VCA Mission Animal and Bird Hospital Oceanside, California

one star. would be no stars if possible. my dog couldn’t walk and they refused to see me. as a hospital you should be able to make time to see pets. UPDATE: tried again to set up an appointment this time since i noticed my pets were having flea troubles. they were unwilling to work with me to have a one month supply of preventative until my appointment was made. i understand there are protocols and i was setting up an appointment to get the yearly vaccines. it’s sad that you once again proved the quality of an animal life isn’t important and that i “must be seen” to get one month supply of preventative. knowing how most people would just go to target or walmart to get a flea collar and call it a day. Maria at the front desk wouldn’t help me at all. or even ask a doctor if they would be willing to make an exception.

Oceanside campus: First time kitten owners. We brought in our two kittens for initial exam. The nurse treating our kittens was very sweet and showed us how to trim their nails. The Veterenarian, Dr Tseng (?Spelling), however, on the other hand was very unprofessional. She walked into the room without introducing herself (aren't they thaught to introduce themselves as one of the first things when u meet a new family?! I mean you walk into a McDonald and receive a better welcome.. She started talking about all the vaccines/treatments kittens need, and seemed annoyed by our questions. We asked why our 100% indoor kittens require the rabbies vaccine, were told that it is "required by the law". It turns out there are no REQUIRED vaccines for kittens, including the rabbies (not in CA at least). We are not anti vaccine and will take recommendations from professionals. However, when the professional lies to get the extra few bucks, not only they lose clients but also gives a bad name to the rest of Vets out there. I hope the management have this Veterenarian sign up for some continuing education classes on local laws and professionalism at workplace. Dear management, if your every other review states "lack of professionalism" maybe it's time for some changes. Thank you

This is the worst vet I have ever taken my dog to. The last time I brought her there to get her nails clipped I could hear her screaming from the room they left me in. I asked them to just snip the tips so that the quick wouldn't get cut and hurt her. But they don't listen!! They brought her back to me and the vet said they only did one paw because she was worried about her staff getting hurt!! The time before I mentioned it they said "Oh, we have something to stop the bleeding." I said "WELL, IT DOESN'T STOP THE PAIN!!" They just don't get it!! They also charged me $100.00 to look at a cyst inside her mouth for 10 seconds. This place is always trying to sneak in extra things that they can charge you for and are heartless when it comes to hurting the animals. Previously, they have charged me for all kinds of tests that I did not ask for. My actual rating for this place is a NEGATIVE TEN!!! However, you can't post comments if you don't pick a star. Don't take your animals here!!! They will be traumatized!!

We brought in our 18 year old pup recently because he had started to deteriorate rapidly. I knew we probably weren't going to return home with him The staff was very kind and gentle with him and offered their best advice which was to let him go seeing as his systems were shutting down. Dr. Bernal was great; sympathetic, understanding and gave us as much time as we needed to make decisions and spend time with him before letting him go. I've never had the opportunity to spend so much time with a pet before letting them go and they didn't push us at all or pressure us in any way. It was a very hard process but also sweet because we were able to hold him afterwards and reminisce about him. I cannot attest to other services provided by VCA, but their end of life care for pets was great and felt genuine.

Everyone here was professional and caring when I had to put my cat down here recently.

