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    PETS Referral Center

    3.6 (856 reviews)
    Open • Open 24 hours

    Services - PETS Referral Center

    Pet physical or wellness exam

    Pet vaccinations

    Emergency pet hospital

    PETS Referral Center Photos

    Recommended Reviews - PETS Referral Center

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    Reviews With Photos

    Thomas
    Bellea M.

    Back in March ... the way our 1-1/2 year old kitty, Thomas, was crying and favoring his left front leg, we thought he had broken a bone. We brought him to PETS Referral Center after our regular veterinary clinic referred him over. Long story short ... after a couple of x-rays, they showed his leg to be fine but his heart was abnormal and likely had congenital CHF which poses more complications. The limping was likely from a blood clot that had broken loose. They gave him an injection for pain and he eventually settled down. We talked about his quality of life and taking him to UC Davis for further tests. They gave us some medication to reduce the chance of his heart developing more blood clots and minimizing further issues. The staff was great with us, even when we forgot to bring the CC we wanted to pay with. Hubby left me in the lobby as "collateral" while Thomas was in the back being taken care of. We were about 3-4 hours there before we all went home. Btw, he's doing great!

    Nykole T.

    I am writing this review following the loss of my dog, Cooley, after an emergency visit to this facility. This is not written lightly, but I believe it is important to share my experience. When I brought Cooley in, he had been hyperventilating and crying continuously for nearly two days and throughout the night. To me, it was clear he was in significant distress and pain. After checking in, we waited approximately 30 minutes before a technician brought him to the back to take vitals. While he was in the back, I could clearly hear him crying. After about 15 minutes, he was returned to me, and I was told that the estimated wait time to see a doctor was 2-3 hours. I immediately expressed concern that Cooley might not make it that long given his condition. I was told that patients are seen based on severity, which was confusing and concerning given what I was witnessing. I then went to the front desk and said I was considering leaving to seek care elsewhere due to the urgency of his condition. At that point, the doctor came out within about 5 minutes. We spoke briefly, and I again communicated that Cooley was not doing well and needed urgent attention. The doctor stated that Cooley "seemed stable" and advised me to stay and wait, explaining there were multiple cases ahead of us and that they would do their best to get to him. Unfortunately, Cooley passed away approximately five hours later in his sleep, still experiencing labored breathing. I understand that emergency facilities must triage patients and manage multiple critical cases at once. However, based on what I observed and communicated, I do not feel that the level of urgency reflected Cooley's condition or the distress he was in. My intention in sharing this is not to assign blame, but to highlight a serious concern about how urgency and patient distress are assessed and communicated. I hope this experience can lead to improvements in how cases like this are handled in the future.

    Street view
    Tashema M.

    So I made an appointment to be seen around 1pm, arrived at 12:45. At around 1:40 they took my pet in the back and checked his vitals and returned him to me to continue waiting... around 3:45 I order lunch from door dash because I seen that I wasn't going anywhere. I got called in around 5:30... yeaaaa. They didn't see anything wrong with my pet but for $1400 they could sedate and xray him etc but they wanted me to sign a paper stating if I want him brought back if he dies... ok so I am tired and stress by then... that was the $180 consult, I asked for medication to make him comfortable til I could do next step, well he passed away quickly after. Never did he take the liquid food or antibiotics they gave him... I wish they would have told me during hour #1 that I wouldn't see an exotic vet that I was waiting all those hours for. They were nice so it wasn't all bad.

    Dr. Zarfoss performing ophthalmic exam on my lop bunny "Luna", who was referred to ophthalmology for chronic corneal ulcers

    Dr. Gleeson is an excellent and compassionate exotic specialist. I brought my senior lop bunny, Violet, to her for a CT scan and a complex diagnostic workup, and I'm incredibly grateful for her knowledge, thoroughness and communication. She has taken the time to truly understand Violet's complicated medical case, always prioritizing her health and safety. I deeply appreciate the care, effort, and expertise she has devoted to helping my bun. Additionally, Dr. Zarfoss is a wonderful ophthalmologist who also assessed my senior bunny. I also brought my other lop bunny to her for an ophthalmic referral. She performed an ulcer debridement procedure on my bunny's eyes. The exotic and ophthalmology staff are great!

