Fire Mountain Veterinary Hospital Oceanside, California

Thank you for taking care of my puppy when he was sick

Called all vets in the area on Sunday. Most were closed, and the ones were open had no appointments for weeks out. My dogs eyes had gone cloudy overnight and we just needed some labwork to make sure it wasnt anything systematic, but we kept getting turned away left and right, until I called Fire Mountain. The receptionist answered the phone promptly, offered genuine concern for me and my dog, and was able to schedule us 9:30am the next day, Monday. I had to pay the exam fee upfront, which I was 100% willing to do and did over the phone. My dog is notoriously skittish with vets and groomers, but they listened to me when I told them that he responds very well to praise and treats, they took that advice and as a result made him feel very comfortable. No one in the waiting room. They took me back immediately. This place is amazing and I cant believe I have never been here before. Test results came back the very next day, clean bill of health (thank goodness). He got some eye meds to clear up the cloudiness and reddness, and he is back to his old self. Thank you so much Fire Mountain!

I am not a customer here but due to adopting/fostering from SPOT I was able to meet the staff and they seem like they're very friendly. The place is very clean and the staff is very caring for what I noticed. My adopted child (dog) and my foster child (dog) got treated here and they have not shown any complications after their surgeries. I did had to call and request my baby's vaccine history and the lady who answered the phone was very polite, friendly and sent the documents right after we hung up.

Extremely nice pet people-Excellent care and advice-pricing is perfect.

I am very thankful for this vet. They gave us a room and allowed us to grieve as we had to put our Buddy down. When they delivered the news of cancer to us, they were very professional and caring. This is the best vet clinic Buddy ever visited. Thank you for your care and love to us and our pet.

We recently moved into the area and had some issues with our fur baby and after looking up reviews we decided to take our baby here! The staff was great and understood that we had a budget. They assisted us in every way possible and answered every question we had! They’re always available to answer any additional questions over the phone too! Dr. Vasilas was so nice and catered to Misty’s every need! Both Dr. Vasilas and her vet techs were gentle with Misty and so friendly! The prices aren’t the absolute worst either! They also have emergency hours too! If you ever have an issue with your fur baby and want a trusted vet who cares please take them here! You won’t regret it!

Always impressed with the kindness and efficiency with which the doctors and staff care for my sweet pup!!

I've taken my chihuahuas here for a variety of issues, and I am always very impressed! They take great care of my pets and are very kind and caring!

Thank you for fitting us in last-minute today. We appreciate your caring and knowledgeable team.

I was referred to this vet office by a friend and have been very pleased with the care they provide. The staff truly cares about the pets. I recently had an emergency with my cat and they got me in immediately. I will continue bringing my pets here.

They have been so helpful with a last minute situation. And very thorough and kind. Thanks!

Each time I take my pets into this office everyone is professional and informative. My pet recently had surgery here and the process was seamless . They give you all of your costs up front, and always seem honest and transparent. The care here is awesome and I will not take my pets anywhere else! They’ve also added a new doctor who is so sweet.

I take my 2 smalls boys to Fire Mt and they are always taken care of. The staff is very polite and the offices are always super clean!! The online portals are great for making appointments and getting reminders when services are due. Highly recommended to anyone looking for a great vet!!

