VCA Animal Hospitals
reviews and complaints

We brought our kitten in for follow up services on March 5 2022 and she was seen by Dr Ochiai. We dropped her off around 7 AM. Dr Ochiai called my wife at 9:27 AM and proceded to speak with her.

-Dr Ochiai spoke very fast, like she was in a rush to do other things

-Used medical terms that a normal person (with no medical training) wouldn't understand

-Got upset and yelled when my wife asked questions because she didn't understand certain things.

-Decided to take it upon herself to administer a vaccine we had turned down and placed on our bill

My husband took my dog to get spayed, 10 month old boxadore with no other issues, aside from pimple on her face. The bill was $1000. We did labs and it was $280 JUST for labs when Companion would be $89 dollars for preoperative labs. I'm so stupid to not have called, to not have run form that parking lot for $1500 dollar expense for a routine neuter that cost less than 400$ everywhere else. This is unethical. I cannot believe the swing in cost it makes zero sense. I was in Portland vs Beaverton you think $1000 extra dollars by neighborhood.

I paid $135, plus other fees for a total of $275 in 2019 for my other female at Companion. They don't take appointments and it's hours to sit there waiting but how can it be that much more to just confirm that I have an appointment. I took my now passed boxer in 2013 and his puppy package was 400$ including neuter, to a VCA hospital in Portland on Woodstock.

My dogs teeth were extracted with sedation and it was $1200 at this same clinic — which is not a routine procedure so I understood this. This is outside the standard of practice fees. It's price gouging during COVID. They need to be upfront with cost well before you are sitting in parking lot and I wasn't the one taking her so I didn't see that cost.

This same clinic pre pays stool samples. I've paid for 4 likely and never got the poop in the door because I'm a functioning adult. DON'T Pre CHARGE. My cat was put down, and three days prior they PRE CHARGED me for the cats urine. I'm an idiot and should have waived this off. WHO CAN THINK WHEN THEIR CAT IS DYING.

My dog has been a patient at the VCA Weymouth for 11 years. I called for a sick visit as she has been limping and whining. I was told they were booking out till the end of Jan. I explained the Dog was in pain and they told me I could take her the emergency room. I did that on 12/4/2021 and it was a nightmare. My dog is not dog friendly and I made the mistake of bringing her in with me. I had no idea of the high traffic of dogs that would be coming thru. After two hours I approached the desk and asked if they had any idea of how much longer it would be. Kiren snapped at me This is an emergency room, we can't tell how many people are going to come in that are serious! I replied that I did try to get an appointment but they are booking out till Jan. Kiran said ya well everybody bought pets during covid, and what do you want me to do! I said can't you see if you can squeeze her in with one of the other Doctors, not the emergency doctors. She screamed at me THERE ARE PETS DYING HERE! Then after 3 hours they finally take Aztec back, of course after taken a lab that came in and hour after with the same problem my dog had the women over to me and was applalled at what Kiren had just done and we chatted. So now they are intentionally putting me in the back. Then the Dr calls after 3 hours and they really can't examaine her casue she to tense, but they think its. HMMM perhaps if you saw her in a timely manner and didn't stress her out she wouldn't have been so tense. My dog was tramtized, she came home and threw up. Worst experice ever. The VCA should service their existing pets instead of taken on too many!

Hello I would like to know why VCA will not pay a living wage to its staff. I have been waiting for my pet to be seen by a veterinarian for a week and they expect to see my pet sometime next week(11/24/21). So my pet has to wait 2 weeks to be seen by his doctor! I have been a client and at one time an employee of this particular establishment for 5yrs. This is not how the staff, clients and their patients should be treated. Pay the staff what they deserve and you will have a fully staffed clinic and many clients happy to visit your hospital. This is frustrating! I am tired of hearing about the conditions surrounding VCA hospitals and now experiencing this problem; where my pet who is sick can not see his primary doctor. This is atrocious and this company needs to prioritize it funds to go to the staff instead of using it to buy up hospitals.

