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January 2024 by Jessica Patterson
We had an appointment for an annual exam at 8 am this morning, in order for my dog to get a flea medication prescription. We showed up on time and found a sign on the door that said, "We are closed today. Sorry for the inconvenience." They did not answer the ringer, and the phone message said they were in a staff meeting.I'd understand if they had cancelled the appointment ahead of time. But who books appointments and then just doesn't open for the day? It's unprofessional. We're switching vets.
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September 2023 by Sharon Witzke
Took my 8 year old cat here, who had been spayed when she was 3-ish months old, and has been to the vet every year since.This vet told me she should make sure that my cat is female (cause I and my previous vet clearly wouldn't know that)?? I certainly hope when they spayed her 8 years ago they knew she was female.On top of that she suggested a $3000 unnecessary dental "procedure" (she called it a cleaning).Luckily I didn't fall for this scam, and another vet has said my cat absolutely does not dental work.... and surprise surprise, she IS a female. ?
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August 2023 by MANNY THE MONSTER H
I left my cat there to do a routine check and I came back and my cat was being fondaled by the staff each one took turns
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August 2023 by Steven R.
Sorry in advance for a long review. I hate to leave a negative review as the staff and vet I've dealt with have been friendly and supportive. THAT SAID: Accessibility to care is extremely limited. The posted schedule on their website and what's listed on Yelp and Google are different. Plus, they are randomly closed on days they claim to be open. My puppy developed seizures and I went into the clinic (without the dog) to arrange a conversation with the vet re: what to do given the immediacy of the problem. I was not able to talk with a vet and was told the first opportunity would be 5 weeks away! I contacted another local VCA hospital and they were able to see my dog at 8 pm that same night. The diagnosis was epilepsy, and she was immediately put on seizure-reducing meds. Had I waited for Allbany, I might very well not have a dog at this point.When I first signed up with this clinic, I was sold on the "VCA Care Clinic" - basically a subscription wellness program. Now that I'm going to a different t clinic, I wanted to transfer this subscription there. Well, VCA corporate won't transfer the membership, saying I have to cancel at the first clinic and then create a new account at the new clinic. Never mind that there was a $49 fee just for the application that I'll probably have to pay again. It took 2 weeks, 3 trips to the clinic to find them closed and numerous phone messages before I was finally able to talk with someone responsible for their Care Clinic accounts. I told her I needed to cancel and got questioned about why. She agreed to cancel the membership and I stressed that the next day was the monthly anniversary of payments and that I'd been trying to handle this for many days. She said she'd cancel same day. I got an email the next day indicating that it was cancelled, which was followed immediately by another email informing me that my bank account was being debited for the next month payment! Now I've been trying for 2 days to reach this person, having left 3 messages and 1 in-person visit to try to resolve this. I was there before 3:30 yesterday, but was told that this person only works until 3:30 and she was already gone, not to be in again for 4 days. So now I wait once again and waste more time trying to resolve this. Regardless of the quality of veterinary experience and care, the customer service, billing, and patient access make this clinic a less-than-ideal choice.
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June 2023 by Kamran N.
The front staff have a chip on their shoulder very expensive and snobby no apology in their dictionary even though they are wrong.
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June 2023 by Richard C.
This place has REALLY gone down hill!! Inconsistent hours is just the beginning. Shorted us on a prescription for our sick kitten and due to their taking days to respond we are without meds over the weekend. If you can't find enough people to staff your operation please do us all a favor and just close completely .Really sorry we went here. Never again.
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March 2023 by Colin Bashor
My family has been coming to VCA Albany for over 30 years now and the quality of care and the focus on profit has gotten out of control.I would recommend anyone find a different vet as all the Doctors who were there for a long time have either retired or quit and they appear to have not replaced them as wait times have gotten incredibly long.They also will misadvise you in the interest of scheduling extra appointments. We brought our dog in in November for vaccines to renew his registration and had a checkup for him in January scheduled. We asked if we should keep that appointment and were given a strong yes. Fast forward to that appointment, we were in the waiting room until 25 minutes after the appointment time start after arriving five minutes before. When we saw the doctor she weighed our dog and asked what dog food we were feeding him. They asked if we had any concerns and we had her look at a small growth he had since we were there. We wouldn't have scheduled a separate appointment for this as it wasn't a big deal. This bill was $120 for an appointment that was less time than the wait and equated to a phone survey. When I called to try and discuss this ridiculous charge the hospital manager said that it was our choice to bring him in and they'll always recommend "the best care" and preventative medicine. I find it disturbing to essentially say we shouldn't trust their advice because they'll always recommend the maximum number of visits to increase their billings.Yes it's a pet owners decision to bring their pet in, however many of us rely on the advice of the vets we bring them to and VCA will give you the advice that helps their bottomline first and you and your pet second.
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February 2023 by Meagan Travlos
2/14 Update: For what it's worth, I emailed the address they replied with on 1/17 and haven't heard back.I've been taking my cat here for three years. In all that time they repeatedly told me she had chronic herpes but there was no test and no other treatment than the one that only had so-so results for her. It was increasingly hard to get a timely appointment so after adopting a dog and getting a next-day appointment at another vet, I decided to switch my cats as well. At the first appointment for this cat the vet asked if she had been tested for respiratory diseases. I was floored. They ran the test and it was not herpes. It was feline Chlamydia which is treatable and cured after two weeks of meds. My cat had been suffering for three years because Albany VCA did not run a simple test. I have now switched all my pets to a different vet and will never be returning.
