VCA TLC Pasadena Veterinary Specialty and Emergency

Reviews

• AC

  Anne-Marie Colwell

  Mar 4, 2026
  3.0
  These are good emergency vets, open 24 hours. That's really what they do and I'd give them 5 stars if it was all that they did. The problem is they present themselves as also doing primary veterinary care and they aren't set up for it. First off, you can't get an appointment here for any medical problem - only for a well check. So if your dog has itchy skin or a digestive upset, you're doing a walk-in with the emergency patients. Walking in means you don't get to chose the vet you see and every time we went in we saw someone new. There's no way you (or your dog) can establish a rapport or comfort level with a vet you only see once. I have a sweet, gentle rescue Aussie who is wary with strangers. Even though I asked a couple of times to have the exam done in my presence so she felt safe the decision on whether to see her in back or the exam room was always up to the vet on call. Simple office visits became stressful for both of us. Also, the treatment options were presented as if you really "needed" to pay for $800 of additional blood work or have an MRI, even if the initial exam of the dog showed no health problems. I get it, I think - when you're an emergency vet you see animals with urgent, life-threatening issues so you want to leave no possible problems unchecked. But that's not primary care. For primary care you want a vet who can work with you to understand possible causes of minor health issues and who will make suggestions to adjust the dog's environment to keep them healthy, not just recommend expensive tests to make sure they aren't suffering from some extreme condition. I wouldn't normally leave a review like this - I'd just leave the practice and find a new vet, which I have. But I think the management at TLC needs to hear that they aren't providing what a dog owner needs in a primary care setting. The folks who work here are all very nice so I'd really like to be able to recommend them more highly.
• LN

  Lan Nguyen

  Feb 8, 2026
  1.0
  I JIST CALLED TO GIVE ME INFORMATION ANOUT VACCINES AND NEUTERED MY CAT TO GOVECME AN IDEA . ALL SHE SAID WAS WE CSNT GIVE YOU ANY INFORMATION ABOUT THAT . LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING . YOU SHOULD GIVE AT LEAST A NUMBER FOR THE VACCINES . IM GOING OVER THERE DRIVING THERE AND TO GIVE ME A PRICE ONCE IM THERE LILE I HAVE NO OPTIONS? YOU GIYS DONT GIVE OPTIONS . NO WONDER TOU GUYS HAVE 3.0 REVIEW .
• NN

  Negar Nekooei

  Jan 12, 2026
  1.0
  Horrible service.. Dont go here!!! I had my pet’s first visit here and after weeks of bugging me, they didnt allow me to go in because i was 15 minutes late which is more than the 10 minutes cutoff that I didn’t know about. I had to take public transport to here for an hour with my cat and we went another hour back home without doing anything. They have zero flexibility or sympathy. Would give zero stars if I could. Would never come here again
• CB

  Carina B.

  Jan 11, 2026
  1.0
  When our senior dog's kidney issues became too complex for his regular vet, we were referred to a "criticalist" at VCA TLC. The visits were informative but exorbitantly expensive. Front desk staff was hit or miss, I never knew if we were going to be treated normally or like an annoyance. We had to administer fluids at home, special meds, expensive thing after expensive thing – all while watching our poor dog decline. We were told we needed to talk to a cardiologist to get the amounts right for his fluids, who we never heard back from. VCA never once helped coordinate or try to make a harrowing time any easier. When it became clear our beloved dog was having his last day with us, we called. All they said was to give him cerenia for his stomach. He passed away at home later that night. As of writing this, our dog has been gone for over a year and we never received any kind of follow up from his vet Dr. Barnes or anyone from this practice. I sincerely regret placing my dog's life in their hands.
• SC

  Sandy Chen

  Nov 25, 2025
  5.0
  I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude for the exceptional support I received from Sally, the Chinese-speaking staff member, during my cat’s recent emergency visit. English is not my first language, and medical terminology can be especially overwhelming. At a time when I was anxious and struggling to process the information, Sally stepped in with remarkable patience and clarity. She translated every detail carefully, making sure I understood, and at the same time offered comfort and reassurance that helped calm my emotions. Her professionalism, compassion, and genuine dedication were truly evident. It is rare to meet someone who not only performs their job well, but also brings warmth and humanity to such a stressful situation. Sally made a difficult experience much more manageable, and I am deeply appreciative of her kindness. Thank you, Sally, for going above and beyond. Your care meant more to me than words can express.

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