Lowenthal Peter Dvm - Blue Cross Pet Hospital

I've been taking my dog to Blue Cross Pet Hospital since we moved to California in 1993, and I wouldn't consider going anywhere else. In fact, in 2002 we moved to Agoura Hills, and I still drive more than 25 miles to take my dog here because of the amazing care given. The staff is very friendly and helpful, I never have to wait long and the vets there put my dog at ease, and take great care of him. Sadly, a few months ago we had to bring in my 17-year-old dog to be put to sleep. Dr. Lowenthal took the time and care to explain to my kids what he was going to do and why it was the right thing to do. Of course, it was sad, but he made it as painless an experience as possible. About a week ago we finally broke down and got a new puppy. She was a rescue dog and I wanted to have her thoroughly checked out. So without hesitation I drove her the 25 miles and will continue to do because I know she will get the best care at Blue Cross pet Hospital.

Posted 03/11/09 | Report Abuse

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This animal hospital is so bad, I feel really bad took my dogs there.
I was only plan let my dogs have shots, but thoes people there kept saying they have to run more tests, and after that, the anwser I got was, my dogs are perfectly healthy. And they charged so much, they even wanted to collect the poop, I don't understand at all, their business must be so bad, that's why they want to run so many tests to make some stupid money.
Please don't let them talk you into those stupid tests, it's totally not worthy.

Posted 02/18/09 | Report Abuse

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I have been taking all my animals to Blue Cross Pet Hospital for over 20 years and have been so comforted by their staff and doctors. Dr. Nahmi Jones has been my pets doctor and her kindness and professionalism is fantastic. She has always been more than kind as is her staff.

I feel that all my animals have been taken care of with compassion and I have highly recommended many family and friends to them and will continue to do so.

My beloved cocker spaniel Kacey had many medical issues and over the years, Dr. Jones was always there to assist us, she took care of my Kacey throughout her whole life (17 years) and was there when we made the heartbreaking decision to finally put her at rest. The compassion she and her staff showed me is something that I will never forget.

I will continue to bring my pets to Dr. Jones and Blue Cross and would again recommend to all pet lovers that I know.

Posted 11/19/08 | Report Abuse

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I have had my cocker spaniel for 2 years. I have spent over $5000 in stupid tests that were not even nessesary over the last 2 years. This last thing that sent me over the edge was that I took him in because he had a tender spot on his back. Doctor checkes him out and right away told me that he needed his lashes lazered out, teeth cleaned, xrayed for his back, ear problem, and quoted me $1400! I only got the x ray and the ear dropps, that alone way $500. They also prescribed me a type of doggie vicodent to where my dog had to be left in a kennel for a month because if he had any sort of activity he would become paralized. I got the xray results and the Doc said that he was just fine nothing was broken or hurt. 2 weeks later I took him to the groomers. The groomer told me that my dog had back pain and the reason his back hurt was because he had a skin infection. So, there was no reason for the x ray or the crazy dog vicodent. The groomer which is not a vet I might add was the one that told me what my dog's problem. He asked me where I had taken my dog and I told him. he told me that that place just rips people off and he used to work there. He said he coildn't believe all the money that place made from people desperate to help the pets that they love. I am furious! Please don't take your pets there.

Posted 11/06/08 | Report Abuse

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At one point in time we had one dog and three cats (all strays) and are now left with our 18 year old kitty. When Keri, our dog, was diagnosed with cancer Dr. Lowenthal & Dr. Jones gave us our options. Thanks to the excellent care given by Drs. Lowenthal & Jones, and the compassion given by the amazing staff at this hospital, Keri's cancer went into remission for almost two good years! When the cancer did come back, the hospital staff was supportive in our decision not to do anything "extreme" but we did opt to see that she was comfortable. Keri passed away two years ago in her sleep at home on Thanksgiving Day! I was able to get in touch with Dr. Lowenthal that morning (very early on a holiday) who said he would meet me at the hospital and not to worry....Long story made short, how many vets do you know would take the time on a family holiday to help deal with a pet that passed in the night?!!? Dr. Jones helped ensure that when the time came to say good bye to two of the kittys (they were 12 and 17 respectively) that they were treated with the dignity and respect that one would want for their family.
I still have one cat left; Mieko is now 18 years old, and while he isn't exactly a spring chicken, he is still full of life and doing well for an "old man".
I would never think of going elsewhere for my babies...Blue Cross may not be the cheapest as some reviewers have noted, but they are the best and are most definitely not the most expensive. The care and the love that my four-legged children received and continue to receive is amazing. I have always been given options and with those options, I have always been given a range for what the cost might end up.
Bottom line: Great & caring staff + Talented and knowledgeable Drs. = WONDERFUL Hospital for your 4 legged babies.

