I am beyond angry and deeply disappointed with this VCA. After asking me publicly to contact their customer service team, they never followed up. No call. No email. No accountability. Ollie was eventually euthanized -- and he should have been that day. Instead, their decision to refuse care prolonged his suffering, during which his condition worsened and he developed pneumonia on top of the illness he was already battling. That outcome was entirely preventable. What hurts the most is knowing his pain was extended unnecessarily. This clinic had the chance to show compassion and failed. Their silence afterward only reinforces that they do not take responsibility for the harm their decisions cause. read more

These people are absolutely the most money-hungry and heartless individuals I have ever encountered. It's all about the money for them. The prices are outrageous, making it the last place you would want to take a family member or pet. They might as well say, 'Pay up, or let them die! read more

I had to bring my cat Zack in on a Saturday night before Easter after finding him covered in blood and urine. Every other clinic was closed, and VCA Valley Oak told me to come in right away. That decision saved his life. Zack has some unique medical challenges, and I knew going in this might not be straightforward. Dr. Wilson took the time to fully assess him, consulted with UC Davis, and came back with a clear, workable plan while still giving me options. I never felt rushed or pushed in one direction. The entire team was incredible. They encouraged me to visit, kept me updated morning and night, and I always knew how Zack was doing. I could tell he was being cared for not just medically, but emotionally. He's a very social cat, and it meant a lot to know he wasn't alone back there. What stood out most to me was how much everyone genuinely cared about him. One of the staff at the front desk told me she wished she could just go back and cuddle him all day, and when I spoke with one of the doctors later, she mentioned that people had been asking about him and wanted to know how he was doing. That meant more to me than I can say. Emergency vet care is expensive and stressful, and I know that's where a lot of negative reviews come from. But in my experience, this team was compassionate, skilled, and deeply invested in my cat's outcome. Zack is home now, recovering and very much himself again. I'm incredibly grateful to Dr. Wilson and the entire team. read more

VCA Valley Oak Veterinary Center - Zack home and recovering. - Veterinarians Near Me - Chico, California

On January 21,2026 our lil girl Meeka started coughing up blood and from the moment I called them hysterical around 4pm they were nothing but patient, compassionate and very supportive! We live about 35 mins away and when we got there we were taken care of right away, we did end up having to leave her over night, they called us 1st thing in the morning and gave us an update, they wanted to keep her for the day until about 5! I appreciate all of their hard work, because of them Meeka is still with US! Somehow she had gotten into RAT POISON! The only not so great thing is the price but I don't know about you but I'm WILLING to PAY for whatever I have too for my fur babies! I look at my lil girl and a thankful they were there to SAVE HER LIFE and would pay the $6,212 over and over again! read more

VCA Valley Oak Veterinary Center - Meeka our lil girl that VCA SAVED her LIFE - Veterinarians Near Me - Chico, California

Valley Oak Vetrinary center price gouges you when you're in desperate need and they give bad advice. Apparently checking to see if a dog is on deaths door is NOT a part of the euthanasia package. The vet wanted to charge me an extra $95 to listen to my dog's heart to see if she was even in heart failure before putting her to sleep. I decided not to pay the $95 and took my dog to VCA Loomis vet the same morning because they stated over the phone that they do a pre exam which includes listening to her heart. To our wonderful surprise she was not on deaths door her heart was not Failing and she has trachea issues which is causing the coughing. My beautiful baby left with 2 medications and a shot to make her feel better! She came home ALIVE . Valley Oak Vet veterinary Hospital would have put her to sleep without even checking. That's Horrific in my opinion. If I wasn't a strong willed person not wanting to be taken advantage over $95 then my dog wouldn't be here now. In my opinion, it's Bad business practice for a vet not to keep a dog alive as long as possible. read more

VCA Valley Oak Veterinary Center - Relaxing at home instead of dead in a box because I took her to another vet. - Veterinarians Near Me - Chico, California

