-
August 2024 by 89frisco ..
STAY AWAY FROM HERE IF YOU LOVE YOUR PET. All they care about here is squeezing as much money out of you as they can for unnecessary treatments. They are incompetent, and they don't care about your pet. Took my dog here because he had a couple of big lumps, and they charged me $800 dollars, and told me he had been bitten by an insect and that he would be fine in a few days. That it was no big deal, and all i had to do was to give him was some medicine. Three days went by and he kept getting worse. It turns out that diagnosis was totally wrong. He had cancer and was literally dying. They charged me $800 and gave me the wrong diagnosis. I took him to a different veterinary and the guy charged me zero dollars and told me that my dog was dying and needed to go to emergency hospital. I took him to the hospital he recommended and indeed i ended up having to put him down that day.
-
July 2024 by Bret T.
Just for the record, I'm not someone who normally gives bad reviews unless it is extremely deserved. Let me first start by saying I have been going to this clinic since I was a child when Dr. Hagaman was the Vet. When Dr. A started gradually taking over it was a tough pill to swallow because Dr. Hagaman was so amazing. Dr. A has been our Vet for the past 20 years, helping us with several of our dogs. He was always generally nice and friendly, but I felt he always over-charged and did un-necessary testing, but we stayed with him for all these years. The last couple years we have noticed a significant drop in his "bedside manner" towards us. My guess is that he knows we have gone to other Vets for 2nd and 3rd opinions on several issues and probably didn't like it. But that's a guess. The most recent interaction was the last straw for my wife and I. We brought our dog in knowing most likely we were going to have to put the dog down. After a brief exam and discussion, we made that horrific decision. What has my wife and I so upset is the callas, robotic and un-feeling way Dr. A and his staff approached this horrific time in a pet owner's life. No remorse, really no sorry for your loss, and no comfort, just very much a matter a fact. I understand to them, it's their job, and they try to stay as professional as possible. We had to put one of our other dogs down last year, and did it at the VCA in West Hills, and I can't begin to tell you the difference. This wasn't even their regular animal, and they put us in a special room off to the side, brought in a bed and blankets and the Dr. that put our dog down was so sweet, kind and understanding. In addition to the lack of feeling from Dr. A, knowing full well we were going to have to put our dog down, he charged us $350 plus $60 for the office visit. We have spent thousand of dollars in that office, and to charge us a damn office visit, plus the ridiculous amount of money to put the dog down was just terrible. This made an already horrible experience even worse. I know the cost of everything has gone up, but this clinic has become such a money grab and so un-feeling. I also found out that Dr. A sold the clinic to a company and no longer has either full ownership or ownership at all. This place has just fallen in ways I can't comprehend, especially compared to when Dr. Hagaman owned it.
-
July 2024 by Etana P.
I have been taking my cat here for years, and they seemed fine for the regular check up appointments but things got strange once she had an actual medical issue to deal with. I took her in bc her eye was red and puffy, and they tried to charge me over $500 for an X-ray to see what the problem was. I was a college student, and $500 seemed ridiculous for this problem, so I asked if it was possible to first try a stool sample and eye drops (which were cheaper). 2 days of the eye drops and she was fine and the stool sample showed nothing was wrong- so why did I need to pay $500 for an unnecessary x-ray?? Fast forward a year later, I took her back to get her yearly flea treatment and had them cut her nails like I always do (which was my fault for trusting them again), and she came back with an entire patch of fur missing from the nape of her neck. She was also extremely quiet on the car ride home and skittish when we got inside the house, and she hid from us all day- none of which has ever happened in the time we've had her. Im a very understanding person and know that her having the fur ripped out could have been an accident if she tried to claw at the vet or technician, BUT they never even informed me about any issues and I had to find it myself. I called the vet and asked why we weren't told about this and the receptionist who answered just didn't have an answer for me and said that she wasn't the one who worked on my cat that day. Great. Most of the technicians there seemed nice and capable enough, but the vet was always suspicious to me, and I hated that they would take my cat in to the back and not allow me to come with her during the appt even long after Covid had ended. Basically, moral of the story is to listen to all the other one star reviews, and believe that this clinic is a money-grabbing and non-trustworthy place that will probably not give ur pets the care they deserve.
-
May 2024 by Gayane M.
Do not take your pet to this establishment. My pet was given a Cortizone injection and an antibiotic injection without my permission and then I was billed for it. Charges are also a lot higher than other veterinary offices and I absolutely do not recommend taking your pet here. Totally unprofessional and unethical!
-
April 2024 by Crystal C.
I thought this was going to be a good vet to bring my dog to, I was WRONG. My Bulldog needed his Bordetella Vaccine, they are out of Bordetella till Tuesday. What veterinary clinic is out of dog vaccines for there patients, especially over the weekend, the busy days. I could have been told before the appointment or while checking in. My bulldog was panting so much because it was too hot in there office, no circulating air, nor did they offer him water. I had to ask if they can provide him with water to drink. My bulldog has a lump starting to appear on the right side of his rib cage area, Dr. stated they could get a sample of the lump, it may not be 100% accurate, however I would need to go to someone who specializes in anesthesia for bulldogs, since he's at greater risk of not surviving anesthesia. I read the reviews before coming here and I should have just followed my instincts.
-
April 2024 by Kd C.
NEGLECTFUL!!! We took our cat here to get neutered and they sent him home with us COVERED IN URINE. I'm not exaggerating. They told us "they tried" to clean him up but he was "moving around too much" which is BS because he was under anesthesia. When I came home from work around 6 hours later he was still so drugged up he couldn't walk and could barely move so don't tell me he was putting up too much of a fight to clean him up. His entire underbelly, paws, and neck was covered in his own urine. After freaking SURGERY. That is neglect and a major HEALTH HAZARD. We will NEVER come back here and you shouldn't either if you care about your pet.
