Access

I can’t say better things about Access. I brought my 8 year old Birman cat who is the absolute love of my life into the emergency and critical care center. Staff was incredably kind and so helpful. Dr. Nicole Skilling is phenomenal– she explained everything and was so thorough with me. Waiting for blood work results now, and keeping fingers crossed!

I took my pet here after he was showing signs of paralysis. After multiple tests and a few days stay at the hospital, he was diagnosed with a rare spinal cord condition and is now receiving treatment. While the diagnosis was incredibly expensive, the doctors here are top notch. They are all well recognized in the pet care community and have great reputations. They were responsive, patient, compassionate and very informative and all around helpful during this difficult time. My pet mainly saw two doctors– the neurologist, Dr. Robles and the surgeon, Dr. Lo and they were really the best. I highly recommend this hospital for any kind of emergency pet care needs.
However, I can only give this establishment 3 stars because the Front Desk seriously pales in comparison to how wonderful the doctors are. They are highly disorganized, slightly rude, impatient and really seems like they just don’t have their sh*t together. Almost everytime I call, i’m on an extremely long hold to the point where i need to hang up and call back. They never submit my claim forms on time and I need to keep calling and hounding them to do so. They never follow through on any type of request and really you just need to keep calling back to remind them. Also, expect some attitude from them too. Being a pet owner for 8 years, i’ve been to many vets and hospitals, this front desk was definitely the worst i’ve experienced.

Came in with my dog who has a serious problem and the staff has kept us waiting over 2 hours with no attention. I would go elsewhere but now it’s too late. Never again. I’ll update later.

One of my pets recently had an emergency medical problem requiring immediate attention, oxygen and intensive care for three days. They diagnosed the problem and took extremely good care of him, allowing me to visit him daily until he was ready to come home. He now has his «own» cardiologist who is monitoring his heart condition. Everyone was professional, responsive, caring and helpful. Gummi loved it there and is doing well. This IS the place to go when your pet is having a medical emergency, their physicians are recognized as the best in breed.

I have been taking my senior beagle to Dr. Arndt for a couple years, he ran a very professional practice. Recently Dr. Arndt left ACCESS.
Yesterday when I called in to schedule my dog’s semi-​annual check up, my biggest fear came true. The person I spoke with on the phone was unprofessional and lied about having updated records. She was argumentative, it was unsettling to think this person could be in the care of my 13 year fur baby.
The best part: the last time I was in, due to a divorce I asked the staff to remove my ex’s information from the file. Today at 12:45 pm, they called my ex, in the voicemail they asked to call Susan back if there were any further questions about the new Cardiologist.
If they are unable to maintain accurate records, and they are confrontational, I hate to think of the damage they could do to our fur children.

Dr. Lo saved my kitten who underwent abdominal surgery. She and staff are very sweet and have answered all my questions in a timely manner. My kitten is recovering well, and while expensive, is worth the type of care provided. Thanks Access!

It was late at night, and my Yorky who is seven years old, had a mild seizure. The episode only lasted 15 seconds, but it scared me badly. I rushed over to access veterinary hospital, and saw Dr. Sawyer. She examined my dog carefully, as if it were her own, and reviewed all his vital signs with me. This seemed idiopathic in nature, and my dog is doing fine today. Dr. Sawyer took the care and attention to follow up with me on two separate occasions to ensure that move fossa was doing well and had no changes in his status. I’ve used the hospital on one other occasion or maybe two and found the same degree of care. Most centers have gained a reputation, like the VCA, to to produce revenue and come across as if their care for your animal is a secondary principle. Not so here — I have their address and number in my phone in case of another emergency. Highly recommended.

I really can not understand why many people are giving this place a low rating because of the price. I would have paid 10x more of what I paid to bring my puppy back to health. When puppy got Parvo I was depressed thinking she wasn’t going to make it. This hospital really saved my puppy. She is doing so well now, I am forever grateful to Dr Sawyer. She is just so sweet and I could tell she really cared about my baby. I admit the prices can be higher than expected but I don’t understand why people will have pets if they can’t afford hospital care in times like these.

