Colony Veterinary Hospital San Diego, California

Awesome staff organized and doctor shows options for my choice. No pushing

Took my dog here for the first time and they were very quick and courteous! Prices were fair too. I’ll definitely be back. Thank you!

Colony Veterinary Clinic has always been great to work with. The staff is very caring and gentle with our cats. The exams are thorough with complete feedback from the Vet.

They are absolutely amazing here! I have a very aggressive scaredycat whose fight or flight response is always fight. My friend's nickname for her is "demon kitty", and she'll hiss, growl, swipe, bite at anyone except me who tries to handle her. Because of the above, and a nightmare trip to a different Vet about a decade ago, I've been extremely reluctant to take her in for health checks because of the extreme stress it caused. But she finally had to be seen for a sensitive mass, and I tried Colony because of the good reviews. I've taken her in twice in 1.5 months, and both times, they were able to handle her without sedation, even though I pre-approved it because I figured it'd be necessary. This second time, Dr. Vineyard even called her "sweet", which has absolutely blown my fiancee and I's mind! No one besides those she's close to have ever called her "sweet". Also, my fiancee has a lot of experience with Vets all around San Diego. Between her and her roommate, they've had 9 cats with all sorts of health issues to work on, so she's well aware of all the extra costs and unnecessary procedures that other Vets have tried to pull. Colony has been very up front about the costs, calling after initial inspection and making sure I'm on board with what has needed to be done. And every procedure/test they've wanted to do has been on point, exactly what was necessary and nothing extra. So yeah, I can vouch that they are absolutely amazing, way beyond expectations, here at Colony. I would recommend them to anyone.

I have been going to Colony Vet for over a year and am so happy and grateful for their services. The entire team is excellent and they really listen to my concerns. They always take time to talk to me about what’s going on and work with me. They have also gone above and beyond on helping diagnose my dog’s ailments - they have responded promptly to my phone calls and emails asking for advice and have graciously squeezed me into the schedule if my dogs need more urgent care. I really appreciate and recommend their excellent care, approach, attitudes, and time!

My dog has never complained

We miss Dr. Vineyard! We moved away and it’s hard to find a vet like her where we relocated to. I always felt relaxed dealing with them, and like they were genuinely interested in my pets and not just in running up the bill with unnecessary treatments. She always really took her time explaining her findings and went in-depth about solutions- we never felt like we were just a number. My dog has awful anxiety and she warmed up to her super fast. Most of the front staff was really nice and caring too.

I wish I could give more than 5 stars. Having moved every two years and always having dogs, I have visited quite a few vets and this team stands out as one of the best! We had a really bad experience at our previous vet in Encinitas. Both our dogs who had never been afraid, were suddenly terrified, shaking uncontrollably and unwiling to get out of the car. The tech was extremely patient and helpful. She DID NOT require the use of a choke collar which to me is a sign of a bad vet! She let them remain in their comfortable and familiar harnesses and delivered them to the vet who gave very thorough exams and spoke to me for nearly 30 mintues afterwards. The vet seemed very knowledgable, caring, concerned, interested and kind. The fee's were very reasonable, much less than I paid in Encinitas. Lastly, because of Covid I was not allowed in but sneaked a peak and found 3 staff members loving our two pups. They were different dogs when they walked out and it was obvious that they felt comfortable. I'm writing this because I was almost deterred by a few previous posts that did not seem fair and were the exact opposite of my experience - and my opinion comes from 20+ years as a pet owner - one dog with special needs and all in probably no less than 25 vet and specialist visits. Thanks You staff at The Colony Vet!

Please go anywhere but here. Extremely uncomfortable experience, they will literally nickel and dime you and make you want to do unnecessary things for your loving pets. Go to Carlsbad vet location instead or heck even Banfield locations. The staff here are actually the worst, please look into other locations and get 2nd and 3rd opinions. They don’t care about your pet, just what’s in your wallet.

Ingrown toenail that was going to require going into her skin but they were able to trim it up. She's so much happier.

