Carlsbad Animal Hospital

CHARGED FOR TESTS RUN ON ALREADY DEAD DOG. For years, we went there to get routine vaccinations, however when we brought in our ill German Shepherd, the vet ran a number of tests and could not diagnose our dog's illness. Luckily, he referred us to VCA hospital where they immediately diagnosed our dog with disseminating aspergillosis. This was on a Sunday after we paid for the tests run on Saturday. Due to our dog's advanced state and trajectory of his illness, we had no other choice but to put our dog humanely down while I pet him as he sat comfortably in my lap. VCA was wonderful and did not run any unnecessary tests or suggest futile treatments. They also did not rush us out the door and allowed us time to mourn.\r \r Carlsbad Animal Hospital however sent a urine culture out to be processed a day after our dog was dead. Then they sent us a bill for this unnecessary test, never once discussing the results of the test. We thought we worked out this erroroneous test during our last visit (for my other dog) over a month later, when they took the cost of the culture off our bill at the front desk. However, they sent the urine culture bill to a collection agency. \r \r When I called Carlsbad Animal Hospital to dispute this charge, the office manager stated I was still liable for a test they conducted after not only my dog was dead, but after they had transferred our dog's care to another facility. The office manager also admitted that VCA informed Carlsbad Animal Hospital about our dog's death on Monday (the day afterward), yet Carlsbad Animal Hospital still ran the test. I truly wonder what the purpose of running a test on a dead dog is other than generating money. After all, Carlsbad Animal Hospital at no time informed us of the results of this test. \r \r We are now left with a horrible taste after this experience. When in a distressed state, we feel we were taken advantage of, especially when the test was not only performed after the dog was dead and they knew the dog was dead, they were also informed that the dog died of a fungal, not bacterial disease.\r \r In addition, they know we will be moving to Hawaii. We believe they are showing their true colors and probably would be refunding this charge if they knew they would be getting further business from us. We are very disappointed. After several years of loyalty, we feel like only a number to them. more

Carlsbad Animal Hospital helped me and my poodle when we needed it most. It is obvious that the staff at Carlsbad Animal Hospital are passionate and truly believe in what they do. I would recommend them to anyone. more

We have been with this group for 14 years now, they are the best. All the vets and staff are top notch. They treat us and our 2 dogs like family and go the extra mile to make sure things are right. They stay open late and on weekends, which really helps working families. more

I had a recent emergency with my beloved Australian Shepherd on March 17, 2012. I did not have a local veterinarian and drove to the nearest to my home clinic which was open on a Sunday. I thought my 12 1/2 year old dog had had a stroke as he was unable to walk, etc. From the moment we drove into the parking lot, a technician met us at our car and led us to a room. Within moments Dr. Thomas Livezey came in the room to examine my dog. His gentle demeanor and knowledge immediately put me at ease in a very stressful situation. He examined my dog and talked to me about possible prognosis, etc. We agreed to further testing to determine exactly what was going on. Through the course of the next week Dr. Livezey's follow-up in answering any questions/concerns I had were immediately responded to. I have worked as a Veterinarian Technician in the past, and my sister is a Veterinarian out-of-state. The professionalism and personal attention from all staff including receptionist etc. are unsurpassed in my opinion. I would not hesitate to bring my animal to Carlsbad Animal Hospital under any circumstances!!! Caring, knowledgeable and personable staff!!! Thank you so much for your help :) more

I just can say they are great vets. Clinic is little bit pricey but the service is very good. They were very friendly specially Dr. James. My dog had heart worms after treatment in Carlsbad Hospital hi is fully recovered. You can really trust them... more

I just can say they are great vets. Clinic is little bit pricey but the service is very good. They were very friendly specially Dr. James. My dog had heart worms after treatment in Carlsbad Hospital hi is fully recovered. You can really trust them... more

2 years ago I was lucky enough to have Dr. Singh from Carlsbad Animal Hospital tend to my elderly feral cat. The lab tests and treatments he ordered were not excessive considering the severity of my pet's illnesses. Had the experience stopped there, I would have given the hospital 5 stars. Unfortunately, Dr. Singh has since left. One year after having such a good experience with CAH I brought my 7 month old kitten in with vomitting to make sure he didn't swallow a foreign object. After an x-ray confirmed he just had severe gas, they wanted me to spend $700 on extra lab tests (which on the price estimate listed as ""senior lab"") just to make sure nothing else was wrong. Strangely enough those lab tests were rediculously more expensive than what I had spent on my terminally ill cat 1 year ago. I often wonder if Dr. Singh left that establishment because the owners were trying to get their vets to push ""sales"". Just a note, it's been 8 months since I refused extra tests on Bailey and he's perfectly fine. If I felt in my heart there really was something wrong with him I would have spent that money. But my intuition was telling me something wasn't right, and I have since then discussed this with other CAH defectors who felt the same way since Dr. Sing left.. more

