Veterinary Medical and Surgical Group Ventura, California

I took my 14 yr old yorkie in to Vet and he prescribed a harsh med for a cough he had. When I gave the med to my dog, he got very agitated and then had difficulty breathing, then went into heart failure. I had to take him to the emergency vet at this happened during the evening. I had to put my little guy down because he was in heart failure. I truly beleive it was the med (Isoproterenol) that caused his heart to race. It should never have been prescribed without blood test first. It was never determined if my yorkie had heart problems by my previous vet and I did tell the vet this,but a cough could indicate heart problems as tge vet told me this. Im so heartbroken and shocked as he was perfectly fine before I gave him the med. I called their office to tell them what happen so that the vet would be aware and not do the same with another pet. So so heartbroken. Really miss my little sidekick. YOU MUST BE YOUR PETS ADVOCATE ASK ALOT OF QUESTIONS. I TRUSTED THE VET THINKING THEY KNOW WHAT IS BEST.

I have no idea why the rating is 3.2. I have been here twice with end of life situations with 2 of my very much adored dogs. The Doctors and staff could not have been more patient, understanding and compassionate. The care and staff are superb. I would definitely recommend them. Thank you ???? to the staff. I cannot express my gratitude and appreciation enough, your kindness will not be forgotten.

I went to VMSG for a neuro consult for my dog who has seizures. Dr. Higgins took the time to explain his recommendations in detail and to answer all of my questions. I appreciated the clear communication and the level of expertise he provided. In addition, the purpose for conducting costly diagnostics was made clear which gave me confidence in treatment decisions. I would highly recommend Dr. Higgins. The facility is also very modern and clean. I honestly had no idea we had this level of care in Ventura for our pets so am grateful to have found them.

Not very good for an emergency vet to have people on hold for 30 minutes without ever answering the phone.

It is SO hard to decide where to bring my pet during an emergency. Stress is high and the horror story possibilities always come into my mind. BUT THIS PLACE WAS THE RIGHT CHOICE! The staff was so kind and comforting and my dog Jax clearly felt safe. They were so helpful, time efficient, and very clear and honest about what was happening. I feel very comforted knowing VMSG is my neighborhood emergency vet. I absolutely recommend it if you're needing an emergency vet. Oh and -- sorry you're looking for one! Hope everything turns out okay.

I was recommended here by Ohana pet hospital. My 7 year old woke up completely unable to walk in excruciating pain. We rushed here immediately and we’re told we would get an assessment shortly. 3 hours later no assessment no one has even bothered to come look at my poor girl. They took in several other patience that were able to walk in and came to check in after us. First time here and honestly they did not even seem to care for my poor girl. Highly recommend taking your baby elsewhere in a case of an emergency.

this place is definitely not open 24 hrs. tried to go there tonight fir an emergency with my dog at 6pm and they were not open.

I brought my little maltipoo to find a diagnosis in what was wrong with him. Everyone at VMSG was professional, kind and caring. Joseph Raleigh was the surgeon Teddi saw and he diagnosed Teddi. We got our answers we were looking for. Teddi received the best quality of care. I just want to thank everyone at VMSG. Thank you Dr. Raleigh! I highly recommend VMSG.

I took my dog there for a potential ACL tear. After initial exam Dr Simpson laid out our options. She did not push for the most expensive solution, rather she gave me the details and options and let me choose which path to take for my AMAZING Lab, Tank. I really appreciated the detailed information. I was able to get an appointment to have Tank seen in a reasonable amount of time and they took great care of him while he was being cared for. I recommend this Veterinary to anyone who has an animal that needs accelerated attention.

Awesome from first contact to checkout. Dr Raleigh did a great job our cat suffered a serious injury and had to have his eye removed after days of dialing around we found this facility ,well done crew all of you keep up the good work Thank You on behalf of Houdini the escape cat

What a very kind and caring Medical center for my Sammy the Cat. Reseptionest to the Doctors what a wonderful experience when your animal is hurt and we love our pet's, If you're Vet can't see you for 2 weeks (crazy) when there is an emergency this is the place to go to. Yes, sometimes the wait is long but they want the best for each animal (Family Pet) Let's face it these animals are our family! Thank you So much for attending ❤️ to my Sammy. Now he's on the road to recovery.

