I want to take a moment to thank everyone at the pet hospital from the bottom of my heart for the…read morecompassion, grace, and support you showed me during one of the most difficult moments of my life. My beloved cat, Lily, was with me for 17 years, and watching everything unfold so quickly was incredibly heartbreaking and overwhelming. Throughout the entire experience, every staff member I encountered was kind, compassionate, and supportive. I truly felt that Lily and I were treated with care and dignity during such a difficult time. Even when I returned to pick up Lily's ashes, the staff continued to greet me with warmth and compassion. That small gesture meant more to me than I can express. Although Lily has passed, I will always be grateful for the kindness and support your team showed us. Thank you for helping me through one of the hardest days of my life and for treating Lily with the love and respect she deserved.

I can't comment on prices or life saving care, but I can comment on how sincere and compassionate…read moreKara the receptionist/tech was given my situation. I had to bring my guinea pig in for respiratory distress. They put him on oxygen and kept me posted so I wasn't "just waiting".. honestly I could have just waited but being told "the vet is finishing up with another patient and is going to check out your pet real soon" is extra service/notice I hadn't expected. It was a fairly long night but vet was fairly thorough.. scientific, matter-of-fact, not harsh but not overly emotional, just right. The vet let me know what care overnight would look like, what the prognosis would be, what could or could not be determined, but made it clear that as a prey animal with very fragile respiratory systems, what happened was not too uncommon. Kara returned to help me, console me, and later present an estimate of care, and (as one might expect) helped me to the (not too hard) decision to put our guinea pig down. (Let me clarify she didn's sway or try to influence my decision, she was just there as I went through the decision making process). I don't blame this hospital for the costs, nor do I have any experience to know if he "should have been able to be saved".. I just know Kara was extremely supportive and kind during what was one of the hardest experiences I've had as a mother (this was going the first pet my kids loved and lost). She was there till with above and beyond care. Anyone colder or just "professional" would've made me feel more isolated and less comforted but she helped me through an extremely difficult time. Kara sets the bar for what care should look like anywhere. Thank you

We've been taking our two dogs here for several years now and just love this place. The staff is…read moreincredibly patient and caring, and Dr. Jacob's is extremely knowledgeable in animal health. We especially like how he takes his time to understand our concerns, and uses thoughtful knowledge and reasoning to determine the best approach for our pets health. We never feel pressured for time as he answers all our questions and concerns. I highly recommend them for all your pets needs.

FHAH is amazing all the way around! They've been our vet since we moved to La Mesa 11 years ago…read more They'll discuss issues on the phone and give you ideas to try before bringing in your fur baby. They have a separate room for their cat & dog patients too. The staff are wonderful. I'm so glad we found them to keep our furry family members healthy!

Big kudos to the staff and the amazing care they give! Had an appointment for my cat Mango to…read morediscuss behavioral changes and to look for new vet since we weren't too happy with care from VCA. From the front desk to the technician and Dr Wang, the experience was great! Dr Wang heard all of my concerns and took her time to explain treatment routes and validated my concerns. Amazing bed side manners! I have two other cats in my household and plan on transferring care for all of them from VCA to this vet :)

I went to see Dr. Wang on the recommendation of a friend. I have a German Shepperd and very…read moreparticular about where i take him. It was to say the least the best experience. Most Vets come in like their hair is on fire and leave as soon as possible. Not Dr. Wang she took her time to get to know me and my dog and proceeded to the exam only when she felt he was comfortable. It is the welcome unusual almost like the old times when people and animals mattered more the just turn them and burn them and bank the money. I rarely write a review but from the receptionist to the thecs to the Dr. they were nothing short of excellent. From an over protective dog dad i highly recommend their practice.

This place is a rip-off…read more I brought my dog in for an ear infection in one of her ears. I specifically chose this location because my dog has Thrive Plus, but as soon as I walked in, I saw a sign stating that they no longer accept Thrive Plus and that the exam fee was $195. At that point, I figured it was expensive, but I was willing to pay because my dog's health comes first. However, considering that her recent ER exam for an eye scratch was only around $200, the $195 exam fee felt excessive. I arrived just five minutes after the clinic opened, yet it still took about 30 minutes before someone came in to see my dog. Then, another 30-40 minutes passed before the doctor came in. The doctor, Angell, spent much of the consultation going off-topic and laughing at my dog rather than clearly explaining what was going on or what she believed the issue was. After discussing treatment, because the $195 exam didn't even result in telling me the problem, they sent me an estimate totaling $531. The doctor had confirmed that my dog's current medication made ear mites unlikely, so at that point I decided to leave. I simply could not justify spending over $500 on an ear infection that was not considered an emergency or otherwise detrimental to her health. I'm extremely disappointed by the pricing and overall experience. It honestly felt like this clinic was taking advantage of people who are willing to spend whatever they can to make sure their pets are okay. I went in expecting to pay for an exam and appropriate treatment, not to be presented with a $531 bill for what appeared to be a relatively straightforward ear infection. I spent less money at the ER for my dog's eye-scratch (408) than the estimate for an ear infection at this urgent care.