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We're so grateful to VCA for saving our cat's life, and continuing to provide the care necessary to keep him alive and well. It took several months to get him in for his worsening kidney failure, which was initially disappointing. While we were waiting, we had taken him to VCA in Loomis, where he got excellent care and was diagnosed with recurrent, obstructing kidney stones. The surgical treatment options outlined there sounded horrible - we thought allowing our cat to die sounded like a kinder option. But then when we saw Dr Spina and Dr Portillo, they presented the surgical options in a much more favorable light - without pressuring us one way or another. We ended up going for the surgery to replace his ureter with a plastic tube. Our cat did well and his kidneys have recovered substantially. He goes in every 3 months for a brief procedure to flush the tube. Our cat is now thriving, thanks to Dr Spina, Dr Portillo and the team at VCA. We had also gotten competent and kind care from VCA before, with our previous cat years ago. Many thanks to VCA! read more

VCA Valley Oak Veterinary Center - Veterinarians Near Me - Chico, California

Our dog Louie was not feeling well for about a day, he was lethargic and breathing irregularly and didn't seem to improve overnight. We took him to VCA first thing in the morning Saturday 1/18/25. From the moment we interacted with the staff they were calm and intentional which I found comfort in while I was frazzled and emotional. They took him right back and were able to assess Louie quickly and give us all the answers we needed. The vet himself again was kind but direct making it clear what was going on and what our options were. He answered all of our questions directly with the full emphasis on what the best quality of life would be for our boy. We learned that Louie was and would only further decline and though it was hard to make the decision the choice was clear. We ended up having to make the devastating decision to say goodbye to our best friend. The team at VCA were so kind and clear with everything. They took us to a cozy little room where Louie was waiting and continued to reiterate that we could have as much time as we needed. The vet was clear what we would expect seeing him so there were no surprises as he was slight sedated and had already greatly declined from when we brought him in. We got to spend the last moments with Louie by his side, not feeling rushed with the staff checking in to make sure everything was ok and Louie was still comfortable. They let us know when we were ready we could go find someone so we could have as much time and privacy as we needed to say our good byes. Once it was over the staff took care of everything and we were simply able to walk out the door with nothing but our grief and our memories. We are so thankful to the kindness of the staff to us and Louie on his last morning. We highly recommend them if you're are someone like me who needs good direct communication with a sprinkle of kindness and understanding. I don't think there would have been anywhere else we would have rather brought him in these hard moments. Thank you so much VCA team. Please enjoy these few moments with Louie so you do not have to remember him as he was that morning, loved, happy, and full of life read more

VCA Valley Oak Veterinary Center - A few photos of Louie so the team doesn't have to only think of him that morning. Thank you so much for your kindness - Veterinarians Near Me - Chico, California

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$93 Per dog to take 7 minutes of a vet techs day (not a vet) to express Anal glands??? $184 for my two dogs that need this done. They just lost my business. I'll drive further to pay the $25 per dog at another clinic. read more

Perfect if you have an emergency. Way too expensive for regular visits. Everyone there is very nice and professional and I felt comfortable leaving my beloved kitty with them. She came through this and is doing fine, thanks to their great staff. read more

I live in Redding, but due to the nature of my cats' issues I was referred to go to the Chico office. After speaking with the Caroline over the phone a few days prior, she scheduled an appointment for an inhouse consultation. When I arrived there was no appointment scheduled. After half hour of waiting with no communication of any sort, Caroline finally came and talked to me, only to have excuse after excuse. 1) The "Dr. had an emergency" and wouldn't be able to see me. (you had my number, right?) 2) Caroline said that my vets office in Redding had only "just" sent over the x-rays (I am confirming that with them). 3) "unfortunately, the Dr. had an emergency and we just can't predict these things" (oh, that's right, you couldn't call me because I wasn't on the schedule, and why wasn't I on the schedule?) 4) "What would you like me to do?" (how about figuring something out to see my cat that I scheduled a consultation for, took an afternoon off of work for so I could drive all the way over here since you knew I drove from Redding!) 5) I was handed an estimate (oh is that what I was waiting for during that half hour when there was no communication?) that was thrown together at the last minute and could have been sent via email. Then a comment of "this is awkward". Well gee, how can I make this easier for you? The placard on the wall says " ensuring quality patient care and excellent client service" and you also claim that "From the moment you check in, our administrative staff is here to deliver the best possible experience to you and your pet before, during and after your visit." The attitude was very lackadaisical, no responsibility, understanding or compassion. If I had been told "we really screwed this up, we are so sorry" and worked with me I probably would be writing a different review. Instead I felt dismissed, disrespected and uncared for. UPDATE ON REVIEW OF 09/25/2025. I confirmed with vets office in Redding DID send xrays to the lab on September 19th - 4 days before my "appointment". They are also working directly with me to get a consultation appointment ASAP with other offices so that I can get a quote based on actually seeing the pet that would be less than the 11-14K I was quoted. read more

