Worst experience at a vet center in all my life owning pets. I took my cat here around midnight who had just got hit by a car and waited in the lobby for 2 hrs worried and stressed without a single word on an update before I had to ask. Turns out that he's just been thrown in a kennel next a screeching dog because he wasn't "very nice" when they tried standing him up to take his vitals! Of course not he's in major pain! Took another hour to just get his heart rate when he was clearly fine from the waist up! Then they said they'd give him a pain a $300 pain injection while they take his vitals again! THIS TOOK ANOTHER 3 hours to even get a response that they wanted to do an X-ray and I would have to come back when they're done which is before their shift is over at 7am A traumatizing experience for my cat and clearly a cash grab. When they called me back they said they wanted to do a hip surgery costing almost 15k on the spot including the time he's on IV til the surgeon arrives later that day. Took him to get a second opinion and turns out he's able to heal with 6 weeks cage rest and pain meds. So upset by service and lack of professionalism of the vet techs here. read more

My 14 year old Finnish Lapphund (38 pound arctic reindeer herder from Lappland) had a malignant but slow spreading tumor on her liver. Dr Rasmussen operated on her and more than successfully removed it. She's a magician. The tumor was 6" in diameter, 4 1-2 pounds. My dog had been undiagnosed and misdiagnosed by 2 other vets before I brought her to Pets Referral. I had a great experience there. Yes, I needed a specialist and maybe I was treated better because of that, but I was also very nice and patient with the staff and treated them with respect. They more than reciprocated. After being told by the second vet that my dog would be dead in 2 weeks, I was extremely grateful that Pets Referral took it step by step and didn't pressure me into any decisions or come to any premature conclusions. I made the call as each test was completed and I could process what it meant. The tests revealed a different diagnosis from the prior vet's conclusions, based on more complete and accurate information. Instead of having a fast-growing malignant tumor on her spleen, she had a slow-growing malignant tumor on a remote part of her liver, a much-better condition. All of this information was obtained over the course of one day, from 9.30 to 4 pm. I returned the next day for a consultation and was told that Dr Rasmussen had studied my dog's file and was prepared to operate. I said yes. Dr Rasmussen did a fantastic job. I can't recommend her enough, she's a wizard and I'm so thankful to have had her operate on my dog. The recovery was very easy. My dog was so happy to be rid of the 5 pound weight in her belly that she wanted to jump on me and everything else. Honestly, I'm incredibly impressed with Dr Rasmussen's skill. It was a beautiful thing to be a part of. Maybe I was lucky, but I don't think so. I would take her every time for surgery on my pet. Every time. Her focus is remarkable. Awesome. Everyone else at Pets Referral Center comes highly recommended as well. A first class clinic. read more

Thank you all staff at PETS! We took our puppy here on Memorial Day. PETS was the first place I called and the receptionist was kind and informative. She definitely kept me calm all things considering. She told me the wait time was about 2-2.5 hours and that was accurate. The vet techs take your pet in for vitals in order if high priority and bring them back if they don't need to be seen by the doctor immediately. We were there from 3-6pm waiting. We left Bella for her exam and picked her up around 10pm. Luckily, we have pet insurance and it covered 80% of the cost. Our girl is healthy and happy now read more

PETS Referral Center - Happy and Healthy girl again - Veterinarians Near Me - Berkeley, California

These guys are great! We have been there before and have always had good experiences. This past weekend we had to use them for our dog who had a heart attack. This was obviously a very stressful event. We interacted with at least half a dozen staff members and they were all extremely helpful and caring. The bedside manner of the doctors was unbelievably impressive. Fortunately, we were able to take our little girl home this morning, but even as we were preparing for the worst, the service from the staff was next level. As customers, we were wowed. As dog owners, we were extremely grateful. read more

