Animal Specialty Group Inc

I have had four cats treated at ASG, two for emergency care and two for specialty care. I have never had a bad experience there, either with the doctors or the front office staff, so I'm surprised to read of some others' experiences. I think I've seen six different vets in my many visits to ASG and found each one to be competent, caring and thorough.

We took our 10week old English Pointer puppy to ASG after he broke his femur. Yes the initial surgery was expensive but nearly all subsequent visits were free including suture removal, brace adjustments, etc. The doctors are very knowledgeable (ours was Dr. Hubert) and answered all our questions and would call back if we had concerns between visits. I can not recommend them enough. It has been 9 weeks since the break and our puppy is on his way to a complete recovery!

The staff and doctors are rude, uncaring and seem to be concerned mostly with money.

My dog needed months of follow up care from my regualr vet due to their mistakes.

I had to take my dog Maggie to them in the middle of the night as she was having a gran-mal siezure. She had been diagnosed with epilepsy 4 years earlier. This was not our first trip to a hsopital in the middle of the night but it was our first trip to that place. Maggie had already stopped siezing and needed to be given medication through IV asap. The vet tech kept coming out to inform me that she couldn't get the IV inserted after many attempts. Time was of the essence. I asked her if there was someone else that could do it and she informed me that the other vet tech was busy. Needless to say the extreme delay in getting her IV left her with severe brain damage and I had to put her to sleep. I wouldn't recommend that place if it was free!

If I could give 0 stars I would. They are cocky and condescending. The fees are astronomical, and now that I have decide to go elsewhere, they are telling me it will take a week to credit my card. They are basically holding my money for services that have not been rendered. The office manager, Jennifer (I think) was rude when I inquired (for the 5th time in as many days) about my refund. Odd, when they were taking the money they were sweet as pie. There are better places in this city that actually care about the animals and their owners -- not just making money.

I am not saying the care was bad. But the outrageous prices and the awful service once I decided not to be their personal ATM was quite shocking.

I took my kitty there for a cancerous tumor on her neck. Dr. Sabhlok and Dr. Ayl worked on the case. They encouraged us to do the surgery, and I think it was more for their own research on the kind of cancer she had, which was rare in cats. They did not inform us fully that the likelihood of the cancer returning was high due to the tumor being on the lymph node of the neck. We trusted them. the surgery went well....which was great.... expensive though- $4000 - and within 2 months the cancer was back. They didn't get it all as apparently there are many lymph nodes in the neck and it is nearly impossible to know if it is all removed. I can say that they did an excellent job on the surgery, given that our kitty only had one kidney and was 11 years old. I just wish we had been fully informed of the likelihood of the cancer returning.....we put our kitty through so much in the last 3 months of her life. Overall, I have mixed feelings about this place. I see what others have said about egos, but they also seem very knowledgeable.

My dog Prince and I desperately needed help after a year of struggling with an unsuccessful TPLO surgery at another hospital. Thankfully we found Dr. Wendelburg through a referral by friends. Dr. Wendelburg and staff provided excellent expert care for my dog when clearly no other vets we consulted knew what to do. We are so thankful for the expertise and care we received at Animal Specialty Group. Everyone there, the receptionsts, the techs. and the doctors, are all great. The expense is high but commensurate with the level of professional care and competency.

Animal Specialty Group saved my dogs life after being hit by a car. They are fantastic. Everyone was very caring and worked really hard to help make her better. They cared about getting her home quickly, and even about how much pain she might be in. They even let our regular vet know how she was doing. I highly recommend them for emergency and specialty care. I read some of the negative reviews, but I didn't feel that way at all. They are a bit pricey but they were worth it.

My cat had a urinary obstruction. I read these reviews, and thought okay looks like a good place. Went in, $500 later they "fixed" him and in the morning he had to go right back to the regular vet, and they are charging half. I realize that you pay more in an emergency after hour situation...but the doctor was new and I didn't feel that his expertise was up to par, plus he wasn't very professional in his demeanor. He was vague about the diagnosis as well. Anyway, not a good experience in my opinion. Either wait to go to your regular doctor the next day...or make sure if they are going to treat your pet, that they only do what is necessary so that you can make it to the regular vet the next day. OR go somewhere else. They charge WAY more than the other pet hospitals.