    Kitty with her brother.  Kitty is the smaller on the right

    I have a horrible experience with the Pets Referral center emergency services. I brought my kitten Kitty who had an upper respiratory infection, but started having neurological symptoms and became very unstable. She also was not drinking or eating They admitted her and took her for "monitoring'. I was waiting in the lobby for hours without any update. Desk was not responsive. Many who came after us were served and we were pushed down the cue. Approximately 5 hours later eventually I was called to discuss what was going on with Kitty. Dr. Lindsey Peterson said that it is a "good thing" we were waiting, because other patients were more acute. Eventually some treatment was given and when Kitty was just about to be discharged I was told that she was dying. I was in total shock, indeed she was talking her last breaths. I found out she was not monitored and left alone in her carrier during all these long hours. She was labeled "stable'' and given no support. What an acute case of veterinary negligence! Their triage and assessment is a total disaster. The communication with staff nonexistent. The service lowest, the prices highest. My little princess Kitty lost her life in their incompetent hands! I think this place should be investigated for their deadly practices.

    The object lodged in our dogs cornea
    Thomas P.

    I came here with our little mix Lucy who had an eye issue on a Saturday. As soon as they saw her, they rushed her to the back and did a diagnostic, found an object lodged in her cornea, removed it, consulted with their ophthalmologist parter practice and came up with a treatment plan. All in the space of 30 min. Truly extraordinary service. Still waiting for them to complete a contrast test to determine if the cornea had been completely punctured. They will also book me an appointment with the ophthalmologist specialist early next week to get a specialist involved. This at a time when the emergency vet closer to me quoted 2 to 4 hour wait. They are excellent no doubt but in this case we really needed her to be seen immediately.

    back at home on bed rest

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    5 months ago

    Nice staff but super long waits and very expensive. I wouldn't go there again unless I have to.

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    10 months ago

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    8 months ago

    Excellent staff, veterinarians, and care. We've been going to Pets for years for urgent care and specialty services.

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    Page 1 of 22

    PETS Referral Center Reviews in Other Languages

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    Review Highlights - PETS Referral Center

    “Barlia was sensitive to how much I could handle and since I was ready to make the right decision he was right there.”

    Mentioned in 19 reviews

    Read more highlights

    Berkeley Dog & Cat Hospital - Feeding a bottle baby

    Berkeley Dog & Cat Hospital

    (765 reviews)

    Downtown Berkeley

    My dog overdosed on his med in the middle of the night (yes, it was my fault ). Took him to the…read moreEmergency service within 30 minutes and the really nice night vet had his stomach empty in no time. He's doing great and the experience was really smooth. And pretty affordable, all things considered. I have one complaint, though. I called twice to the front desk to ask a couple questions about a prescription for my dog. The woman on the phone was not very helpful at all. She couldn't answer my questions and kept referring me to their website, not knowing where on the website I could find what I was looking for.

