VCA Emergency Animal Hospital & Referral Ctr.

I have nothing but the highest regard for VCA in Mission Valley. My cat had many urgent health issues that were properly diagnosed and treated professionally. As my pet’s advocate, the choice was entirely mine to select VCA as a provider and accept any recommended diagnostics, procedures, or treatment plans. Never at any time was I pressured. In fact I had declined a test or two that did not seem necessary without any negative consequences. The compassion demonstrated recently as I made the painful decision for my companion to cross over the Rainbow Bridge was beyond reproach. My pet’s end of life was handled with respect and dignity. I will be forever grateful.

Our dog unfortunately didn’t make it home for Christmas. They handled the entire process with extreme professionalism and heart. Being pregnant and losing my best friend of almost 11 years was extremely hard, but I know Niles was in great hands there. They kept my husband informed step by step on what was happening. He in turn informed me. We had to leave him there overnight. We knew going through the doors that emergency vet care is very expensive, but our regular vet had already closed and the holidays had begun. They ran many tests to try and find the cause of his anemia. They found the issue with an ultrasound, but it was not something that could be repaired. They did above and beyond care in our eyes, at an extremely low cost for a dog we loved. You could tell they genuinely cared about our dog, while trying to give us an honest opinion on the situation at hand. A couple members of the staff cried along with us. They are extremely dedicated people and I am so thankful that they were open when no one else was (especially on the holidays)! We tried to tell them thank you by talking in coffees and treats for them on Christmas Day. When we went in I had no words. Thank God my husband was able to talk and tell them thank you for us. If any emergency happens to our other dog we will take her there without hesitation! I highly suggest these people for any and all pet emergencies. Thank you to VCA staff for help in a very difficult time.

So far our experiences have been nothing short of top-​notch. He’s had a myriad of problems including a urinary tract infection and bladder stones. We came to VCA early one morning when our dog had a blockage and was urinating drops of blood. Her other veterinarian had no idea what was going on so now we swear by VCA. Dr. Mendes is awesome, along with the other staff we have interacted with.

Oh dogs, they break your heart when they get old … I remember going here with my first dog Freddie 5 – 6 times when he was suffering from whatever ailment a first-​time dog-​mama freaks out over. So the last time I had been here until recently was 2001 and wow, things have certainly changed here. They’re in the midst of a great remodel and their staff is hugely compassionate and empathetic with whatever issue your dog has … it’s got more warmth and is less clinical now.
Leo, our shih tzu, is almost 15 (in two weeks) and struggling mightily with everything imaginable. He beat cancer with a toe amputation about 6 years ago, but he’s now got everything known to senior dog citizens … he’s deaf, blind in one eye, dry eye in both eyes, and has Cushing’s, systemic hypertension, and now pulmonary hypertension which was causing his cough. Kensington Vet referred us to Dr. Hsu and she is a fantastic cardiologist for doggies with ticker problems … very thorough and detailed and focused. When we took Leo here on an emergency basis earlier in the week, Dr. Hsu consulted behind the scenes with the absolutely wonderful Dr. Yi who was talking me through his serious condition and explained the severe pulmonary hypertension that he is now being treated for … with Viagra. Yes, that’s what they use. They even had it there in-​house to dispense which made everything that much easier.
Anyway, all the techs, receptionists, doctors, everyone here is respectful and understanding of those of us who typically meet them on some of the worst days of our lives. They understand and do everything in their power to help your pups see more days by your side.

They were nice and I’m sure the staff is just doing what they are told but…
This place has definitely been trained in intimidation selling tactics and closing techniques. After 2 hours of waiting they gave me an estimate of $ 2,000 to keep the dog overnight. He was puking and I just wanted an exam to see if it might be something serious. When i said it was not worth that amount of money and i will just take him home and keep an eye on him, they then said they could give me a lower estimate for reduced services. I also just don’t trust a place that will not let you see what they are doing to the dog. How am I suppose to know that they actually did anything or what Im paying for. I saw other reviews that they charge and them don’t actually do what they said.
Also the doctor was not even going to do those tests until hours later so I might as well just bring him to another vet in the morning.
I guess I don’t blame them because it is a business and they work off commission so you always try to up sell your customer but it seems like they suggested the same thing to everyone who came in that night «lets keep your dog over night and watch him and charge you and exorbitant amount for that» they guy next to me got the exact same bid as me every single line item the same. $ 2,000 because the dog had diarrhea.
My doggy day care will watch him for $ 22 all day and look in on him and give me updates.
Lesson learned, unless the dog is literally on his death bed wait until morning and go to a real vet office.

