I am grateful for Dr. Levac (whom I first took my pet to 32 years a go) and his staff member Delores for seeing my pet cockatoo on an emergency basis this week! Dr. Levac was fully booked and really didn't want to do it but my bird was in such distress and he is the best...so he did. Thank you Dr. Levac for your wonderful emergency treatment and then sending us on to the wonderful 24 hr hospital called Accessl to continue her excellent treatment and care. She is on the mend now, after a few days in the hospital ,and should be coming home soon. Dr. Levac if you read this thank you for calling the hospital and checking in on her as well. It meant so much to hear that you did so! Grateful! read more

First visit; unfortunately with Covid there was no way to meet the vet personally which I wasn't aware of when making the appointment so it was a little strange waiting out in the parking lot...there was no personal interaction with the doctor except on the phone which was fine I guess...but that said my experience with the staff was very pleasant and the exam and vaccinations services were as expected. Will come back hopefully in better times! read more

Dr Lavac has been treating my dogs for many years. His knowledge is unparalleled as his kindness. About 20 years ago, I had taken my dog to several vets to try and rectify an ear problem. It was Dr. Lavac that diagnosed him and treated him with a medicine that cured my dog's problem. His care and delicate way he treats the animals, coupled with the respect that he shows the owners made me wish that he was my children's pediatrician. I cannot recommend Dr. Lavac more highly. read more

Very emphatic vet and staff. They are the very rare vet that treats birds. I would recommend!

It's frustrating to me that one crazy bird person can leave so many unintelligible 1 star reviews with almost the exact same wording (cold and uncaring) and tarnish such an amazing doctor's rating. Also it feels like bonnie j might have had a stroke while writing her review. Sorry, to the topic at hand. Dr. Lavac is amazing. I've been going to him for almost 10 years with 4 different ferrets and he is attentive, incredibly knowledgeable and certainly not "cold and uncaring." He always takes the time to be patient with our concerns, extremely detailed in his explanations, and supportive of our effort to legalize ferrets in California. read more

Not competent...from my direct expereince or focused on dogs' health and longevity. 0 stars would be the appropriate number. I never before had the kinds of errors made here caused my dog almost fatal liver and hepatic issues ; refused my sick dog Medicines......for possible hepatitis...they wrote possible canine hepatitis and bullied me that was Frank La Vac....Please retire and if you are too burnt out to look at pets medical records Clearly there's a word for harming otherwise healthy dogs..I am still paying thousands of dollars to treat the errors made by failure to perform tests on my sweet dog, ..Stay away...Not competent. read more

My cat Capuccina (with a not easy temper) broke her nail really badly. We brought her to VAC Wilshire right away, since the hospital had very good reviews. This was our first time at the place. Dr. Lavac took care of the nail, cleaned it all out, and brought us Caps back in 20-30 minutes. He was extremely polite, caring and very engaged. After we brought Caps home and checked out the wound, it was impeccably treated. Caps is calm, not stressed. I am very grateful to Dr. Lavac and his team for taking such a good care of my Caps! read more

Dr. Lavac is as good as it gets. He's a dream come true when it comes to care for your animals. He is quick to make expert decisions in difficult situations. He is not only spot on with his treatment, his communication skills are clear, precise and compassionate. He's up on all the latest developments in the field and is a highly skilled surgeon able to perform the most challenging procedures. Dr. Lavac is extremely knowledgable and an expert at diagnosis. His feel and instinct with animals is unsurpassed and I'm truly grateful for all his help and care with my beloved fur child. I cannot recommend Dr. Lavac enough. In fact I'd like to give him TEN STARS instead of five. Dr. Lavac is at the top of his game! read more

I have no idea why Dr Lavac's rating is so low on Yelp. Both my parents and I have been going to see Dr Lavac since we had our first dog over 10 years ago. I've even moved away from the area and still go to him for my dog's routine check-ups. He's very friendly and engages both you and your pet. He's loving and caring towards the animal as well. I can even safely say that my dog loves going to see him! In fact, the other day my new puppy was spayed by Dr Jack (also in the office; there was a mix up over the phone, and Dr Jack performed the surgery instead of Dr Lavac); nevertheless, Dr Lavac called me up after the surgery was done to inform me all about how my little puppy was recovering and what I should expect, and if there were any complications etc. It's great to have a vet that cares for your animal even if it's not him doing the surgery. He really does care for your pets! I'm more than satisfied with the service that I've gotten from Dr Lavac. On a side note, I see that the bad reviews come from people with birds so I wouldn't really know about that since I've only owned dogs. Perhaps it's just that people are just friendlier with pets such as dogs and cats as opposed to more exotic types. I'm just guessing. Regardless, if you have a dog, I know for a fact that Dr Lavac is a great vet. read more

