Found and rescued male kitten being attached by dogs in alley downtown San Diego. Took him to VCA, they picked him up from the car, check them out, had an injured right paw. Vet and staff communicated every step of the way from surgery to release. They were so great. Thank you VCA.He is a handsome, playful and very sweet new member of our family, named Mr. Blue.

The best place to take your fur babies. The staff is friendly, helpful, and professional. Everyone is very welcoming and the entire process and experience is easy. Spacious waiting area, potty areas, cat corner, television, magazines and complementary beverages! All of my pets have received special care and treatment...I feel like he is their only patient, they call him by name and are very warm with him. Amazing staff and pet interaction...amazing staff and parent interaction.

5 stars! I’m from out of state and couldn’t find a specialist in my area who provided OSS spays so contacted VCA in El Cajon for advice on the spay technique to use for my fur baby. It was a bit of an emergency and both Jamie and Dr Hampel went above and beyond to answer all of my questions quickly and compassionately to help me select a surgery that was best fit for my girl! Thank you so much 😊

Jamie was extremely helpful communicating with us back and forth with the doctor on getting our 11 doberman pinchers tails docked today. They were able to squeeze us in their schedule at the last minute. I have been coming here since I was a kid and I am now 41 years old and I will continue to do business with them with all our pets. Thank you so much for this professional wonderful experience.

I took two of my dogs in for a check up, shots and flea meds. They told me both dogs has an ear infection and gave meds to treat them. that came to a total cost of $900, pricy but I understood. In the mean time waiting to go back for a check up (my dogs were having really bad reactions to what I assume was the shots making them stiff and appear that they were in a lot of pain) on the ear infections and confirm that my dogs reactions were due to the shots. I was charged another $300 for my visit on top of the $900, no estimate was provided. Just threw me off, I was disappointed.

Kind, compassionate, expensive sometimes but mostly affordable. been coming to this vet for over 5 years now and just a always the best kind care. thanks yall my baby and I appreciate you so much. also I took this photo about how they will NOT have an overnight doctor and changed some hours around (photo taken 12/20/19), still good good service

Ive been coming here (following DrHampel as she changed locations) since 1992. My dog has kidney failure and now they no longer take walk ins. Appt only. Which is fine but they are a month out. How can a chronic, senior, pet be expected towait a month for an appt whentheir health is failing? Now she has to go to another vets office if she needs care and they dont know her medical history. I dont mind waiting for a for an unscheduled vet visit. Ive done it before. Appt only should have exceptions. Im so disappointed. Do I have to wait a month for an appointment to put her to sleep too?!

Everyone was great. Bud says thanks❤🐕.And he had to get back to his snoring... That was good stuff😉

The doctors and staff are really helpful. Caring and love animals

If I could give this place zero stars....trust me I absolutely would! Very Unprofessional and lack of customer service! My dog went missing last night and a neighbor told me a lady hit him with her car and someone picked him up and took him to the nearest pet hospital. My mother and I tried to stop by to see if he was here and they immediately stopped us and didnt even let us walk through the double doors! They said we had to call the lobby even tho we were right outside WITH masks ON! All we wanted to know was if our beloved dog was there. There was no need to yell at us as if we were children breaking the rules. I will NEVER bring any of my fur babies to this place!

Been going to vca of el cajon for years. This business has went really downhill in the past few years.

Absolutely wonderful staff. They have helped my pets with many issues and have always been professional and courteous. I had to put my dog down in January and they were extremely respectful and helped me with his end of life care. I will continue to bring my pets here.

We have been coming to this vet office for more than 5 years with multiple animals. Today my dog had an urgent (not emergency) issue and I was told that I couldnt come in for almost a month. It seems that many vet clinics/ hospitals are overbooked during COVID, and I understand not taking on new patients. However, Im disappointed that they are not even taking care of their long time established clients. I was able to book an appointment the next day at another clinic, and they informed me I was the 3rd long term patient to come their way from VCA. It seems loyalty and true care for clients is not a priority anymore. Im left to find a new doctor for my pets now. Well run businesses do not let their clients down when a medical need arises.

We asked them a few months ago to check to make sure that my dog doesn’t have cancer because he was getting old. They did and told us that he was fine, we believed them since he seemed to be in good health. Last night he started acting sick so in the morning we took him to a different vet and they told us he had liver cancer that had progressed so much there was very few options other than putting him down, otherwise he would only live a few days in pain. This is not the first time we have asked VCA to treat something only to have them fail and a different vet properly diagnose, but it will be the last.

Very expensive and overly busy. Do not buy the care club it is not worth it as many other veterinarians are much cheaper.

I used to loved this place for years, but after takeoff the urgent and emergency service is impossible to see a veterinarian and for book an appointment takes 3 o more weeks. Bummer!