We had to bring our pup in for a stomach pumping emergency, and the staff was absolutely wonderful. From the very first phone call, they were completely knowledgeable and helpful, and made us feel as at ease as possible in a difficult situation. Dr. Nova took such great care of both our dog, but also us, the distraught parents! Thank you, VCA, for taking care of our family!

I had to take my dog in for an emergency visit after hours and VCA was great. I was clearly stressing out and they were very calm and very helpful. In fact, as soon as you walk in, they send a vet tech out to talk to you immediately which was exactly the sense of urgency I needed.
Yes, it is going to take forever sitting in a waiting room, and yes, it is going to be incredibly expensive. But these are all givens when it comes to ANY emergency room visit so I’m not going to fault them for that. What mattered to me was that the staff was knowledgable, they were very friendly, sensitive and empathetic and the waiting room was comfortable. There’s plenty of seating and there are magazines and a TV to help you pass the time. They even have vending machines and free coffee.
They are remodeling, so the back area is under construction. It looks like it’s going to be really nice but I honestly hope I never find out what it ends up looking like back there! I never want to go back, not because I have an issue with the office, but because I don’t want my poor guy to be sick like that ever again!

The only reason they get 1 star is because they are open 24 hours. I’ve had pets all of my life, and been to many vets, hospitals etc, but never have encountered such poor attitudes and treatment. This is my second night here, because the first time made my cat worse and I have nowhere else to go. I arrived last night at 10 with my cat in pain. We weren’t even talked to until 1230ish. We finally we able to leave around 2. Now, my second night here and my cat is still in pain, and the vet said he’s not! She just talks at you, thinks she knows everything, and doesn’t listen to a thing you say. I would never recommend Hinatsu to anyone. It doesn’t even seem like she cares about him at all. I’ve been here since 7. Now almost 10, and no treatment has been done.

This place love animals, I was here 3 times with my little doggie and got great service. Love the stuff!
Great work and thank you guys again!

I’ve never written a negative Unilocal review before and I normally wouldn’t but I feel like I have to inform the non-​wealthy people out there that you might be refused service.
I took my cat here because he’s experiencing severe liver problems and stopped eating. The staff was very friendly and took my little guy back immediately. I knew it would be pricey because it was an emergency vet but the prices they were trying to have me agree on were absolutely insane.
I finally agreed on the amount to at least get bloodwork and a few other things done to see what we need to do to start treatment ASAP. Completely denied of all options, they informed me I didn’t qualify for CareCredit (My credit is below average but not terrible) and I would have to pay the entire amount $ 1200-​ish before they could treat him.
I, like most young Americans, live paycheck to paycheck and I get paid Tuesday. They have no in house credit system and aren’t flexible at all. It seems ridiculous that this corporation hasn’t figured out another option.
They were able to send me home with a couple of things that might keep him alive until I can get him seen, did I mention that it’s Labor Day weekend so I can’t be seen anywhere until Monday or Tuesday… Yeah, crap luck and a bad experience along with it.
They’re probably a good vet if you can afford their care or don’t use their emergency services but beware that they’re one of those money hungry corporations.

