VCA PetCare East Veterinary Hospital

These people are some of the most compassionate and professional vets I’ve met. I went there because my cat wasn’t walking, but was wriggling around the floor, yowling in pain, and having trouble breathing. I called ahead and they said to bring him right away. Once I got there, they immediately whisked Charlie (my cat) away to be examined. I was led into a room where the vet gave me the bad news that he had lost use of his legs, had a heart disease that went undetected, a blood clot, and fluid in his lungs. Even if I had them do everything they could so I could take him home, his quality of life would have been awful and his life expectancy would’ve been maybe a year. The vet was calm, professional, and explained everything in precise detail for me. Answering any question I had, and didn’t judge me as I cried. Both the vet and I agreed to put him down. Once that decision was made, I was led into a separate room so I could say goodbye. The room itself was calming, had comfortable couches, and a serene atmosphere. You could tell it was for this very purpose. All the staff was attentive and respectful through the whole ordeal. It was so so hard to say goodbye. None of the staff rushed me. All of them were so understanding. When he finally crossed the rainbow bridge, the vet gave me more time for final goodbyes (once again never rushing). I can never thank them enough for trying to make the whole ordeal easier on me. I know it’s not easy for them either. I could tell the vet wanted to give me better news, to be able to give my baby boy the quality of life he had before. And just knowing he felt for me, empathized with me, helped me feel less alone in my decision. Thank you.

posted: 06/24/2023

My dad drove to the clinic from lake county when our family dog of 19 years unexpectedly took a turn for the worse. Sadly, it was his time to go. The vet that my father saw was so compassionate, empathetic, professional and straight up amazing. My dad had to drive alone as our grandmother passed the same day and the rest of the family was dealing with that crisis at the same time. The vet was the only person with my dad and she helped him with one of the hardest choices ever. He can’t remember her name, but it was on August 27th in the late evening. Thank you for being there for my dad and our pup Jordan. 11/10 recommend you.

posted: 09/05/2023

We had to use VCA for an emergency trip last weekend. We were staying in fort Bragg and they were the closest emergency vet. After a 2.5 hr drive my dog and myself were so well taken care of by the team here. The communication, compassion and care they provided our dog while she was in the hospital was top notch. They made an insanely scary time for us and our pet as smooth as possible. I will never be able to thank the team enough. From the front desk staff(Alina) to Dr Henry, Dr Bonnett and everyone they made me feel so safe leaving our pet in their care! Thank you

posted: 06/02/2023

I've been bringing my dog here for chemo checkups and treatments for the past 5-6 months and I've had nothing but good experiences. My dog is very anxious and hates vets ever since starting chemo, but when she sees the vet techs she shakes a little less as if she knows they're going to take good care of her. Everyone from the reception to the vet techs to the scheduling staff, to the rotating oncologists has been so helpful, patient, communicative and just positive in general. Since there is no permanent oncologist at the moment, my dog is seeing a new doctor every three months but it eases all of our anxiety to know that the permanent staff there is doing their absolute best. I always feel like she's in great hands and that they really care about my dog. She's our baby so it means the world to us to know she's being cared for with the same passion we would care for her at home. I want to personally thank the oncology vet techs Rosalie, Opal, Natassia, and Hettie. Rosalie and Opal are the ones we see on pickup and drop-off and they're always so positive and uplifting during this hard time. Natassia calls me each week to check in and I know she gets excited when I have good news to give her. I also want to thank Tiffany for getting us in on short notice. We recently moved back to the area in April and my dog was already being seen at another VCA for her lymphoma. Without there being a permanent oncologist here, we were worried about scheduling and her treatment, but Tiffany got us in for regular appointments and was so easy to work with. We were nervous at first coming to this location with rotating oncologists but we really feel like we're in good hands now. I know the vet techs are my pup's biggest advocate since they have to update each new doctor on everything that's going on. I have not seen a shift in quality despite having new oncologists which tells me the standards for quality are high and kept up by the entire staff. Thank you guys, seriously, from the bottom of our hearts. I feel as if my dog has been able to rebound from her cancer several times since being seen here. Sometimes we can't believe our luck that she's still with us. She couldn't have made it this far without you.

posted: 10/20/2022

I personally found the staff and care at VCA East to be cold, corporate, and neglectful. I visited VCA East several times for my two cats in 2023. In one instance, VCA East misdiagnosed my cat’s condition as herpes after a seven-hour wait, which weeks later was correctly diagnosed by another vet as cancer. As a result of the misdiagnosis, days and weeks of valuable treatment time were lost. In a second instance with a different cat, VCA East concluded my cat DIDN’T have a urinary blockage, but predicted he would most certainly get one if I didn’t immediately admit him and spent $4K. When I asked about home care to start since he didn’t have a blockage, my lesser invasive approach was dismissed and shamed. This after yet another nearly six-hour wait that included me being forgotten in a waiting room for one hour. Another vet in the area was completely open to home care and with a combination of medication and diet change, we avoided a urinary blockage over the course of a week for under $500. Based on these two experiences, I cannot recommend VCA for cat diagnostics or treatment or customer service. VCA’s corporate approach to veterinary care isn’t what I want for my fur babies.

posted: 09/03/2023