Terrible experience here, would never go here again unless it was an absolute emergency. I brought my rabbit here as he was experiencing trouble breathing and I suspected an upper respiratory infection; they brought him back immediately and put him on oxygen while trying to calm him to prevent a heart attack (common in rabbits when extremely stressed). My other rabbit (his bonded mate) was in her carrier in the lobby surrounded by large dogs that were barking and trying to lunge at her, which stressed her out, there was no area for small animals to be separated. I had to finally ask if I could be placed in an area away from all the dogs. The entire experience felt less about treatment options for my rabbit and more focused on payment. Before receiving any information on what was happening, they had me pay a $1300 deposit for services. After paying and waiting awhile, I finally received word that my rabbit had a mass in his lungs that was likely cancerous. The vet suggested that I hospitalize him for approximately $5,000 over the next 24-48 hours and then possibly do a $5,000+ open chest surgery that he would likely not survive. Again instead of telling me what would be best for him and his quality of life, I was presented with a quote for the services and another request for a deposit. I spoke to the vet multiple times and she told me it wasn't worth spending my savings to try to save him (heartbreaking to hear as a pet owner). I made the horrific choice of euthanizing him, the vet telling me that I and my other rabbit could be with him during the process. Instead, he was brought to me by one of the vet techs that had burrito'ed him in a pee soaked towel covering his face when he already couldn't breathe. His last moments were spent completely sedated, in a pee covered towel and then taken away to be euthanized alone. The entire experience felt like a shakedown for payment, walking me through paid options for different cremation services, speciality boxes for ashes and wooden pet paw prints while I was in hysterics before I could even see him. Overall it was a traumatic and very expensive experience going here and the staff lacked compassion and empathy while handling the euthanasia process of my rabbit. The lack of sensitivity from the various staff I encountered during this experience was extremely off putting and I left after paying nearly $1,400 later for my pet to pass (they charged almost $600 for 3 X-rays). I wish I could have gone to my regular vet for this process as it would have been handled with much more grace. Again, I would only take my pet here if there was literally no other option available. read more

gave 6 stars if can, I contacted this center few times in the past, spoke to Natalie who's professional, kind & caring, so as All other workers here too. finally, I physical visited the facility, Lisa in the front gave awesome great helps make this visit much easier for us, facility has a comfortable waiting areas in the front, exam room we used was nice, clean, nurse Karen(hope got name right ) & Dr. Jennings both awesome & caring which we needed so much on that day. yes 100% recommended this 24/7 full services Pet Referral Center in Berkeley CA. read more

PETS Referral Center - Veterinarians Near Me - Berkeley, California

My wife and I have two dogs, and this is the main place we've gone for pet urgent care. A few years back, we brought our Shih Tzu Hansyn when he got into a bag of M&Ms (chocolate is poisonous for dogs), we brought Hansyn to PETS Referral Center. We were prepared for the worst, but they were able to fix him up in a couple days and get him through it. During that ordeal, the staff were suggesting we be prepared for Hansyn to go blind or develop diabetes, but he was able to overcome his illness without those complications. The staff have been friendly and responsive. If you bring your pet in, they will do a vitals check for free, and will triage based on priority/severity of the case. On visits with our dogs when the initials vitals check indicated our dogs were stable, we took that as an indication the situaiton was not as urgent, or we were able to schedule an appointment with our regular vet. Even though we live in Oakland, we come out to Berkeley to PETS when we have an urgent care/emergency situation. We also have FIGO pet insurance which covers a good amount of the costs, not everything. read more

No one wants to be in a situation where they need to come here, but the compassionate staff (Jillian s d another receptionist) and straightforward, logical, and patient Dr. Kane made the experience a lot less stressful. We were able to talk about our options, weigh them, and ask all our questions with Dr. Kane being extremely patient with us. I never once felt rushed and that is hugely impactful during what feels like a dire situation. Thank you to everyone here who works so hard (and overnight) to serve our pets to the best of their abilities. read more

