Center Sinai Animal Hospital

I have lived in LA for 12 years - using about a dozen different Vets. Most were competent but also missing that extra something. Dr. Baum is caring, knowledgeable and a man of integrity. In fact, I love all of the Vets working here especially Dr. B and Dr. Williams. I have 4 pets and have recently started Fostering rescued pets. I drive across town to go here because of the professional, dedicated and compassionate care. I wonder if some of the reviews here are more about the hurt of having a sick/dying pet rather than Center Sinai. I was someone who came in with a seriously injured pet and was immediately seen in front of a fellow there for a nail trim. I am sorry he was pissed and saw fit to give a bad review.... but I am forever grateful to Dr. Williams for saving my cat. I would want the same triage treatment extended to whomever walked in the door. more

Over the years, I have not only taken my cats to Center-Sinai, but my friend's dogs as well. I'm satisfied with all the services rendered. Dr. Baum and his staff has always been up front about the cost of any procedures and medicines. They were glad to help me prioritize my pet's needs. The office staff and vet's assistants are youthful, but they're polite and competent. \r \r Dr. Kaspari attended to my friend's beagle. Her examination was very thorough. She took enough time to explain things clearly so that we could make good decisions for the dog. \r \r My cat had a stubborn ear fungus that baffled 2 other vets, but Dr. Baum was able to remedy it. He went the extra mile by doing a culture and concocting effective ear drops. \r \r After arriving for my appointments, the wait to be seen is reasonable. (I've waited longer for my dentist or MD.) The facility is not a new, but my experiences with Dr. Baum is that he is competent and caring... and that's what I want for my pets. more

I have taken my 2 dogs and cat here for about 3 years. I have had a great experience with this office and I am surprised by the other comments here. My little dog Nala has had two surgeries here and they have taken excellent care of her. The biggest tell tale sign is that when we come to this vet office, she is not scared or shaking as she has been at other vets I have taken her to in the past. She had two seperate tumor removals. One (A few years ago) was by her eye and the surgery was so great that you can not even tell she had it. The previous vet she had been going to refused to remove it and it got larger, so I got a second opinion and that is how I ended up at Center Sinai. The second removal of tumors was just at the base of her tail and on her side. The Dr. had them all biopsied- and thankfully all were benigne.The follow up was great- the Dr called after the surgery to see how she was doing and to answer any questions. Very rarely have I had vets do this... Other than the surgeries, I have had general care of the animals there- Teeth cleaning, shots, etc. I also purchased the Pet Well Care Plan which saved me quite a bit of money in the long run as Nala needed surgery. I would recommend this feature to any pet owner. The cons here are that some of the staff could be a bit more professional, and the wait times are sometimes long- but overall this is a pretty good place. In my experience- any issues I have had any concern with, I have brought up to te staff and they were quick to resolve for me. Pros: Great Follow UP Cons: Long Waits in Waiting Room more

If you make an appointment with Dr. Baum you can expect to wait at least an hour in an overcrowded waiting room. Once you're granted an audience you will be spoken to in an unfamiliar language that sounds like English but at 3 times the speed. Following the 12.6 seconds you spend with Dr. Baum you will be given bizarre and confusing instructions by a receptionist as they are rushing away from you, in much the same manner as all the witnesses on 'Law and Order'. If you ask for clarification you will be given information that contradicts what you were originally told. I'm forced to deal with Dr. Baum and his staff due to a petsitting situation. I have never, NEVER, not once been told the same answer to a question about the little dog's treatments, test results, etc. Dr. Baum may well be a gifted veterinarian but he's a TERRIBLE administrator. I've spoken to the entire cast of receptionists and assistants and no one has ever shown the slightest bit of inclination to take charge of an important question and take the time to come back with a definitive answer. Center Sinai is clearly not the least bit concerned with customer service. Their goal is to collect $ for as many office visits as possible and spend as little time with patients and owners as they can get away with. Still want to chance a visit? Good luck. Cons: Godawful service. more

