VCA Animal Hospitals
reviews and complaints

We brought in our litter of 8 precious Golden Retriever puppies to VCA Southwick,MA for a full vet exam and were informed later that their exam and care was incomplete.

No individual record cards were accompanied with the puppies along with any pertinent health documentation, staff reported they no longer do that, Veterinarian wasn’t able to complete paperwork in proper time, we left without puppy medical records.

In addition, speaking with a member of a VCA animal hospital in Westfield, they confirmed that all puppies during their litter exam are accompanied with free first preventative heart worm medication, this option was never provided or even offered at VCA Southwick.

Representative at VCA Southwick reported they don’t provide that with health exams…. What?

Is your staff not up to date with codes, examination expectations?

Also, the first examination and “care” bill was astronomical high and double that of any other participating licensed veterinarian. After several calls made to local vet areas, the individual price for a puppy vaccine is on average $35 at other veterinary hospitals vs a whopping $66 at VCA animal hospital.

At check out, Sabrina the receptionist (had no name tag just “cashier written on receipt), was repeated “hello “ twice, she still made no connection with greeting a customer. Sabrina was asked to break down the cost of the bill due to the high amount, very clearly she didn’t want to but after much deliberation did and never offered any addition payment plan options, just to rush us out the door. Not one staff ever asked to help us with our litter of 8 puppies, couldn’t even clean the floor of the examination room, we walked around in dog urine.

As a health professional for over 10 years and a loving pet owner it’s clear that VCA Southwick failed with expectations of what an animal hospital should be. Staff have poor training with customer service, billing expectations and clearly appropriate care for people’s animals.

We will never be returning to VCA Southwick animal hospital and have transferred our pets to a more reputable veterinary hospital with better reviews, services and customer service.

When I asked questions about their pricing policy, I was told by the attendant that she did not feel safe and then left the room. My wife and I were stunned. The lead clinic doctor came in and told me to leave, my wife could stay. We tried to explain that all we were asking is that if we can trust the clinic as we had been double charged before. The last time I was in the attendant insisted on quoting me prices on dental surgery even though i had asked to not be given such. This recent totally wrong accusation has resulted in my not wanting to leave my home, as now I do not feel safe.

Was given false medical information by an employee there. They refused to see my cat. Because I wrote an “abrasive” reply to an email they sent me in which there was no answer to my question and no effort to find records where I said that they would likely be. In my “abrasive” reply I used the words resent, annoyed, and rude, in response to THEM. Apparently they won’t see you unless you’re really looking forward to spending time and money on a routine visit simply to get a prescription for a cats obvious worm infestation. The office manager even admitted I was polite in-person. But apparently she could not handle the fact

That I said I was annoyed but wouldn’t let show or be an issue in our interactions. Very weird and scared of ANYONE who does not plaster a huge fake smile on their faces and gush about how wonderful it is to spend lot of time and money on what should be an over the counter med. 4 days later my car was dead.

On 8/3/2023 I had my cat at the Dunmore VCA in PA the bill was 369.52. I used care credit which would allow me to pay off slowly. VCA Dunmore only allows 6 months on a 299.00 -1000 bill. That is ridiculous! I used care credit there before and it was given a longer period. I called care credit and was told it was VCA that uses 6 months. I called VCA Dunmore the office manager stated that'hs what they use the 6 months.

I have 2 cats and 2 dogs and I also get my dogs groomed there. I will be looking for another vet. I am not returning to VCA Dunmore ever again.

It seems as long as they get their money, they don't care about the customer. I am on social security and now the payment is doubled to pay in 6 months.

Exorbitant pricing. Preying on pain. $5.88 for one Amlodipine pill vs. $.17 cents at any pharmacy. Echocardiogram - VCA subcontracts, and adds $500.00 out of an $800.00 charge. Corporate vets pushing product. Can't diagnose without expensive tests. You know one test will lead to more expensive $$$$$$ tests. Vet has no real-world training. Clearly trained to profit company on pet owner's backs. VCA - $2.2 billion in revenue three years ago. $6 billion of pet owner's money last year. VCA sent out thousands of letters to independent pet practices essentially threatening them if they don't sell to VCA. VCA buys diagnostic companies and software companies to dominate the market. Animal shelters can't find homes because VCA has pushed the price of care beyond what human hospitals charge.

With this day and age, safety is my main concern.

With VCA in Kent Washington demanding a deposit for a appointment I made for as a new client for my new kitty Lexi..

As for me, am Deaf and rely on texting for my communication needs.

I made a appointment on the VCA website and confirm it with that site.

I have been bomber with texts from Kat at the Kent VCA, demanding a deposit as well all the Q& A's about Lexi which I have input all the necessary information on the VCA website.

I just feel being targeted and harassed by the staff..