STAY AWAY FROM THIS PLACE!!! They are out for money. It's hard to find a good vet that you can trust. Since most people obviously do not know much about the health issues of animals, a trained professional can easily lie to us about the things that need to be done for their own financial benefit apposed to the benefit of your pet. When we first adopted our cat, we brought her here for her "free" examination which turned out to be a 300 dollar plus visit. I could not trust the things the doctor was suggesting were actually beneficial to our cat. I have not taken our cat back since. Today we found a dying cat in front of our house. Since we live right behind this animal hospital, we called to see if they would take this stray, dying cat. They would take her... after a small payment of 52 dollars for the examination and whatever other charges on top of that to actually save the cats life. THIS PLACE IS HORRIBLE! more

We found a cat with it's collar caught around it's stomach. When we called the owner, they said the cats been gone for two months and they could not afford the vet bills so they did not want it anymore. We could not just stand by and watch this cat die. We called the Carlsbad Animal Hospital as it is right behind our house to see if they would save the cats life. They said they would charge us 52 dollars just for the examination, and then whatever other charges on top of that to save the cats life. This is not our cat and it infuriates me that an animal hospital would not want to save the life of an animal. This is a horrible vet that only cares about money. I took my adopted cat here when I first got her and they ripped us off when we took her in for our ""free"" examination that ended up costing us over 300 dollars. STAY AWAY FROM THIS PLACE! more

Do not choose this vet. There prices are very high. They are not open to care for your animal 24 hrs and if your animal needs over night observation you will need to go elsewhere. Dr Andrea is very inexperienced, especially with cats. He was unable to put a catheter in my cat for a blocked bladder. He attempted twice and then gave up, blamed it on the cat and still charged me the full amount. You ask why I paid the full amount, to get my cat back. The next day I went to another vet who with out any trouble was able to put the catheter in and keep it in for 3 days which is the minimum time recommended for what my cat needed. By the way I paid more than double at Carlsbad Animal Hospital vs. my regular vet in San Marcos. Do not go here, you will be sorry. I am!! Dr Andrea also severely damaged my cats ureatha while trying to insert the catheter. I am very glad for my regular vet, my cat is now doing great and is almost all healed. more

This is the WORST veterinary care of I have experienced!!! They charge OUTRAGEOUS fees & then they take advantage of you when your pet is in his most vulnerable condition. My doxie has a history of pancreatitis and every episode incurred a bill exceeding $1,000. To add insult to injury every time I visit the office for anything, a simple ear infection, they always try to get more money out of me. The last straw was last week & they tried to get $850 for teeth treatment when I took doggy in for a recurring ear infection. I picked up my dog & took his medical records and left. Now, my dog is very sick due to the antibiotics Carlsbad vet prescribed. Luckily, I'm now with a trustworthy vet in San Marcos, Dr. Pearson, who is not only caring & compassionate but TRUSTWORTHY. Something I cannot say about Carlsbad. WARNING: DO NOT TAKE YOUR ANIMAL TO CARLSBAD VET! My doggy is in the hospital due to negligence on their part, don't let this happen to your beloved pet:( more

Carlsbad Animal hospital took great care of my little pismo (cat) for all of his kitty shots!! Decent priced, and they held pismo gently and didn't scare him too much!! more

I took my darling cat for a vets visit for what I thought would be a minor complaint, as it turned out my baby was really sick and died after two weeks of doing all the right things. This was a traumatic and most likely the most difficult time of my life, however, the staff were sympathetic, supportive and compassionate through every step of a very painful process. Dr Singh was truly amazing, I am so glad he was my vet, he really cares and certainly made me feel comforted and supported in a very difficult time, Very highly recommended!! more

Carlsbad Animal Hospital is not only great at taking care of my animal's needs, they are also the best at taking care of my needs. Everyone, from the reception staff, to the technicians, all of the way to the doctors, everyone was very knowledgeable. They had no problem answering my millions of questions regarding my new puppy. I would recommend these people to everyone! more

This hospital has now put down three of my precious animals. Each time they were very nice and seemed to really care about us. They comforted our animals and that made us feel more at ease. We didn't like what we had to do but they did help us with this painful process. more

After moving here from another state, we needed to find a Vet close to house, but one that was good. Carlsbad Animal Hosp. is terrific. There front desk staff was nice and helpful with all questions we had, and they were wonderful with our older dog. Their prices are reasonable also. And they also have nice hours of operation. more