I give this place 1 star because I couldn’t go any lower. The only thing they do right here is take you in quickly. I was only waiting for about 10 minutes before they got to me even though it was pretty busy.
As for the rest of the process, ⁰⁄₁₀ across the board. I have a conure that got really sick all of a sudden. Didn’t look like he was doing well at all. I called around to 10 different places and ACCESS was the only one with a bird specialist that could see me today. I drove an hour in traffic from Glendale to culver city to get the care I needed. Once I arrived, the girl was smiling and laughing while talking to me as I held my limp and dying bird in my hands. Very off putting when the people youre trusting your animals with don’t seem to care. Once they took him in, they didn’t let me stay with him even though it looked like it was dying. They made me wait in the waiting room.
After 45 minutes they came out saying we ran some tests (no blood tests or anything at all) and can’t figure out what’s wrong with him. They quoted me another $ 600 for the tests that needed to be done on top of the fact that they charged me $ 210 for just seeing the bird. I asked them why it was so expensive. They said the visit just costs $ 210 and if I hadn’t accepted the quote over the phone, that they could work with the price to lower it. I called in a panic looking for anywhere that would take me. I would have paid more if need be. But they did absolutely nothing for my bird and then had the balls to tell me they didn’t charge me for the oxygen.
Pray you never have an emergency with your animal to need them. Never going back here again.

I almost didn’t come here after reading some of the negative reviews. Well, I can say my experience was terrific. Although they weren’t able to see my cat on an emergency basis (as the neurologist had to leave to teach), the manager Jason Bitting came over himself to talk to me, and give me some options. They he was able to get the neurologist to verify my cat was «stable» and give me an appointment at the Woodland Hills location.
The facility is very clean and nice, and the coffee is free (never a bad thing).
But what make the difference is the great, caring staff. EVERYONE was super friendly and seemed sincere. When you’re worried about your pet, this is HUGE.
BIG HUGS to everyone at Access in Culver City.

This place is the absolute best. My dog got a 4 CM piece of bully stick stuck in his little chihuahua throat and they were able to diagnose and remove it in a span of 24 hours. They are extremely thorough and had him stay overnight to monitor him to make sure he was improving and they also let me visit my baby last night pass visiting hours, We saw 3 doctors and Dr. Branter (the one who did the procedure) even introduced themselves to me and explained the procedure and even met with me when i went to pick him up. She also told me i can email her with any questions and it was nice to feel like she cared and that my baby was in good hands. The whole team that helped with Pip were GREAT! Everyone from the reception area to the vet techs (Thank you Crystal!) and then to the wonderful doctors that were able to send him home healthy and happy!
¹⁰⁄₁₀ recommend coming here!

Overpriced. I went for a consult and ended up being charged over $ 500 for «tests». Avoid them.

My dog was attacked by a pit bull while we were on our morning walk. I brought my pup here wrapped in blankets and covered in blood, plus I was crying hysterically. The front desk staff was EXTREMELY helpful. Alissa came to take my dog for help immediately, and she offered me some kind words. Larry was kind enough to help guide my elderly mother to the facility, staying on the phone with her 20 minutes to give her turn-​by-​turn directions. Wendy, Ariamn (sp?), and Brittany were also very kind. They offered me water and snacks. Another nurse (I’m sorry I didn’t catch her name), help me wash my face and calm down. Unfortunately my puppy had to have his leg amputated. The Access Vet suggested a more cost effective option would be to transfer my dog to his regular vet. I so appreciated her honesty! They made sure my dog was stable enough to transfer, wrapped him up in a blanket so he was comfortable, and gently placed him in my car. I even got a follow-​up call from one of the workers there, just to check on my baby.
tl;dr — The best place you can take your furry friend in an emergency situation!

The short version: They performed an emergency surgery to remove a gastro blockage and saved my dog’s life. The were very informative kept me calm and in the loop throughout the entire process.
The long version: I took my dog here at 2:30am when she had been vomiting for a few hours and I was very concerned. I was unable to take her the closer Veterinary ER, because their X-​ray machine was down.
We checked in and a technician came out within 90 seconds and asked us some questions and took my dog back into the facility. We were then offered a beverage or snack and taken to a patient room to wait for the Doctor (Dr. Stumpp) to come talk to us.
Dr. Stumpp came out and explained they had done an x-​ray and didn’t see a foreign body blockage, but did see inflammation. They gave her fluids to help with the dehydration and some anti-​nausea meds.
We went home, but she continued to vomit in the morning and we called and they said to bring her back in. When we arrived at 11am we had the same quick experience with check-​in. This time we spoke to a different Doctor (Dr. Becker, I believe). He have us a few care options and explained the difference in both cost and results. We opted for an ultra sound that showed more inflammation (compared to the night before) and thought she might have a linear body causing her intestine to scrunch up. They ran an x-​ray to compare to the night before to confirm.
At this point the doctor offered us a few care options, explained the risks of each and we opted for exploratory surgery based on his recommendation. I was very concerned about needing to cut her open, but was reassured by both the vet and the technician’s confidence and knowledge.
We were required to pay a deposit equal to the low end of the care estimate ($ 6,700). I don’t say this to deter anyone from using their services, I just want readers to have the full picture.
They had her in and out of surgery by 8pm that night. The surgeon called before and after to let us know she was going under and to report on the successful outcome. They indeed found 2 linear foreign bodies and were able to remove them with no complications. Additionally the opted to tack her stomach to her body wall to prevent it from flipping (a common issue with older female large chested dogs like mine).
The next day were were able to visit her and help feed her the first meal she’d had since she started vomiting. She stayed for another night and we were able to take her home after our visit that day.
A few days later I became concerned by some swelling around the incision and took her in again. They did a free check up and it turned out I was just being over cautious and everything was healing well.
My dog still has a few more days of recovery left before the 25 staples on her tummy are removed, but she’s doing very well thanks to the care at Access. I’m grateful to everyone there.

