Animal Emergency Clinic of San Diego — Local services in Poway

This place is a joke. We took our 2 year old dog there yesterday because he was bitten and mounted by a huge Doberman from up the road and he was screaming in pain anytime we tried to move him. He was screaming when we arrived at this hospital. Initially, they got us into triage pretty quickly then wanted us to leave him there to be seen by the doc. I was hesitant but my husband said he would be fine. They then proceeded to put a choke collar on my dog and drag him to the back which I started to panic about and my husband said he was just scared and that’s the only way they could get him back. He’s only 50lbs. He was terrified of those people and they made us trick him by acting like we were walking in the back room with them then proceeded to drag him the rest of the way. Nevertheless, we left him in their care and stuck around town waiting for their call. About an hour later the actual veterinarian calls and was clueless as to what was wrong with the dog and he didn’t know what he should check on him. I had to tell him how to do his job in order to get my dog diagnosed. I told him he needed his hips and left hind x rayed as well as intestinal ultrasound to make sure there was nothing foreign inside or bones that were broken. The vet agreed and said he would also be okay with just sending him home with meds since he couldn’t see anything wrong with the dog other than him tensing up and yelling when being moved! Hello?! THAT IS NOT NORMAL! Another 30 minutes go by and we get a second phone call with the estimate of between $800-$1300 for the three x rays, ultrasound, exam and meds. They wanted us to make the payment upfront before services which we agreed to and paid the $800 immediately over the phone so they could begin diagnostic treatment. I then get another call from the doctor who tells me the dog is tense when he tried to palpate him and he can’t get a solid read on where exactly he’s hurting- so I suggest he lightly sedate the dog and do the darn X-rays and ultrasound to which he agrees and tells me he would start immediately and be ready for either further treatment or pickup in an hour. I decide to show up 36 minutes later and the front lady at the desk tells me they just sedated my dog for X-rays but then they had an emergency surgery come in that the doctor had to prepare to go into so they would not be able to xray my dog until later. I replied by asking if she had planned to just leave him sedated for no reason then and in the same breath she then turns her story around and tells me they are pulling the sedation. I called her out for lying to me about already sedating him and she argued that she told me they pulled the line. I then told her to bring my dog out immediately and I wanted my $800 back since absolutely no services were provided for my poor dog and he sat terrified in a cage in their hospital for almost 5 hours for nothing. She agreed to give me all but $150 of my money back because she said I still had to pay for the exam! This place is an absolute joke and I will never bring another animal to them nor will I ever recommend their services to anyone. I’m planning to call tomorrow(Monday) to request the remainder of my money back because they did nothing for us but waste our time and stress my dog out even more than he already was. Totally unprofessional and unethical. I still can’t believe these places get away with this kind of behavior and putting people and their animals through this kind of “treatment”. What happened to helping and healing animals?

Edit: Added the choking collar/leash that they say they don’t use but insisted we take with us while it was being used on our dog when I picked him up. Still haven’t called to speak to management. Will do that today.

Second Edit: I have called now multiple times in the last week and still have not received the promised call back I should have. And I noticed they removed their response to my original review where they said they don’t use any choking devices on dogs after I added the picture of the exact choking device they sent...

. To begin, I want to be clear: I will be suing this business as well as the individual "doctors" (Alexa Jurak and Drew Wishnack) involved for malpractice and emotional duress. My son, who was present with me, audio recorded the entire interaction because he wanted to make sure he didn't miss any care instructions. That recording now serves as documented proof of the abuse and mistreatment we endured.

I intend to ensure no one else is ever mistreated the way we were when we were literally begging for help. I will make it my mission to hold accountable those who choose veterinary medicine not out of genuine love for animals, but because they failed to meet the standards required of an MD. If I could afford to pay this clinic's bill and then immediately go to another ER for proper care, I am more than capable of dedicating myself to exposing this misconduct full-time.

Timeline of Events

August 29, 2025 - Initial Visit Late that afternoon, I rushed my chihuahua, Brooklyn, to this clinic as an emergency because she was exhibiting seizure behavior. The reception was already harsh and dismissive, but I ignored it because my dog needed urgent help.

Dr. Drew took Brooklyn to the back, monitored her, and even documented on the bill that she had another seizure while in his care. Seizure medication was administered, prescribed, and billed.

After bringing her home, Brooklyn remained lethargic and refused to eat.