Dr. Lavac may never remember who I am but I will never forget him. This review is long overdue. Back in 2003 (yelp didn't exist) I was a student at UCLA and bought a cute little parakeet for $10. It ended up getting really sick and almost died from lead poisoning. I did research and found Dr Lavac. I won't go into full details but he healed her! Not only did he give her a second chance at life, he also healed me and gave me many bonus beautiful experiences with her that otherwise could've been a traumatizing tragedy instead. I can never thank Dr Lavac enough. This guy is amazing and has the biggest heart. I still think of him and thank him till this day because it meant so much to me. THANK YOU DR LAVAC!!!! You have the kindest heart and bless you with a wonderful and happy life!!! read more

Excellent bed side manner. Truly cares, and follows-up to confirm all is well. He examined one of my birds, while one of the two others I had in tow was sitting on his shoulder playing with his stethoscope. As can be said with great doctors, if their good a lot of people (birds, dogs, cats, etc.) want to see them. Rest assured, waiting for your appointment is worth it if possible. read more

He was cold and very uncaring towards our bird. Took him in the back and his assistant brought our bird back he was gagging as if he as being choked and was panting for 20 minutes from his visit in the back. We NEVER go back. Do not bring your birds to this doctor. read more

If I could give no stars I would. Dr. Lavac could not have been more rude. Maybe its because he's more of a bird doctor and is out of his league when it comes to canine conditions. He was controlling, vague and even argumentative. I'll never deal with him again. read more

He's amazing! I took my two new puppies for their shots and he took his time and went over everything with me and gave me a wealth of information! I highly recommend Dr Frank Lavac! We will be going to him for all of our Vet needs! read more

I wish I could say I was impressed with this doctor but I was not. He is very cold and not as caring as a good vet should be. i have heard very good things about him but my bunny received less than acceptable care at this office. We had an emergency that required immediate attention but Dr. Lavac said he was too busy to take care of it that day, and that the next day was his day off. He was not the least bit concerned. It was also another doctor's opinion that Dr. Lavac mishandled the spaying of our rabbit. If you are looking for a good rabbit doctor, make the trip to san diego and visit Dr. Jeffrey Jenkins in Hotel Circle at Avian & Exotic Animal Hospital. read more

Cold, uncaring, rough with birds, won't let you be with your bird in the 'back' even if it's sick and if you insist will ask you to leave the premises. I can confirm but have been told by someone who was involved that he had that feline disease in the hospital but did not tell anyone and still saw cats. I was somewhere he should have spoken up to defend someone who was saying something true and he knew it to be true because he was involved, but he didn't say a word and left the person to hang themselves with no one to corroborate the information. Not a nice man. read more

i've been going to dr lavac since i had a bunny over six years ago that he treated. he is pricey, but that's the way it is for vets for exotic animals that aren't teaching hospitals... it goes with the territory. after reading some mean reviews, i thought i would chime in. now, i have a parrotlet who has some health issues. dr. lavac is warm, shows a lot of concern about his (my parrotlet's) well-being and he's a good vet. for two weeks over christmas break last year when we couldn't come into the office, his staff worked with us to make sure our parrotlet was as comfortable as possible. at one point, dr. lavac called us on his personal time to discuss our bird's health for about twenty minutes. this was all for free. he is a great avian vet and knows his stuff. i wouldn't take my parrotlet to anyone else. my partner (i'm a lesbian) and i never got the impression that he was sexist or discriminatory. those other reviews look like plants to me from a disgruntled person. he has always been professional and caring. read more

Our family cannot say enough good things about Dr. Lavac. We first met him years ago when we had to bring our parakeet in for a blood test, and he was nothing but kind, sympathetic, and helpful. Years later we bought our first dog and Dr. Lavac has been our vet for the past 7 years. We have a Wheaton Terrier who is very high strung and has pretty severe nervious aggression--especially while at the vet's office. But Dr. Lavac has worked dilligently with us to handle our dog and he, along with the entire staff, has been nothing but warm, welcoming, supportive, gentle, compassionate, and understanding towards our family and our dog. They have gone out of their way to accommodate our dog's "special needs" and we so appreciate that! Dr. Lavac is also an excellent surgeon...our dog has had a number of cysts removed from various parts of her body, including a ruptured cyst that needed emergency surgery, and has had no complications whatsoever. Dr. Lavac consistently follows up with a phone call the evening and day after the surgery, and often calls again after a week to check in and make sure our pet is recovering well. And finally, we love this practice because they have office hours 7 days a week, and it is so comforting to know if we had an emergency over the weekend, someone would be there to see us. For the few times that we've had emergencies when Dr. Lavac wasn't available, we have seen his various colleagues, and every single one of them has been exceptional as well. All in all, we think Dr. Lavac is the best and we feel very grateful to have such a wonderful and trusted veterinarian to care for our dog! read more