I went to this vet about a week ago because my puggle had kennel cough and I wanted an antibiotic to take care of it. She told me she could not prescribe an antibiotic without first performing expensive X-ray and blood work. I was furious and left. I found a competent vet the next day that immediately knew my puggle had kennel cough and prescribed a antibiotic that now has her on the mend. I definitely would not recommend Colony

They really care about your furry family members, and the humans attached to them and it shows! HIGHLY RECOMMEND

I use to love this business and Dr. Vineyard. Last month, however, the technicians wanted to change the amount of Triflexis my dog has had for the last 6 years to a higher amount. The explanation they gave was nonsense because it hadn’t been that way for 6 years. For that reason I asked to speak to Dr. vineyard and she wasn’t in so they said to call back several days later when she would be in. I did.. I called in the morning and in the late afternoon I got a call back from a technician that what they wanted to give my dog was what the doctor said she agreed with. The fact that the doctor after 6 years didn’t have the decency to call me back and explain, really upset me. she showed no respect or caring what so ever. I now go to another vet.

Doing great at scheduling. Check in and out with minimal contact.

First, I would like to start by saying that this vet has some of the kindest staff, BUT after my experience with these crooks I felt it was my duty to save as many people the trip and money as possible. This vet is small, and by small I mean it has two exam rooms which are about 10 feet by 10 feet with no windows, which does not seem like a big deal until you are sat there for over two hours. If you are looking for a local vet that will overcharge you and pile on the bill as much as possible, then this is the place for you! After two visits I am very convinced that the whole business model of this establishment is to pile on as many tests as possible to drive up the bill and get as much money as possible per patient. On my first visit, I saw Dr. Vineyard who is the most knowledgeable and caring vet I have encountered to date. Additionally, the rest of the staff are very nice and helpful with the exception of Dr. Dideriksen who seemingly had little to no interest in my animal and only wanted to throw out scary diseases in order to instill enough fear so that owners would be willing to shell out the big bucks for her operation. My dog had more attention given to it by the veterinarian assistant, Kandice, than the doctor herself. THE BILL: On my first wellness visit my estimate came out to just over $600, but after declining heart worm and Nexguard (which are both priced way above market value) my bill came out to only $54 for the examination, which isn't a lot! On my second visit however, I encountered an even worse case of price gouging... Upon receiving an estimate for the charges due for the services recommended by the doctor I was appalled to see over $1100 in suggested charges for various unnecessary tests and medicines. I was so shocked by the large price I had to complain: Some examples: $75 for Ocular anesthesia ( for a $150 Fluorsceine eye exam which usually is only necessary for coronal abrasions); $50 for fluids (which she did not need as she wasn't exhibiting any signs of dehydration); a mysterious charge of "$50-175" for "Miscellaneous Medications" which they said was incase she needed any; and lastly over $250 for three Abdomen X-ray images which was what I needed as my dog had swallowed something I was concerned about. After voicing my concerns about the bill in a rather crass manner Dr. Dideriksen came in to explain that her suggestions were "for the wellness of the animal" and if I did not care for her wellness than I do not have to pay for the services. She then went on to say "the Xray Machine costs $60000, should we just charge one person $60000?" to which the obvious answer is NO, but at the price of $250 per xray, the machine would be payed off with less than 300 patients. Then I learned that they do on average about 1-2 xrays a day which after 5 years of operation can produce a pretty significant return. To put my irritation over this X-ray price into perspective, the average human chest xray will set you back about $75 without insurance and is read by an ACTUAL radiologist who only makes about $20 per xray taken. After all of this and waiting for almost two hours with only one other animal coming and going in that time period I was denied restroom usage as it was for employees only. I am frustrated and annoyed by this experience. At the end of it all, I was down about two hours and $350 to learn that my dog had to poop.... A complete waste of time and money. DO NOT waste your time or money here and if you do decide to visit ask for Dr. Vineyard.

Had a very bad experience with a teeth cleaning.

Very helpful over the phone. The ladies here are attentive and knowledgeable. I feel very confident bringing Frøya for her puppy package.

Very accommodating but could not interact with the doctor other than by phone. They seemed very caring and follow-up great.