My pup was attacked by a pit bull and nearly died. Staff was extremely caring every step of the way.

I love, love, love this VCA location! So much so, that I drive an hour completely out of my way - that’s how good their service is. Two particular standouts - Dr. Menghani and Kim, the veterinary assistant. They are lovely and kind and professional. I’ve been to this location twice, and both times they demonstrated utmost care. Like everyone else, they had to adapt to a new way of conducting business in light of COVID, and nailed down an efficient system from the comfort and safety of your car. The doctor calls you every step of the way. Highly recommend this location, and my pup does, too!

Show up, they make you wait outside. Then you dial the number, hit the emergency option, and they put you on hold for 7min

The staff is professional and always so sweet with my dog, Amigo. I can tell they truly love animals. The vet makes contact with me personally to give me an update as to how Amigo is doing and never seems rushed or too busy to answer questions.

Amazing service! They always go above and beyond to ensure client and patient satisfaction. And they call to follow up and ensure progress with your pet. I honestly dont think Ill go anywhere else if given the choice.

Thank you Dr. Elizabeth M. Kelly and dedicated staff, for your excellent Veterinarian care and devotion to our Westie Rescues.

I have been coming to this clinic for a while. Always friendly helpful. The front desk staff is excellent. That being said. Something has changed. Front desk staff is still friendly, kind caring. But what happened to the Providers?Came in for a shot update. Only Rabies was giving. They found an ear infection. Gave me medication but did not tell me they did not do 1st treatment. Because of COVID I was in my car. The provider called she was uncaring. Just wanted money. I complained to the staff. They did say the Doctors are new. Management wake up. You use to be excellent. Go back to you old caring professional ways. Get rid of Doctors that could care less and have no compassion. This new way is not working. Hopefully you will re exam and adjust accordingly.

The reason why i give this place a one star, is because you would expect them to care for animals, all animals. I found a baby bird, that wasnt so young. I wanted to take it somewhere rather than let the dogs and cats prey on it at night. Next day i go to the VCA Animal Medical and ask if they can probably keep the wild bird there and call to have someone pick it up. They declined and told us to drive 21 miles to another location for wildlife. Thanks a lot for nothing, anyone who has wild animals. Do not bring them to the VCA since apparently they arent the type of Animals they would care for.

Quick service while you drive up in your car and park while you call for an attendant. Very friendly and prompt to help out despite being VERY BUSY at this time.

This facility used to be an urgent care and at some point in the last few months it changed to a regular vet (which is fine). That being said, each and everytime they called me to set up an appt for my cats it was never mentioned (money in their pockets for a visit to just check and see if they are fine). However when I needed that same facility for my cat in an urgent situation I called my vet and was told we dont do that we are a regular clinic. I was spoken to like I was bothering her and taking her time. I WONT BE BACK

Friendly staff. Beautiful facilities. Clean and welcoming

I recently adopted a 4 month old puppy grom the San Diego Animal Shelter. Upon adoption I was given a voucher with a $250 value to a VCA vet. The El Cajon VCA were InsistentThat they were too busyTo fulfill a promise that the animal shelter was giving out. Even in emergency cases. I had to take my dog else where, they ended up finding him running an extremely high fever an upper respiratory untreated he could have died. A common condition that they get while at the shelter.VCA pushed me off for 2 weeks scheduled me for a 430pm appt on 3/21. Which I was on time for evidently I was an hour late, sounds a little fishy. At the end of the day i was never seen, and I now have a bad taste so I will never return. I will make sure to spread the word!!! The whole point is to gain a new client, this one just walked. And I have 3 other furbabies. Dumb move for business!!!!

I called in advance for my dog Skye, who has an ear infection that has started to seep, and was told walk in waiting time would be about 30 minutes. This sadly was not the case. I came in at 5pm and was told to go home at 10pm having waited five hours. Sadly it looks like it is time to find veterinary care elsewhere. I truly believe the VCA has amazing staff on hand, but their processes are flawed and ill managed.

I had appointment at 9;am did not get out of there till after 11: am.All they wanted to do was charge me for unwanted things I did notask for, Flushed cats ear gave med medication charged way tomuch. Cat caught something from there had to take to other vetto get her better, Dont take your fur child there. I will not be goingthere,

This place is awesome. Had a doggie emergency on a Saturday & was able to bring my injured doggie in immediately. Had a little bit of a wait but not much. They were very helpful & through. Prices werent bad at all. Would definitely recommend to anyone in need of a vet, either an emergency or otherwise. Note : because of COVID19 pet parents are not aloud in facility at this time.