Posted 10/22/08 | Report Abuse

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I very highly recommend Blue Cross Pet Hospital to all who take animal health care seriously. I have been using them for more than 5 years now and have been extremely happy with the quality of care and professionalism of their entire staff. They are reasonably priced and fairly priced. I couldn't be happier with the care that my animals continue to receive there.

Posted 03/16/08 | Report Abuse

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I went to Blue Cross Pet Hospital yesterday at the North Hollywood location. And I must say that I was very pleased with the staff and the doctor. They were very kind and considerate of my feelings. I'm going through a difficult time right now with my baby Milano ( a 14 yrs old Persian). They treated me and Milano with kindness and were very sympathetic. I now know where I'm going for the care of my other cats. Dr. Lowenthal is a very caring and compassionate doctor and I highly recommand this clinc and this doctor.

Posted 03/10/08 | Report Abuse

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Blue Cross Pet Hospital has taken wonderful care of my dog since she was born. They have been very attentive to her needs, never keep us wating, and always treat both she and I with the utmost courtesy. Dr. Lowenthal is a fine veterinarian who pays very close attention to detail. I highly recommend this veterinary practice.

Posted 03/03/08 | Report Abuse

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Dr. Lowenthal at Blue Cross Pet Hospital has been our vet for 7 years, and we have only had superb, caring, thorough treatment. The entire staff at Blue Cross Pet Hospital saved my cat's life! I was unaware that my beloved 15 year old indoor cat had gotten out. She fell asleep under my car, and I pulled out and ran over her, to my horror! I ran her to Blue Cross, and they immediately began life-saving treatment. I saw them work on her just as if she were in the ICU of a human hospital. Her injuries were critical, and it took about a month of care in and out of the hospital, but her recovery was complete.
During the process, we discovered that she had advanced kidney disease, and with the treatment they recommended, she live a very full, happy, 3 more years!
They were also excellent in the care of our geriatric Golden Retriever, who lived until he was 16. They always gave me choices in treatment...how aggressive we wanted to be, or whether we just wanted to let nature take it's course. I do a lot of care for my animals at home, and they were willing to help me do that, in lieu of making money for recurring vet visits, which speaks highly of their ethics. They are on the more expensive side, but their diagnostics are the best I have seen, and we have used many vets. I recommend them all the time. Especially if someone has a really difficult medical situation. I have no doubt that they will get to the bottom of any problem, and do their best to solve it! Thank you Blue Cross!

Posted 02/24/08 | Report Abuse

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We have taken our dogs to Blue Cross Pet Hospital for over ten years. Dr. Lowenthal is not only a fabulous vet, but he is incredibly compassionate. When our 180 pound Newfoundland collapsed outside our house on the sidewalk ten years ago, Dr. Lowenthal sent a truck and several technicians to our house to pick him up and bring him in, because we were unable to lift him ourselves. Before calling Blue Cross, we had called a couple of other vets who were unable or unwilling to help us.

Dr. Lowenthal is smart and professional and his office has always provided excellent care for our dogs. The office staff at Blue Cross is also friendly, professional, and clearly cares about animals. We have been pleasantly surprised when Blue Cross has made follow up phone calls after certain treatments to see how our animals were doing.

Recently when we were on vacation, our house sitter took our two year old dog in to Blue Cross because of severe skin problems and allergies. Blue Cross took great care of her and she was in great shape again by the time we returned home.

Blue Cross is a high quality, compassionate practice. We have always been extremely happy with the service provided and recommend Blue Cross without hesitation.

