VCA Alexandria Animal Hospital Alexandria, Maryland

I have only been here with my dog and we love it. She is high energy and hard to handle but they always help me contain her excitement and take her in a timely manner. All of the assistants are so friendly and helpful. My dog went through a few months where we had to go in every 2 weeks to get her foot looked at and every single time they were so helpful, respectful, understanding, and took the time to explain everything. I have also called just to ask questions to get some advice without going in and they happily answer. Highly recommend!

Members of the front desk staff are extremely condescending and patronizing. The wait times for “urgent care” border on the sadistic (3 hours, and I was told to count myself lucky it wasn’t longer). There is a complete lack of transparency with regards to how to get a timely regular-priced appointment v. a higher-priced urgent care appointment (inside tip-keep calling and asking if there are any cancellations as they don’t keep a cancellation list per se but do get 3-4 cancellations a day). Did I mention using blatant emotional manipulation to shame people when they inquire about the wait time? (“you’re lucky —I’ve seen dogs that are terminal, that have been hit by cars, have to wait longer than this”)? Please do better.

This review is for Dr. Janice Baxter. I came in with my adopted cat, Buttons from Homeward Trails Animal Rescue for our first vet visit. The moment Dr. Baxter saw me coming in she commented on the size of my carrier. Not a hello or hi, but the first thing she stated was her disapproval for the size of Button's carrier. I let it be thinking that things would get better, but it DIDN'T!!! She was very RUDE and one of the most unprofessional Vets I've encountered. I've never adopted an animal before or had a cat, (grew up with dogs) so I came equipped with questions. Dr. Baxter disregarded all my concerns and anything I had to say. It's unfortunate that Homeward Trails has a partnership with VCA Animal Hospital and as a Foster I would not have came here had it not been that they offered a complimentary visit up to $250. I've never been spoken down to like this and would hope that the staff here does something so that no other customer feels or is treated the way I was!! On top of this, I was charged $91.00 for the Vet visit even AFTER Dr. Baxter refused to conduct an exam on Buttons!!!! She told me that we would have to make another appointment after she's been given Gabapentin seeing that Buttons was not cooperative during the visit. WHY were we charged $91.00 for a Vet Exam when all Dr. Baxter did was take Buttons weight!? When I vocalized my concerns at the front desk, I was told that it is at the discretion of the Vet to determine what was considered an Exam. Needless to say, I am very disappointed and believe that Homeward Trails should reconsider their partnership with VCA Animal Hospital.

Friday night 10/29/21 started looking for pet emergency vets. My search brought up VCA Alexandria on Duke Street. Called them and as fate would have it, they just had a cancellation for a 6:30 appointment. Whoever answered the phone was very kind and inviting. She was wonderful helping make the appointment. Great customer service starts at the front desk. Dr. Torrance was the vet we saw. This was our first time here. He and his assistant were very good. He listened to my concerns regarding a UTI with my new rescue. I had explained I just lost my two dogs in September two weeks apart from each other. One had CKD and the other diabetes but she passed due to internal bleeding, her diabetes was controlled. Dr. Torrance understood my financial concerns from September's two day emergency visit, two euthanasia's and cremations. It was a pretty bad month. He prescribed meds for the UTI but gave me a plan forward if they don't work. Dottie had just come off meds Oct 20th and judging by her actions it didn't completely take care of it. Having had a diabetic dog, I know the signs. He waived the first time visit charge and gave Dottie a free dose of flea and tick meds. Dr. Torrance has a great personality and his assistant was very good with Dottie. Timothy P. checked us out and was incredibly nice. The wonderful folks in the front gave me a first time visit gift bag with a few goodies, Dottie's meds and information to read. They also sent a text with information about appointments and I think they have a pet portal. Also received an email of everything from the visit. The office is exceptionally clean and they thoroughly explained the directions for the prescription. The overall experience left me feeling like they genuinely cared. I have a regular vet I've been seeing for a year however VCA will definitely be my go to vet if I cannot reach my primary. Overall really impressed with the level of customer service and care. Definitely a top shelf animal hospital ❤️???? Thank you again. - Daleena and Dottie