I don't make "negative" reviews lightly, and I genuinely wanted to love this vet- and I did for a few months, but the quality of care and communication shifted for the worse. My biggest complaints would be trustworthiness (in terms of cost of care). I had my dog spayed with them and I checked the estimate carefully, had verbal confirmations that certain items would not be charged, and when all as said and done, I was charged for those things. When I brought it to their attention, they simply dismissed me and refused a refund. The issue for me is not the money, it's the fact that I confirmed multiple times that I would not be getting charged for this particular thing and then their blatant going back on what they told me. If they had just provided me correct information from the start, I would have been satisfied. Additionally, It irked me a bit that following her spay, I did not have a doctor come out and walk me through how it went, and post-op care. I was given the write up and sent on my way. I wasn't told whether I needed to return for stitch removal or otherwise. I then required follow up on that surgery site due to possible infection (our fault, not theirs) and they sent me home with a medication that they had already sold to me for a recent previous appointment. So instead of letting me know it was the same medication I already have a full bottle of, they just sold me another one. (which yes, I understand is partially on me, but it would have clearly been there in my dogs records, if they had just looked.) I understand that they have a lot of patients, and it takes a lot of time to answer questions, but as a first time dog owner, I have a LOT of questions and I don't understand a lot of what's going on when I come into the vet still. Usually I prepare the questions I have in advance, but when I'm feeling them rushing me through with quick responses and not knowing the qualifications of the non-doctor that I am talking to, I don't feel like I can ask all that I need or I am getting half answers. So communication about my pet's care and about cost of the care is very important to me. And I'm sad to say that per my observation over these last 6 months, this facility definitely sacrifices quality of service for quantity of patients. If communication and quality of service improves, I may come back. But for now, I need to find a vet that is willing and able to take that extra time and offer real quality care.

The care quality is poor, and their diagnoses is more profit focus rather than the wellness of the animal. They have little to no empathy to the families who can not afford such care. I do not Hispanic or migrant communities to to use their service, since they are not ethnically diverse friendly.

I am new to the area and very pleased with the care they provided for my two older corgis. I tried a couple other facilities prior to finding Fire Mountain which did not feel like a good fit. They took the time to review all of my pets lengthy history and listen to our concerns. Top notch care, clean hospital and caring staff.

This place started out pretty good. They called me after I brought in my dog to check up on her and see how she was doing. I enjoyed this extra effort and personal touch. However, I guess after the first few months of what they feel is securing a new customer, this professionalism is completely lost takes a sharp turn in the other direction. First of all the doctor always tries to guilt trip you right off the bat. Literally every time I brought my dog in, "Wow it sounds like she's in a lot of pain," was what I was greeted with for everything from an ear infection, to allergies, to her first heat cycle. It made me feel like they thought I wasn't taking good care of her. Secondly, they were not forthcoming with treatment options for my pet. They recommend only the most expensive treatment and don't even tell you there are other options to consider. I had to do my own research online and mention it to the vet the next time, to which they admitted yes those are possible as well. They quickly became condescending and flat out rude after I refused to purchase everything they wanted me to. The final straw for me was them ignoring my simple request to provide me an updated estimate for my pet's spay alongside the old, expired estimate, so that I could compare and see what had changed for consideration. It took me a phone call and 3 emails over the course of 2 weeks and I still never got the info. I'll gladly go to the other nearby clinic that charges a few hundred more for the spay operation if it means I won't have to deal with their arrogance anymore. Cheers. EDIT: "Suffering" "Ongoing health problems" "getting the care that she needs." Disgusting lies in an attempt to save face and cover up your deception and horrible customer service. Seriously you should be ashamed of yourselves. And yeah don't worry about my pet, she is the happiest dog in the world - no thanks to you.

This review has been a long time coming. I have been taking the fur babies to FM for many years now, 1 cat & 2 dogs. Doctors and staff take pride in the care they provide for the furry family members. My two eldest have had health complications so visits to the vet had been in the routine. It’s very impressive how the staff is able to accommodate all the appointment plus do extremely well in having time for emergency appointments (I have personally had to do a couple myself). Two years ago I had to say goodbye to my senior cat (16yrs) and last year in the middle of the pandemic we had another loss and said our farewells to our Chihuahua dog (18yrs). While it has been one of the hardest decision to make I wouldn’t have been able to do it without out the compassion the doctor and technicians showed us as we parted from them. I will be forever grateful & recognize that without FM staff I wouldn’t have had the chance to see my babies become super seniors. The vet appointments have been less frequent with only 1 dog but as soon as we are ready for another furry baby I know we will be taking him/her to FM.