Incredibly rude and condescending man running the front check-in for the ER. Lacks basic empathy, horrendous de-escalation techniques (actually made me significantly more distressed the longer I spoke to him) and speaks down to women. Someone needs to check that dude's ego. He gives zero guidance on capacity of care over the phone and then when you go in sends you away due to "max capacity" with zero efforts to triage any incoming patients. With how much the place makes on each animal's visit (people in front of me were paying over $3k on 3 different credit cards and in cash) you'd think they would have more than ONE vet for an overnight shift, especially considering they are the ONLY 24hr vet in this backwoods town. Should've known this place was questionable since they're owned by MARS CANDY BARS. Such a complete joke of a place. Will never waste my time here again. read more

Only in an emergency after hours or weekends and expect to pay dearly for the privilege of service in their palatial facility that you are paying for. Expect to be up sold for unnecessary services taking advantage of our love for our pets. Don't expect any prompt conclusive answers for a diagnosis either. They had me convinced my dog had cancer after I found a lump. Said the mass was firm like a carcinoma. Had me leave my dog there at 10 am. on Sunday to do bloodwork, x-ray and pull cells with a syringe. 2 hours later I got a phone call with them telling me that the vet recommended a biopsy for an additional $600. At 1:30 p.m. after not hearing back from them I returned to find out what was going on and they told me they have yet to see my dog, they got busy. They said it would be another 4 hours. I went home and waited. Around 3:30 I got a phone call from them telling me that they have run out of time and they are going to revert back to the original pulling cells with a syringe instead of a biopsy. After wasting all day I was finally sent home with my dog thinking he had cancer with no answers yet. I didn't hear back from them until I called them the following Wednesday and left a message. Only then did the vet finally return my call and tell me my dog had a benign fatty tumor but let me think my dog had a carcinoma from Sunday till Wednesday. The only reason I give them a two is because they are the only game in town but expect to pay dearly. I paid $1,300 plus dollars and waited 3 days for an answer. read more

9-12-2025 To VCA Animal Hospital Chico Atten. to Dr. Megan Masonek-Garcia and Assistant We brought in our 10-year-old Sheltie Trixie with a suddenly very swollen eye, called first and they said bring her in at 10:00am, arrived on time had to pay $179.00 before being seen: it included an exam. Our wait time was much longer than we thought it could be. The assistant that came to get us was very kind and the focus was on Trixie. after getting settled in an exam room and answered questions. Dr. Megan Masonek-Garcia MS, DVM came in. Trixie, was sitting next to me on the bench and Dr. Megan knelt on the floor greeting Trixie and started examination from that point. so, I had Trixie next to me the whole time (she was a very good patient), assisting in holding her head while the Dr. did the examination by applying drops in her eye so she could examine more closely. Gave prognosis the eye was not scratched it was the outer area and possibly an abscess of foreign something behind the eye or a tooth issue. Would put Trix on an antibiotic and if it cleared in 4-5 days and did not come back all would be good. If not could be a tooth issue. Sooo, Dr. Megan wanted Trix to see another vet that specializes in eye issues, he concurred that if it did not clear up to have x-rays done to make sure its the back molar that is the issue. Dr. Megan answered any other questions I had without being rushed. The assistant came back in with orders and the cost of the antibiotic and said we could get it at another pharmacy for less cost, so she called it in for us and YES it was less expensive. Also, the assistant answered any other questions I had. All in all our Trixie and us were treated very kindly and professionally addressing the seriousness of the issue at hand and we were not rushed at all. Thank you for taking care of our Trixie, G & C Davis read more

Yes. It is expensive to take your pet to an emergency vet hospital at midnight. However, if you want to save your pet's life when it's that serious, it's worth it. I get to take my cat home after she was attacked by a Rottweiler. I couldn't imagine that drive home without her. Chris, the front office guy, was so incredibly kind. The young vet was very nice. Great bedside manner. The most important thing is that my cat, Batgirl, will purr again. read more