Dangerous veterinary office. The vet did not provide the care that she told us our dog received and that she charged us for. Our dog could have died after visiting this office due the X-​ray we were told he received, but didn’t really get.
Our dog had several days of diarrhea so we brought him into the VCA Office around 7pm when his stool had more blood in it than it had before. The staff was nice, the doctor friendly and respectful. She seemed genuinely concerned with his health and explained that she wanted to do several tests. One of them was an X-​Ray. She ran his blood, (allegedly) performed an X-​Ray, and conducted a stool sample. All tests came back with negative results. We were told to that it looked like gastroenteritis and that he would likely just pass it through his system. He was given liquids to help with his slight dehydration and anti-​diarrheal meds to take for five days. We were charged and went home.
Our dog’s symptoms got worse; he started vomiting a few days later and we brought him to our normal vet. They did an X-​ray, and we found out that he had eaten something that was blocking his digestive tract. Our vet got his records from VCA, and it turns out that the clinic had never even conducted the X-​rays (which cost us $ 233). Thankfully the blockage has started moving, but had VCA actually did what they said they did, we would have known FIVE DAYS sooner what was actually wrong with our dog (which happened to be a condition that could actually have killed him).
When my wife called the VCA to get a refund for the X-​rays, there was absolutely no concern on their end. No apology, no one even asked how our dog was doing. We will NEVER be returning to this clinic.

I’m new to SD. I took my dog to here due to multiple 2-​hour episodes where he would cough, choke and throw-​up in a very panic manner. I spent $ 1,100 and received nothing expect multiple blood work-​ups and multiple level of x-​rays and continued conversations of «surgery» but nobody could tell me what the surgery was going to be for. I finally removed him from this facility, took him to a local vet where he was diagnose with a new allergy and he was having asthma attacks — a $ 90 bill. The local vet also told me to calm down and surgery was not needed.
This place is worthless and only after money!
You should only take your pet here if it’s been ran over by a vehicle and your trying to save their life.

I had to take my dog to the emergency room. I was very impressed by the staff. I called ahead time and told them I was on my way I was only down the street. I walked through the door and a vet tech was there waiting for us and took my dog right back to be examined. My dog was in the back with the staff for a little while then they brought me back to be with my baby and to talk to the doctor. The doctor was great she explained clearly what they to do and gave me great tips for at home care. All in all I give the 5 stars for being so amazing!

My elderly dog participates in a clinical trial here for a heart failure medicine. The staff is kind and supportive. They do all they can to accommodate my difficult schedule and make my dog comfortable. They offer 24-​hour care with a number of specialists on site. Highly recommend for urgent, emergency and complicated cases.

DO NOT TAKE YOUR PET HERE!!!
It took me forever to write a review about this place. I had to put my dog to sleep more than a year ago. She couldnt catch a breath all of a sudden, and collapsed.
We took her here in the morning. We didnt hear anything from them until about 8pm, when we finally decided to just go there ourselves and see what was happening. The lady at the front desk said we could check on our dog in a few minutes and that someone will be out to get us. We waited in the lobby for another hour at least.
Finally, we spoke to the «doctor.» This guy was an idiot, and looked like he was on drugs. He said «it could be this» and «i think» blah blah blah. Get to the point man. We were freaking out for our dogs health and all he could say was «i think.» He was also sniffling the whole time. He probably just snorted a whole bunch of coke, the way he was acting.
It was obvious our baby had lung cancer. While in the room with the idiot doctor, we googled what «he thought» the problem was. Sure enough, he was right. Why couldnt he just say he knew she had cancer? We knew something was wrong with her, but we wanted to know what it was for sure, and what we needed to do about it.
Did it really take from morning time until 8:00 pm to take a simple x-​ray? Clearly, the x-​ray showed signs of lung cancer, but as we waited at home for results all day, our dog was in a tiny holding cage ALL DAY?! During all this time, we could have been spending the last hours with our dog. Emergency, my ass.
I believe they only wanted our money. What other reasons would they hold a dog in an EMERGENCY room for so long. MONEY.
Thousands of dollars later, we were PISSED. We took our dog to be put down at an actual vet two days later and said our goodbyes.
We would have fought for the thousands of dollars back, but it wasnt worth it. We didnt want to ever think about the horrible experience again. Our dog is no longer suffering and thats all that matters.
DONT TAKE YOUR PET HERE, NOT IF YOU LOVE THEM.