Posted 01/18/08 | Report Abuse

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I have been taking my dog to this place for several years (since 2000) and they have on many occasions given him what I felt was un necessary test costing hundreds of dollars but since we love our dog so much we paid the price. The last time they said he had heart problems and estimated us 654.00 on the high side of the scale for treatment and that is what is ended up costing. Then he had a sore on his foot and they charged $70 to just put a bandage on it - which I did not complain about - but then a week later they had the nerve to charge me over $45 just to remove it which anyone could have done including myself with no effort. They then said he needed to take medication for a couple months and the medication was another couple hundred dollars which I blew up at them and said I would get them at 1800PETMEDS which ended up being 1/4 of the cost.

Bottom line - They are very expensive, always asking to do things like blood test, urine, teeth cleaning, ear cleaning even when other vets have said there is no need for those treatments or test. I will only take my dog to this place if he needs a vaccination.

Posted 01/02/08 | Report Abuse

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I've been taking my cats and dogs to Blue Cross for more than 20 years. Over the years, I've had several with complicated medical problems. I can count on the vets to know the most up-to-date treatment. They do not hesitate to contact various specialists whenever necessary. They always discuss the various options for treatment and carefully explain their recommendations. The three excellent vets are very caring. The receptionists are friendly, and they are always eager to help in any way they can. The techs are knowledgeable and act like they really care about my pets. I'm devoted to my pets and wouldn't consider taking them anywhere else.

Posted 10/12/07 | Report Abuse

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My visit at the Blue Cross Pet Hospital was amazing. The moment I walked in, due to an emergency visit, I was greeted warmly by the receptionists. My dog had got run over by a car and couldnt walk on her legs, so two technicians ran out to my car to help me bring her in. They were very gentle and cautious with her and took her right away to the back. Moments later i found out that she had broken her hips and that she had to stay overnight for some more tests. The doctor personally came out and took me to a room to converse what was going on, he was very professional, seemed very devoted to his job, and was very generous. Few days later she went into surgery by a specialist doctor. The doctor himself would call and give positive feedback on how she was doing and made sure she got the best care. Even when visiting her, everyone was so considerate and it even showed through my dog's actions. Few weeks later, she came back home and she's doing better than ever. I still get calls from the hospital checking up on my dog and it feels great! The prices are very fair as well. I highly recommend this place if you want your pet in exceptional hands!

Posted 09/30/07 | Report Abuse

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Aggressive medicine and hard-sell are not the same thing. I've had my many pets treated at Blue Cross since 1994. I was always given a written estimate before treatment and I always was able to choose the services I wanted to have done. The vets are knowledgeable and keep up with cutting edge veterinary medicine - that comes with a price. These veterinarians advocate and recommend the Rolls-Royce of care, but you are always in charge and can opt for the Chevy, or even the Yugo. They are tenacious about getting to the bottom of difficult diagnoses and call upon a myriad of specialists to help determine the best course of treatment for their patients. If you are looking for a practice that will not tell you your options and cut corners to save you money, this is not the place for you. However, if you want top of the line diagnostics and treatment, I recommend them highly!

Posted 09/29/07 | Report Abuse

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Just got back from Blue Cross Pet Hospital and I'm not planning on going back !!!!. I was quoted a total of $132.00 over the phone by one of their many receptionist for a blood test and urinalysis. The reason i asked for a price was last time I had that done on my cat they charged me $234.00.. i'm on a fixed income so dollars count..but so does my cat !!
After the blood work and urinalysis were done the girl at the counter told me it was @234.00 . I told her I was quoted $61.00 for the blood work and $71.00 for the tests.She took the chart to the female Doctor who hasn't seen my cat in years. I'm sure the Doctor took a perfunctory look at the chart and said a full blood panel was needed and that was $151.00 instead of $61.00 and that since they had to draw the urine from my cat themselves that was an extra $12.00 (can anyone tell me how to get a cat to urinate in a cup??)
Bottom line i paid the amount they asked for.

I would NOT recommend this place to ANYONE !!! I feel they are not clear on what they charge and i don't appreciate a receptionist that rolls her eyes back when i start asking questions.. They take advantage of peoples love for their animals...