Have always gotten great Vet care by these professionals. Sadly some of their front counter people are clueless but dont discredit the staff behind the scenes. COVID-19 has created another beast to get emergency/urgent service or regular appointments. Again have nothing but love for the staff behind the scenes.

Had to take our girl in for pain in her back. They had her in and out in a few hours with meds and X-rays. Super reasonable prices. Thank you!

Offered zero help. Spoke over me during a call. We dont do walk-ins. Were booked three weeks out. And despite asking for non-emergency services, Were not an emergency hospital, I dont know what to tell you.

Was sad because I had to put my dog to sleep. He was old and unable to have a good life going forward. They were very sympathetic and kind.

My moms cat was Ill and ended up with kidney failure. She ended up having to put him to sleep. It was a hard choice for her but the doctor was with her the whole way. They are all very supportive and so sweet. She had him cremated and they put him in a pretty cedar box with his footprint plaque and name. They even sent her a card later that they all signed. She felt very loved.

Wonderful vet. A bit on the pricey side, but can be worth it.

They are so kind knowledgeable professional and clean facility! Fully trust them with my dogs.

Thank you for making the best possible experience out of retiring my buddy for the last 16 wonderful years.

The facility is nice and the Dr’s are good but the cost is high for service $470 just to see what’s wrong then give some pain meds. I was quoted about $3k to fix a torn ACL, I understand that it’s a surgery but come on. I’ve been bringing my pets here for a long time but I think it might be time to start looking around for a new vet.

Always clean and Techs are thorough and helpful

This vet completely missed a visible tumor in my dogs mouth, cost us nearly two weeks of treatment as a result we had to put her down. Her regular vet didnt understand how VCA El Cajon could miss an exposed walnut-sized tumor in the cheek of our dogs mouth.We brought our dog, Bailey here as a walk-in appointment due to what we believed to be a bee sting. Her face was swollen on one side and it came on pretty fast. She needed some dental work too, but had a heart murmur and her regular doctor was working to get that under control before her dental surgery. We figured it could have also been a tooth abscess. We waited for over 3 hours and then they decided they should triage her incase it was a bee sting or bug bite that could cause additional issues. They looked at her in the waiting room and said it was most likely a tooth abscess and that the doctor needed to see her. Another 1+ hour and we were finally seen by a doctor, who gave us about 10 minutes of her time, then said our dog had a tooth abscess. She sent us home with antibiotics and pain meds.We gave her the antibiotics for over a week and it still didnt get any better. I called VCA El Cajon to see what we should do next. They told me a doctor would need to call me back later that day. I never got a call back, I called them the next day and talked to someone at the front desk. She said the vet left a note saying the antibiotics wont really help until the tooth is removed. This didnt seem right, as weve had dogs with tooth abscesses before and antibiotics always brought down the swelling. I decided to call our regular vet and they fit us in later that day.They were as surprised as I was to find a large tumor growing in her cheek right next to the tooth the VCA El Cajon vet looked at! Our vet couldnt understand how they missed it. We did a biopsy and discovered it was Squamous Cell Carcinoma, a highly aggressive cancer. It was at a point where we couldnt safely operate and had no viable treatment options. Bailey eventually stopped eating and we had to put her down about 3 weeks after we took her to VCA El Cajon. In my opinion, if they had properly diagnosed our dog theres a chance we could have done acted and saved her life. Instead we had to wait nearly 2 weeks to have the cancer properly diagnosed, in my opinion, thats solely due to VCA El Cajons incompetence.

Very covid friendly. Quick and easy nail trim for our pup today. Thank you!

Had to bring my dog Spirit in after finding him in horrible distress. Walked in and immediately he was whisked back for emergency care.The Vet explained after the X-ray, Spirit had bloat with a twisted stomach which is deadly without surgery.The bill was tremendously high, so Dr Ted Townsend worked with me to lower the cost. Dr Townsend also was so reassuring with beautifully calming words.Spirit is an 11 year old senior citizen so I was truly worried with him facing this major surgery.He made it through with no other complications that most definitely may occur with bloat being the diagnosis.We are now 5 days post op and Spirit continues to amaze me and he is thriving. I highly recommend if you face this crisis, run to VCA.I cannot thank you all enough for the wonderful care you took of my Spirit.PS.. I would give a million stars for the review if permitted.I

They just cared about getting paid and not my dying pet and no emergency care around plus it seems they had bad attitudes!

We always have had great experiences with this Vet! They are so kind and really try to help our pets any way they can.