I took my dog Sequoia to the rattlesnake aversion course they offer on Saturdays. The training actually may have saved her life as we encountered a rattlesnake at Hooker Oak Park 2 days after we the class. She reacted just the way she was trained to at the course. She did sprain her right ankle in the process, but better that than a rattlesnake bite. But on a negative note, unfortunately, when I Waiting to get sequoias pain meds refilled at Costco, which was closed on Sunday, I stopped by to see if I could possibly buy two carprofen tablets and they wanted to charge me $50 for the two pills, which I thought was outrageous and price gouging. read more

VCA Valley Oak Veterinary Center - Sequoia resting after her encounter - Veterinarians Near Me - Chico, California

I'm not the type to write reviews but. Today was the first time I've ever gone to VCA and it was for an emergency. My poor fur baby Rosalina was hit by a car and I rushed into vca for help. They were absolutely amazing and quick. They quickly took my baby back to get started on her care while they asked me some questions. They then took me back to a waiting room to run all her test and make sure she was okay. Thankfully she is okay! I love that they took the extra step to point out that she could have a possible infection and recommend some cost friendly vets! They even offered to send a referral to the vet to help get her in for a fix surgery. They gave me tons of treatment options and prices. They were honestly the best ever. The whole experience took about and hour to an hour and a half. Thank you for taking care of my baby and being so kinds and passionate. read more

My dog was unable to breathe and turning blue when i got home from work. I called and they were able to take him immediately and staff were so kind and understanding. Very patient the vet was thorough when explaining his condition and helped us understand all of our options to give him a better quality of life. Thank you to Jenna as well for letting me use her hotspot when my phone wasn't working. You're all blessings and I greatly appreciated your help with my childhood pet. read more

VCA Valley Oak Veterinary Center - Veterinarians Near Me - Chico, California

Have had to go them them twice for emergency care. They were thorough and had solid expertise. Communication was excellent. They sent me home with a booklet of information and instructions for follow up care. I am grateful for their service. read more

Refused to help my dog that was in severe pain, which was obvious told me that I could take him to Sacramento or wait until the morning to see another vet. Very unprofessional very unfriendly no compassion at all. I wouldn't even give this place one star but I have no choice in this post. stay away from this place.! read more

Animals seem to need a vet on holidays and on weekends after most vets close. Guess thats ranch living. Vets and staff were very fair and professional. We have a cattle dog who enjoys visiting and now a new cat. They like holiday and after hour visits with staff. Have leave 5 stars after the cats recent tour of pain crys. Thank you all for being so kind. It makes the next emergency visit a pleasure. Really do appreciate this as was expecting a bill in a rediculas price range. This we hope will balance out any troll or cheap review left to discern these animal loving people. Thank you. read more

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I know this hospital takes in many animals that are lost or injured in wildfires in the area and care for them at a great cost to the clinic. That is why I have been bringing my dogs and cats to this vet center for 10 years. We live 3 hours away, but there is no better veterinarian in the north state (and I've tried many from San Francisco to Lake Tahoe). Dr. Erin Portillo is not only an incredibly intelligent practitioner, but she is compassionate and empathetic to pets and people alike. She has been so generous and gracious with our pets throughout their lives and kept them with us as long as possible while not allowing them to suffer tremendously, AND without adding unnecessary tests or costs. I would without hesitation recommend this place to anyone seeking excellent veterinary care for their loved ones. read more

You're so thankful that VCA is an option in our community! It's so scary to have to find somewhere out of town after hours to take your fur babies when they're ill and we've done that in the past. VCA has been very responsive and helpful for our family as of late. Dr. Tori Letner is awesome and responsive to all my crazy questions. Chris at the front desk is awesome and he makes things happen! Yes, it is a very expensive option but when your pet is having an acute emergency or something concerning after hours, it is so comforting to know that you have someone close to look after your furry family that you love so much. Fran is feeling better and that puts me at ease;) read more

VCA Valley Oak Veterinary Center - Veterinarians Near Me - Chico, California

We first contacted VCA on the morning of Labor Day with a dog bleeding from the mouth. Got a 5:15pm appt. Took a small nap and roommate woke me up. Our precious Kahlua had gotten worse. Living 35 miles away, we headed there at 3pm. The immediately took her back for assessment. The prognosis wasn't good. We had to make the toughest decision to put her down. Huge mass in throat and small mass in mouth. Very compassionate staff and guided us through the whole process. They not once rushed us. They definitely earned a new client. The doctor, Dr. Fliehr, and all staff involved were amazing. Can't thank them enough. read more

