VCA Animal Hospital of Santa Cruz Santa Cruz, California

The manager Michelle is amazing and a life saver! My dog sitter for my husky puppy fell through the day before my trip and she was able to get him into boarding last minute. I could not be more thankful, not only did I still get to leave town but I felt good knowing he was safe. They even had the vet techs texting me updates and pictures. Let me just say her and her team are the reason I will not be switching vets for my three fur baby’s! Highly recommend!

We were driving a far distance to get to this appointment and hit traffic (bad accident). We tried to call to tell them we would be late but no one was answering. By the time we got there we were ten minutes late and the receptionist (who was very rude) told us the vet went to lunch. We had driven so far we couldn’t believe it. She then told us we could “leave the dog there and maybe the vet could see it before we closed.” Great. So they wanted us to drive for two more hours on the off chance the very hungry vet could find time to see our dog in between her meals.

Been using VCA for 5 years. Most recently, I asked for a prescription refill on a weekend and they couldn't do it since their doctors weren't in on the weekend. My cat was in agony and I'd been so busy with my wedding and COVID that I forgot to phone in a refill during the week. WHAT? Do pets not need doctors on weekends? Is if this isn't enough, when I phoned on Monday I was not treated well on the refill suggesting that I request a refill 24 hours in advance. If they weren't close, I wouldn't use them. I've seen them on 3 other occasions for the same animal and they charge $600 upward for a visit every time but can never find a cause for the problems.

I just have to say Dr. Carter is the best! She helped me with my senior dog doing surgery and worked above and beyond answering questions and helping to make a good decision. My dog Lucy came through with flying colors!! Very caring and compassionate vet!

They were so kind to help me out in a pinch while not being ftom here. They were professional, sweet and great with mu pup. I highly recommend them!!!!

Dr Rule & Cory Chrysler are the best! Definitely the best Vet hospital in Santa Cruz.

Great staff took care of my kitty

Very, very rude. They act like your a monster. They kept saying "the pandemic, the pandemic" duh, like I dont know ? Immediately also said, "you cant come in here" Just rude and they couldn't even help my dog. Dont go there. It's not worth it. They are not handling this pandemic very well

Aubrey is the best! So incredibly helpful and generous with her time, she explains things so well! She wasn't even getting paid to answer all my questions over the phone...The world needs more Aubrey's! :)

Nice and Friendly staff that Really Care

This clinic is by far the best! I have a cat - close to 20 years who is incredibly challenging most times. He’s still very intimidating, grumpy to strangers and has no problem expressing his attitude. But he is my cat and the sweetest ever and I only want the best for him. I’ve been with this clinic for years because of the care he receives here. Last week - I brought him in to get his nails trimmed. We gave him a sedative to calm him. His vet personally came out to the car to get him! :) and what I feared could turn into a nightmare visit (because I couldn’t go in with him) turned out to be a visit with 15 gold stars!! In less than 10 minutes, he was back in the car with me, ready to go home. The attention he received was superb! Thank you guys for making my kitty ( and me) very happy!

Friendly Staff , Easy to make appointments

I took my dog here for a small injury and it was going to cost $600. I went to another vet and the bill was a third of the cost. They ask 3 or 4 times the rate of other places on a lot of products and services. They also said my dog probably needed to be put under in order to get stitches—somehow the cheaper vet I went with instead did the procedure just fine with local anesthetic and never even suggested that my dog needed to be anesthetized.

Not happy at all! Took my dog for a well visit, and the vet told me that she could not do a exam because of her safety. He would need to be sedated in order to do a well check. The Vet (Ryley)said it to my husband and I several times that she could not do an exam. I got charged $73.00 for something that was not completed. Keep in mind my dog was seen a year ago and he was fine with that vet. I brought him to VCA because I adopted 2 other dogs that had treatment there.They did not work with me. Not a discount or maybe comeback and I will finish the exam. That to me, shows they do not care about my dog and I. They just wanted my money. What a waste of time. My friends and I will never step foot in that Animal hospital again. Did not get what I paid for :-(

Very knowledgeable Veterinarian's and friendly staff. Very honest helpful.

Conviently located with friendly staff.

Wonderful people and low cost boarding that my dog loves!

