VCA Pinnacle Animal Hospital San Jose, California

After a year of visiting there with my 2 cats, I can say I’m so disappointed from them.A great vet treated us and we felt we are getting a good health care, but a clinic is measured also by it’s availability . When you need an appointment they have one only a month ahead

A great animal hospital for your pets

After being so unsatisfied with our previous vet, we were finally able to make an appointment and get a checkup with Dr. Hood. Not only is reception friendly and helpful, but Dr. Hood is patient and informational answering any questions I have as a new puppy owner. It is a little hard to get an appointment (as they are so popular) but they are professional and we have a very good experience every time we go.

I am extremely unhappy with the care Pinnacle has been giving my dog. My dog has been a long time patient here and the longer we go, the harder it is to even been seen for an appointment. My dog had her 6 month senior check up this past Wednesday with Dr. Shah (every time we go for a visit it’s a new Dr which is also frustrating). Dr. Shah suggested rudely that I take her off her allergy medication from 2X a day to once a day and she can’t under why I was even giving it to her 2 X a day anyways. I explained that her previous Dr (Augustine, who is no longer with the practice) told me to give it to her that way because she was having so much break through itchiness. I was never told to change it from that. Dr. Shah then proceeded to tell me how she would like me to drop it down to once a day for various reasons. I explained to her that I’m willing to do that however every time we’ve messed with that medication, she always gets break through itching and causes hot spots on her body which have become infected. She told me if that happens to call Pinnacle right away and they will get her in for an allergy shot. Alright sounds like a plan. Fast forward to Friday of the same week (barely 48hours after Dr Shahs suggestion) my dog is now itching herself raw. I call the Pinnacle only to be told they have no available appointments until the end of May for that shot! I said so what do you expect me to do in this instance? The receptionist told me I can be put on a waiting list, but it is long as there many other pet owners needing the same thing. I said, so you want me to wait 6 weeks from now for this shot that Dr. Shah specifically told me I would be able to receive if I called you guys with this issue. The receptionist told me, I don’t know why Dr. Shah told you that when she knows how booked out we are. I told her that’s a communication error between your staff and obviously to your patients, because had I known I would eventually have to wait over a month, the Dr and I would have had a very different conversation this past Wed, so once again what is your suggestion. The receptionist literally told me if my dog gets bad I should go to a Emergency Vet Clinic. I told her really? That’s your suggestion and ended with, sure if I have to go to an Emergency Vet Clinic I will, but you will be receiving the bill as it’s bad practice to treat patients like this after they’re following Drs new orders two days ago. Two minutes later I receive a call from Pinnacles Office Manager, explaining that the receptionist told her what was going on and she wanted to hear from me about my frustrations. I told her everything the receptionist has said to me and she explained that yes they are very backed up with patients needing allergy shots and appointments. I asked her, is Pinnacle now in the practice for profit instead patient care, because that is not the patients fault. If following new Drs orders meant having to go through this, I would have never changed what was already working. She explained that she doesn’t know why the receptionist told me to go to an Emergency Vet Clinic and she can understand my frustrations. That she also has a dog with similar allergies and she knows how quickly it can cause major problems if not treated. She was very nice, very polite and some how was able to get me an appointment today (same day I called and was told there wasn’t any available) later this afternoon. I thanked her for doing so. After I take my dog for this shot today I will be switching to another Vet. I have already called around the area to see if any are accepting new patients. Funny thing is when they asked me where my dog has been seen and I say, Pinnacle Animal Hospital, they’ve all said something to the tune of, “we get a lot of calls like this with the same complaint.” This isn’t the first time something like this has happened either. I tried giving them the benefit of doubt, but I am convinced this practice is now in it for money and not the well being of the patient. Sad, because I used to really like it here.

The staff at VCA Pinnacle is fabulous!!! They have always treated my pets with the utmost care and kindness. Dr. Praadnya Shah is fantastic with my reactive Border Collie. She has taken the time to work with us one-on-one and that has made a HUGE difference. He allows her to examine him and is tolerant of procedures under her professional care.

We have been looking for a new vet so we brought our 13 year old border collie here for a checkup and allergy shot. We had a great experience with Dr. Watson. She was professional and knowledgeable. Pinnacle is about a 30 minute drive for us, but it is worth it to get great care for our senior dog.

The level of care is exceptional. My pets and I are treated like family. Dr. Edwards and Dr. Shah have made my dogs life 100% better.

Best staff and health care for our dog! They are very professional, attentive, and provide high quality services, we highly recommend pinnacle for your pets needs! (Plus being extra sweet to our pup is a cherry on top)

Impressed with how Pinnacle adapted to the need for social distancing. We wait in the car, get a call when the doctor is ready, easy hand off.

Dr Forgey is fantastic. She listens to the parent (pet owner) and spends time getting to know each pet she sees. She takes considerable effort to make sure they are comforted and cared for.

Dr. Watson and Dr. Hood are exceptional. The receptionist here, Brandy is very rude and gave me personal medical advice, for me not my animals, which I didn’t ask for. She’s unprofessional and a total liability to the company.

Wonderful, friendly service. They answered all of my questions.