Excellent place to bring your pet when the pet is in dire need of attention by a neurologist/spine specialist. We were fortunate to be seen with a same day appointment with the specialist rather than wait hours for an emergency visit. The doctor was straight up with us explaining many things about a dog's spine and that it was unnecessary this time to do expensive tests (CT scan, MRI, etc) after his thorough touch-sensitivity exam on her spine and her reactions to it. She had previous back surgery at VMSG for a herniated disc 8 years ago(and recovered very well from it) and we knew her current pain was again due to her spine. Since this time was not as critical as last time, they sent her home with prescriptions and strict instructions for 'cage' (bed) rest for the next 6 weeks. Our normal vet would not see her because they no longer do overnight care if needed and had told us to take her to an ER vet who has no idea of her history and would have had us waiting for 6-8 hours to be seen, not to mention the many tests they would have performed and the high cost for it just to tell us to take her home and see a vet spine specialist.

The care and service and compassion for my dog and myself was the best ever. Dr. Higgins and his staff were great and my Toby was lucky to have people like them taking care of him while he was sick

If you have an emergency go anywhere else. Went here on a Monday morning, my kitten had a bowel blockage from eating a hair tie. He was vomiting every hour, shaking, lethargic, and had erratic breathing. I came in at 9am, filled out paperwork, had one staff member come out and look at him through the car window for 30 seconds and then disappeared for 7 hours! I called numerous times to let them know that his breathing was worse and their response every time was “we’ll be with you shortly” and “you’re next.” I called my vet who had an opening at 4:45 that afternoon. I finally left VMSG after SEVEN HOURS OF WAITING IN THE PARKING LOT!!! I never saw a vet not to mention anyone from their staff. This place may work well for normal issues - as a vet talked with one person about their dogs rash for 45 minutes while walking past anyone who had a true issue - but they are not reliable for anything outside of that. Thank god my vet was available and able to perform emergency surgery that night. I truly wish I did not waste half a day and stress out my animal further. Avoid if you have any emergency at all.

They couldn't get my dog in in a timely fashion. As I write this, my daughter and I have been waiting 5 1/2 hours here to get her cat seen for an emergency. Anyplace has got to be better than this.

Terrible emergency vet office and will NEVER recommend. My family called last Saturday to have my dog seen who was clearly in DKA, which is life threatening. They told us to drive to Woodland Hills, which is over an hour away as they didn't have vet staffing. My dog died in route to the next nearest hospital as Horizon was at capacity and he couldn't be seen in Ventura. I will forever blame VMSG for the loss of my dog when this was preventable. This institution needs to be held to the same standards of that of human medicine. I speak as a licensed healthcare professional when I say this, but the way this group handles their staffing would have landed them a fat lawsuit if this was human medicine.

UPDATE: Their phones weren’t working and I doubt they’re fixed by now. We told them about their phones and they said they called us (LIES) AND THEY TRIED TO BLAME US!!!! I guess everyone in the office was incapable of stepping outside the office to speak with us in person. DO NOT COME HERE FOR EMERGENCIES OR YOU’LL WAIT FOUR HOURS JUST TO BE SEEN My boyfriend and I have been waiting for over three hours while our cat is bleeding in the backseat. It’s nearly midnight and they haven’t contacted or checked in with us ONCE.

I would definitely recommend this veterinary even though they were extremely busy on the day I took in my dog. They were very helpful, kind, patient (with all my questions) and professional. They kept me informed as to what was happening to my dog and explained what my options were regarding the treatment for him. I was very happy with his visit there.

TRASH! I called and told them my dachshund had just been bit by a German Shepard and they said “the doctor isn’t in. You can come tomorrow” maybe don’t be an emergency clinic be not be staffed appropriately. Thanks for nothing.

