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Saddleback Animal Hospital

4.5 (121 reviews)
Closed 8:00 am - 6:00 pm

Services - Saddleback Animal Hospital

Pet physical or wellness exam

Pet vaccinations

Pet sitting

Saddleback Animal Hospital Photos

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Recommended Reviews - Saddleback Animal Hospital

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Reviews With Photos

Nubia G.

I don't usually write reviews but in this case I had to share my experience. Veronica and Daisy at the front desk were friendly and welcoming, so I felt immediately I was in the right place. Dr. Clark was very patient with us and answered all our questions. The whole staff treated my 17 yo male cat with so much TLC. We had the absolute best experience. I cannot express enough my gratitude for making our first visit so pleasant.

Eragon

Our dog Eragon was 14 and became sick. The Dr. and staff at the hospital were great and did their best to help him. Unfortunately, he just wasn't able to rebound like before and we had to let him go. Everyone was so kind, patient and understanding. I highly recommend this hospital for your pets.

Saddleback Sign
Julie S.

Dr. Kavanaugh's staff is knowledgeable, friendly and professional. Dr K is honest and compassionate. We have been bringing all of our furbabies here for over 15 years. We highly recommend to all of our friends and family!

Elly D.

Great care for my senior dogs and cats. Dr. Clark is very responsive and communicative. Staff is engaging and kind.

No dice on this place.
Sara T.

Front Staff - courteous, non condescending, pleasantly surprised by that. Wait - Can't say it was terrific. Dr. K was cordial enough first time around during an initial checkup and vetalog injection for allergies (he did not give enough the first time and I had to return a few days later). I've tried everything during his 14 years of life: apoquel, raw food, cytopointe, cbd, yeast control, expensive allergy testing, allergy shots, special shampoos...apart from a reiki healing, I've done it and have the receipts - You get the jist here. The only thing that works when nothing else does is a damn Vetlog injection (which helps his hips too since he can sometimes barely walk). My bad-ass dog has survived very, aggressive mouth cancer, removing a quarter of his jaw and we nursed him back to health. I had to make a switch from that vet at Costa Mesa Animal Hospital only due to proximity. I went to Saddleback because I had just switched to a pet savings plan and they offer a discount on services which was totally radical since I canceled his now-very-expensive insurance. So it had been approximately a few months and the dreaded itch had reared its ugly head and out came the cone of shame. I called because I was going out of town and wanted to make sure to get him back in for another injection before we left. The staff put me on hold and returned to say that Dr K. wanted to talk to me and he'd call me back. Initial thought? Oh, ok cool! Maybe there was a new option for him that he had briefly mentioned last time? How nice of him to take the time to have a chat or relay a concern. I awaited the call.....6 hours later. Nothing. Closed. Called second time next morning. Staff ensures me he'll call me back. At this point I'm just waiting to hear why he might want to chat. No messages relayed but he'll call ya back. Hours later - nothing. I call again and am quickly transferred to...Gilbert. Oh Gilbert. You were the cherry on top of my day. This is where the metaphoric sh*t hits the fan. This guy has no place in customer service unless it is at a local DMV office, while trying to win a "who can piss off your customer for no reason" contest. He came off rude, accusational (wait, why??) and honestly just confused the crap out of me. Gilbert mentioned that he didn't want to give my dog the injection and why (which I understood their concern) but I just can't even describe the manner in which the information was disseminated. I'm all fine for a vets opinion on doing what (they feel) is best for my dog. I just think they went about it all the wrong way. I thought he wanted to have a chat about another option, not make me wait two days and than sick Gilbert on me to get me off his back after he was the one who said he wanted to call me. When I asked to just speak to Dr K. instead because I felt this was handled pretty sh*tty, he informed me he would add me back to the "queue" with no estimated time of a return phone call and that he's sure Dr would LOVE to hear all about how I feel (insert male condescending voice here). Dr. K did in fact finally "return" my call 3.5 hours later that he initially asked to have with me. The tone was immediately apathetic, there was lots of mention of his very busy schedule, being down a vet, and that he had Gilbert talk to me while he was in surgery as like some sort of back-handed compliment to both he and I. He was not understanding the point I was trying to make. He promptly said he'd email me my records and good luck. I've had a good amount of experience with vets and animals with the family I grew up in. Never have I seen an office manager treat someone with such disrespect for no reason and then the vet really just not give a crap about it. North Tustin animal hospital has some great vets, an office manager who truly cares about customers input and experience but unfortunately they had some communication issues with their front staff and I'm all for less stress these days. Costa Mesa animal hospital is really the only vet I've experienced that is able to handle a high amount of clientele, while providing easy appointments (I'm talking same-day), knowledgeable vets, relatively low wait time, and pretty darn good cost efficiency when compared to other offices and hospitals. Dr Paladin at CMAH saved my pups life and has given him two extra years so far. Unfortunately this company, mainly Gilbert (read his previous review mentions on Yelp) and Dr K's disinterest in feedback is a reminder to me why I keep making the commute back to them. Too bad the 55 freeway just sucks.

