Humane Vet Hospital of San Diego — Local services in La Presa

Humane Vet Hospital of San Diego has been my pack's vet for more than ten years and that alone should reflect the great work that they do. My fur babies are my world, so I wouldn't let any vet hospital provide them with medical attention or care. From the clerical workers to the vet techs to the doctors, they always treat my family--including our canine pals--with respect and compassion.

They are flexible and never push treatment plans on us. There was a time that we didn't have the financial means to cover all of the suggested items on any given treatment plan, but they walked us through which items were absolutely critical to achieve our fur babies' optimal health. Care Credit is very helpful because they have no-credit installment plans available, which the hospital accepts.

The team at Humane Vet is very patient as well, which I truly appreciate because I always have a ton of questions from the time I schedule the visit till even after we leave the hospital. More importantly, their staff is always patient, gentle, and friendly with our babies--even when they see them one on one in the area off limits to human clients (I can hear them through the wall; yup, that's the type of doggy parent I am). I have to mention that two of our fur babies require special visits due to not being properly socialized, which we own. I am thankful that the hospital is still willing to work with them with the proper precautions.

I love how communicative they are as well. They send reminders--via email, text, and phone calls--about appointments and prescriptions and follow up with test results in a timely manner.

In my experience, the vets are highly knowledgable and provide my babies with an accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment--but it is imperative that clients accept the tests, treatments, etc. that they recommend and follow through with them. It's also clear that the doctors are animal lovers themselves and are fulfilling their purpose in life in the work that they do.

My eldest fur baby Jessie, who was twelve-years-old, recently passed away unexpectedly. Per my request, Dr. Purificacion reached out to me to answer some of my questions about what caused her death. I figured it would offer me some closure so I could start the process of moving on. I was very thankful that she called, and she told me that their goal is to not only provide care for pets but their owners as well. That warmed my heart. The vet was very sympathetic and answered my questions to the best of her ability. I knew that there was a limit to what she could answer since she had to base her response on my description of the event. She reassured me that I provided my girl with a good life and always advocated for her health based on her own experience with Jessie and her chart. I have to point out that she made the call at the end of her working day and conversed with me for about 30 minutes. Then about a week later, I received a sympathy card from the hospital. It included messages from all of the staff. It's important to note that the messages did not include typical, generic thoughts. Most of them remembered my Jessie and included thoughts that conveyed that. Needless to say, that meant the world to me.

When I took my second oldest fur baby King to their office last week, several of the team expressed their condolences and shared what a pleasure it was to interact with Jessie during her visits. During our visit with Dr. Ertola , I briefly mentioned Jessie and teared up, and I could see through her non-verbal communication that it touched her heart.

I hope everything in this review helps the reader see that Humane Vet is not just a job for the staff. They truly care about their clients, and I will forever be grateful for that. I care about their staff as well--truly.

Angie, Kim, Maggie, Sandy, Bella, Celeste, Dr. Ertola, and Dr. Purificacion, thank you for everything you do for our fur...

I took my dog in that was being finicky on eating and had lost weight. On the first meeting with Dr Brooks I told him money was a concern as I had just recently lost my job. He then suggest over $1000 of stuff including tests to be done. I decide to do the overall blood test first that was $300 bucks. We find out my dog is anemic but not sure why with further testing. He then suggests steroids and antibiotics to see if they will help and then to come back in to see of the blood test comes back better. After I left the vet no one called to check up on my dog like other vets. I mean my dog was not doing well and pretty serious case mind you. So anyway, I am giving my dog the meds and he seems to be stable but not gaining weight. This week I had called on Tuesday to talk to the vet then again on Thursday, no call backs. I finally call again today and tell them I'm going to do a bad review and then oh now they want me to bring him in and they will waive the office fee. I come in having to wait a plus 20 min to be seen and at this point I am past frustrated with the customer service. I met with Brooks, tell him my concern and asked why no one called me this week or even to check on my dog after being seen. He goes to tell me they have too many patients and don't have time. I'm like I understand if a dog came in with for shots no need to call and check. My dog has a serious issue and yet you dont care to check so basically does not care about you or your animal is basically what he was saying. Hes like well if you have a concern call us So I'm like oh I did I had to call you 3 times this week before any action happened. He then made excuses like blaming it on his staff etc. Then suggested a tick blood testing and I'm like what's the likelihood of it being positive and he said not likely but yet you want me to spend money? He then tells me to see an internist for further testing on his spleen area cause that's a concern. My dog has now jaundice and not doing well. He too even suggested putting him to sleep as it's not looking good for him if I can't see the internist. So basically I made a decision to not do anything further with this vet office. They are all about quantity and money. Do not go here if you want a vet that...

Been going to this vet for about 6 years with my two dogs. In the years, I lucky have only needed them for annual checkups, vaccines, etc. If that's all you need then this vet, like most others, will suffice. So I thank them for keeping the basics covered.

Issues: Recently I was denied care for my dog who was in urgent need. He had an eye infection and they were unwilling to work with me on seeing him the same day my other dog was scheduled for a visit. Instead, they wanted to have me come back days later (allowing the infection to worsen) just so I can be seen during an allotted appointment. Maybe its my mistake, but I just assumed that a loyal customer would have been treated a little differently, especially when I am just trying to get care for my dog. The "Manager" named Maggie put me on hold then forgot about me for about 20 mins.

One of my dogs I got microchipped here. Turns out the microchip "fell out". When I told them this they didn't believe they put the chip in. When presented with the proof that they did microchip him, they told me they could not replace it and that I needed to buy another one as well as pay for the procedure for them to put another in. There is a great lack of both customer service and understanding in this company.

The place: Very unorganized staff with office papers thumbtacked to the drywall for the world to see. Runs very bare bones. Unwelcoming, rule-ridden waiting lobby is very small, only has one working door, and gets packed quickly. Visits are very hit or miss on whether you will be seen on time. Several times, I have arrived on time and not been seen until 45 mins after my scheduled appointment so be ready to gamble whether or not you will actually be seen on time.

Don't expect them to truly care for your beloved pets or wasting your beloved time.

Edit since the owner replied: Once again, I have proof (receipts) the microchip was installed at this location. Had several of your staff confirm this as well. Own your mistakes, it would make for a more meaningful apology. Its a shame the old owners are no...