A abandoned baby squirrel, I saw growing up on a tree since 8 months ,next to my home . My family developed some connection with her. We use to feed her nuts and named her as well. She used to recognize her name each time we called her. She used to keep running and if we hide she used to stand tall on her feet to locate us. Super Cute. She started knowing where we live and when she is bored playing on tree with her friends. She used knock at the balcony door for few nuts and a caring touch. Recently we found a bump of her back so decided to take her to Vet(VCA Alexandria). We used her trust to put her in a box and take 50 mins drive in the hope she will be fine soon. But after Handling over to the Vet, I was informed I can not track her progress. VCA completely boycotted us. She has not returned to her home and we don't know where is she. Extremely worried and guilty for betraying her trust. I don't understand If I really helped her or caused big trouble for her if she has been release to anywhere else than her home. WE WANT HER BACK TO WHERE SHE BELONGS. Regarding my last post and out come of the followup: 1- Front desk informed us that the address was taken on the checkin form will help the World life rescue league to return animal to where they belong-- Wrong info was given. They don't even consider it ( WLRL informed me). 2- VCA Alexandria don't even have basic data about who picks animal from them and whom it has been assigned for further care. Its extremely basic info which any hospital should maintain. 3- Supervisior of VCA used rude words like "People like me " (who try to followup ) are cause discomfort for them, he focused on this, Instead of fixing their process. 4- People like me try to volunteer as well, that why we went to VCA with sick Squirrel. 5- VCA Process lack 3 simple steps with basic info to track any batch of animal VCA collects. a) assigned person for animal transportation b) who is assigned rehabilitator. c) If animal has released then date and location.(Same suggestion for wild life rescue league). Why this is important : Take an example of ourselves, if we get injured or sick and after treatment we never get a chance to return back to our family or home. Is it fair? if not, then why the process is not in place. She is a wild life and a Family to me.

Theyre ok. I’ve use VCA for the last 4 years. It’s helpful that they are able to transfer records from different locations. Took all of my three dogs to this location within the last year, but will look for a better place. 2/3 vets we saw were more attentive than the last one. Customer service at the desk lacks when they are busier as well.

VCA Alexandria is also a Wild Life Rescue League drop off for abandoned squirrels. I was advised by WLRL to go there before 5p.m. on Saturday with my baby squirrel and he would be collected by a volunteer. Got there at 4p.m. and was informed by the woman at reception that they were closing up soon (they close at 6p.m.) and wasn't sure they were taking baby squirrels. She took my squirrel and I asked her to check that he would be collected later by WLRL then waited. She never did confirm it. She gave me a form to complete and another employee told me that I should use my actual address and not a false one. Why on earth she said that was very odd -- and insulting! As I sat and waited for confirmation that my baby squirrel would be collected later, another baby squirrel was brought in. Those people were told immediately by the woman sitting next to the woman I'd dealt with that there were already 11 baby squirrels in the back. Why she didn't speak up earlier is bewildering. My experience with VCA Alexandria was not a good one.

We have been extremely grateful for finding VCA to be our doggie doctors for 3+ years. All of the staff, from the vets to the front desk personnel, have always been very thorough, friendly, and reliable. Despite their parking lot always being packed, we've never once felt like our pets aren't getting the most complete, detailed, and loving care. It is no exaggeration to say that VCA has saved one of our dogs lives...TWICE (she's accident prone). They've always called to check up on her afterwards, and shown heartfelt concern for her outcome. If you live in the DMV area and have pets, VCA should be your pets' veterinarian! Thank you VCA as a whole, and I'd thank you all individually, but the list is too long for a review :) We appreciate all of you and all you have done for our family

I brought a injured animal here. A male employee told me to call the next day for updates. I called for updates and the lady wouldn't tell me what the injury was and couldn't tell me what they did with the animal afterwards. She did tell me it wasn't there any more. I'm sure they can ask other employees or look on the computer at least. She did non of that. She wasn't that nice on the phone and didn't try.