I have a cat with a history of FLUTD (feline lower urinary tract disease). He's been evaluated for this several times at our usual vet's office. He will develop straining with urination, low urine output, multiple trips to the litter box, blood in his urine. His labs have always been negative for infection, crystals/stones. Thankfully, the symptoms will typically resolve on their own. It's believed his unusually high anxiety likely causes this to flare, but some extra love and affection for a few days calms it right down.

When I returned home from work on Friday, 11/5/21, my cat was hiding under the bed (something he never does), and when I called out to him he had a moaning-type meow that alerted me something was wrong.
Once I got him out from under the bed I could tell his abdomen was distended and he was guarding this area. He began to flex like he was trying to bear down to urinate, but he couldn't produce anything.
My vet's office was closed for the evening already, so I took him to VCA hospital as I feared he had a urethral obstruction, which I know can be lethal to cats rather quickly.

When we got to VCA, they took him back to an exam room immediately based on his symptoms. I'm sure it's their Covid protocol, but I was not allowed to go back with him.
I had to provide a history to a tech that called me on my cell while I was still in the lobby.
Soon after, a vet called me to go over the history again and provide me with their recommendations following their exam, which did confirm an obstruction.
I was never informed what was done to confirm this.

They recommended he be admitted, have an indwelling catheter placed, and wait a few days for the inflammation to resolve before removing the catheter.

I agreed to this and was told a tech would call me with further instructions.

I'm still sitting in the lobby at this time. I was never offered to see my cat again, wasn't told to leave, stay, anything. There was no coordination of care.

A tech calls me a short time later stating the 3 day estimated stay/treatment plan will be $3100 and I must pay 100% in full immediately, or my animal cannot be treated.
I asked if there was some sort of payment plan I could set up as this was a much larger cost than I was expecting. I was told no, a payment plan is not an option, despite their "hold music" on the phone stating "ask us about our payment plans."

I paid the money and left to go home.

The first vet that took care of my cat, Dr. Leto, was great. She called me with updates 2-3 times over the next 12 hours or so to let me know they had a catheter in and his urine was bloody, but they were flushing his bladder and giving him fluids, so he was comfortable. His kidney values were slightly abnormal, but that was to be expected in this situation. They would be doing an x-ray soon to rule out kidney stones. They'd be doing a urinalysis to look for crystals or an infection.

Any time I called for an update on him after that I was only able to speak to a tech that gave me updates like "he's doing fine."

I had informed one of the techs my cat doesn't do well with the medication buprenorphine as it makes his back legs give out and he won't eat if he takes it. She stated she would inform the vet.
I later found out they continued to give him this medication the entire time he was in the hospital, and this was also one of the medications they sent him home with upon discharge.
I was charged for medication I asked not be given to my cat, let alone sent home with him.

I finally got a call from a vet on Monday, 11/8/21, Dr. Compton, who stated they had removed the catheter earlier that morning, however, he wasn't urinating on his own since it had been removed, so they assumed he re-obstructed.
She recommended placing a catheter again and starting this whole process over.

I told them this was not an option, I can't afford to keep repeating this process with no guarantee it would resolve the issue, and my cat's anxiety, with being in an unfamiliar place around unfamiliar people, would probably ensure his symptoms wouldn't improve while there.

The vet informed me this was the recommendation, if I didn't wish to proceed with this, the other recommendation was euthanasia.
There was no compassion or empathy at all. She spoke to me like she was reading her grocery list. It was sickening.

I asked for him to be discharged so I could take him home.

She said they could do this, but this is not their recommendation.
It's like I was made to feel guilty for wanting to get my cat out of that hell.

