VCA Bay Area Animal Hospital Oakland, California

Didn't inform me of an almost 50 dollar cost for a single signature, then proceeded to harass me over a year later about getting the money. After calling them multiple times and trying to engage in their text service in order to figure out what on earth they were charging me for, I just gave up and paid since they seem like the type of people to send an unknown bill to a collection agency...

Yesterday I showed up after my dog and I were attacked by another dog and we were both bleeding and the employees there couldn't even be bothered to help us, sent us to the OAKVET Pet emergency room because supposedly they don't have the capacity to administer anesthesia (a blatant lie) and when I asked one of the vet techs for a spare mask as I was standing there with my bleeding dog and bleeding hand she looked me up and down, said they don't have spare masks, and walked across the street to smoke a cigarette. It was the worst treatment I ever received during a crisis and I will be finding a different care provider for my pet.

Egregious set of errors. Really nice people but will absolutely not go back.

DONT RECOMMEND THEY ARE A RIP OFF EVEN IF YOU CAN AFFORD PET CARE from fleas to spay/neuters to anything else. PROVIDED FINE SERVICE IN PAST BUT NOT WORTH THE MONEY ITS A TOTAL CASH GRAB WITH LOCAL PET OWNERS IMO. brought my 2 kitties there ~3 yrs back-they tried giving them about 3-4 shots they DIDNT need which would have been a couple more hundred dollars! since I've had animals before i knew to ask however, it took some questioning to get the vet to admit i DIDNT LEGALLY NEED THEM ESP. for my indoor cats, it was just "recommended".... SMH Just called them today (Oct. 31st, 2021) and asked what the costs for flea meds, shots, vaccination, etc. for each cat would be. They said "new clients must pay a 50$ deposit". Provided her with my info as I used to take my 2 cats there, she found me in the system, &said "no, you will still need to pay 50$ deposit".............. okay?....... asked her around what each cat would be to bring in and spay/neuter. Also asked if they had ANY reduced fee programs for lower income, which they don't (besides 25$ off for new clients or spending 60$ a month on some membership subscription). said Vet needs to do a general exam before a spay/neuter or flea med prescription. Just to get them in the door 102.50$ each. then blood tests, vaccinations, stool samples, etc additional charge. FOR EACH CAT NEUTER/SPAY IS AROUND 400$-440$ (depending on spay or neuter), and COULD BE MORE FOR PAIN MEDS. so were talking around 500$/cat plus cost of flea meds, shots, etc and who knows what other fees they tack on once your there (as they tried to do it in past). They have to be kidding. Then asked if they knew of ANY resources for cheaper spay/neuter clinics because i couldn't afford that on top of an appointment for meds/vax's. She said no she doesn't know any others in the bay........SMH. SFPCA, East Bay SPCA, and many other programs are out there I already knew of which is ridiculous to not tell me about. Put me on hold to ask the vets too and they said "they aren't aware of any programs". B.S. they want to over charge as well as not provide an existing client whose paid them lots of money in past ANY HELP with any advice when I'm in a financially hard place right now? SCREW VCA Animal Hospital. they'll do a fine job if you like spending money you don't need. Called SFPCA right after and they have a 3 tiered income sliding scale, provided me with a free mobile clinic they do Vax, flea meds, and de worm meds FOR FREE for ANYONE (you don't even need to be an SF resident). as well as booked me for 2 of my cats for FREE and were VERY helpful. Ill never trust VCA to actually care about anything more than a dollar over being human or go there again.

Unfortunately still don't allow owners to get in with the dog. At this point it would make more sense to allow fully vaccinated people to come in. You can keep everyone safe by checking vaccination record and enforcing masks! I have a sensitive dog that is very scared of the vet, I would never force her to go to the vet alone. Please find a way to keep both dogs and vets safe, no reason to continue with this policy now.

I called to ask if they could see my dog because I suspect she has a UTI and was not helped at all how I imagined. The receptionist, Jan, had an off putting tone and gave unhelpful responses. Tried to talk over me multiple times. I was hopeful about this place given the amazing reviews but that first impression was not great.

extremely satisfied w my experience! i took my pet rat there for exam + surgery and the staff, vet, etc. were awesome. they thoroughly explained all of my options, reviewed pricing, after-care, etc and took excellent care of my pet. highly recommend!

I use a disguise name online but my husband and I have used VCA Shattuck for a couple decades now. We always have a lot of cats, in the range of three to six and always want to give them good care. We've seen a lot of good vets come and go and currently Dr Dunn sees our 16 year old boy and Dr Wang sees our 3-year-old girl. I recommend them both to you without hesitation.

We've consistently had good experience here. Both the Vets and the staff are all professional and nice.

Excellente curbside service ????‍???? and the dialogue/communication with the doctor is very intuitive & professional.

The veterans explain everything in detail.