I could write a book about all that Dr. Sara Ford has done for our dog, Tallulah, but in the interest of brevity, I will offer some bullet points.
* Our local vet and animal emergency (Grossmont) couldn’t diagnose our dog who was suddenly lethargic and with large, firm «masses» collecting in her throat. Our regular vet (Dr. Unger @ Kensington) referred us to Dr. Sara Ford at VCA Hotel Circle.
* It turns out that our Tallulah has an auto immune disease that would have killed her if not for the help of Dr. Ford. With a lot of treatments and follow up visits, Tallulah is doing great… the sassiest 10 year old doxie that you will ever meet.
* Dr. Ford saved our dog’s life. This is not an exaggeration. Without Dr. Ford’s help, we would have lost our dog a year ago.

I came here a few weeks ago for a cardiology appointment for the dog I’m fostering so this review is about that. I was very impressed by Dr. Houston’s delivery of all of the information she was providing me. She put it in layman’s terms but not so I felt like she was talking down to me. I actually left feeling like I had just taken a very informative class and felt very well educated in the procedure my foster pooch was going to have performed. He hasn’t had it done yet because the rescue is doing a fundraiser to pay for it but I know he will be in good hands at VCA and Dr. Houston.

This place does not follow through on their commitments!
I took my little pug here recently one Sunday morning when I noticed she was urinating blood. The entire experience was pretty poor, especially considering that they weren’t even very busy. A lot of waiting, a lot of confusion. But that’s not even where the true issues arose.
I agreed to the treatment plan, which included lab tests, culture, and x-​rays, among other items. These 3 items, however, necessitated further contact from the vet, which really never happened. The lab test, which results were going to be available the next day, were relayed to my emergency contact, not to me. Which is strange. The culture, which should have taken 3 days, ended up taking 6 days, and I had to initiate the call to 5 days after our visit, since they never called. These delays were especially frustrating, since the vet conveyed that the results would indicate whether the prescription would need to be altered, additional testing (ultrasound), etc. In the multiple calls I made to find out this information (to which I paid hundreds of dollars for the culture alone), I also had to request information regarding the radiologist’s readings.
Long story short, they never followed through with the results of anything. I had to continually call them to get any information at all. Oh, and here’s the kicker. I requested to have the manager contact me so could relay what I’m writing here. He finally called me back today – 2 weeks after my request.
These guys suck.

I brought a sweet little kitty found in my apartment community to this clinic when I realized it was not a stray cat. They immediately took him in, noticed he was neutered and agreed that he was certainly not a stray. They provided me with a tracking number, including where he would be going (Animal Control off Gaines Street) and even told me I could call back to see if he was OK.
He was sent safely to Animal Control, and the day after, the officer handling the case called me and wanted to confirm that I put an owners old on the cat. VCA had accurately advised them of the hold I wanted, in case we ended up finding the owner in our complex. Animal Control then gave me the upcoming Friday and a one hour window to adopt the little kitty if we couldn’t find the owner.
Dexter, the cat, was eventually picked up by his owner at Animal Control. I was impressed with how VCA took the cat in so quickly and followed through with the actions they told me they would take with Animal Control. I will come here again if I ever need to.

The staff here are nothing short of amazing. I brought my cat in because she was lethargic, breathing heavily, and unaware of her surroundings. She was seen straight away. The tests showed that she had fluid in and around her lungs. After an overnight stay, her condition deteriorated rapidly (through no fault of the clinic) and I made the decision to end her suffering.
Although my cat didn’t end up making it, I truly can’t say enough good about this place. Every member of staff, including the two vets I worked with, were compassionate and helpful. The vets did an amazing job of explaining everything, going over all options regarding her care, and treating me with respect and gentility, even though I wound up being a crying mess.
Yes, everything wound up being quite expensive. But that’s the nature of emergency clinics, whether for humans or animals. The really nice thing is that they did not charge me for the euthanasia. That was a great gesture on their part.
Thank you, VCA, for treating my cat and me with compassion and dignity from intake to final moments. With your help, I was able to send my girl off with love and peace.