VCA Bay Area Veterinary Specialists & Emergency Hospital

They murdered my dog. Do not go there. more

I would like to start by saying that throughout my life I have been to vets from Maine to San Fransisco and have NEVER had the care that I experienced from BAVS. When I happened upon this hospital it was in terrible circumstances. I had just lost my dog of 16yrs from lymphoma after an untreatable second remission and had a pit in my stomach telling me that in the exact same week my other dog was falling ill from the same ailment. and I would loose them both. This was more then I could stand. When Phoenix showed me that she was not well, not only depressed from loosing her best friend, I took the advice of the clients at the holistic pet food store that I was working at at the time, and switched to BAVS. They were the kindest and most knowledgeable vets office I have been to to date. I am not saying this to make anyone feel that they can avoid the inevitable,but Thanks to these wonderful people, I still have my Phoenix with me. If they had not treated her with such love and urgency, my best friend would have been gone several years ago. Thank you for who you are, what you do, and mostly what you care enough to do. You are a wonderfully caring and competent staff of people who have made more of a difference in my life then you will ever be capable of knowing. Thank you for my best friend. Pros: null Cons: null more

BAVS has been a life saver to my dogs. I can't believe the negative reviews on this site. My current two dogs have been seen in their ER room three times this year (and the vet techs and vet recognized them by sight and name). Each time my dogs and I were treated with respect and the dogs quickly treated. Currently, as in today, my dog is in their ICU unit getting treatment for Hemorrhagic Gastro Enteritis, which means her gut is bleeding out. This is a potentially lethal illness. They quickly diagnosed it and began treatment. They work out payment plans as needed and accept pet insurance. She is on the mend and out of the woods. She would be dead if I didn't take her there. As for emergency rooms, they are on the less expensive side. In the past, they have treated my dogs for ingesting Rimadyl and nearly overdosing, getting attacked by a Raccoon, and diagnosing a degenerative disorder in a previous dog (in their specialty clinic). I trust them with my dogs lives" much more so more

I use to work at BAVS as a veterinary technician. For the most part, the people there are great to work with. Yes they are very expensive, why? I have no idea. Some of the prices I could understand but they do charge a arm and a leg. I believe every since BAVS was bought out by PetDRX, things have gone down hill. I had noticed for being there for years that patient care has gone way down. It seems like the company cares more about the money then the animals and there priorities are out of whack. They make decisions based on what they think is good for the hospital rather than asking for our opinions since were the ones busting our behinds day in and day out. I don't know. I'm very disappointed with them. I thought BAVS would be a happy, professional place to work and grow but it's not that at all. And for all you people that have brought your pet to BAVS, I'm am truly sorry for everything that has happened to you and your pets. I'm telling you that the staff there are great but the corporation that it's under is horrible. I will never work for a place that has been taking over by a corporation! Ever!! Pros: The techicians there are great! Cons: Not so reasonable when it comes to prices more

I use to work at BAVS as a veterinary technician. For the most part, the people there are great to work with. Yes they are very expensive, why? I have no idea. Some of the prices I could understand but they do charge a arm and a leg. I believe every since BAVS was bought out by PetDRX, things have gone down hill. I had noticed for being there for years that patient care has gone way down. It seems like the company cares more about the money then the animals and there priorities are out of whack. They make decisions based on what they think is good for the hospital rather than asking for our opinions since were the ones busting our behinds day in and day out. I don't know. I'm very disappointed with them. I thought BAVS would be a happy, professional place to work and grow but it's not that at all. And for all you people that have brought your pet to BAVS, I'm am truly sorry for everything that has happened to you and your pets. I'm telling you that the staff there are great but the corporation that it's under is horrible. I will never work for a place that has been taking over by a corporation! Ever!! Pros: The techicians there are great! Cons: Not so reasonable when it comes to prices more

