VCA Northwest Hills Animal Hospital Austin, Texas

I took my dog here for her first evaluation after adopting her. She was extremely skinny, but had been in the shelter so was up to date on vaccines. I only took her there because they offer free exams after adoption and I didn’t yet have a strong vet preference. My mistake. It was during the pandemic so I had to wait in the car and the vet called me while she was seeing her. I was told she needed “re-do”s of certain vaccines because she got them all in the same day and that would make them less effective. I was also told my 25 lb dog who was at the time 5-7 lbs underweight was fine and didn’t need to gain anything. I would be shocked if this person had even looked at my dog. I’m not a first time owner so we went to a different vet who was concerned about what we had been told and administered proper care. Seems like this place is only out to make money on new dog owners. Which to be clear, I’m totally fine spending on care they actually need. This is to say nothing of the rude staff. I would be borderline uncomfortable to leave my dog with people who sound so angry.

My visits here have always been just alright, but it's always felt more like they care more about the overall bill amount than they do about your pet's health and well-being. Personally I felt very poorly treated by my latest visit with my dog and Dr. Sophia. It was his yearly, a time any other vet uses to tell me about my pets' health and wellness (weight, teeth health, skin and fur, and general indicators). Instead I paid $300 for yearly vaccines and an extremely rude vet only wanting to know what else I'd be paying for that day instead of telling me anything about the overall shape of my dog even when I asked. I wouldn't pay any money on her again, but the other vets here so far seem ok. Honestly VCA may just be like this, since it's a chain, but my impressions of the one in Pflugerville are much better.

Monday, September 13, 2021, we unfortunately had to bring our beloved dog Marley for euthanasia. The staff was amazing in their outpouring of sympathy, support and professionalism throughout. Dr. Lauri Mendelzon was truly exceptional in her approach and humanity shown my family and Marley. Awesome doctor! Also the receptionist Jamie was very kind to us. As painful not to mention terribly sad this occasion was for us the staff made it much easier to bear with their immense care.

VCA was recommended to me as a new dog owner and since I have always felt comforted by their customer service, knowledge and attention to detail during such a challenging time to be running a business. Even though I have never met her in person due to curbside service only, Dr. Womack’s warmth and professionalism has not been lost in our phone calls. I genuinely feel like my pup is safe and in good hands during each visit. Care Club has been such a valuable investment with a puppy. I don’t know if pay via text was a pre-pandemic method of payment option but I enjoy how easy it makes visits. Also: ready when y’all are for Billie to be offered a modeling job for VCA.

It is obvious that this place is not well run. They are doing appointments curbside, but I told them that my car has weak A/C so they said they'd get me in the building. I arrive with my kitten, walk up to the door, and witness three people behind the counter inside doing nothing, prentending like I'm not standing outside. After a while, my kitten starts to get hot in the 95 degree sun because I would not be let in. I open the box to give him some water and only then does somebody come outside. NOT to greet me, but to tell me to close my kitten's box while we're outside, and she goes back inside before I can say a word. My kitten would not need to be outside of the box for air if he and I were just let inside. Finally, after ten to fifteen minutes of waiting and being on hold twice, a woman comes outside to finally welcome us, but instead of a warm welcome you would expect at a vet, she opens with "Can I help you?" in a stern and almost mocking voice, expecting me to not have an appointment and that I'm just attempting to walk inside. This place's planning and organization are terrible and only exacerbated by the pandemic. The only reason I'm giving two stars and not one is because they gave me important information regarding vaccines, which was helpful. I would not recommend this location.

Listen to me. The first time I went to this clinic was for a quality of life evaluation for my beloved dog of 11 years. I’d never had to make this kind of decision, and also didn’t want to put the burden the decision on a vet who had never met me or my dog. They never pressured me, got me in for a check up immediately, and when I finally broke down enough to just ask, “Do you think her symptoms are enough for me to be considering euthanasia?”, the vet gave me exactly what I needed by saying, “this is a perfectly reasonable time and stage for that to be a compassionate consideration”. That was so empowering, and I had zero regrets when I ultimately did choose that path for my sweet Kahili. They are upfront about the price, and get that out of the way early and swiftly so you don’t need to worry about it after you go through the process. They are delicate, Careful, and communicative about the process to ensure that you are consenting to every bit of it the exact way you need it to happen. Ive also taken my cats who got very sick all at once to them and they were diligent about reviewing their past medical records and offering alternatives to previous unsuccessful treatments. They all got better, and are thriving. Today I brought my hospice foster fail in for a euthanasia appointment. They have never seen her, and even though I knew it was her time, they wanted to do an evaluation to be sure they couldn’t offer any other solutions first. But they trusted my narrative and my sweet cat Rudy gave them a hard time with catheter placement, so the vet came and asked me if it was okay to sedate her so that she wasn’t stressed out in her last moments. Every freaking person on this team is considerate and professional, and I cannot recommend them enough. I straight up made cookies for them after they helped me say goodbye to my dog because as unpleasant of an experience that is, they made me feel so safe about it. These are special people who are in animal welfare for the right reasons. *edit, I’d also like to mention each of these scenarios were with different vets, and they were all just as sweet and knowledgeable as the other. Truly a humble, magical crew.

My new favorite vet in Austin!

