Yao Animal Hospital — Attraction in Miami

AVOID THIS CLINIC IF YOU VALUE YOUR DOG’S WELL-BEING AND YOUR PEACE OF MIND. Our experience at Yao Animal Hospital was nothing short of traumatic for our foster dog and deeply frustrating for us. We brought her in for a time-sensitive UTI issue because our usual vet wasn’t available, and we regret it immensely.

The vet tech used unnecessary force with a slip lead (tool designed to cut off a dog's airway when pressure is applied), terrifying our foster dog to the point where she was frozen in fear and shaking. They then insisted on muzzling her because she was “too scared,” without any effort to use treats or force-free methods to build her trust. This clinic clearly does not prioritize humane, fear-free practices. Our foster, who had been to our regular vet multiple times without any issues, left this visit completely traumatized. It could have damaged her relationship with vet clinics altogether.

The treatment prescribed for the UTI was also grossly inadequate. Dr. Yao prescribed an incorrect dosage of Baytril (64mg daily) that failed to resolve the infection after two weeks. When I raised this concern, another vet at the clinic doubled the dosage (136mg) stating that was the appropriate amount for her weight. I asked why she was put on the wrong dose in the first place and was told, “Dr. Yao must have had his reasons.” That’s not a valid answer when a dog’s health is at stake.

After consulting with two vets at my own clinic (VCA Brickell) and another vet from a different clinic, I learned that our foster should have been on at least 300mg daily based on her weight. This information was also confirmed by online research. When I called Yao Animal Hospital to request the correct prescription, the front desk staff rudely cut me off and said, “No offense, but you’re not a vet.” It was incredibly dismissive, especially since I had consulted with three qualified professionals who all confirmed the dosage was dangerously low.

Ultimately, I had to take our foster back to my regular vet, where she was prescribed the proper dose and treated with care and compassion. She responded to the correct treatment immediately and showed no symptoms by day three. In contrast, the mishandling at Yao Animal Hospital caused her two weeks of unnecessary discomfort and stress.

Yao Animal Hospital’s mistakes also cost us financially—$489.34 in extra cultures and medications. Our foster is supported by donations, and this waste of resources was completely avoidable if they had prescribed the correct dose from the beginning.

To make matters worse, one of their vet techs insisted that the UTI wouldn’t improve unless we switched her to a Hill’s prescription diet. This was her first UTI, and prescription diets are typically only recommended for recurring cases. Instead of admitting their error in the antibiotic dosage, they shifted blame to the diet. Ironically, the vet tech also advised avoiding chicken (claiming it causes UTIs) while recommending a Hill’s diet that is chicken-based. She further stated that dogs shouldn’t have varied diets, which is incorrect—most dogs thrive on variety as it supports gut health and provides essential nutrients. Her comments revealed a lack of understanding of basic canine nutrition.

I attempted to provide feedback privately, giving them a chance to take accountability and improve their practices, but they blocked my phone number instead. This shows a shocking lack of professionalism and willingness to address valid concerns.

If you care about your dog’s health and safety, I strongly recommend staying far away from Yao...

As someone who has brought all of her pets, family pets and even neighbors we've referred it is unbelievable to me how awful Marisol , in the front desk treated my mother. I have been taking my dog since he was 4 months here and I have always felt at ease with Dr.Yao he is calming, attentive and professional. It must be news to him to hear Ms Marisol in the front desk was so rude, and disrespectful. The other day my mother walks into Yao looking for a flea pill for our dog who was very itchy and we just had to take care of that immediately , Marisol asked me to wait for about 40 min. I am fine with waiting but after 40 min she then realized " oh no I forgot you were there " she said there was tons of emergencies before me. I think she was upset when I asked her for one flea pill not the whole box, I understand this is a pet hospital but I was in line patient and waiting there was no one in the waiting room when I got there, she didn't have to raise her voice at me as my business is any less important , I know I didn't have an emergency but there are nice professional ways of speaking to long time customers especially. I also felt that because I didn't speak English she treated me bad , when I know she speaks Spanish. Because of this horrible encounter I no longer feel comfortable taking my dogs here or my sisters dogs or even referring anyone . For what to be treated poorly when there are emergencies? I work in a hospital and all the patients are important we don't raise our voices or make someones complaints any less important than others. This is a true shame, but Dr.Yao should really see who he hires to be the front of such a...

Extremely unhappy with this vet. He can treat routine issues that can be handled between 9 to 5 but he is not available or accessible at other hours. He doesn't seem to have patient loyalty. My dog (his patient for the past two years) recently had to be hospitalized for a week and was between life and death. When he was still in hospital, I called Dr. Yao's office several times to keep him and his staff updated on my dog's condition (it was infectious) and asked if I could bring him in for follow up care with pills and medication if needed help with those things upon his release. Upon my dog's release from hospital, he did need follow up care. I just tried to get that care from Dr. Yao this morning and his staff put me off twice. When I called at nine to ask if I could get help with giving him antibiotic medication he was due to take at that time with food (and he was refusing to eat), I was told that "the only time available to see him is 11:30." When I took him in at 11:30 I was told that "This may have to be a drop off because Dr. Yao can't see him right now. Can you come back at 2:30." Have been going to this vet for the past 12 years! He knows what I've just been through to save my dog's life. And he couldn't even come out to talk to me? I'm sick, I'm so upset. This is not a vet you can rely on for ANYTHING. And by the way, the vet at the hospital where he was hospitalized told me what an easy person I was to deal with. I've also always tried to be "easy" with Dr. Yao. I can't believe how he could let me and my dog...