The Dr. Dee was great and compassionate with our situation, and took care of our needs

I know that no one wants to read long love letters, so I’ll try to keep it brief. Our 4 lb., only 4 yr old toy poodle has been having medical problems since birth. Last week, she was basically unable to move without pain…..she was experiencing neck and back issues and seizures from excruciating pain. We took her to VMSG emergency in Ventura. The consensus was that she needed Neurological evaluation. By some kind of divine providence, Dr. Mike Higgins - Neurologist, was able to see her. He recommended appropriate testing, reviewed findings and put her on medications. In less than a week our poor, effectively immobile, little baby was back on track and acting normal. Dr. Higgins CARES. He took on the challenge, spent the time and had empathy and concern for our little girl’s well being. We cannot thank him enough for saving her life and giving her back to us. He is OUR HERO!! Thank you Dr. Higgins and Team!!!

They were amazing and fast with my 3 week old husky pup Coco ❤️ Definitely would recommend if you’re looking for a place for your pets !

How does this place say it's open 24 hours, tell me over the phone to come in since they don't do appointments, then when I arrive they don't have a vet available until after 7pm on a Wednesday..... If you are looking for non-emergency services go here....

This place keeps getting worse and worse. I took my dog for kidney stone surgery about a year ago and they're back. I tried scheduling an appointment to get it done once again but the woman who answered the phone was so rude. She basically told me that there's no openings available anytime soon and to go somewhere else or wait for them to pass. Some people forget/dont understand that pets are family members. This place definitely needs to invest money into training the people answering phones. Horrible customer service.

My dog fell down the stairs and injured his leg. We took him to This facility at 11:00 and we’re told the vet leaves at 11:30 so they couldn’t see him. And on top of that they had theee dogs waiting to be seen. We were told to go to Thousand Oaks (45 mins away) or Santa Barbara (1 hour away) if we needed immediate help. What good is a 24 hour facility if the vet goes home at midnight? Then they send you an hour away??? We only went there as a last resort because the only other facility was full. Our past experience was. 4 hour wait and a $529.00 bill for a constant cough. We waited so long my car battery died from playing the radio for so long. Not a fan of this place but unfortunately there’s only two in the Ventura/Oxnard/Camarillo area. Which is insane considering the density.

Brought my 12 year old kitty here late one night, it took time (9:30pm- 1:30am), but I expected that. They prioritize emergency cases based on need and severity. They diagnosed the issue and prescribed medics that has really help. This was the second time I have taken the same cat to this vet ER, and I was just as pleased the first time about 5 years ago. Super grateful!

Great place, great Drs. and nurses. TPLO performed on a 7yr husky. Would go back and suggest to others.

My dog has congestive heart failure and has seen Dr Russell at VMSG 3 or 4 times for meds and follow up. On his last visit one of his meds was changed to a stronger one and the original med was discontinued. I called the other day and asked for all of his meds to be refilled except one that we still had a large quantity of. When my husband got home with the meds, I found that they had not only refilled the new one but also the one he no longer took. When I called the office to inform them, the girl quickly told me that it was my fault for saying "yes" when she read off the meds. I asked her if it was noted in the file that he no longer takes it and she said yes, but again insisted it was my fault (3 times!) and they would not refund the $104 I paid! I can't figure out how, or why, they would refill something that my dog no longer takes, unless it was just to charge me the money. I also can't help but wonder how many others they do this to. This is very concerning to me. I doubt I will be going back.

Our dachshund went from totally normal to unable to walk/potty after rupturing a disc... we had a hard time finding a place that could do the tests needed. I called VMSG (at 9pm on a sunday!) and the woman was so helpful over the phone, told me to bring him as an emergency patient the next day. Long story short he had surgery with the neurology team here. The entire staff and vet Mike Higgins were so kind, helpful and answered so many questions not only at that time but over the next few months. Cannot recommend them enough! I saw a few reviews about the cost being high--if you are seeking speciality care, what do you expect! There is a reason it's called speciality. I felt they were fair, and gave accurate representation of costs, plus other scenarios of things that could add (or subtract) to the cost as with surgery you never know. Our little guy is back to himself and so glad we found VMSG!

My golden, my baby had a mouth swelling problem back in march). I thought she got poisoned somehow (it was something else). This place was absolutely amazing. Highly recommend.