    Overall, fine. I was a patient of this clinic basically ever since I got my first cat in 2018, the…read morestaff are amicable, appointments are easy to get, and they see you promptly and update you on your pet's condition often. I would give this place 5 stars. However, when I came in for my cat's yearly checkup in 2024, Dr. Sirkis had started the appointment accusing me of not caring for my cat's pain and was not willing to hear anything edgewise related to my cat's medical history once she had formed that opinion. When she found the mass in my cat's throat, her tone changed from rude to just plain awkward. "Oo... *wince* He has cancer." As I started to ask about his prognosis while crying and hyperventilating, she gives me a "Yea... Sorry" and "Well, when do you want to schedule the euthanasia?" I was shell shocked that someone who was supposedly regularly interacting with patients would so callously bring up putting down my child. I responded that I would make an appointment with an oncologist (who was infinitely more patient and sympathetic, shout out Dr. Kidd!), and she responded with "Well, if you want to go see someone who's going to say exactly the same thing I did, sure." After the appointment, I double checked with the nurse who came out with my cat to make sure there was truly nothing to be done. In contrast, she was super gentle and sympathetic, and she let me have a good cry. She was a real one for helping me keep it together. Later, when Dr. Sirkis called me with my biopsy results, she continuously brought up euthanasia over and over again. Nothing about keeping my cat comfortable or how long I might get to keep him around. Just "euthanasia" "when do you want to euthanize" "euthanizing would be..." It was cruel and heart wrenching. I asked her to stop talking about euthanasia and to never contact me again. She still sent me a generically printed get well card, rub a little more salt in the wound I guess. The issue is not that she wants me to consider euthanasia. It's that she was heartless and cruel in her demeanor. She was the person I was supposed to depend on during this process, and instead, she made the grieving process even more isolating and emotionally taxing. I felt uncomfortable even having to contact the hospital for more pain meds just in case I would have to talk to her again (in which, even though she knew my cat was in pain, would insist on only giving me a few days dose worth, so I would have to continuously make trips for more medicine, even though the oncologist was perfectly fine giving me a week or two's worth). I literally waited until only now to post this review because I finally moved and don't have to fear the possibility of this horrid shell of a person potentially taking out her displeasure on my other cat during an appointment. She's a terrible person, and since she was so willing to kick me down when I was low, I will say that her last name is perfectly fitting for a clown like her.

    University Vet Hospital

    University Vet Hospital

    (318 reviews)

    West Berkeley

    We love University Vet Hospital, but our first time seeing Dr. Schaffer exceeded every expectation!…read moreThe outstanding care we received with Nalu was truly next-level. I didn't realize a comprehensive eye exam was included in the wellness visit, which was an amazing, thorough surprise. Dr. Schaffer has such a gentle, patient, and calming energy that Nalu stayed completely relaxed the entire time. She walked us through all the results and never rushed us. It's rare to find someone with both incredible medical expertise and genuine compassion, and Dr. Schaffer treats your beloved pet like her own.

    University Veterinary Hospital in West Berkeley is a fantastic clinic with a really nice, clean,…read moreand well-organized facility. They have a small parking lot, but there's usually decent street parking nearby. They're open Monday through Saturday by appointment only. I saw Dr. Schaffer for my cat Sophie and she was amazing. She was incredibly thorough, compassionate, and clearly very good with animals. The entire staff was great--professional, friendly, and attentive. I felt very comfortable here, and I think my cat, despite it being a new environment, felt relatively at ease as well. They're very transparent about pricing and never pressured me into getting any specific tests. They answered all my questions clearly and made sure I understood everything. The clinic gives out free treats for both cats and dogs, which was a nice touch. Their prices do lean a little on the higher side compared to some other clinics I looked at nearby but they provided close estimates over the phone beforehand. They offer basic blood/urine work and have an in-house pharmacy for some medications. They also do basic bladder ultrasounds, but for more advanced imaging, they refer out to other nearby clinics they trust. Overall, I highly recommend this clinic. The level of care and professionalism is excellent, and Dr. Schaffer especially was wonderful with my cat.

    Modern Animal Berkeley - Modern Animal Berkeley Exterior

    Modern Animal Berkeley

    (113 reviews)

    West Berkeley

    I'd like to update my review on Modern Animal. When I posted the initial review, I had someone from…read moreMA contact me that same day and ask to speak on the phone. I will say that I do feel that my concerns and frustrations were heard and that they took appropriate actions to make it right. I have continued to go to MA and since have not had issues of my appointments being cancelled. I would also like to say, even with my original review, the staff at MA are ALWAYS very kind and attentive, and I feel that they have my dogs best interest at heart, from day one. I appreciate MA for contacting me and trying to make things right, and it makes me feel more confident in continuing using them in the future.