When I arrived at VCA an hour or so later, the front desk rep, Rhonda, was extremely rude. I stated I was there to pick my animal up. She took my information to access my account and simply stated "you owe us another $250."
I asked what for and she stated "a medication and a urinalysis."
I informed her I had been told that was part of the cost I'd already paid, so I didn't understand the extra cost. My animal was not in the hospital for longer than 3 days, which is what I'd already been charged for.
She very rudely stated "Would you like to talk to somebody before you pay, or what?"
I told her I wanted to get my cat the hell out of there as quickly as possible, so to charge my card so I could leave. I was done with this place.
I even apologized to her if I had come off rude. I was in tears almost non-stop since being told my cat would need to be euthanized if I didn't follow their treatment recommendations. Her response was an "mmhmm."

My cat was brought out to me in a box and the tech handed me a bag of medications. She said there is a piece of paper in the bag which would tell me when to give him his next dose.
I asked what the medications were, what they were for, etc.
She said "I don't know, I was just told your cat was ready to go, so I brought him to you."

When I got to the car, I let my cat out of the box and he was filthy. His whole body was covered in a dirty, filmy layer, and his tail was matted with some unknown fluid.

When I got home, I opened the bag of meds, and found paperwork with information regarding his hospital stay.
It stated his urinalysis tested positive for crystals. There was even a written prescription in the bag for prescription food to help prevent this in the future. I was NEVER informed of any of this.
I was never informed of his x-ray results, nor was this on the paperwork. I'm still unaware of it's findings.

I still have no idea what the additional $250 I had to pay when I picked him up was for.
I was provided an itemized receipt, but it's all jargon and makes no sense.

I took him to my vet on Tuesday, 11/6/21, and was informed they don't believe much of the services my cat received in the hospital were necessary.
They certainly don't agree any mention of euthanasia was called for.

The treatment my cat and I were provided is ridiculous. I'm a nurse, so I understand contact restrictions due to Covid, but never having any face to face meeting with one of the vets to discuss/explain this emergent situation is uncalled for.
Not being offered to see my cat one last time before an unexpected admission for 3 days, with no explanation of what to expect, left me standing in the lobby, lost, not knowing what to do.
Being informed of the $3100 cost needing to be paid immediately, with no possibility of a payment plan, despite the hold music stating payment plans are available, is unethical.
Continuing to give medication I had requested not be provided to my animal, and sending me home with more, both of which I was charged for, shows my request was completely ignored.
Nonchalantly being recommended by Dr. Compton to euthanize my cat, then guilting me for wanting to have him discharged so I could bring him home, was incredibly poor care.
Having my cat given back to me filthy is just gross.
Never being informed of lab results, imaging results, etc., is negligent.
Having to pay additional costs upon discharge, with no explanation of the reasoning, is unethical. Especially in the rude manner in which it was handled, in my case, by Rhonda. If there were to be any added costs I should have been consulted prior to proceeding.

The financial and emotional distress this situation has caused has been immense.
I'm not sure what can be done to rectify this situation, but I'm hoping something can be achieved.

I appreciate your time and attention to this matter.

The vet, Dr Kalany has terrible bedside manners.On 11/3/2021 at 3:00 pm she communicates in a manor that was is curt, rude & entitled. Last year my dog had an allergic reaction to the heart worm medication prescribed by the vet at vca, and Dr Kalany
wanted to put her back on the same medication. I said no she's allergic to that .We went through that last year. Then in a very curt tone asked what heart worm med's was she on now. I said I can't remember the name & she said she needed to know. Well it should be in the dogs chart. She made negative verbal comments about her food, and wasn't knowledgeable about the company. Vca likes to sell you dog food from there practice as well as the heart worm medication which makes them more money. The dog had swelling on her anus. She asked if she had been rubbing it. I replied No. She said she would need to be rechecked and possibly sent to a specialist. I asked about her fecal glands could they be clogged. She said it's $45.00 to check that. If the dog has a problem then that could be an easy solution to start ruling problems out. She talked about an antibiotic, a specialist, and getting her rechecked. I said I can just go to my previous vet, they do everything and are connected with UGA veterinary college. She made a rude vocalization sound. And she made several rude noises like I'm not a very educated animal owner. 5 star price, 0 star service. her vet bill was bigger than my annual physical and I got a flue shot, pneumonia shot and a colon test. This is LUDACRIS! O... and if I was more than 5 minutes late it would be a $15.00 charge. I asked how long the appointment would be and I was told 30 minutes. It took 10. You won't ever charge me again because I will never return to an unethical practice. And she said it would be $15.00 dollars to trim her nails and I was charged $23.00. I could have taken the dog to another quality vet and would have received 5 star service with compassion for 50% or more less money. There are more scathing things I could put in this review, but honestly, you and your pet deserve much more. Just read further reviews... they are terrible. You can easily see a better qualified veterinarian for 1/2 the price . This practice engages in price gouging, no wonder the vet there is hands down worst vet in the universe.

