Contra Costa Animal Eye Clinic

The first visit was hundreds of dollars and the medication did not clear up the issue. They told me the follow up visit would be just the cost of the office visit. While I came in for the recheck and was told to try a new medication I was NEVER informed that the tests they did were Extra. I left my recheck after paying 216 $ when I expected maybe 100 $. They should inform the client that they would charge for the same tests and visit that I spent over 300 $ 2 months ago. I am appalled by their tactics

On October 22, 2015, Dr Wiggans worked Boo in and stayed late to do his surgery. Boo had been to three doctors who could not find what was wrong. Turned out, a curled eyelash was scratching his eye with every blink. Dr Wiggans found the problem in minutes, treated Boo that day. It is November 22 and Boo’s eye looks like there was never a problem. Thank you Dr Wiggans and to his wonderful, professional staff for helping my little man through a very painful time.
Would I recommend? YES
Would I take my pet there again: Heck Yes
Was it budget work… NO, but how much did I pay to see 3 other Vets and get nowhere?
If your pet has an eye issue, get an appointment NOW.
Namaste

This review is long-​overdue. Dr. Freidman and Dr. Hamilton and the staff are amazing. My dog Abby had complication after her eye came out of it socket. She had surgery at UC Davis and then weeks later got a deep corneal ulcer and abscess. Dr Friedman worked so aggressively to save her eye since she had a stroke following her surgery. She was worried about having her go thru another procedure. When I called for a appointment we got in right away. We were being seen at least twice a week for the first few weeks. The staff was always so friendly and gentle with Abby. If I had any questions when I was at home they were able to answer them for me or have me come in for a quick check. Abby has her eye now because of the incredible work at Dr Friedman and Dr. Hamilton! I am so grateful.

This is a fantastic place! Everyone there is super friendly, and not only did our dog make a complete recovery, but they even let us cancel our final appointment without penalty!

This review is way past due. 2 years ago I brought my terrier because he had an irritated eye. I called in the morning and made an appt. for later that afternoon. I really need to mention that my dog is a super anxiety ridden dog. Anywho’s we check in and we are promptly taken back while the hubby fills out paperwork.
My dog is growling and the vet throws a muzzle on him and he calms down. She immediately sees that he has a fox tail in his eye! I knew he would have to be knocked out, he always is for just about anything but I knew for sure this time. NOPE!
The vet calls in a vet tech and they both grab my dog and he is a growler and wiggler but they do what they need to do and look at me and say they are going to prep him to get it out and allowed me to see how infected it had gotten.
I was shocked that they didn’t knock him out and let them know, lol. She says if we don’t have to we won’t. They prepped him and went in and got it out.
I really appreciated that they didn’t add that extra cost to the bill but I really appreciated how in control and professional they were. The bill did come out to $ 400 but for what they did and how they handled him I was fine with it and left knowing he was going to be alright. Within 4 days he was way better and totally recovered within 10 days.
This next review is for today and my other dog a maltipoo. 3 days ago my dog was sneezing and messing with his eye. I made an appt. at Geary Vet. Hospital and they saw him and referred him out to CC eye clinic. We really were given a choice my our vet and decided to go because of our wonderful experience before. Anywho’s in my hubby and daughter went with our little guy and the vet found 3 FOXTAILS in the back of his mouth and that was irritating his eye. $ 363 later he is home resting.
My hubby said the staff and vet was great and the quality of care was top notch. I even received an email with pics of the back of his mouth where the foxtails were and the actual foxtails and his eye. My little one wants to be a vet so he loved them!
Our family has recommended the CC animal eye clinic to family, friends and most recently a neighbor. When I’m asked why I highly recommend this place in a nutshell, well here it is:
–professional staff & vet
–caring staff & vet
–quality care
–common sense approach they do not go directly to knocking your pet down THIS IS COSTLY
–medication list, bill, detailed instructions in a neat folder with all meds and med cutter and treats in a bag ready to go
–they actually call to check up on your pet! If you feel your dog is improving (1^st trip with my terrier) you do not need to come in and they do not make you feel crappy like you are a bad owner.

Today was a perfect day at the Animal Eye Clinic. Our Great Dane had the best care ever. Dr. Friedman is an a amazing animal eye doctor. Riley was in and out of his laser surgery less then an hour. Dr. Friedman, and Katelyn, explained everything that was going to happen in a positive and loving way. We didnt have one ounce of worry. Thank you from the bottom of my heart:)

Our dog needed to have a mass removed from his eyelid. The ride out took us approx. 40min. We live some distance from the clinic. We know our dogs are not the quietest dogs, but as soon as we entered the building there was tension. The staff glared at us and slammed the glass window shut. There was another dog in the waiting room. I asked the woman if it was alright for our dogs to greet her dog. She said her dog was blind, but was alright with that. (I was hoping my dogs would calm down and stop barking) While letting the dogs greet each other, a staff member ran out and JERKED my dogs away from the other dog. She scolded me for allowing my dogs near a blind dog. All she needed to do was tell me that this was not a good idea. We should have promptly left and found another more friendly facility. If they don’t like noise they shouldn’t work at an animal clinic. We will not recommend this clinic to anyone.
P. S. After we got home, we discovered that we were over charged.

