I had a very easy time arranging a small eye surgery for my dog. The eye surgeon was gentle and thorough and very meticulous. Highly recommend. read more

I've been using PRC for decades, literally. A series of my own dogs and cats, and also strays, has benefitted from their after-hours care. I have never received bad advice. Please know when you call: They are an emergency room. Just like Sutter or Alta Bates, they are going to triage your pet and take the most serious cases first --- even if they come in after you! It's how you'd want your pet to be treated, in a critical situation. Bring a book, bring your knitting, bring pet treats, and be cool. They're doing their best, which is very, very good. read more

If you have a pet emergency go to VEG Emergency services. If you want to wait 6 hours for sub par treatment with double the cost you go here. When the Vet tells you how stressed they are and you need to comfort them you may also make an appointment there . Remember we are customers, please get your mental heath treatment out of service area. Too expensive Caused harm to pets Why are you rated in the 3's ? Do better!!!!! read more

My dog had a blind eye with glaucoma. I went to the eye specialist doctor. Her eye pressure had been hovering around 35 for several months. My dog is almost 15. I was going in for a check up after 4 months of consistent eye drops and the ophthalmologist said my dog was getting close to a medical emergency with their tocometer reading of 47. The problem was, that her technician didn't do the tocometer reading correctly, I could tell, so I asked the eye doctor to do the reading again. She said no, that she trusts her technician (over my observation and knowing my dog's level of discomfort). She made other comments that made me feel like she might dislike her job well enough to throw shade at clients like me. So I decided it wasn't worth spending $1300 on a procedure on a doctor that wouldn't even do another 1 minute tocometer reading. I opted to spend $400 for a second opinion that was 1 hour away a week later after doing a ton of research. Well, turns out the reading WAS wrong at Pets referral (I didn't tell the new eye specialist hospital her previous reading), her eye pressure remained at 35 over the four months, so I decided to go with the second opinion eye hospital to go through with the $1300 eye procedure at Vet vision. Two months later my dogs eye is doing great, eye pressure at 7. No more eye drops needed! read more

This has been the most disappointing veterinary experience I've had. The clinic seems more focused on profit than on the care and well-being of pets. Prices change frequently, estimates are unclear, and medications are not explained unless you agree to pay more. They don't treat your pet like a family member--only as a price tag. Overall, it felt like a transaction rather than genuine veterinary care. I would not recommend bringing your pets here read more

I brought my cat here to be checked & found out he needed to be euthanized. The vet put him on monitored oxygen to see if he would improve but once we agreed to do x-rays it gave us more information on making our decision. The vet and her assistants did a great job in making this go smoothly and were very caring and let us spend as much time as we wanted. They took care of euthanizing him and having him cremated for us to bring him home..Very satisfied. read more

PETS Referral Center - Vinnie's Urn - Veterinarians Near Me - Berkeley, California

My cat came to me screaming in pain and terror. Spitting up brown foam. Cats usually hide their pain, in 50 years of having cats I'd never seen this. I called PETS emergency, they said bring him in and he'd be triaged. I rushed there. He had stopped screaming by then. I described what happened to the woman at the front desk, who said that pain was subjective, and ignored us for a very long time while other pets were seen promptly. When the vets finally triaged my cat, they said that his heart had failed. There was no hope, did I want him put to sleep. It was the merciful thing to do. I held him as he died and was sitting alone saying goodbye to his cold dead body, trying to keep all his limbs scooped together in my lap. That woman came in again and asked me to sign papers there instead of at the front desk. I said I'd sign on the way out. I couldn't put him down to sign without his poor dead limp legs and head sprawling on the bench, I couldn't bear to do it. She kept insisting that I sign right there, and I kept saying let me say goodbye to my cat, I'll sign as I'm leaving. Paid $750 for this brutal experience. Losing a pet is devastating, this was the worst possible place to bring my sweet cat. read more

My Bulldog, "Penny," and I have been given excellent care from Dr. Knight (Ophthalmologist) at PETS Referral Center. She is extremely thorough, informative, and genuinely cares about the treatment of the dogs she sees. The staff here are also super friendly and helpful. We are thankful! read more

PETS Referral Center - Veterinarians Near Me - Berkeley, California

If I could give them negative stars I would. Terrible communication and lack of professionalism. The reception staff were shit talking my wife and I in front of us while we waited for our dog to be seen for toxicity. We called before we came and they still just told us to call poison control when we got there, only to come tell us to leave five minutes later. On our way out we heard them say "they're gone" and resume talking about ordering pizza. We ultimately got better vet care from a chat on chewy. read more