I just took Kurt in for a removal of a mass at a dangerous location in his rectal area. The place I took him before suggested I take him to a board certified surgical specialist somewhere else. However, when I read the reviews regarding that place my wife and I noticed that everyone writing reviews about that place suggested we go to VCA Medical Center of El Cajon instead. So I researched VCA and they had stellar reviews so we made an appointment. They gave us an estimate for the surgery and we agreed. The surgery went perfectly and their post-operative care was excellent - support staff is professional and caring; very good at what they do. In addition, the final bill was 20% lower then their estimate and that including a neutering procedure (not reflected in the estimate). Dr. Hempel is a fantastic surgeon. I highly recommend her. The cost at VCA was very reasonable. This is the first time whether it is a medical procedure, house remodel, automotive repair or anything requiring a written estimate where the final bill came in lower than the estimate and all worked performed exceeded our expectations. Too bad this thing only goes up to five stars.

We just recently moved into town and had yet to find a new vet when my 17 year old cat decided it was time to cross the rainbow bridge. Being so late at night and no other vets open, we rushed up to VCA. They quickly got us into a room, explained what they were going to do, and gave us time to say goodbye. When it was time to let him go they took our toddler out to the waiting room and turned on cartoons. We got a lovely sympathy card in the mail signed by a lot of the staff. We will be back as regular customers!

Could not believe the hospitality i got! God bless them extremely thorough in not only the exam but explaining the situation. Very professional and wont go anywhere else. Thanks again so much Dr. Mercedes! You guys truly care about pets

Sadly our dogs got seriously ill by coming here for a simple nail trim. During this time of Covid and the safety protocols they have in place, one would assume that disinfection against canine virus and bacteria would be a top priority.

The vet seemed very capable and empathetic. The estimate for helping our older dog was $1800-30000. One of the techs gave us a guilt trip when we said we would rather put her down if she was going to suffer than to pay that much. The situation changed once we mentioned euthanization and we were then told we could just take her home and watch her, she might be fine. Our dog was fine.

The staff is caring and very honest. I brought my Chihuahua Chika in for a procedure and it had healed itself. They called to tell me she didnt need any services and I could come and pick her up free of charge. Amazing, honest and will be going there for all my pets in the future!!!!!

We trust this place with all our pets, and have been going there for decades (back when they were called Broadway Animal hospital). The best thing is that they offer you Care Credit, which has literally saved some of our pets lives when an emergency hit. Another vet (closer to home in Santee) wouldnt care for our Rattie unless I paid $1,000 right then. Had I known VCA offered credit (or was told by the other vet), my dog wouldnt have died in pain. I will always go to VCA for the quality & genuine care our pets receive there. I recommend this place highly.

I’ve had dogs for years and have been to many vets. VCA El Cajon is by far my favorite. The staff are absolutely amazing. They treat you like family and are so experienced. When I brought my 9 week old puppy in with parvo, I was very afraid she was beyond help. I misinterpreted her symptoms and brought her in for care pretty late into her illness. Luckily, the amazing vets were able to provide her with an outstanding level of care and she survived. Wellness visits are easy and my dogs are actually excited to see the staff. Spaying is great at this location and my dog recovered quickly. Would give 6 stars if I could. Thanks VCA El Cajon!!!

Boarded our two dogs here in their luxury suites. Very reasonably priced I might add. Not the type of person that goes gushing over any particular place but I got to tell you they took such good care of our two dogs that I absolutely would never take my dogs anywhere else to be boarded.They have these 24-hour cameras in the rooms so you can watch them and see how theyre doing at anytime you want, live stream! My family being the type that believes our dogs are part of the family like children we were absolutely amazed at the extra time they spent in the room making sure it was clean and sanitized after every single walk and would often come in just to pet them and keep them company.I highly recommended to anyone needing there fur babies a safe and secure place to be while you are out of town or in our case getting our home tented.

My husband and I went to VCA Animal Medical Center because one of my puppies was having an allergic reaction to some shots she had gotten earlier in the day. The people who work there were so nice and they took such good care of my puppy. And they even trimmed both my puppies nails because they have never been trimmed because they were born on November 7. I would recommend this place to anyone who has an emergency pet problem. We love our new puppies and would not want anything to go wrong with them. Thanks to all the people who helped us there. Appreciated it very much.

This animal clinic is very pet friendly. The staff and doctors are well qualified and truly wants the best for the animal. The place is open 24/7 which is great. They also offer economical boarding for your pet(s).

What a horrible experience. Arrived around 9:45 pm because my dog had severe vomiting and diarrhea likely due to an adverse reaction to a vaccination at another clinic. Signed in and was told “it would be awhile” due to there being 5 others ahead of us. Fast forward to 11 pm when all of the front desk people leave and we are told the vet techs in the back would take care of us. 45 minutes later still haven’t been called into an exam room after 2 hours and no one has come out from back to check on anyone. Try to take our dog outside for a bathroom break and the glass entry way doors are locked. Pretty sure that’s a fire code violation. No one around to ask how to open the doors. After four of us try to figure it out, my husband finds the locking mechanism on the bottom of the doors. At that point, we decide to leave as did the other couple and their dog who were also trying to figure out how to exit the horrible place. We figured we were better off going anywhere else rather than staying in a place that locks you in and doesn’t bother to have anyone check on your sick pet for hours. We will never enter this place of business again.