1. Took my adopted stray cat and asked for Dr. Baum specifically. Hard to get appt to see him. Did not do much of a physical on a street stray cat, and he should have checked him more thoroughly. I repeatedly asked if he might have worms due to a bloated belly. He said no, cat is just fat. Turns out he had worms of all kinds after all. Dr. Baum has written many articles online on cat care, and I was very disappointed since Center-Sinai Animal Hospital is nearby and inexpensive. 2. Took my new rescue German Shepherd to see Dr. Amanda Williams. I have never met a more incompetent vet! She had a sulky and negative attitude from the start. She barely touched the dog, took him in the back for a ear exam. Came back and said the tech could not hold him down so she could not insert her ultra-long scope in his ear so could not check why his ear was hurting. Duh! The dog was very skittish - he had just been rescued, poor guy. I held my dog down on the ground, opened his ear, and said 'Take a look'. She refused to even look. Unbelievable!!! She missed a big lump on his tail (cyst, infection, tumor?) that I saw when bathing him next day. She did not advise about deworming, though he is skinny as a rake, had bad flea bites from neglect, and eats voraciously. I was so mad. I paid, but after I heard from the rescue head, and another dog owner, that this was a bad place with horror stories, I am getting my money back and finding another vet. Never going to use this place again!!! I will also be lodging a complaint against Amanda Williams to the Vet Licensing agencies and with Dr. Baum, the owner of Center-Sinai Animal Hospital. Do not go there. The rescue folks had some bad stories about neglect of animals. Pros: Cheap rates at $39 per visit Cons: Incompetent, bad attitude. Get what you pay for! more

About December, 2008, we brought our cat to this vet at about 11 p.m. with an abscessed leg. It was self-described as an emergency clinic at this hour.\r An extremely unfriendly veterinarian told me that "she didn't do this sort of thing", charges us $120.00. We left and drove across town to City of Angels, where the abscess was drained after about a 2 hour wait: not their fault. There were a few fatally ill animals needing care.\r I would never go near the place again. BTW, the place was not too clean, either. The obligatory one star. Should be zero, just like the vet. more

I chose Center Sinai because I couldn't seem to find any vets with decent hours and because of my work schedule, I needed all the flexibility possible. Also, many of the vets in LA charge upwards of $20-$35 PER EACH vaccine which is just way too high. They offer a half price vaccine day one Sunday of the month as well as a pet health insurance program that saves you a ton of money (it really does). So I was very excited for our first appointment. I went in only to be disappointed. The front office staff is usually very rude or just flat out look like they don't like their job. I'm not sure I've ever seen one person seem happy never the less smile in that office. Often times it seems as if you're inconveniencing them by approaching the counter to check in and/or ask questions. The overall office feel is definitely worn down and you can tell they don't take too much pride in keeping things nice. I understand it's a vets office but I've taken my pets to plenty of other vets who present a much more professional feel. Once called into the room, you often wait an additional 10-15 minutes before the vet even comes in. When they finally DO make it in, they're cranky and unpleasant. While you're spilling your heart out over the concerns of your ""child"" and how worried you are, they do absolutely nothing to ease the worry. By the time they gave me a diagnosis (nothing serious but again I was really worried about her) again, nothing to help take the worry off of me. Just write a prescription, ring in the money and you're off. They DON'T get excited and say hello to your dog beforehand and it doesn't seem like anyone there even likes animals for that matter. Overall, it's just a bad professional demeanor that REALLY turned me off. A vet is like a babysitter for your kids...it's hard to find one you trust and sure you can deal with the ok ones but you'll always wonder if you come home to them being safe. If possible, check out any other vet. I took her to the vet on Venice Blvd near the 405 (I forget the name) but I was VERY impressed by these guys! Their prices are a little higher but WELL WORTH IT. I thought Lexi needed an xray (I was almost positive) and they assured me that I did not but if I really wanted them to they would but it was an unnecessary cost. They did a great job of reassuring me about their diagnosis so I felt better about my little girl by the time I left and confident they did a thorough exam. She did get better. Pros: Easy parking, open 7 days a week, health program Cons: Unfriendly staff, vets that seem to hate their jobs,and more more

Do not go here.\r Was good ten years ago.\r No more.\r Dr. Baum did not diagnose a serious problem that lead to the death of my dog.\r more