It has taken me 2 years to finally be able to write this, so traumatized was I by my horrible experience at Bay Area Veterinary Specialists. First, I dropped $11,000-- yes, that's right: ELEVEN THOUSAND dollars -- at this place in one month, and the ice-cold staff members could not even find the decency to talk to me on the phone when I called with a simple question. One stone-hearted receptionist actually told me if I wanted to speak to a doctor, I had to schedule an appointment for three days later. What?!?!!?! My dog had ONE WEEK to live, I had just dropped $11,000 at this place, and no doctor could find the grace or decency to call me back? NO! That is not acceptable. Second, this place has so many vets swarming around that you will never get the same one that you got last time, which means that every time you go in, the new vet does not know you or your dog or understand your emotional/ financial situation. One jerkface veterinarian (and believe me, I'm being charitable) actually had the nerve to WALK OUT ON ME in a fit of anger after I burst into tears during an appointment. He never returned--- and they still charged me for the appointment, for which they did absolutely nothing!!! One month, $11,000, and endless hurtful insults and uncaring interactions later, my dog died. I don't blame them for her death, but I do blame them for bilking me out of my entire life savings and treating me and my cherished dog like garbage. All they did was make an already horrendous experience infinitely more horrific. Now, two years later, my other dog has cancer. Guess what? I'm NOT going to BAVS. We're going to an excellent oncologist at Santa Cruz Vet Hospital who has 30+ years of experience, is reasonably priced and treats me and my ailing dog like we are the most important clients on Earth. Not only that, but my dog's cancer is now in remission! This has taught me that even in a time a crisis, it's worth it to take a few extra minutes and read the reviews and get recommendations first, for the sake of both yourself and your pet. I should have written a letter of complaint to the Calif. Veterinary Board about the terrible people at BAVS, but I was too traumatized at the time to do so. If I could give this place negative stars, I would give them a -20. Final word: STAY AWAY from BAVS San Leandro at all costs-- unless you want to get bankrupted and treated like the pondscum. I am so sorry to my poor deceased dog that she had to spend her final days here, and I will never forgive myself for putting her in the hands of these cruel, heartless shells of human beings. Pros: Nothing Cons: Ice-cold staff, exhorbitant prices, animal haters more

It has taken me 2 years to finally be able to write this, so traumatized was I by my horrible experience at Bay Area Veterinary Specialists. Pros: Nothing Cons: Ice-cold staff, exhorbitant prices, animal haters more

We have been going round and round with this bunch of crooks for two years!! We took our dog to them and they gave a us a verbal estimate of 40 dollars for one test. We agreed to that and then were presented with a bill for 10 times that amount!!! They say they do written estimates but they didn't. any time they were going to do a test, they wold take the dog out of the room. so who knows if they ever did anything as we NEVER received ANY test results. So basically we paid over $1100.00 for IV fluids. AND they have the nerve to put a blemish on our credit report. No one will not talk to you regarding any disputes and they pass the buck to other employee. Do NOT go to them, you will be sorry and so will your pet! more

Avoid BAVS!! *EXCESSIVELY EXPENSIVE* and questionable vet judgement. I just paid close to *$8,000* to have them nearly k*ll my cat. She went in with severe head trauma, & after making good recovery was about ready to go home after 1-2 days. Since she wasn't eating, BAVS decided to anethesize her to put in a feeding tube. HUGE MISTAKE. 2 hours later I get a phone call from them saying, "good news, the feeding tube has been successfully placed; bad news, your cat in a semi-comatose state, is in extremely critical condition and probably will not survive." It turns out she should never have been administered to a cat so soon after experiencing head trauma. Well, luckily she did pull through, though she is still very ill and may not have recovered all her mental capacity lost due to being in a comatose state. She had to spend several more days in the hospital to recover as a result. Did a receive an apology or deduction from the hospital bill for their mistake? No way. I ended up paying a whooping $8000 for 4 days in the hospital - the only thing they did was administer IV, oxygen for part of the time, bandages, and feeding tube. Basically they nickel and dime you to death on the hospital "expenses", including paying for every bandage, etc; cat food was 4x what I would have paid in a pet store. To top it off, they keep making you pay ahead of time before they do any work, AND when they take your check, & without warning they IMMEDIATELY cash it just to make sure you aren't going to rip them off. I was not prepared for the immediate check cashing as I was going to transfer funds from savings to checking that night (after hearing the bill I realized there was no way I could cover it with what I had in the account), so was advised that I make a special trip to the local bank to get cash for them before they would continue. What a nightmare experience. My poor cat is still trying to recover, & I am going to take many many months to recover financially. Cons: RIP OFF, TACTLESS ABOUT $, BAD JUDGEMENT more

Avoid BAVS!! *EXCESSIVELY EXPENSIVE* and questionable vet judgement. I just paid close to *$8,000* to have them nearly k*ll my cat. She went in with severe head trauma, & after making good recovery was about ready to go home after 1-2 days. Since she wasn't eating, BAVS decided to anethesize her to put in a feeding tube. HUGE MISTAKE. 2 hours later I get a phone call from them saying, "good news, the feeding tube has been successfully placed; bad news, your cat in a semi-comatose state, is in extremely critical condition and probably will not survive." Cons: RIP OFF, TACTLESS ABOUT $, BAD JUDGEMENT more