I brought my dog here for a small bump between his two middle toes that was swollen, red and looked infected. At the appointment, the vet talked about the swelling possibly being an interdigital cyst, allergy related or a possible foxtail/foreign object in his paw. The vet wanted to try meds first before doing the foxtail probe. She gave him Carprofen (mild pain reliever, reduces swelling) and that's it. I also requested antibiotics as he has had this before, looked similar to what I was there for and I wanted to get a jump on the infection before it got worse. The vet said she didnt think it was infected and had me book a follow up appointment 2 weeks later. By the time the follow up appointment came, the bump was now infected and looked like it was going to pop. The vet told me she needs to do a foxtail probe (aka surgery) and try and flush the possible foreign object out. I was scheduled an appointment for the following day. Had the surgery and went for a follow up/bandage change (mini cast) 3 days later. I was told it wasnt healing well and to come back again in another 3 days. The bandage changes went on for about 2 weeks, going every 2-3 days. Each time at the bandage change, I was told it was healing slow but getting better etc. The night before another bandage change, the bandage came off as he was walking to his bed. He started crying in pain, panicking, shaking, yelping and bleeding from his paw. The surgery area was SEVERLY infected, swollen, and very red. I looked down and noticed there were stitches in between his toes from the surgery. The swelling was so bad, the stiches looked like they were going to rip out of his skin(this was the first time i had seen it without the bandage since before his surgery and was told it was "getting better"). I took him to an emergency vet and was told by the vet there, that the Mission Animal and Bird Hospital should not have put stitches in his wound because it was infected prior to the surgery and was supposed to be left open so the infection could drain. By closing the infection with stitches, it couldnt drain and the infection became worse. This has been a long process (months now) due to their error and neglience, has cost me thousands in vet bills and has been rough on my little guy. My dog is now under the care of another vet and is getting better. I would not recommend taking your pet here for surgery or anything in general. It was the worst mistake and experience of my life and want others to be aware so they don't have to go through this. Most of their staff was friendly, I'll give them that. BEWARE!

Dr. Andi Tsing DVM is a wonderful and caring vet. She takes care of both my senior pups. I’m so thankful for her! She goes above and beyond to help them (and me!) There are some wonderful people at the front desk. Salena is so thoughtful and responsive. She is kind and compassionate. She is a total asset to the practice! Maria has also been very helpful to us. She does a great job. I wish the vet was still open 24 hrs a day. That does make it hard for us at times. I understand that’s a corporate decision, but it’s a bad decision for the clients. I’ve been taking my pups her for almost 5 years. Sure, there have been challenges since COVID, but I think they are doing their best.

This has taken me a while to write but I will never ever ever trust the vet staff with the care of my animals again. Back in October of 2019, I brought my not even 2 year old German shepherd in to get checked because he was acting weird. Upon arrival, you could tell something wasn’t right. The vet staff SEDATED my dog FOR NO REASON which in turn caused him to go into cardiac arrest. That day, I lost my best friend because of the negligence of the vet staff. When I was leaving the vet was the only one to offer a sincere apology, the women working the desk had no problem being short and slapping me with a 1k bill. Seriously people, if you value your animals life and want the best care, PLEASE take them to Surfside (another 24hour animal hospital).

Kosey made it through the first emergency visit for a blood clot. They stayed late to save him even though they didn’t think he would make it. Two weeks later, he got another blood clot and died. The whole staff was very professional, friendly, helpful and patient with us as we mourned the passing of our sweet cat. We found the staff to be very responsive when we needed help quickly and they were very compassionate. Thank you for helping us!

I called VCA because my pet rabbit seemed quite sick. I left a message and was told I would receive a response back. I waited over 24 hours and received no phone call. I called back because it was starting to look really bad and the receptionist was EXTREMELY RUDE. If this is how they answer the phone, there is no way I would trust them with my pet. I never received a call from them on my original message. It's very difficult to find a place to treat exotic animal. I was lucky to find another place that was not only responsive but very professional.

Since the beginning of the pandemic and so many things have changed I was in hopes that the quality of the services of VCA Bird and animal Hospital in Oceanside California would not change. We have used this facility for many years we love our doctor Dr. Hammond but the supporting staff the people that handle the customers going into and leaving the facility they need some practice on their customer service skills. I have a dog who is allergic to a lot of different things who requires a monthly medication and it’s too expensive to purchase it from the animal hospital but I can purchase it from chewie.com for a lot less money and whomever was answering the phone that day that Chewy.com called to find out about a prescription was very rude to the staff at Chewy.com as well as myself I had to get a new prescription and Chewy.com will no longer speak to these people so I’m in hopes that I have no further issues

