VCA Bay Area Animal Hospital

I can not stress enough - avoid all VCA's. They are conglomerates that care more about profit than care. We've had appointments canceled twice, same-day, with VCA offering no backups. One appointment was after waiting 2 weeks, only to wait another week. Our last visit was with Buxbaum, and like others have mentioned, his care was horrendous and confusing. After taking x-rays, he came back to tell us he couldn't read the x-ray, and it should go to a specialist, which would be an extra fee. Buxbaum was more concerned with the time, constantly checking his watch. When we made it clear that we couldn't afford emergency room care (which he quoted at $3k+), he told us NO LESS THAN 5 TIMES we needed to euthanize our 3 year old cat - even though he had NO idea what the issue was. It was an insane, emotionally cruel experience. At the end of the day, we spent $1,000 to be traumatized, leave with no diagnosis, and some medicines. Buxbaum even came out to the lobby to remind us one more time that euthanasia was the best choice. If he can't even find the reason or tell if our cat is in pain, why would we do that?! To top it all off, getting a personal text message from a staff member that someone I mentioned in an internal, private review "didn't deserve it" is literal bully behavior. How dare you offer substandard service, ask me about it, and get upset with my response! I'm happy to say our cat is getting proper care with another vet who is hopeful yet honest. A vet who actually offered possible diagnoses and plans to combat them. Something I have never been offered at VCA.

posted: 07/10/2023

I've found this place pretty frustrating. In sum, this place has been heavily impacted by COVID and by a clear pressure to make money. This is understandable but frustrating. I've now switched vets to a different animal hospital, and my new vet has told me that many of the treatments VCA recommended were unnecessary (trying to sell extra things to make more money?). Appointment was running late (understaffing) and I wasn't allowed to sit with my pet in the exam room, even for a routine checkup. Cost of appointment with single vaccine (felv): $200. I don't think the vets here are incompetent, but I do think they must get a lot of pressure from their corporation to sell as many procedures and products as possible; it shows. This place has also clearly been really affected by the COVID pandemic, understaffing in particular. And get a second opinion if they recommend something that seems off!

posted: 07/31/2023

The appointment time is never respected. Waited in the treatment room for almost half an hour to then be left waiting another 15 minutes for a prescription. I did not feel welcome and i felt pressured to do unnecessary tests that I did not take. Ive been coming here for years but im not coming back.

posted: 08/31/2023

Dr. Dunn is the best! She’s thorough, honest, and very good at explaining everything. I am very grateful my cat has her for his vet!

posted: 07/21/2023

I have to give a huge shout out to Dr. Austin at VCA Bay Area! She is incredibly compassionate, thoughtful and genuine in her care for animals. While we had never met in person, she recognized my dog in a parking lot of a pet hospital and came up to my dog and pet her and asked how she was doing. Seeing that kind of compassion for my pet was the kindness I needed to make the difficult decisions ahead. After having to put my dog down, I received a handwritten note from her expressing her condolences. It means so much. Keep hiring doctors like her and I'll be a lifelong customer! Thank you Dr. Austin!

posted: 03/23/2022