If you care for your pet-do not go to this vet.I am not complaining about over charging-but when they charge us ridiculously the treatment should be better as well.

They were nice and kind at our first visit (which was a routine health check and vaccination appointment). But they overcharged customers ridiculously much. I lost trust in them after they charged me many hundred dollars for unnecessary, useless and repeating tests. My suggestion is if you just need a health check or routine vaccination, they're ok. Don't go there if you really need help to treat your pet.

If you're looking for a vet office/hospital to visit, and don't know where to go, we can unreservedly recommend Colony Veterinary Hospital. We mostly saw Dr. Vineyard, and she was great (also saw Dr. Chou for one appointment, and she seemed just as good). An appointment to have our cat checked out was very reasonable (I think $50 or $60). Beyond the initial assessment, they go over all costs item by item, explaining everything before any care/tests/treatment, so the bill will not be a surprise. Because our cat was very sick (end-stage kidney disease), we had a lot of appointments and Colony provided a lot of care for our cat. The doctors and other staff are knowledgeable (making sure you're provided the information you need), capable, compassionate, and honestly seem to really care. Colony was very upfront about what they could and could not do, and we were referred to a larger animal hospital for much of our cat's care. Our cat ultimately passed away, and through this difficult process Colony provided us many options, explaining the pro/cons and costs, and suggested end-of-life options.

I cannot express how wonderful this hospital is! We were on vacation in San Diego and our Shih Tzu got into our medications and needed emergency care. We rushed to the nearest vet, which happened to be Colony Vet Hospital. The staff were amazing. There are no words to describe how awesome Dr. Sarah Vineyard is!!! I was crying in the lobby thinking my puppy was going to die. Dr. Vineyard gave us an update that our pup was going to be ok. She was so thorough, responsive to my frantic questions, reassuring, and kind. There is no question she cares about her patients and their owners. She took the time to listen to our concerns as well as discuss next steps. I have never been to a vet that spent so much time making sure we had everything we needed. If I lived in San Diego, Dr. Vineyard would be my primary vet. I highly recommend this hospital to anyone looking for extraordinary care!

All they really care about is your money. They are all love and kisses until the discussion turns to money. They will mislead you about charges, and order a lot of unnecessary tests and services, to inflate the total cost. I would avoid this place under any circumstances.

I love this get office. The vet is attentive...listens to my concerns, doesn't talk down to me. She's a car whisperer. Lol. They even put up welcome signs for your pet and have a great online portal for your pet's health records and needs.

Dealing with pets health is like magic to me. You take a complex biological life-form that can’t tell you where it hurts or what’s wrong then have to use vast amounts of knowledge to solve all sorts of issues. All the while dealing with the complex emotions associated with the relationships owners have with their pets. You’d assume the hard part is the science and the easy part is compassion but in all my years on this planet I’ve found few places that can balance both sides of this so well as Dr. Vineyard and her staff. I’ve never felt so at home, so much like being with family as they navigate the overwhelming complexities of that aforementioned balance. The staff cares so much about more than just your pet, they really do make sure you are as well taken care of as your 4 legged loved ones. I’ve moved 30 min away and will gladly make the trek through an hour of traffic just to be certain my pawed family members are well taken care of! Thank you Colony Vet Hospital for all you do!

Love this place. So much more personal, dog loving and not money grubbing...

Dr. V is so sweet and kind to us. Thank you everyone at Colony.

I definitely recommend their services. I think my dog has never been treated so carefully. Dr. Vineyard and her team were very attentive in the process of diagnosing Rosa's illnesses. They very quickly carried out all the important exams, and followed up by phone to know whether she was doing fine and to provide advice.

We love Dr.Vineyard. She is the best vet. She truly looks out for both you and your animal and only has your best interest at heart. She gets down on the floor and makes friends with your pet to make everyone feel comfortable. We couldn't recommend her more.

I took my Cat there for a tooth removal and they were all so nice and caring. I felt very comfortable leaving my cat there even for the whole day. She's much better now and I couldn't be more thankful.