My 12 year old dog developed a bump on her upper eyelid. My regular vet said not to worry about it but about 6 months later it appeared to be getting a lot bigger and just when I was going to make an appt. with a canine ophthalmologist, it ruptured. I called Pets Referral and got an appt. with Dr. Knight in about 10 days. By that time Spunky's eye was very gnarly looking, see photo. Dr. Knight and her asst. were very nice and gentle with Spunky. She explained it was a meibomian gland tumor. She said the best way to treat it was with cryosurgery. She prescribed some ointment, antibiotic and steroid, to try and get the swelling down, until the surgery which was scheduled for 9 days later. Spunky did not have to have general anesthesia, just a local and something to make her sleepy. She did very well. They did send tissue off for pathology and it came back benign, a small number of these can be cancer. I would recommend Dr. Knight, you can see in the photos the before and after, the after is 2 weeks after the surgery. Looks great! Sometimes they have to cut these out which is much trickier so it's great they have the ability to do cryosurgery. My only complaint is I thought some of the billing a bit excessive, that's why I took off one star. I have very good pet insurance for her (Healthy Paws) which pays 90%, but not any of the vet exam fees. None of the insurances pay those. The initial visit was $360 which is the same that I saw at another canine eye doctor. But when I took her back the day of the surgery, there was another $220 fee for a vet exam in addition to all the charges for surgery, meds,, monitoring etc. And then they asked if I would bring her in for a recheck appt. I made the appt. but after it healed so well I called to see how much that cost, thinking it would be nominal, and that was another $220. So I cancelled it and sent them a photo. Surgery was about $2,000 including the 2nd vet fee and biopsy. When I include the first appt. this little problem was about $2400. It pays to have pet insurance. Also, the fee for a cone collar was $40. I had just gotten one from another vet (Urgent Pet) for my other dog and it was $13. Online they are under $15. I didn't need it for Spunky because I knew she would leave her eye alone. But they insisted I get it, they didn't like the one my other dog had because it was soft and they said she could still rub her eye. My dogs are with me almost always and sleep on my bed at night so I know what they are up to. But they didn't believe me so I didn't argue. I took the cone off in the parking lot and never put it back on her. She never touched her eye. read more

PETS Referral Center - 2 weeks post op cryosurgery, looks great! - Veterinarians Near Me - Berkeley, California

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They may be good at helping dogs -but I had a horrible experience euthanizing a pet here. He had dementia & was already stressed to be there. The whole took almost an hour even though the clinic was entirely empty. They asked me questions about his shots & wanted to perform a physical(?) They kept talking about protocol they had to follow -which dragged out the process for no reason. For example, after they put in the catheter, which took almost 20 minutes -they began to do paperwork & look for the drugs (protocol). I asked the woman why they did it this way -she said I was slowing her down (she was doing that while we waited). My poor dog was in the back this whole time. When they finally brought him out, the doctor they had waited on finally put the meds in. It was a job any nurse practitioner could have easily done -but we had to wait for the doctor. Everything had to be timed for her to walk in. My dog was so upset he soiled himself during the process, & cried out. What an awful way to end his life. Don't trust your dog's end of life experience to this clinic. I'd strongly recommend at-home services -they're only a tiny bit more expensive. read more

I was referred to the hospital by my Vet when my dog became extremely ill. She was hospitalized for about a week and the doctors call each day to give me updates on her condition and what to expect based on her progress. Unfortunately, within a couple weeks she relapsed and couldn't' be saved due to kidney failure. Thou she couldn't' be saved, the hospital gave excellent care and kept us well informed on her condition. It was very expensive but you do what you have to do for the pet you live. read more

Niko had surgery again today and our family is so grateful for the skillful expertise of Dr. Meltzer, Dr. Sidlacki and the compassionate care of the nurses and other support staff(sorry for not remembering your names). If your pet is dealing with a potentially serious illness, consult the specialists here because you won't find better experts anywhere else in the bay. Thank you! read more

(This review is for the annex, which specializes in ophthalmology and oncology) Very pleased with our visit here. We came in with a lot of concern and questions around our dogs condition, and doctor Murray was really kind sympathetic and thorough in what the diagnosis and options are. You can tell they have a lot of experience around this tricky field, we feel like we are in good hands here read more

PETS Referral Center - Interior waiting room and consult area - Veterinarians Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Great Service I took my Maltipoo to the PETS Referral Center (Emergency vet service) because she had a cough for over 4 days. When we arrived, they saw her right away because she was having trouble breathing. They ran some tests and discovered she had Congestive Heart Failure and fluid in her lungs, which was confirmed by an x-ray. She had to stay overnight for observation while in the oxygen chamber. It was a bit expensive, but totally worth it. She was able to go home the next day and got heart medications. The staff was really nice, helpful and professional. Dr. Mamo was her doctor, and she explained everything about Coco's condition and was super caring. I'm planning to keep taking Coco to the PETS Referral Center for any emergencies. Thanks for taking excellent care of her. I will definetly refer PET Referral Center to all my friends. read more