Amazing staff, took care of my baby

I love this place my dog knows when she's sick that we are going to see the doctor she gets nervous but when we get there she gets better within a day or two usually she's back to normal highly recommend

I have taken my 11 yr old boxer mix here since he was about 3 yrs old after being extremely disappointed in a few other vets who treated him for severe middle ear infections .They gave him lots of meds for the symptoms but once gone the problem came back AGAIN AND AGAIN and at 300 bucks a visit including meds so etimed more I wanted answers .and No one of these other vets ever suggested once about allergies being the like cause 3 vets later my mom who has gone to the mission street VCA told me to give them a try and I did and was I pleased that they listened to me answered my questions and didn't just treat the symptoms but addressed the cause of his chronic painful and potentially life threateming ear infectuons .I have never left from a vet visit here feeling like there was more that could or should be done for my dogs regardless of whether its an illness or injury or even just needing advice . I love my vets all of them here at VCA and if you read any of my reviews on Yelp or Google about a few of the vets I tried in another town you'll know I don't sugar coat .YOU WILL NOT VE ABLE TO FIND MORE COMPASSIONATE SKILLED CARE FOR YOUR PETS AT ANY PRICE .I will always bring my dogs here as long as I live in this area. Added note ** my Junior Boy finally had to be sent over the rainbow bridge after Christmas last year and I am only now able to think that f his final days without bursting into tears Junior was and is and will always be MY HEART and I can't begin to THANK EVERYONE AT VCA MISSION ST for their genuine compassion their patience with my rushing him in without warning or appt and for working with me to give him a peaceful loving goodbye. I will always be grateful for everything they did to help not only my JUNIOR BOY But for their kindness and compassion they afforded me when it was time to say goodbye to my HEART shaped in a big furry boy named Junior. They knew a part of me died with him the day it was time to say goodbye and they always put Junior and my grief over losing him first. Thank you to ALL OF YOU AT VCA SANTA CRUZ. I will never forget your kindness and care for my dogs. You're just THE BEST ALL OF YOU

Prices are very good but customer service varies. Several of the doctors are amazing but there has been a sharp decline in front desk service. There was an associate named Cooper who would go out of his way to make sure you and your pet felt important and valued as customers. The newer receptionists are short, curt and make you feel like your a bother. We are considering other providers for our pets.

Clifford loves tjis place they are great with jim thanks

I have taken my boy a boxer mix there since age 3 .He lost his battle with bone cancer at 11 yrs 7 months 2 days after Christmas and the staff at VCA have always given him the best possible care over the years treating him for his severe allergies and normal routine care . he's been treated for middle ear I fractions caused by allergy. and had a severely damaged ear put back together after a coyote attack and after it healed you would never have known it had been peeled like a banana and required quite a few stitches. they never overprescribe medications take time to help you understand things in a very clear sensible way and my baby loved coming to his vet appointments all the way to the last one giving him the comforting warmth of a loving environment and compassionate staff who treated him as one of their own they have been nothing but professional but with extreme kindness always taking in to account my sitatuon financially and the most affordable choices to afford us top notch care .I will continue bringing my girl to them as long as I live in this area because I have played the vet roulette game and found that by staying with VCA santa Cruz my 4 legged fur family. Is not just getting the best routine and emergency vet care but my babies are cared about and treated as if they were their own family what more can you ask from puppyhood to the moment its time for our previous pets to say goodbye VCA is a wonderful choice in my humble opinion and I am a tough customer just check some of my other vet reviews .I appreciate especially how they made the traumatic and devastating loss of my best friend and soul mutt a little less difficult with their kindness and understanding and appreciate deeply how they worked with me to make it as. EASY on both my boy and for me as possible. I don't think I could have asked for a more caring supportive group during such a horrible ordeal.

The doctors and technicians are awesome. They care about the animals and text you with pictures when you're away. Everyone is professional and nice. I totoally trust them with my best buddies.

So helpful and professional! I have anxiety when it comes to taking my pet to the vet. The staff at VCA are so amazing. They do whatever they can to help me through the visit and provide wonderful care to my dog. I appreciate everything they do for my pet and for me too!

