Amici Pet Hospital of Little Italy

Best vet ever. Don’t tell anyone. This place is amazing. Super friendly, caring staff.
Reasonable prices. Great customer service, and genuine follow-​up care. Buddy has a new vet now, and a bunch of new friends.

Attentive and caring veterinarian and assistant. Pristine building. Friendly receptionists.
I would definitely recommend this place.

I could not give a better review for Amici Pet Hospital. They have amazing service, awesome facility in Little Italy (with parking) and they take wonderful care of our little puppy. He LOVES going to the vet. Dr Crystal Van Lom has made several calls to us even when she was not in the office to check in on our little guy. He was having some unexplained tummy trouble for a few weeks. She personally called us back right away if we called in with any questions or concerns while trying to figure out what was going on with him. I continue to feel confident and pleased with every service and penny spent at Amici. Highly recommend them.
Thank you Amici Pet Hospital.

It has to say something about a vet when both of my dogs love going for their appointments! These guys are amazing. I would highly recommend them!

I adore Amici! The entire staff is so caring and personable. We have 2 dogs and 1 cat so we’ve seen our fair share of vets. At Amici I always feel like I am listened to, not rushed, and there is a genuine care and concern for the well being of my fur babies. Even on the rare event that we have to go to another vet (if something happens on Sunday) Amici always takes the time to follow up and make sure everything is ok.
The front office and exam rooms are always clean and have a very modern feel.
I absolutely recommend this pet hospital to everyone!

’tis the season!
feeling a bit amorous, i purchased a festive little sprig of mistletoe for the house. as my paramour was hanging it up, a teeny tiny little twig fell to the floor and before i could fulfill my womanly duties by cleaning up, our sweet pup gobbled it down.
i had a slight moment of panic as i recalled the steamy exchange in batman returns when a foxy michelle pfeiffer (as the best catwoman ever) and michael keaton mention that mistletoe can be deadly if you eat it… we promptly nixed the idea of hanging mistletoe (though we have our halloween costumes planned for next year) and went about our merry business.
everything was fine till the next day. when our dog turned away from dinner and then reran her breakfast all over the floor. from both ends.
…for the duration of the evening.
my boyfriend called his (now former) vet to see if they could check out our sick, little one and wonderful medical professionals that they are they gave him this SOLID piece of advice «call poison control and then get back to us with what they say.»
UMM — WHAAAAAT? they didn’t want him to bring her in immediately?
or see her at all?
or offer ANY advice?
this seemed super weird to me. i was under the impression that vets were doctors for animals.
allow me to explain my rationale, if i ate something poisonous, i’d go to the hospital and see a doctor… not call poison control. besides if i did call poison control, what in the world are they going to do over the phone? other than tell me to see a doctor?
after this bizarre display of lackadaisical and incompetent behavior, we made the prompt decision to visit my vet. and NEVER EVER go back to amici.
in the end, the dog is fine.
and i can’t wait for halloween! in the meantime, is a catwoman costume appropriate new year’s eve attire?