I used to work here a few years ago. Everyone really cares about the pets and puts them first. Amazing place!

Dr. Hymes has been amazing!!! My dog was diagnosed with diabetes at the beginning of February and has been awesome helping me out ever since. If I have a crazy idea she totally works with me and we work together. She checks in with me even when she is extremely busy and is always on top of our treatment plan. I totally reccomend having as a vet because of her knowledge and open mindedness.

We adopted a dog from the Humane Society and they offer a free vet checkup at this place. My girlfriend made an appointment for 10 am but I thought it was at noon. My mistake. When I realized I headed over right away and got there at 11.Its now 4 pm and we still havent been seen. They said 1 of the 2 doctors was pulled away for an emergency. Thats understandable. But youd think they encounter emergency procedures often and have a contingency plan.Had I known how long it could be I wouldnt have stayed. I couldve gone home and waited for a call but they refused to say anything.I will say the front staff is very friendly. This isnt their fault. One woman in particular has been incredibly friendly and has helped ease the tension but 5 hours?! And no knowledge of how long it would take?We arent customers of this place. The Humane Society said if we get the checkup and the vet finds something they didnt catch theyd pay for whatever needs to happen. Thats great! Just beware. Appointments are set out many weeks out and if you screw up, like me, and come as a walk-in you could spend an entire day here.My girlfriend is coming when she gets off work to relieve me. Thank God. We still have to see how the check-up goes and any further work they do.However, once its done we will not be coming back. We already have a vet for our other dog and well be taking the new pooch there.

Has been ok, but today they took payment over phone, then checked us out before giving dog shots. Due to covid, we sat in parking lot 45 minutes with dog before we called and were told, we thought you were gone.

We recently had to put down our beloved Tuxedo Cat Samantha. The Vet Techs went above and beyond to help us as our cats health was going down rapidly. I cant remember the VetMD name, but he took the time to give a 2nd opinion and conducted himself with compassion, tact and professionalism . Thank ALL of you for helping us through that difficult time .

We are done with this place. The last two times we made appointments here, we show up, find out the doctor they booked is for never works this day off the week. One of those times we were seen by a different doctor on time, the other time we waited about an hour and a half beyond what our appointment set at because since the doctor never works this day off the week, you have to put your name on the walk in list.This time (the walk in list time), we had to get our cat x-rays and blood work and were told we will hear back no later than Tuesday, call us if you havent heard back by 5. Tuesday at 5 comes around, so I call and was told somebody would call me back within an hour, never did. I called twice on Wednesday, without getting any call back from a doctor. I called once on Thursday and my wife calls once on Thursday before we finally got a call back. We also found out the office got the diagnosis from the lab on Monday, which was upsetting to learn.Inconvenient phone tag is one thing, but I paid over $600 for information that they wouldnt provide. To make matters worse, the vet initially, at the appointment, thought the issue was cancer, which is why we were calling so frequently for the results. Turned out to be bronchitis and asthma, so everything worked out, but 3 days if panic could have been avoided by somebody from this office telling us the information...Long story short, they are disorganized and there are many more place to take your pet that are better.

The staff here where so kind and considerate during a very hard moment in my life of having to say goodbye to my 18 year old cat baby Vladimir. I will always be grateful.

We just got back home after they checked on my cousins puppy, who he’s a 3 months old Pomeranian and he’s a family effort little thing. Anyways, I want to thank the doctor for checking him and also a HUGE thanks to MIKA! She did amazing by educating us on how to train him, how and what to feed him and how should we care for him. We appreciate this hospital for tonight and always with my own dogs as well. Keep up the good work!

So caring. I had my babies leg amputated and they treated her like one of their own. Then tragically some jerk didnt stop on a red light making a right. Ended up killing my Precious. The entire staff was so sympathetic and genuine during our horrific issue. Thank you VCA staff.

Update: the second vet (not VCA) did an X-RAY and there is a BIG problem. They are doing intravenous fluids and following up with X-RAYs every twelve hours. We are praying surgery isnt needed.Our experience was terrible. As I write this I sit in another Pet ER getting my dog actually looked at.When I arrived VCA took my dog back and I waited two hours. Two hours of no information from the vet or techs. Asking the receptionist where my dog was and what was happening resulted in someone will be with you soon. Well nothing was soon. When the vet finally came in and told me everything was probably fine but they could do an x-ray in a few hours I told them to give me my dog and that I was leaving to go to a different ER. Took them 15 minutes to get my dog after that.Dont go here unless its unavoidable. Its worth the few extra minutes to drive to a different Vet ER. A different location where you will: 1. Get your dog actually treated and 2. Not waste your time and money.