Great staff, caring and sweet and friendly

I’ve been taking my amazing, smart, adorable Aussie here since he was a pup, 9 years. This is the only place he’s been. Routine visits with vaccines have been fine. Since my dog has become old & has had issues, we have found more challenges. Seem like they charge a lot for the visit, give unnecessary meds, & don’t solve the problem. Every time we’ve been in there was a new vet. He has a limp from a vet digging a foxtail out of his paw years ago there. I held him while the vet dug. He was trying to get away so it wasn’t working. Eventually put him to sleep to effectively excavate for the foxtail. We brought him in intoxicated or unable to walk & he couldn’t see well. He digressed within hours. They took blood for poison, then came back & said his sugar & calcium were fine. What? That wasn’t what I expected them to check. They did an inconclusive X-ray before they closed. He was in terrible shape & should have gone to a 24 hour emergency facility instead. I think this should of been the professional recommendation of VCA. He needed to be monitored overnight. He now is at the emergency vet on 41st overnight. We should of been given the X-ray to take to the emergency center. Walked out paying $630.00 for unimportant blood work and an X-ray that we aren’t using... I’d rather find a vet that gets to know my awesome dog than go to a place where there’s a new face every time. Sad and disappointed....

My visit wasn't bad, but wasn't exemplary either. I almost gave it 4 stars, but really it was about a 3.5 star visit. I took my cat in because I noticed he was having what seemed like allergy symptoms and I'm an overprotective cat mom. Pros: - Great front desk staff. Got me in quick and were friendly on the phone. - Listened to my concerns and didn't make me feel too crazy (but there were cons to this as well) - They didn't annoy/scare my cat enough to make him bite them (which is really quite impressive.) - Clean environment and smelled nice. - Really chill when my cat took a dump on their floor. - Reasonably priced and didn't try to make me pay an arm and a leg for random unnecessary things. Cons: - The assistant forgot to take my cats weight (which is concerning since one of my worries was he seemed to be looking thinner) - Poor at reading owners needs. (Main reason for my lower rating) I'm willing to do anything to make my cat live a long and healthy life including brushing his teeth, but they didn't tell me what that entails. If they had even said "Oh it's very easy and you don't really need to be taught anything. You can get the supplies at any pet store really and if you don't know how to google can help." From my angle I worry too much and need to be told if there isn't more I can do for him. I was obviously a college student and it didn't take much to notice that I live on campus which means my cat is most likely an ESA (which he is). I know college students get the rep of not having enough money or being irresponsible, but I don't want that to be the assumption for every student. While it's true I'd rather not spend all my money on unnecessary things my cat's health isn't unnecessary. If he needs hypoallergenic food I can and will get it for him. I left not sure if my concerns were warranted, but it was good he came in. - The vet didn't seem concerned by blood in his poop. Which for me is like terrifying. I worry too much so I don't know if she wasn't concerned because of how he reacted to getting his temperature taken, or what. Just that it wasn't exactly explained why it was unconcerning is concerning. In conclusion: I would not recommend someone to avoid coming here, but I'm not going to praise it as the best match for someone like me. It was "okay" but not great. They really could have made me spend more money than I did which is really awesome that they didn't. I appreciate that. They were reasonably priced. If my cat needs a visit again I'll probably take him here as I think once our owner-staff relationship grows my experience with them will be better. My cat is a cat so vet visits are most likely not going to be something he ever enjoys. He is fairly calm about them, but again he's a cat. He'd probably much rather be asleep in the sunlight at home.

In the beginning i was happy, i don't know what happened but I am through with this place i have been taking my dog here since he was 9 weeks old he is 8 yrs now the service and care for my pet has went down hill he never gets the same vet, he needed 1 pill to last until his check up 2 weeks later but was refused. i have never missed a shot, test or appt in all that time and they couldn't even give him i darn pill. The yearly exam is in and out, i have found a new place that takes the time and actually cares. I am saddened to have to leave but very happy i found a place i know my fur baby will be taken care of. GOODBYE VCA

We were seen quickly by the vet and the service was as expected, she was very friendly. It was frustrating that after the appointment was over that we had to sit and wait for at least 20 minutes to pay because the bill wasnt ready, despite us being the only ones in there at the time.