Carlsen William F DVM

My mother and I took our family golden to Dr. Carlsen for a second opinion because we could not get a true diagnosis. Dr. Carlsen and his office took such good care of our golden, and my mother and I. It was a sad situation finding out our golden was dying of cancer but so glad to have answers. Dr. Carlsen is so professional and such a wonderful man. He not only made everything so clear, he turned a not great moment into a beautiful moment. He took time, ran appropriate tests and even gave us hugs. He is not in the office tomorrow but is going to call with more results and help us come up with a plan. The right plan to say good-​bye. He was highly recommended by a friend and I now understand.

took my yorkie/​poo mix to Dr. Carlsen in October 2013 for behavior problems (he was attacking our other dog because of anxiety issues). Dr. Carlsen prescribed a medicine called Reconcile (a dog form of prozac) for him. I bought a few bottles then and went back and bought more bottles from him and gave this medication to my dog for a number of months. Unbeknownst to me, this medication had been discontinued by the manufacturer because of inconsistency issues. I first found out about this from my sister in law (a vet in New Orleans), but trusted Dr. Carlsen and continued to give Reconcile to my pooch.
My dog abruptly started to become aggressive again, attacking our other dog five to six times a day-​more than he had before we started giving him medication, so I called the manufacturer who confirmed that, in fact, Reconcile had been discontinued in August, 2013 because of inconsistencies. I took my dog to our vet in Las Vegas (we have a second home there) and he was appalled that any vet would prescribe a discontinued and inconsistent medication. He gave me a better prescription for my dog, and the next time I was in LA I took the two unopened bottles of Reconcile back to Dr. Carlsen for a refund and left them there because he was out of town. They said they’d ask him and get back to me.
It took over five months for a response, and they called this morning and said Dr. Carlsen would not refund the $ 138 ($ 69 a bottle) for the medication and wanted to know if I wanted them back. Really!?! Not only is this very bad business practice, it is. quite frankly, dumb. It’s a $ 138…is he so desperate for cash that he prescribes bad medication and then won’t make a refund for unopened bottles of this bad medication?! Very scary on so many levels.
I strongly urge you not to use this vet because he is untrustworthy, prescribes bad medication, and had bad business practices. My dog suffered unnecessarily because of him, and if he can make this kind of unscrupulous medical decisions for my dog, he can make them for your pet. PLEASE DO NOT USE THIS VET!
I will say, however, that his staff is great and I appreciate them following up with me and trying to get him to do the right thing. Very sad that they couldn’t succeed. Again… DON“T USE THIS VET!

Two words… Rude receptionist!!!

I took my cat Natasha to Dr. Carlsen starting in 1990 when I first got her and also took Rocky to him in 1991 when I rescued him from an owner who wasn’t taking care of him.
Rocky was difficult for Dr. Carlsen and his staff to work with as his worst behavior would come out at the vet’s. However, when Rocky was diagnosed with cancer in 1999, Dr. Carlsen was very compassionate to my feelings as he knew how much I loved Rocky. Dr. Carlsen told me to enjoy Rocky while I had him and estimated that Rocky would last another 3 months. I took Rocky in to be put down when his suffering became obvious. Dr. Carlsen even asked me if I wanted to be alone after giving Rocky his shot.
Natasha on the other hand was very sweet, and the whole staff loved her. She was diagnosed with lymphoma in 2001 and lasted until early November 2003. I took her in to be put down when digestion had gotten too painful for her. I think it was as hard on Dr. Carlsen as it was on me. One of the staff people put me into an examination room with Natasha because I was crying in the waiting area.

We have been going to Carlsen for years, but the guy is not the same. Like Directv adds, he sees people/​animals as Benjamins (100 dollar bills), and nothing more. He is all about the money, period. Further, the prior review regarding passive/​aggressive behavior is right on point. The nice side turns to ugly (it has happened more than once), if you ask him a question, appear to question him, delay his scheduling, or do not follow his lead like sheep. In my opinion, there are better out there, you just need to find them.

Dr. Carlsen has been treating my family’s pets for nearly 20 years. He is very compassionate and dedicated to his patients. He kept one of our cats alive (and happy) for FIVE YEARS while she had a tumor in her heart. She and our other cat both lived to be 19.

You will not find a more skilled, knowlegable and kind veternarian than Dr. Carlsen. We were looking for a new vet and we were referred by a friend tha has been a very happy customer over 20 years. His staff is sweet courteous and very helpful. We took our 16 year old cat in due to an infection and abscess that sprang up over night. This was so very serious she could have easily died. It turned out she had a mild form of diabetes, Dr. Carlsen performed the extraction and it healed beautifully. Dr. Carlsen had been working with us to get her health back on track via diet before resorting to insuling shots. She has been doing excellent, her energy has come back and she is happy with a voracious appetite.
We then had the unfortunate luck of another cat getting very sick a weel later. It was my sister’s 8 year old cat we had adopted. The cat was lethargic and lissless. We thought he had eaten something to make him ill. We took the cat to another vet as Dr. Carlsen’s office was closed on the weekend and the vet gave him the wrong type of hydration (had an additive that was not appropriate for his condition) and insulin; By Monday morning he was almost dead. We took him in to Dr. Carlsen’s office at first thing where he was hospitalized for 3 days. It turns out he was in a diabetic coma and had swelling on the brain due to the wrong treatment. His loving staff gave our cat round the clock care and while he still has a bumpy road to being 100% he is so much better and regaining his energy. We expect him to have a great recovery and the Dr. said we should be able to get him back to health without out the reliance on insluin shots by making some adjustments to his diet. Dr. Carlsen had saved the life of two of our cats. If you want to deal with a vet that really knows his stuff, Dr. Carlsen is the vet for you