I credit the wonderful team at A.S.G. with saving my dog's life.. after being diagnosed with a terrible pleural effusion (the chest cavity fills with bacterial fluid caused by a foreign object, possibly a foxtail, crushing the lungs), our regular vet immediately sent us to A.S.G.. the doctors, Dr. Fleming/Dr.Hwang/Dr.Clark, were so kind and caring with her that I knew we were at the right place! I had to make the painstaking decision between choosing a highly invasive surgical technique (which has a statistically better outcome, but a difficult recovery in such a young and active dog) and the medical treatment (putting her on chest tubes and flushing out the fluid over a period of days, combined with heavy i.v. antibiotics). I chose the medical treatment, and Dr. Fleming was so honest, caring, and reassuring about my choice that she helped not only my dog go through this terrible ordeal, but myself as well. After the initial diagnosis and treatment decision I then mostly dealt with Dr. Hwang, another superb and caring doctor. My dog made a full recovery after 9 days of hospitalization, and though it was extremely expensive, there isn't a price you can put on seeing your best pal happy and healthy again!! The reception staff was very professional, and all of the different vet techs that would bring her out on my daily visits were super sweet, gentle, and kind.. definitely true animal lovers. I would highly reccomend A.S.G. for critical care!

I too was referred to Dr. Ayl by Dr. Bleifer here in Woodland Hills. He's very thorough and made sure we understood what our options were. No bones about it, it was expensive. Dr. Bilbrey was the surgeon who removed the tumor and I felt confident after speaking with him. Then the chemo was administered. From my understanding it's the same as the one they use in human oncology. My dog is currently in remission.

cons: parking lot gets full. Had to walk my ailing dog from down the street.
lethargic reception area. whole lot of cackling going on back there.

pros: my dog is cancer free! In remission for the past year. Very good doctors.

My experience was fortunately a good one with ASG. It's too bad that some of the reviewers received poor service because my pet was treated with great care. I even had Dr. Sabhlok, who seems to be both maligned AND loved on this board. She was very knowledgeable and took her time with us. She always returned our phone calls, albeit at the end of the day...no different from any other doctor. My dog lived another 2 good years. So I'm very much perplexed by the negative comments below. Although, seeing my pet deteriorate at the end was very difficult and at the time I guess I was overly sensitive and emotional as well. In short, ASG (Dr. Sabhlok in particular) came highly recommended by our trusted veterinarian. That was the best advice our vet had given us to date. Getting the first appointment takes a while because they get so many referrals and they have to fit you in, but I'm so glad I waited. BTW, I didn't care for the receptionists either.

After reading the reviews below, I feel very sad because I know how poorly we were treated when my dog was referred to Animal Specialty Group for cancer treatment. The aloofness of Dr. Fleming and the arrogance of Dr. Sabhlok caused us great despair. Instead of adding a new member to your family or making a lifelong friend (as one client stated below), we should all be receiving the same quality care from a competent veterinarian and each customer should be treated equally. What we observed during our attempt at treatment at this facility was that the doctors we dealt with had their favorites. That was appalling! Everyone should be treated the same and one should not have to be concerned that their animal wasn't getting the same care as other client's pets. So while the doctors are making new lifelong friends, other pets are being ignored and allowed to suffer. Try to get a return call from Dr. Sabhlok if you are not her favorite. She should seriously consider seeking another profession if she doesn't learn to treat each client with the same care and respect. Unfortunately, she is too self-absorbed to see her short comings. Because of the way we were treated, and what I have observed, I can't be convinced that Dr. Sabhlok genuinely cares about animals (I am sure she cares about the money though). As for the front staff, that is another regrettable challenge...I just didn't see didn't see many staff members that wanted to help. I seriously recommend that you take your animal somewhere else for treatment unless you want the extra anxiety and stress that this facility will cause you...isn't that the last thing you need when you are dealing with a sick or ill pet?!!!

Dr. Ayl is a wonderful caring veterinarian who treats his patients like his own. Our dog had cancer and recieved a combination of radiation and chemotherapy. Dr. Ayl had tried a novel approach to combating the cancer with different meds and therapies because of how far the cancer had progressed. So far so good as the nodules have gone away. There's no stopping a bad cancer but Dr. Ayl has given us more quality time with our happy dog. As the previous poster had mentioned, the front desk is slow which can be very irritating. Especially when caring for a sick animal. All I can say is, go for the doctors, not the receptionists.

