VCA Animal Hospital

i highly recommend Dr. Joanne Seinsheimer at VCA on lewelling in San Leandro. She is super sharp, knows her stuff & has the best bedside manner I have ever seen in a vet (and I am super picky and have been to lots of vets). I've seen all the vets there & the other ones just recommend a million tests just to make more money, i think. Dr. Seinsheimer just figures out what is wrong every time (and I have an old cat with lots of medical issues). Now I only see her, and I plan to follow her wherever she practices. She is truly one of a kind; take your pet to her & see for yourself. Pros: Dr. Seinsheimer more

Been taking my animals here for years because its close to my house in a pinch. Waiting and exam rooms are nice, bright & "professional" looking, but as noted by other reviewer, they don't clean the rooms in front of you so not sure they do at all. Staff is OK, nothing to brag about. Vets seem to care about animals (that IS their job) to some extent but also act like they work on commission because they are always recommending extra services (like ultrasounds & hospitalization) that cost a LOT. They claim they have boarding, but no staff at night. They close their doors right at 6 pm, so don't expect to show up at 5:45 pm w/ an emergency and get help. They will send you to the local emergency animal hospital without calling them for you and without blilnking an eye (I saw them do this to a woman who brought in her puppy w/ a clearly broken paw at 5:45 pm on a Thursday). Their groomer is HORRIBLE. I've made no less than 6 appointments to have my cat (long-haired) groomed (again because its close) and every time they keep her all day and when I go to pick her up they say the groomer was "unable to groom" my cat because she is "hostile". She is NOT a hostile cat, and isn't this a vet office? Why didn't they ask if they could sedate her (way for them to make more money), or at least call me instead of keeping her there all day and charging me for her being "boarded"? I've also had instances (where I've spent over $1,000) and they can't figure out what is wrong with my animal and they continue to recommend MORE tests. I'm not a cash cow, they need to draw the line. Don't go here. Convenience is NOT work you going broke or losing your pet because they are trying to sell you pricey services. EVERYTHING (including basic care and shots) is overpriced here, and sadly you do NOT get what you pay for in this case. Pros: Convenient location for me, "professional" looking Cons: WAY overpriced, no results, lack of compassion or empathy more

I have been using VCA Lewelling Veterinary Hospital as my hospital for years. The doctors there take the time and actually examine your pets and talk to you about preventative health care and help you to understand what they recommend and why. I happen to know that they clean the tables (and floor) after each patient (I've seen them do it as I'm exiting the eam room) and am glad they don't do it in front of me as my cat has asthma and sprayed chemicals near her can cause an attack. As for the previous poster's complaint about the thermometer....they use probe covers there. The probe cover protects the thermometer from being contaminated (just as your doctor takes your temperature, throws away the probe cover then doesn't disinfect it); it's the whole point of the probe cover. I prefer this to the method other clinics use (a non-covered thermometer that feces could stick onto and spread disease). I will continue to go to VCA as long as I have pets. The office is clean, bright and smells good. The front offics has free refreshments (coffee, tea, hot cocoa and warm and cold water) and the staff is always well-groomed, friendly. Most importantly, the doctors are warm, personable and always have time to answer questions, even via phone (I often forget to ask everything I meant to while at the visit). Pros: Human-Quality Care for my Pets Cons: Expensive more

I've used this vet initially when I first purchased my puppy. Their front office is very clean but my impression of their exam room itself is HORRIBLE! Before I made the appointment for my dog's annual exam I asked them how much will the entire visit be. They said $82 for the package and that includes everything (exam and heartworm test). So I said ok fine I'll do that. When we got there the front desk staffs kept calling my puppy a 'he' so that irritated me because if they bother looking at her medical record they will see that my puppy isn't a he it's a 'SHE'. Then when I got to their exam room I held on to my puppy waiting for them to clean the exam table. I waited & waited & waited then the technician came and she said "oh he's so cute" Again READ THE DAMN CHART! And with w/o cleaning the table she grabbed my puppy & put her on the exam table. They didn't even clean the table before letting putting her on it (at all 3 visits I've been to) but I figure I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and I let myself to believe they probably did it after each visit. Ok fine. Then after taking her rectal temperature the girl didn't even bother cleaning the thermometer. She put it back in the glass container w/o any sterilizing solution. GROSS! Even though they did use a slip when taking the exam I find it extremely disgusting! If i had known I wouldn't have made the appointment. Topping it off she kept trying to sell me flea medicine even after me telling her my dog already has a year supply of flea meds and it's working fine for her. No scratches or anything. So anyways after about 10 minutes in the waiting room the vet came in and introduced herself it turns out it was a different vet. Not the on I'm used to seeing. This Vet did the annual exam and all she did was check the heart rate/beat, and felt around her body for signs of swollen lymph nodes and checked her ears and she tells me that my dog needs to get her blud work done just in case something happens in the Pros: Clean front office Cons: Lack of knowledge and always trying to sell you things more