VCA is always great! Dr. Galvan specifically has been a godsend for our animals. Compassionate, kind and honest about what is best for our pets. The staff has worked tirelessly for our animals in their time of need and we will forever be grateful for everyone there. Pet expenses are never cheap, but we feel the level of care VCA offers and the peace of mind we feel with our pets under their care is always worth it. They are always upfront and detailed about what services and expenses could be expected.

Having just moved to the area we decided to take our two dogs to this veterinary clinic. After the routine checkup visit we were dumbfounded to be hit with a nearly $700 bill. Two dogs, check up, and vaccines. The prices are outrageous and honestly unprofessional. My wife having worked in the veterinary field for over 10 years is speechless, and can’t believe a place of business would mark up vaccines to that degree and price gouge that aggressively. I have no comment on the quality of service, however from the prices it seems that they are only out for your money, so take from that what you will.

OVER PRICED!!!! This experienced quite literally ruined my entire day and has now made me so broke, that I am actually worried about how we are going to eat next week as one simple vet appointment cost half of a paycheck!!! I have worked in veterinary medicine for half of my life and have worked from the DC area to the actual boonies, and I have NEVER experienced such disgusting price gouging. Had I known how money hungry these people were, I would have never taken the time to come here. For example, even in the DC metro area, the average price for a heart worm test is MAX $53. Here? THEY CHARGED $93! They told me AFTER they injected my dogs that they charged $45 per vaccine........after. No. If you are going to charge people over $700 for things that should have been $375-$400, you HAVE to communicate first. I’ve been in tears on the couch all day after this experience. Go somewhere else.

I’ve had nothing but great experiences here. My dog recently had a mass removed and Dr. Bidwell was extremely attentive in monitoring his incision as it healed and ultimately managing a cancer diagnosis. Every staff person I’ve spoken to has been compassionate, helpful and professional and I’m so grateful my dog has such great care.

I adopted my cat, Vision, three weeks ago. He has had a host of health issues that the shelter did not detect or alert me to, so we've been running from vet to vet trying to get his various ailments attended to. I came in with a laundry list of issues today and Dr. Chiang and her technicians handled all of them with courtesy, kindness and genuine care for my little guy. I was particularly impressed with Dr. Chiang's bedside manner – she asked follow-up questions, showed care and concern for Vis, and patiently walked me through options without rushing. The price point is fair considering the level of care and professionalism we received. Vis and I will be back for future appointments! Photo of a happy, soon-to-be healthy little patient. :) EDIT: Also shout out to Tim for checking us in with such a positive energy, and to the whole team for how you are handling the COVID-19 protocol. We waited for 5 minutes before we were seen, and were out within an hour.

VCA has been wonderful to my cats. They are caring, professional and always helpful. Thanks!

I have nothing but fantastic things to say about VCA. My dog Reign, had an emergency and we ended up at VCA. From the person answering phones, to the vet techs, and Dr. Galvan, every staff member I spoke to were the nicest, most compassionate, and professional people. They treated my pup with the best care and found the issue fairly quickly after a thorough examination without charging me an arm and a leg for unnecessary tests. Thank you all again so much! I would definitely recommend VCA with all your pets needs.

