VCA Animal Hospitals Reviews

VCA Emergency Animal Hospital & Referral Center - San Diego (Mission Valley)
I was a VCA client for over a decade multiple dogs, complex cases, tens of thousands of dollars in care. In March 2026, my dog Herb was admitted to VCA Mission Valley for a 48-hour inpatient stay. He was discharged for at-home euthanasia with new symptoms that developed during his hospitalization.
The failures were systemic: The Internal Medicine doctor never reviewed records that were available in the same building, and never contacted Herb's primary care vet who had successfully treated the same condition months earlier. Staff ignored Herb's documented specialized diet and substituted generic alternatives. When I visited Herb, his IV catheter bandage was caked with dried vomit and his catheter line had dried *** on it. The tech's response: "We are only able to deal with what is in front of us." He was discharged still smelling of vomit after a claimed bath. No one ever communicated a formal prognosis during the entire stay.
VCA's Regional Medical Director conducted a review and acknowledged failures in records transfer, dietary compliance, catheter sanitation, and communication. Despite these admissions, VCA offered only partial reimbursement and has not taken meaningful accountability.
I have filed complaints with the California Veterinary Medical Board (investigation open), the BBB (closed with no response from VCA consistent with their 40+ unanswered complaints and D- rating), and VCA Corporate.
Full documentation at vcaexperience.com

Took my adopted fur grand-baby, my mother and I are long-term cat sitting for my daughter while she is out of state on assignment for the military, to VCA Animal Hospital - Milwaukee, Wisconsin location just after New Year's. He had an obstruction and couldn't urinate, which I'd had happen to another neutered male cat of mine, and of course, it also happened during the holidays/on a weekend so he had to go to the emergency vet.

My mother and I were aware this would be costly, but my daughter's cat is family and he's special, so two surgeries later, let's just say we were more concerned that he made it home safely and we had more time with him, and we didn't have to tell my daughter her cat needed to be euthanized or that he didn't make it through surgery. God is good, all the time, and he always makes a way. We can earn more money, Raven is not replaceable, and my daughter doesn't need to be stressed about what could have been done if she was home.

Plus, VCA treated us kindly, efficiently, were great with Raven, and kept us informed along the way. I can't say enough good things about them.

Zarema Yagyayeva

2843 Cielo Circulo #2

Chula Vista, CA 91915

Hello,

I am requesting an urgent corporate-level review of a billing issue involving VCA Emergency Animal Hospital & Referral Center in San Diego for my dog, Molly (Patient #201117).

After reviewing all invoices and payments in detail, I have identified several discrepancies that require immediate correction.

My payments are as follows:

- $400

- $5,600

- $4,000 Total paid: $10,000

The final invoice total is listed as $9,414.51. Based on this, my account reflects an overpayment of approximately $585.

Despite this, I am currently being billed an additional ~$300, which is incorrect.

In addition, I was charged for private cremation services that were not performed by VCA. My dogs body was only stored briefly and then released to an outside provider that I arranged. This charge must be removed.

I am also requesting a review of certain charges that appear excessive or potentially duplicated, including:

- IV fluid setup charge of $429, which appears significantly higher than standard ranges

- Multiple repeated charges for Packed Cell Volume/Total Protein testing, requiring confirmation of timing and medical necessity

- Layered IV fluid and maintenance charges that may overlap

- Multiple tick-borne disease tests that may be redundant

At this time, I am requesting:

1. A complete account reconciliation showing all charges and all payments applied

2.

Removal of any cremation-related charges not performed by VCA

3. Review and adjustment of any excessive or duplicate charges

4. Correction of the balance to reflect the overpayment

5. A refund of any overpaid amount.

I do not authorize any credit to remain on my account

Additionally, I request that all communication regarding this matter be provided in writing only.

Due to my experience during this visit, I do not intend to return to this facility. Therefore, maintaining a credit on my account is not an acceptable resolution.

This situation has caused significant stress following an already difficult experience, and I am requesting prompt resolution and a written response.

Sincerely,

Zarema Yagyayeva

My dog was treated by the doctor at VCA during the night in spring of 2025. We thought our labrador might have a blockage because he sometimes eats socks.

He was throwing up, and he was trying to go to the bathroom but did not seem to be able. After seeing our dog, Cloudy, the doctor at VCA said he was going to the bathroom so they didn't think he had a blockage. We gave him Pepto-Bismol plus they prescribed him a probiotic (we didn't understand why) and sent him home. The next day there was no improvement.

My housekeeper brought the dog back. There was another doc on call, and he called me saying is your dog the one who is throwing up blood all over the waiting room floor? I said what? He said he now thinks there is a blockage and wants to do a X-ray and if that doesn't show anything an ultrasound.

I said : "he's throwing up blood. Do anything you need to" . When I got home ( after over $4000 worth of bills) I was told by VCA that there is no blockage . He is probably sick and and was finally prescribed some antibiotic.

Which cured him in a day. I then asked my housekeeper how the dog was in the waiting room that day. She said he was fine. I said was he throwing up blood all over the floor like the Doc told me over the phone?

She said no, of course not, he had been trying to throw up, but there was nothing left for him to throw up.

He was just spitting up a little pink foam (from the Pepto-Bismol) there was no blood! These guys totally deceived me and added costly procedures that were not necessary.