AMICI pet hospital is the BOMB diggity! If I had a dog I would have said Bomb doggity, but I have a cat and she LOVEs her vets! We had a terrible experience with another popular vet hospital in North Park. We took our cat in for her first vet exam and blood draw. She came back to us soaked, with a bruised nose, and totally terrified. It took her days to calm down. We were told she was put in a mask after biting a vet tech. So we decided to kick that place to the curb and try AMICI.
What a different experience we had! First, and unlike our first vet hospital, AMICI is clean and quite beautifully designed. EVERYONE we encountered was friendly, willing to listen, and you could tell everyone had a HUGE love for pets.
As soon as we walked in we were let into the «cat room». OMG this room is perfect for cats! It is away from the main waiting area, were it was calm, and we were able to sit with her for a few moments, let her out of her carrier, and love on her.
When the tech came in she was lovely and her dog is named Buddha, just like our cat! Buddha took to her in record time. A soft towel was placed under her, over the exam table and nothing was rushed as she took her time to lay down and settle. She was not stressed at all!
The vet came in, I belie it was Dr. Saltzman, and she exudes love, compassion, and patience. No one rushed anything. Both Dr. Saltzman and the awesome VT took their time to get to know Buddha, stroking, scratching, and speaking to her. They asked us to leave the room for the draw and we did. Little Buddha’s eyes were locked on mine as I walked out, she wasn’t anxious just a little concerned that we were leaving the room.
My wife and I sat in the waiting area talking and laughing with the women at the front desk. I have to apologize here because I am terrible with names, but everyone introduced themselves!
We heard no squeak, no meow, no growl, nada coming from Buddha. When we were called back into her room she was relaxed, sprawled out on the towel getting love from both women. She had no issues.
She did not try to bite.
She did not poo herself in terror.
AMICI is magic because of the people. The energy is calm, loving, and healing. We were never made to feel foolish, or unwelcomed, or treated like a burden. We actually left feeling that they had become bonded with Buddha.
It’s amazing what genuine care and concern and compassion can produce. ALL pet hospitals should be this good! GOD BLESS YOU ALL!!!
See you soon! BTW: My Unilocal review of the «bad» place ended with my statement, «THIS IS NOT THE PLACE FOR CATS».
Let me end this review of our new pet hospital by stating: THIS IS THE PLACE FOR CATS as well as other pets.

These people CARE! This place is immaculate! Your pet feels so comfortable in here. It truly is a unique and beautiful space to begin with. Then when you get into the staff and Dr Van Lom… well it makes everything just feel perfect. She is so careful with the ways she takes care of your pet and makes you aware of what is truly happening at each and every step. She also has given us solutions that did not involve anything more than some home remedies. Nice to see that kind of reach. There was a follow up phone call on my dogs condition. I was so amazed I felt compelled to go buy some gifts as a follow on for all the goodness that was done. I am a believer in truth when it comes to my time and effort to Unilocal… this is one of those times where I cannot really say enough about this place and their efforts from hello to good bye. Veterinarians can be a tough find with trust and compassion and this place has both!

5 stars is not enough! Kitty and I are over the moon with Amici Pet Hospital. Skeletor had blood in his urine last night and they were able to squeeze me in between appointments today. It hardly seemed that I waited very long considering I didn’t have an appointment. I think Aimee was very helpful with arranging that with the vet and making sure it wasn’t an emergency. Every single person that I was in contact with was happy and a joy to speak with. Dr. Saltzman was not only kind and attentive, she took time to explain in detail about my cat’s issues. She included me in the decision-​making process which is meaningful to me. I think my previous vet traumatized my cat and Dr. Saltzman was beautifully sensitive to that fact. Someone that can express empathy for their patients is a winner in my book. They have a room designated for cats only, which I really appreciated. The vet tech came in and laid a towel down on the floor so my cat could be more comfortable while we waited. I chose this place based on reviews even though I could get a walk-​in appointment elsewhere that was more convenient. I’m so glad I did. Skeletor is resting more comfortably now and I’m thrilled with our new veterinarian!

Excellent customer service. Called 30 minutes before closing to get last minute help for bugs on cats. Was able to bring in a bug sample to the office right away and learned it was fleas :(Walked out with flea meds for my cats to take care of it the same day. Amici Pet Hospital rocks!!!

Excellent customer service in a clean, hip and convenient location. From my first call when I needed an ‘ASAP appointment’ for my miniature schnauzer, they were amazing. I scored a 9:00 am appointment when my usual vet didn’t have anything available for two days. I quickly realized that what I thought was ‘above and beyond’ service and attention is just their regular way of doing business. They quickly addressed Duchess’s issue, clearly and concisely explained what it was as well as potential treatment options and provided a reasonable quote for services. My dogs are my kids and Amici treated them as their own as well. We are now and will be regulars.

