Lenity Vet Specialists & Emergency Care San Mateo, California

Sleepy tired review post visit: It seems that my kitty bit into the cord of a tall lamp... and was zapped. It was a very traumatic experience to say the least, and Lenity was the only vet able to take us in. There was some miscommunication that went on, but over night e- vet work is tough stuff.... and they were able to give care in the middle of the night. I was in pieces, stuck in a truck with my elderly father and young kid. I am extremely appreciative they were able to take us in. Every vet is backed up, there are serious waits or complete rejections. Always call ahead and try to be patient wherever you go, but I surely recommend this place for care. My kitty is now happy at home, and hopefully she recovers quickly! And about the $$$ .... Lenity saved us a good chunk of change, and did not recommend or push excessive treatment options. I was honestly shocked at how low the bill was. I don't know how they do it all at 2 am!

one of our dogs was unfortunately hospitalized for 5 days. Lenitys doctors and staff were phenomenal in taking care of our pup and keeping us updated twice a day. compared to other ERs I've had to visit this has been by far the best. they're patient and caring towards the dogs and their humans

First thing to understand, this is an emergency vet location. If you are looking for scheduled appointments, short wait lines, or anything you expect from your normal vet you are going to be disappointed. They take the critical cases first, and if you aren't the most critical you will have to wait your turn. Your dogs red ear isn't going to get you in ahead of the animal that needs emergency surgery right now. Now that we get that squared away for the person looking for feedback, lets talk about the level of care. THIS PLACE IS GREAT!!! The doctors are fantastic, if you have a real problem, they are professional, they communicate everything up front. They saved our dog, and they did it in the time it took Banfield to even get us on the books for an ultra sound (which was the first step of 3 Lenity took). If I'm between a rock and a hard place with my animals, I'm going straight there, waiting for as long as I need. If you have sticker shock from an emergency vet, that is kind of on you. I'm sure there are cheaper options out there, but I'm personally not interested in the other vets or emergency vet locations for this type of thing. Best advice we ever got was to get pet insurance, because one day you will be at an emergency vet and it will cost you an arm and leg....and it was soo true, but we were covered! Also, something I noticed while waiting outside and watching others, don't be rude to the people working here. They are doing the best they can and in some cases I felt they should have refused service to certain customers because of the way they were treating the staff. I would be happy to work security for them for free to tell all the rude people to go kick rocks. Lenity, THANK YOU for what you did for our pup and being professional. You all ROCK.

Had an emergency situation with my dog and every single vet clinic was closed or not accepting emergency drop offs. Lenity welcomed me with open arms, and while wait time for the primary vet was very long, the vet technicians took my dog in right away to check her out. The vet technician who helped me was incredibly reassuring and calming. When my dog saw her normal vet a few days later, she had mentioned that she would have done everything the technician had done! Really thankful for the awesome service of the vet technicians at Lenity!!!

I was pretty frustrated this morning trying to find someone to take in my puppy who woke up with a right ear that was red and inflamed. I called local vets and emergency centers who couldn’t take her. Our own vet couldn’t see her today because he was in surgery. When I called Lenity, they helped find appropriate care for my pup by calling other vets in the area who could take us in. She may have an ear infection or a foxtail in her ear, but with Lenity’s help, I met with a neighboring doctor and we have an appropriate plan for her care. So relieved. Thank you Lenity!

The long wait is terrible and everyone there is just playing ping pong, saying different things. Do not go here.

Evil for-profit ER; wants to charge $10K for a simple issue. Obviously only cares about profit.

I am SO thankful for the top-notch care my kitty received from Dr. Morassi, Dr. Slabaugh, and the whole team at Lenity Vet Specialists during a recent illness. It's so stressful when your beloved pet is sick and you don't know why, and I'm so grateful to Dr. Morassi and Dr. Slabaugh for explaining all of the treatment options and steps we needed to take to figure out what was wrong with our kitty. I was nervous going to an emergency vet instead of our normal vet, but the Lenity team was so caring and calm that I quickly realized our cat was in very good hands. They were thorough in treating her without pushing unnecessary intervention, and they went step by step to figure out what was making our kitty sick. After we brought her home, the team was available by phone when I had questions about her medications, and I was also impressed that they emailed me several days after her discharge to check in on her healing progress. While we all hope we never need the emergency room, I highly recommend Lenity if you ever have an emergency with your pet. You and your pet will be in very good hands.

5 hours to see a Vet for an emergency visit is horrible.