Absolutely WORST place to take your pet there!!!!! They will be lying to you play smart with you and they WILL take last penny from you!!!!!! Avoid at ANY cost!!!!!! read more

I do not recommend pets referrals at all. Went in with a case of bloat after my dog ate another dogs meal on top of her meal. Stomach totally distended. The vet said oh it's not her stomach but the spine and neck is the real issue. Gave her painkiller. Talked me into a dark rabbit hole of paralysis, spine surgery, crate confinement, neurologist BEFORE taking any X-rays. And guess what? She showed a ton of food in her belly. What an incredibly irresponsible visit that cost $1300. Seriously. Stay away. When you're vulnerable and in an already state of shock and they take you down a worm hole, esp when intuitively and plainly you know the source. They just take advantage. You're a pocketbook here. Go someplace else. I would have but every other clinic already had emergencies. Also, the intake person kept calling my dog a him. Just overall no attention paid, lack of listening, subjected to their wrong opinion and assessment. STAY AWAY. read more

I took my Sparky to PETS Referral Center in the middle of the night when he had trouble breathing. He was a senior dog in failing health, so this was not unexpected. Everyone I encountered was very kind, took time to explain to me all of the options. When I met with the doctor, she explained options in a very kind way and took her time. Throughout the whole process of letting our baby go, the staff was patient and kind, never rushed. I am so grateful for being able to go to PETS Referral for my Sparky's last moments. 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

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

Last night my dog accidentally ate too much chocolate. It could have killed her. I rushed her to the PETS center in Berkeley, and they saved her life. I am so grateful to them for their kindness, quick response, clear communication, and for being open at 2AM. If I had waited until morning it would have been too late. This morning I was able to bring her home early and even got a big refund on my deposit. What a relief! Reminder: keep chocolate out of reach of your pets! If they eat some, take them to the vet immediately! By responding quickly you can save a life, as well as a lot of money. read more

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

Cash grab. The Techs are great the actual Vets not so much. They truly just try to up charge you in every way. Tried to charge me for an ER consultation when I was simply bringing my dog in for a follow up visit he was SUPPOSED TO GET. I'll never come back. Only pro about this place is they're 24hrs... read more

Don't go here !! The manager Claudia is useless They removed my review these disgusting vets and techs brought my cat here few days ago the receptionist Lia and her partner ignored me at first couldn't find my cats account and no one was in the waiting room I got there at 3pm my cat was having seizures very sick blood count low many issues the awful vet tech set my cat t back out after vitals she didn't even take them right and left my dying cat out there for 10 hours I got a call at 1am of lia asking me if I'm still in the waiting room .there nuts of course not dont go here they'll ignore your pet for 12 hours even if he's dying .there sickining people . also the urgent care vet Leah issascson will be reported to the vet board for misdiagnosing my cat several times she's not an educated vet .she said to me not to bother doing blood work or urine tests here because the machine doesnt work she said ..go to veg where they treat you with respect they don't lie to you and value your time and business this place doesn't I ought to sue them for what they put me threw read more

Yesterday I brought my dog into be treated because of a a spinal issue that made her lame. Sophie was pain free for the most part. She started having seizures so we needed them to treat her. We brought a guerny from home because she needed to be gently transported and she was 90lbs. Upon arrival we showed the tech the guerny system and she said no we can't use that and preceded to grab and lift the dog out of the car by herself against our wishes my dog was screaming howling in pain because of this and it didn't end for 20 minutes untill after we finally had a doctor have us sign paperwork before they treated her pain that that they caused. In the end we put her to sleep for fear that when she awoke the pain would return. They need to listen to there clients before making calls that cause great harm. We have been clients of pet referrals for 17 years and never received such cruel and incapable care. I'm shocked at how this young woman thought this was the right move. Now we have lost our Sophie because we were unlucky in they're staffing choices. Sophie was not suffering until we brought her to pets referrals. They said she was just disphoric. She had been seen by pets serval times over the years and never was she disphoric. This is my first yelp review I hope my story changes something for the better. 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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(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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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