I am a new Pet owner and as a new pet owner, I went ahead and searched for a good vet clinic for my kitten. I made my first appointment and was looking forward to it. I had to move things around in order to make this appointment only to come in and to be informed that they are closed and oops! The forgot to call me. Like wth!!! So unprofessional.

I called before coming in and told me it would be a 30 min wait. I Came in at 11pm on a Saturday night and no one was there but me. The lady at the front desk that checked me in had no customer service whatsoever. We waited about 30 min before the vet came inside the room to check my sick dog. after checking him, he told me that nothing seemed wrong with my dog but would recommend getting some blood work. Of course as a dog owner I wanted to make sure that in fact, nothing was wrong with him. The price was ridiculously too high for blood work and the visit. I agreed anyway because I knew something was not right. After coming back with my dog, the vet told me it would take about 30-45 min to for the machine to give them the results. An hr and a half later they came in. 3 hrs at the vet, just me; no one in the lobby. Not once did they come in and checked on us. Overall, too expensive and a long wait.

I went to buy an e collar for my dog 2 days ago and Shirley and Rebecca where extremely helpful and nice. Before I arrived to buy the collar I called in advance to make sure they had it and Shirley was very helpful and her customer service on the phone was implacable! They made me feel very welcome in the office.

Spacious and professional. Went to pick up some rx dog food my regular vet was out of. Very impressed with this place.

Im so very happy with VCA in El Cajon. Weve taken our cat here for boarding, check ups, dental work, and are in the middle of digging deeper into an issue shes having.BOARDING:When they dont have a lot of cats boarding, your cat can get double the space. I love that my cat gets a little human interaction every day and fresh wet food for every meal. I think she did better here than in the past when we would have friends check on her at our house while we were out of town. She doesnt like being in new locations, but she really loves having humans around (she loves all humans), so this just works best for us all when we are on vacation. We were also able to get her dental and blood work done during her stay, the vets called us regularly and whenever we called to see how she was doing the other staff was happy to check in and report on how she was adjusting. When we pick her up from boarding the staff has great things to say about her. I feel like they really get to know and generally care about the pets they provide services for.CHECK-UPS & OTHER VET SERVICESWeve gotten a few check ups, blood work, and dental work done here and Ive been generally happy with the service and how well they keep you informed. Right now were in the middle of looking into a deeper issue and Ive been so happy with the vet were working with, John Ashbaugh, DVM. He lets you know all the possibilities, all of your options, and follows it with if it were my cat to walk through what he would do first to rule something out before jumping into the next option, so you dont feel like you need to do everything at once. Pay attention to this part, because when they call to follow up about pricing (or maybe when you walk into the lobby to pay - COVID19 is probably making the experience a bit different right now), they essentially give you a grand total for all the options, so you really need to remember what to start with if you want to follow those recommendations from the vet. We went with the whole shebang with my cat because I didnt think the price tag was unreasonable. Ive gotten follow up calls from John Ashbaugh, he is interested in getting feedback about how your pet is doing after an appointment (treatment plan, behavior, related events after a visit) and is thorough in answering all your questions and concerns. I think were close to figuring this out and I dont think its going to break the bank! At the end of the day, it will probably end up being $1,100, partially because I chose to move forward with almost everything at the start and want to move forward with an ultrasound over an X-ray to REALLY know what were dealing with.

Excellent experience 😊 Took my 8 year old bulldog on a Friday evening for a paw infection. I was taken back to an exam room within 10 minutes of checking in. Waited less than 5 for the vet. She (the vet) was very sweet and knowledgeable. She was very familiar with bulldogs and all their illnesses. She was very gentle was his sensitive paw. I really liked that they priced all recommended treatments in writing and reviewed it with me prior to performing them. I did not feel pressured to do anything that I didnt want to do- it was a very easy discussion. The vet techs were amazing! They loved my dog and he loved them. When he came back from the treatment area, he was a happy pup! The vet discussed everything and I got detailed explanations on his medications and follow-up! Check out was a breeze and they give military discounts!! I was very happy and so was my dog!

We have been taking our animals here for years and until last year I could say they were great. Brought our Husky in because she started freaking out and would pace and pant for days. The only thing they would do is give her is triazadone and Xanax and told us to just walk her. My daughter called several times crying because the drugs were not working. Just told her to give her more drugs but not too much because she was elder. Took her to Woodside Amimal Hospital and they were able to help her. Fast forward to two weeks ago when she started to go down hill and had no quality of life, called because we needed to make the most difficult choice and was told there was nothing they could do because they closed at 6:00 and to just let her be in pain and die at home and bury her in the yard. Thank the Lord that the Poway location was open and they were the most loving and wonderful people.