No longer can recommend this place for those who own pitbulls. Our pup (pitbull mix rescue) has been coming here since we adopted her a 10mos. At first we didn't have any issues and Dr. Drake saw her within 24hrs of her adoption since she was throwing up (turned out it was stress since she was picked up 2 weeks prior, spayed 3 days prior and then in a new environment). Let's just say since then our dog LOVES going to the vet. Like-- she is super excited when we park at the building (she recognizes) and loves saying hi to all the front desk ladies and all animals in the waiting room. She's even used as the 'test case' for new dogs joining her doggy daycare due to her temperament. Unfortunately the issue started about 2 years ago when either a VCA doctor and/or technician may have given her a bad experience(s). We were assigned other doctors after Dr. Drake left VCA (we searched her on google, and it seems she moved to a practice out in Reston/Chantilly area BTW for those who live out there), and the most recent one for the past 2 annual check ups was with Dr. Suarez when these issues started. She had admitted to my partner during check up that she was nervous around pitbulls and that they are a dangerous breed that shouldn't be around small children unattended. It's really saddening she has that mentality as a vet, and her anxiety against the breed may have also been reflected in the animal's nervousness around her. She even wrote a prescription for our dog to take a tranq pill an 1-2hrs before the visit and recommended she should get her a basket muzzle. As our annual visit was around the corner, I tried calling VCA for another vet that might be comfortable around large breeds, ie. pits, but they gave the standard answer of "all vets are comfortable working with large dogs!" -- which wasn't reassuring that the front desk could not be a bit more mindful. We ended up checking out two alternative options with a fear-free mindset. She recently visited Caring Hands Clarendon twice (despite it is much more of a drive for us) for her annual check up and vaccinations (two separate rounds of shots!), and both times the vet and technician said there were no issues and she was an absolute sweetheart. This again, was without any pills or muzzles needed or even discussed. Our pup goes in there excited and returns with a super happy wagging tail, which is a relief. We also checked Harmony Animal Hospital just to do a drop by visit and get her acquainted with the space, and it was reassuring that the staff said they had pits at home and also our pup had a great visit (unfortunately at this time they were not yet ready to take new patients). So after experimenting around for a better fit for our dog, we can conclude that indeed it was not our dog but perhaps the VCA/Dr. Suarez and/or the technicians that handled her. Again, it is a shame since VCA does offer a convenience being nearby, but unfortunately we cannot trust them to provide the right doctor for our dog.

I'm not sure that these people care as much about animals as I'd expect. They have no plan for patients without cars after a year of the pandemic. So whereas other vets let me wait in an exam room, masked and gloved, they left me out in the freezing rain with my sick pet, even though I said I was coming without a car when I booked the appointment. I was out there freezing for 45 minutes, which was pretty inconsiderate, but I can deal, the part that was terrible is that they left my old, sick pet out there with me for fifteen minutes after our appointment time, even though I begged them to at least put her carrier inside the door. The staff was polite and the service was competent, but really lacking in care and consideration. Do not recommend.

The staff was super patient + helpful. They did a full check on my pet, even though we were there for a very specific issue and offered various treatment options. They also clearly have a very efficient system set up to accommodate COVID regulations. While they aren't my regular vet clinic, I am more than likely to return!

Dr. Farrell is the best! She was very patient, knowledgeable, and caring with my dog!

We arrived with our sick guy at 1013 and left after 1700 on 6.8.20 (so about 7 hours). Upon dropping our dog off the vet tech berated us about heatstroke (his final diagnosis is immune-mediated thrombocytopenia). In other words completely unrelated. It also cost us more than $1400. We had no final diagnosis and the recommendation was to take our dog to a 24-hour hospital for additional diagnostics, monitoring, and care. We followed their recommendations and went to VCA SouthPaws where our dog was kept for 24 hours (total price $1900). We were offered a military discount at SouthPaws, VCA Alexandria when contacted refused to honor a discount. If you are military and have a dog that potentially will need overnight care I would not recommend VCA Alexandria. We were severely distressed about our dog and instead of being treated with humility and kindness, we were treated with disrespect and accused of inflicting heat stroke which is completely unrelated to his final diagnosis (given by VCA SouthPaws). My dog will never be back to VCA Alexandria. We advised the director of the facility of our concerns and her answer was simply sorry that shouldn't have happened. Updated (2 to 4 stars): Tara, facility manager, did make amends and honored a 10% discount. I do hope that the facility uses this incident as a training opportunity for their vet technicians to improve the care experience. Techs should show compassion, empathy, and not give owners preemptive opinions on a clinical diagnosis.

Poor communication-listening, email correspondence, charges-of reception. vet- appeared knowledgeable and friendly.

We've adopted two dogs within the past year who both had to make emergency trips to the vet. Every time we've needed to, the VCA team has gone above and beyond to provide care, including taking time over the phone to help us out with issues without having to go in. The staff is kind, knowledgeable, and their quarantine practices are very safe. Would definitely recommend!