VCA Valley Oak Veterinary Center - Kahlua days before crossing the Rainbow Bridge. - Veterinarians Near Me - Chico, California

This review is specifically for Dr Barry Dohner. My 8 year old bunny is my baby and he gets treated as such, but it's really difficult to find GOOD knowledgeable exotic vet care. It's particularly difficult outside of urban hubs (we had a really good specialist vet in PDX but I was concerned I wouldn't find one after moving to Chico). Little dude was showing signs of medical stress after our move so we brought him in to Dr Dohner. I was told it was likely an infection and given two options for testing to get the strain, one more expensive and one less, with pros and cons and a clear plan of action for each. The first round of antibiotics was thoughtfully prescribed in raspberry flavor to make it much easier to convince him to take! If I remember right we were even given a local option to pick up the medication that ended up being cheaper. He recommended a probiotic brand to help keep the little dude's gut healthy in the process. Unfortunately, the bacteria didn't respond to the first, milder antibiotic. Dr Dohner helped me get a more aggressive antibiotic in shot form. No more issues! During another health scare, the office helped to prioritize a last minute appointment before the Dr went on an extended leave so we wouldn't be left high and dry with no rabbit-specific care. For any Chico folks with rabbits, I can highly recommend Dr Dohner for high quality veterinary care! read more

VCA Valley Oak Veterinary Center - Veterinarians Near Me - Chico, California

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Back again 17 days later with Fiona. Dr. Berry and staff were great once again! Ended up with 2 stitches in foot and some meds. We called when we were on the way. Prompt service. Recommend. read more

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I have had many of my dogs to VCA's throughout California over the years. Just like the others, this one was just as efficient and professional. Last night, I brought my Belgian in for, what I assumed was, a broken femur. They quickly gave him a shot for pain (which I obviously gave the OK for), as Kirby really couldn't put any weight on his leg. They took him back for an exam, and returned to the room with their diagnoses. At any ER vet, I expect to hear the, "You need to do xxx ASAP but, before we can do xxx, we need to do blood work to make sure it's safe", etc. Instead, the vet recommeeeeended blood work and X-rays to see if it was a break, ACL, or soft tissue damage. But, also she said I would not a bad dog owner if I wanted to take him home with some oral pain meds to see how he does over the next couple days and then, if needed, take him to my regular vet for X-rays. I opted to bring Kirby home with meds. Between the pain pills and gummies, I've been able to keep Kirby's high energy to a minimum in hopes that it's a muscle thing vs a femur fracture. All that said, I want to say thank you to the VCA staff for giving me options! I would normally approve anything on the spot to make sure my fur babies are OK. This visit, finances were a little tighter than usual so, not feeling the guilt that I would be a horrible owner if I didn't sedate Kirby for blood work and X-rays and maybe an overnight stay was much appreciated! read more