I had a bad experience with this doctor. He came as a practitioner who cares more about his own public image and success than his patient's well-being. He had insisted that I should make an hour appointment for my cat. Then once I found an opening, it took him almost two weeks to get back to me with his approval. He had me heavily sedate my cat but didn't bother checking to see how she was doing under the medication he had prescribed her. I had planned everything ahead of time, but when something unexpected happened and caused me to be late (even though I called his office and let them know that I would be late) for my appointment, it took him two minutes to give me the news that I would have to reschedule. He refused my offer of skipping my cat's vaccination for another visit (even though I would pay for the whole one-hour visit). The response was, "I am sorry, we can not do that." There were still about forty-five minutes left. I had informed them that my cat had been heavily sedated and not being herself. He could have and should have at least taken a look at my cat to see how she was doing with the sedative he had prescribed her. Instead, he started lecturing me on how unfair it would be to his other patients. Shortly after I took my cat home, I began to worry when my usually hyperactive cat started to look pale and limp. I called his practice to let them know about my cat's condition. After putting me on hold, the nurse got back on the phone and gave me Dr. Lavac's message. The message was, "if he is worried, he should take his cat to the emergency." He is not the right doctor for my cat. Nor do I recommend him to anyone. read more

I got a new baby ferret and have taken him in to get his check up and shot. I mentioned that his eye was being weird but seemed like it was doing better the day of the visit. Dr. Lavac has called twice in 2 months to make sure Pizza's eye was doing ok. No, they do not let you go into the back (every place has its own procedures for their own reasons) and yes, this bothered me when i started going there. But now I've grown to trust Dr. Lavac and am ok with 'the back'. read more

I've been seeing Dr. Lavac since 2005 (it is now 2012) for my chinchilla. My pet has a chronic problem with his teeth requiring a trimming process that is difficult at best. Have you seen the size of a chinchilla's mouth? Pretty tiny in there! Anyway, I travel 29 miles to see Dr. Lavac because I believe he is simply the best! Dr. Lavac has ALWAYS been extremely friendly, kind, knowledgable, competent and caring. After my chinchilla has his procedure, Dr. Lavac makes sure he has spoken to me and explained exactly what was found and what was done. Once I had a scheduling problem and Dr. Lavac actually performed the procedure by coming in on his day off! This procedure, as I mentioned, is quite involved requiring anethesia, keen eyes and a steady hand. The good doctor has saved my pet from anguish time after time. What is more, days after the procedure, Dr. Lavac (or one of his staff) have ALWAYS followed up with a phone call to see how my pet is doing. I think this is First-Rate service and care! His staff has ALWAYS been very friendly to me and accomodating as well. I am very grateful that I found Dr. Lavac as he has been an exceptional vet for me and my sweet chinchilla son! I highly recommend him and his staff! read more

NEVER AGAIN. Made an appointment to bring in a found bird and told to come in BEFORE my scheduled time of 4:30. Came in at 1:00 as instructed by a concerned "Jim". Come in to be told that the bird DID NOT have a prolapse and TO COME BACK AT 4:30????? What on earth?? How is this benefitting the client? The whole purpose of being instructed to come in at 1:00 was to be seen at 1:00. Not only did they refuse to see us, they wanted to tell us that we would need a radiograph with an overinflated price of 260.00 for a parakeet. This is besides a 120.00 office visit with no treatment. I left, made an appointment at ACCESS on jefferson in culver city. This is what they did for me... Thoroughly examined the bird BY A DOCTOR in front of me, trimmed it's beak and nails, offered a radiograph of 85.00 not 260.00, a packet of helpful information, several bags of food samples, an anti-inflammatory drug, a shot to reduce hormones, and a clear explanation of what is happening to the bird. THE ENTIRE VISIT WAS THAT OF WHAT VCA WANTED TO CHARGE JUST FOR THE RADIOGRAPH BUT NO TREATMENT AND TOLD TO COME BACK IN AN EMPTY OFFICE. Unacceptable. The sad part is is that Dr. Lavac treated my 30 year old cockatiel and thats the reason i came back to him was because of a great experience. read more

I have been taking animals to Frank Lavac for the last 25 years, and he is a decent, caring, intelligent veterinarian. Imagine how difficult it is to diagnose and treat an animal that can't tell you where and how badly it hurts etc, etc. Even with all of the obvious limitations in veterinary medicine, Dr. Lavac manages to hit the medical nail on the head almost every time. My pets are very important to me, and I'm glad I have a quality veterinarian I can take them to when they require medical attention. read more

I've been using Dr. Lavac for more than 10 years for my dog. I've had animals all my life and I'm 77. I've had many vets over the years and I find Dr. Lavac right at the top of my Best Vet list. Knowleable, kind, straight forward, doesn't try to sell you extras. My dog likes him too and he is particular. I would not hesitate to recommend Dr. Lavac. read more

Dr. Lavac knows very little about all animals. My bird was dying and he didn't know why. My mom was asking questions but he was very rude to her so we took our bird to an other hospital. My mom called the store where we bought the bird and they said that Dr. Lavac is very sexist to females. He asked for an emergency number and my mom offered her number, but he asked for my dad's number. So there is one example, but there is many more. Don't go to Dr. Lavac. read more

Dr. Lavac is AWESOME! Kind, gentle, knowledgable and incredibly empathic to the anxiety of any pet lover. He is exceptional!

