The Animal Doctor

First of all a head to toe exam by Wilson was literally 2 minutes nothing different than the nurse did of checking heart rate. Not right! No temperature reading no ear check just heart rate. They are over priced and she seems to be the type of Doctor who only wants to make more money by prescribing antibiotics and not informing pet parents of home remedies and natural ways to prevent future illness instead she says come back to me for another round of antibiotics ($ 100 in her pockets pretty much) go to another Doctor who will actually perform a full exam and not just pet your dog for two minutes!

2^nd visit for 2^nd dog… this time very prompt. Trisha (vet tech) was very sweet with my dog who was shaking like a leaf and even took the time to bring him a little blanket so he wouldn’t have to sit on the cold table top. Very caring group

We just brought in our two cats for updated vaccines. The two assistants that did their well being exam were so sweet and gentle. Then we had the pleasure of having KaLee thoroughly examine them. She was so genuine, our kitties are a bit overweight and she gave us some help with figuring out a new diet plan. She was so thorough and caring. We will be coming back in 3 weeks for another vaccine and will bring them back for any future procedures. Overall a 5 star staff!

First of all I’d like to say that Dr. Wilson and the staff are very nice. Affordable — No. They need to remove this word from their advertisements. We brought our 12 year old Labrador in after he spent the entire night crying in pain, we thought he may have dislocated his shoulder. Turned out he «may» have hurt his neck (we think from jumping out of the truck) Treatment plan was x-​rays, neck brace, pain meds, anti-​inflammatory. We were told to leave him there because it would take a couple hours, this was 9:30am. We called back at 12:30 — we hadn’t heard anything –they said he was next. 3pm — tired of waiting, called again. We were told to come pick him up at 5pm. (I could have gone to work had I know he would be there all day!) We were happy the x-​rays showed nothing. He was groggy from pain meds and we took him home with his $ 55 neck brace made out of cotton and gauze. Dr. Wilson instructed us to start his medication the next morning and bring him back in a week. I asked her if we would be charged for the follow-​up. She checked our bill and said «no, it’s already included». Our bill was over $ 600. We had to put it on a carecredit account. That night he cried even more than the night before. We tried to contact someone to see if we could give him his pain medication and only got an answering machine. In the morning they did call to check on him, which was great.
He started to improve after that and today when we took him in for his follow-​up, Dr. Wilson wanted to cut-​off his neck brace, but it slips easily over his head and I stopped her. $ 55 dollars — we’re saving that thing. We were quoted $ 1000 to clean his teeth, another $ 400 to remove a couple little red bumps from his feet. And then upon leaving I was told we owed another $ 36 for the follow-​up. (remember we were told it was included in the first bill?) Dr. Wilson never even told us if we should continue the meds or not, or what we should do for him now???

I took my new puppy here after calling what seemed like every vet in the city and found them to be the most reasonably priced. The office is very clean and the staff is very nice and professional. I’ve been bringing my dog here for all his regular shots, check ups, and any other puppy needs since. Although I’m happy with this vet, I can see what other negative reviewers mean when they say they feel «nickel and dimed». They do seem to try to sell you up on services and products that may or may not be needed but you can just simply opt out of it and not purchase extras. It did take me a couple of visits to realize that he might not have needed some of the extra perks and a simple visit didn’t NEED to cost more than it should’ve. Otherwise, for regular visits/​check ups they run about $ 39 bucks and vaccinations are $ 14 so they are very reasonable compared to other vets just don’t buy the extra stuff that get «recommended». I’m still happy with them though and I’ll continue taking my doggy there for all my future vet needs.

Greatest place to bring your 4 legged loved one. I wouldn’t of asked for a better caring, most understanding, and knowledgeable staff to have taken care of my baby. Yes, I called my (pit bull) a baby. I’m sorry, he’s just like one of my kids and so being it, I expect nothing but the best treatment and care for him and that is what he received here. Thank you staff, you are awesome!

I see there is a lot of negative reviews for this place. And that isn’t the experience I had at all. The staff is friendly and really helpful with questions that I had amd concerns for my dog. They even gave me handouts because my dog is having trouble using the bathroom ourdoors. The facility looks new and is kept clean. There staff, environment of the facility and care I got for my dog was nothing but excellent. Highly recommend this place.