CC was a long time client of Dr. Erin Portillo. She is the medical director and internal medicine specialist. CC had a feeding tube because he had a methicillin resistant upper respiratory infection. He was on an appetite stimulant called Elura because we let his vet know he got aggressive towards other cats on Miritaz. We have 5 other cats, so we can't have that at our house. the medication to treat CC's infection further decreased his appetite so the feeding tube became the way he got his nutrition while he was on the antibiotic. CC's appetite came back after we took him off the antibiotic but it went away again while he still had the feeding tube. CC tore his feeding tube stitch because of the anxiety attacks from the Elura. Dr. Danny Gebhart restitched CC's feeding tube but did not do an X-ray to make sure the feeding tube was in the right place. CC was hiccuping when we used the feeding tube and gaging a couple of times a day. what we didn't realize was that CC was trying to throw up his feeding tube because it was in the wrong place, which is also very dangerous. CC was acting weird and sleeping all day. We called the office and spoke to a medical person there but they just said that the only thing that would be done if we brought him in was blood work and we didn't think blood work was the answer. That night when we went to change CC's dressing to his feeding tube we found that the stitches were completely torn. it was about 6:45. The office didn't close until 8. We had an emergency because CC still needed his feeding tube. We had just seen his internal medicine specialist two days prior and the decision was that he still needed it. We were told there were no vets in the office because the treatment vet called in sick. We specifically asked if CC's vet was still in the office. We were told that she was not. Our experience for 6 years has been that CC's vet doesn't get done in the office until at least 8. We questioned if they were sure she was no longer in and they assured us she was gone. We had an emergency and needed some options about where to take CC. We asked where we could take CC and expressed that we did not think it was okay for an urgent care vet office that is supposed to have vets there until 8 for urgent situations not to have vets there until 8. The vets office then told us that a vet tech running out the door said to put a piece of vet rap around it and bring him in to the urgent care in the morning. They would not tell us which vet tech so that we could decide if that was sound advice or not. We wanted to save CC's feeding tube and prevent him from having to have a new surgery for a new feeding tube. After calling several times we were given the name of a place an hour and a half away that could deal with CC's tube issue. We took CC there and were told that the stitches tore because CC was trying to throw up his feeding tube because it was in the wrong place when it was restitched by Dr. Gebhart less than a week before that and that a vet should always do an X-ray to check placement of a feeding tube when the stitches are partially or completely torn and needing to be restitched. The emergency vet we went to also told us the stoma would not have been viable if we waited until the morning because the stitches were completely torn and nothing was holding the tube in place. A couple of days after CC's feeding tube was restitched by the emergency vet, he appeared to have an infection where his stitches were. It looked like stitch abscesses from a reaction to the type of suture used. I relayed that to the urgent vets at his regular vets office three times that day and offered to bring him in as an urgent care patient and instead he was put on antibiotics and they said they would make sure he got an appointment for the next day with his internal medicine specialist. He saw his internal medicine specialist the next day and she was angry at us. She said why didn't you listen to the person that answered when we called about his stitches being torn when she told him to tell us to put vet rap around it and bring him in the next day. We then realized that his vet told the person we spoke to on the phone to lie to us about her not being in the office and we paid emergency fees and drove all that way and everything because of that lie and two days later CC lost his tube anyway because of the stitch abscesses, which would not have happened if we were not lied to in the first place. The story goes on and there's more negligence in the rest but this gives you a good understanding of why they rate 1 star. Basically, this breech of trust and negligence ended with the vet not owning what she did and has CC possibly needing to get put to sleep and us going elsewhere. read more

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Thank you for the gentle care of my cat Mouse, who injured her leg in a freak accident. The doctor explained everything, and then cared for my cat who was going into shock. Kitty survived and is healing well. I can't thank you enough. read more

VCA Valley Oak Veterinary Center - Veterinarians Near Me - Chico, California

Holy expensive! $250 when you check in on a Sunday during the day! Any test or medication is DOUBLE the cost. The greed needs to stop right now. Veterinarian's are pricing all pet owners out. There is no way an xray, exam and 2 meds should run $780! OUTRAGEOUS, I don't care what day of the week it is! 3 stars as care was good, and seemed thorough. Note: this is no longer and 'emergency' vet hospital. They are now a 'urgent care'. Always CALL FIRST, be prepared to be referred to Sacramento area or Medford. read more

They're very thorough when it comes to handling an emergency, providing feedback and providing the upmost care for your animals love Ben he's extra fantastic helpful etc they recently saved our dog after being hit by a car. Had to bring her in on a weekend in the middle of the night. On September 27th The one thing that I was really taken back by was the lack of empathy and bedside manner by the lady taking my payment. I understand that is absolutely necessary to pay First in a situation like that that's going to cost thousands of dollars, over $12,000 but I feel like they could train their employees to offer a little more Warmth and reassurance to somebody who brings in their animal, fearful for their lives the first assistant who took us back, also lacked empathy and was very matter-of-fact sign and sign and sign this when I was in complete shock for my dog also joking around that I think she's going to need x-rays. Her leg is dangling when it was obvious that was the case completely unprofessional again. I think they should better train their staff in situations like that to be a little more empathetic. Going forward with follow up Care. Everyone has been more than helpful and great overall I would definitely recommend this place. read more

They are happy to take your $150.00 at registration and tell you to wait in your car with your dog because I was honest and told them that it appeared he had viral Kennel Cough. (He had his vaccination for the bacterial type of Kennel Cough.) They estimated the wait time to be 3 hours. Unacceptable when you have to wait in your car with a sick, coughing dog. Long story short - We left. Two days of rest and our pet is getting back to normal. Cough is less, appetite back and tail wagging. Sometimes all you need is 'tincture of time' and life gets better. Valley Oak VC was a very expensive dream of some group. They build the most expensive building possible and their charges reflect that decision. Their customer service rates a 1 star. Their charges will require a small loan to cover. If you need help after 8:00 pm the fee to get in the door is $250.00. The good pet owners of Chico do not need to be taken advantage of like this. read more

