El Toro Animal Hospital

4.2 (134)
23162 El Toro Frontage Rd, Lake Forest, CA 92630, USA

Hours:

Monday: 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM

Tuesday: 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM

Wednesday: 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM

Thursday: 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM

Friday: 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM

Saturday: 8:00 AM – 2:00 PM

Sunday: Closed

How to Save Money at El Toro Animal Hospital

Schedule Regular Vet Visits

One of the best ways to save on vet bills is to prevent expensive health issues before they develop. By scheduling regular wellness checkups, your vet can detect health issues early, helping you to avoid costly treatments and surgeries down the road.

Price Shop for Pet Prescriptions

Oftentimes our fur babies are prescribed human drugs off-label. Your vet is apt to charge more for these medications than you would pay at your local pharmacy. In fact, big-box or chain pharmacies can offer steep discounts. So it’s best to price shop.

Pet Insurance

Most pet insurance providers will pay between 80% and 90% of the vet bill. You can even get coverage for routine care and things like vaccinations and dental cleanings. If you do the math, you’ll most likely find that pet insurance makes financial sense in the long run as well as gives you peace of mind.

How Do You Choose the Right Pet Insurance Provider?

Pet Insurance Review makes it incredibly easy for pet parents to select an insurance provider they feel good about. You can use our handy comparison tool to get the gist of what a company offers. We’ve also collected over 150,000 reviews of insurance companies from real pet parents like you to rank the top providers in the market. Here is the current ranking of each:

Top Pet Insurance Providers of 2024
Rating Provider Total Review
4.4 AKC 891
4.5 ASPCA 11,713
4.9 Embrace 16,627
4.9 Fetch 10,616
4.2 Figo 2,598
4.7 Hartville 164
4.9 Healthy Paws 9,975
4.9 Lemonade 805
4.6 ManyPets 2,332
4.0 MetLife 625
4.8 Nationwide 21,404
4.3 Pet Assure 12
4.5 PetPartners 112
4.3 Pets Best 12,053
4.6 Pumpkin 1,425
4.6 Spot 6,829
4.9 Trupanion 67,550
4.8 Prudent Pet 125

Or, you can simply get a fast quote from multiple providers and go from there.

Thinking of insuring your pet?

Get Quotes & Compare

Getting to Know Your New Vet: Essential Questions to Ask

Choosing a new veterinarian is an important decision for any pet owner. You want to find someone who is competent, compassionate, and a good fit for you and your fur baby. To help you get the most out of your first appointment, here's a list of essential questions to ask your new vet:

Tell me about your experience with [pet type].

Different vets have different areas of specialization. Some are experts with cats, some dogs, some pocket pets, and some horses. Knowing that your vet has vast experience treating your specific type of pet can bring you peace of mind.

How do you handle emergencies?

You must know what to do in case of a pet medical emergency. Inquire what after-hours policy the clinic has, whether they have on-site emergency care available, and if they have a relationship with any nearby emergency animal hospitals.

How do you communicate with pet owners?

Good communication is key to building a trusting relationship with your vet. Ask how they prefer to communicate (phone calls, emails, online portal) and how often you can expect to hear from them.

Are there any breed-specific health concerns I should be aware of?

Some breeds are predisposed to certain health conditions. Knowing what to watch out for can help you catch problems early and get your pet the treatment they need.

Do you have any questions for me about my pet?

This is a great question to ask because the answer will show that the vet is interested in getting to know your pet as an individual and is willing to listen to your concerns.

Bonus question: Can I take a tour of your facility?

Getting a feel for the clinic's environment can help you and your pet feel more comfortable during your visits. Remember, you’re not just looking for a veterinarian, you’re looking for a partnership. Do not be afraid to ask these questions and any others you can think of. Any vet worth their salt will be happy to answer them. Because the more informed you are, the better equipped you'll be to make decisions about your pet's care! And that should be every vet’s top priority.