Beware that none of the VCA clinics are connected. And they don't tell you that.

If I would have known that, I would not have taken my dogs to separate clinics only later to find out that they are not connected, and now I have to pay a new visit exam fee of 140 *** dollars just to get my dogs established at the same clinic. All the clinics have a free first exam on the website that you can use.

I had an appointment, and my clinic actually told me about it on the day of my appointment, an hour before they called me and told me that I can't use the coupon because I already have my other dog's care there, and it's only for new clients. This is absolute *** and there is nobody from any kind of VCA corporation 800-number that you can talk to about this.

If I could give a zero...I would. This hospital has yet to cure my dog from kennel cough that I reported because a rescue organization abandoned a dog in my care.

I have spent over $600 to help this dog although the rescue refused to help, and I have proof since November 23, 2024. This hospital was contacted by the rescue to stop service today. This is unethical. I am paying for a dog to get treatment and they refuse based on a rescue who abandoned a dog with me for 5 months that I was going to adopt.

This rescue does not care about animals. They would never have done this if so. This rescue put up slandering things on Facebook about me that were false, but still didn't care to help for 3 months and has not given resources to get the dog help. I have proof of 2.5 months of torture for a dog in my care.

I am being forced to stop treatment for a dog with them because a false owner who made this dog suffer and provided nothing said so. I called the police twice on this rescue and now I will again because they told me to when they refused treatment. They are putting my other 4 dogs at risk; they don't care about animals. They care only about themselves.

I waited for the doctor to call me since Friday because she was not going to be in. I have paid for 2 rounds of antibiotics and she needs more and is refused now after 1 month of me treating her when I received a call from the rescue, and I spent over $600. That's not including food, treats, and toys, along with my own training which the rescue was supposed to provide, but did not. This hospital is a joke.

They are meant to first do no harm, but they are refusing treatment even though I paid and would continue to pay. They don't care about the animals; they are just as evil as the rescue who refused to treat the dog. I would not recommend going here. You will be sorry!

I know I am. I spent money and now they are putting four other dogs at risk.

What a great hospital! Not.

Due to an accident and temporary disability, I fell behind on several months of payments for my VCA Care Club plan. When I called the VCA Care Club Customer Service staff to address my overdue balance, the representative was rude, hostile, and condescending.

I tried explaining my hardship, but she spoke over me, refused to listen, and showed no willingness to offer any flexibility or hardship exceptions. She simply told me that if I couldnt make an exorbitant payment of over $600, my account would be sent to collections.
I asked if I could make payments online, but was told the VCA Care Plan doesnt allow it. Instead, I could pay through my vet clinic, which allowed me to make minimal bi-weekly payments. However, the VCA Care Club Customer Service staff informed the vet clinic that even if I made payments, my account would still be sent to collections, and my balance wouldnt decrease.

It seemed like they were intentionally ensuring my payments wouldnt reduce the balance, which feels wrong and possibly illegal.
Its clear that VCA Care Club Staff is greedy and unwilling to offer flexibility to those facing financial hardship.

Additionally, if your pet dies, is rehomed, or lost, they still demand full payment for the remaining months of the plan, regardless of services rendered. Also, they are not BBB accredited.

I had a heartbreaking experience at the VCA Advanced Care Emergency Department. Our puppy needed immediate attention for parvo, and we were assured over the phone that he would be seen right away.

We provided all the necessary information on the phone and paid for the initial testing upon arrival. The tech tested him promptly, and within 10-15 minutes, his test came back positive for parvo. We were told the vet would examine him in a few minutes, but she was on the phone with another client.

Despite our repeated pleas and even offering to pay for the treatment in advance, the vet made no effort to see our puppy.

We arrived at 11:16 PM, but the vet did not come out until 1:12 AM. Tragically, our puppy passed away within seconds of her arrival. The vet we encountered was rude, uncompassionate, and unprofessional. During our visit, she even blamed us for our pet's death, suggesting that if we had chosen to hospitalize him, he might have been seen right away.

This comment was not only hurtful but also made us feel as though our puppy's pain and suffering were being used as leverage to push for a more expensive treatment option. The helplessness of watching our beloved pet die, knowing that his lifeline was just a few feet away, is indescribable. I hope no one else has to endure such an experience.

The lack of urgency and compassion in this emergency was devastating. I would not recommend this facility to anyone in need of urgent care for their pets.

VCA's are purchasing all the small animal hospitals and vet clinics. VCA's do not give back to the community.

When I tried to get some help for a homeless gentleman for his small dog that was attacked by a large dog, he needed a specialist. I contacted your office in writing, I did receive a call from the closest VCA clinic to us. They were not a specialist hospital and did suggest they "look at it and wrap it", which is what he has been doing. The pup needed possible skin grafts.

I wrote that in my correspondence. I did find out VCA's do give up to $1200.00 for Hope Funds. That's nice but how does someone get in touch for that? No one knows about it.

Again all calls are routed to India. Since there are so many dogs in the shelter, that leads to spay and neuter issues. It sure would be a great gesture to open VCA hospitals for free and spay neiuters once a month. That would be helpful to the community.

Right now, The shelter gives vouchers that when you do go to a vet with their voucher it can cost from $250.00 - $1000.00 with the voucher. Maybe it's time to give back to the community.