Needed to pick up one Cerenia pill for our pup

Cost of pill around $5, but dispensing fee was $ 23.00 This took place on June 22, 2023 in Richmond Hill, Ontario

At the pet pharmacy , the dispensing fee by qualified pharmacists is $8.83. This is a huge difference , and how do you justify this discrepancy?

Why are customers being ripped off to this extent?

Vet fees are high , so why price gouge on medications dispensed at veterinary clinics?

Simply, my cat has hyperthyroidism and I had an upcoming appointment with a new "regular" Vet because I have a list of test to be run for an upcoming radiocat.com appointment for a thyroid therapy procedure, which requires a x-rays other tests before their procedure can be done. I have just moved to the Alexandria area and chose to make an appointment with the VCA-Duke Street Veterinary clinic. I simply arrived to the appointment in Alexandria and could not find the office, as it's located in a quagmire of side roads of various sorts. I became obviously late; just 10 minutes, for an 8 am appointment. I finally pulled over on a side road and called the Vet clinic and told the lady I was lost. I was not helped to find the clinic at all. Indeed, I was told upfront that the doctor would not see me because it would "back up his schedule for the rest of the day." I told her I was not familiar with this area, that this Clinic was hard to find, and that my cat needed to be seen because she is in pain. It appeared to not matter at all, so I simply turned around and started my way back home. Then, 10 minutes later I received a call (as I was driving back home), by the same lady from the VCA clinic. She said the doctor would see me at 9m only because I had said the cat is in pain. Clearly, someone lied about the appointment schedule and did not care if my animal was in pain at all. But overall, it was rude to ME, the cat owner; and a new client at that, to lie about some "booked solid schedule" conflict that didn't apparently exist. Moreover, if I had read some of the very negative reviews for this practice, I would not have made an appointment there in the first place. I come from an area where I had been at the same Veterinarian clinic for at least the last 8 to 10 years (with my cats and dogs). Thus, PLEASE beware of using this clinic and obviously (from the reviews) this entire Veterinary practice, because someone once said, "People are often rude after being on the receiving end of rudeness!" My animals deserve Vets and their (front office) associates that are kind, compassionate, and whose mannerisms are respectable and trustworthy!

I have an animal that was attacked I went to both of the Portsmouth VCA locations there are no doctors here they're no nurses it's no way to get help for our animals here and this is so unprofessional I'm making the complaint because what it is a dire emergency there's no one here to help us with our animals and our families but yet we pay our taxes to keep these services

I had gone to this vet in Utah for years with all of my dogs. I had a dog who had to be put down at 9 years old because of a sudden diagnosis of cardiomyopathy. It was not until my friend, who had also gone to this vet, told me about her own story of malpractice that I realized that my dog could have been treated much sooner than she was. She died only months after she was diagnosed, and all they did to treat her was give her blood thinners. My friend told me that her dog has gastrointestinal issues (diarrhea, constant flatulence) and that they thought it might be a pancreas issue, so she took the dog to the vet and asked for them to run tests on his pancreas. They refused to conduct the tests and said that there was nothing they could do to help the dog. Later, the dog died, and it was determined that he died from a pancreas issue. Had the vet run the pancreas tests, they may have been able to save his life, but they refused this care and said that it was unnecessary. I realize that cardiomyopathy has very low survival rates, but this is not the only instance of suspected malpractice. I own a very large dog, a mastiff, and they neutered him when he was 6 months old. They never informed us that large breeds should not be neutered before 2 years of age because they need the testosterone to build healthy bones and joints. Because of this, my dog has had severe arthritis since he was 4 years old and also has torn ligaments in both knees. The surgery for this is $10,000 or more here, whereas another clinic offered to do it for $3,000. If they had told us that large breeds have a waiting period before it is safe to neuter them, my dog would be healthier rather than living through every day with chronic pain.

My pet was seen at VCA Sacramento Veterinary Referral Center on April 11. He got many diagnostic testing blood work done and then the doctor decided he needed to be transferred to UC Davis veterinary hospital because he needed a platelet transfusion and possibly a blood transfusion. They were the only ones that had that available to do for him. Upon transferring him I told UC Davis hospital that he had lots of diagnostic testing and bloodwork done that they could get from the hospital. They tried two times and were only sent his x-rays. So they thought that that’s all he had done besides bloodwork so they went ahead and did an ultrasound and some other test he already had done. I called Sacramento veterinary referral center and asked to speak to the supervisor as to why his diagnostic testing was not transferred to them .I paid thousands of dollars to them and then he had to get test re-done hours later, because the new vet didn’t know he had that already done. The front staff was so rude talked over me The entire time told me they did it but wouldn’t send me proof that they did it so that I could see it. They said they wouldn’t let me speak to anyone and the girl would not stop talking over me and yelling at me trying to get me more angry. Which she did! My dogs illness is costing thousands of dollars and this hospital didn’t transfer Test that were necessary to treat him and no one is helping me. It’s like the front desk employees think this is funny. I am a palled by this. I am a palled that they want to make me angry because they think there’s nothing I can do about it. She hung up the phone on me, twice! I have a very sick dog and all I want is help in getting his records and I can’t believe they would treat clients like this. They won’t let me talk to a doctor or the hospital manager and I am so angry about this. I want someone to call me. I want something done about this !