I have been to this facility more often than I would like. I have been extremely pleased with the care given to my cats and to me. The doctors are very agreeable and always take the time to answer all of my questions. Pros: My cats were well taken care of. more

I have been to this facility more often than I would like. I have been extremely pleased with the care given to my cats and to me. The doctors are very agreeable and always take the time to answer all of my questions. Pros: My cats were well taken care of. more

I'm aghast reading all these negative reviews. I've taken two pets to BAVS and received excellent services every time. Yes, they are expensive. You have to pay $99 just to walk in the door and be seen by a vet. Treatments and diagnostics are expensive too. BAVS does not provide routine care for pets. It's the place you go in emergency situations, when your regular vet does not know what the problem is, and/or specialist exams are needed. It's not fun having to pay thousands of dollars for services for a sick or injured pet, but in their defense, it's easy for emotionally distraught owners to stiff them on the bills, especially if the pet cannot be saved. They always tell you up front what the cost will be, and then you can decide whether or not to euthanize your pet or just let him be until he dies a natural death. I think most of us would want to do what we can to save our pets' lives, it's part of being a responsible pet owner. The first cat I took there had an illness and c more

I took my dog there, only to be rudely and LOUDLY asked by "Pat" if I could read English. I am a former English Teacher, and Native Californian, who happens to be visibly Hispanic. I was so angry. I asked for a manager, who tried to assure me Pat was not racist in her statement. I've been this color and complexion my whole life, and that was bull. Her meaning was clear. The manager walked me out to avoid my confronting the racist wench. Also, the rooms are small and hot. Bad for claustrophobic. more

Little did I know that my apparently healthy dog was dying. I took her to BAVS on Sunday evening because she was lethargic and not eating. They took her into the back emergency room and informed me that she needed surgery right away because there was a tumor in her spleen which burst causing internal bleeding. They required payment up front, which was fine, but then my dog died a few minutes later. The person came out and told me she died and asked if they should do CPR. I consented, but they required another payment, which I did. The person came out of the room and said, "the good news is, we revived her, but the bad news is she had not been breathing for a long time, so she is brain dead." Why the heck did they continue CPR???\r \r At this point, I just wanted to see my dog. They took a long time before they brought her out. That same person came out and asked me if I wanted her euthanized. I said, "Why? Is it more humane to eutanize her than to let her be?" I didn't think s more

BEING THE ONLY EMERGENCY HOSPITAL ON A SUNDAY NIGHT I WENT TO IT. BEFORE WE COULD EVEN SEE A DOCTOR WE HAD TO GIVE THEM $500. AFTER THAT CAME MORE MONEY, ANOTHER $500. I WAS WILLING TO PAY IT EVEN THOUGH THIS WAS NOT OUR PET, IT WAS A STRAY AND IT WAS DYING. CALLED THEM AT 11:30 AND THEY SAID THE ANIMAL WAS DOING BETTER, RECEIVED A CALL AT 12:45 TELLING US THAT THE ANIMAL DIED. GOT THE REPORT FROM THEM AND IT WAS NOTED THAT THE ANIMAL DIED AT 11:30. MY ADVICE TO ANY ONE, DON'T COME HERE UNLESS YOU HAVE LOTS OF MONEY. THEY DO NOT CARE ABOUT YOUR PET UNLESS YOU HAVE MONEY. THE STAFF IS FRIENDLY, BUT ALLTHEY WANT IS MONEY. IT BROKE OUR HEART THE ANIMAL DIED AND I AM NOT SURE IF WE GOT THE ANIMAL THERE IN TIME THEY WOULD HAVE MADE IT OR NOT. CROOKS ALL THE WAY!!!!!!! WISH I COULD GIVE NO STARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Pros: PARKING Cons: YOU NEED TO HAVE A TON OF MONEY OR THEY DON'T CARE. more