Okay; my experience with them was ridiculous: I arrive close to 4pm with my dog with a broken leg, screaming in pain. I was told I’d get a call at 6pm, so I wait around the area b/c I live far away. Come 7pm, I get no call, so I call them and ask what’s wrong. They said it’ll be short until doctor can call me, without being able to tell me what short means - 20min or 5 hours, only the boilerplate answer. I decide to go home which proved to be wise because the process would end up taking more than 10 hours. And then they call me at 2am, telling me to pick up the dog. I was like okay it’ll be close to an hour (cuz I live far away); the doctor said no you must come down immediately. To add on to this, the doctor repeatedly asked me to do a $12K surgery for my puppy (even put it in the report). I contacted multiple other vets, and the advice is consistently 1) surgery should not be necessary in my case (after reviewing my x-rays) and 2) normal price for surgery is much, much cheaper (<$5k). The doctor even suggested I take out a credit card loan to pay for the vet. It's pretty clear what's going on here. So here's the advice: 1. If you need ER, there are multiple other ones in the area (downtown SF is pretty crowded most of time - more availability further south). They are more responsive. I made the mistake of choosing the closest one this time (because over the phone they said the wait is just a few hours). 2. If you need surgery, don't go to them, and find another vet. They'll be more responsible in the interest of your dog, and cheaper if a surgery is actually needed.

The staff at Lenity is awesome. After calling around to a few emergency vets when my dog was ill, Lenity seemed the most responsive and welcoming. It's never fun needing an emergency vet visit, and will always be a costly experience, but the staff at Lenity did a great job taking the time to explain their recommended course of action and next steps. We ended up seeing Dr. Morassi for further examinations and testing. She followed up multiple times to discuss test results and to see how our dog was feeling. They even shared results with our primary vet right away. Glad we found Lenity and will be using them in the future for any emergencies or specialty care!

This place had zero interdepartmental communication and thus unable to provide continuity of proper care, diagnosis and or treatment. My dog was ripped out of the car in a frenzy for critical triage after she just woke up from a nap. After 5 hours of checking every 1 and half hour and being told various boiler plate excuses about being next up I ended up bringing my dog home uncared for but charged anyway. It was like a crazy rat house there with each person saying different unwarranted interpretations of my dogs issue and in the end, paperwork I had to ask for next day (was not provided at time of service) had nothing written correctly about the real reason and symptoms I brought my in dog for. I believe if you bring your pet there you are taking your chances that they will not be actually treated for the reason you are there. They will find something totally unrelated and update you by a different person each time who is new to the case and hasn’t been informed correctly. It’s like the telephone game gone wrong place.

Dr. Carlson, Dr. Morassi and the whole team at Lenity are wonderful. I trust any of the doctors on staff 100% with my dog Harry. Their level of expertise, warm and friendly bedside manner, and compassion are some of the reasons I'm so happy with their care. So happy they're now offering emergency care - hopefully we'll never have to use it but if so, there's no where else I'd rather go.

Best of the best! Amazing doctors + staff.

I took my dog here because he had been limping intermittently for about a month. From the time I called to set-up the appt to the time we showed up, I told their office 3 separate times that my dog is limping on his front right leg. After the doctor examined my dog, she came out and explained that he had a torn ligament that would require surgery. The doctor also recommended stem cell therapy after the surgery. All in all, it would cost around $15k. Then a staff member came out to give me a copy of the bill for the visit and asked if I wanted to schedule the surgery. Even though the doctor thoroughly explained her findings, I couldn’t in good conscience elect to do something invasive without 1 first researching the options, 2 having a diagnostic test done, and 3 getting a second opinion so I declined. Good thing I did, because when the office was finally able to email me the clinical summary of the visit, there was no mention of an examination of his front right leg but instead his back leg supposedly had a torn cruciate ligament. I walk my dog twice a day and never noticed an issue with his other legs. Even with the occasional limping it seemed excessive to recommend surgery. I called the office immediately to get a clarification and when the doctor finally called me back, she insisted that I informed their office it was the back leg and that she stands by her assessment. As a conscientious dog parent, what is the likelihood that one would make that mistake 3 separate times? I took my dog to Mt. Diablo Vet Medical Center and was told that he does not have any torn ligaments and they also did x-rays to see if anything abnormal (there wasn’t except for mild fluid buildup). I asked how much TPLO surgery costs and their quote was less than $8k for the surgery with stem cell therapy. Please take this into consideration before dealing with this clinic.