My Chinese Crested, Lola, has seen a lot of this vet lately as she had tumours that turned out to be cancerous removed here. The amazing staff are always pleasant to speak with and even with all my concerns, always help me out and are very knowledgable. The price as well is beyond comparable to other vets. You can tell the people who work at this office care about animals very much! I’d recommend it to anyone who loves their puppy as much as I do :)

After searching for a while for a reliable, honest, affordable, caring vet my dogs and I have finally settled at Amici Pet Hospital. From day one we have been treated like family. Doctor Saltzman really goes the extra mile to make sure my pets are safe and healthy. I recommend this hospital to all of my friends!

Recently relocated to San Diego from North Carolina and took my dog, Linus, here today for his bordatella. Wow. Just wow! The office is very clean and nicely decorated. The staff are friendly and wait time reasonable but the real gem here is the vet herself. Incredible bed side manor. So good that I wish she were my personal doctor. My dog is healthy but she took great care in making him comfortable, checking him over, and getting to know us both. Prices were reasonable and I’m relieved to have found a provider within blocks of our new home in Little Italy.

Truly warm, friendly, caring, patient and professional. By far the best vet experience that we’ve had for our tuxedo boy Binnie. If I could give them 10 stars I would. I can’t say enough good about them. Dr. Saltzman is brilliant!

My kitty was having skin and allergy issues so I brought him here because it is in my neighborhood. I could not recommend them more highly. They spent a lot of time with me asking and answering questions. Everyone was very helpful and friendly, the office is very bright with natural sunlight. Everything was clean and tidy. There is plenty of parking in their lot. The next day they made a follow up call to check on how he was feeling, never heard of that before! Probably the best veterinarian I’ve been to.

Dr. Van Lom is the BEST in San Diego. I’ve had my dog for 10 years and my cat for 6 years. We have moved from Scottsdale, AZ, to Upland, CA, to Sacramento, CA and now permanently in San Diego and she is the best vet we have ever come across.
We are lucky to have found Dr. Van Lom and highly recommend Amici Hospital to ALL pet owners.

This was my first time coming to this vet, and it was AMAZING!
My dog (Benedict) is an 8 pound little Havanese, and he has been limping the past couple weeks.
The girls (Andrea and Dr. Crystal) were the best! They were super thorough in asking questions, and examining him. They were so loving too, they acted like he was their own baby.
Turns out he has something wrong with his patella (really common in small dogs) and he’ll be fine.
I would suggest everyone to come here! They rock!

This place is on the more expensive side, but with the care you receive (as well as the warm loving kindness), this place is worth it. I’ve been to the cheap places, and know better now than to skimp on my dogs care. Unfortunately, we don’t have tons and tons of money for pet care, and when I told the doctor our budget and said that that’s what we had to work with to make him better, she was very kind about it and only told us what we «could» do, and not all the couldn’t do’s. There’s not much we can do now though, and now we can only make sure he’s not in too much pain and keep him on a special diet to help prolong the life of his failing kidneys.
The main thing though is that this place is truly a gem. The doctors and staff are so caring and understanding. The nurse even got on the floor with my toddler and set the expensive dog breeds book down for him to see the pictures. Thank you so much for your help and support to all those at Amici. We really appreciate it.

Having recently moved to San Diego, I needed a new vet for my pup. I made an appointment with Dr. Marla Saltzman, and would definitely recommend her. Now my dog is adorable; she’s a little Havanase. But Dr. Saltzman really made us feel welcome and comfortable. She was playing with my pup and asked lots of questions to get to know both of us. She put a towel over the table so my dog would feel more comfortable, and checked to make sure she was as healthy as she looked. I was concerned about my pup’s teeth, so Dr. Saltzman was able to give me really great advice about how to help prevent further issues. Amici Pet Hospital also hosts events. For Halloween they had a costume contest and gave away goodie bags. There is a feeling of community beyond just a normal transactional relationship with a vet. The waiting room and whole facility is impeccably well maintained. The nice couches in the waiting room might seem counterintuitive to a vet’s office, but it adds a level of class and sophistication. There is a form on the website to request an appointment; I used it, but never got a response, so just call them directly. Also, there is a small parking lot and street parking for those not in walking distance.