I am grateful to know that Pets Referral Center has Exotic Vet, Dr. Gleeson. I can't understand why there are so few exotic vets available in California? She has given me support and understanding what I am about to face, spaying my guinea pig. I am well prepared that anything can happen and she explained and answered all my questions. She showed me the ultra sound. I am really thankful to have a compassionate vet available. The down side of Pets Referral Center is it is expensive. Thank god for Care Credit. I wish there was a pet insurance for exotic pets but there isn't in California. I found out that PETS Referral Center made the decision to only allow 6 months free interest with Care Credit instead of a year or more. If I am to spend thousands of dollars to help my pet, I would hope the PET Referral Center would extend the free interest to a year. I am hoping the owner of the PETS Referral Center will read this and consider the extension. It would be kind and compassionate to the pet owners who are going through a lot emotionally and financially. I was hoping to reach the owner another way instead of publically writing this review. PETS Referral Center overal is one of the best and I am forever grateful but I think, the owner could change their extension to help with the financial burden while going through the emotional roller coaster. read more

If you're thinking about going to this office, please read this first. One star is a courtesy. I brought my male cat in for what I thought was a urinary blockage. He showed all the symptoms (constant trips to the litter box, struggle to urinate, and vomiting) although he did not seem to be in pain. They took my cat back immediately to check on the blockage and I was told an hour later that there was no blockage, he was doing fine, but I still needed to wait to speak with the veterinarian. After another hour and a half I was finally seated in a room, and another 20 minutes after that the vet came to speak with me. I had not seen or been allowed to see my cat for that entire length of time (and yes I had asked). The vet said his bladder was extremely small meaning there was no excess urine and that he was only going back and forth to the litter box because he felt like he needed to pee even though he didn't. I had explained before that he had an episode months earlier where his urine tested positive for crystals, but no infection. She urged me to test the urine again for "diagnostic" purposes although I could already tell you the crystals were back because he had the same symptoms only this time he wasn't urinating anymore. When I opted out of the excessive cost for diagnostics she said that he was fine and all he needed was a $100 cat "liquid iv" essentially and pain meds so he would stop going to the litter box. I declined both as it added onto the cost of the $175 5-minute consultation. I asked several questions about his condition but still left the office feeling that the situation was unresolved and that they hasn't spent enough time checking his bladder. I'm thankful for my own instincts as I took him to my regular family vet less than 12 hours later where I was told he was completely blocked, his bladder was rock hard, and that he needed a catheter. I understand that conditions like these can escalate quickly (which it absolutely did) but I only knew it had gotten worse because his symptoms progressed to including pain. If I had accepted the pain meds which they tried pushing on me, he never would have been able to express his discomfort because he wouldn't have been able to feel it. Furthermore, if I had accepted their suggested fluids his bladder would have likely exploded because the block had already started, but they only took the time to check the size of his bladder not his output or ability to pass urine. In summary, I paid $175 for them to hold him hostage for 3 hours, look at him for 2 minutes and not actually give him anything. It was a waste of time and money to go here because they told me he was fine, but he would have died if I had taken their advice. read more

I would like to start out by saying that I did not want to punish the Pets Referral Center by giving a lower rating for one bad experience, especially since my other two experiences were wonderfuL. Roughly one month ago my 16 year old dog, Simba, was diagnosed with Lymphoma by the oncologist there. It was his very first visit and the staff was fantastic and very informative regarding this type of cancer and the treatment options. I chose palliative care for my little guy. From the information given I knew he didn't have that long. Fast forward, two weeks ago I brought Simba in to a very crowded and busy center. He was dying and I had driven all the way from San Pablo during the morning commute to get him there. I was in such a state of distress and seeing how busy the place was created additional stress. I was afraid I'd be told I had to wait. I felt bad doing it, but I went to the counter, cutting in front of everyone in line. All of the staff at the counter were on calls, but I heard one tell the caller she needed to place them on hold to check someone in. I told her I was so sorry but my dog was dying. She immediately got up and followed me to my car, got my little guy and took him to the back. There was nothing they could do - he was in bad shape. I asked that he be euthanised then to end his suffering. Everyone was so wonderful; the person at the desk who stayed with me pretty much through the process, as well as the doctor who gave the final injection. I couldn't have been treated any kinder and you have no idea how much that meant to me. Now for the bad. Two weeks later, and after being contacted by Yesenia that Simba's ashes were ready to be picked up I drove in yesterday to get them. I arrived to a relatively empty waiting area and a couple at the counter being assisted by Yesenia. I was next in line. After the couple left I stood waiting while Yesenia started typing, never once looking up at me even though she'd stood up when assisting the couple and saw me. I stood there for much longer than I should have had to stand there without any kind of an acknowledgment of "I'll be with you momentarily " or "please give me a minute" - nothing. As I said, she knew I was there. I finally walked away to grab a brochure and went back to standing and waiting. She finally asked if there was something she could help me with. I was so angry inside that I could barely get the words out that I was there to pick up my dog Simba's ashes. She then immediately went to get them and mumbled, "sorry for your loss". I am so happy she was not the person I had to deal with when bringing in my dying dog that I'd had for 16 years! "People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." - Maya Angelou read more