This vet may actually harm your pet. Frist, please do yourself a favor and read the other negative reviews. When I moved I wanted to find a new quality vet who cares about my pets. After every pet visit I would always get a call the next day asking how my pet was. This is a very nice and thoughtful practice. I would suggest Fire Mountain apply the same strategy. Suggested lots of new expensive tests. Hesitantly agreed because I want my pet to be healthy. Vet assistant ensured me that these test are needed and would call the next day with the test results. Was suggested to me to get a new medication for my pet (Trio chewable) medication. Invoice came out to over $600. Seems really high. My appointment was on Friday. Saturday no call Sunday no call Monday no call Tuesday I finally called to see what was going on so the woman said oh I’m sorry let me get that for you and put me on hold. Waited for five minutes and line was disconnected. No one bothered to call back. Sent an email describing my disappointment and concern asking for a response or a refund. Never heard back from the email either. So frustrating I can’t get ANY communication or response from Fire Mountain Vet. Decided to look up some reviews to see what others thought, while there are some positive reviews, there are many negative responses who have a similar experience to me. It became clear. Stay away from this vet. Friday - 1pm annual appointment. Over $600 bill for important lab work that needed to be done. Promised call back next day. Saturday no call. Sunday no call. Monday no call. Tuesday still no call?!?! Maisy needs to take her meds today, but without the lab results I don’t know if it safe. Called FMVH, nice lady answered the phone and said oh sure I can get your records let me put you on hold for a moment. I was on hold for almost 5 minutes and hung up. Waited a couple hours, no one called back. Thinking they might be really busy at the time, a better approach would be to send them an email. I sent an email saying I was dissatisfied that I haven't received my lab results yet and can I either please have the lab results or offer me a refund. Never heard a response, back at all, by phone or email. Wednesday, still no response. So I looked up the owner of the company, and thought if I ran this company I would want to know how bad her customer experience is. I called, and asked to speak to Juli Salivas, and was told she wasn't in today but she would be in tomorrow. I said that's fine please be sure to have her call me tomorrow. She said she would pass the message along. Thursday, no call, no email, nothing. Friday, now I am really concerned, don’t know what to do. I double check my phone just to be sure I didn't miss their call or voicemail. And sure enough I had no call or voicemail from them. So I thought maybe just by some off chance my cell phone was out of range or something it didn't actually come to my phone I looked up the records of my phone company and verified I've received no my phone number received no call from them when they said they called. Friday evening finally received a call from Juli (the owner), I conveyed my grievances to her, she understood. She didn’t care. Juli literaly didn’t care my Maisy suffered a lapse in her medication because her own company’s negligence. But the truth is they never called, and they refuse to show any record of them calling me. Straight up deception. Stay away. There's something fundamentally wrong with this veterinary hospital. Happy ending Maisy is now safe and on her medication.

Great place, if I ever have another pet emergency I will come back.

I took my pet in recently for a routine update on shots and at first was taken back by all the recommendations they gave. I decided to move forward with the suggestions and thank god I did. My max was acting completely normal and his bloodwork came back saying he has heart worms. Dr Julie has been great in walking us through the treatment process and this terrible diagnosis. She has been understanding as we admittedly have not been consistent with the heart worm prevention (we will never forget now!) I had no idea they can die from heartworms and am so thankful I have a vet that offers everything I need to keep my pet healthy!

It’s been 2 years since I came to this vet clinic for the last time. My pup had parvo and they did a series of tests. After paying a couple grand for the tests they’ve done, I decided to just take my pup home because I couldn’t afford further treatment. They charged me a lot for just the tests. My pup was recovering at home but the vet found out I ordered medication online. Apparently you’re not supposed to treat animals at home but I didn’t know at the time. The vet then notified animal control to report me. Animal control came to our house multiple times demanding to surrender my pup to the shelter. They said they’re gonna take care of him if I couldn’t financially. They also gave me a citation for insufficient vet care which I uploaded a picture of on this page’s photo section. After a few days of fighting to keep my dog, we decided to surrender him to the Oceanside dog pound because according to animal control and the shelter, they’re going to treat him and give him to a better home. All I wanted was for my pup to have a happy life and I agreed to their offer even though my pup was recovering. A couple of weeks later after I dropped him off, I called Oceanside dog pound to inquire about the welfare of my pup and to see if he’s already been adopted by a “better family”, when I was shocked by what the staff told me that they put him down due to his condition getting worse. He was recovering when I surrendered him. He started to eat and drink and showed signs of active life after I took him to the vet. I was angry and wanted to blame everyone even myself for not doing everything I could to save that puppy. It took me 2 years to actually say something about what happened. After all of that, I called the vet to ask for a refund for the puppy package I purchased from them that I wasn’t able to use because my dog died, they said they were going to refund me which never happened. I don’t understand how this place got high ratings but I extremely don’t recommend this vet clinic especially the owner who was terribly rude.