Top-notch!!They saved our small dogs life after she was bit by a rattlesnake. The previous year we took another dog to a different place for a rattlesnake bite. Unfortunately, she didnt make it.VCA El Cajon is by far the best place to care for your pet: professional, respectful, talented, clean, and state-of-the-art.

This will now be our go to place. It has EVERYTHING. I took my dog here when he was yelping in pain. I thought a hospital would be best bc what if he needed more than what an office could provide? They do it all here. They ruled out everything and my doggy is back to normal. A possible strain? Since he’s older? Anyway, they gave him RX’s to help him and he’s fine now. I also signed up for their doggy care plan which I had no idea existed till I came here. Employees and Vets are caring,helpful and friendly. We loved it here.

I just love this veterinary hospital. Weve had to put down two precious babies recently due to age and cancer and theyve been amazing! Kind, caring and professional. Thanks to all at VCA. 💗

This has been my vet office for well over a decade, but Im thinking about finding another. Im not sure if there are staffing issues they are trying to fix, but I waited (as a walk in) for two and a half hours without even getting in an exam room before I gave up and left. I understand I didnt have an appointment, but in all that time no one updated me on the wait times at all. The next time I needed the vet I called to ask how long the wait was and was told they werent taking walk ins because they didnt have a doctor. Maybe these were isolated incidents, but if not I hope they can fix these issues because they had always been a reliable vet office previously.

Dr Richard Johnson is the best and now we have Dr Jacqueline Johnson who is tops in our book and family. She is great with our miniature Schnauzers. We trust them both completely. Also, the groomers especially Ann and the other sweet ladies treat our dogs with so much heart! The front office folks and techs are sincere and very caring. The dental hygienist Christina was attentive to my concerns and she was who I needed at the right time. Big kudos to the team!

First time visit and was very impressed. Clean, fresh and fully stocked facility. Staff is professional attentive and most of all calm which is nice to have in a true emergency. They came to our vehicle to assess the level of urgency for our kitty which I appreciated. This was less stressful on our pet. We got there at a time when they were receiving multiple life and death pet emergencies at once so very very busy. However, they treated us like only our pet was their concern. Nice job to Mika who really spent time debriding our kitties feet and the bandaging was superb. Thanks to all who worked on her.

Great service. You can tell they care about your pet

Yes, you will pay a little more but the level of care is worth it. I do like them having multiple Doctors on duty as it’s easy to get a second opinion when it matters.

They helped in a sad situation. We found a cat hit by a car, in bad shape..Theyre were very compassionate. Unfortunately kitty didnt survive. But he wasnt alone and with people who card. RIP Precious

My family got sent here by border patrol after my dog got hit by a car 70 miles away from San Diego. When we walked in they were very welcoming of the 5 of us and the dog even with one of us having a broken leg. They knew exactly what to do and told us all the options immediately. Money was an issue. They told us that we pay $800 before treatment or they keep the dog and send him to the pound. This was the only negative about the whole experience. BUT THANKS TO THEM MY DOG IS ALIVE AND WELL. WITH A METAL PLATE IN THIS LEG AND A RELOCATED BACK LEG.

The staff was very caring but the cost is outrageous and they wont even look at your pet until a large sum is paid....if they hadnt been the only vet open at 6 pm....I would have gone elsewhere.

Sadly we brought our dog in at 2am and she passed away just a few minutes later. She was very sick and old and it was inevitable.The staff had her comfortable immediately and gave us a full assessment of her situation. We were given as much time as we needed to say goodbye and stay with her until the end. Then we were given more time if we needed.They asked as few questions as possible and helped us through the cremation process. When we picked up her remains there was a nice package of extras. The staff member too us to a private room to give them to us and Wes very kind and consoling.A week later we received a sweet card from the staff as well.We felt very cared for and that they understood the terrible pain we were in.The costs were minimal, which surprised us.I am incredibly grateful for the kindness at one of the worst moments in my life.

I used to love this place and trust their vets opinions. Since they became a VCA managed facility their best vets never seem to be working or are no longer on staff. In fact the vet they have pictured isnt even there. I also think its vital for a 24 hour emergency hospital have a vet there 24 hours a day.

Had a late night emergency and was immediately seen. They were very friendly and helped comfort us while our pup was looked at. Very caring and gentle with a hurting puppy.