PETS Referral Center - RIP Simba - Veterinarians Near Me - Berkeley, California

Not a good place to take your pet. The vets are money hungry! They killed my pet and brought me the dead body. Because my pet was ill I opted for euthanasia and asked to be there while he passed. They killed him in the back and brought me and my family the dead body. When you call the managers they do nothing and don't call back. read more

Thank you for taking great care of our dear Frenchie Chee Chee when you rescued her from bloat a year ago age 13.5. This year, helping us all send her to heaven in a beautiful respectful matter, we appreciate the kindness and honesty of all your staff. read more

PETS Referral Center - Both doggies are now together in Heaven, thank you for giving us time for respectful goodbyes. - Veterinarians Near Me - Berkeley, California

Outstanding facility with experienced, knowledgeable, compassionate veterinarians and vet techs. read more

PETS Referral Center - Massimo! - Veterinarians Near Me - Berkeley, California

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The private vet practices all have a four week waiting list, so when your pet gets into trouble, you have to go to an emergency veterinary clinic. Even the emergency veterinary clinics are overwhelmed from being sent this overflow. Several of the clinics have lost rating stars during the pandemic, because people do not understand how the whole system is stressed. But, some clinics have adapted better than others. Pets Referral Center has a clear process and everyone who helped us - from the phone reception to the tech who came to get Ella from the car to the vet to the vet assistant were kind, helpful, professional and patient as we figured out what was wrong with 14 year old cat. They kept me informed the entire way and were clear about what things could potentially cost. It's also super helpful that they have a pretty large parking lot, although I barely found one space for myself when I arrived. There is also street parking in front of the main entrance. Ella is doing much better now, and I deeply appreciate the level of service at this place. I would definitely use this place again, but I hope I don't have to! If you need urgent care for your pet though, I recommend you try this one first. read more

I had a second appointment with Dr Gleeson - this time for my snake. It was another great experience and I'm glad I came back to her! Highly recommend for exotics !! read more

The ER is completely unprofessional, I arrived at 11pm last night, with my dog coughing and choking. After waiting for half an hour in the lobby, when I pushed to have his vitals taken, I was quickly ushered outside and told he might be infectious and that we would need to wait in our car. The triage nurse did not take his vitals, and tightened his collar to the point that it exacerbated the choking. The triage nurse informed us the wait would be 1-2 hours (it is worth noting that the last time I came to PETS referral I was told it would be 1-2 hours and it was instead 6 hours). After waiting 2 hours I attempted to call in, respecting that the staff did not want my dog in the lobby. The phone rang for 30 minutes before I gave up and went to Pacific Veterinary in Lafayette where my dog had his vitals taken immediately and where the wait time estimates were accurate. To add insult to injury, at 9:30am I received a call saying they weren't quite ready to see my dog. It is appalling that anybody would find it acceptable at an ER to leave a patient waiting without even taking vitals to assess the urgency of the case. While I understand triaging patients, there was no assessment taken to even determine the urgency of a dog who was stopping breathing intermittently (which we informed the nurse of). I would not recommend anyone take their dog to the ER here for care. read more

This is the most UNPROFESSIONAL vet I ever visited. Not just their RATE are HIGHER than others but the way they treated problem is very unprofessional, merely in the perspective of a merchant, asking you to do multiple procedures without prior telling you how much it cost. It costs so much just for a consultation alone without even yet solving my pet's illness, and further asking you to complete more procedures to diagnose and treat my pet. When I refuses to proceed with the procedures, they took so much troubles to convince you to choose their so-call treatment, deliberately wanting you to spent even more money on procedures that do not guarantee a cure. The wait were extremely long as well when there isn't much patient at that hour. We waited more than 3 hour for everything to be done and that is just the consultation alone. When you bring your pet to the ER, ideally you are in an anxious and worried state, so making your patient wait so long isn't nice at all. All they wanted is to find ways to charge you even more for this and that when obviously they were not doing much. When I asked if I could do a monthly payment for the amount I owe, the staff refuses to give such options and explains that because it is an ER treatment, I have to pay the amount in full. Didn't see any information of accredited staff being hang on any of the wall either, when they keep on emphasizing their staff were "professionals" with such and such treatment. There is no physician's name on my bill either, and there is no report of any kind for the physical checkup, I guess they are afraid of being blamed for their mistakes. Also, detail things like providing face mask at the front desk for people who might be allergic to animal fur are not carefully consider. I specifically asked for a mask and they told me that there isn't any, Covid-19 may be over but such basic thing in a hospital should always be available. There is no need for fancy decor or "soothing" music, when such basic and simple need is not being considered. I have been to shitty vet or hospital elsewhere, but always, there are face mask available. Definitely would NOT RECOMMEND this vet to anyone seeking for ER treatment, staff are extremely UNPROFESSIONAL in treatment and manners. You don't feel welcome at all talking with the front desk staff and the physician. read more