I am so glad I was referred to this eye clinic. The doctors and techs were amazingly sensitive to my animals needs. I immediately felt at ease and knew that she was in the best hands.
it is a really busy place, but that totally makes sense – there aren’t many places that deal with animal’s eyes, and this place is one of the best.. .. .
I would recommend this clinic to everyone i know that needs special attention for their pets.

I had been to see Dr. Friedman once before and my experience was very good. Today I called to try and get an appointment as soon as possible for one of my pets that has a recurring eye problem that is making him uncomfortable and the RX that was given to him is not working. I was told that I would have to wait 5 weeks for an appointment and could be put on a waiting list _​ONLY _​if I made an appointment first. I then asked what they do in an emergency, and was told that they run the emergency by the doctor and if the doctor thinks it is an emergency then an appointment can be made BUT there is an emergency charge of $ 200 plus whatever else would be needed. I’m not sure this is an emergency but
my regular vet always says you should not let an eye problem go on, which is why i was sent here the first time.
Very disappointed in this whole experience and will not
be back!

I took my dog here after hearing a friend like them. After waiting several weeks for an appointment, I had to wait over 30 minutes to just go into the exam room. I was asked several questions by the tech staff and Dr. Friedman came in and informed me that she was helping another client and would be a few minutes. That turned into another 25 minutes of waiting. So after a total of an hour plus wait, the doctor and the tech come in, give my dog a 5 minute exam, says it’s all good and that’s it. Then the real issue begins…
The tech, Bonnie, berates me for 30 minutes on how I don’t know how to put meds in my dogs eyes (she’s a fighter), that I have to withhold food, and make her jealous of my other dog eating. When I point out that we have to micro-​manage food issues in my home because of aggression issues, it fell on deaf ears. She was also very rough with my dog, grabbing her by the collar and shaking at her. My dog hid behind me and she’s never done that ever! Wait… it gets better. The tech then hugs me to «show me how much pressure to put on the dog when restraining her». Talk about inappropriate!
When it was all done I couldn’t wait to get out of there… that’s the real kicker. I check my bill later and I got charged for something they didn’t do. When I called them to question it, they claim they did stain her eyes, and that they rinsed them so that they wouldn’t be dirty. I was in that room, with the vet for less than 5 min, I know there was no eye staining or cleaning of any kind.
Check other Unilocal reviews, you will see same issues with wait times, rough handling of animals and being charged for services not received. Awful experience all the way around!

good service but terrible scheduling. 9am apt, arrived 10 min early and sat and waited. and waited. and waited. finally taken to a room at 9:55 and Dr finally saw us at 10 am… never waited so long for an apt anywhere else.

I highly recommend this clinic. You are guaranteed to receive good quality of care.
My dog had an incident during a surgery with her vet and needed eye care for a period of time. The team at Contra Costa Animal Eye Clinic was friendly, helpful, and sweet. They very kindly developed a spreadsheet for all of the medication I had to give my dog to make my life easier.
They earned my trust right away.

My husband and I were very pleased with this clinic. The vet explained our dog’s condition very well and discussed various treatment options fully. We didn’t feel like anyone was trying to sell us on or guilt us into an expensive eye surgery. We were also incredibly pleased with the vet and assistant’s manner with our fearful dog. They had great, calming energy, which really helped him cope with the necessary examination procedures (eye drops, bright lights, etc.). The cost for the visit was a bit high for our financial situation, but it is a specialist after all.

I took my dog here and paid $$$$ for tests and five different meds including antibiotics. I realized that NONE OF THE MEDICATIONS OR PAPERWORK I WAS PROVIDED INDICATED HOW LONG I WAS SUPPOSED TO CONTINUE ADMINISTERING THE MEDS, but since we had a follow-​up appt. in 2 weeks, I wasn’t that worried.
However, as I am meticulous, and I used my dog’s last dose of the antibiotics on the 7^th day, I left a detailed vm at 6:45 a.m. on the 8^th day, to confirm the 7 day series (rather than 10 which is common). As I hadn’t received a return call, I CALLED AGAIN, at 4:05 p.m. (still plenty of time for me to pick up the meds that day.)
The receptionist told me that the doctor had gotten the message. She confirmed that there was no indication how long any of the meds were to be administered and said that «usually» there is some indication, including whether refills are available. In our case, there was nothing. I asked again how long my dog was supposed to take the antibiotics but the receptionist couldn’t help me.
So, at 4:59 p.m. the receptionist called me to tell me that I was supposed to keep giving the meds for 10 days.
So,
(1) I was only given enough antibiotics for 7 days;
(2) I was not told the antibiotics were supposed to be administered for 10 days, (if I had, I would have known I didn’t have enough and called before running out);
(3) The receptionist called me so I couldn’t even ask about the medical implications of my dog missing 2 doses of antibiotics (making me worry all night and lose sleep); and
(4) I was told that if I couldn’t make it there in 10 minutes, I’d have to pick it up the next day. (If my call had been returned in a timely manner, I could have picked the medication, but the 4:59 phone call prevented this.)
This was not handled well. If I had done this, I would have offered to stay until 5:30 or 6 p.m. so the dog could have the medication that evening.
So early the next morning I went in to pick up the meds, and was told that the «standard practice» is that people continue meds until the re-​check. I made it clear that I was unhappy about this and they promised to call the manager. Smart move, the manager is awesome.
I was charged for the extra doses but the next day their manager called me an addressed each of my concerns. The manager was really great and made me feel like she really cared about me and my dog. It is based on her professional and prompt response that I am upgrading the rating I originally gave.
BUT DOUBLE CHECK YOUR MEDS AND MAKE SURE YOU HAVE THE MINIMUM BASIC INSTRUCTIONS SUCH AS HOW LONG TO ADMINISTER THEM. If you are running low, call 2 days in advance or call the on-​call number, because if they get busy, they may not be able to return your call before 5.
I have a follow up visit and my dog does seem to be doing better, so I’ll update later.