August 30, 2025 - Second Visit By the next afternoon, Brooklyn appeared to have another seizure. I rushed her back to the ER. Dr. Drew was present, but I was told by “DR” Alexa Jurak, he was "on the phone and couldn't help us." Instead, a female "doctor" who had not been present on Friday came out and immediately spoke to me in an aggressive, dismissive manner.

Alexa Jurak, insisted Brooklyn actually had fluid in her lungs and wasn't having seizures. If that were true, why did Dr. Drew not mention this the day before? She then accused me of "declining all services" on Friday. This is categorically false. I was never offered any services besides seizure medication. If I had declined treatment, there would be a signed record of refusal--which does not exist. I went back and looked at the bill. It says "declined services" which I didn't so that in itself is unethical . Seems sloppy work a just put declined to get it done.

Alexa Jurak, treated me as though I were lying, spoke without compassion, and stood over me and my son in an intimidating manner. When I asked to speak with Dr. Drew, I was told he was too busy to come out, even though he was the one who treated (and misdiagnosed) my dog.

Mistreatment and Negligence My dog was misdiagnosed on Friday, sent home with fluid in her heart/lungs, and charged for unnecessary seizure treatment. When I became upset at the dismissive treatment, I was immediately told to "quiet down" so the other patients in the lobby wouldn't hear. Meanwhile, my dog's life was in danger. I was handed Brooklyn back with the casual suggestion that I "probably should stop the seizure medication" (the same one they had given and billed for). That was the extent of their care--no compassion, no accountability.

Correct Diagnosis Elsewhere

After being mistreated at this clinic, I took Brooklyn to another ER, where she was properly evaluated. That vet prescribed heart medication and a diuretic to clear the fluid from her lungs--treatment she should have received immediately on Friday.

Brooklyn lost critical time for proper care because of this clinic's negligence.

Conclusion

This experience was negligent, unprofessional, and dangerous. I have documented proof of everything that happened, including the audio recording my son took.

I will be pursuing legal action. I strongly caution anyone against trusting their pets' lives to...

Oh my gosh if your pet is sick and you are actively seeking a good hospital with great efficient diligent staff and high quality, passionate , knowledgeable commited doctors, this place is it and please do not bother looking further . I am amazed at the quality of care my Rosie recieved . Rosie is my 8 week year old puppy that came in with diarrhea, vomiting, low temperature , low blood sugar, weakness, and crying out in abdominal pain. Dr Yurak quickly knew what to do and made sure I was informed every step of the way by calling me and giving me updates . Very sweet woman and very smart! She gave her antibiotics, pain medication, IV fluids with sugar water . My Rosie had to be admitted and spent two days over night to get her health back up to par. Each day I remained informed whether it was Dr. Yurak , interns, nurses or another doctor (Who also happens to be the owner of this place) Dr. Mike Wishback that was there at the end of shift. Very knowleable staff even the Nurses were amazing they seemed like they were preparing for medical school! At the end of the two days Rosie was back to normal being a happy playful puppy with healthy blood sugar levels and normal temperature. I went home with antibiotics and Q2 feeding instructions. This facility accepts Care credit and Scratch pay for help with people with financial difficulites very easy and simple to apply for even with less than perfect credit . Honestly I have visited other emergency hospitals in the past and they were Far more expensive than this one . I honestly feel what I paid was fair for the treatment my Rosie received my total bill for two over night stays , all medication given throughout the night, labs and bunch of tests conducted, constant Q2 nursing care , at home medications and puppy food my total was $1,900 and that was after a nice discount I recieved :) after scratch pay approval I ended up only having to pay out of my own pocket like $850 and the rest I will pay in payments. Scratch pay is like a we pay the vet in full for you for the amount you were approved for and we work out a payment plan with you to pay scratch pay back every two weeks . Scratch pay will ask you to pay your first payment up front which is why I paid the clinic $600 and scratch pay $200 to realease the funds. The Jackson emergency hospital in La Mesa is horrible they tried to charge me $3,600 for one night of care are you serious ? And that doesn't include medications to go home so I left and came here ! Best decision I could have ever made and I honestly think God put this hospital in my path because he knows I needed someone not so expensive and someone who would actually help Rosie. The Banfield in Solana beach which is my main Vet didn't catch all that this hospital caught so I will be switching Vets! This hospital saved Rosie life and I will forever be grateful . Thank you guys so much!!! Best experience ever from beginning to end 5 star staff and very nice people. If you are hesitating please don't.. I saw many other people outside and they all recieved their pets back post care so you can really trust this hospital . Hope this...