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October 2024 by Katie Keil
I am so thankful to have found this rehab clinic. All of the doctors, techs and even front desk staff are so kind, caring and helpful. My dog has had a long road to recovery and I couldn't have survived the journey with all the help and support. I highly recommend!
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September 2024 by Stephanie Culhane
The team at HVC is always amazing, always professional, and kind. Even though I work in the veterinary field whenever one of my fur babies has a specific issue I bring them to see Dr. Richter. Over the years and he has been nothing short of a miracle worker for their various issues. From Tracker's Laryngeal pullback and chronic pneumonia, to Deshia's IVDD, and most recently Gigi's mast cell tumor issues. I have nothing but gratitude for him and his team.
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July 2024 by Jo O.
My 10-year-old dog has developed IVDD--degenerative disc disease so I took her in for an appointment at Holistic Vet, I was a little worried given some of the recent reviews indicating the practice was more interested in profit than pets--and they do make you pay a hefty fee in advance to book an appointment. But there aren't a lot of other options for animal physical therapy in the area so I gave it a try. I wanted to review because the experience was absolutely wonderful. We met with Janella, a physical therapist, who was so reassuring and positive and taught me an easy, doable series of home exercises to keep my dog's back limber, her leg stable and her pain at bay. Janella said I COULD bring the dog in for in-office therapy as well, but that was up to me: my time and my budget constraints. She said we could do twice a week, once a week, twice a month, once a month, or not at all; the most important thing was the home-based exercises. So zero upselling, zero pressure, super supportive. That made me trust her and I am far more likely because of that to try at least some in-office therapy (also, I have doggy health insurance and it's covered, so my out-of-pocket costs are not too bad). We only met briefly with Dr. RIchter--it wasn't really why we were there--but he was also very kind, did not try to sell me anything at all, and seemed great. Also, the receptionist was incredibly welcoming, kind and efficient. I can't comment on what happened for other people, but based on my visit, I would recommend this practice in an instant and certainly for any physical therapy or rehab concerns.
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July 2024 by Katy A.
I previously took my two cats to Holistic Veterinary Care. Their website gave me the impression they were knowledgeable about a variety of treatments for illness and prioritized wellness. I think this was the case with the vet I was initially assigned to, Dr. Buchanan, but she apparently left the practice and I was subsequently reassigned to three different vets, including Dr. Richter, and each of them missed critical (but obvious) issues that could have prolonged my senior cat's life had they been correctly identified. I had two senior cats and Dr. Richter's office diagnosed one of them with late-stage kidney disease. I hospitalized her for about a week to stabilize her and then began daily subcutaneous fluids and one monthly check-ups with Dr. Richter's office to track her progress and identify anything else I could be doing for her to make her more comfortable and slow the progression of the disease. After Dr. B left, I was assigned to what I believe was a temporary vet, Dr. V. I think Dr. V was like a Chewy "free advice" vet that you have access to when you create an account, and was moonlighting in actual vet offices that needed temporary support. Anyway, it was terrible. I went in for my monthly kidney check-up and labs, and Dr. V had not even looked at my cat's history. I brought in some wet food I had found that was not "prescription diet" kidney, but it was low phosphorous and high moisture content and the cat loved it, so I wanted to understand whether it was safe for her to start using as her main food. Dr. V literally just picked up the can I brought in and read the label to me. I had already done that, obviously. I can read on my own, thanks. I didn't come to the vet to have the can read to me. I wanted you to tell me how this food will interact with my cat's kidney disease. The visit was awkward, but the main point was to run the labs and see how the disease was progressing, so I just kind of brushed it off. Dr. B would always email me the results of my cat's tests as soon as they were in, so when I didn't get results back from Dr. V after three days, I called the office and they read me the results. Then two days later a blocked number called me and I let it go to voicemail. It was Dr. V telling me that she had bad news, that my cat had late stage kidney disease, and that she wanted me to come back in and talk about some ways to slow progression of the disease, including diet changes. At this point, I had been going to Holisitic Veterinary Care once monthly for the preceding six months to have regular lab updates to monitor the progress of my cat's disease. I told Dr. V that's why I was there. I asked her about my cat's diet with kidney disease AT THE APPOINTMENT. I get that she was new, but why wouldn't she have checked the patient file when the blood/urine results came back with high kidney values to see if this is something that had come up before? She would have had to check the prior test's values to understand the context for the current test's values. She didn't, obviously. I had a follow-up visit scheduled with Dr. V but I called up the office and asked to be assigned someone else. The front desk had some trouble someone else and ultimately assigned me to Dr. Richter. I went in for my next month's kidney checkup and had a brief visit with Dr. Richter and they took samples for her blood/urine check. I specifically asked at the appointment to check on a urinary infection that Dr. B had previously diagnosed her with. When Dr. Richter reported my results back, he did it via text message and told me that my cat's kidney values were high but stable and she was otherwise maintaining. I was assigned another vet for my next month's kidney check-up. I do not recall the name, but she also seemed new. She was actually fine. I have no complaints about her. However, she told me that the results showed the infection present from her prior visit was still there. I told her Dr. Richter never mentioned an in
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June 2024 by Leah W.
