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October 2024 by norma angelina villalobos
I had visited another VCA before visiting this location. The staff is efficient and helpful. Dr Lu was especially nice and helpful with my 3 month old chihuahua pups. She gave me a lot of good info and is willing to accept my desire to go holistic to a degree. They didn't try to upsell services beyond what I asked for. I am very happy with this office.
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October 2024 by Marion Rhodes
We’ve been taking our pets here for years, from dogs and cats to a bearded dragon and ball python. All the vets are amazing and take their time to make the animals feel comfortable. Prices are about average for the region, sometimes a bit more, sometimes a bit less than other places. But the care is always top notch. They helped our dog when other vets said there was nothing they could do. They also bring in outside specialists if needed.
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September 2024 by Tere Za
Brought my Chameleon and the service was amazing! The workers were very nice and compassionate. Also, Dr. Rebecca DeCastellanos was such an amazing Doctor and took very good care of my Chameleon :))
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July 2024 by Nick Webb
I brought my dog for his ear infection, and Dr. Loo was amazing! She made us feel very comfortable and taken care of. My dog is usually nervous at the vet, but Dr. Loo was very patient and he loved her! Will absolutely be coming back again!
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July 2024 by Pippa Mitchell
We took our dog in for an exam in order to clear him for a flight to England. The doctor did not do the paperwork for two days which caused us to miss our flight and cost us $6000 to rebook. No sense of urgency in the male doctor who was supposed to be helping us.
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July 2024 by Karen W.
I'm still giving a five star because of my experience with Dr. Brown and her staff, but am saddened to see recent negative reviews of a place I really loved and actually missed when we moved. We haven't been patients since 2021, because we've moved out of the area. I had the office transfer records to our new vet in Oceanside and told them how I wished I could magically transport back to them at the time After two years, we suddenly started getting notices of vaccinations due on our pets. So I called to remind them that we'd long ago moved, and was not happy to learn that the practice is now owned by VCA. Got the same wonderful phone response that I used to love about Rancho, so hopefully the staff is happy. But the outsized charges mentioned in recent reviews are a hallmark of VCA, in my experience. Corporate veterinary practice at its worse, imo. The new 'vaccination reminders' even though the practice knew we'd moved is certainly telling of corporate mentality After our wonderful experience with Rancho, the first vet we went to in Oceanside had just been bought by VCA. Reviews went from stellar (original owner had been the vet there for 25 years) to abysmal. I still liked the everchanging swinging door of doctors who actually saw my cat though, so I was okay with them. Then I had a very bad experience with their lead doctor who had been approving/writing RX's for my cat without problem (as dictated by the doctors who actually saw my cat). All of a sudden she was not going to write one of the medications 'because of VCA policy'. In other words, VCA was dictating against the doctors who actually KNEW my cat. The lead doc never returned my calls and the staff were condescending. I peaced out ASAP. Certainly glad that they didn't yet seem to have the policy of charging more if a different doctor was seen, as noted in one of Rancho's reviews. Thankfully, I found another, privately owned practice in Oceanside that shows everyday that they care for animals and their humans. It has been a breath of fresh air. I understand that VCA has the purchasing power to take over practices, but it seems that something important gets lost in the translation there. Am hoping that Rancho can still keep its good reputation for the long haul.
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June 2024 by J A
I have been taking my rats to the Rancho San Diego Animal hospital since August 2017. In my first visit to a vet with a rat, they said that I should do x-rays as part of the diagnosis process. She had no broken bones or injured limbs / ribs / bones of any kind. The reason for the x-rays were to see if there were tumors on the inside. If there were tumors, they suggest operating on a rat. The cost for the x-rays were around $200-400. The cost for surgery is thousands of dollars. I spent $600 in one month on my rat for her to die a horrible death a month later. To be clear, I am a disabled Afghanistan veteran and these rats are my companion pets. The hospital also charges an exam fee no matter how close my return visits are to each other. The initial exam fee is $59. If the exam is for the exact same thing, then the fee is $39. But if you state any different symptoms, they charge you a $59 fee again. California law requires an exam fee. The hospital sets the fee price. Not California law.
In Spring 2019, I brought in four of my rats over several months. I paid over $1500 dollars in treatment. All four rats died within two months of each other. I brought two rats in to be put to sleep in July 2019. The tumors on their bodies were large and visible. Bulging from under the fur. They clearly needed to be put to sleep. California law requires an exam is conducted before putting them to sleep. The law only requires an exam is conducted. It does not set the price. The hospital sets the price. I was charged a full $59 (first rat exam fee) and $39 (for the second rat) exam fee. No exam was conducted.