Posted 07/26/07 | Report Abuse

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We took our dog there because he was shaking and having what we thought was a seizure and Blue Cross is very close to where we live. He ended up staying there for 3 days. They explained that they had no real explanation for his behavior and further neurological tests would have to be done to fully diagnose his episode- "sometimes these things just happen." When we finally took him for his follow-up visit after being back at home for a week, we were told that it was probably a reaction to a black widow spider bite. Hmmm... ? They said his white blood count had been high and wanted to re-check it and also said his ears were "musty" and swabbed them. The tech then ran out to show me the dirt on the swabs, etc...They also wanted to do all of these other tests and clean the ears and give him antibiotics for his ears and some gel as it looked like the beginnings of a possible infection, etc... When that estimate came back for $289.00, I was so frustrated. I only paid for the second round of antibiotics for the "spider bite" and the follow-up appointment fee-declining the rest of the treatment that I deemed unecessary. The tech then told me that if I was not going to opt for the ear cleaning in their office, that I could buy an "over the counter" wash at their adjacent store. NO, I AM SPENT ALREADY!!!!! On top of that, we had originally paid for an Advantage flea treatment and they forgot to send us home with the medicine during his pick-up after the first visit. In our opinion they most likely didn't even treat our dog like they were supposed to with that medicine during his overnight stays as a patient. If we had not mentioned the fact that he still had fleas, we never would have known the whole Advantage procedure and that the product was a take-home remedy (even though they were supposed to start his first treatment while he was there) etc..

When I conferred with our neighbors about the incident with our dog and asked them where they took their dogs for treatment, all of them had had similar experiences with Blue Cross. All of them! When I told one neighbor the price of our dog's stay and treatment, he immediately said "Oh, you must have gone to Blue Cross." They seem to have a reputation for hard selling of treatments and overall OVERPRICED service.

Yes, they did call to check on him and see how he was feeling, etc... but for the fortune we spent that is the least they could have done.

I will never go back there. A $43.50 follow-up visit turning into a $289.00 visit? Please!

Posted 07/01/07 | Report Abuse

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I would never, ever recommend this place to anyone. Here's why:
One of the owners recommended dozens of expensive blood/urine tests. I was in a frenzy, worried about my (15 year old) cat's life, and so very vulnerable. They told me after 6 hours they couldn't draw urine. R U kidding- professional vets! The owner brought her to me to help him do this! After he squeezed under her belly with his hidden hand, 1 drop of blood came out. very suspicious. He consulted me and told me only full hospital emergency care and dozen of very expensive (around $5000) tests, could save her. In front of everyone in the waiting room, loudly he told me to sign a waiver because my cat would die if I didn't do as he said -- in front of everybody! Well, my cat didn't die. She lived for 8 more healthy years to 22.

Another incident... a technician came in to recommend teeth cleaning with out even looking at my cat's teeth. They wrote up a price quote for $500! for teeth cleaning! They also recommend a full declaw at $500 dollars!

I find this vet's behavior very suspicious and unscrupulous. I believe that they try to squeeze money out of vulnerable pets owners.

After the death scare, I would only go to Collett's Veterinary in Sylmar. Collett only declawed one claw. He said the others weren't necessary and the $500 dollar teeth cleaning was too expensive. He did it for $120. He complemented on her good coat and health at her age.

Posted 06/09/07 | Report Abuse

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Friendly knowledgeable veterinarians and staff that really care about your pet and you. Reasonable prices for the great medicine they practice. Blue Cross Pet Hospital is definitely a place I trust with all of my pets and that I feel very comfortable recommending. Open 7 days a week and evening weekday appointments available.

Posted 10/12/05 | Report Abuse

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We've used this vet for litereally years, they really have compassion for your pets. Their prices are reasonable, not a cheap as some but certainly not overly expensive. They can board as well and they're open 7 days a week.

Posted 08/19/05 | Report Abuse

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This animal hospital is ocated in a shady area of town and if you don't kill yourself falling over the large scale that's right in the waiting room infront of the recertion desk the for sure you have a time trying to find a place to sit in tis cramped waiting room. they are way overpriced and anxious to do alot of unnecessary testing.

Posted 07/28/05 | Report Abuse

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These guys are really good. Their prices are decent and they really care for your pet. The staff is always nice and they call to check up on your pet - it feels good.

Posted 06/22/05 | Report Abuse

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