    Huge thank you to Dr. Dianicia Valencia and the team for taking such good care of Ben today. I was…read morehonestly very stressed and worried when his dew claw injury suddenly became worse, especially after already bringing him in the week before. What I appreciated most was not only the care for Ben, but also the kindness and understanding toward my financial situation. The doctor took the time to explain every recommendation clearly, never pressured me, and helped work with me to find a treatment option that was still safe for Ben while being more affordable. As a pet owner, that level of compassion means a lot. Veterinary emergencies can be overwhelming, and being treated with patience and understanding made the entire experience so much less stressful. Ben may have been a little dramatic today but he came home safe, cared for, and already acting like himself again (especially after snacks). Thank you again for your kindness, honesty, and for truly caring about both your patients and their owners. We really appreciate you so much.

    Campus Veterinary Clinic - Dr. Katie Lee

    Campus Veterinary Clinic

    (238 reviews)

    North Berkeley

    Wow the vet is really caring and answered all my questions I had during my visit. The reason I left…read moremy previous vet for Campus Veterinary Clinic is because the previous vet just rushed us all the time and didn't feel like they really cared about the issues at hand. We have to do fluid therapy and they provided all of our options. We decided to do it ourselves and they gave us a tutorial on how to do it at home to save money. Great experience so far and glad I found Campus Veterinary Clinic

    DONT GO HERE - I'd give 0 stars if I could…read more I genuinely cannot emphasize how terrible my visits were at Campus Veterinary Clinic. Almost every staff interaction was rude (with the exception of one receptionist), and I hated the way they handled my cats. They have terrible transparency with clients, suggested vaccines for my cat without even trying to contact their previous vet (assuming for money), and were overall entirely neglectful towards both me and my cats. I expect the people who take care of my cats to be at the bare minimum kind to my pet, and I sadly can't even say that. I made appointments, showed up early, and still waited more than 30 minutes to be seen. Technicians talked to me like I was stupid for wanting to follow up with my concerns for my pet - and then proceeded to guilt me regarding protecting my pet because I wouldn't pay them for the product. Keep in mind, my close friends are vets and even when I told them about what happened, they were also appalled at the lack of professionalism. I genuinely encourage you if you're considering this clinic to just go elsewhere, I guarantee anything is better than this place.

    Emeryville Vet Hospital - Nicholas, home after his life saving surgery

    Emeryville Vet Hospital

    (138 reviews)

    Thank you, Dr Gill! She saved Nick's life after he ate a rag! PICA is challenging and so hard but…read moreI'm so grateful to have a wonderful vet!

    Been taking my Labrador Retriever Betsy here for two years now, and we love them!!! I've seen both…read moredoctors depending on their availability and they're both fantastic, but mostly we have worked with Dr. Gill. She is soo patient, thorough, and extremely dedicated. I've even received emails/calls from her with Betsy's test results when she's not in the office on her days off--you can tell she really cares. And all the techs are AMAZING!!! Betsy was afraid of the vet at first, but thanks to the techs being so patient and goofy with her, now she saunters right on in and hops confidently on to the scale. People always complain about unexpected vet bills in general which is SO understandable...All I can say is the prices here seem VERY reasonable. Everything they do "in house" is very well-priced in my opinion, including operations like spaying--it only gets pricier if they have to send a certain specialty test out to a 3rd party company, but they obviously have no control over that since they're not the ones setting those prices. And Dr. Gill will always give you her honest opinion of what tests are actually more necessary versus more "optional." As far as the front office/scheduling goes, communication is always EXTREMELY smooth, and they are very friendly and efficient. No long waits and they even call to check up on Betsy after she comes in for a visit. Thanks SO MUCH guys!!!

    PETS Referral Center - vet - Updated September 2026

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