Westwood Regional Veterinary Hospital

DO NOT TAKE YOUR PET HERE. I truly wish I had read the reviews before bringing my 10-month-old puppy to Westwood Animal Hospital this past Friday. We came in because he had been vomiting multiple times and we were scared. We believed we were bringing him somewhere that would provide emergency care and compassion. Instead, we experienced what felt like a billing operation with little concern for our dog’s well-being. From the moment we arrived, something felt off. Rather than examining our puppy in the room with us, they immediately took him to the back without much explanation. Communication was minimal from that point forward. The only consistent interaction we had was with the manager, Chris — and his focus was not on our dog’s condition, but on money. Before we were given any clear diagnosis or meaningful information, we were told we needed to immediately authorize and pay $3,400. There was no discussion of options. We were told our puppy had to stay overnight for IV fluids and observation and that payment was required upfront before anything further would be done. Chris aggressively pushed CareCredit and showed zero empathy during an extremely stressful moment for us. The following day, after spending thousands of dollars, it was nearly impossible to get an update. We left messages and repeatedly called just to speak with someone. My husband ultimately had to drive there in person to get information because phone communication was so poor. We were then told he would need to stay another night. Shortly after, we received a revised estimate of $9,000 stating he would likely need to remain hospitalized for 6–7 days — again without a clear explanation of what was actually wrong. When we demanded copies of his bloodwork, it showed that his levels were improving. We were then told the $9,000 estimate had been “prematurely sent.” The lack of internal communication was alarming. They also initially planned to delay repeat bloodwork until later in the evening, which would have forced him to stay yet another night. I insisted it be done earlier, and thankfully the results showed he was stable enough to come home. At discharge, we were met again by Chris, who was extremely condescending and dismissive. We were presented with additional charges totaling around $800 for services and items our dog did not receive. There were duplicate medication charges and a fee for an isolation room that was never discussed with us. When I questioned these discrepancies, Chris became hostile. To make matters worse, they mishandled his leptospirosis blood sample, requiring it to be redrawn and resent. We left without a clear diagnosis, without ever speaking directly to the veterinarian, and without real answers. Every interaction centered around money — not medical clarity, not compassion, not care. As I write this, we are still waiting on test results with zero proactive communication from the hospital. We brought our puppy in for help. What we experienced instead was disorganization, aggressive billing tactics, poor communication, and a shocking lack of professionalism. I regret not following my gut sooner.

We brought our ferret, Sedona, to West Wood on Monday after an ER visit the day before where she had already received a full ultrasound identifying her current issues. As we are new to the area and she was not eating, we needed to establish care with a primary vet immediately. From the start, the experience was uncomfortable. We were not allowed to accompany Sedona into the exam room, which made us uneasy. When she was brought back to us, she was extremely nervous — and Sedona is normally a very friendly ferret. The veterinarian (a woman with short brown hair who never introduced herself by name) did not explain what was done during the exam. The only thing communicated to us was that an X-ray had been taken. There was a clear lack of transparency. When the vet came out to discuss her findings, she suggested the issue was Sedona’s kidney— which directly conflicted with the ER vet’s assessment from the day before, as well as another veterinarian we saw shortly after this visit. She made this suggestion without reviewing the ultrasound scans from the previous day. She also recommended changing medications without reviewing prior records. We agreed to bloodwork, but only if we could be present due to how uneasy we felt and how stressed Sedona appeared. The assistant (a young blonde woman) said she would check. Instead, she took the carrier from our hands and stated we were not allowed in the room, then walked away before we could respond. At that point, we requested Sedona be returned to us immediately and chose to leave. Additionally, the veterinarian repeatedly referred to Sedona as “he,” despite being corrected. While this may seem minor, it reflected a lack of attentiveness and care — especially when combined with being talked down to about our concerns. Overall, we experienced a lack of compassion, poor communication, and disregard for previous veterinary input. We trusted our instincts and removed our pet from the situation. We would not recommend this veterinarian.

DO NOT TAKE YOUR ANIMAL HERE. Look at half the comments this place has they have killed more than one animal if you look in their comments. It is with a heavy heart I am finally posting this review. My parents took our baby Maddie in October of 2025 Dr. Silver told them she would be fine she was bleeding anally a lot all they did was take blood from her. Getting her paperwork back it was clear all they did was bloodwork. She died at 5 am. My parents didn't even get a call MY MOM called. As my mom was on the line Dr. Silver called my Dad and told them Maddie had passed. It's not only astounding but disciple. They only did an autopsy after we demanded it of them. They never answer the phone but they have no problem taking your money though and killing your dog in the process. This place is TERRIBLE. Now we are stuck grieving the loss of our beautiful girl who should have never been taken from us she was only 8 years old. This was my soul dog and now she's gone. I urge you if you love your pet Please please stay away from this place this entire team is a disgrace.

I have visited many veterinary clinics and understand that pricing can vary depending on the situation. This facility does have a female veterinarian whose approach I personally do not feel comfortable with. In my experience, her focus appeared to be centered solely on the medical side of care, without sufficient consideration for the owner’s circumstances. While a pet’s health must always come first, there should be a reasonable balance, as not all families have unlimited financial resources to pursue treatments costing several thousand dollars without a clear prognosis or guaranteed outcome. That said, Dr. George Cattiny Jr. completely changed my perspective of this place. He is compassionate, attentive, and takes the time to explain options realistically while considering both the pet’s needs and the owner’s situation. Because of him, I continue to return to this clinic. If he were not practicing here, I would not choose this location. Thankfully, he is available daily. One area that could be improved is pricing. The cost of medications is quite high compared to outside pharmacies, and allowing or encouraging the use of services such as Chewy or other prescription providers would help make ongoing care more affordable. Additionally, surgical procedures tend to be on the higher end of the price range. On a positive note, their emergency fee is comparable to a standard appointment at other clinics, and they accept walk-ins, which can be extremely helpful in urgent situations.

Unexpectedly, our gravely ill dog, Dan, needed to be humanely euthanized yesterday. As we grieve our buddy today, my thoughts also go to how gently the staff at Westwood helped to support us through this major life change to our family. You are all loved and appreciated for the gentleness you treated us with. So part of the good memories we will always have about life with our fun-loving pup, will include how you assisted him through this special attention that he needed too. Thank you again, truly.