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January 2023 by Cam Y.
See the 3.5 stars? In vet talk, that equates to a lot of unsatisfied customers. First of all, VCA is very very expensive. They are known to be the most expensive vet chain. They use an in house lab system that bills up the wazoo. Specifically with this location, the staff, mainly women are horrendously rude, incompetent, and plain stupid. It's as if they each work in their own world and don't communicate with each other. Each time I call to make an appointment, I get a different response for why, how, and when the appointments are available. There's apparently a waitlist, and then the waitlist is nonexistent. And then there's the we will call you back, and of course no call was ever received. Then there's also the, call first thing in the morning for cancellations. But of course that's for current clients only. Like, who is putting up with these dimwits? I adopted my kitten in august and have been trying to get an appointment with them since sept because they were recommended by the shelter? Like, does the shelter actually know the services provided here?
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December 2022 by Laura Blum
Pay more attention to the recent reviews because this place has changed significantly in the last couple of years. Albany VCA put my dog's life in danger due to neglect and poor medical practice. My dog has a heart murmur and was evaluated but a cardiologist every 2 years. The vets at Albany VCA were instructed multiple times to inform me if the murmur got worse so I could take her to the cardiologist immediately. I took her for an evaluation with an outside specialist who informed me that Albany VCA had been documenting worsening heart murmur over the last year. This was news to me as Albany VCA had said nothing to me but documented her condition worsening in her chart. It worsened to the point that she now needs to be on heart medication. Had the specialist not informed me, I would have waited another year for her regularly scheduled cardiologist appointment. My dog could have died. Absolutely disgusting behavior from Albany VCA.
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December 2022 by L. B.
Pay more attention to the recent reviews because this place has changed significantly in the last couple of years. Albany VCA put my dog's life in danger due to neglect and poor medical practice. My dog has a heart murmur and was evaluated but a cardiologist every 2 years. The vets at Albany VCA were instructed multiple times to inform me if the murmur got worse so I could take her to the cardiologist immediately. I took her for an evaluation with an outside specialist who informed me that Albany VCA had been documenting worsening heart murmur over the last year. This was news to me as Albany VCA had said nothing to me but documented her condition worsening in her chart. It worsened to the point that she now needs to be on heart medication. Had the specialist not informed me, I would have waited another year for her regularly scheduled cardiologist appointment. My dog could have died. Absolutely disgusting behavior from Albany VCA.
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December 2022 by Meghan Pressimone
Staff were friendly and Dr. Draeger really took time to listen to all of my concerns and questions. A little pricey for what ended up just being a well visit but I feel it was worth it because the doctor was really thorough and attentive, and gave great guidance for my new kitten.
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October 2022 by Christine N.
I have been taking my dogs here for over 20 years. For all those years i have felt that my dogs have received good care. Unfortunately, I now find that I have to look elsewhere for veterinary care. I called Albany VCA today stating that my 7 year old dog is on day three of an illness and needs to come in for an exam. I was informed that we could not get in any sooner than January (!) unless there is a cancellation. In my experience working in medical offices, there are appointments available for well visits and appointments available for illness. To suggest that my dog can't be seen for an illness until January is completely ludicrous. I used to highly recommend this office to my friends with pets. I will no longer do that and as of today, my dog is a new patient at a veterinary office that will actually provide care for a sick pet. I'm giving two stars because I want to give some acknowledgment for good care in the past. Based on today I would give zero stars.
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October 2022 by Heather Normandale
I would never recommend this place. They are nice people but they basically ignored signs of an early cancer diagnosis for my pet and now she’s on the verge of respiratory distress from the cancer taking over her nose.. they told me a list of “more urgent” things I needed to do like dentistry.. and UTI tests but then ultimately after $700 of tests said I didn’t need to treat to uti.. this all was a waste of my time and failed to address the real issue - which is how to help a cat with signs of cancer get treatment as soon as possible. I had to go somewhere else to get help and clear answers.
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September 2022 by Margret E.
I had been bringing my pets, dogs and cats, to Albany VCA since 1993. I currently have had shih tzu dogs and had been seeing Dr Moulton who suddenly changed to Montclaire Veterinary so, since I had established a good rapport with her, I followed. Suddenly Montclair closed down and I had no vet so I returned to VCA and decided to use Wendy Beers as my primary wet since she had returned to VCA and I had had good experience with her in the past. I scheduled an exam and during the exam Ms. Beers commented that if Montclair reopened I would probably go back to them. I do not know where here animosity came from and I assured her that I was too angry with the way they had closed with no notification.Last week my shih tsu experienced a problem with a congested heart that was impacting his breathing and he had to spend a night at Pets Referral emergency services. When he was discharged I was told to have my primary vet follow up with him but when i contacted Albany VCA I was told that Wendy Beers had said she didn't want to bother with my dog - she didn't want the responsibility. So now I have a very sick dog and no vet. Thank you for nothing Albany VCA!
