Rancho San Carlos Pet Clinic — Local services in San Diego

It's a shame that I have to give one star to a pet clinic that was directly responsible for the passing of my beloved Chihuahua, Jagger. Jagger went into the clinic seemingly in good health for a routine x-ray on a leg he had surgery on eight weeks earlier. I was told I could return in an hour, but asked them to call me instead.

After over 1 1/2 hours I called them and was told they were finishing up and I could go pick Jagger up. I picked Jagger up and was told he was having some problems with labored breathing. They did not give it any sense of urgency and simply said if it didn't get better I should call. It did not get better. In fact it got worse and he began to throw up a mucus-like substance. I called and they said to bring him in and they would take an x-ray of his heart. Again, no sense of urgency. I get him to the vet and they take him inside. After being given different accounts of what needed to be done, it was decided I would drive him to the ER in La Mesa. They bring Jagger out in a wicker trashcan-like container that he barely fit in. As I am driving like a wreck to the ER, Jagger is in obvious discomfort and stuff was coming out of his nose and mouth.

When we got to the ER, I let them know who was and I didn't think Jagger had made it. They rushed Jagger inside and gave a last-ditch resuscitation effort that was not successful.

It was painfully obvious that Jagger NEVER should have ben sent home. He had never experienced anything like this previously and the pet clinic was aware that of this as they had his medical history. The doctor who treated Jagger should not be allowed to practice veterinary medicine as it was obvious she was in over her head. No one with a clue would have sent Jagger home. If this had been a doctor treating a child and the same thing happened, the doctor would be charged with malpractice.

It truly is a shame that a very loving dog like Jagger had to die because his doctor would not take the extra steps to ensure his health before she sent him home. Shame on you Rancho San Carlo Pet Clinic.

Needless to say, I am looking for another vet to ensure that the same fate does not happen to Joey, my...

RSCPC is the best veterinary clinic in all of San Diego, hands down.

Husband and I found out about them because our normal vet clinic refused to see us short notice when our elderly Golden (Sugar) had a UTI come on suddenly. We were trying to avoid taking her to the ER, so we called around to, what felt like, all of the clinics in La Mesa. RSCPC was the ONLY clinic that actually seemed to care about our sweet girl even if they could not see her. Fast forward to a month or two later. Husband and I decided to ditch our old clinic because they continued to disappoint us, so I called RSCPC and scheduled appointments for our babies. We are SO happy that we made the switch.

The office staff and techs are SO sweet. Our pets actually love going into the office because they know they are going to be loved on, snuggled, and spoiled while they are there. Any time I need to call in or text, every single person on the other end has been kind, prompt, and thoughtful!

Dr. Halsey, Dr. Perry, Dr. Hackett, and Dr. Rodriguez are all amazing and compassionate doctors. Any time our pets go in, the doctors do an excellent job of breaking down diagnosis and treatment plans in easy to understand terms. I feel like I actually know exactly what's going on with my pets' health and what we are doing to help them. Every exam is thorough, complete, and never rushed. My corgi, Murdock, was recently diagnosed with diabetes and both Dr. Perry and Dr. Hackett have spent a ton of time with me personally talking through questions/concerns and giving me helpful tips on how to administer insulin and monitor his disease. Not just talking either. I mean sitting on the floor in the exam room with me and showing me how to properly tent skin and helping me shave patches of fluff off of Murdock's back to make it easer to give him injections. I have been a wreck since we got the diagnosis and Dr. Perry and Dr. Hackett have both done so much to make it feel less "scary" and much more manageable.

I don't know if I could ever say enough good things about RSCPC! We would be lost without them!

With lots of love, Erik, Elaura, Murdock, Indy,...

"Under new management"

Like our last vet, which relies on years of positive reviews they didn't earn, this vet clinic is "under new management". Every one of these buyouts is done to leverage the existing reputation of a business they didn't start. They all have their shtick -- the hook they use to squeeze you for more money. Some are obsessed with dental health. Others adopt a sales process that resembles a used car lot. Dr Fransioli had pet opinions about the dangers of grain-free pet food. (They proudly display the sponsorship deal they have with one of the big corporate brands of grain-rich frankenfood.)

They also pushed a brand new vaccine for a rare disease -- along with the latest fearmongering about 30 cases(!!!) diagnosed in the entire county (that's less than 0.01% of the county pet population). This "disease" is comparable to the flu, but they're pushing the vax hard -- for all pets -- a major red flag given how unlikely an infection is. The risk-reward ratio does not justify this one given the uncertainties with new vaccines -- and how rare infection is. (Look up the swine flu vaccine debacle of 1976. That one was approved for use in_humans before they realized it was doing more harm than good.)

And then the last straw... We went to an appointment just to renew the prescription our dog has had for years... the poor thing got double vaccinated because her last vaccination wasn't recorded on her records. We paid their exorbitant, marked-up price for more of our pet's incontinence meds. Then lo and behold, we come to find out they only renewed the prescription for a month. One effing month. When we went to get a refill, they requested a urine test and another $72. When I balked, they played it off saying they were just "making a recommendation". (We recommend you pay us to monitor your dog's reaction to the meds she's been taking for years. Don't try a lower dose even though it might still work. It's better if you just pay us to monitor your dog for...