THRIVE Affordable Vet Care - La Mesa La Mesa, California

This is my go-to vet for 2 Dogs. Love the vets & techs. Also the $10 a mo for 3 mos takes off Dr visit fee during that time. Renewable. Right next to Petco in Santee & visited La Mesa too. Got all tests, grooming, meds.

I definitely don’t recommend this place. I took my dog here and he was sick but not to the point of death. They took him to the back of the hospital without me and he came out dying. He unfortunately died within 30 minutes. Plus the staff at the vet was talking to me and my family with attitude and had a lack of professionalism and compassion.

Your experience here will depend largely upon which vet you see. There is one vet who seems very rushed, spends little time with you & your pet and doesn't listen to your concerns. The other 2 we have seem were much more interested in hearing our concerns and seeing our pet. All the techs/nurses have been very good. One thing that which really annoyed me is that we had done an online order for pet food which we were picking up when we were coming for our appointment. I went to tell the front desk person we were here and that I was going to just help my (76 yo) mom get the (34 lb) bag of food in the car. She told my that my appointment was in 1 minute and that I needed to be back by then or my appointment will be cancelled.... Are you kidding me?! I have checked in, I am helping my family member and you can give me an extra minute?!?! And of course we were taken to the exam room and waited at least 10 min to be seen. If you have zero tolerance for people being 1 minute late then you should have that vet in the room within 1 minute of my arrival. My time is as valuable as theirs is.

When I called to schedule a vet appointment for my dog’s yearly shots, I was told that I could go back with my dog during the appointment. This detail was especially important because my dog is very anxious, especially in vets offices. I was told I didn’t need to bring vet records with me as they were not pertinent to this appointment. We showed up for the appointment and were told that I needed vet records and that I could not go back with my dog. So, two details that were relayed to me incorrectly over the phone. I was then told that I needed to leave the lobby EVEN THOUGH there were other people in the lobby area waiting on their pet. It’s upsetting that the vet’s office is more concerned about making up their own covid protocol than being concerned about an anxious dog that feels more comfortable being near their owner. I also loved being told to leave the lobby while countless guests walked in and out of Petco with no concern of any covid restriction. I guess getting money is more important to this place than the well-being of the animals. Our first time trying out a Thrive clinic was awful and we certainly will not be back.

Didn't go there. Went to Petco. Had fun shopping

I had to take my 4 year old cat to the vet because he had scabs on his lower back and needed to get treated. The receptionist was so nice and friendly I felt at ease and was hopeful that the rest of the staff was like this. And they were specially Dr. Rodriguez, they answered all questions I had and treated my baby with the outmost care. I really appreciated that. I think that as long as Dr. Rodriguez is there I will be coming back to this location. Head to toe exam was affordable and treatment was, in my opinion fair. I just want to thank the friendly receptionist, the nurse and Dr. Rodriguez for their care and friendliness.

Friendly staff and the dr was very nice and attentive to my dog. The dr even called me for follow up and to see how my dog was. I had a very great experience here.

Dr. Leon is very knowledgeable. The staff is friendly and helpful.

Very friendly staff. Very attentive to my puppy's needs. When we leave we have clear understanding of aftercare expectations.

Pretty easy to schedule an appointment. Reasonable rates often less expensive than an traditional vet. COVID has made getting appointments very difficult.

At Thrive La Mesa, veterinarians Dr. Kazumi and Dr. Rodriguez and the staff are caring, kind and attentive. Nahbi was a stray who came to me about 6 months ago, but 2 weeks later, she became deathly ill due to feline anemia, a comdition she was born with. Thanks to the care received from Thrive and Dr. Kazumi, who went out of their way to make sure that Nahbi's illness was being addressed correctly, Nahbi's life was saved. She is now completely cured of this deathly sickness and is enjoying very good health. By the way, Nahbi is my beautiful 2 yr-old, grey short-hair cat and the love of my life!

The care given to pets here is the best.

My mom took her dog there. He got an exam, rabies shot, flea treatment and nails trimmed. They were very thorough and explained all procedures and treatments very friendly staff you can tell they care for animals. Highly recomend.

Dr. Leon was very good with my dogs. They were supposed to go at different times and instead they took them both at the same time without me asking. Saved me alot of time and I got my two happy dogs back pretty quickly.

Lower cost than Banfield...staff seem knowledgeable and nice. ???? I may transfer over soon. Compare cost ect. Banfield is $$. Our dogs deserve the best care!!

Great area people and food

Great service, fast and professional. We arrived more than half hour early and didn't have to wait. Front desk checked us in fast and Ivy was taken within couple of minutes. All pricing and treatment plan was given upfront and different options were provided. The office was very clean and well organized. Coming back for follow up appointment in a month and definitely happy with our first visit.

Watched the Thrive Office go in at the La Mesa Petco January 2020. Looked good. First time visit was free. Exam fee was going to be $25 after that. I thought, too good to be true. I was right unfortunately. In one month, the exam fee jumped 30%. It is now $35. I suspect it will be over $50 in the not too distant future. Then it will be the same as any other Vet. They already sell their meds at a premium so not saving money there. Service is ok. Nothing to rave about. The waiting room is small and gets even smaller with mixed animals, dogs and cats waiting to be examined. At this point I am not going back due to the bait and switch exam fee policy. I was right. Entrance fee now $45 as of July 2020. I predict another increase to $55 shortly.