I really don't understand these negative reviews here. I have had to take two of my pets to the emergency vet twice in the last two months and these people have been nothing short of amazing. Both the receptionists and the doctors were very cautious about my budgets and about keeping the price down as much as possible. Not only did they do that but they also showed a lot of compassion for my pets AND for me. First visit was with my dog, Sofia, who is a German Shepherd who came from an abusive home and she is very anxious. We were worried because sometimes she gets a little aggressive when she's scared. They called us and told us that she was being a little "bitey" but all they said is they understood that she was nervous because she wasn't with us and that she was a good dog and all was OK. The just understood. They took such good care of her and she was good to go within a week after her visit and with her medication. I had to bring my cat in just this morning for a blocked urinary tract which was causing kidney failure. When I brought him in I was no doubt very emotional and I really thought that that was going to be the last time I would see my Charlie. Like, I legit ugly cried to the lady who picked my cat up from my truck. And then I cried on every phone call that they made to me and they were all so supportive and so understanding and compassionate. They called me continuously throughout the day and kept me updated and worked with me on what they were able to do within my budget to help my cat. Dr Letner was who helped me with my cat and Ariana was, I think, the receptionist who I spoke to, but every single person I've talk to there has been wonderful and so kind. They literally saved my cat's life and I just feel so grateful that I have a place like this in my hometown to bring my pets to if anything happens. I will never have any doubt about going here in the future and knowing my animal family members are in good hands. Thank you so much to everyone there for being so kind to me while I was an emotional mess and for giving me more time with my old, very special companion. He's 10 years old and I know he has a lot of years left and I'm so grateful that I will get to spend those years with him and I will no doubt appreciate him being around even more than before. Thank you again! read more

VCA Valley Oak Veterinary Center - Charlie. - Veterinarians Near Me - Chico, California

After reading other posts, I wanted to respond because not only did we have a very unprofessional and negligent experience with our diabetic dog, but, worse, because I questioned and wanted discussion with Erin Portillo about her treatment plan (she interpreted that as challenging her), she put a huge note on his chart not to schedule wirh her again. Important to note that with the treatment plan I have been using his lab work has all improved. And, recently when I scheduled an Urgent Care visit because I wanted a same day appt, they called me back and said she told them to cancel his Urgent Care and they would not treat him at that clinic at all for any reason even if it were an emergency. Mind you, we had established with another vet and had been seen more then once during this time. Like another reviewer's post, on this day when they called to cancel an appt for Urge t Care they said that no doctors were in when they had just made me an appt to come in. Impossible circumstance! This Medical Director is beyond unprofessional and lacks any real concern for pets. I wish there were stricter guidelines on veterinary medicine. Much more detail to this story, but, bottom line is Portillo is unethical and lacks professional maturity to be in the position she is in. In my opin read more

VCA Valley Oak Veterinary Center - Veterinarians Near Me - Chico, California

They charged $329.10 before seeing our cat and diagnosed depression then suggested lab work $428.50 to let me know are cat was diabetic that I need to hospitalization and treatment we where looking for 3 days $6000 to $7000 and chances might be she will pass away they also said if I wanted to put her down I decided to bring her home they said they would give me all documents I trusted them they had me sign a paper saying I was aware of treatment that I refused it and their not reliable but failed to at least try to put Ivy on her all those hours and give our cat insulin it's just sad that they charge so much money for exam and lab nothing was done not even prescription This bill for no help no medicine just to diagnose before lab she was depressed then I went with suggestions decided for lab they came back that our cat is diabetic and she is very sick even with treatment chances are she won't make it or to put her down this is not ok where is the humanity our cat is family I rather take her home surrounded by us make her comfortable get second opinion with people who care not just the money read more

VCA Valley Oak Veterinary Center - The bill for no help no medicine just to diagnose before lab she was depressed then I went with suggestions decided for lab - Veterinarians Near Me - Chico, California