I took my very sick dog in and had to process the grueling decision to euthanize her. While this was happening and I was crying, they gave me forms to sign to approve the process, etc al. they never once told me that cremation would cost $350!!!!!!! I was given the choice to take her home and bury her or to cremated her but they NEVER MENTIONED THE COST! I'm sure I signed something that OK'd the bill, but I was crying and upset at the time. When I went to pick up the ashes, I saw a row behind the desk of the same bag I got for her ashes. How many of those people realize, I wonder, were told the cost of cremation. BEWARE THIS PLACE!!!!!!!@ read more

Today marks three years since my sweet tiny girl cat, ZuZu, suffered and died at this business due to practices they later stated met their standard of care. Zu was clearly in distress on a Monday morning in June 2020; I brought her to emergency in the early morning. An initial exam at 10:45am revealed her to have a "fluid-filled stomach" and likely abdominal blockage, but a tube to empty her stomach wasn't placed until mid-afternoon -- which they say met their standard of care. She vomited a large volume of acidic fluid and aspirated some into her lungs, resulting in pneumonia that killed her after three painful, terrifying nights spent in an oxygen cabinet. Her blood O2 % only increased while she was in it; taking her out always resulted in it dropping. On the afternoon of Day 3, blood and radiology results indicated serious worsening. Yet she was kept for that third night. I was allowed to visit, but was required to notify if I wanted a DNR in place. She was clearly struggling to breathe, and the next morning I was called at 8:15 to agree to euthanize her. I was advised to get there as quickly as possible, as death could occur shortly. I believe it was also negligent on PETS' part to have made her suffer another night after the poor test results and the condition I saw her in. I believe it was their responsibility to have brought this up that afternoon, given the test results and required DNR decision. My total bill was just under $10,000. When I arrived for Zu's euthanization, I was rightly required to sign off on the procedure but was also asked for immediate payment, when they already had me on the hook for ~$8k. My cat was suffering terribly and might have died alone, and they wanted payment first. I demanded to be with her and they did so, but the focus on money over compassion made a heartbreaking situation that much worse. Agree with other reviewers that Dr. Barlia is excellent; I also appreciated Dr. Hines' compassion and kindness. But as long as their standard of care continues to endanger pets, I urge you not to trust them with your own loved one. RIP, ZuZu. read more

they sent me a $900 bill after promoted online that vitals were free ... then told me again u only have to pay if u see a doctor ... which we ddnt do because I left so I wouldn't be charged read more

This is a terrible facility - don't take your pet here. Our vet told us to rush our 5 year old dog for an ultrasound because he was at risk for crashing or rupture from a large tumor that needed an ultrasound. We were told PETS Referral center was waiting for us. When we got there the staff was rude, barely acknowledged the situation, the tech watched us struggle to get the required cone on and exasperated finally put it on for us. Despite being told this was an emergency by our vet, we had to leave our dog for 3 hours before he got an ultrasound. Dr Lee was rude and not empathetic and when gave us the devastating news our 5 year old had weeks at best to live offered no follow up advice, except sorry. When asked if our dog was in pain and what we should do for him she told us you know your dog, you'll know. Her parting words were "Don't wait for his worst day to put him down". We called 3 times after this call for advice, care options and no one called us back. Our dog died suddenly at home 3 days later - traumatic and perhaps if the vet called us back we would have know this could have happened and could have had a peaceful end of life with his people with him instead of dead on the floor alone. What a horrible place - there must be a better option for your loved pet. read more

