Sonoma Valley Pet Clinic

I've been taking my cat, Magic, to SVPC for over a decade. This place was 5 Stars plus when Dr Palermo was running the show. I always felt my cat was in the best of hands. Prices were always reasonable and I never felt rushed. All my questions were always addressed. I was pretty devastated when Dr. Palermo announced that she had sold her practice and was exiting the clinic. She set a high bar that would be difficult for any vet to match. A few months ago, I noticed two things that were cause for concern: 1) subcutaneous bumps on my cat's torso. 2) a cough which I recorded on video. I immediately made an appointment to take her to SVPC in spite of the fact that someone had told me that they weren't as good since Dr. Palermo left. Worth mentioning that I had to leave multiple messages before someone got back to me to set the appointment with Dr Wood. When I took my cat in, it was evident that Dr Wood didn't take the time to review Magic's records. I referenced my cats history and Dr. Wood didn't seem to understand what I was referring to. My cat had chronic allergies which Dr Palermo treated. She also saw Magic for over a decade and ran a lot of tests over the years. I would think that if Dr Wood is going to buy a clinic with established patients, she would take the time to understand the history of those patients. I wanted Dr. Wood to look at the bumps which was what motivated me to bring my cat in. One she said was "too small" to sample. She said it was "hard" and cause for concern but I should watch it to see if it grew. The second lump which was larger, she said was a "lipoma" (benign fatty tissue not common in cats but common in dogs) which she wasn't concerned about. She didn't think it was necessary to sample it. There were other bumps but the doctor seemed rushed and I was unable to find the smaller bumps to show her. As for the cough, Dr. Wood had said if it got worse, I should contact them as it could be "feline asthma" (something Dr. Palermo had ruled out and Dr. Wood would have known had she reviewed the records). The cough got worse, the bump got worse. I reached out by phone and email and got no response. Let's just say when Dr. Palermo was the vet here, I had her cell and she was always responsive. The new SVPC seems to be very disorganized and is non responsive. I decided it was time to find a new vet. Unfortunately, wait times are bad and the soonest I could get an appointment with Totem was 4 weeks out. I tried other clinics but the problem here is Magic was a "new patient" so wait times are longer. One day, my cat experienced open mouth, labored breathing so I rushed her to VCA which is where I received the devastating news that she had advanced cancer and was suffering. And the right lump that Dr. Wood dismissed as a "lipoma" was not a lipoma but a cancerous tumor. I ended up euthanizing my cat that day which was exactly six weeks and a day since I took her to Dr. Wood at SVPC. I felt Dr. Wood rushed through the exam, didn't address my concerns and didn't do her due diligence. I have no doubt had Dr. Palermo examined my cat, she would have caught the cancer. Magic may have still had a poor prognosis but we could have at least tried to control cancer and most importantly keep Magic comfortable. Then when it was time, she could have been euthanized in the comfort of her own home. Instead it was severely traumatizing for us both.

posted: 06/24/2023

I just moved to Sonoma & was told that Dr Wood took over this practice. She is excellent & so are all of the staff. Competent, courteous & efficient. I feel confident that my 2 dogs are going to be cared for by Dr Wood & her team

posted: 08/16/2023

Everyone was so kind and excellent with my frightened dog. She was putty in their hands by the time we left. And the job they did cleaning up and taking care of her wound was top notch. They're also the easiest on your wallet here compared to any place else in Sonoma.

posted: 06/30/2023

Been going to Dr. Palermo and her team for 12 years now. I can't imagine going anywhere else. They are so compassionate and honest. They truly care about their patients and their owners.

posted: 09/14/2022

They just take great care of my dog and cat. She’s the only vet that can handle my cat. They all genuinely love animals. I travel from Santa Rosa here because I am confident in their care!

posted: 12/04/2021