All the techs, office staff and Dr. Vasilas are amazing. You can feel good about bringing your fur baby to these folks. Prices can be daunting, but find me a vet where they aren't. Bottom line is they took great care of my lab and she is all the better for it.

Service was prompt. Pricing $$$

I initially brought my female dobe here in an emergency because of an infection. From the very first visit I decided to switch my vet care to Fire Mountain. The entire staff here has been nothing but accommodating and upfront about any concerns I’ve had with my dog. I even just referred a friend today that’s moving here to have her three pets go to this office. Thanks Fire Mountain for taking care of my girl!

Dr. Juli Vasilas and the Fire Mountain Veterinary crew were extremely helpful and quick to reply to all questions and requests. They are very attentive, thorough, and professional. The entire staff was very friendly and honest. Fire Mountain Veterinary Hospital takes the extra steps to make you informed and feel confident about your pet’s health. An informative and caring Veterinarian is difficult to find, I would definitely recommend them!

I am not normally one to write reviews, however after my last experience with Fire Mountain Vet I thought I should warn other pet parents from this place. My husband and I recently took our 2 dogs here after moving to the area. The staff continually “recommended” countless procedures and testing without reason. Our dogs are both healthy, happy and I have all their records. One of our dogs does have seasonal allergies which is annotated in his records. When we went in for his shot the staff said he needed a blood panel, urine test, fecal test and additional annual shots and testing amounting to a quote of $777. When we denied having the multitude of undue testing to our dog the staff quickly shifted their attitude to making us feel like bad pet parents because it was all “highly recommended.” Not to mention that the medical records I had given the staff clearly indicated that our dog had already received his annual shots and testing mere months prior, they excused themselves that they “misread” the records. I am all for extending grace to others, however it was obvious to both my husband and I when we reviewed the records that he had already been fully cared for by our previous vet before our move. At the end of this visit the Vet on staff came out to sales pitch us on a new heart-worm and flea medication. We own a Shetland Sheepdog, which is commonly known to carry a gene that can cause death if given certain heart-worm/flea medications; when I asked if she knew if the medication was compatible for this breed, she indicated that she was not sure. In this same visit our other dog was getting neutered, when we took him home, they sent us home with only enough medication for 2 days post-surgery; it was not until after having to seek out another vet that we learned that the normal practice is a weeks’ worth of pain medication. Due to the lack of care, our dog ended up contracting a fever and infection. We do not feel safe or comfortable taking our pets here and I hope that should someone choose to see this vet, that they are fully informed. Since seeing this vet we have received non-stop email coupons for various medications they sell; only solidifying my feeling that they are only in the business for money.

This place is like a shady mechanic. They suggested I get an X-ray for my cat when they KNEW their X-ray machine was not working and needed to be fixed. They then released my cat without a word in regards to the x-ray not being performed, no info on after care, and they did not mention they weren't able to give me the pain meds my cat "needed" until the next day. These people DO NOT care about your furry family members. Find another vet.

At an absolutely outstanding experience. Got orders to Hawaii and they guided me through the entire process of getting my little fur babies overseas. Even helped me contact Hawaii on what I needed to check twice before flying my lil puppers. Absolutely amazing and professional staff. Highly recommended

The entire staff at Fire Mountain continue to exceed our expectations. They take the time to answer all of our questions and explain what tests are recommended and why. We have full confidence in Dr. Vasilas and know our Teddy is in excellent hands at Fire Mountain.