Brought in my dog Bandit, a 110-lbs Great Pyrenes-Bluetick Coonhound mix because of an itchy ear…read more It was beginning to look like a fungal infection he had before. Vet Tech Andrea took good care of Bandit, bringing him to the exam room. Dr. Parnell came out in a few minutes to let me know that Bandit has an allergy to something undetermined. (Later on, after medication, his allergies eased). I think we waited only 5 minutes and was out in about 30 minutes. Although she did treat Bandit's immediate allergy she recommended seeing his regular veterinarian to get a comprehensive allergy check. Superb service! Highly recommended!

We've coming here for a little over a year, our initial vet left and we ended up the Dr. Chiang. He…read moreis awesome, always explaining everything and details and offering the best care for our Miko. Staff is also great, and friendly and efficient.

previously left a negative review due to an appointment issue that the front desk didn't handle…read morewell. I left upset and was later contacted by staff to correct the issue. When making a new appointment I met a similar issue with the person scheduling but eventually talked my way through it. This part was still frustrating but I was trying to use a promotion for a new pet. It was hard to get them to honor it because I had been to the facility over 20 years ago Prior to it changing hands to VCA. Anyways, moving forward, I got my appointment and I saw DVM Brett Fontaine. He was amazing with my rescue dog. She has severe anxiety and does not warm up easily to anyone. We've only had her five weeks. DVM. Fontaine Not only read her entire chart from the animal shelter and discussed everything in detail with me but he also knew exactly what to do with a dog like her. He got on the floor with her, sat beside her and talked to me without putting too much pressure on her and slowly passed her treats which she took from his hand, which is huge because it took her three days to do that in our house after decompressing from her previous owner/stray/shelter/foster/foster trauma. We don't know what happened to Cali in her previous years but we are pretty sure it wasn't good. DVM Fontaine never rushed, never acted fearful, never pushed anything on her and never questioned my decision to adopt such a beautiful broken soul. I went for the free visit but I will be going back when needed specifically to see DVM Fontaine for all 4 of my dogs in the future. I hope they work on the office staff with specials and appointment setting as that's unfortunately the first step to getting a new client but it was worth navigating through the problems to get to DVM Fontaine in the end. The vet tech was also very nice and helpful but I didn't retain his name.

Dr. Aniya and her team are angels on Earth! They saved the life of my cat Pete. He was feral and…read moreeven the humane society did not want to treat him. Dr. A was able to devise a plan for his treatment that was gentle and worked for him. Her team is going incredibly thorough and thoughtful. Watching them speak to other patients in the waiting room, it's evident that their first priority is you and your animals comfort and safety. I would recommend them to anyone!

Love the entire staff here! Sarah at the front is so helpful and always follows up with me on rx…read morerequests or dr questions. Erica has always been a super friendly and knowledgeable tech- Dr Aniya is so thoughtful and thorough in her consultations. She provides so much information and her pros and cons relating to treatment recommendations put me at ease when deciding how to take the best care of my pup. Highly recommend this hospital!!

As we all know finding the perfect place to keep your pets healthy can be a daunting task. I've…read morenever been a fan of facilities that bring out the dreaded clip board with invisible $ signs floating in the air. I have never experienced that at this clinic. Options are given with estimated costs. Treatments are discussed. I rescued 2 cats ten years ago. Each with their own trauma. I have trusted Dr. April Rodriguez to assist with their physical and mental health. Most recently she helped my beautiful Flora cross the rainbow bridge. Having her be the one to do it meant so much to me. There's so much to love about Rancho Carlos. The front-desk staff is consistently friendly and accommodating. Cats may not love vet visits, but they have a wonderful "cat whisperer" (if I'm remembering correctly, her name is Sam). And Dr. Rodriguez truly does this work out of love--she's intuitive, selfless, and always thinking about the best next step.

It has taken me 5 years to write this review because my family was so traumatized from this clinic…read more In June of 2021, my dog was very ill from a tooth infection, and this clinic could not have cared less. I tried repeatedly to make an appointment and was told they "have other emergencies to attend to." My dog was dying so I'm not sure what constitutes an emergency to this clinic. I was told to go to the ER vet. After spending 5 figures on repeatedly going to the ER vet, we just couldn't afford it anymore. I was told a doctor would call me back and no one ever called. I would call every single day begging for an appointment or for a doctor to call me back, and by the end of the week (after 5 days of calling every day) a doctor would finally call. This happened for 2 or 3 weeks. We finally were able to schedule a surgery date. My dog was rapidly declining and I begged again to have the surgery date moved up. I was told that I could go to a much more expensive place to have the surgery, but at that point we couldn't afford to keep spending money. The night before the surgery was scheduled, my dog died at home. I don't know if he would have survived if he had the surgery sooner, or if we should have ended his suffering, but we never had an appointment to discuss any of this with a vet. They barely spoke to me and treated me like an annoyance. I understand that vet clinics were overwhelmed during Covid, but I was completely dismissed and ignored, and my dog suffered because of it. There are much better vet clinics out there that actually treat you like a human being. I recently had to say goodbye to my elderly dog, and we were treated with respect and compassion at a different clinic. I sincerely hope that Rancho San Carlos Pet Clinic has changed and treats their patients better, but I have never and will never go back. I used to recommend this clinic, and now I tell everyone I know to avoid it.

