VCA Veterinary Specialists of the Valley

Reviews 4

RI

Richard podleski

While the care here seems to be good and the staff is dedicated and caring there are many issues with their pricing and quote system. Compared to other service providers this place is highly overpriced. The current issue is that our cat needs a rear leg amputation. The price from VCA Vet. Specialists was 3.7 times more expensive than their competition!! My suggestion would be "Buyer Beware" and price compare before having any procedure done here if possible. Obviously price comparisons in an ER situation are difficult but it was well worth our time and money to shop around for surgical procedures. Background: Our cat needed ER services for a major rear leg injury (ultimately requiring amputation). When we took the pet in at 2 am, the initial paperwork they gave us said the deposit would be $500. Next thing we know we are asked to sign an ER admission authorization and the amount due upfront goes from the $500 deposit to ($1661-$1950). This price did not include any surgical procedures! Apparently they estimated all conceivable scenarios and adjusted the upfront quote without much of an explanation. This included overnight care @$250 per shift 2 shifts, a consult fee $103, Dr. referral fee to the surgeon the next day $98, fluid IV and x-rays bandages and pain meds. The good news was that the next day they adjusted the $1661 bill down to $630 for actual services rendered. The real issue now is that the animal needs a rear leg amputation. The price from VCA Vet. Specialists was 3.7 times more expensive than their competition!! We spoke with one staff Dr. 12 hours after the ER visit and got one quote then spoke with two different surgeons on two different days and received two different quotes ranging from $2800 to $5200. Once we decided to move forward with the procedure coincidentally, there was no mention in the records of the lower estimate amounts and we were told the price was going to range $4800-5200 for a twelve pound cat! We had done some additional research and found another vet in the Mid Valley that would perform the same procedure for $1400-$1600 which included the consultation, surgery, anesthesia, overnight stay, follow-up visits and suture removal. My suggestion would be "Buyer Beware" and price compare before having any procedure done here if possible. Obviously price comparisons in an ER situation are difficult but it was well worth our time and money to shop around for surgical procedures.

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A Private User

On New Year ’s Day our puppy got bitten in the eye by a large dog. His eye was partially proptosed (out of the socket). We were away from home and looked up the closest pet emergency center. Our dog was admitted at Vet Specialists of the Valley on 20051 Ventura Blvd. at around 11:30 AM. There were a five cases before us but it looked like a staffed place (what ended up being really just the two admins at the front desk) so I wasn’t too worried. What looked like a vet (later identified herself as Jasmine Amini, DVM) kept on coming in and out and spending more time talking to people than actually treating pets inside. Little did I know that she was the ONLY vet there. They kept on talking about the ‘vet’ and the ‘surgeon’, but it all ended up being one and the same person. It took until 1:14 PM before she finally took a first look at our puppy. They had already told me that he would probably need surgery, first it was going to be around 2 PM. Then it became 4~5PM. Even though I could hear my dog yelping in the back, they kept on telling me that he was asleep and comfortable. I left and came back with my wife around 2:15 PM to check on his status. Now it was going to be some time in the evening. Another vet was going to come in around 4PM to allow her to operate on our and other dogs. I was so angry and frustrated I had our puppy discharged, only to find out that not only had he not been cared for for three and a half hours and probably would not have been for more than seven hours had I left him there, they hadn’t even administered any pain medication (even though they said they did)!!!!!! They quickest service they rendered there was charge my credit card $1,800 upon entry. That NO SERVICE still cost me over $150. I ended up taking our puppy to the Animal Emergency Care Center (20051 Ventura Blvd.) . Even though there were also other pets there that needed attention, Dr. Staci Baker had him in surgery within thirty minutes. She is a warm caring, knowledgeable vet that immediately makes you (and your pet) feel comfortable. She is direct and to the point. Less than three hours later we were on our way home, confident that our puppy had just received the best possible treatment.

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LO

Lorelei Mission

One morning my Sashie seemed a bit limpy but she tends to play hard and sprain limbs sometimes so I waited for her to come round. But the next morning she seemed to be limpy on a back paw and a front paw and also seemed a bit out of it like she was high (!?). I brought her to my regular vet and she said something was really wrong so I remembered Rackear whod helped me with specialty problems before. I made an apt at Rackears clinic with a neurologist. They fit us in same-day and by the time we got there a couple hours later my dog couldnt walk at all. Stumbling and falling on her face. When they touched her paws she couldnt feel it. The neurologist went over options with me and a staffer brought in a Care Card application form for us since we would not have been able to afford surgery otherwise. They did Xray then MRI and sure enough there was a hard bad of scar tissue which had slipped into her spinal area. They operated early the next morning and warned me it can take weeks to see what the result will be (in some cases a dog will never walk again, even with surgery)... however when Sashie woke up from the surgery and they took her outside to pee she tried to jump and run and have fun! They had to hold her back LOL. I have been to Rackears clinic several times over the years. I brought Buddy Bear to her for a year; he had many issues and was difficult to stabilize but Rackear is knowledgeable and creative. I also brought my eskie in when she suddenly had a breathing problem and Rackears facility has an oxygen bed (enclosed space) and other specialized equipment, plus they had a team and equipment there for reviving when my eskie went into cardiac arrest... Indeed this is a pricey facility but this is THE BEST CARE, plus UP-TO-DATE EQUIPMENT, so that whatever happens, I will always know that I did everything possible for my pet.

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A Private User

Are you expecting people who love animals and want to do everything for them? Then they do. Are you expecting them to love their job? Im sure they do. Are you expecting that since they love their job they are going to work for free? Too bad. It seems all the reviews here are about the money. Veterinarians go to the same, if not more, schooling than human doctors and you expect them to charge $20 to see you and give you back your money if no diagnoses is made. Really?! The feeling of entitlement of people in todays society sickens me. Yeah when I took my dog there they werent the cheapest, but you get what you pay for. $3000 later my dog is alive and doing well and Id spend it again in a heart beat. Everyone I dealt with was professional and I had no problems. Of course, working in the human medical field gives me inside knowledge of what it takes to make a hospital run. You go somewhere that is going to charge you $100 to keep your pet hospitalized you have to ask what kind of care theyll be receiving. Most hospitals do not have a single person on during the night when your paying for your pet to be "hospitalized." Here they do. Regardless, you have the final decision whether youre going to pay for what they propose or not. Stop thinking the world revolves around you. I have to say I am disappointed but I guess not surprised that people act the same way in the veterinary field as in the medical field. There are other hospitals and other vets all over the valley...relax. People disgust me when they think people should do whatever they want whenever they want and then shouldnt charge you for it.

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