amanda Johnston
Don’t go here if you want help for your pet. Rude staff, expensive tests, no results. I brought my cat here several times with recurring symptoms because the office is close to my house. We spent several hundred dollars trying to figure out what was wrong. (They do at least make you sign off on the price before treatment.) Despite the hundreds of dollars, they never explained why we were doing the tests. Nor did they explain the results. I’ve now learned (from another vet) that my cat has stage IV kidney disease. Turns out he was stage II when this vet tested him eight months ago—which is clearly reflected in his old test results—but the veterinarians here never told us and never suggested any type of treatment—just more expensive tests that had nothing to do with the disease. I can’t explain the sadness I feel that I’ve lost time (possibly years) with my cat and that he’s had to suffer so long for no good reason.
A
A Private User
Ive seen some very negative reviews of this vet office which puzzled me. Everyone can have a different experience based on their needs, expectations, the day someone is having, etc. However, my experience was fine at this office. I took my twelve year old cat in because she had gotten an infection. They worked me in right away. I had to wait for a while at the office but that was ok since they had worked me into the schedule. The front desk staff was nice and helpful. I saw Dr. Holmes and she was very good with the cat and about talking to me. I thought the treatment I got was reasonable. They offered additional services which I turned down due to cost, but they were not pushy about those extra services like some offices are - they just offered them as a possibility. We left with good instructions, explanations, and medicine in hand. I will definitely return.