VCA California Veterinary Specialists-Carlsbad

Reviews

• EW

  E. Wynn

  May 13, 2026
  5.0
  Our Aussie Shepherd furbaby has been to this ER a few times within the past week. We found out she had an enlarged spleen due to tumor growth. Dr. Korten explained her findings very kindly with compassion. My family decided it was best to euthanize our 13yo furbaby. Brought her in and was immediately given a private room with unlimited time alone. Dr. Korten explained the whole process and assisted our girl to pass on. As she was helping our girl pass on, she talked to our furbaby woth love and dignity and right then and there I instantly felt that the Dr. was a true animal lover because of the care and compassion she showed our furbaby. Thank you Dr. Korten and VCA staff of Carlsbad for helping Chloe cross the rainbow bridge to be with her 2 sisters. All 3 of them are finally reunited and can run endlessly ❤️
• AR

  Alyssa Richmond

  May 4, 2026
  5.0
  Amazing staff and doctors! They made my terrifying experience with my dog much better. Always answering by the second ring, knowing exactly what updates were available for my dog and keeping me in the loop while he was hospitalized. I can’t thank them enough! Gus was in great hands 💕
• KM

  Katherine McMahon

  Apr 20, 2026
  2.0
  I had a very concerning experience at VCA Carlsbad Veterinary Hospital that I feel is important to share. I brought my dog in on Sunday night for acute pain and mobility issues. Based on my experience working in the equestrian industry (where I regularly see neurologic cases), as well as prior experience with a similar condition in my previous dog, I raised concern that this could be a neurologic issue. That concern was dismissed, and he was discharged with pain medication and a possible orthopedic torn ccl, without further testing and inconclusive radiographs. The ER vet gave him methadone and when he was up and walking exclaimed jokingly "he is cured!" Over the next 48 hours, his condition worsened significantly. He was in severe pain, could barely walk, was not bearing weight properly, had episodes of fecal incontinence, and was unable to urinate. I even had to stay outside with him overnight because he could not move comfortably. When I returned Tuesday morning (I do appreciate the two vets I talked to on tuesday who took my concerns and knowledge into account, as well as the thorough job the did in the ortho rounds), I again expressed concern about neurologic decline. They kept him for ortho rounds and during pickup after stating he did have something neuro going on, I was on the phone with Veterinary Specialty Hospital San Marcos trying to get him seen urgently, I was then told by staff at VCA Carlsbad that this was not an emergency and that I could wait for a neurology appointment. I will also state that he was not cleaned up correctly and still had fecal matter stuck in his tail. When I inquired about this, they said they did the best job they could. I ultimately took him to Veterinary Specialty Hospital San Marcos as an emergency case the very next morning, where he received an MRI and was diagnosed with Lumbosacral stenosis with significant neurologic involvement. He required hospitalization, catheterization, and ongoing treatment. One of the most frustrating parts of this experience was that his condition appeared less severe in the clinic (he would walk due to stress), but at home he was essentially non-ambulatory. I repeatedly tried to communicate this, but it did not seem to be fully considered. I also want to note that one veterinarian I spoke with by phone was kind and did express concern for a neurologic issue, but that was not reflected in the discharge process, which was handled by technicians who advised it was not urgent. I understand that emergency clinics are busy and cases can be complex, but in this situation I feel the severity and progression of neurologic symptoms were underestimated, which delayed appropriate care and prolonged my dog’s pain. I am sharing this in the hope that it helps improve recognition of neurologic cases and communication with pet owners when symptoms may not fully present in the clinic setting.
• TL

  Tova Lam

  Apr 20, 2026
  5.0
  By far, the best place to take your dog for urgent care or oncology needs (if you see Dr. Proulx). I've been taking my dog here for just over a year for quarterly consultations with Dr. Proulx. My 11 year old dog has a history of very aggressive MCTs, and Dr. Proulx has helped us put him on a fantastic regimen that has prevented any new tumors from appearing for 15 months, while minimizing dosages for steroids. Dr. Proulx is incredibly knowledgeable, patient, and kind. He answers all of my questions thoughtfully, even when I call from home because I'm a nervous dog mom. We just took my dog to the urgent care this weekend, and it was a great experience. I called in advance to say I was coming up, and they were able to see him right away. They had great bedside manner, thoroughly explained our options for next steps, proactively provided cost transparency, and offered follow up appointments. They also helped me prioritize what was needed so I could decide what to schedule with my pcp to save some money - it's clear they aren't trying to take advantage of you! We saw Dr. Vezeleva, and I can't recommend her enough.
• CH

  Christy Holman

  Apr 5, 2026
  1.0
  Incredibly heartbreaking experience. We were referred to this hospital by our vet because they had ultrasound capabilities for our three-year-old cavapoo that our vet did not have. We spent nine hours in the hospital with him to get an ultrasound done. The staff upfront could not be more rude and unfriendly. The young vet, Dr. Hight called and told me he had cancer in all of his organs and immediately tried to upgrade the testing so I would pay an extra $600 on top of the $1300 we already paid. The extra testing was completely unnecessary being how aggressive his cancer was. I hadn’t even got off the phone with her and they were texting me an invoice to pay for the extra testing. The “doctor” never said, “I’m sorry, this happened”, “Our condolences ,,,” absolutely NO BEDSIDE MANNER AT ALL, Within 30 seconds of hanging up the front desk called to have me pay the $600 for the extra testing they said I could get. I was in tears as you can imagine and couldn’t even process the fact that they had just told me my dog had aggressive cancer and probably wouldn’t make it a few weeks so I told her I would call her back. 19 hours later my poor baby passed away from internal bleeding. They poked and prodded him to do biopsies on his organs without sedation. He was already a very nervous dog. He couldn’t even get his fingernails clipped without sedation so how they managed to get three needles into his lymph nodes, liver and spleen without a fight I have no idea. The next morning, I came home and he was bleeding out of his nose. We rushed him back, and Dr. Hight came in and turned an awful situation into an unbearable situation with her lack of experience, knowledge, and bedside manner. Her lack of compassion was so clear and shows she’s in the wrong business. She said he probably had sinusitis. She was incredibly rude. When we went into their “comfort room“ to be with him while he passed, it was no comfort room at all. It was an office with two chairs and a bench. After we said our goodbyes, we stayed with him for a half a hour loving on him. We let them know we were ready to leave and they made us sit in there and wait for an hour. No one came in. No one checked on us. Absolutely nobody cared. I had to watch him bleed through his nose and eyes as we sat in there waiting. This is such a private and personal matter that I would never share it in public, but I am only posting this because I’ve seen in their reviews that we’re not the only family that took our puppy in and within days he passed away. The vet we saw was young and inexperienced, she should still be in training. My husband called and asked them if they would refund us back for the extra testing they said we needed. They did agree to that. I am filing a formal complaint with the Board and the state of California for malpractice. No dog, especially at three years old, should get a diagnosis of cancer with a prognosis of weeks to months to live and pass away in less than 24 hours after being poked and prodded where the tumors were. I’m sure they will respond to this review to try and protect their reputation, but what happened to our puppy is absolutely unbearable and traumatic. The least they could have done was show some signs of compassion. It was an absolutely awful experience that has left us even more devastated than we already were knowing our puppy was so sick. Shame on this establishment.

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