VCA California Veterinary Specialists-Carlsbad

My pup Phineas developed osteosarcoma back in November and the team here has been a blessing. They handled the amputation, they handle post-op infection, and they handled the round of chemotherapy. The oncology team has given me so much joy to see my pup happy, running, and jumping chasing lizards and all. Thank you Dr. Ogilvie. Update 11Jun2023, we can’t thank enough then incredible team at VCA for everything they did for our pup Phineas. We are super great full for the time we had but had to reckon with this disease. When Phin’s health rapidly began to decline this last week we were given help with making him comfortable and this allowed us to be with him when he passed at home with us after a great day with a picnic and all the walking he could muster. We are so great ful to the surgical team, emergency medicine team, and radiation and oncology teams.

This place is absolutely freaking amazing!!! Our senior dog had a dislocated hip and we were referred here from Thrive Urgent Care (also an amazing place). When we arrived we were helped immediately and right away we could tell the staff truly cares about your pet. Due to the complication of her injury we had to wait until the surgeon came in the next morning (it was late at night when we brought her in). Dr. Osmond was our surgeon. Let me tell you, this man is a freaking saint! He went above and beyond in taking care of both our needs and our pet's. They never make you feel like you're bothering them and always always have time to answer your questions. Every single one of their staff is absolutely amazing. Words can't express how grateful I am for the amazing service and care we continue to receive from here. Honestly, if they treated humans too, this would be my Dr. Absolutely love this place!

We saw Dr. Proulx for an oncology consultation for our Coonhound who has mast cell tumors. He explained everything about the tumors in a way that was easy to understand. He provided options and did NOT try to push us into any treatments that would likely not help our boy's cancer (chemo or radiation). He suggested a couple of medications that can help slow down the appearance of new tumors. We were not pressed to make any decision on the spot and not made to feel like the selection or declining of any of the proposed options would make us neglectful pet parents. We left the appointment feeling well-prepared to make the right choices for our boy, and for our bank account which, sadly, we must consider. Bethany, his vet tech is a gem. She's kind and intelligent, and she took charge of our very vocal dog while we consulted with the doctor. The whole experience was very positive, especially considering the reason for the consultation in the first place. Highly recommend!

Our dog Angus had surgery here and overall the surgeons and techs have been amazing. It's been expensive and a little more stressful than we were prepared for, but our experiences have been good at VCA CVS Carlsbad. They are helpful and thorough when answering our questions and are generally really responsive. We've had some experience with the ER also since we've taken Angus here in the past. Our experience was pretty good then too even though he's an anxious 90lb maniac. Some of the staff are less helpful and friendly than others. Sometimes the wait times can be a bit long, but it's also an ER, so we understand. Especially since this ridiculous animal needs to be sedated for each visit. If we feel like it's been a while without any updates, we just check in and they're happy to get us the information we need. Communication between Surgery and ER isn't always great, so we mainly try to stick with those that know his history, which it seems like almost the entire surgery department since he's a frequent flier these days. Surgery's communication seems pretty good, or maybe he's just seen all of them by now! 😆 And even though he's a jerk, I can tell they care about him. Thank you to everyone that's been taking care of our monster. 💕 Also the free cookies in the lobby always make my trip there better.

Incredible staff and incredible treatment. My 11 year old Golden had a horrible brain tumor so bad that we had to physically carry her into the hospital on her first day of treatment. We chose their "cyber knife" radiation treatment. Within 48 hours of the last treatment, Ellie was trotting around, playing ball, and swimming like a brand new dog. She was literally days away from dying, and Dr. Proulx and his team saved her life!