My first visit here and everything was excellent. Staff was very nice and the doctor we saw was excellent with first visit consult and then going after the eye problem. Lots up front parking and right off easy freeway 680 access.

We’ve been going to this group of eye specialists for over a year. First to postpone eye removal for our cat, and then finally the eye removal. Every time I went, I dreaded it. The waiting room is usually chaotic — it’s small, filled with nervous pets made more nervous by the ridiculously loud electronic bell that sounds every time the main door is opened or closed, the front office staff talking loudly, constantly ringing phones, etc. They often run 20 — 30 mins late due to taking emergencies, and several of the vets lack any kind of people skills. However, I’ve never faulted the care.
Today was my worst experience — ever, at any vet.
I took our cat in to have the sutures taken out after his eye removal surgery. As often happens with stitches, the skin had healed around them, making them difficult to remove. This was painful for the cat and the wound was bleeding. He began violently struggling to get out of the grip of the vet tech. Her «technique» for trying to control the cat was to wrap both her hands around his neck and shake him repeatedly. I have never seen such abusive handling of an animal. It was deplorable, unprofessional, inappropriate, and totally ineffective (not surprisingly it made the cat more upset,). It took everything I had not to employ that same technique on the vet tech.
I called the vet this evening to say how appalled I was at the tech’s behavior and that I was still very upset. The summary of that discussion is that they don’t interfere with the techs’ approaches. So basically the techs can behave however they want.
Be prepared to step in and protect your animal from at least one bullying vet tech.

Our family was blown away by the Animal Eye Clinic! Their extremely courteous staff put me at ease, the Dr. was really patient with us and answered all our questions and concerns thoroughly, and the surgery went really well. Our dog had to have stitches near his eye, and the job was really well done and precise. They were so great to call us immediately after the surgery to give us a report, spent a lot of time with the go-​home instructions, and I had full confidence our dog was well taken care of while he was there. It is always nerve wracking to have a pet need anesthesia, but they made it as easy and pleasurable for us as it could be. I am so glad our vet recommended this specialist for our beloved dog!
QUICK UPDATE: day after the surgery, they called to make sure our dog was healing well, asked if we had additional questions and gave us some more useful information!

Our dog Kato has paid three visits to the clinic. Our 12 ½ year old Malamute can be stubborn at times. This morning he did not want to get out of the truck… period. The Dr and staff grabbed their gear and came out and looked after him right where he was. Thanks for the care and understanding!

I have taken 3 dogs to another local veterinary ophthalmologist for 12 years. What a breath of fresh air to walk into this clinic instead. The folks are warm and genuinely caring, the veterinarians are professional and down to earth. Their prices are better than where I have been going. I am thrilled to have found this new (to us) animal eye care clinic.
We’ve been watching my little dog’s eye since she had a stroke 2 – 3 years ago. The lens had partially detached and we had been warned repeatedly that if it completely detached, our girl would be in terrible pain almost immediately and we would likely have to put her down.
Monday, I looked at her and saw that her lens had moved. She didn’t appear to be in any pain, but with our many foreboding warnings, I called our veterinary ophthalmologist right away. They said they could see her in 5 days. Panicked, I called a friend to see who she uses, and called the Fremont office of Animal Eye Clinic, who referred me to their Pleasant Hill office. I called for an appointment.
I veterinary ophthalmologist (Dr Freedman) got on the phone with me to evaluate our situation. She was terrific. Had it warranted an immediate visit, she would have seen us that afternoon. As it turned out, it could wait until morning.
We saw Dr Flemming at their clinic in the morning and he was just wonderful. He looked at the eye and told us it had not detached, but was close to that — and that glaucoma (and pain and having to put her down) was unlikely. He agreed with our assessment of our 14 year old, chronically ill dog and did not press us to do unnecessary surgery on her.
I am only sorry I spent the past 2 – 3 years at another pet hospital being pressured and frightened about my dog’s situation. I’d give these folks 10 stars if it was possible.