VCA Family and Oahu Veterinary Specialty Center

Reviews

• TM

  Travis M

  Nov 15, 2025
  5.0
  We recently had a tragic illness befall upon our family member, and the staff here truly did make us feel like family. Foremost, they went out of their way to make sure our pet was taken care of, comfortable, and loved. Secondly, they gave us a thorough and expert analysis of our pet's condition, potential options, and reliable advice on how to proceed. I truly believe if you bring your pet here they will treat them as one of their own. Thank you to the staff and doctors here at VCA. Particularly, Dr. Fujita.
• MY

  Mick York

  Oct 30, 2025
  1.0
  Terrible establishment. Don’t waste your time going here unless you want to waste your money. Came in to “see” the ophthalmology specialist for a non healing corneal ulcer. Paid 500 to “see” the specialist. Never once interacted with them they just proceeded to relay all the info of the decided treatment to the staff to relay to me. Rather the doing the gold standard treatment which in her own visit note was described as having a 85% success rate, she performed the other procedure which she stated had a 50% success rate and was even lower in French bull dogs. In what medical setting would you ever not speak to your physician and discuss treatment options? Even if it would have been more money I would have rather had the choice for the more efficacious treatment, instead they did the lower standard of care treatment with no option or choice and shocker the ulcer didn’t heal. Went and saw a different DVM ophthalmologist and was informed that they would have never not done a diamond burr drill. Thanks for wasting my money and providing insufficient care. 👍🏽
• SC

  Steph Craven

  Oct 28, 2025
  5.0
  Front desk staff are some of the nicest ER receptionists I’ve ever met which makes a huge difference. The quality of medicine is evidently very good at this hospital. They took very good care of my kitty’s wound and it’s almost completely healed now. Prices are higher but it’s because you’re paying for very high level emergency care and they have to run a big hospital with very advanced equipment and pay their very well trained staff. The ER docs are very nice and worked with me on my goals for her care. Thanks for helping my kitty Dr. Steele and Dr. Goic 🩷
• JR

  Julia Rivera Reyes

  Sep 19, 2025
  5.0
  My dog had a couple of surgeries done by Dr. Lam and he is very knowledgeable and so sweet to my dog. He was also very helpful in writing the report in a way that helped my insurance claim. Also Braisha on the phone was always very helpful.
• JK

  Jonathan Kaguyutan

  Sep 19, 2025
  1.0
  ⭐ Horrific Experience at VCA Pearl City – Emotional Manipulation, Fear-Mongering, and Predatory Sales Tactics We visited VCA Family and Oahu Veterinary Specialty Center expecting just two simple things: ✅ A blood test ✅ An ultrasound Instead, we were emotionally blindsided, financially cornered, and misled from the start. ⸻ 🚩 What Happened We were told our dog “most likely has open pyometra” — before they even ran proper diagnostics. In fact, the ER report itself clearly states: “Ultrasound is not able to provide a definitive diagnosis.” Yet, they pushed for $12,000 emergency surgery based on assumptions. And worst of all? Dr. Loren Schmidt actually told us the only way to know for sure if it’s pyometra was to perform the surgery. That’s right — her logic was: “We don’t know what it is. So let’s do surgery to find out.” ⸻ ⚠️ Unauthorized Procedures • They told us the ultrasound tech had “just stepped out.” • Later, we found out they had already performed a “fast ultrasound” without our permission. • We were charged nearly $300 for that unauthorized scan. • The blood test we requested was only done after we demanded to see our dog, who had been in the back for over 6 hours. We never even got to see her during that time. We honestly felt like our dog was being held hostage. ⸻ 😡 Emotional Blackmail Dr. Schmidt used language like: “If treatment is not performed quickly, the toxic effects from the bacteria will be fatal in many cases.” She said it repeatedly, until my wife — overwhelmed by the fear — broke down in tears. And I’ll give credit where it’s due: Dr. Schmidt handed her a tissue. But it honestly felt performative after emotionally cornering us like that. ⸻ ❗ Unqualified Vet, Profit Motive? According to VCA’s website, Dr. Loren Schmidt is a “rotating intern.” Not an emergency specialist. Not a surgeon. Just someone in training. Yet she was recommending an invasive, high-risk, $12,000 surgery. Interns like her may be incentivized to refer cases to in-house specialists — which pads their bottom line. We weren’t offered options. Just one road: Fear → consent → surgery → invoice. ⸻ 💰 Are We Funding Someone’s Drug Habit? They even sent in a “financial coordinator” to go over the costs — like some car dealership closer. We came for help. We got a hard sell, and a price tag that made us say: “With prices like that, are we funding someone’s drug habit?” Because it sure didn’t feel like healthcare. It felt predatory, deceptive, and exploitative. ⸻ ❓ Fast Ultrasound? Fast Forward Scam? What even is a “fast ultrasound”? We’ve owned pets our whole lives — and never heard of this. Turns out, it’s a limited scan that can’t confirm a diagnosis like pyometra — but they used it to scare us into surgery. We didn’t ask for it. We didn’t approve it. And we got billed anyway. ⸻ 🧾 And Then the Ultimatum… They tried to make us sign a form saying we were going “against medical advice” — even though there was no confirmed diagnosis! This wasn’t medicine. This was emotional extortion with a $12,000 price tag. ⸻ ✅ The Second Opinion We left. Got a second opinion. Guess what? ❌ No emergency ❌ No pyometra ❌ No surgery needed Just a normal cycle-related issue — something the right bloodwork and qualified ultrasound would’ve revealed right away. ⸻ 🚫 Bottom Line: Stay Away We came for help. We left feeling angry, manipulated, and completely violated. ❗ Avoid VCA Pearl City. ❗ Protect your pet — and your wallet.

Frequently Asked Questions About VCA Family and Oahu Veterinary Specialty Center