My animals have been cared for by Dr. Wilson and the staff at The Animal Doctor for many years. While I have, on occasion, felt pressured to agreeing to services I just didn’t feel were necessary, I have never EVER felt «judged» when I declined them. The explanations of procedures and diagnoses and recommendations for treatment have always been clear to me to the point where I felt comfortable I was making the right decisions regarding the care of each of my beloved fur kids.
What I have ALWAYS felt from each and every member of the staff is LOVE for each of my animals and complete commitment to their care and compassion for me as their worried parent. Sure, it is expensive, but you pay for what you get here.

Never again! This place is in it for the $$. I’ve had goldens for the past 20 years and have been to vets from Santa Barbara to San Diego. I have never been so nickel and dimed to death. I’m taking my dogs… and my wallet elsewhere. They’re getting one star only because I can’t give a «0.»

Highly discourage anyone to take your pet here. These people play on your heartstrings and drain your wallet!!! I took my kitten here who had all symptoms of FIP (feline intestinal paritinitis). Upon arrival I was advised they would have to run tests that could cost up to $ 500. I agreed to the testing, and immediately contacted the agency I adopted the kitten from less than a week before. The agency said it sounds like FIP from the symptons I described and was advised to pick up the kitten and take to their vetranarian who would not charge for the services since I had only had the kitten for less than a week. When I contacted the Animal Dr. within 10 minutes after authorizing the testing I had already racked up $ 150 in charges. I picked up the animal and took my pet to the other vet who took one look at the animal and advised me most like the cat had FIP The problem with testing for FIP is the tests can give false negatives and will only test positive for this once the pet not alive. There is no cure and the animal has to be put down. Had I left my pet there, I would’ve Im confident I would’ve incurred the entire $ 500 in testing as well as charges to put the animal down.

I’ve seen both Dr. Lawler and Dr. Wilson. Lawler applied pressure to get my dog fixed before he was physically mature and done growing. They then told me that if I waited it would cost more since the tubes or whatever would be harder to cut and he’d require more anesthesia. Hard sell much? He’s my dog, I’ll fix him when I think it’s time, thank you! Dr. Wilson applied a lot of pressure to get me to switch my dog food (to what they carry in the office) to the extend that they called me after my appointment to further tell me that I needed to change the food. (I feed my dog what the breeder recommends.) That was a bit much – to have a brusque vet tech read me the right act! He is my dog, I’ll feed him what I think is best, thank you! They let my mouthy puppy chew their hands after I asked them not to do that (trying to train him!). I also did not like that they took my puppy into the back room for shots and I couldn’t go with him. They told me I’d have to reserve a different room if I wanted to be with him. …Seriously? They currently send me emails telling me I forgot an appointment, which I haven’t, there was no appointment, they just want me to bring him in to get him weighed and probably try to sell me on more crap I don’t need/​want. They have also called to let me know my dog needed his heartguard only to ask me if it really was time for him to have it. Records – heard of them? Do you guys keep them? All in all, I’m unimpressed, wouldn’t trust them with my dog, and won’t be back.

dr. wilson and her staff have taken care of my 2 dogs from the day after i brought them home. i had a border collie, who we had to put down in july. over the yrs. dr. wilson and several other excellent vets at her office have taken excellent care of my bc. in her almost 12 yrs., my bc has had many severe health issues and dr. wilson has been spot –on for diagnosing and taking care of her. she had have to have 2 surgeries and she promptly referred her to vmsg an excellent vet hospital.
when we had to put my bc down, we brought a blanket, a toy and sat on the floor crying as did dr. wilson and Trisha, the tech. it was as good an experience as it could’ve been. dr. wilson and her staff really care aout your animals!
i also have a 10 yr. aussie and again dr. wilson and her staff has done an excellent job w/​her.
i can’t say enough about the super special care the vet techs provide. they love my dogs as well as fax my bills to insurance.
i also have permission to bring my dogs in anytime if it’s an emergency.
the animal dr. is the place to take your furkids!!! and no this kind of quality vet care doesn’t come cheap, but w/​pet insurance, she is very affordable!!!