Unbelievable how a year ago they cared about your family member to seems to just care about money. I have been trying to schedule an appointment to have my dog checked out, her foot and no one seems to care enough to respond and return my call. I called yesterday morning and got nothing but an answering machine, so I proceeded and went to there urgent care hours then was instructed to take my dog to a 24hr emergency animal hospital because in order to have my dog checked out they will need to sedate her and they said they do not have time for that when it will only take no more than 30mins to check. First of all, they had 2hrs left before closing and second she didn't need to be sedated as she's a calm dog and it does not bother her, it just looks abnormal. I've tried calling 2x today and left a message, I've emailed twice, I've messaged through Instagram and I've read through the other reviews and when they received a bad review to email there manager Erin and I've also emailed her. Not a single response. I understand that is non-emergency visit, BUT why wait for it to get worst when you act on it immediately. All these bad reviews within this year, seriously have they taken the time to review and make improvements. What happened to the staffs that cared when I first visited this place? I'll probably get a response to email their manager regarding my complaint, guess what I've done it and still no response!

I took my parakeet in because of a bleeding nodule.I had no appointment ,but they took him right away.The vet examined. and explained everything very well to me and gave me medication for my birdy. I was there the second time and are very satisfied.They saved his life????????The staff was helpful too and very kind.

My pet is dead, thank you for the help that didn't work. I will never take any more of my birds here. You did such a nice job, the sickness spread to the rest that were healthy and now I'm rushing for one doctor to the next. Because I'm not having my birds die again, caused by your diagnosis. I'm going to take legal action. They will charge you thousands of dollars to make sure when you're done, you won't even have a pet anymore. Look at the other reviews a bunny, a turtle, and now my bird. The vet should have her license taken and the place shut down. And I bet they will respond with a general message that makes them look not responsible.

My baby turtle had been lethargic for less than 24 hours when I brought him in. They could not make a clear diagnosis and did not recommend any medication even though the supposedly treat ‘exotics’. Instead, they recommend euthanasia as a first resort! I am absolutely appalled a vet would recommend such a drastic measure without even TRYING to heal my little turtle. Neither the vet tech nor the veterinarian asked me a single question about my baby’s history, how long I’d had him, or anything about his environment or diet. There was absolutely no due diligence from them. They either don’t care or don’t know what they are doing and I’m not sure which is worse. I will never be back here and I would not recommend taking a pet you love to a place that recommends killing them as a first option. They deserve a negative star rating for their atrocious conduct.

Our pet rabbit was lethargic and didn't eat or drink for at least 5-6 hours. We went to the VCA Mission Animal and Bird Hospital in Oceanside ER services. After admitting the bunny we were told that it is dying and needs hospitalization with a hospital move later in the day. At the time they didn't tell the diagnosis or anything other than that the rabbit is very ill. The doctor admitted that even after hospitalization, the pet may die, so we decided to take it home and treat it ourselves as it looked like the bunny had Gastro-Intestinal (GI) Stasis. When we notified the hospital they unnecessarily recommended that we euthanize the pet instead. We know it was unnecessary because that was 2 days ago, and our rabbit is still alive and back to normal. We had 2 options from the clinic: thousands of dollars worth of hospitalization that could not help or kill it. We decided to decline both options and take it home. That saved our rabbit's life. We gave him baby gas drops and in a few hours the bunny was back to normal. You shouldn’t recommend to people that they should euthanize their pet when you’re not sure. When you’re not sure, it’s not euthanasia, you’re just killing animals. I’m not writing this to bash anyone, but I felt I had to write it to give others the most accurate information possible, so they can make the best choice for their situation.

Please do not bring your bunny here. They overcharged me thousands of dollars for unnecessary procedures. My bunny refused to eat and was in pain for weeks and nearly died. All of this could’ve been avoided. I ended up taking him to another vet who determined he just had a bad tooth that was causing him pain. I had politely asked VCA multiple times to examine his teeth and they told me they did not see anything wrong. The vet that saved his life was in disbelief at VCA’s incompetence.

