VCA Bay Area Animal Hospital

I had taken my cat to VCA, on an emergency basis, because I noticed he had developed an abcess on his back that was limiting his mobility. The VCA staff was very caring and medically treated and released my cat on a very timely basis...I was so pleased with how attentive the Staff had treated my cat so promptly, that I also used their facility to care for my cat while I had to go out of town on business for a week. It is comforting to know there is a facility in my local neighborhood to care for my cat, and keep him safe.

Posted 03/21/09 | Report Abuse

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They have a stupid policy where you are exempt from using their coupon if you have any relatives who are clients of theirs or if they consider you not a new patient (meaning you accompanied a friend/family member to a visit), etc.
They aren't even inexpensive.

Posted 10/21/08 | Report Abuse

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Simply because they charged me $164 + change to euthanize my rat!! A rat!! She was sweet and I was sad to see her suffering, but if I had known it was going to cost that much, I would have let her pass away at home. Price was never discussed. I tried to bring it up before the procedure but it's hard to talk when choking back tears. The vet (I forget her name but she was tiny) said, "Don't worry, we can send you a bill." When I got the bill in the mail I was LIVID. Charging that much to put down a rat, or any animal IMO, is adding insult to injury. This place is ridiculous!!! I understand that veterinarians need to make money, but overcharging customers is not that way to do. Now I am certain that they will never get any business from me.
I had a rat put down a few years ago when I lived in Davis and that didn't cost anymore than around 30 bucks. I also had a 17 year old cat put down in Davis, and that cost around 100 bucks. Something is wrong with the VCA. I am never going back. And I am trying to contest this recent bill. I would simply refuse to pay it except that I'd rather not have a collection agency after me....
DO NOT go to the VCA if you are looking for reasonable pricing.

Posted 09/09/08 | Report Abuse

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I originally went to VCA because the shelter I got my dog from had a free coupon. But I stuck with them because of their good service. The staff is very friendly and helpful and knows me by name, and my vet inspires trust. I love the evening hours so I can take my animals after work.

Posted 06/23/08 | Report Abuse

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Dr. Gleason is an excellent chiropractor who continues to help
our sweet dog Jessica. We are so lucky to have found him! We
tried acupuncture, accupressure, light therapy, massage; nothing
really helped until Dr. Gleason. Jessica is 8, but was diagnosed
at 3 with severe arthritis, hip dysplasia, etc. We were told her
3 year X-rays looked like a 15 year old dog. Because of her
multiple problems, specialists recommended against surgery,
and we have her on many supplements, as well as Deramax
daily, and Tramadol for her bad days. She sees Dr. Gleason every
few months, and runs around like a puppy after!

Posted 03/01/08 | Report Abuse

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I went to see Dr Michael Gleason who does veterinary chiropractic at the Oakland VCA. He is the absolute best! Very knowledgeable, skilled, personable, kind, and we saw immediate positive results. I give an A+ Gold Star rating to Dr Gleason.
The office staff at VCA were all kind, efficient, and did a great job. I was very impressed with the front staff. Much more together than most vet offices I've been to.
We didn't have to wait long, they filled out all the insurance forms, gave me copies of receipts for insurance and my records, and were very friendly and nice to me and my animals.
I saw two vets (on different occasions) who did initial checkups before the chiro appts. One I liked very much the other was ok. Vet techs were average. One was a bit grumpy, and another was nice but a little disorganized.
Prices were quite good.
Overall a very good experience. I've been to see Dr Gleason at this vet hospital twice.