I'm glad I found this opportunity to offer a review. The experience I cite here was a few years ago. A very good friend recommended Center Sinai. When I first met Dr. Baum, I was very impressed by his maturity, his professional attitude, education and experience. And when he told me that the purely elective surgery of removing a large, benign fatty tumor from my dog would be ""a walk in the park, like popping out a blob of silicone"" I believed and trusted him. I brought my dog in for the ""walk in the park"" surgery and a teeth-cleaning at the same time. When I picked her up a few hours later, she was totally whacked out. The technician said the effects of the anesthesia would soon wear off. He had to carry her to my car. I drove home (about 25 miles) and she was very wobbly as I walked her to her bed to let her sleep it off. I left her alone for a very short while. When I returned, she was DEAD! I was absolutely horrified and heartsick! I picked her up (70 pounds) and rushed her back to Center Sinai to ask what happened. I'm a senior citizen and was very calm; I merely wanted to know what had happened, what went wrong and why my dog died. When I arrived, Dr. Baum had gone home but a young woman vet told me to await my turn, there were others ahead of me. When the other clients realized I was holding a dead dog that had just had surgery there, they offered to let me be ahead of them. Then this VERY ANGRY, young woman vet said, ""Well, those things happen. You signed a release, and that's that."" I culdn't believe her attitude. Later, I learned that a dog should have a physical exam prior to surgery. They DID NOT give her one. And this was elective surgery, not a medical necessity. A few days later, Dr. Baum called, apologized, and told me he would refund HALF the $800 he charged for the job (of KILLING MY DOG) and offered to put me in touch with an animal adoption agency so I could get another dog! THANKS! Cons: See my writeup more

We brought our dog in after getting him at the shelter. This place was listed as a place where we could bring our dog w/in 3 days of adoption for a free checkup. The vet couldn't have been more cold towards our dog. She treated him like a piece of dirt and treated us like pieces of dirt. Granted, we were not being charged for this visit, but I did mention that we have 2 cats at home thinking the vet would warm up in hopes of having my entire pet family as patients. She didn't. We definitely got the service we paid for. I had forgotten to bring his papers from the shelter, but faxed them over the next day. A week later I receive an invoice for services b/c they didn't get the fax. When I called to talk to them about this, I told them which fax number I'd sent the paperwork to. The rude receptionist told me that noone checks the fax that I'd sent to. THIS IS THE FAX NUMBER ON THEIR SITE! Needless to say, I asked around and found another vet who treat my dog like the sweetheart he is. more

I have been going to this vet for a number of years during which time my cat has been on run of the mill anti-anxiety medication. I called this morning to renew the prescription and explained that I had to go out of town immediately for my grandmother's funeral in Chicago. They told me that it had been more than a year since my cat's appointment and that they couldn't dispense medication without first seeing my cat. I again explained that I had to go out of town for a funeral and that I could not bring her in until I returned (which, of course, I would do). This was not acceptable to them. I now have no medication for my 12 year old cat who pulls her hair out in clumps when she is upset which she surely will be when I leave town for a week. What I find amazing (other than the complete disregard for the death in my family) is that I received no notification that the last prescription I filled would be the last until I brought her in - even though I was in the vet twice last month with my other cat. Needless to say, I will not be returning. more

I?ve been bringing my own and my clients? pets to Dr. Baum for about 14 years now. He?s great ?- always gives pets attention?I really trust him with both my own and my clients? pets. Pros: really trust Dr. Baum, Dr. Baum always pays attention more

I?ve been coming to Center-Sinai and Dr. Baum for some time. We?ve had both of our dogs here, and they?re really compassionate, and caring. Our dogs stay happy and healthy. They?ll always take calls, not like some in town, and our neighborhood, because they remember us and know what they have done for our dogs, and they give lots of personal attention. Pros: caring attention from staff and vets, keep our dogs healthy, always take our calls more

We have such a special place in our hearts for Dr. Baum. He never gives up on finding a way to help the animals have a quality life, but will always give you the truth as to when the animal begins to suffer so that appropriate steps can be planned and taken. Pros: Very caring, very positive, realistic diagnosis and advice more

Since my cats were kittens I have taken them to Center Sinai for their annual vaccinations and have appreciated the low cost for such services. I find the staff to be very friendly but minimally trained. Although the prices are very reasonable they do have an in-and-out the door routine and do not take the time to physically inspect the cats during this annual visit. I have not had to visit for any other reason as my cats are young and healthy. However I do opt to take my cats to a more reputable place and pay a higher premium when it comes time for their teeth cleaning considering the need for anesthesia as I am not willing to take any risks. more