This is the worst experience I’ve ever had at an animal Hospital in my life!!! My cat was under distress and was having an asthma attack. The Vet that they had to make sure that it wasn’t his heart insisted on giving him an x-ray, in the meantime not telling me that an x-ray cost $350 by itself, gave him an injection and then some medication that was supposed to be given. Well because I didn’t have almost $1000 to pay his vet vet bill, they wouldn’t give me the medication. What was the point of me even having him seen there if he can’t have the medication that he needs and causing him to suffer. I paid everything I had in my pocket and they still wouldn’t give me the medication “on credit” because I didn’t have $1000 to pay the vet bill!!!! I will never take another animal there as long as I live and good luck to them getting the rest of their money!!!!

A few days before returning home, from an extended family visit to Alexandria, my 14-year-old papillon began a bout with diarrhea. The day before we were scheduled to start our two-day car trip home he also began vomiting. Knowing there was no way he could make the trip; I called the nearest veterinary clinic. Fortunately, Alexandria Animal Hospital offers Urgent Care and they agreed to see me immediately. Dr. Natalia Sardanovski, after examining Rocky, reviewing his complicated medical history provided by our own veterinarian and talking at length over the phone with me (COVID) she advised her plan of action. He was given an injection to stop the diarrhea. Dr. Sardanovski also provided additional oral medications so Rocky could make the trip home without incident. The tech who brought Rocky out to my car, during a light rain, also spent time discussing what was done and assured me he would be fine during the trip home. The treatments worked! Yes, selecting Urgent Care resulted in a higher ‘office visit’ charge but there was no pressure for additional expensive tests before deciding on how best to help me. The team took into account the entire situation and worked quickly and positively to help. To me, the cost was reasonable considering the alternative of traveling with a very sick dog. Dr. Sardanovski also called me a few days later just to make sure Rocky was safely home and had no more symptoms. I could not have asked for a better experience or outcome.

The staff was exceptional in every way. Brenda at the front desk was pleasant and had a wonderful attitude. I truly appreciate her genuine concern for my sick puppy. Another plus was that I didn’t have to wait long; which was amazing due to the fact that it was an emergency and I didn’t have an appointment. If you love your animal(s) and want a positive vet experience, VCA Old Town is the best option. My puppy is doing amazing and on a speedy road to recovery all thanks to an amazing Veterinary team!

My cats are older and Ron is very "unpredictable". Dr. Suarez is so sweet with him despite his "bad attitude". I just got his teeth cleaned and HUGE SHOUT OUT to Dr. Suarez for so many reasons - (1) I was given an accurate estimate of the cost (and the range it could be due to needed extractions); (2) she provided detailed reports + before and after pictures(!) so I could see where the work was done and how much his dental health improved; (3) she called me with an update after the procedure; and (4) she sent my cat home with some pain killers for the extractions and he is his best self on those. Thank you Dr. Suarez and VCA Alexandria! Really cannot overstate the value of knowing your pet is in good hands.

We’ve been taking our animals (two cats and a dog) to VCA for almost three years. I can’t say enough positive things about VCA. I’m a bit of a helicopter pet mom and the technicians, the front desk staff, and the doctors are always helpful and compassionate. They are always thinking about what is in the best interest of our animals and providing helpful advice and calming us down. I trust them completely with the care of my pet family.

We have been here a few times, only back when they still had the emergency room. They were pretty good then but we hadnt had regular veterinary care with them. Our dog needed emergency surgery a week ago at the referral center in springfield, but our dog was having some symptoms we were worried about afterwards. We were looking around for vets in our area to serve as his primary care and were on the fence about who to choose. His symptoms got worse this morning and we didnt know where to go. VCA had an appointment available for us and they were very helpful on the phone. We arrived and I expected to be stuck waiting for hours because most vets are taking a lot longer than usual lately. They took him back within 10 minutes of us arriving and examined him right away and continually called us to update us on what was going on inside (with covid, people are not allowed in). The service was spectacular and I have not experienced such good service at a vet before. That is saying a lot because our dogs are not the easiest to handle. I think we found our new primary care doc for our pups!! Thanks VCA!!!!!

Don’t ask questions !!!! rude front desk staff.