BEING THE ONLY EMERGENCY HOSPITAL ON A SUNDAY NIGHT I WENT TO IT. BEFORE WE COULD EVEN SEE A DOCTOR WE HAD TO GIVE THEM $500. AFTER THAT CAME MORE MONEY, ANOTHER $500. I WAS WILLING TO PAY IT EVEN THOUGH THIS WAS NOT OUR PET, IT WAS A STRAY AND IT WAS DYING. CALLED THEM AT 11:30 AND THEY SAID THE ANIMAL WAS DOING BETTER, RECEIVED A CALL AT 12:45 TELLING US THAT THE ANIMAL DIED. GOT THE REPORT FROM THEM AND IT WAS NOTED THAT THE ANIMAL DIED AT 11:30. MY ADVICE TO ANY ONE, DON'T COME HERE UNLESS YOU HAVE LOTS OF MONEY. THEY DO NOT CARE ABOUT YOUR PET UNLESS YOU HAVE MONEY. THE STAFF IS FRIENDLY, BUT ALLTHEY WANT IS MONEY. IT BROKE OUR HEART THE ANIMAL DIED AND I AM NOT SURE IF WE GOT THE ANIMAL THERE IN TIME THEY WOULD HAVE MADE IT OR NOT. CROOKS ALL THE WAY!!!!!!! WISH I COULD GIVE NO STARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Pros: PARKING Cons: YOU NEED TO HAVE A TON OF MONEY OR THEY DON'T CARE. more

My dog had probably got into something bad and had been throwing up a lot and wouldn't eat or drink. I called them up and told them what was going on. They said it was very dangerous for the dog to be so dehydrated and to bring her in. It was about 10:30pm Sat. night and no other urgent care services are available. They examined my dog and decided they needed to hydrate her and keep her overnight. My wife and I were very distraught and agreed. She said first you have to sign the estimate which has a low and a high and pay at least the low for now. When she showed me the estimate I said this must be for another pet, mine was the dog with the "tummy ache" The low was $980 the high was $1300. She said no this is yours. I said theres no way I can pay that amount. Acting like a used car sales person checking with the "closer" she said I'll see what I can do. She went in the back and came back out with a new estimate between $700 and $900, telling me I knocked off 1 test and 1 x-ray. I asked if they could give her fluids and I can take her home which they did for $226. Our dog is a family member which we love dearly. I can only imagine the amount of people in the same situation who will just pay whatever astronomical amount they come up with in fear of losing their pet. I understand they are running a business and need to make money, but it truly saddens me that money seems so much more important than the pets health. What an awful experience I hope no one else has to go through. I gave them 1 star because the vet was knowledgeable and seemed concerned. I only joined Citysearch so I can try to warn others. AVOID!!!! more

My dog had probably got into something bad and had been throwing up a lot and wouldn't eat or drink. I called them up and told them what was going on. They said it was very dangerous for the dog to be so dehydrated and to bring her in. It was about 10:30pm Sat. night and no other urgent care services are available. They examined my dog and decided they needed to hydrate her and keep her overnight. My wife and I were very distraught and agreed. She said first you have to sign the estimate which has a low and a high and pay at least the low for now. When she showed me the estimate I said this must be for another pet, mine was the dog with the "tummy ache" The low was $980 the high was $1300. She said no this is yours. I said theres no way I can pay that amount. Acting like a used car sales person checking with the "closer" she said I'll see what I can do. She went in the back and came back out with a new estimate between $700 and $900, telling me I knocked off 1 test and 1 x-ray. I asked if they could give her fluids and I can take her home which they did for $226. Our dog is a family member which we love dearly. I can only imagine the amount of people in the same situation who will just pay whatever astronomical amount they come up with in fear of losing their pet. I understand they are running a business and need to make money, but it truly saddens me that money seems so much more important than the pets health. What an awful experience I hope no one else has to go through. I gave them 1 star because the vet was knowledgeable and seemed concerned. I only joined Citysearch so I can try to warn others. AVOID!!!! more

Very impersonal service by doctors and staff; definitely, made it clear that money was their first and only concern. Took my dog in to receive care after 10:00 pm on a Friday because no other vets were open. After a minimal exam, I was told that my dog would require surgery in order to save his life (tumors in his stomach). I was advised that they would require $5,000 upfront before they would agree to even treat him. I explained that I didn't have access to that kind of cash that late at night, but that I could give them a partial payment then and arrange for further payments to follow. They refused to make any type of payment plans with me. As a result, I was "forced" to put my best friend of 10 years "down" due to their refusal to treat him because of money issues, and due to their telling me that without the surgery he wouldn't last overnite. I paid them $463.75 before I left without my dog. A week later I received another bill from them for $320 for additional services I don't believe my dog ever received. Essentially, I paid a total of $784.68 to them for killing my dog. It was not a good experience, and I'm having a rough time coping with the entire situation. They take advantage of the fact that they are one of the only vet hospitals open at this time of night and then charge the loving pet owner 3x what an average vet would charge for the same type of services provided. Can't comment about their care, because I didn't and don't have anything to show for it. I don't even have my dog's ashes from the $250 cremation service they charged me for. CONSUMER BEWARE OF EXCESSIVE AND EXHORBITANT FEES! more