Maybe because of covid, but our original appointment was for 11:30 AM; however, we weren't seen to about 12:10 PM. The service was great so I'm hoping my next visit is on time as scheduled.

I LOVE this vet. Dr Schwartzwelder is so patient, knowledgeable and kind. Everyone, including the vet techs have been friendly, skillful and loving with my pets. They are not trying to sell me treatments or products I don’t need. It’s good to have a vet I can trust!

Oakland vca hands down the best vet in the area. Dr Dunn is very qualified and supportive. We are first time pet owners and lucky to have their support.

The Best animals doctors in town. Great caring staff.

I have had the worst experience with this vet office. Not only did they improperly complete my pet’s travel forms (which I paid $100 to have completed), but they continually do not have any appointments for weeks on end. Whenever I call with an issue, they send me the VetER because they don’t have any time to make an appointment. Recently, dog got worms and they told me they didn’t have appointments for 2-3 weeks out and that I should go to the emergency room but the emergency room doesn’t treat worms and didn’t carry the medication. I had to pay $$$ to go to a different vet an get a one-off appointment to treat my dog for this issue. When I was FINALLY able to get an appointment for my dog, the vet recommended Revolution for my dog. I found that I could get it for half the price from Petco online and petco said they would call my vet to get a Rx. VCA denied the Rx because they only prescribe it if you purchase it from them directly (at double the price.) As if that wasn't bad enough, when I DID take my dog there, they mixed up my paperwork, kept calling me by the wrong name, and actually FORGOT to return my dog to me after my appointment. After I paid and was sitting in the car with the paperwork, I had to call again and say “hi, is my dog going to be returned to me?” And they replied with “omg that didn’t happen yet? We must have forgotten! We will bring him right out!” 0/5 stars if I could.

These people are are wallet vultures, they prey on people financially i took my cat into see their vet and they charged me. My cat is still sick now they want a recheck which will be 78 dollars which doesn't include treatment....they had the opportunity to treat his wounds correctly the first time but didnt and now they want more money to fix something that should've already been! Dont go here if you love your animals

Friendly, competent care for my young dog!

Took my animals there for years but stopped when they wanted me to pay to euthanize my dog who'd had an injury a few hours before. His back legs were paralyzed. The doctor said the swelling could go down and he may be fine. They didn't even allow a couple of days to pass to see if the swelling would go down. One of the technicians told me to pay the office visit fee and take him elsewhere. That's what I did and 2 weeks later, he was RUNNING! Also I boarded my cat & my dog there. They came home infested with fleas!

My dog's physical exam was very productive today with Dr. Austin. It's been a while since I feel the money has been well spent with a vet. Today was my dog's first visit here. Even though the hospital is not currently allowing owners to be physically present, it's not hard to tell that the staff there has taken the time to handled my dog with great care and patience. Dr. Austin was communicative, helpful and efficient on the phone discussing about my dog's health and her left hind leg injury. I really appreciate the valuable analysis and recommendation she has given to allow me to move forward on treating my dog's injury.

I waited for over 50 min outside of the building for my appointment before giving up and going home. I had to call twice in order to get an intake and was given no notice that they were running that far behind, until I called a third time to ask. Even then I was told someone would be right out. After 15 additional minutes of waiting I had had enough. I will take my business elsewhere.

Very friendly staff, supplies for pets are good.

This was the only place that had a doctor that felt comfortable taking a Rabbit on an emergency. Due to the virus, I couldn't go inside, but the staff was kind and fast. Dr Austin let me know my options. Communicated with me and dealt with my concerns for my pet. We came home with a plan and are on the road to recovery.

Love how they take care of my two dogs and always glad to see you and your pets.

I posted the following three years ago: “I have been going to The VCA animal center on Shattuck for nearly 20 years. I have never had a bad experience. My 17 year old Rottweiler mix and the love of my life, Hannah received all of her care there and died there in my arms in the most beautiful way. Thank you Dr Arntz you were terrific!“ But in the last three years the VCA has become totally dysfunctional. Even before Covid It has become more difficult to make appointments and whereas it used to be possible to get a same day appointment it is now impossible. Even with an appointment it never runs on time and the check out time ranges from 45-60 mins. On my last three visits I was there 2-3 hours. Today I had to wait in the parking lot for 2 hours. I arrived 10 mins early for a 1.45 appt and the client who had a 1.30 appt and arrived late was seen first! I’ve had enough of VCA and I am going elsewhere! They do not respect that we the customer have commitments too. I am a primary care MD and I think this is an awful way to treat clients!

Unlike many other animal hospitals they're not trying to extort you to help your animal they really want to help

They loved my dog and my dog love them... nothing else to say but they are great!

I have a verry small, timid dog and he was fine. They treated my baby so well, so caring!

They take excellent care of our dog. Prices are reasonable and service is very professional and well run.

The staff is wonderful & very knowledgeable