Shout out to the professionalism and honesty of Dr Leah Isaacson, who took the time to call me after I had emailed test results for my cat. She pointed us in the right direction. read more

We couldn't be more pleased and happier with the service we received at PETS Referral Center. Everyone we dealt with from the receptionists, aids, oncologist and surgeon showed concern for our dog, were professional, and very informative. We were referred to PETS Referral and within a few days we had an appointment, tests were done and our dog was operated on. Archie came through with flying colors and is doing very well in a very short period of time, thanks in no small part to PETS Referral. Things could not have gone better! read more

I can't recommend PETS highly enough, both their ER and oncology department. A little over a year ago, my 15-year-old Yorkie was diagnosed with highly aggressive melanoma and Dr. Kimberly Shaffer became his oncologist in the PETS Annex Center. Dr. Shaffer was great at explaining all our treatment options and how they worked. She was super patient with us as we asked a thousand questions, even when we doubted her conclusions because we didn't want to believe our dog was really dying. Franklin hated going to his regular vet, but the staff at PETS treated him so lovingly that he didn't really mind going there. Last week, to our utter devastation, Franklin finally reached a point where we had to end his suffering. We knew we wanted to go to PETS because it was the one veterinary hospital that didn't make him anxious. It was also really nice that we only have to give them a half-hour notice. We actually chickened out on our first attempt to take him in and called to say we needed another day, and the staff was nothing but sweet and understanding of our decision. In fact, that's how that they were every time we called. We did have to go back the next night and they set up a room that was peaceful and private for us to say our final goodbyes. As awful as it felt to lose a member of our family this way, the experience was so much more bearable because of the empathy and love of the people at PETS. Franklin was actually the second pet I've had to say goodbye to at PETS. Three years ago, our cat suddenly became ill, so we went to the ER because we couldn't get an instant appointment at our regular vet. Unfortunately, they were not able to save her that day, but we were impressed with how kind everybody was even then. If I could make them my primary care vet, I would, but that's not what they do. Losing a pet is one of the worst things in the world, and hopefully, you won't have to do the same as us on your visit to PETS, but you can trust that any visit there will be handled with care, competence, and compassion. I honestly, don't know how they are able to maintain this level of care 24/7. read more

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Our dog got ran over by a car, and the person responsible told us to come here. I'm glad we did. They took him in even though it was super late, they treated him with love and respect. Even though he clearly was hurt, that didn't stop krylon from giving the vet techs kisses and love. Krylon is a very lucky pup and I'm thankful we were sent here for his treatment. I wish I would've known about this place sooner. I will definitely be coming back in case I ever have an emergency like this again. Thank you again to the amazing vet and vet techs! ** I want to add here, this was at almost midnight when we arrived here. They were super fast especially for it being so late at night. They had a more critical emergency with another pet around the same time (hopefully they will be ok) and they still made sure to let us know we were a priority too. The wait wasn't very long, i was actually expecting a long wait time given all the emergencies that come in especially during night time.I appreciated the check ins as well. I was crying and all the vet techs was super sweet and reassured me and his dad. And to the Vet, I give him alot of praise. Shout to him! Can't imagine what he does is easy. My krylon is doing good and even though hes in pain, he appreciates the care! read more

PETS Referral Center - Veterinarians Near Me - Berkeley, California

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THEY DON'T CARE. The front desk people were extremely negligent and rude. We came because of a referral from our vet. Which they had briefed them before we got there. He had a stomach blockage and was there for an ultrasound to see the severity. Evening knowing of his situation they acted with zero urgency. His stomach was spasming like crazy and he was not moving. We waited. Nearly an hour before I had to ask for them to see him and check on him for triage. They took him back holding him like he was luggage. If I knew that was the last time I would carry my boy I would have asked to be there with him instead in the back where they must have left him for hours. By himself. So my son is dead. He had a puncture in his stomach. They took so long to do anything. By the time we got to see him - 7:30pm (we got there around 3pm) he was on so much opiates he had no idea we were there. This place has a lot going on I understand. It's an emergency vet. But the level of DGAF there was unbelievable. I hope this vet remembers, regardless if they can help or not this may be the last moments with their family member. And I will forever have the last remaining images in my brain of that awful place with the terrible treatment. They weren't mean to me but they clearly forgot that this day might mean a lot to those that come seeking help from them. And for them they totally acted like they worked at the DMV. So yeah, with the exception of the technician that helped us, the jaded day in and day out there for everyone is REAL. Like I said, it felt like the DMV. Good luck to you all and hopefully this place reads this and makes some changes. Extremely sad experience for an all time worst day of someone's life. And I don't mean mine. I mean my son's. His name was Gryffin. read more