The dog has been in emergency care at VCA animal hospital since 3/27. First, they would not keep him in the hospital until we paid $8000. So we paid $8000. They said the dog would be discharged in two days. They said the dog was stable. Then, they said they needed to keep the dog in the hospital for a couple more days, even though the dog was stable. After that, they said that each day the dog was kept there would incur $15,000 cost. $15,000 per day, even though no surgery would be done, and they said the dog was stable. After that, they said they didn't know when they could discharge the dog to us. The main issue was a fractured vertebrae, which they should have found and addressed within the first hour, because the dog was given Xrays and a full battery of tests.

They told us no payment plan was available. We had to pay the full balance upon discharge. This one emergency vet stay could have paid my college tuition.

Why did they keep the dog in the hospital for so long, when they should have found and addressed the problem day one, then keep the dog for recovery for a couple days instead of indefinitely? Why keep pushing us to keep the dog for longer and incurring astronomical fees?

VCA Valley Vets, Falcon Rd, Lower Burrell, PA. The management of this business is pathetic. Had an emergency, called explained the situation, I was asked do you think your dog is ready to be put down! What? I am not the vet, why you think i'm calling. Of course, they tried to send me to a-vets (not a good place either) I told them I cannot drive that far right now. Well, they told me it will be an emergency visit, $90. Fine, I need him looked at. I was told to bring him right down. I got there, had to announce who I was, the two inept people at the reception area did not bother to ask who I was! After waiting 25 minutes, there was no one in that office. I asked when my dog will be seen, I was informed that I was a fill in! I went ape [censored], here I am waiting and waiting and they are calling me a fill in but charging me $90! I was so upset. I have been a customer for 40 years and never once had an issue. My dog had cancer, he was dying, they could care less. One vet was going to call the cops on me! Ha! People this place is now a corporation. Corporation worry about profit, small business vet worry about animals. Do yourself and your pet a favor, do not take your precious animals here. They are nasty people.

My dog was presenting with deficits, 8 hr wait during which he was presenting inconsistently the entire time. Could intermittently walk, not walk, stumble, drag leg need support during the 8 hour wait. VCA Attending Vet. and Neuro. Vet. could not figure it out. Morphine was administered but no fluids and no broad spectrum antibiotics. Vet pushed me to only do a tick panel. I said he has never had a tick on him. He insisted my dog has long hair so how would I know. I said I know. He said this would be the cheapest way to go. I said he is insured so we are not looking for a cheap and I don't think it is a tick-borne disease and how long would that take? He said about a week. I said he doesn't seem like he can wait. I asked what the high reading was on the unialysis and if it were significant. He said it was nothing. I asked if he were on fluids or antibiotics and he said no. I asked why not. He said if we needed to do a spinal tap it would affect the results. He then said for me to make an appointment with neuro center. Neuro center said must be doctor referral or 3 month wait. Office said they would. They tried but didn't do it with the doctor is what the neuro center told me. They released him because they said temp was normal next night. It was taken immediately upon returning home and was almost 104. Was told I was supposed to make neuro appt. Called neuro center next morning and they said VCA staff had called and told them the doctor needed to make referral and they did not follow up. I asked if broad spectrum antibiotics would have interferred with a spinal tap and was told they absolutely make allowances for that. The neuro center told me to go to Access Vet Hosp. in Torrance immediately. I forwared all his recoreds and printed them. Handed them as I carried him in to the hospital and they took him from my arms and started treatment immediately. The streptococcus that showed up on his uninalysis that the vet said was NOTHING, was KILLING HIM. He had a systemic infection of streptococcus and a patch of the bacteria has settled on his mitral valve. That caused endocarditis. Endocarditis then allows bad blood back into the bloodstream and causes strokes. He threw a clot to his right rear. He was in the hospital for a long time and he finally was realeased with a guarded prognosis. The leg became necrotic but against all odds he beat the systemic infection and he beat the endocarditis. His cardiologist said she has only ever seen 3 dogs beat it. This allowed him to come off of the medications he was on and allow him to have surgery to remove his leg. He is still on the lifetime top 20 list of lure coursers in our breed but he can never do it again. He is alive. He is a joy. But VCA did not even return my email because I wanted the attending vet to understand what he did by being so arrogant as to not listen and he might not make the mistake again if it presents. I would think they would want to hear what I have to say. They did not even send me the results of the tick panel. I called a month later and of course it was negative. Access had a team working on him every day and they called me every day and every night. We went there twice a day to feed him. The difference in care was extreme. I will never set foot in another VCA hospital. My dog would have died a horrible death if I had not taken him to Access immediately. He almost died anyway. The only thing VCA did right was the uninalysis so that Access knew what bacteria it was they were dealing with. The same bacteria that the VCA veterinarian said was nothing. Now I actually think our other dog that we took there may have lived if we had taken her elsewhere. Another dog they said had a brain tumor and he only had a neck spasm.