Behold the snake charmer.
My dog and I dodged a major bullet today by seeking out a second opinion of a diagnosis given by the legendary William Carlsen DVM. Long and short of it is that the good doctor recommended a very invasive, complicated not to mention costly opthalmic procedure for my dog. He diagnosed it as an «indolent corneal ulcer» that required a grid keratotomy so it would heal. Yes my dog had an ulcer on his cornea. However, urged by friends to seek a second opinion I saw Dr. Chang at VCA just 18 hours later. After a very thorough exam of the eye including the back of the eye and optic nerve, Dr. Change determined the ulcer had healed and the procedure was completely unnecessary.
I am disgusted by Dr. Carlsen. He is wreckless and obviously had no business diagnosing the eye. Or perhaps he saw a ripe opportunity to profit from a pet owner’s vulnerability. I know he is regarded as a god in the animal community. I think he is closer to a greedy demon. Even assuming he made a diagnostic mistake, turns out he has no business performing a grid keratotomy on a pinpoint ulcer with the equipment he has in his office.
I stopped seeing Carlsen about 7 years ago after a dental cleaning he did turned out to be more than double the estimate he gave me. Turns out my instincts were right. Had my vet not sold her practice this year I would not have returned to him but with just a re-​check I figured it would be simple enough.
I know he has countless loyal followers who are charmed by his good looks and immaculate office. For those of you considering going to him I would beware and always seek the second opinion of a specialist.

I had two animals treated here their whole lives, and both were put down by Dr. Carlsen — with great empathy I’ll not soon forget.

Dr. Carlsen cared for my dogs for over 12 years (one of them from cradle to grave) and I can honestly say he does an outstanding job. My animals liked him and his staff and even tolerated boarding with them on occasion, which considering how cowardly my pups could be, says a lot about the caring and humane atmosphere of the place.
His ability does have its drawbacks: his patients make it very difficult for Carlsen Animal Hospital to expand its practice beyond the eponymous proprietor; I have seen several qualified, able vets join the practice only to leave again, because hardly anyone would see them in place of Dr. Carlsen. During the times when he has been away for some reason, the office is empty and quiet; every other day, though, it resembles Times Square on New Year’s Eve, only without Ryan Seacrest and his dye job. Given the great demand for his services, and the insufferably self-​entitled attitudes of his West Side clientele, Dr. Carlsen can charge a premium for his goods and services, and he does so unblushingly. However, I have to say that he never had me regretting the fees I paid; rather, I felt thankful to have such a talented vet and a compassionate person in my and my dogs’ corner.
The parking lot is small, and the wait can feel long. For goodness sake give the other vet (s) there a try and you’ll get in and out much quicker. But if you simply must have Dr. Carlsen, you’ll never look back once you get in to consult with him.

Bill Carlsen has been my vet for over 12 years. He has saved 2 of my animal’s lives over that time. He approaches his practice with fantastic bedside manner and is very fair in his dealings when it comes to serious medical issues that get costly. I love the man. He is as good as it gets when it comes to the best care for my pets.

I don’t know what some of the people who left poor reviews were thinking but I have never had anything but a great experience with Dr Carlsen. He has been kind, compassionate and very upfront about all my animals. I bring my 2 chihuahuas here as well as the rescue dogs I pull from the shelter and have never been steered wrong or over charged. As a matter of fact Dr Carlsen caught some problems that another vet who shall remain nameless did not and for another dog did some major surgery for about ²⁄₃ the price the «other vet» quoted me. He gives discounts to my staff when they bring in rescue dogs and every client I have ever referred there raves about him. Prices don’t seem out of line at all and when it comes down to it even if they were higher than normal who wouldn’t be willing to pay a bit more to ensure their pet is well taken care of, properly diagnosed and properly treated?

In reading the one review I realized the other review in this section is someone who probably never even met Dr. Carlsen and has never been a customer.
Most reviews for this veterinarian are under Carlsen Animal Hospital and are for the most part pretty positive. True B. is obviously a professional reputation wrecker — because this is a pro trick — just make up a new category for the Dr. and low and behold he gets one star!
My experience is that I have been taking my cats to Carlsen Animal Hospital for over 12 years. One cat died at 18 ½ and the other is still alive and 19 ½. I have found Dr. Carlsen (the clinic) to be reasonable and that the owner Dr. Carlsen is kind, intelligent and really, really cares about my animals. He also recommends a lot of cool natural remedies and avoids unnecessary interventions.
I know that this Dr. will sometimes work 7 days a week, fully dedicated to the care of his patients and it pisses me off when a person like True B. plays this kind of dirty, thoughtless trick. Why not put your review next to all the others?

Dr. Carlsen is fantasic, but his staff/​front office needs some serious work. They seem tired, annoyed and basically can’t be bothered by anything but making sure you pay. Only one seems to even likes animals. He is a very good doctor, but I don’t know if I could deal with the whole office anymore. Since there is usually such a big wait (he really is that good) you do spend a lot of time with the ladies in the front desk!

Dr. Carlsen was recommended to us when we bought our dog, and while there’s no doubt he is a qualified vet, treating our dog for relatively minor problems has cost us over 5k the past two years. We brought him in for minor kennel cough this year, which is little more than a common cold, and we walked out with a 500 dollar due bill. Blood tests, x-​rays — are you kidding me? What made things worse is that they never called to confirm these tests, they just went ahead and did them and billed us. If you’re rich as hell and want to go overboard to take care of your animals, he’s the man. Otherwise, find a better option.