-
March 2024 by Andrew T.
I had to say goodbye to my beautiful dog Jasper this week, at the age of 16 1/2. And I'm heartbroken. But I wanted to take the time to write this review of Dr. A and all the people at Balboa Veterinary Medical Ctr. Dr. A. gave Jasper an extra year and a half of good quality life that we didn't think he'd get. We almost lost him at age 15 and Dr. A saved his life by correctly diagnosing a problem we didn't know he had, and getting him on a medication that got him walking again. Every time we went there, the women in the front of the office always treated him with care and kindness, and Dr. A was always responsive to questions that came up. I live a 20 minute drive from this office, but decided to come here instead of a closer vet for the past few years. It started with an emergency where we couldn't get in at any closer vet clinic, and I was so happy with the treatment we got there, that I continued to use Dr. A as our vet from that point on.
-
February 2024 by Olivia L.
My mom's a regular here but yesterday was my first. The ladies that work there are pleasant but the one that helped Mia and I was exceptional. kim was very professional and informative about Mia's conditions. I use to work at a veterinary clinic in Granada Hills, and know a thing about customer service along with compassion for a pet owner's fur babies. Kim was definitely a five star in my eyes. I look for to bringing Mia back when it's time and thank you again for assisting us yesterday.
-
January 2024 by Sharon B.
Excellent and honest Vet! Love Dr. A Been bringing my dogs here for 20+ years. Would highly recommend.
-
December 2023 by Giselle G.
WE HAVE NEVER BROUGHT OUR DOG HERE AND LEFT WITHOUT HAVING A HIGH BILL.. I totally agree with a lot of the previous reviews about this place being a money grab. Every single time they charge us for the same exact meds, the doctor gives us the same speech . He Gives our dog the same shots. Always pushing expensive meds, X-rays, blood work. Our dog is okay for a couple weeks then we're back to the vet. Never a solution, just a ban-aide, and a high a$$ bill !!! **** And on top of that they make you leave your dog, then you have to go back and pick them up. And charge you $69! It's VERY inconvenient and So unnecessary. If I'm paying $69 for an appointment you need to see my pet while I'm here! I'm not leaving and coming back. Spending half of day driving back and forth. I DO NOT RECOMMEND!! This is our last time bringing our dog here.
-
November 2023 by Yuliya K.
Been coming here since 2019 with my two dogs. Mickey (currently 4 years old) my french bulldog unfortunately has severe allergies and has been here since he was a puppy. Lucy (5 years old) my jack Russell chihuahua is not seen as much, but i take both my dogs here. Wanted to leave a review to give a shoutout to one of the receptionist/techs Kim. Very sweet, caring, kind. She smiles and makes you feel a little more at ease. Both my dogs are terrified and shake coming to the vet, and everytime I go i'm stressed with them, both for their health, and financial reasons. So it helps a lot when the workers are empathetic and warm and welcoming. Obviously it's a personality trait, but also part of customer service and she's doing a great job! Thank you!
-
November 2023 by Anthony R.
I never ever once have written a bad review for a business but this one just messed with me in the wrong spot. As a young aspiring student looking to become a veterinarian myself this place just ticked all the bad boxes from the start. I will give props to the caring and understanding front desk staff but as for the rest I cannot. It starts by me calling ahead asking about a walk in appointment for my dog who is coming to an old age and I just needed a few quick check ups my other clinic was very packed for the next coming weeks and it wasn't something that was to much of a rush so I would just have the medical report of this visit transferred over. I come in after a quick call asking what would be done in the check up and I was told things that would work for this visit. I arrive and it's a fairly short wait I do my paper work and tell them the situation and they say ok well take my dog from here I'm confused and ask oh can I not walk back with my dog the answer is no. I get anxious but allow them to take my dog and am told the vet will give me a call. That's insane not only do I not get to see the exam take place you never even get to speak to the vet themselves after. During my call about the check up I get told some usual things gonna need bloodwork xray etc I'm like ok can I get this health plan on a list and I'll take it over to my clinic I'm more comfortable with. Vets say they can do that and the front desk will help me shortly. I get called to the front they bring my dog out and show me the paperwork. It's a list of the procedures and prices and I'm like well I'm only taking the walk in check up and the front desk person goes oh let me print you a new one then I'm confused and ask so do I not get the list and what my dog could have they say no this was just to look at them??? So you're telling me I paid 87 dollars to get told he will need bloodwork and an xray not even what the issue he is having could be. I may be a bit out of line here but I've been to many clinics before and have at least gotten a professional opinion of what my pets could have and the health plan for future visits when I am able to make the time and payments. Not to mention in the time sitting in the lobby I was reading reviews and was getting very anxious seeing that many people had the same anxiety and fears I was having after seeing a few of these red flags. And after my visit I can safely agree with any one star review about this place. Absolutely seems like a money grab and I fear for what I've read about other people's animals definitely won't be coming back ever again.
-
October 2023 by Sam S.
Needed to contact them after hours on a Sunday due to concerning complications from a visit. Phone rang & rang, finally got a message that voice mail has not been set up. Unacceptable and unprofessional.
-
September 2023 by J G.
PHONE NEVER WORKS. amazing staff. amazing care for animals. terrible phone service. anytime i try calling no matter time of day straight to dial tone or not in service message. a rarity for them to actually answer and for the phone to actually ring.
-
August 2023 by Raff M.
Here for the first time. Waiting on the doctor to exam our new puppy and give him his first dose of vaccines. Friendly staff, very thorough and give positive advice and makes sure you get all your questions answered.