When I moved to the west-side I was looking for a great, trustworthy and caring vet. I have unquestionably found one with Dr. Lavac. He was recommended by a local animal rescue organization where he volunteers on their board. I figured any vet who would donate their free time do this work must really care. I was right. I've taken my dog there 3 times so far and he is everything I hoped for and more. I could not be more emphatic in my recommendation for him. read more

Dr. Lavac is an extraordinary doctor and human being. My family has been bringing our dogs to him for over 20 years and they have received the best care. Our dog Ruby has been treating for cancer for the last two years and after every appointment with her oncology vet, Dr. Lavac has followed up with a phone call and kept track of her progress. Dr. Lavac is compassionate, quick to respond, and just an amazing person. Even though I do not live close to the office, I will always bring my pets to Dr. Lavac because I know that he is the best! read more

I have gone in 3 times in the past 15 years to see Dr Lavac for my birds. Mostly out of desparation because there is no other bird specialist around. Dr Lavac is rude, uncaring, handles the birds very roughly and was never of any help worth the price. My cockatiel (Sunny) was there for a broken wing. He did a terrible job of setiing Sunny's wing in a cast and sunny now needs another operation to fix a crocked and hanging wing. I took him in again and Dr Lavac sugessted that I use super glue to fix the problem!!!!???? Dr Lavac is not a nice personor a Dr, nor is he skilfull in treating birds. I am a retired Sr engineer from Cardiac Device industry, have lived and worked on 3 continents and thought that I had seen it all. His attitude and handeling of people's pets is rougher than that of Drs who go to chicken farms. No disrespect meant to other Drs, but I have seen how farmed animals are treated. Please do not take your birds to him if you care for your pets. read more

I used to see Dr. Lavac because he was the only avian vet on the Westside. Then, about five years ago, my Pionus parrot became seriously ill. I brought him to Dr. Lavac as an emergency. Lavac wasn't available and no other Dr. would exam the bird, because I didn't have an appointment. However, a vet tech looked at my bird and told me he was " fine." (Turned out when I took him to another avian vet, much further away, that the poor parrot was gravely ill with aspergillosis, a dreadful disease). Strike one. Last year, out of desperation, I tried again to see Dr. Lavac with another avian emergency. I called and explained that my parrot's toe had been bitten off by another parrot and was bleeding profusely. I asked to have my bird examined by Dr. Lavac (the only board certified avian vet there), but was told he had appointments and could not see a "walk in emergency." The people on the phone were rude and extremely unhelpful, and clearly gave me the impression that Lavac's schedule took precedence over any possible animal emergency I might have. (I ended up travelling in rush-hour traffic up to my regular avian vet in Calabasas, who took my bird (who needed surgery) as a walk-in.) Strike Two. Then, today, another parrot emergency. I called Lavac's office and once again was told Lavac was busy all day. I tried nicely to explain that my bird needed to be seen by an avian vet, (my regular vet was at a conference in Europe) and was there any way he could see my bird as an emergency? The man on the other end refused. He said one of the other vets could treat the bird. I knew it would take a specialist to deal with my parrot's injury. When I practically begged this guy to ask Lavac to see the bird, he got extremely snippy and rude with me. I was panicked at this point, because my bird was bleeding so much, but no one at VCA seemed to give a damn. Strike three. I won't speak about Lavac's veterinary skills, but I will say maybe he ought to take another look at his Veterinarian Oath, think about what he's doing there. read more

I was fortunate to have been blessed with a special needs Eclectus parrot. I am OVERLY protective of my pets!! All the vets that I took him to in the beginning wanted to use him as a science experiment. At one point another vet told me I had to put my parrot down. I wanted a second opinion and was referred by a receptionist to see Dr. Lavac and I have been grateful ever since. He was the only one to give me any sign of hope during that difficult time. Ever since then I refuse to see any other vet. I went on to have my Eclectus for 14 wonderful years. During my parrots last months he needed 24 hour care. Dr. Lavac was there for us every step of the way. He always took time out of his busy day whether it was early in the morning or late in the evening to see us in an emergency situation. Dr. Lavac listened to all of my concerns and fears and always gave me an honest response. I recently adopted a new parrot and will ONLY trust Dr. Lavac to over see his care. Dr. Lavac is a blessing to our family and I am so grateful to have found him. read more