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

I would never come to pet referral and work with Dr Gleason and she killed my guinea pig that he didn't need to have this surgery done. He was young and I don't believe that the ER doctors were watching over him like they should have been and she did a surgery and she messed up and she killed my guinea pig do not trust his place don't bring your animals here find some other place anything is better than coming to this place do not come to petrophone do not work with Dr Gleason did you not care about you and what happens to your animals they only care about money I mean especially since they killed my guinea pig and they charged me for a burial they don't care I can't stress that enough she doesn't she acts like she cares but I don't think she does I had her and Lisa telling me oh it's cheesy going to be okay take him home which I had to rush him back you know then they were telling me oh yeah I keep him at home and he'll bounce around all they did was make the situation worse and put me through hell and then left me on hold when I called to find out for 10 minutes a lifetime trying to find out what happened to him cuz I just had a message and nobody got back and then the wrong people picked up the phone it was such a mess in such a difficult time. I would go back in time and change this if I could and I will never take another animal for surgery with her and then she did the surgery on my girl guinea pig telling me that she had a tumor which is now coming out to be untrue she did a whole hysterectomy and then she even left them ovaries behind and telling me we can do ultrasounds every 6 months to find out make sure they're okay oh my God it's like you've messed up both my guinea pigs you killed one and the other one didn't need this surgery you totally mistaken it because when they looked at the tissue there was no tumor how many times do you have to be wrong before you stop working on animals. You could have killed my other guinea pig she still recovering. I hope she has a crappy Christmas because you already ruined my Christmas and you can never make that up I don't want cards I don't want crap I don't want to hear I'm sorry all that is empty it doesn't mean a thing. You killed my guinea pig you did this I am putting this complaint in with a veterinarian board 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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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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

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

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

Let me start by saying Everyone was so nice, the 3 stars is mostly attributed to that. Customer Service is on point. I took my puppy there because he wouldn't eat then I noticed worms in his poop and I figured he might need a vet. It was the weekend and no other vets would take him until the middle of the following week so i went to the Refferal center in Berkeley as a last resort. The exam itself was over $100. Then when they gave me the rundown of things he "needed" it was this extensive list of craziness. They literally gave me a bill that added up to $900. I had to take the most urgent treatments like the dewormer and some ear medication and schedule an appointment with Evergreen Pet Clinic (much easier and cheaper) family vet for follow-up. The family vet re-examined him and found that some of the things the referral center said were necessary were not. The vet started his regular puppy vaccines, gave him another type of dewormer as a precaution and extended his ear treatment and gave him an allergy shot. All of These things cost less than $200. They were also very knowledgeable and helpful with minor pet education, like they explained everything to you and and answer all your questions. I definitely felt a lot less green to pet ownership and not so anxious lol I don't think I'll go back to the referral center unless in case of extreme emergency or something. I feel like they tried to sell me stuff I didn't need because I was so worried and I told them I was new to being a pet owner, and had I more money at the time I probably would have gullibly gone for it. I do appreciate the staff being nice and caring for him while he was there all day. They didn't let me come in with him due to COVID, and when I picked him up I could tell he had been loved on at least a little by the nurse who helped him. He barely wanted to leave Lol read more

PETS Referral Center - My Baby - Veterinarians Near Me - Berkeley, California

My dog woke up on a Saturday morning with a giant bulge on her leg. I called my vet and they had an outgoing message that said go to Pet referral center. They don't work on Saturdays anymore. So I took her there and I got there about four and I waited until about seven because her situation was not as emergent as many of the other dogs who came in. So around 7 o'clock when I was starting to feel Hengrui, they said they would put her in a crate until they could see her and they would call me when they were done so I went home my partner cooked me dinner and I got better. And around midnight they called us to say she was ready to go home. I was pretty pleased to see that she was dozy but not in pain or freaked out anymore and for vet bills these days it wasn't an arm and a leg. Couple of fingers maybe... and she seem to recover quite well. And they seem to like her. Unusual since she's a Basenji. I would give five stars but the fact that I sat there with my freaked out dog arms for three hours and I just recently personally had a knee replacement, it was just hard sitting in there for that long when everybody else who came in got to go first. it's good to know that there's a place to take your dogs on the weekends and that you can trust them to do their best work. The only caveat to that is that maybe an hour or two earlier they could've said will put her in a crate and will call you when she's done. Also, the people at the front desk were incredibly lovely. read more

PETS Referral Center - Veterinarians Near Me - Berkeley, California