Fast forward to January 2020. Ahead of an appointment to take in my last rat for a follow-up exam, I was notified that it would be a $59 exam fee and not a $39 exam fee. I expressed my disapproval of the hospital's policies over a series of emails. The emails did not contain any insults, swear words, threats, or any abusive language of any kind. I stated that the hospital was covering up their wrongdoing by hiding behind California law. The morning of my appointment, the hospital administrator called me. I'm not sure what the purpose of his call was. He lectured me for the first five minutes of the call. I listened calmly. I interrupted him to inform him that I was a disabled Afghanistan veteran and it was my right to express my disapproval while at the same time seeking services from the business. He raised his voice several times, at which point I raised my voice to speak over him. I did not use swear words, insults, or threats of any kind. I informed him that I would be seeking a lawyer and the BBB for his discrimination against a disabled Afghanistan veteran. He refused service to me and my pet because I disagreed with his policies. He began to laugh loudly at me during the call. He said my critiques of his business were bullshit. He then called me a liar. When he laughed at me, I asked him if he thought this was funny. He answered yes. He laughed at me when I said I would report him to the BBB. He laughed at me when I said I would seek legal representation and bring a lawsuit against him. He continued to laugh at me in an obnoxious manner throughout the remainder of the call until I ended it. The laughing was an intimidation and bullying tactic. The hospital administrator humiliated me by laughing in my face over the phone. I believe he acted intentionally.
Below are my emails that I sent disapproving of the hospital's policies. The hospital administrator treated me as described above based on these emails. It was out of line and inappropriate.
I reported the hospital administrator and the vet hospital to the BBB.
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June 2024 by Jacque McKibben
I have been taking my pets to Dr Brown for over 20 years. All the Vets and staff are amazing and caring.
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June 2024 by Pamela S
Had my dogs annual check up with Dr D. They reviewed her history and added how she is doing.
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June 2024 by Natlie M.
Update Called VCA today and spoke with a manager to see if they could somehow redeem repore. She had given a me a price of $117.00 for exam to see my dog and then a quote of $35 to remove her staples from the urgent care. Now here's where VCA went wrong again... instead of offering a free exam they gave us a quote of $117. After we said that the price was steep just for a removel...the THEN offered a coupon on their website that gives a free exam first time visitors IDK. Seemed backwards VCA Rancho NOT redeemed
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June 2024 by Kasi M.
We have been a long-standing patrons of this business, 10+ years, and ever since it switched to VCA, this establishment has gone down the toilet. We currently have 6 pets and each time we go in for any existing condition (one cat needs her ears flushed periodically for allergies), if the doctor we are given (because our doctor is not there) has not seen that specific animal before, we are charged a ridiculous amount for just the exam, even though our pet has been a patient there for years and it's stated in her chart! It's a scam just to charge more money! We will not be going back, which is sad because some of the employees have been there for so long and became extensions of our family.
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May 2024 by Lisa Augustin
I took my 3 week old kitten in to be seen by Dr. De Castellanos two days ago and I am incredibly impressed by her and the entire staff. The office feels so friendly and warm when you come in, everyone is smiling and so genuinely nice. Each of them was so compassionate toward me and my kitten. When the doc came in, she had a treatment solution that would be the safest for the age of my kitten and it worked! The kitty is already doing so much better. The doctor and her staff checked up on my kitten, twice. He’s at such a critical age and they were very present to that. These guys are next level! It’s so refreshing to be treated like a human, to interact with people who seem to love what they’re doing and who not only care for your animal, but have kindness toward you as well. I 100% recommend Dr. De Castellanos and her entire team.
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April 2024 by kobe waters
We adore Dr. Hare but 700+ for a neuter for a rat is genuinely insane.
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April 2024 by Maya H.
Boba has been coming to this place for the past couple of years. She loves her doctor and the rest of the staff. She goes here for her yearly check-ups and shots. The doctors and their team are always so amazing! They really take good care of my baby. Boba had a major surgery here also. They took good care of her and updated me. She's a healthy 4 years old girl this year!!
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April 2024 by Kara B.
We love this office. We travel all the way from Point Loma in fact. They always take the time to answer our questions on the phone and offer advice. We take our dog and they've seen her since she's 8 weeks.