This is the absolute best veterinary doctor and staff anyone can ask for. They care about their…read morepatients and show so much compassion. We brought our fostered 4 week old kitten in here yesterday. They not only did all they could, but actually spent hours of their time caring for her and nursing her back to health. They have her a chance and worked very hard doing their absolute best. They gave me advice that was followed and now she is on the up side. Thank you guys so much for all you did to help yesterday. It means a lot to meet such caring staff and doctors that poor their support and knowledge into such a young and vulnerable baby.

I had been going to this vet for over 4 years and the last year or so there has been a sharp…read moredecline in service. The vet consistently failed to read past records of ongoing issues with my dog, including recurring ear infections and UTIs. Instead, merely prescribing antibiotics to treat symptoms. Finally, I had to request a culture be taken so we could figure out what was going on. Once that came back, the vet again failed to read our past records correctly and I had to explain the situation. Long story short, due to their lack of attention, my dog had a UTI caused by e. Coli for over a month which ultimately lead to his kidney failure. They were once my most trusted resource for the care and well being of my dogs and I was giving them a lot of grace over the last year or two as things really went south there. The vet techs and rest of the staff are all really lovely and kind. But find yourself another vet if you have any pet that might need anything more than a routine checkup. Even then, I wouldn't trust that they would be thorough.

I saw Dr Cecil for my tortoise in the emergency department. He got me in quickly, and was super…read moreknowledgeable. I had brought my tortoise in because he was breathing funny. After he examined him, he didn't see anything too alarming and didn't make me do any unnecessary X-rays. I'm always scared to go to a vet because they always make you do things to make more money. Not him. His assistant Derrick was super knowledgeable about tortoises and super nice. He taught me how to inject the medication and he was super personable. It's nice to know there is a reputable San Diego vet who is nice and honest and knows tortoises.

He was so kind and compassionate when dealing with my flock! It's not easy being a bird mom and I…read morefelt my babies were safe with him and his team

I haven't even brought my cat in yet, but I already feel like I'm in good hands. I called with some…read morepretty complicated questions about traveling with my pet, and Trixie answered every single one of them without making me feel rushed or dismissed. She was knowledgeable, genuinely warm, and even pointed me toward resources and services that could help with pet travel, things I wouldn't have thought to ask about on my own. It says a lot about a practice when the team makes you feel this taken care of before you've ever walked through the door. Can't wait to finally come in. Highly recommend just giving them a call , you'll see what I mean!

Worst vet I've ever been to. If I could give it a zero stars I would…read more My cat had a dental cleaning and tooth extraction scheduled early morning. The first issue came when I reviewed the estimate. They had included bloodwork that I had already paid for ($161). After I pointed it out, the receptionist printed a corrected estimate, bringing the total to between $1,700.74 and $1,846.99. The receptionist then told us that a $1,000 deposit was required before the procedure. Although we thought that was unusually high, we agreed because we wanted our cat to receive the care she needed. Before proceeding, we asked the receptionist to let the doctor know that if any additional teeth needed to be extracted, we wanted to see the X-rays first before approving any extra procedures. Because the vet bill has 500 dollars in case they need to extract any other tooth. We felt this was a completely reasonable request. After speaking with the doctor, the receptionist came back and said, "Actually, the doctor said the deposit is $1,700." We were shocked. The only thing that had changed was that we asked to review X-rays before authorizing additional extractions, yet the required deposit suddenly increased from $1,000 to $1,700. We wanted an invoice / receipt to show that we paid, yet the receptionist said "our system does not give any receipts or invoice". Which makes no sense because how can it show that we paid? I have never been to a veterinary clinic that requires you to pay what is essentially the full cost of the surgery as a "deposit" before the procedure has even taken place. It made no sense. All they wanted was the extra money which was the $500 dollars. We asked to speak with Dr. Daniela Sumano so we could understand why the deposit had suddenly changed. The receptionist told us, "Sorry, she only answers medical questions, not questions about the bill or pricing and she has no time" That response was incredibly frustrating. If the doctor was the one who instructed the receptionist to increase the deposit from $1,000 to $1,700, then she should have been willing to explain why. Instead, we were given no explanation and no opportunity to discuss the decision. At that point, I asked them to cancel the procedure, return my cat, and refund my $1,700. The lack of transparency, poor communication, and unwillingness to answer simple questions completely destroyed our confidence in this clinic. Before we left, we asked the receptionist for the doctors name( Dr. Daniela Sumano) We left without the procedure and will never return. As soon as we got home, the doctor called us asking if we have any questions. Which was too late. I would not recommend this veterinary clinic if you to want to maintain a healthy pet and anyone looking for transparent communication, honest, billing, and respectful customer service.