I've been living in Austin for the semester and brought my dog, Oliver, here for an eye infection and recently for his annual check-up. Back at his home vet, Ollie requires trazadone, gabapentin, and two sedation shots to be examined by vets, much less be given vaccines. In the past he has completely freaked out on the sidewalk refusing to go inside a vet's office. No amount of training seemed to help with him trusting vets - it was just too much handling too fast. In COMPLETE contrast, he has done fine during both visits here at VCA Northwest Hills, including for his annual where he didn't have any anxiety medication (just in case he needed a dental). I don't know what sort of magic the vets and vet techs here are working, but they are clearly wonderful for my dog to trust them to examine him. I appreciate them so so so much and hope to return here for future care!

We've been bringing our cats here for years. The animals like them. That's a big deal. They treat my animals the way we treat our animals. They are very loving and gentle with them. Without evidence, I do think they are a little expensive. That being said, they've always played it straight with us. When our cat was diagnosed with FIP, they clearly laid out all the options, consequences thereof, and costs associated with them. There were no judgements; only compassion. Because of Covid19, they've implemented some safety protocols that create more distance than I'm accustomed to. However, because of our prior interactions, I'm perfectly confident leaving my animals in their care.

Dr. Womack is the best! She has helped with the various issues for my cat and is always willing to answer any questions and discuss things with me thoroughly. She is super helpful and caring and I would highly recommend her to anyone! The rest of the staff is very kind and helpful as well- you can tell that everyone there truly cares about helping your pet. Another plus is that I never have a problem booking an appointment when I need. We moved farther away but still make the drive to come to this vet office.

Our pups love the veterinarians and techs at this location.

My dog hunter has gotten the best care here ❤ the staff is super nice and very helpful. Great place for compasinate animal care aswell with not bring overly priced, great care programs for animals of all ages too!

The staff is helpful and friendly! I go there for everything from annual visits to the occasional emergency. They are very careful with their Covid guidelines and I felt totally safe the whole time I was there. They have a great pet care plan for my more accident prone dog so when she inevitably gets injured it costs me a lot less than it would at other clinics. I recommend this clinic to all of my friends.

Outstanding group of people that seem to genuinely care about their jobs and patients. They got me in same day and even administered my finicky cats meds for me. Time after time I’ve used them and I couldn’t ask for a better experience. Thanks for keeping my pets healthy and all you do in your respective communities

Great place with awesome staff & very knowledgable vetinary drs they helped me with my best kitty cat friend. I love this place & recommend anyone needing pet care to go here!

The staff and Dr Sophia are so kind and friendly and take great care if my Max he loves them as well

They were so kind to me and gentle with my doggie Lola.

I love them! I had recently posted a 3 star review but now I realize I had the wrong veterinarian hospital! This place is awesome... no complaints!! ????

Absolutely LOVE the doctors and staff here. The dedication and compassion shown to me and my pets over the years has been, hands down, first-rate. Thanks for all you do!

Awesome, Zeus loves to come here.

The staff and Vets are very attentive and caring. They have always taken the time to make my pet feel welcomed and cared for as if she were their own.

Set Appointment for our puppy to be evaluated for acupuncture 2-3 days in advance. We arrived at appointment time and called in to give our info. After updating the office, no one came to get us for over 40 minutes. No answer on callback. We left. They called after we left and it appears there was an issue with a surgery needing all hands on deck. I saw multiple employees coming out during out wait time and no one took the time to say our appointment was interrupted.

My cat had a great first vet visit here!

Everyone shows great care and love for my furry girl through every procedure she's had. Five stars!

Easy to schedule, have lost multiple pet shot records on 3 occasions.

Paid for office visit. Said they couldn't tell me if my doggie had ear mites or infection. With out 300$ in labs and xrays... come on now a good vet can tell by just looking....geez no help with your pets if you're poor like me. If you are going to be a vet it should be because you love animals and have a heart. Not a greedy money hungry vet. Thrive and Emicapet are better. But they can be expensive 2. Be careful and do not do the dog /cat loan.....rip off!

We are so thankful to the entire team at VCA for the amazing care they provided to our sweet cocker spaniel, Bravo. A few weeks ago, after being treated for what our vet thought was gastroenteritis, he mysteriously started losing weight. His appetite and energy were good, but we were concerned with how thin he was getting. A friend of ours recommended VCA Northwest Hills and we decided to bring him in for a check up. We are so glad we did! From the moment the veterinary assistant, Kylie, came out to greet us, we knew our little guy was in good hands. She and the rest of the care team were kind, patient, knowledgeable, and professional. They were also extremely proactive in diagnosing and treating our boy for what turned out to be a large mass on his spleen. As first-time pet parents, we had a lot of questions. The doctors and their staff did a wonderful job of addressing our concerns, talking us through treatment options, and communicating with us before, after, and even during Bravo’s surgery. After a smooth procedure, we were able to take Bravo home with us that same evening – not the norm, but he was doing so well that they decided to make an exception so that he could recover in the comfort and security of his own home. That personalized approach, coupled with the smart, caring staff really make this vet hospital stand out in our book. The bill also seemed quite reasonable for the services provided. Fortunately, Bravo’s pathology report came back clear and his recovery is going incredibly smoothly. He’s gradually gaining weight and is back to his loving, energetic self. We are so thankful our boy is feeling well again and couldn’t recommend this team and facility more!

Wonderful vet services. Really good people there that care.

Very kind and compassionate. Prices are good. I have 40 years experience with pet care. Four senior cats now. I needed help fast. Tried several veterinarian offices even a vet to come to my home. Cost was outrageous. We are in a pandemic. People are out of work. It's important to find good health care at an affordable price. They got us in immediately and made an excellent evaluation. I am very satisfied. I will be returning soon.

The people and doctors are so nice!