I brought my 16-year-old cat into our VCA animal Hospital because he was in excruciating pain and unable to walk on his left hind leg for two days. The veterinarian charged me for an examination a basic examination of the ears nose throat teeth glands kidneys etc. Why on earth would a veterinarian proceed with a basic examination when I brought my cat in with excruciating pain and a leg problem that turned out to be a shattered hip?! The veterinarian should’ve just did the x-rays immediately instead of putting my cat through more excruciating pain than he was already in by doing an unnecessary basic examination.

It is with deep and sincere regret that my cat had to be put to rest that very same day.

I brought my 11 year old dog to Vca worth animal hospital for the first time last week. (6 days ago) My dog has been very healthy all her life with lots of energy and always happy. I noticed a ball in her neck and wanted it to be checked out. The vet took bloodwork and examined. He (doctor Loxtercamp) said they were tumors but not sure if malignant unless i get a test done. He asked if my dog is up-to-date on vaccinations and I said he was on a wellness program at bansfield (petsmart) but didn’t get shots this year. The reason i took my dog to another place is because she’s getting older and I wanted a animal hospital to diagnose anything that may come her way. Anyway, the vet said he would give her a rabies shot, which he did, I told him she may have gotten the 3 year shot but vet said it wouldn’t effect her. Immediately after the shot I noticed something was wrong, she was very slow and not excited as she usually is, she didn’t even want a walk that night. Called vet next day they said to bring dog for them to examine. Basically they did nothing. I spoke to the vet the day after that and he told me what was wrong with her didn’t have anything to do with vaccine but more likely due to her lymph nodes issue. The day after that I called vet again and they had me come in again. This time vet said she believes my dog has lymphoma- cancer of lymph nodes. My poor dog has been extremely sick since that shot. I started to investigate it and found in big letters on pretty much all websites that sick dogs should NEVER be vaccinated with the rabies vaccination because it could cause many problems and even death. Unfortunately my poor dog has all of those symptoms. Today is day 6 and she refuses to eat and drinks a lot of water just so she can throw up. I’m so upset that this vet didn’t know something like this. I went there because she was sick! I went there because it’s a pet hospital! Vet put her on steroids hoping it will make her eat but it’s not. Vet advised me my dog will die soon. Maybe 2 to 3 weeks but since I can’t get her to eat I’m guessing today she will pass. I only saw doctor Loxtercamp day one. I brought her back 2 more days but saw Julie Lihosit. The bottom line is that doctor Loxtercamp gave a sick dog the rabies vaccine when it should never have been done.

VAC Animal Specialty Group - San Diego, CA 92111

Client #72160 patient: 92204

No food after 48 hours, overuse of dangerous drugs fentanyl, the list goes on. So many other meds no food, no glucose in iv.

Due to an error by the surgeon and surgical team, did not check blood sugar or give glucose Tuesdays night. I actually had them keep her an extra night so Zoey could get what she needed in iv.

12,000 plus dollars later, they weren't monitoring her heart rate or supplying the simplest thing to maintain life after any surgery for any animal or human being.

I went there in person on Tuesdays and brought her food. She did not want it at all. But drank the water I gave her.

She was doing good, alert, in pain, and had nausea. She was thirsty, but had not eaten for 48 hours. I was too concerned to take her off the iv. To make sure she was getting needed meds and iv fluids. Including sugar drip. Standard operating procedure for any hospital.

I called the hospital staff to monitor her. What were they monitoring? No blood pressure or low and severely low blood sugar to the point of seizure. If that's true, then you're understaffed.

They never gave her glucose in her iv. Even after I inquired several times. Only after a blood sugar test on rounds the next morning, Wednesdays morning. After the seizure, it was too late. Totally sicken by the entire event. Where devastated!

The surgeon finally agreed that's why she had a seizure and died. They were having a hard time getting her blood pressure from her back legs.

I still haven't seen the biopsy results. Late now should have waited. We did we need 2 different biopsies, one from my vet vca on Broadway, El Cajon, ca 9202.

Stacy wright