This is not an emergency vet. This is a walk in service. At one time it WAS more ER based but the practice was sold in 2020 to a Florida company who owns many veterinian entitles. The staff tries--they are compasionate and decent but the operation is run poorly. One vet on staff on a busy weekend, I had an 11 hour wait. The vet didn't listen to us, didn't understand we were not interested in treating anything other than our urgent care needs until we could get to our regular vet. Too bad, was nice to know they were there but for the future I'm going over to Concord or Walnut Creek. Never, never, never again. Run as fast as you can away.... read more

Dr. Kim found a foxtail in my dog's eye and removed it in under 10 mins. (We had previously visited another ER, and they completely missed the foxtail -- resulting in days of pain for my pup.) The level of professionalism, coupled with the efficiency of the team, was remarkable. The bill was also 50% less than the other ER. read more

Came in on a Thursday evening as my poor pup was having eye issues. They were going through patients quick up until midnight when they let us know there would only be one dr. All in all I waited about 4 hours to be seen but I didn't really mind it. The doctor that saw my pet was super sweet and caring for my concerns. I really appreciated her patience with my questions and empathy with my concerns for my pup. One of the receptionists was really rude however. She would speak to me with a rude tone when I asked her simple questions about the wait time and parking space. Didn't appreciate her attitude at all. Other than the receptionist rude attitude I appreciated the services provided by the doctor. read more

i recently had to put my darling kitty to sleep. i was devastated and felt like i was in a zombie state. brian was wonderful with everyone who came in and put everyone at ease throughout their stay. am so grateful to him for being such a caring person, thank you, brian. he was on top of louis louis' situation from beginning to end. and, dr. lillian gilbert was also kind and caring and helped louis louis and me at this stressful time. i appreciated her words and explanations, given with gentle care. and, hertur....didn't interact with him, but for a minute, but he, like brian, was a sweetheart. it was obvious that he, too, cared about his patients and his patients' humans. thank you pets referral center, for being there! read more

PETS Referral Center - louis louis loved to be touching me when he slept during the day. he took over my right leg & i couldn't get up to do chores. grateful me. - Veterinarians Near Me - Berkeley, California

It's hard to recommend a pet ER. You only go there when things are really bad. However, if you have to go, then PETS referral center is a good choice. They were always nice to me, prices are reasonable for an ER and you can call ahead to find out how busy they are. Last time I was there it was with my emotional support cat who was having trouble peeing at 3 am. Naturally I was doubly freaked out because trouble peeing is usually bad and I didn't have my emotional support cat to support me. The doctor saw her within about 15 minutes. Then she went to the back for some tests. Meanwhile I was freaking out, so I called the doctor and explained the situation. she immediately brought my cat into the exam room to wait with me. It ended up being a UTI so all's well that ends well. I appreciated the kindness and so did Biscuit. read more

PETS Referral Center - Veterinarians Near Me - Berkeley, California

They saved our dog's life. A few days after her spay, we heard Donna whimpering early Sunday morning and when we went out to check on her we found her with her spay stitches opened up and her intestines outside of her body. We rushed her to PETS Referral Center and they immediately took her in. They were so kind and reassuring. They did emergency surgery and observed her overnight. Throughout the entire recovery process they were incredibly responsive, kind and helpful. Now we are over 2 weeks out from her surgery and Donna has made a full recovery thanks to PETS! read more

PETS Referral Center - Veterinarians Near Me - Berkeley, California

Absolutely the Worst decision you can make for your pet is to go here. The most disappointing, disorganized, unacceptable care I have ever witnessed. Came in on a Saturday, my dog bleeding profusely and after an hour and a half they bring my dog bleeding, they did not clean any of his wounds. Took the time though to sell me a $1000 X-ray because my dog was anxious and panting. I said let me see him and he will calm down, they brought him in with a half assed gauze bandage falling off, while his blood splashed everywhere from open and untreated wounds. We left and drove 25 mins to Veterinary Emergency Group on San Ramon Valley Rd in San Ramon. Worth the drive!!! Please take your pet there instead. They got to my dog right away, cleaned his wounds and gave antibiotic's. This vet is amazing! read more