Reviews from Google

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Scott & Brooke Maxwell

Do not take your pet here!! We rescued our puppy and the adoption agency has Say and neutering included through El Toro. We dropped our puppy off and were charged over $200 with the additional options, laser and others, that weren’t explained to me because we never even talked to a vet. It was only the front desk girl answering all the medical questions We went ahead with the extra options, which was basically the same cost if I took to my own vet. We had to drive there from Anaheim hills and didn’t want to cancel and reschedule with my vet, which now I wish I would have. The stitches aren’t the best and I feel that my vet would have taken the extra time. The front desk girl said that she can’t walk or go upstairs for 2 weeks,which is impossible. Concerned about her stitches, I called today and asked the front desk girl and she suggested a seductive “tranquilizer” so she will stay still. I brought her home after a trip that was 40 minutes each way and gave my puppy the pill. About 2 hours later, the front desk girl called and said that she gave me medication for another dog. She said that our puppy will be fine and I can come back today before 2pm and pick up. It was 12:30 and we could not make it back in time and they are closed the next day. I asked if they could ups it to me and she said no. What service for their mistake. I wish I would have read the reviews before taking our sweet puppy there. Horrible customer service and the vet puts too much on the girl in front. Maybe he should come out and shake hands to build some sort of trust. They could have killed my dog and will not accept responsibly for almost killing my dog. Hi should have went with my gut feeling when I saw the run down building that they are practicing out of. Needless to say, I will be taking my puppy to my own professional vet for the check up and will not ever go back there again

posted: 09/16/2023

prevalent business

I been to other vets and they all have sucked except for el toro animal hospital. They always have a solution to my dogs health problems. They are very kind with my dog and always are available when my dog is having a medical emergency. Plus financially they're much cheaper compared to other places.

posted: 04/17/2023

Robert Lopez

The worst experience I've ever had at an animal doctor. The staff, information given to me about my dog, prices were outrageous. I had to pay almost an entire disability check just to clean my dog's ears and get up to date on shots. They charged me $90 for the shots and on top of that they charged me $175 to administer the shots. My dog was put to sleep for the procedure, I understand this procedure is considered surgery. But after two days you would expect a courtesy call, some form of follow-up, anything that would show concern for the animals and not all about the money. I'll never ever go back or recommend their services.

posted: 03/23/2023

Natalia Niño Hurtado

I find the staff unprofessional, they sold me a medicine for parasites, but it was actually a medicine for diarrhea. we reported our pet did not have diarrhea but they insisted it was a dewormer. It seems to me that they only want to sell you medicine. I do not recommend this place

posted: 05/24/2023

Val
Val

Don’t go here. My sister took her dog here to get spayed. 5 days after the operation, the dogs stitches were coming undone and it looked like the dogs belly was opening and possibly infected. She took her back to this vet, who assured her that it was fine and sent her home. Today, we took her into a new vet because it still looked bad and that vet said she has an infection and needs to be stitched up all over again. This vet did a botch job and then refused to take any accountability, insisting that the dog was fine when we brought her in yesterday (her stomach looked just as bad as today). This hospital refuses to compensate us at all for their mistake. When the vets choose their own pride over an animals well being, it shouldn’t be a place you take your pets to. *Update in response to their response* Ava is better now no thanks to you. You really want to get into it, let’s list everything that you did poorly. First of all, you gave her the wrong cone size. You only gave her 3 stitches that looked like they were loosely coming apart, hence the bleeding. My sister also only sent you one photo on march 9th, the day she decided to go elsewhere, which was after she physically brought her in on March 8th. On March 8th, Ava’s belly was opening and bleeding. You did not “clean the wound” or even spend time acknowledging that her stitches were opening because owning up to your mistakes must not be your strong suit. My sister did go elsewhere, and her stitches now look in tact as they should be. Yes, information should be disclosed in its entirety, which is why it’s important you don’t lie or make up things that never happened and instead take accountability for your actions. You made a poor decision and let an animal suffer for your negligence.

posted: 03/10/2023