Great people! Take good care of your fur babies!

Considering the times we are currently in the staff is pretty efficient and friendly with our pup. We signed up for Thrive plus so that we can take him in for check ups periodically!

I cannot express how shady this vet is. From my first visit w them I was charged double the price for teeth cleaning wipes that amazon charges. When I called to return them they said no. When I went in for my dogs cleaning the estimate high and low was 190 (after I paid 344$ for his bloodwork and exam)... they charged me 219 w no explanation. They said that the prices went up in the new year, but I had him checked and the original estimate was from less than a week before. They also told me that they only give the 50$ off for dental month if u ask. They are money hungry and dishonest. I will be going in tomorrow to dispute these extra charges. Each time I’ve dealt w them I find new shady things that they do to try and add in costs w out explanation... watch ur back w this vet! They awful and overcharge for everything. Dishonest establishment. Go elsewhere

Great care. Marco...whogreeted me at the door ...was very nice and so was Bre. Dr. Kazumi gave my puppy great care and kept me well informed. Thank you

The software databases this vet uses is not shared. If you call the la mesa thrive location and no one answers it just says "mailbox is full". Empty your mailbox! Lazy. I checked in following the text message and then I had to call them. On a previous text message sent to me said not to call, then the last one said to. Then when getting the quote through the phone while in Petco, I was given 45.00 for the visit and puppy package 1 was 59.00. I joined Thrive Plus on August 4th for 10.00 a month and you must keep it for 6 months. It waives the visit fee and gives a discount. It didn't happen. When I used my laptop at home to book an appointment, which I had to learn on my own what light orange and light blue meant and how to get the times to come up. Hint, if its blue once you selected the date, click the blue date and then times will show up to select from. There was no legend with a simple explination. I tried inquiring but the online chat never engaged in chat (it said normally a response is in a few minutes...which I could even understand 30 minutes and I left the screen up for an hour). I typed back nevermind I figured it out. Then someone sent a reply back to my email saying if you call, we could train you and it's really easy. Hey, read and see I told you I figured it out. No reply was required. When I signed up by phone first on Aug 4th, my card was charged the monthly fee of 10.00. The dogs name was mispelt. I could never change the name myself online via my laptop, nor using the new thrive app. I could only change my personal information. I worked with software support for 18 years, and for how easy this was claimed to be, was difficult without a simple legend explination. I had to show proof I paid for a membership (used my online banking and screen shot it, and used the thrive app to show her spelling and that no appointment showed up). Then I wasn't even near the entrance to their door, with facemask on and was told "you cannot hang out here". I was so flustered already I told him to go pleasure himself...if you know what I mean. I immediately cried out of frustration and pushed my cart away, I had no way to apologize to him anyhow. I was only trying to see my next text to use the app to pay. No one at Petco treated me with, hey get away from my shelves, or don't stand 6 feet away from me.. I watched other people walk up to their entrance, didn't get told not to stand there. He just assumed I was going to "hang out" there, instead of asking me what was up, or saying you can pick up your puppy from the other entrance and point to it. When I got my puppy back the leash wasn't on her harness. Are these masks, masking our ability to socially engage and not talk and just tell? I told the vet I was sorry and I think me trying to deal with all this frustration, hearing loss, not being able to go in with my puppy, the applications and phone issues. I told her she could cancel my membership if she wants to and I don't have to come back..she said it was okay. I asked her to apologize to the young man that told me that. It's funny how we really can't speak about what really happens when we're upset and crying. I thought it was just realizing my hearing loss today, but it was much more. I should have tried a standard vet first.

My first visit here I was very impressed. The receptionist was very welcoming and nice with excellent customer service. They saw me right away which I know it’s not possible all the time. The veterinarian was very nice and caring towards my dog the vet tech was very nice and caring as well, I never felt pressured into any treatment and they explained everything very well, they also showed me the x-ray and showed me exactly what was going on with my dog and explained what I needed to do to get her better. It’s hard to find places that actually care about patients or clients or customers but this place definitely hit the mark. I would recommend anyone to take their beloved pet here to get treatment.

Liked the Dr and recommendations...did not like the cost of 1/4 cup of gabapentin tho...next time will get at costco.

We absolutely love going to Petco for THRIVE the vets have all been great,knowledgeable and kind, Very affordable upfront pricing

Fast. Friendly. Great APP!!! Honestly if your first animal or even just want a base of everything u need and need to know this is the place that can set you up for success!

Love this place very cheap and very good service although I was sad I couldn't go in with my puppy, but makes sense since we are in a pandemic.

Brianna and Dr Leon are absolutely amazing! I mistakenly went to the wrong thrive office for my appointment but thrive La Mesa was able to ensure that my two kittens were seen. I was emotional because I thought my kittens were not going to receive the care since the other thrive I showed up at was not able to take us is. La Mesa was extremely helpful and so welcoming when I got to the right appointment place. They ensured me my kittens would be seen and cared for. Brianna and Dr. Leon spent time talking to me and explaining what was wrong with my kittens and what the steps for my appointment and after care would be. I’m so grateful to have them as my vets and I can’t say enough nice things about them. I appreciate them tremendously.