Love this place and they love my pets

so disappointment with this hospital and will not recommend them to any pet parents. I'm a pet mom of 3 (2 dogs and 1 cat) and always had the worst experience with this place. they never have time to see you and always have to wait so long to get your pet in even for their routine shots. Unfriendly staff and doctors. my dog went under teeth cleaning with them last year not to mention we had to wait for that appointment for months because they are always TOO busy, the day of procedure they called couple of times to push back our start time as they were busy with another patient and after they were ready they wanted me to be there in 30 minute! I told them it will take me an hour to get to them and then doctor forgy said we need to reschedule because she can't have her staff go over time for this!! soooo it was ok for them to run behind couple of hours but they expect people to stay stand by all day for them like others have no life but wait for them! the procedure went horrible! she said she couldn't do good x-rays and cleaning as my dog mouth is to little!!! we went to so many pre-op appointments for that procedure and they never mention such a problem, why putting a poor little dog to sleep if you don't have right equipment or accurate pre-op visit and look?! and also charge people for your wrong doing? the doctor was so rushed not to pay her staff over time that god knows what they did to my dog that poor thing had bloody diarrhea for days due to stress which never happened to him before and even after. so cleaning was a failure and I had to take him to dentist for his procedure and put him under AGAIN and pay couple of more hundreds of dollar AGAIN to fix their mess and irresponsibilities!!! when I adopted my second dog and they said they won't have time to see her for another month or two I knew I'm done with these people forever! really? I have two other pet being your patients and there is a new pet with who knows what issues and you can't get this new puppy vaccinated any sooner for the sake of your other patients health??? what kind of patient care is that? these are only couple of issues that I had with them, but won't recommend these people to any pet parents for sure!

Awesome area designated just for cats. My two kitties were handled very gently, with minimal stress. Thank you Dr Shaw and team.

I unfortunately can't afford a phone so I went to their office to make an appointment for my dog, the staff refused to open the door! What a joke, oh yes that's a caring practice! That's a joke of a caring place!

While I am thankful to Pinnacle for taking care of spaying my female corgi puppy during the pandemic, when many other places were not doing it, I am not impressed by this clinic and this is why: 1. It is hard to get an appointment at the convenient (for the pet owner) time, even for routine shots and check up; 2. When my puppy was vomiting violently and lethargic, I called them and they wouldn't see us (we were 5 minutes away from them, but ended up driving to urgent care place and it took quite a bit longer, by the time we got there my poor puppy was almost lifeless); 3. When my puppy had stomach issues, Dr. Edwards treated her for giardia, instead of paying attention to what I said about changing her diet (we were transitioning the dog from puppy to adult food and the food we tried didn't agree with her, that was the issue, which I somehow ended up figuring out myself); 4. When I just called to cancel the appointment which was assigned to us (at a very inconvenient time and with a random doctor), the receptionist Sophia didn't even offer to book it at another time and didn't ask why we are cancelling, so the vibe I get is that they just don't care much... sorry, Pinnacle, I know some people who go there and are happy, and I really wanted to like this place, but I want the best for my dog, and our experience wasn't the best, so we will be going somewhere else...

The care my Mocha received was outstanding! I would recommend this facility for your pets.

I really can't say enough good things about this veterinary office. Staff always went above and beyond when scheduling appointments, answering questions, helping to submit pet insurance claims etc. I saw several of the vets and vet techs here and they were all wonderful - professional, empathetic; you can really tell that they care about the health and happiness of your pet. They called out clearly when some care was optional or where there were alternatives, understanding when cost might be a factor. I'm moving out of the bay area, and this veterinarian clinic is one of things I'll miss the most.

Amazing customer service! THANK YOU!!!

After trying various vets in Saratoga, Campbell, Willow Glen, we finally found a vet we trust! Hidden away in the small shopping center, I’m so glad my wife found this gem! The staff at Pinnacle are incredibly helpful and care about each of their clients. We’ve had a few reasons to visit this vet including getting standard shots for our pup, a scratched cornea, documentations and special shots for moving away to a different state, etc. They’re extremely knowledgeable and careful to do thorough examinations. They even have a side entrance/special room for animals that might have a contagious disease or illness so that the others aren’t exposed. We’ve moved out of state temporarily and miss our vet so much!

I appreciated Dr. Edwards and her knowledge for helping my dog through his health issues!

Supremely happy with the staff and doctors at Pinnacle. Friendly, considerate and kind, especially to my fur boy.

Best vet we have every been to with a pet. My dog gets better and faster check-ups then I do at my primary care

One of the cleanest most professional vet clinics I have been to.

They've been great to my kitties!

They treat my pets with calm and kindness. My kitty has never been as calm at a vet ever. They provide very thorough examinations and even have a kitties entrance where dogs are not allowed :)

At the top of the animal care game. I feel complete safe and secure with my pets here. They practice fear free techniques so pets are comfortable.

We have been going to Pinnacle for the last few years. Doctors and staff are awesome! I have two fearful dogs and doctors are very patience with them. They are also fear free certified.

Dr.Edwards is very kind and easy to talk to. She listens to you and understands that you are the pet's mom/dad.