Oh my...Where to begin... My cat needed to be neutered so I figured I would take him here. ( I wish I never had ). As I walked into the building for the pre made appointment, I was mugged by the front desk, no smile, no hello. ( I should have known ) I walk up and say I'm there for an appointment and she seemed bothered. She rudely tells me to wait and someone will be with me. I waited close to an hour and someone came and got my baby. ( I was terrified at this point ). They told me they would call me when the procedure was done. I received SEVERAL calls (3) from someone saying that they need to do more "cutting" on my cat because of this reason & that... ( It's as if they were trying to scare me ) ... I then received the last call and I had asked the Dr. if she was the one who did the surgery & she laughingly said "Yes, I'm the one who CUT into your cat", At this point I couldn't wait to just come get him. I said I'll be there soon and she tried to tell me he should stay the night there. ( It was only 1pm ). I said no. I then got another call 20 minutes later from the same person who called me several times earlier (with pointless phone call conversations) trying to persuade me that they keep my cat over night. I said no. I show up, I wait more than an hourrrrr. They finally bring him out and I was asked to pay $477. I pay. I leave. I get home and I put my cat in bed with me and I put my finger by the tie on his neck and it was tied so tight that I couldn't put my finger through it. I cried. I felt so bad for him. I took it off and I wish I had never brought him there. Please don't bring your pet here... read more

The wait time is long but they have great free coffee, a kind staff and it is clean. Their "End of Life" room and procedures are very nice. My Salomón dog was able to pass away in my arms. read more

I was in Chico 4th of July weekend visiting family and I brought in my elderly dog who was in an accident. He was already ill beforehand and unfortunately wasn't looking good. I was a horrible mess and the staff here were so amazing. They took him right away and assessed his condition carefully and laid out a well thought out care plan. Unfortunately, my fur baby was in too much pain and his odds weren't good, so I made the hardest choice to put him down. They handled the entire situation with such care and respect. They brought us to a quiet and comforting room where they brought him to me wrapped in a warm blanket so I could hold him while they put him to rest. I'm forever grateful for them for making one of the hardest days of my life just a little bit easier. I am able to look back on that day with comfort knowing he was being cared for. read more

We were sent to Valley Oak by our primary vet for a IM consult with Dr Erin Portillo. She was knowledgeable and listened to all of the back story for our 95 pound rescue Rocco who has PRA and some mild gastric symptoms that our vet wanted to do various work ups that didnt seem to match any symptom he had. She confirmed our thoughts of colitis after a negative US and gave us a reasonable treatment plan and was willing to give our Vet feedback that it was ok for him to have arthritis meds and annual vaccines as she didnt think he had Cancer, cushings, or a mal absorption disorder. She was able to review his chronic allergy issues he has had in last 7 yrs as well an gave us confidence that Apoquel was still ok for him to get. She listen to all my questions and as a medical professional i appreciated this. This dog is a huge part of my life and she didn't treat me like a obsessive owner. She was kind and loved my blind boy and her MA was also very kind to my scared big boy who can see very little. We did wait an hour to be seen and drove a hour and half to see her with an appointment made many weeks in advance but they were running behind and we were informed when we checked in. This did make for along day after we finally got his procedure which took an hour and commuted back home but was well worth it to know he was ok and he has a new doctor on his case should he need futher tx for his colitis. I would definitely recommend this provider. We have also used Valley Oak as our emergency vet when there was no one was avaliable in Redding and he received excellent care then too. read more

If you would like your pet to die, please take your pet here. If you would like to pay 3x as much compared to any other vet in town, please take your pet here. If you would like your pets medication to ever be called in, please take your pet here. If you would like to encounter rude and unhelpful staff with 6hr to 8hr wait times, please take your pet here. This is the worst veterinary care facility in Chico. I wasted years and money going here. Do not make the same mistake. read more

I have been here on several occasions with sick animals and I have always left disappointed and extremely unsatisfied with the care my pets received. But this past week I was in with my very sick girl and ended up having to put her down which was a shock I did not go in thinking I would leave with out her. The Dr I had was wonderful Dr Masonek - very thoughtful and made me feel like a long time patient of hers. She made my family feel at peace with our decision. And the assistant who helped me was just the most compassionate and kind young lady, Faith. She brought my son some crayons and a coloring book to distract him while we were dealing with losing our girl.. we were treated very well by them and are very thankful we had such a positive experience here . Good job VCA. read more