If you want to pay top dollars for the staff who chitchats in front of you instead of explaining about treatment and bills, you can go here.

The cardiologist saw my dog and only gave him some meds and a dire termination date. He prefaced his blow by claiming he’s «very direct and honest». However, within that self described supposition lies «faithless», «hopeless» and «obliviously unaware of how far reaching and detrimental his words are to the client». This set me on a tailspin for my buddy.
I have other friends who were referred here who have said the same thing about him. We all go to the same regular vets too in our general area, thats how we get referred to the same specialists in the first place. I find the cardiologist Dr. Jason Arndt’s bedside manner absolutely without compassion and now he’s leaving the state at the end of Feb 2016, no doubt to give death sentences to other animals in Idaho. The clients will hear his narrowminded death sentence for their animal and GIVE UP, maybe even instantaneously deciding to put their animals to sleep. Essentially murdering them. Why do I say this? Because Dr. Arndt even talked about euthansia with me!!! EUTHANSIA!!! When my pet was feeling good, walking, eating well and not anywhere near his time! Heartless pompous ass. I think a cardiologist is a place you go when your hopes run out, but he shouldn’t be declaring when we should run out of hope, the a-​hole.
About «hope», whatever happened to it? … what happened to optimism, to doing all you can to keep your beloved animal alive? DON’T GIVE UP ON THEM!!! Don’t believe numbers spit out by jaded doctors who see animals dying every day and have become mundane and cynical.
I also found out something that is quite unprofessional and shocking (aside from giving pets harsh, rude expiration dates that devastate the clients) THEY DONT HAVE ANYONE TO RUN THE ECHOCARDIOGRAM IN THE 24 HOUR ER CLINIC! Jerks. An expensive fancy joint like this is devoid of doctors to run an echo. Thats ridiculous and very unprofessional considering the amount of dollars they’re raking in.
The one exception to all this mess is an assistant and animal rescue gal who is in her 70’s!!! I think her name is Diane, I cant recall but she’s in her 70’s, shes very kind, giving, and loving, it belies her harsh look, shes quite a personality, but she’s not indicative of the rest of the people there. What can I say, theres always a jewel amid filth.
The reception told me on the phone, that if there was a serious situation requiring an echo they would call the cardiologist to run it. Meanwhile he is only available WED TO SATURDAYS, seriously dudes?
Who the hell is avail the rest of the time??? Noone. They need more cardiologists there besides Arndt, who is only there four days a week, now he’s gone, and they arent even in a hurry to hire someone permanent and new! They have a cardiologist on call who works somewhere else. yet they have a CARDIAC CENTER??? How unprofessional!
Its INEXCUSABLE. Perhaps Dr. Arndt should take a sensitivity course. These animals are not numbers, they are souls having human animal experiences. But now he’s gone because if you’re reading this on March 1, 2016 he’s left to Idaho, and I seriously hope people in Idaho are going to Unilocal to look him up at his former practice. Ugh. Otherwise there will be lots of early deaths for beloved pets.
Oh and let me tell you. almost 16 months later my pet IS STILL ALIVE!!! Even in late 2015 he registered «Surprise» that my pet was still alive, when I called to get a lasix refill. When I asked why he said «Well they usually don’t live this long».
How rude to say that. They don’t live that «long» because you GIVE UP ON THEM, thats why.

I have taken my pets here for various reasons. But the main reason was a major surgery for my maltese who had bladder stones adhered to his urethra. My surgeon was Dr. Lo. She was amazing and I highly recommend her. She explained in detail everything that was to be done. My pet stayed at their facility for several days to recover and their techs took great care of him. I’ve also taken my maltese to Dr. Robles for his seizures. She and her assistant, Yolanda are wonderful at their job. They are infomative and sweet.
In the last year or so, they have gotten better at their front desk service. There was one girl there who had a major attitude about payment when I explained to her our situation and that she would definitely get payment. When you have a $ 5,000 surgery, you have to move finances around and make the best financial decisions and she apparently didn’t understand that. I’d like to see her pay that on her salary. But I digress.
Dr. Robles and Dr. Lo are class acts!