In the last year my mom brought her small dog «Rico» into The Animal Doctor on two occasions, for wound care and a $ 600 teeth cleaning. This is remarkable since, in her 82 years, my mother has owned dozens of dogs and cats and never considered their dental hygiene. Nevertheless, she found the care to be competent and fair. Our experience this week aligns with a previous review above. The Animal Doctor delivers professional but pricey care.
Last Thursday Mom dropped off Rico for 6 days boarding while she visited the Bay Area. The next morning she received a call from Dr. Wilson’s partner who reported that Rico was drinking excessive water and producing bloody stool. She offered no guess as to what might be causing these symptoms or treatment options. She advised lab tests that would run $ 200 and offered to follow-​up by phone the following day. Mom approved. There was no follow-​up call on Saturday or Sunday. On Monday an assistant called and cheerily advised that Rico was doing better, his diarrhea had improved. When I asked about the bloody stool she said, «Oh, he had that too». She couldn’t offer any specific info on the Lab results.
Finally, Dr. Wilson called on Tuesday morning to confirm that Rico was «fine and perky». She felt he was recovering nicely from a bout of «stress Colitis» (diarrhea) which was not uncommon especially when smaller, nervous breeds are dropped off in new surroundings. (I confirmed this later on WebMD for pets which also offered «Acute diarrhea usually responds within 24 hours to intestinal rest.») She stated that the tests confirmed that Rico had been dehydrated and that he had responded nicely after they had started antibiotics and adjusted his diet. I probed about the relatively expensive lab tests and she explained that those charges actually covered the entire diagnostic and treatment plan for this situation (e.g., 2 blood tests, urine test, vet fees, antibiotics, medication fees, change in food etc). When I asked if «watchful waiting» is an option for this condition she responded that they favor a «proactive treatment approach».
While their competence is not in doubt, our feeling is that there was a mismatch in tone and sense of urgency in the phone conversations with Dr. Wilson and her partner. If this was a serious, uncertain situation, we are grateful for the expert service but expected a quick follow-​up call. If this was a more common situation, we would have appreciated a discussion of causes and treatment options, including watchful waiting, right up front. As it turned out this treatment bundle added $ 250 to Rico’s stay, pushed it from a reasonable $ 150 to just over $ 400 and left us wondering if it was truly required.

Unfortunately the only nice thing I can say about this business is that it looks clean and pretty (which it should since it’s a fairly new location for the business).
Here goes my story. I called for an appointment for my guinea pigs on Thursday, but apparently the small animal doctor is only at the facility a couple of days, early in the week. I realize the practicalities behind this practice, but it’s still a bit annoying. When a small animal has an issue he/​she can deteriorate pretty fast.
Anyhow I made an appointment for the following Tuesday because my cavy issue wasn’t an emergency. On Monday night the business even called to confirm. Great.
So what happened when I showed up at the appointed time on Tuesday? The nurse was about to place me in a room when she asked her associate where the doctor was. The answer? She went home.
Home!!! I took the time out of my day for this and the people working there can’t be bothered to check the schedule? How hard is it to know you have patients coming, especially when they receive a confirmation call? Or did she see the schedule and just decide — meh?
After this was discovered, no attempt was made to call this doctor and remedy the situation. Guess I just wasn’t important enough. The solution I was offered? An appointment next Monday. MONDAY. Another 6 days. Remember how I mentioned cavys can go downhill fast?
When I said no, I was then given a list of other area vets to try and call. I suppose I would normally have thought this was a nice gesture had they not just COMPLETELY SCREWED ME OVER.
I could rant and rave much longer, but let’s suffice it to say, I’m not going back. Any business that thinks they can just send scheduled appointments away because Doc decided to take a half day, doesn’t deserve my business.

I’ve taken my many pets to The Animal Doctor over the years… birds, cats, dogs… each one was treated with such kindness and expert care. She is great at diagnosing problems and treating them but has referred my pets to a specialist when necessary. I appreciate that because it shows she cares more about my pet’s wellbeing than making more money for herself.

I have a aussie cattle dog, springy terrier mix and cat (all shelter animals) that i take to the animal doctor. The office is nice, semi-​easy to find. The staff is wonderful. I recently had a very odd issue with my cat. He some how managed to get a fox tail stuck in his boy kitty parts (weird right!!!) I called up the animal doctor first thing in the morning and was in a half an hour later. They took very good care of my Sinner (much credit to the nurse and doctor for not laughing about the location of the fox tail… as i was cracking up) To make sure he didn’t end up with any urinary tract problems they kept him for the afternoon. They even called me the next morning to make sure he used the kitty facilities that evening and he was okay. Very caring animal people here.