The medical team has too many patients, no time to thoroughly diagnose or treat. Kept my pet 6 days, said its complicated diabetes. Gave me a prescription for insulin $313.00 . This was on the 5th day. They never injected him, I did. Sent him home and said to monitor his glucose and give him 1unit of insulin 2X a day. No scrip for meter and never showed me how. All he does is sleep. On the scrip it says .5 unit, 2X a day. So hes still very sick and not out of the woods yet. Any suggestions? Very disappointed in the professionalism. Not to mention the $4700.00 bill.

Took both my dogs in and it went great! Would recommend to anyone and everyone.

Great place the vets here are amazing. They get backed up sometimes and the waiting time is awful

Ive been having problems for years but July 10, 2018 was the last straw. I brought my daughters cat in. His eye was swollen shut and leaking fluids. After waiting over two hours I finally asked how much longer, they couldnt tell me. She asked to see my cat and said his eye is open a little its not an emergency. I left and the next day went to another vet. He had an emergency eye surgery. I will only be back to pick up the medical records. Going to a different vet now.

Since they opened, my husband and I have trusted the staff and doctors at VCA El Cajon to care for our Great Danes. Our most recent experience, though devastating (we had to say goodbye to our fur baby after 10 years together), they treated us with kindness and compassion from initial phone calls to our arrival and then picking up his remains....we were treated as if we were the only patients they had! Our dog was diagnosed with a severe heart condition caused by grain-free food about 6 months before his passing. When we arrived without an appointment, they immediately took him into a room, got x-rays, followed up with a radiologist for a 2nd opinion and cared for him overnight until I could take him to the cardiologist the next day. They gave us referrals to the BEST specialist and followed up to see how he was doing in the days after he was released. The level of honest love and compassion for our pets that they provide is superb.

Lets begin with what you need to know. You need pet insurance. I was surprised to see the amount of money people were willing to spend for their pets as I sat there for 4 hours waiting on a Saturday. I was later told my doggy has doggy arthritis. An operation costing above $3500 was the remedy. I remembered how Patrick Stewart better known as Captain John Luke Picard explain that his arthritis in his hands were so bad he couldnt close them until he began taking THC and now he has full mobility. I figure if it was good enough for someone who Captain Enterprise was good enough for my doggy. And it was. While sitting there I noticed how clean and large this place was and the amount of people that came in and out of it all being told that it would either cost up words of 2,500 or theres nothing we can do and the look disappointment on peoples faces. Aside from that I can see why the staff are so indifferent its a way to cope with the amount of sad people a deal with. After this experience I now lump veterinarians with lawyers and politicians for the scum of the earth people who thrive on human sadness.

We love leaving our dog here when we go on long trips. Very kind and considerate staff. Very clean and convenient. Boarding prices are very reasonable and the clinic being 24 hours, pickup and drop off is easy.

My vet ROCKS ! She is very knowledgeable and willing to learn more. I have a Sharp Pei and they are truly a different animal. So what works on most dogs and lab results mean and do totally different things! MY fur baby Zen has kidney disease! No small issue and is treated very different in Pei then other dogs. SHE IS SO AWESOME AND WILLING TO HELP ZEN SHE CONNECT WITH A PEI SPECIALIST IN NEW YORK!! That is a huge favor and a lot to ask of a very qualified vet! But she was willing! Zen is on all human med to make it more complicated!!!I would definitely bring my other dogs in and any future Pei I rescue!! Go Dr.Dangelo!!!!With her permission I would add her name to the list of qualified Sharp Pei vets! !! They are so very rare and many claim to know the breed.

My baby was very well cared for by Dr George who is semi retired and only works by appointment on Saturdays. Dr George is the real deal...he knows what works and what doesn’t and will give you straight answers. Another vet who I adore is Dr Uribe. I have had “meh” experiences with some of the well intentioned younger vets always wanting to try something new and different but the staff here is wonderful!

We checked in and were told we would be the third person in the que. 2 hours later , I asked if they had any idea what time we would be seen. I was informed that I would have to continue to wait because I was a walk in. They advised me that I would have to wait until everyone with an appointment was seen and emergencies would go ahead of me. This wouldn’t be a problem if they had just informed me of the process prior to waiting 2 hours. The doctor told the front desk that his clients would be seen first. I was pretty sure I was a client but left and found a better customer service facility. Since the Doctor thought I would have to wait another two hours. I’d like to do business with a serious Veterinarian. Prices were too high and service was not worth the it. Very disappointed. My dogs are important and if they treat me this way, I would hate to see how the animals get treated.

The hours are accommodating to my work schedule. The office visit price is cheaper compared to other hospitals I have visited. The rate for boarding is way cheaper then other places I have looked into. The building is VERY clean and open. Plenty of parking. Great location. Scored 4 stars only because the medication is almost double the price compared to online pet pharmacy sites. Other then the price of medication they are a 5 star facility without a doubt. Great team of people there.