A woman by the name of Kimberly Page is an abuser. Not only to animals but people as well. She has had 3 domestic charges against her in the state of New York. She is also a thief who has been fired from a job in swan bakery located in patchogue. She stole money for drugs and was therefore terminated. She has stolen cases upon cases of dog food from you. As well as flea and tick medications. She was in charge of inventory in your east islip location. This is how she got away with stealing so much. I have seen her get physical with boarding animals on sundays when she worker alone. I know this because she brought me in on sundays to help her since there were no cameras. She now works in goir charelston location and she needs to be fired for the sake of not only your animals, but your business. She is not a good person, she does not care about the well being of animals or your business. She's an abuser and a thief.

I was never shown any x-rays by the doctor and I was never explained to or shown examples of my dogs illness. After the fact I was sent an inaccurate and incomplete report. The doctor said the radiologist told her that my dogs heart was enlarged and told her the size over the phone but she forgot to write it in the report. I was never allowed to witness the care my dog received not even the physical examination. The staff was rude and the only thing they were interested in was collecting money from me not the services they were supposedly providing for that money. After trying to email and call them multiple times I received no response. I only got a response after contacting VCA head quarters and speaking with the IT tech support because that's the only person that even answered the phone at all. Even then, the response I received back from the vet was limited. I feel my complaint still has not been addressed by them as of now. When I told them they had poor organization skills and communication I was told I was sending them hostile emails. During my visit to the emergency vet the staff screamed at me when I was in a most vulnerable state of mind. I was being told I needed to pay the bill immediately because my dog was in such critical condition she could pass away at any time after signing the obligation bill. I should be given a full refund for all the stress and aggravation not to mention the incomplete care I received. I was promised a partial refund that would be sent by check in the mail from the corporate headquarters but was not given any sort of proof such as a an updated invoice or even a reference number for the refund. I can't even get into contact with anyone about the status either since no one from CAVES nor VCA will answer the calls and emails that I have sent. the treatment we received was poor care for our pet and ourselves. the whole experience was a nightmare!

I got my GS puppy the care package when he was 6 weeks old. They said it would include his nudder and I'd pay for only heartworm or flea treatments if I decided to get them. But nudder and shots all inclusive. I call them at one year almost for nudder appointment and they said I had wrong plan and it would cost me 400 to 500 dollars. I had called several times and never once in our conversation did they say it was not included but instead said evertime he was on track to get nudder included in care plan. Then when I threatened them on court for breach of contract and misleading me they said they nudder him for 216.00 for signing me up for wrong plan so basically cover higher plan price which they never told me of this plan option of 60.99 a month. I did decide to get his nudder their as I really need it done as he only has one ball and it can cause cancer later on in life but after that I'm changing vets and I explained nothing but the best care better be given to him or I'll be sueing them. New vet in future. Can't believe how these corporate veterinarian hospitals are as bad if not worse than corporate human hospitals. Moral of story is to always ask questions and get the answers in writing other wise just trusting a corporate owned anything they will figure out how to bleed you dry. As for my pup he will go get the nudder but today I'm looking for a local office in my community that is better suited for my family. And to mention I did notice how many older people take their animals to valley animal clinic and how many medications they were handing out to these animals. My gut feeling is they prey on older people and their pets just like the doctors prey on older people pushing pills down their throats. Profit is their God.