Do not come here!!!!! Your money WILL be wasted. The woman vet here is honestly the worst vet I’ve ever come across. I brought my 16 year old cat here, they charged so much money to do absolutely nothing but tell me to bring him back in for way more expensive tests. When I asked what I could do to help him in the meantime she was rude, abrasive and accused me of talking to other vets when I asked about homeopathic options. It took 4 calls to get my prescriptions sent to me and 3 days to get a call back after our appointment. I would never give this place a DIME again! ????????

Lady on the phone was very rude. I am disappointed with the way I got talk to over the phone today.

They wanted to do multiple teeth extractions on my cat so i got a second opinion from another hospital and it was only gum inflammation . His teeth were perfectly healthy, just a bit of tartar. Please do not go here if you care about your pet. They made me get x-rays, blood test (which was $400 - outrageous) and multiple appointments but when i went to the second hospital they treated my cat within 30 minutes. Again, please listen, dont go here.

Would like to commend Vet Tech-Dakota B for being very knowledgeable & experience in his job. There should be more Dakota B in your facility. Thank you Dakota.

I love this place. They worked so hard with me to take care of my rabbit Fern! ????????????I would take any animal here!

The receptionist is incredibly rude. We came there in an emergency with my puppy hurt and unable to walk and she mocked me and gave attitude with every question and answer I gave her. We didn’t know we had to call ahead since it was an emergency and we just ran out the door pup in hand to get her help. We ended up just leaving to a further hospital that would be more understanding. Definitely don’t recommend the evening staff. Would never go here if it’s an emergency.

Called this morning with a question about my dog being very sore and stiff from a chiropractic/acupuncture apt. My vet who did it is closed. The front office lady clearly does NOT know how to listen and kept let saying remind me what she had, she did it twice. I called another VCA and they transferred my call to one of their vet techs! They were willing to help even if they could not! VCA Oceanside, you just lost me as a customer due to lack of customer service and simple listening!! Train your staff to listen and be present. And she could hear me very well.

Dr. Kim and her staff have been so supportive and encouraging. I took my 10w puppy in late at night and they walked us through the process and provided recommendations for Odin. I was extremely worried as to why his poop was watery BUT Dr. Kim and her staff were thorough in delivery information, patient, understanding, and they listened to all of our questions. I am so impressed with the staff and their professionalism that my 10w Pitbull and my 9 yr old Pitbull will now become clients! I am someone who is very cautious on which vet clinic/hospital will care for my doggies. With that said, I highly recommend this hospital!

The most TERRIBLE experience I have EVER had. Do not come here.

do not come here. I have never talk to a woman so compassionate-less about animals. and to work at a place where you think they are treated like gold. truly heartbreaking. I've had two bad experiences here. Rocky, takes the cake! Rocky, you did a wonderful job losing my business and an even better job at helping me, lose you more. the absolute disrespect for someone's tragic situation, you should be ashamed at the way you speak to people on the phone. I highly recommend another place that has compassion, They are out there! best of luck ???? MULTIPLE reviews about your "front desk" person and whoever is taking the phone calls. If you have so many complaints why would you not specifically address that issue? help me understand that!

Over priced . Will push meds down your pets throats . Basically over priced tho is why I’m disappointed . And you’ll wait very very very long for them to do simple check ups / procedures . Very disappointing …

VCA Mission Animal and Bird Hospital is the only place that I like to bring my dog to be seen. The staff is phenomenal. Prices are a little high, but you get what you pay for. Problems are rectified quickly and questions are answered almost immediately. I recommend this location to everyone that asks me where they should go.

They will take care of your pet but at the highest price possible. First visit we paid over a $1000 to have my dog looked at. We returned for a check up and we were told our appointment would only take a few mins. So we waited, after an hour and nothing from the vet we called them. They said the dr would get back with us shortly, an hour later we called back to same customer service. Three hours later and us calling them for the third time, we are still waiting for help. I would find a different vet hospital that won't charge you outrageous prices and ignore you for an entire day. This place is reduculus.