My apologies, for not writing this review sooner. Back in January the family dog Jack Daniels, who is our best friend and companion, was diagnosed with a malignant tumor. Dr. Kim Carlson, with the team at North Peninsula Veterinary Surgical Group, was the surgeon who performed Jack’s surgery. The surgery was a success, and the entire mass was completed removed. Jack is back to his old self and very happy! Words can not express my appreciation and gratitude for the excellent care and treatment, that my dog received throughout the entire recovery process. Dr. Kim Carlson and her team were extremely supportive for me and my family. They took the time to sit down with the family, to explain in detail the entire process and procedure involving Jacks surgery and treatment plan afterwards. They were very patient and supportive in answering questions and addressing any issues and concerns that we had throughout Jacks recovery and treatment. Jack has completed recovered, there are times when I have questions about his health, I can still reach out to Dr. Carlson and her staff, to get advice and information on Jack’s health pertaining to his case. I would strongly recommend the North Peninsula Veterinary Surgical Group and Dr. Kim Carlson, if your beloved pet ever needs specialized care. I want to thank them again for taking such good care of my beloved dog! Respectfully, Denise

Best surgeon, truly cares and wants the best for you and your pet. Highly recommend and worth the $$$$

The words above just do not do this amazing Surgery Center justice. The talent of this team is BAR NONE. I met them 5 years ago when my feline best friend, Callie Mae, was suffering from a CCL rupture and patella luxation. The recovery was amazing. Dr. Carlson had suggested to use her STEM CELLS to assist in the healing process... and this did not disappoint. Fast forward to May 6 .... they gave me the best news after a thorough examination ..... they could treat her with surgery and use her stem cells that I had in the bank. It has now been 22 days since her surgery as they took her in immediately .... and I never doubted the success. If you love your pet friend .... go see Dr. Carlson and her unique and talented team at the center .... you will feel as I did, that your pet friend is getting the best of care, best in class. THANK YOU to ALL as my sixteen year old will walk and run like a teenager!!!!!

I met Dr. Carlson in the emergency room at AIMSS many months ago after my dog Clara was attacked (she has recovered). Immediately I could tell Dr. Carlson was an experienced surgeon and a special person devoted to animals just as I am. When it came time to spay my dog, I knew I wanted Dr. Carlson to do it. I took Clara to Dr. Carlson’s North Peninsula surgical group where she performed a laparoscopic ovariectomy and a gastropexy to prevent GDV. My dog went home that same day and is recovering so well. The staff not only helped me emotionally through the process but also helped me get my dog into the car after surgery. They sent me home with detailed instructions and my dog is recovering well. If you want piece of mind while your dog needs surgery - this is the place to bring him or her for any procedure.

As soon as I met Dr. Kim Carlson I knew this is where I wanted my pet to receive care. My cat Luna broke her leg and required a complex surgery and Dr. Carlson and her team did an amazing job!! My cat could give tiny steps and was purring the very next day! Extremely talented and caring group, 100% recommend.

We are so fortunate to have access to such a fantastic veterinary surgeon. Dr. Carlson spent all the time needed with me to answer my questions and concerns with direct answers. She performed a subtotal pericardectomy on our Akita and he is recovering quickly from this surgery. Good communication between her and our regular vet and she was able to accommodate our dog quickly after he had his second effusion just days before.

Absolutely Fantastic! theres a reason theres only 5 star ratings. if you've searching the bay for a place for your pet to have surgery, you've found it. took my dog here for a spleen removal surgery. they put me right at ease explaining everything. they've got the best medical equipment and the services are great. like keeping your pet for a day after surgery to observe them and make sure they are ok to go home. really nice staff. they really seem to care about animals, which sometimes it seems like thats not the case in other places. was really happy to find them. can't suggest them more.

North Peninsula is the BEST!! What a caring group. They took care of my dog and were very thorough in their care and follow up. Great group.

High quality specialty veterinary services. The doctor and staff are amazing. We have used them on multiple occasions.

compassionate, highly qualified surgeon and team, personal and caring. I have referred several patients to Dr. Carlson and they all had positive feedback and beautiful outcome

I came in from the Emergency Vet with my 12 yr old dog with a severely broken left front leg - the ER vet was 2 doors away and Callie was walked over on a guerny . From the very start my dog and I were treated so kindly - the techs at No Penn were wonderful and then I met Dr. Carlson who I loved and trusted the minute I met her ! She is very compassionate and is a wonderful kind Doctor and an amazing surgeon ! Every time I came she came out and talked - and even checked on her in the waiting room where we waiting for PT with Scouts House, I would recommend This Vet Surgical specialty and Dr Carlson without hesitation .

Kudos to Dr Kim Carlson and to the entire superb staff at North Peninsula Veterinary Surgical Group for the exceptional care they provided to our Golden Retriever. She had an ovary sparing spay and gastropexy and is recovering well. I recommend Dr Carlson and her Group without reservation.

Dr. Carlson and her technicians are top caliber. Your pet will be in skilled loving hands at North Peninsula Veterinary Surgical Group.

Dr. Carlson is a fantastic surgeon and really cares for her patients. Her technicians and support staff are extremely knowledgeable and go above and beyond in caring for the patients as well.

I've brought my dog for surgery with Dr. Carlson and she did a great job. I've had an excellent experience overall and would definitely recommend.