Patti A.

I cannot say enough good about Dr. Kavanaugh and his staff. All involved were so caring and compassionate about what they do. 1st time to the vet for my rescue Charlie I cannot put into words what a positive experience this was. I'm including a picture to show how relaxed my boy was.

This was our beautiful boy Vinny. Forever in our hearts!

See all

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26 days ago

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2 months ago

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8 months ago

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1 year ago

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6 months ago

The doctors and staff are caring and attentive. There is never a wait time and they always have your pet's chart ready.

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2 years ago

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9 months ago

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2 years ago

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2 years ago

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3 years ago

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9 months ago

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3 years ago

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1 year ago

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1 year ago

Great experience. The front desk and the doctors are always so nice and helpful for a new dog owner.

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2 years ago

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2 years ago

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3 years ago

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2 years ago

Great staff, great Doctors & not owned by a corporation that will shut it down bc of profits. Thanks to them for their compassionate care.

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2 years ago

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2 years ago

I highly recommend this hospital. The staff and vet were incredibly caring, fast, and kind.

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6 years ago

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2 years ago

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6 years ago

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2 years ago

Business owner information

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Michael K.

Thank you for the nice comment!!

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4 years ago

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Michael K.

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3 years ago

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3 years ago

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Michael K.

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3 years ago

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5 years ago

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7 years ago

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4 years ago

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Ask the Community - Saddleback Animal Hospital

Does Saddleback Animal Hospital do taping after ear-cropping?

Do you guys still Declaw cats?

Hopefully not, it's inhumane.

View All 7 Questions

Review Highlights - Saddleback Animal Hospital

. Kavanaugh and he too was amazing with Zeus (and our 100 questions) Thank you so much for taking care of our pup!

Mentioned in 42 reviews

Read more highlights

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I have been bringing my dog here for grooming for the past few years and have always had a great…read moreexperience. My dog isn't scared or anxious after leaving or when I bring him. The groomers always come out to meet me and ask what I'm looking for. I've tried out other places in the area and this is the best place.

My puppy stayed for two weeks at Paw Sweet Paw, and I have to say the marketing does a better job…read morethan how the business actually operates. Prior to the stay, I was told first-timers get 1 week of free boarding. Knowing that we'd be out of the country for 2 weeks, this was perfect, on top of thinking the workers were nice. I also made sure they would be sending photo updates EVERY DAY via email and that there are cameras in the play area for us to check on him. As the front desk lady could tell, I made sure to make their lives easier, so I printed out 2 A4 sheets of things to know about my pup, being as detailed as possible so they wouldn't be confused about what to do since he's still a puppy. Two weeks later, we had to ask our friend to pick him up because they said no one could help release the pup on Easter Day. When they went to pick him up, both the bowl and the bed were missing, and they couldn't find them on the spot. They had to be delivered the day after, and ONLY because I made that phone call to confirm if they could find my puppy's bowl and his ginormous bed. During those two weeks, we clearly informed them that we would be out of the country and that SMS wouldn't work, yet they didn't remember until I emailed them, twice. Over the 15 days, I could barely see my pup on the camera, and I only received THREE email updates and one 10-second video of my puppy, which didn't even show anything meaningful. It felt like it was recorded just for the sake of sending something. One of the updates was also sent only after I emailed them the second time. Being told we'd be getting one week of free pet boarding for first-timers was WHY we chose to stay here. The staff also told us we could call for a refund if we were mischarged. Two weeks later, when we called, the lady told me they were going through reorganization, so workers were moving around, maybe that's why things were missing, and that the free first week only applied to daycare. I would have to speak to the manager about my concern. The manager obviously had the answer in mind and avoided my phone calls a couple of times, on top of my calls getting hung up more than 2-3 times during transfer. When she finally picked up, without hesitation to my question, she said she couldn't refund me for the first free week, but she could offer me a discount, or a free daycare day or some other discounts. Lol. What's the difference between giving me back a 1-week refund as your team promised versus a discount? Why not solve the problem instead of dancing around it? Why am I getting "punished" when your workers told me the wrong thing? Sure, you might lose a couple hundred bucks, but what's more valuable is that you're losing is a customer who will no longer trust your business, and the word-of-mouth effect that could've helped bring in more customers. As a business owner, you should understand better why pet owners trust you with their dogs and what they expect, especially in Orange County. Unfortunately, our first experience was horrendous and extremely disappointing. The level of disorganization and hassle is beyond disappointing. If you're looking for a pet boarding hotel, I strongly suggest finding somewhere else. Like the lady said, they're going through reorganization, so they might be too busy taking care of customers right now anyway.

Saddleback Animal Hospital - vet - Updated May 2026

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