VCA Albany Animal Hospital

My family has gone here for years. My vet is Dr Eigner and she is an angel...she was so kind helping me through my cats cancer...My cat is 100% healthy today. I was scared out of my wits and Dr Eigner was very compassionate and understanding.

The front desk staff is friendly in spite of being very busy and a few times where I have been there I have seen them having to deal with nutty people. And handle it with grace.

As for Dr Beers, she is the dentist and specializes in the oral surgeries, she worked on my cat as well and I had no problem with her at all.

Posted 06/02/09

I was compelled to write...I have never reviewed anything on line before but Dr. Beers was so unbelievably rude that I felt like I needed to let you all know to stay away from this vet. She insulted my husband when he first brought our dog in. When I brought her in for a follow up appointment she asked me if the dog was mine or my husbands...and then rolled her eyes when I told her that she was originally his. She even said, "that figures!" When I asked what she meant she said that normally men don't take very good care of a dog and if it was a woman's dog her maternal instincts would have kicked in." Our dog is old and has lots of little problems but we love her and treat her well. Dr Beers insulted me and my husband in a matter of moments. She was very standoffish and left me sitting in the office thinking she was coming back which she never did. She isn't sweet or friendly to animals...she seems annoyed by them which is crazy for a vet. Anyway, this experience sucked and we are taking our dog elsewhere...

Posted 11/04/08

VCA Albany is a few blocks from my home, and I've used them as as the clinic for two pets during the past ten years. I've always found the vets to be caring, professional and competent. The office staff tends to be be busy, but for the most part great. I have had a few annoying experiences with confused information at the front desk and one vet who seemed to have a preconceived notion that my toy dog was spoiled. But on the whole, I'm very happy, and have not liked the other nearby vets I've tried nearly as much.

My own experience with Dr. Beers has been very positive--she has been patient and kind about my anxieties over general anaesthetic for dental work, and has given the best of care. She is a bit reserved and undemonstrative, but II think that's just a personality thing.

Pros: Friendly, professional and competent

Cons: Occasional confusion at the front desk

Posted 06/28/08

We have used VCA Albany for several years for both our dogs. Recently, the front desk staff changes have left a void in the care. Additionally, one of our dogs has Addison's Disease and required injectable medication every 25 days to the tune of $150+ per dose. Last month, they informed me that they wanted me to bring him in for a check up and stated that they would fill the prescription until June. My dogs are living in Sacramento right now, so I had planned to bring him in prior to refilling in June. His last check up was June 1, 2006 and his health is stable.

This week, when I attempted to fill the prescription, they refused to honor the agreement and refused the meds for him. It would be a long stretch to characterize me as a negligent pet owner given the amount of money ($3K+ per year) we spend on his care. I explained that he is not local and I could not "just bring him in" as directed. Then the doctor instructed his staff to tell me that they could not fill the prescription for "legal issues" which was a flat out lie! Up until that day, they had only done regular check up on him annually.

Ultimately, I believe that not refilling this important prescription raised serious ethical questions about the doctor's motivation in this case. I left that day with my dogs' medical records and had to find a new vet on short notice in Sacramento and take a day off from work to attend the appointment. Hardly client-centered care (I am referring to both of us)!

I would not recommend the VCA Albany Vets under any circumstances.

Posted 05/19/07

First let me say, I am not one who usually leaves negative comments about services, but our experience with Dr. Beers was SO bad that I am compelled to let everyone know. We took one of our cats to see Dr. Beers twice. Both times she seemed very standoffish when asked questions (she didn't even ask if we had any questions regarding the cat's treatment). Between the two visits, she made contradictory observations, and when I politely informed her that she said the exact opposite two months prior, she looked visibly annoyed that I would even question her expertise. On top of this, she openly accused us of self-medicating our cat, when just two months prior, she told us to try the treatment in question if we wanted to. Apparently her record keeping is not up to par as she seemed to have no recollection of this.

As someone who is providing a professional service, Dr. Beers failed at providing us the common courtesy you come to expect from someone in her position. Furthermore, if I am going to spend a large sum of money to try and treat our cat, I feel that that a vet should be willing to answer my questions and explain to me what is actually involved, instead of throwing an estimate for services invoice in my face with no explanation.

All in all, Dr. Beers is the WORST vet we have ever taken any of our many animals to. I would highly recommend you look elsewhere for a more reputable place to take your critters.

Pros: Office staff are very nice

Cons: Would not take our animals back if they paid us.

Posted 10/10/06