Montclair Pet Hospital

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Andrew Wirthvia Google

2 months ago

I came here regularly because it was convenient. I always felt like they did an "Ok" job at best, but it was convenient. This most recent visit was my last. My dog has been drinking more water and we were worried about kidney issue we took her here and they ordered a panel of blood tests. First at the visit I asked the doctor to check her ears since I missed a follow up for an ear infection. She said she would during the blood test and then forgot. I asked the tech and she said the doctor had already moved on to an ultra sound and would not be able to do it. I said what if I wait and she said that "Bailey was really scared and it was a no fear vet so we needed to come back another time". It felt like an excuse at the time, since she did not start with it. I then mentioned that it cost another visit, she said she would reach out to the manager about a complimentary visit and get back to me. I never received an email updating me on the complimentary visit. The labs were supposed to come on that Monday and I waited no email no call. I called Wednesday and asked if they could at least send me the labs. They said not until a doctor calls and they would ask a doctor. (Kaiser makes labs immediately available so I don't know why they would'nt here especially since they obviously have operational issues). A doctor finally called Thursday which is too long when you are worried about you're dog. The information they gave me was that we suspect Chronic Kidney Disease that it is very early. I should put my dog on a prescription diet and that we could do an ultra sound. That was it. She seemed disinterested and rushed. I was processing the information so I did not ask a lot of follow up questions. However, my expectation for these calls from a vet/medical professional minimum. This is why I suspect chronic kidney disease, these values are still really low. This is why they might be so low, this is what I would expect to see in the future if it is in fact chronic kidney disease. We should put her on a prescription diet. (Check she did do this.) We should follow up on these tests in x num days/months. Other than food, there are x medicines we could use this is when/how/why we would prescribe them. Since we only suspect here are some alternatives, that we can test for or why we rule them out/wouldn't test for them .i.e. Cushing Disease (After talking to another vet, he mentioned this) We can also do an ultra sound of her kidneys. Here is what we would be looking for and why we would perform these tests.( She sort of did this but it was just "we could do an ultra sound and see kidney function") This is barely helpful information. Will it make it immediately clear this is chronic kidney disease, does it have the potential to help us identify some other cause? Why would we do it what are the outcomes? Lastly, expectations of how this will affect her life if it is in fact Chronic Kidney Disease. I asked about this and the answer was "Hard to say, I can't give a range". This could be put in a range and with some clarity for example many dogs live very long lives after this diagnosis with proper treatment I have seen dogs live 5 years, but you do have to be aware that there are cases where we see rapid declines and sometimes it's months or within a year it's really important that you keep an eye on your dog and if anything changes you book a follow up immediately. Here are some symptoms I would keep an eye out for just in case..... Anyway, I have intermittently taken her to Berkeley Dog and Cat hospital for emergency visits. They always handle with this level of care/professionalism, but if anyone knows of a vet closer that cares please let me know.

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Danielle Molnarvia Google

5 months ago

I cannot say enough good things about this vet office. In a world of waiting on hold for forever and month long waits for appointments; Montclair is an exception. I rarely write reviews on google but I truly love this vet office so much. I take my own dogs as well as my foster dogs; they always are able to get them in in a timely manner and I rarely have to wait for extended periods of time.

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Fiona P.via Google

5 months ago

I'd been taking my dog to this vet since we adopted her from Oakland Animal Services, as they were accepting new clients on short notice. I kept using their services because they would have same or next day appointments when she had bouts of limping which required X-rays. Even when sedated, the techs had trouble taking a clear x-ray of her leg and foot, and did not get a good diagnostic angle. They don't have anyone capable of reading x-rays on staff, so then you have to pay an extra $160 for them to "expedite" an off-site radiology service to assess them. This practice's primary concern seems to be making as much money as possible -- they charge more than an emergency/surgery vet does even for things as simple as carprofen and trazodone prescriptions by 20%. My dog has been borderline weight for her simparica trio dose -- when she dropped a little bit of weight because she had become disinterested in her old food, they prescribed her the lower dose without discussing it with me. After switching her to a more palatable food, she gained weight and is now out of the lower weight class. Instead of advising me that it was safe to give her two of the lower dose of pills, they wanted me to spend an additional $200 on a new prescription. (I confirmed this with another vet...) On top of that, we hardly ever saw the same technicians or DVMs and the techs did not seem to be comfortable answering questions or handling a mildly anxious dog. I will not be returning to Montclair as a client and recommending to friends that they not go to Montclair with their pets.

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Robert Weitekampvia Google

about 1 year ago

Warning for this vet! We moved to Montclair last year and were happy to see a local vet at the bottom of the hill. From the very first visit, this vet and their staff were horrible. They don’t care about the dogs wellness, they only care about the money. I have so many examples of how our dogs were treated poorly and in one case could have caused a deadly situation. They kept suggesting shots that we said she had an allergic reaction to and was in her records. We also tried to get a prescription for simparica trio and they made it difficult. They wouldn’t call or fax the pharmacy and they made me pick it up in person. Very unimpressed with their lack of care and effort. I would not recommend taking your animal here. Dingy, dirty, and an unhelpful staff. Hard pass on this place. If the owner of this facility wants to call me, I’d be happy to review all the issues. It took a lot for me to write this as I am so scared of retaliation, but I needed to do this for the safety of other dogs that might choose to go here.

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Yuvanna Diazvia Google

over 4 years ago

It was my first time at this Vet clinic. The receptionist who booked the appointment was helpful. I'm glad she said it's next to the Lucky's and under the Back of America building. That helped me to find it! Parking is difficult, so arrive early to give yourself time to find a parking space and not miss your appointment. The staff inside are lovely. They were gentle and caring to my rabbit. I overheard a guy who said his dog hated going to another Vet clinic, but his dog seemed to like it there with them. You can tell they really like animals. My only complaint is they thought it was cute when a Labrador was getting riled up, jumping around and barking loudly in the waiting area, which made my rabbit very scared and nervous. Luckily my rabbit was secure in his carrier. I thought they would have been more considerate about that, which is why I gave them four stars.