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February 2023 by Tadpole Z.
I just checked to verify the veterinarian license of Dr Stepita because we had such an awful experience. Credentials don't mean someone is qualified. We won't return and do not recommend this practice.I don't care about the high cost or other office policies. I get it -- training and education is expensive, office costs are high. This is not my complaint. In fact, I'm more than willing to pay for expert consultation but this "behavior expert" was anything but.The assessment lacked clinical sophistication, and we could feel the judgment. I'm still in disbelief at the waste of our time and the gross misrepresentations made by this practice. The many other one star reviews mirror our experience. I wish I had read them before our appointment and actually find them validating. I encourage you to read them before deciding to engage the services of this veterinarian.We could have easily attended this appointment by Zoom. The vet made no effort to establish a therapeutic relationship with our gentle but excitable little dog. We weren't there for aggressive behaviors, and there was no excuse for not taking a few minutes to try to establish a rapport with our dog. I'm still surprised at how uncomfortable and robotic Dr Stepita appeared.As a nurse with 20+ years experience in family practice and psychiatry, I feel I have some credibility here. The intake interview simply repeated the questions on the intake form. Dr Stepita was not interested in the small videos we brought to the appointment. She was remarkably unwilling to discuss pharmacotherapies except to vaguely endorse pheromones, probiotics, and other supplements while carefully acknowledging the risk of unregulated products. I'm not in the habit of publishing bad reviews but I feel obligated to share, especially if the $500 intake appointment might be a stretch for your budget.
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December 2022 by Just Say'n I.
Wish I had read these reviews first. I was desperate, so paid the $480 for the first visit. We completed the 11-page application and at the appointment, Dr. Stevia spent 45 minutes reading our answers.Our dog is very gentle, but cannot be left alone (destroys everything & too stressed to be crated). Dr. Stepita wanted to check her teeth, but was too timid to do so. We told her there would be no problem, but she insisted on calling in a tech. (more wasted time waiting)We did not expect a "fix" in one visit, but she gave us NOTHING. Suggested the most basic things that of course we had tried (long walks before leaving, frozen treats, frozen puzzles, plenty of toys, etc.)This was a scam.
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July 2022 by Kelly K.
I have been bringing my dog here for about a year and have found Dr. Stepita to be knowledgeable, thorough, compassionate and patient. The policies regarding reservations and payment are strict so read carefully before booking an appointment and if you tend to have a chaotic life or are forgetful I would look for another option. I am happy with my dogs progress. Dr. Stepita puts a lot of time in to learning about your pet and it shows. A behaviorist is not a trainer, although there is some overlap in techniques, so be open minded and really listen to what she has to say also be prepared to do some work yourself because she doesn't wave a magic wand and everything is fixed. Your pet will improve with the work YOU do! My thought about the strict policies is that she needs to have them because she has probably been burned by clients in the past and also the people who make a point of keeping their appointments are really really serious about helping their pet and in some cases it may be their last hope before euthanizing so they will make sure and do the work. The follow up phone calls are very helpful and she also responds to emails. Her assistant Paige has also been very helpful with scheduling at times that work with my schedule.
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May 2022 by KC Nash
Unconscionable appointment policy. You can't get an appointment for months, but have to place a very high non-refundable deposit ($450) for that appointment far ahead of time to reserve your slot. If the problem is acute, chances are you will look for another, more immediate solution so you lose the deposit. They make good money off of providing no service!
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April 2022 by Lacy L.
My little chihuahua mix has a lot of anxiety. My regular vet suggested I see Dr. Stepida for help. I do not recommend her at all. Others have pointed out her many flaws. I would like to agree. I especially felt similarly that she did not seem to process the very intense form that was demanded and did not seem to want to see videos (she brushed off the suggestion). Her style of inquiry is more like an interrogation and she comes off as combative with her questions. I gave my dog the anti anxiety meds as prescribed and then described my observations. She repeats questions in a way that implies that her client is stupid, lying or both. She does not understand how to be curious and open to listening from a helpful place. I ended the call with her early, having told her that I was frustrated by her style. Her only reply was "I am not trying to be frustrating, it's just that I have never seen that before". What am I supposed to say to that? Ummmm okay? She does not understand how to interact with people and I question her abilities as a behaviorist. Her only suggestion was something printed off of the internet. Nothing special. Look elsewhere. After what we have all been through, we deserve kindness and patience when we are looking for help. She offers neither.
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February 2022 by Leslie Y.
We were very disappointed in our work with Dr. Sepita. She is supposed to be a veterinary behavioral specialist, yet she was quite frankly afraid of our dog. Her work wasn't helpful. It was frustrating and a big waste of money . We gave her a try - several visits thinking maybe it was a slow start. We are working with another trainer who is a better fit. She's expensive, has limited availability and inflexible on deposits. I wouldn't recommend her.
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August 2021 by Jackson A.
Please do not bring your dog here. Whatever the issue, there are people much better at their job than Dr. Stepita. Our issues with her really emerged during our first appointment. She has you put down a $460 deposit (non-refundable) and her secretary tells you that she is really flexible and builds a plan dependent on where you are on training. This is not what she does. In fact, she didn't even watch the videos we sent her or really read our responses to her 12 page questionnaire. We did all of this for her to: 1) tell us we were doing everything right and to keep doing it (something that a reasonable person would not have charged us that much money for) 2) she gave us no plan moving forward. When I say "no plan" I mean we literally left her office and when she emailed us the summary of the appointment with what was supposed to have the 4-6 week plan that the practice advertised, it was non-existent. I would go as far as to call what we experienced here a legitimate scam. We've contacted her multiple times attempting to get a refund because she has not really done any work to help us. At this point I feel like I should start billing her for dealing with this stupidity. TLDR; keep your dog as far away as you can from these people and Dr. Stepita.
