VCA Animal Specialty Group — Local services in San Diego

My cat Pearl Jam got transferred to this clinic today as he might of had a blockage in his intestines. The case was assigned to Dr. John Nichols. I had the chance to speak with Dr. Nichols in depth about my cat and what my options are and what he reccomended. I would like to first say that this guy (Dr. Nichols) is crazy SMART! He is the real deal. Ive met a lot of Vets as when I was a kid I was a Vet Tech so I had the chance to interact with quite a few vets. I can tell you that Dr. Nichols really knows his stuff and is incredibly knowledgeable. It would not suprise me if he was Mensa also, as he had the ability to rapidly analyze data and information way faster than any Vet I've seen before. I highly recommend him to anyone that needs a top emergency medicine vet! As for the clinic, the girls in the back are so kind and highly knowledgeable all of the vet techs there were really on top of their game and they were all so sweet and treated my cat like royalty. I really appreciated it. The girls all told me how sweet my cat was and how they all loved him. I thought it was really cool that they all dropped what they were doing to come over and talk to me and tell me how awesome my cat was because he really is the sweetest little boy in the world but really he's a big boy he's massive probably gave him too many treats over the past years but I figure he deserves it . They put him in a nice cage and with lots of blankets and a litter box I could tell that he was in really good hands. Also the two men at the front desk were also incredibly kind and went out of their way 2 walk me through the process and one of them actually went outside to let me know when I was in my car that the that the ultrasound was done and that I could come in and talk to the doctor if I wanted. All in all I just felt so good about this place and I highly recommend them for everything. They have MRI machines, ultrasound machines x-ray machines, a radiologist, Internal Medicine surgeons, emergency medicine doctors, neurology... I mean these guys and girls are the real deal! My cat is staying the night right now as we speak while I write this review and I literally feel a hundred times better that I took him to this hospital and not somewhere else. They are worth every freaking penny. My cat is incredibly important to me. Not only do I consider him a son to me, but he is my only family. He saved my life while I was in Afghanistan, as we were walking down a road and heard a kitten cry and so me being a cat lover I decided to tell everyone to go look for him in the field and sure enough right where we were standing was an IED that went off so him crying saved Our Lives. I knew he would never leave my side again from then on out. So for me to be comfortable leaving him overnight for the very first time ever since that day, trust me when I say I am very picky about who I would do that with. I really truly sincerely mean what I'm telling you that this really is the best place I've been. There exam rooms and surgery centers are state-of-the-art and the place is super clean and well-kept and as I said before the nursing staff in the back and all of the vet tech assistant and text and Dr were super kind and super smart. I think this will be the place I go till the day I die with all my animals. And for me that's really saying something.

So I would also HIGHLY reccomend Dr. Suzanne Benedict is amazing! She is super smart also. Honestly I keep saying one doctor at the other is good so I've come to the conclusion that all the doctors at this Hospital are outstanding and really know their stuff. To give you an example, medical students shot of these doctors for educational purposes. So that should tell you they are at the top in the field and outstanding at what they do. Listening to the doctors talk about how they come to the conclusions of diagnosis incredibly fascinating. I felt like I was inside of a Harvard or UCLA emergency room and they were analyzing humans which was really refreshing to see. So honestly they ALL (Nurses &...

I took my pug dog on September 2020 for some body twitching. He was diagnosed with encephalitis and they ordered an MRI. The MRI came up little suspicious but SPF was perfect, but they could not figure it out what it was. They prescribed my dog three different meds, including prednisone. After that, my dog was never the same, always tired and weak. Then they said that i might was just a REM sleep disorder, but kept him on the same meds. I wanted them to stop prednisone (of course gradually). They did it but just because I called them all the time to update my dog's doctor. Later on, they did not even wanted to answer my calls. My dog developed some kind of red spots on his skin. I called, and they told me to send pictures about it, but never replied me back. On november I rush my dog to the hospital for some diarrhea and vomit. I wanted to ask his doctor about it and they told me that she was going to talk to me but in several hours or I could take my dog to the emergency so I did. A doctor gave him metronidazole and Maropitant and then released him ( those meds were mixed with the ones already prescribed by the neurologist), i asked the doctor 3 times to be aware of the other medications to avoid a worse reaction. After Maroptitam and METRODINAZOLE, he seemed weak, numb, unresponsive, with heavy breathing and I called VCA right away. A receptionist called CARLA, answered me and said "its normal, he had diarrhea and vomit, so just take him home to rest"... so I did and then realized that she did not have to give advice, she was supposed to contact medical staff first. Hours later my dog was not responsive anymore and i called, and another person from the front desk told me that they were not going to accept him and i needed to give time for the meds to work. My baby stopped breathing on my way to the hospital, they said he had a heart attack but never new the cause of it. He was only three years old, the light of my life and I just wanted do to everything to save his life. The doctors does not want answer any questions if they don't get paid for it, even if I left this places more than $3000. The front desk personnel, act as if they were the doctors. Today I had to wake up missing my puppy, wishing to have more time to find him a better place to be treated and asking my self, was it the red spots that were ignored by the neurologist? Was it a bad reaction to the meds given by the doctor, was it the wrong dosis? Was he really aware that he was already taking prednisone, zenosamide and omeprazole? Could he be alive if I hadnt listen to the receptionsit CARLA and make her call a doctor to answer my medical...

I want to thank everyone @ VCA Animal Hospital In Kearny Mesa for the exceptional care that was given to my Beloved Pup, Lucky Charms. Dr. Vanessa Biegen is truly a Miracle Worker! She performed Spinal Surgery on our dog December 1, 2022, and he is 100% recovered! He is able to stand, walk, play & has returned to the rambunctious puppy he was before. On November 23, 2022; my spouse noticed our dog was unable to move his hind legs. I was busy @ work that night; so he took him to the facility closest to our house, which was in La Mesa. To make a long story short, our dog was misdiagnosed. This facility in La Mesa does not have the proper diagnostic equipment to diagnose spinal injuries in animals. They did absolutely nothing for him, except administer muscle relaxers. We were told he would need 24 hour care the rest of his life & a less than 1% chance of recovery. They also said we should consider putting him to sleep. We were extremely upset over this and decided to get a Second Opinion elsewhere. We found VCA Specialty Group In Kearny Mesa & Dr. Biegen. She is a Top Neurologist and we immediately felt comfortable with her. She exhibited Superior Knowledge & Experience in her field, and thoroughly examined our dog. An MRI was done & Dr. Biegen performed surgery on him afterwards. A large mass was compressing his spinal cord, which she was able to remove. She informed us that surgery went well, and our dog had a greater than 95% chance of recovery. We followed her Post-Op Instructions to the letter. Our dog began to recover quickly, and after 3 months showed tremendous progress. As a nurse, I know how valuable a Second Opinion can be. We are extremely grateful to Dr. Biegen for saving our dog’s life and restoring him to Optimal Health & Wellness. It really does pay to take your pet to the right facility and doctor the first time around; to ensure a facility is properly equipped to diagnose a pet correctly the first time around. Dr. Biegen exhibited “The Highest Level Of Professional Excellence “ @ all times. She truly deserves all the Stars In The Sky! All the staff @ VCA Hospital In Kearny Mesa are caring, helpful, personable & professional. The facility is clean and has a Calm & Nurturing Vibe. Please do yourself and pet a favor, by taking them to a speciality facility to ensure a correct diagnosis the first time around. You definitely get what you pay for. I Highly Recommend VCA Animal Hospital In Kearny Mesa. Any questions, please feel free...