This place OVERCHARGES on fees, I would recommend getting complicated surgery or treatment done here and then have continued care transferred to your local vet.

When our beautiful Pit bull, Mestiza, was diagnosed with cancer that had metastasized to her lungs we were broken. My girlfriend, who works at Animal Surgical and Emergency Center (ASEC) in West L.A. as a vet tech, asked the surgeons who we should turn to. There was an overwhelming consensus...Doctors Ayl and Sabhlok. No question. They're the doctor's doctors. We were already informed that the cancer our dog had was aggressive and realistically, there was little hope. Because of Dr. Sabhlok, Mestiza was able to live an additional YEAR AND A HALF from the time she was diagnosed with the soft tissue sarcoma. Dr. Sabhlok and vet-tech Robert were so supportive and non-judgemental. In retrospect, we were so unwilling and selfish to let go of our beloved family member. They let us make the the most difficult decision of when it was time to let go. They prolonged Mestiza's life so unbelievalbly long that her case was going to be published in an oncology journal. Wow! When it was time to let her go, Dr. Sabhlok and Robert were both there, not because we requested them to be there, but because they wanted to be there. All of us cried, hugged, and commiserated for a good ten to fifteen minutes. Dr. Sabhlok wrote in her file that if we had come in to put Mestiza to sleep in the middle of the night, that the staff should call her no matter what time so she can be there to administer euthanasia. We lost a member of our family on July 13, 2005. We gained two more in Dr. Sabhlok and Robert that day. Thanks to ASG and all their wonderful and caring staff. Also, a big thanks to ASEC in West LA for recommending the best vet oncology center that's experienced at treating aggressive cancers.

PROS: They are miracle workers. Caring.
CONS:

Dr. Ayl was arrogant and uncaring when speaking to me about treatment for my sick cat. I have never been treated so poorly or condescended to. He was unprofessional and rude. In our time of great despair, he was completely unsympathetic and cold. He acted like he was doing me a big favor to discuss treatment options. This is, of course, after leaving THREE messages before he got back to me. What a jerk. He should consider another line of work.

PROS: I guess he knew "something" ? about cancer?
CONS: see above

It is amazing how different people view a facility. My experience at ASG was awful to say the least (9/2005). The front staff were nice and caring, but Dr. Sabhlok was arrogant and disinterested in my dog. When we were referred to Dr. Ayl (who I hear is terrific), we were routed to Dr. Sabhlok against my protests (long story). She came into the room and never even walked over to examine or touch my dog. She read his chart and stated what needed to be done. She dismissed my questions and concerns. When my dog was in pain and near the end of his life, I called her with questions and for pain medication (my dog was battling cancer). She never returned any of my calls. I had to get all his meds. from his regular vet's office. They had compassion. I wrote a letter explaining my whole experience to Dr. Wendelburg (the owner?) and he seemed disinterested and aloof. They caused our pet and family so much extra stress and sadness at a time when we needed the support of a caring vet. I dislike ASG so much! Cruella from 101 Dalmations couldn't be any meaner than Dr. Sabhlok was to our dog and family!

PROS: None
CONS: Unfortunately, this vet seems inconsistant in the care she offers animals.

ASG is a first-rate facility. My experience was with oncology vet Aarti Sabhlok who is fantastic. Staff is considerate and compassionate; physicians provide care that is consistently top-notch. Chemo for dogs with cancer is administered with dog's quality of life as primary driver of care. Our 10-year-old dog lived 2 glorious, unexpected years after being diagnosed with lymphoma and exhibited minimal side effects to treatment. I would recommend ASG to anyone with a pet in need of special care. Fees are commensurate with general vet services, and in some cases, lower than a gp.

I have had to use this facility as both an emergency facility and a specialty group. Both experiences were very positive and I left feeling my animals were in the best care possible. Usually, for the specialist part of the clinic you need a referral from a vet. If you need after hours care or overnight, this place is well staffed, has professional and knowledgable doctors. It's not cheap, but I've found most good vets aren't. I highly recommend that you put this # in your book in case of emergencies.

ASG is a great hospital and Dr. Sabhlok is a wonderful vet - she's both smart and compassionate. The staff is very caring.

Great cancer specialist for dogs/cats.