If you’re reading this review, you’re doing your due diligence in researching an Emergency Hospital for your beloved pet. I am sure you’re looking for a competent Dr and staff who is going to make your pet better where you can take your pet home the same day and within the next few hours.
MAKE NO MISTAKE; DO NOT LET YOUR EMOTIONS CLOUD YOUR JUDGEMENT. THIS PLACE IS RETAIL AND THEY CHARGE PREMIUM! Like other reviews, if you have disposable income to throw around and you want 24 hour care for your pet, water, sodas and snacks and fruit at your disposal, then Access is for you. This is an emergency clinic, so its not like the Vets know and understand your pet without doing an expensive examination and consultation fee. For $ 150, the Drs will look at your pet for maybe 2 – 4 minutes. probably 5 minutes max. Is it worth it? Tough to say…
Bottom line, this ER is very expensive and the front desk are actually quite competent. for the most part. If they are not busy, the young front desk people are all gathering behind the desk gossiping or make this impression they are important people keeping busy. They do not empathize when you bring your pet in. Its just a job for them. You can tell by their attitude and their eyes, Chico!

So far my experience here has been amazing. My chihuahua was diagnosed with a luxating patella by our vet who sent us for a consultation– the first placed we tried was ASEC on sepulveda. While they concurred with our vet we just did not have a comfortable feel. Bedside manner was mild at best. They acted like my pet was any random stray and did not make us warm and comfortable to get a surgery there. The doctor (actually found later the intern) was lovely but we were not convinced we should get surgery there.
Keep in mind I’m writing this review the night after my boy had surgery so I haven’t had the full experience yet but still wanted to share my experience so far.
We met with Dr Kim Carey a week later and from the second we walked in I knew it was the right place, anyone who wants their pet in care of people who treat your pets like there’s this is the place. Incredible bedside manner incredibly thorough, called many times with updates and so on. I love this place based on my experience so far. If you’re dog needs surgery do it, here.

Everything that you need and want when you are in an emergency with your pet. Open 24hours, immaculate animal hospital.
I ran to the front desk with my hurt kitty, and they were calling for help before I finished vomiting my story at them.
They took great care of my cat, and do a lot to keep the humans comfortable too. Nice facility, calming caring energy, snacks and drinks too.
For immediate attention, rabies shot, stapled wound, 2weeks of pain meds & antibiotics, it was $ 315. A few days later, kitty ripped out her staple and they took care of her again right away with two staples for another $ 90.
Yes expensive, but this is the emergency room. I’d say each line item was +$ 20 than what you’d pay at a regular vet… where you’d be waiting a long time, if seen at all because it’s not an ER.
These folks took action and excellent care of my baby, I could tell they work on an emergency basis. So… if you are having a crisis with your furry baby, don’t hesitate to head on over to ACCESS right away!

Mi loro amazónico, una especie exótica, se empezó a poner mal desde la segunda semana de mayo con problemas respiratorios y dificultad para respirar.
Buscando lugares confiables para asistir a popeye, encontramos en la web a Access, revisamos el resumen de la Dra Petriz, la única veterinaria especializada en animales exóticos en USA, pues el primer especialista vive en Alemania, escuchamos sus entrevistas y de sus experiencias el los zoos y decidimos ye era la mejor para nuestra mascota.
Lo llevamos a Access y lo atiende la Dra Petriz, ella muy amable, muy humana y muy atenta al igual que la señorita que la apoya, además que es bilingüe.
A popeye Se le hizo Rx examen de sangre, sin resultados de indiquen que esta con hongos u otros.
Aún así para asegurarnos se le prescribió antibióticos y antiinflamatorio por una semana… Una semana después de sus medicamentos no mostró signos de mejora, empeorando… El día de ayer fue internado y durmió en una cámara de oxígeno; al arribar solo nos indicaron que lo recomendable era que dejara de sufrir pues ya era extremadamente difícil que se mantenga paradito y respirara por si mismo, por lo cual mi esposo y yo decidimos que lo duerman.
No opino de costos puesto que no creo que fue irracional, lo que si me hubiera gustado era tener los resultados en mi email, cosa que nos los tuve, solo nos mostraron una tableta con las imágenes y el resultado de sangre lo oímos vía telefónica.
El staff súper amable y paciente puesto que yo estuve nerviosa y algo alterada .
La doctora hizo lo que pudo y lo que supo… Pero también estoy convencida que para darle mas valor a su certificación en animales exóticos aún le falta praxis o experiencia, pues la experiencia ayuda a detectar rápidamente el síntoma y la posible causa de la incomodidad como n tan sólo oírlo o tactarlo… Aún así estoy agradecida por que al menos trataron de ayudarlo, aunque nadie sabe la causa de su muerte.
Por ahora mi popeye descanza en paz. :(