My four cats have received their yearly vaccines, and each is treated with Revolution monthly. For some reason, I can't, as of today, purchase a single dose of Revolution without bringing each cat in to be weighed before I'm allowed to purchase Revolution. There is a COVID pandemic that can harm animals, too. If I bring each cat in to be weighed, I am needlessly exposing them to possible infection. There is no COVID vaccine for cats. I fully vaccinated my cats with the understanding that they'd be eligible to receive Revolution monthly. Is the new stipulation mandated by VCA America or VCA, Algiers?

The service and management at your Spooner, Wisconsin hospital is the rudeness of the technician's is un acceptable. I get they were busy but hire more people or get some who work... we visit Spooner during the summer months as we have a cabin on a local lake, and it always seems to be a problem getting in. Unless you are a local with clout in the community which is sad because we spend a lot in this town also and pay taxes just like the year round residents. which we know first hand as or neighbor is a local and he seems to have a lot of pull in the community and he gets in when we cant can board his dogs even when he's not up to date with vaccinations. if you visit this place and don't notice the rudeness and lack of professionalism with the manager and technicians you are in need of glasses there are a lot of customers who fell the same way!

I took my chihuahua terroir in Friday August 13th 2021 to be seen for a nail that had been pushed back and was bleeding profusely. Looking at his wrapped paw as I undress it today Sunday August 15th it looks like they didn't even clean it before wrapping him and also the sticky tape is all around his leg ripping his hair while I try to take it off. I'm concerned and very disappointed in how they have treated his wound as it looks pussy and like they didn't even clean his wound prior to wrapping it. Looking back on my bill statement they didn't even give him any medicine while in emergency which makes me question why we paid so much in the end ($239) his emergency exam was $122 the fluids they provided were $31 his medicine he came home with was $18 and his botched wrap job on his paw was $60. I'm 9 months pregnant and could go into labor any minute so I didn't even think to ask many ?'s while I was waiting for my dog. I just wanted to make sure he was okay and getting treated. My overall complaint is the bandage job they did on him and how they didn't seem to clean his paw resulting in it now looking like a oozy mess. I will be taking him where he usually goes to have this seen but I'm just very disappointed in how much hair was ripped off his leg while trying to take thus bandage wrap off and how his paw looks .

This is specifically about the VCA Animal Hospital in Tempe, AZ on Broadway Road. They did not provide proper follow-up care when my cat's infection resisted treatment. After I called 3 times, a technician finally called me back and was unable to answer any of my questions! She basically blew off my concerns. The vet had told me this was a serious infection and the tech acted like it was no big deal. I spent $295 for the vet appt and they can't be bothered with proper follow-up? I've been a customer for 8 years! I was told spaying my cat would fix the problem They wanted to charge me $850 to spay vs $350 elsewhere!

My dog needs her spleen out because of a tumor, dont know if it is cancerous or not that why we need the surgery. Our reg vet came and took a look at her he suggested to take her to the vca as an emergency, they put my dog in a oxygen tank her levels were 96 and normal it's usually 97 to 98. The doctor suggested we put her down humanely even though he did not know the diagnosis yet to her lung's, didn't know our financial finances but since it would be cheaper to put her down maybe we should do that. We made the decision to spend 1500 for tests we already done a few days before. The result was she had a little fluids in her lungs, and all her urine and bloodwork came back normal but since it wasnt an emergency he wasnt going to do the surgery, so basically wait till you're dog is on death's door we cant do anything. They are horrible for people who supposed to car for animal's they sure don't have the heart for that profession.