Posted 02/21/08 | Report Abuse

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Shelly says this hospital did nothing for her dog. Read her review carefully.
They did bloodwork, xrays, a fecal exam, hospitalized her dog with IV fluids. They sent her home with fluids and antibiotics for continued treatment. Acknowledging that their diagnostic tests had not yet given them a clear answer, they recommended an ultrasound. In a human, they would have done an ultrasound immediately without going over the price, and might even have done a barium study or CT if the ultrasound didn't give an answer. But Shelly declines the ultrasound.
Shelly then gives her dog a medication without consulting the vet. What Shelly doesn't know is the Metronidazole, in addition to killing Giardia, also decreases inflammation in the intestines. So it might have worked because of a secondary Giardia infection or it may have just masked the symptoms for a little bit.
Now consider Shelly giving fliuds at home. Why is she doing this? There are two excellent overnight emergency clinics in the area, there are at least two very good internal medicine specialists in the area, either of whom would have been happy to provide additional care for Shelly's beloved dog. But she didn't go to them. I can only assume that she didn't have dog insurance and she didn't have a savings account set up for this sort of terrible tragedy.
So, after refusing additional diagnostic tests and taking her dog home when hospitalization was probably a better option, her dog gets very ill and dies. It is very sad, and I'm sure that Shelly is very frustrated and heartbroken, but I think it is unfair that she is laying the blame for this on the vets.

Posted 03/26/07 | Report Abuse

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I brought my dog in because she had been vomiting and had bad diarreah. I have not lived here long and do not have a regular vet.

They could not diagnose anything in a healthy, 5-year old dog. Did blood tests, did stool test, did x-ray, gave fluids in IV for two days. Saw two different doctors during these 4 days, one of whom said try cottage cheese and rice and the other said boiled chicken and rice, she wouldn't recommend cottage cheese.

Then they sent me home with an IV bag. At this point I had spent $1,000. The next step, they said, was a $350 ultrasound.

I talked with a friend at work. She said it sounded like Giardia, so I treated Mazzy with metronidazole myself and she got much better, stool got harder, she was eating and chasing squirrels again.

Then she got sick again. They were open, it was evening, so I went. The bill for this visit was $472.

When I got her home, up the elevator, in to my dressing area where her IV apparatus was, I noticed again the pupils. I hooked up her IV, injected the antiobiotics, went to get a flashlight to check her pupils. They were fixed. Her breathing was labored. I called the emergency vet and said I was coming. I picked her up and had to set her down to open the front door. My sweet sweet Mazzy died right then.

So draw your conclusions. I called VCA this morning and asked to speak to whoever was "in charge" of the clinic. First they said, what's your name, let me pull her chart, and put me on hold. Someone else picked up the phone and suggested the voice mail of the office manager.

I told her what the deal was, but I bet you a million dollars no one dares to call me back. I emailed my bank and am going to try to stop the charge from last night (if it were a check, I would have stopped payment, lesson learned). I am hurting so bad, and I wanted to STEER OTHERS AWAY FROM THIS NIGHTMARE.

PROS: location
CONS:

Posted 02/14/06 | Report Abuse

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which is okay for a vet's office. The office is fairly impersonal, though the staff is friendly enough. The vets, advertised as UC Davis-educated and trained in modern procedures, are competent and don't over-vaccinate. Avoid the grooming services; I hardly noticed a difference when I took my cats in. Perhaps this is California sticker-shock, but their prices seem a bit high. Overall, it's not a place I would seek out, but if you live in the area it's not a bad choice.
Accessible by AC Transit #40 and #43, 5 blocks from MacArthur BART.

PROS: Weekend and evening hours, walk-ins welcome
CONS: Price, ineffective grooming

Posted 07/20/05 | Report Abuse

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My close friend uses this vet for her cats because their vets come (for the most part) from UC Davis veterinary school and are therefore pretty competent. The place itself is clean, if a bit sterile and crowded, and there's usually relatively little high-pressure. If you're looking for warm and friendly, though, perhaps not.

Posted 06/29/05 | Report Abuse

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While the VCA is the closest vet to my house, I no longer go there because of the long (sometimes over an hour) waits, the high-pressure sales from all of the staff including the vets, the somtimes mishandling of my cats, and the poor atmosphere. On two occasions I have paid for expensive blood panels for my cat only finding out later that the vets original diagnosis was correct and the blood panels totally inconclusive. The waiting room is crammed full of barking dogs at any given time and the front desk staff in generally incompetant, refusing to answer any questions not related to paperwork. On the other hand, they offer a wider variety of pet food, leashes and toys and are very clean.

PROS: Clean
CONS: incompetant staff and vets

Posted 05/27/05 | Report Abuse

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