I've been taking my dog, Ares, to Holistic Veterinary Care for about six months now. I love this vet! The staff is amazing. They all remember owners and pets, and they make a concerted effort to have relationships with their clients. Ares has shown marked improvement since starting rehabilitation following two TPLO surgeries, and he loves attending his sessions. I'd recommend Holistic Veterinary Care to any pet owner who is looking for a clinic with truly committed and concerned staff.
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May 2024 by Anne Fiorito
The best care from the front desk to the technicians to the doctors. Easy to communicate with and find appointment times. They are sensitive about what is necessary and what isn't. I love the holistic approach. All of our pets, the young and the seniors, are all trhiving.
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May 2024 by Jack N.
Richter is a fraud and a crook....takes your money for "holistic" care which consists in acupuncture and chinese herbs. My dog's hind legs gave out and proceeded to give her accupunture and sold me a useless chinese herb powder. No xrays, no blood work, nothing ! Stay away from this fraud of a human! Go to REAL VET! Shame on you Richter!!
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May 2024 by Cy T.
Five stars for the amazing rehabilitation team, who have always taken a personal interest in my dog, cared deeply, and been downright happy to see her. Every single one of them has my respect and gratitude. But the veterinarians I've worked with here have been rushed at best, and condescending at worst. It's hard to swallow over $200 for an office visit where I feel rushed and talked down to. And at my last visit, the vet was frustrated with my dog, who kept sitting down during the exam *because she was in pain.* Wish we could skip the exams altogether and just do the rehab.
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April 2024 by patrick masch
I have a very nervous dog who while maybe not yet embracing the experience is no longer terrified to walk in the place. They are both friendly and knowledgeable.
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April 2024 by Kathryn D.
These people are truly hypocrites. I left a 1-star review after attempting to communicate about what had happened to my cat and their response is "Sorry about what you went through with your cat." -- the appropriate response is to respond to my very specific observations about the appalling quality of service that we received, not that my cat was ill in the first place. Sickness happens. Repeated neglectful health care, which is what we experienced here, is something that does happen and should not happen.
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March 2024 by Kathryn Day
I left Holistic Veterinary Care after taking my cats there for 11 years after noticing that Dr. Richter failed to do more than a cursory physical exam, failed to listen to my concerns about my cat's fatigue and low energy and basically gaslit me, and then, after providing Bertie with a blood test prior to an anesthetic dental exam, asserted that it would be fine to go ahead with the dental op although he had uncontrolled hyperthyroidism. I took Bertie to another vet and even their assistant knew that you never anesthetize a hyperthyroid cat until their condition is controlled by medication. My new vet gave Bertie every bit of care and it soon transpired that his fatigue was due to several chronic illnesses; we had to put him to sleep. I will never forget Dr. Richter's cavalier attitude, unprofessionalism and gross incompetence despite his "international reputation" and awards and I would advise any cat owner to give this practice a wide berth. He needs to stick to his dog rehab.
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March 2024 by Luna Stower
They're incredible give them a call and see what they can offer you. We absolutely love them They are great with our dog and helped her recovery from her TPLO surgery.
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February 2024 by Charlotte
Our experience at HVC has been some of the most genuinely enjoyable and high quality care I’ve ever received from veterinary medicine. Every single staff member we have interacted with here is so knowledgeable, friendly, kind, and sweet to my dog. As soon as we turn the corner and she sees the lobby door, her tail goes straight up in the air and she gets so excited.Our initial consultation with the physical therapist was incredibly detailed and comprehensive, and the rehabilitation sessions we’ve attended has helped my dog regain strength. Thank you so much HVC! Persephone wishes she could give more than five stars!
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January 2024 by Kurt S.
So on the one hand, Dr Gary Richter was extremely knowledgeable and supportive over the course of my dog's senior years. There isn't another veterinary physical therapy facility like this in Oakland. On the other, years after my dog passed away and I'd left the Bay Area, I called Holistic to see if they had a recommendation for a commercial raw diet brand - Dr Richter is something of an expert on the subject. I didn't need a formula or a meal plan. Just a brand they trust. Instead of passing me a name they insisted that I book a $350 consultation, and wouldn't budge. That's a shade too mercenary in my opinion. I understand they're running a business, but when dealing with a former client who's spent thousands upon thousands of dollars over the span of years, you'd think a bit of courtesy would come into play. So to recap: Dr Richter is a great clinician, but their business practices are hard to stomach.
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January 2024 by SR C.
Dr Gary seems a bit more concerned about the money side of his practice than the animals well being side. Puts on a good front, but misdiagnosed my dog, which cost precious time.