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January 2021 by Shelly R.
I had debated writing this review for awhile after visiting Dr. Stepita in July 2020. Now that we've been successful in addressing a few issues with our dog, Mila. I want to save others from the frustrations and setbacks we experienced in attempting to work with Dr. Stepita. Our dog has extreme anxiety and fear that very occasionally manifests in fear aggressive behaviors. After working with dog trainers , it was suggested (by trainers and regular vets) that in addition to positive reinforcement training, we look into medication, thus why we found ourselves at Dr. Stepita's office. We did all we could to provide a thorough history and understanding of our dog as requested( 11+ pages of forms, ~8 videos demonstrating triggers and behaviors). It was clear from our meeting that she did not actually watch the videos she requested. I was looking forward to our intake and learning more about potential options for Mila. I have never been so disappointed. We spent the two hours of our appointment answering the same detailed questions we had completed on the forms (except this time we were subjected to Dr. Stepita's judgments). I was clear that our main goal in seeking a DVM was to be able to explore medications and was immediately reprimanded for even thinking about medications. This was not our first journey into behavior medication, we had been following trainer directed protocols for over 3 years, but had hit a plateau. Dr. Stepita told us to practice basic commands and implement "Nothing in Life is Free" and schedule again in a month (for another $220). We attempted to stay optimistic and follow her approach but wanted some insight into what her "treatment plan" would look like. At our follow up call we asked numerous questions to try to understand what we could expect from working with her - none of which she was able to answer beyond the fact that she knows best and every dog is different. Ultimately we could not justify spending the time and money to work with someone who was unable to articulate the service they planned to provide. Post this horrific experience, we were able to work with our vet to diagnose Mila with lumbosacral disease and start a medication to treat her symptoms which has made a HUGE difference in her aggression brought on by pain (we have not had any more of the incidents that originally brought us to Dr. Stepita). It's important to note that when we meet with Dr. Stepita in her office, she did not touch or examine Mila at all and never asked medical history to rule out pain as a potential cause. We've also started working with a new trainer to positively reward and build Mila's confidence which we have seen such wonderful progress with . This trainer provided research in direct opposition of "Nothing in Life is Free" and since letting go of that protocol and replacing it with one that focusing on the positive, Mila has been so much happier and relaxed. Unless you are brand new to behavior modification and have a relatively minor issue (and you're ready to shell out thousands of dollars just to get started), I beg you to seek other options. Beyond her rash bedside manner, Dr. Stepita gave us no reason to trust her approach, gave us no useful information, and wasted a lot of our valuable time and money.
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March 2020 by Levis O.
I was referred to Dr. Stepita by my veterinarian for my anxious labradoodle. I am quite willing to pay the consultation fee and ongoing treatment fees. I want to have my dog seen. However, I am a frontline healthcare worker and am working at a coronavirus testing site sticking swabs down the throats of sick people in San Francisco. I am quite likely to get sick. I am also trying to get my son out of Europe which might also impact my ability to make it to an appointment. I might need to reschedule. When I asked about the cancellation/rescheduling policy I was advised that it is non-refundable and they don't reschedule. I reminded the shockingly unhelpful woman on the phone that we are in the middle of a pandemic and it is estimated that 56,000 Californians will become infected. I will certainly be one of those people. She advised me check their website and disconnected the call. I am risking my health every day to take care of people, my dog is having worsening anxiety and creating havoc. Hundreds of thousands of people are loosing their jobs. Do they adjust their cancellation policy to allow for a pandemic? Nope. Do they cut frontline workers any slack on the midst of a pandemic? Nope. Way to pull together as a community if people trying to help each other. Incredibly selfish and really infuriating.
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November 2019 by Kaitlyn Lato
I reached out for help with my new puppy but was told to contact my vet. No help or suggestion given whats so ever. Very disappointed
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August 2019 by Maisy H.
So disappointed! I called for a refill of Scouts anxiety medication today and was told Dr Stepita would not refill it unless I booked his yearly appt today. This is August and his yearly is not due until November. Booking an appt requires a non refundable deposit of over $200. I have been a loyal client and would have been happy to book his appt closer to the date of service when I know my work schedule. I was told if I didn't comply and book now I could not have the refill. They have moved Scouts yearly appt up by at least a month every year by withholding his refill. I understand his need for a yearly check in but withholding his Rx until you have my $220 non refundable deposit for an appt 3 months away feels like extortion and seems very unethical. Clearly the money is worth more to them than Scout's well-being.
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July 2019 by Jennifer S.
Abby initially started seeing Dr. Stepita for dog aggression and urinary problems. I was seeking help cause Abby had been in multiple dog fights and also started urinary on my furniture. Dr. Stepita has been great! She was very thorough our initial visit. . She went over all the issues Abby was having and made sure there wasn't a medical issues. She went over multiple exercises I could work on with Abby to help her with her dog aggression. I have learn safe ways to have Abby around other dogs. She came up with solutions for her urinary in the house, which has helped reduce her accidents. When Abby was seeing her another issue came up. I had a friend move in with a toddler. That presented a new issue we were going to have to work on. Dr. Stepita was great. She help get Abby used to this new smaller human in the house. Dr. Stepita has follow up phone calls and always is available if other issues arise. She has been AMAZING with Abby and so thankful we started seeing her.
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April 2019 by Stefani F
a waste of money and a broken heart