Several years ago I was at my wit's end because my wonderful cat Tamba was suffering from something that was causing her little body to stop functioning -- no eating, no movement of either food or drink through her. The vet I had been going to had no idea of what to do, nor did another I tried in desperation. \r \r Then, thank heaven, I was told about Dr. Baum. I was immediately impressed by his calm good humored attention to both Tamba and myself as the scared human companion. Dr. Baum conducted important tests, made recommendations, and soon Tamba was healthy and frisky again. And his prices were even reasonable. I was extremely happy also to find that the very compassionate staff welcomed me to visit Tamba at night while she had to stay for treament, to help lessen her anxieties about being away from home. Dr. Baum had recommended I do this, and again, I am completely grateful. \r \r Fast forward a few years later and we had a similar problem occur, but with a different cause. Once again Dr. Baum and this time also Dr. Williams helped diagnose and find the remedy, and Tamba is still, at age 16, dashing about our home. Pros: Up-to-the minute vet knowledge, Friendly, Warm, Compassionate veteranians and staff, Reasonable pricing more

Absolutely filthy. People were returning their dogs after boarding with kennel cough. I brought my cat in the morning to be chipped and by the afternoon he was ill. I waited for over 6 hours to see a vet as a walk in and I was under going chemotherapy. The staff was moronic and seemed as though they were using inhalants. I say this having taught high risk students. An ill dog having waited for over three hours deficated in the middle of the waiting room. No one cleaned it for a half hour, eventhough the owner said they would do it themself, if they'd give them something to do it with. All the animals, returning from the back room were limp and stoned. When I returned home I realized the tech had put inhalants on my cats collar. Many veteranary anasthetics, such as Kentimine are abused. In the very short run they are not cheap. One appointment turns into two. Waiting in the waiting room can take hours. Plus, they are abusive to animals. The State of California should close them down. Cons: Dirty, Dangerous, Filthy more

We have two puppies which we bring to Center Sinai Pet Hospital for routine vaccinations and I can't say that there's been one pleasant experience... but since they were usually in-n-out visits, we didn't complain. They are reasonably priced, however, completely unprofessional. Our puppy recently suffered from a minor injury and was brought in for an exam and x-rays. We were given a quote over the phone but when we brought our puppy in, they performed a series of services without our consent and more than tripled our quoted amount. When we spoke with the vet and owner, Dr. Baum, regarding our shock and dismay, he was extremely rude and had complete disregard when speaking of us as clients and patients. He did not once try to rectify our complaints and arrogantly claimed to be very successful as is and did not have a care or concern about our satisfaction as clients. We will never return to that establishment and would never recommend anyone to that self-proclaimed 'successful' vet. Sav more

This is the kind of hospital that dose not require blood work and pain management for surgery. They also do not use safe Anastasia monitoring equipment(ECG, SP02, constant temp rate or blood pressure monitor) The Anastasia they use is also not the best and dose not provide a pleasant recovery, in fact it is not unlikely to find a patient flopping on the floor after surgery. The staff is not educated at all. Most hired without experience and the management is not willing to pay for continuing education. There is not one CVT or RVT on staff. Doctors are nice but practice "Old world veterinary medicine" If your pets are family, I would not recommend taking them here. more

We have two puppies which we bring to Center Sinai Pet Hospital for routine vaccinations and I can't say that there's been one pleasant experience... but since they were usually in-n-out visits, we didn't complain. They are reasonably priced, however, completely unprofessional. Our puppy recently suffered from a minor injury and was brought in for an exam and x-rays. We were given a quote over the phone but when we brought our puppy in, they performed a series of services without our consent and more than tripled our quoted amount. When we spoke with the vet and owner, Dr. Baum, regarding our shock and dismay, he was extremely rude and had complete disregard when speaking of us as clients and patients. He did not once try to rectify our complaints and arrogantly claimed to be very successful as is and did not have a care or concern about our satisfaction as clients. We will never return to that establishment and would never recommend anyone to that self-proclaimed 'successful' vet. Save yourself the stress and skip over this place - the minimal savings definitely does NOT outweigh the horrible service. Pros: Reasonably priced Cons: Unprofessional, rude more