VCA Lakewood Animal Hospital

Long story short, I first took my dog to an urgent care down the street due to severe bleeding. Unfortunately, they didn’t have enough blood available and immediately recommended VCA Emergency. As soon as I walked in and told the VCA staff that my dog was bleeding nonstop, they took us in right away. At that moment, all I cared about was saving our dog’s life, and they truly acted fast. The entire staff was incredibly helpful and patient. Beverly went above and beyond—she answered all of our questions, handled all the back and forth with so much care, and truly understood our concerns. This was my first time here for an emergency visit. The vet thoroughly explained the outcome of my Doberman’s exam and made sure we understood everything. Thank you to VCA for making my family feel welcomed and, most importantly, for taking my Apollo in immediately and caring for him when he needed it most. ❤️

The service was fast. We just dropped our dog off here and they’re running a bunch of tests. The doctor was very thorough and informative. Prices didn’t seem any crazier than other vet places. Glad we took our dog here to just get him helped out quickly.

Regular service is okay but.... I paid extra on the insurance just to get my dogs dental cleaning... They made an appointment and called me back and said the date that they gave me was overbooked.... I told them that I had 2 weeks off of work and I specifically made the appointment for the dental cleaning to ensure I was going to be at home to drop him off and pick him up without taking time off from work..... They said they were able to do it as an emergency on New Year's Eve... I advised them that I was hosting that day and it was very important for me to be back home on time to welcome my guests for new years eve.... They said it was fine. I can drop Benny off at 7:00 a.m. and he would be out in the afternoon.... I called them at 2:20 p.m. and they said he was just going under anesthesia.... Which means they lied to me and now it feels like they just wanted me to pay for the extra dental cost which is another $800.... This will be my last year with this insurance and pet group .... I didn't get an apology over the phone and they just said " they were about to call you and give you an update ...(7 hours later ????).... for any dog parents out there, we all know how stressful. It is for our pets to be in kennels for 7 hours.... + Whatever time this dental cleaning is going to take and the recovery.... I'm attaching my call log to show that they've called me... To change the appointments from the original date.... and expect me to be there on time and confirm my appointment but when it comes to them... I still have to call them to get an update on my pet.

I Hope and pray you never have to take your pet to an emergency hospital most of all this place! My pet had a horrific accident and needed attention asap. This and Crossroads were the closest emergency clinics to my home because unfortunately my regular vet was already closed. I had heard terrible things about Crossroads for many years so I knew I wasn't going there and hoped this place would fare better and boy was I wrong. First thing they do when you get there while you're distressed about your pet's situation is try to get you to purchase these $1500+ packages before finding out what your pet actually has. There's another option where you chose not to purchase any of the ridiculous $1000 packages and you only pay for a basic emergency exam which was like $200 so we chose that because it seemed like the most reasonable and common sense and also we wanted the vet's input on what they recommend we do before we spend further. Well now I know choosing that option and not any of the $1000 packages offered upon arrival makes them pretty much ignore your pet and not take you seriously. I don't think they did a good checkup for the emergency exam. First thing the vet says when she sees us is bring up how we didn't purchase any of those $1000+ packages and then downplayed the severity of my pet's illness and prescribed some overpriced pain meds that I had to give her at home because they gave her nothing in the emergency room and also these were meds that i can usually get for half the price at my regular vet. Ended up spending approx S300 that day. The next morning my pet was visibly worse, I immediately took her to our regular vet and he couldn't believe what they missed in the emergency exam at the VCA and my poor furbaby actually had severe problems and was dying. The only humane solution was to put her to sleep meanwhile the VCA vet acted as though there was nothing major going on with my pet so my poor furbaby spent a good extra hours being in unnecessary pain. I've had pets all my life and had been lucky enough to never have to use a pet emergency afterhours hospital until now which was a sad experience seeing how some want to quickly take advantage of those in a vulnerable situation. The facility looks nice and is clean. The staff was friendly but the prices and the service was not good at all. Beware of this place! Judging by other reviews looks like some who did purchase the $1000 emergency package still weren't satisfied with VCA's service, ripping people off without getting the job done. I have other pets so I will search for another Emergency animal hospital just in case I might need it in the future but this time I will do extensive research to make sure my pet's get the care they deserve if needed and not have ridiculously high prices. Good luck to you all. I wish you and your furbabies the best. RiP to my sweet baby, you deserved better in this cruel and ruthless world. You were so loved and I will always love you. Until we meet again.

I am submitting a formal complaint regarding the unacceptable and unethical way my dog’s care was handled at VCA Lakewood. My senior dog, Chamaco, is currently in the middle of a 7-day treatment for an eye ulcer and infection that your hospital diagnosed. During his visit, your staff performed a full ophthalmic test—costing over $500—to determine the correct treatment and medication. I complied and paid for all services without hesitation. Today, I requested a simple refill of the same medication, which costs $85. I fully understand that refills must be paid for, and I never asked for anything free. All I needed was the medication your doctor prescribed, so I could continue the treatment as directed. Instead, your staff informed me that: •   I must bring my dog back and pay for another $200+ emergency visit, •   even though he is already on the treatment plan YOUR doctor prescribed, •   and even though we are still within the same 7-day treatment window. I was also told I could “take him to my primary vet,” even though my primary vet has no knowledge of this case, because every test, exam, and treatment so far has been done at VCA Lakewood. This is medically unnecessary and financially abusive. There is no valid medical reason to repeat an exam or test only a few days after the original $500 diagnostic test that YOU required before giving me the medication. Forcing clients to pay for an unnecessary emergency visit just to obtain an $85 refill is unethical, predatory, and prioritizes money over patient care. Because of this experience, I will not be returning to VCA Lakewood. I am submitting this complaint to ensure upper management is aware of the misconduct occurring at this location and to prevent other pet owners from experiencing the same treatment. Elena Moreno