Testimonials

10/7/2009

My baby boy was referred here for allergy concerns. Dr. Power, the staff allergist, isn't in the office often (only on Tuesdays), but she knows her stuff, listens well to my concerns about my pet's health (and even anticipates my needs as a caregiver), and has the perfect touch when it comes to making a care plan, not too pushy, not too lax.

The reception staff is helpful and friendly, and it's very nice that they have parking available, although the white zone gets filled up really fast while clients go inside to get the garage door openers.

Sara C., San Francisco, California

9/20/2009

..i would like to give a BIG shout out to sfvs!!!! you guys rock!..

Michele S., San Francisco, California

9/6/2009

My other kitty had to go in to be checked for a tumor. He saw Dr. Sabhlok for his diagnosis and Dr. Watt for his surgery. They were both great with my cat and me and explained how things would work and what the possible outcomes would be and what the potential cost was. Also the surgery tech Andy - i think that was his name- was especially nice and helped answer my questions. Kitty is all healed now.

It's very quick to get an appt here. It's a bit like a people ER or hospital vs a regular dr or vet in terms of feel which is fine because I have a regular vet I like. It can feel as bit rushed as they were ready to do the surgery almost immediately.

One thing to note is that if you decide to wait to think about things or figure out your finances before scheduling things be sure to ask questions when you schedule your appt. I think the desk assumed that we'd previously had specific instructions about presurgery prep which we hadn't. It was only prior experience that made me realize that I might need to pull his food and water the night before surgery.

This place is expensive but I think they do good work. FYI if you might go here for something like surgery they prepare and estimate and you have to pre pay the high estimate before the appointment. The high estimate i got was 2500 and the actual ended up being 2250.

They don't offer an in house payment plan but they do accept care credit which is a credit line linked to drs offices offered through GE financial. I haven't yet figured out much about care credit except that it seems to be easy to get approved. You apply for an amount and get an acct number. You use that number to prepay the estimate and when you do you choose a repayment option - if you can do it in 6 months there's no interest. The desk was also helpful when I was unable to get my care credit number from the website.

M.H., San Francisco, California

8/20/2009

I was really surprised to read some other Yelpers reviews because we had the exact opposite experience. The staff were truly exceptional to us and our kitty in every way.

Unfortunately we had a terrible emergency with our kitty and we spent two of the worst days of our lives at SFVS. However, the staff were all so amazing and compassionate to us. If you have to go through something like what we did, there couldn't have been better people to help support you through it.

Everyone was extremely caring and understanding especially as my boyfriend and I were both crying messes for most of the time we spent there.

As for cost, it is emergency care which is always expensive. I was so relieved they had the Care Credit and they were very helpful in getting us set up with that. In addition when I compared their bill to the one we received for the 6 hours our cat spent in emergency care with our regular vet--SFVS was actually cheaper than our regular Vet.

Alisa D., San Francisco, California

8/16/2009

This is the place I am most comfortable going to for emergencies for my babies. In addition, Dr Fong in their integrative medicine dept is doing a wonderful job with my dog who has struggled with colitis all his life. Downstairs, Dr Jaime (why am I blanking on her last name??) is a perfectionist and she is the vet you want in the room if your pet is going to be under anesthesia. She is really on top of her game.

Lady J M., San Francisco, California

8/16/2009

SFVS is simply the BEST place to take your pet for emergency and integrated medical care! Our cat was initially nursed back to health after kidney failure caused by a blocked ureter over 2 years ago, and his combined allopathic treatments (by Dr.Maretzky with some input from Dr. Stewart) and acupuncture (Ella Wood) saved his life. His follow-up care could not have been better, with every aspect of SFVS reflecting the highest standards-competent, kind professional staff (Justin-you rock!), amazing nurses and technicians, and unbeatable medical professionals, who are committed to offering the best care possible with compassion and competence. Dr. Maretzky has been AMAZING from day one, offering succinct recommendations on the best treatment options with attention to cost and the animal's well-being, and always answering follow-up questions in a timely manner.

Ella deserves special mention for her unique specialty-she initially put our cat on a chinese herb that helped prevent the formation of kidney stones, something no Western practitioner knew about, and gave him acupuncture treatments to speed his healing and minimize his pain! Moreover, she is great at what she does, loves her animals to death, and offers care that is both very effective and alas, very hard to find at a Vet. Our cat continues to benefit from her efforts, and is doing great!

Bruce S., San Francisco, California

8/12/2009

..I think my sentiment echoes what many of the other people have said. These are miracle workers. My dog just jumped on top of my bed. Only a few weeks ago, he fractured the head of the femur with a type 4 fracture of the growth plates. Dr. Watt & Co saved him. Not a whole lot to add to that..

Victor B., San Francisco, California

7/12/2009

I feel like I can speak from expert status on this place. In the past month, my dog has been very ill and spent many, many days in the care of Drs. Stewart, Maretski, Bowen and Mehl due to recently diagnosed liver disease. Each has been incredibly thorough, caring and compassionate. The nursing staff has been equally fantastic (Simon, Jimmy and Breasa, thanks for being virtual Mom for me when Jackie was under your watch). The front desk staff too has been so kind -- Justin, the world would be a better place with you positive energy. For anyone who has to bring their pet to SFVS, view the staff there as your trusted advisors. If you have a question, ask. If you need to shed a tear or ask for a hug (both for you and your pet), feel free to do so. These people are professional and care.

Elizabeth J., San Francisco, California

6/11/2009

My little black kitty was sick - and I mean sick as a dog. She had a struvite stone in her little belly and I had to get it removed. Yes, it cost me $3,000. It was expensive BUT what else can one expect from a hospital?

The place was immaculate and clean. The staff explained everything to me in detail and took as much time as I needed to answer all of my questions. They got her into surgery immediately and called me when she was through to give me an update.

Katherine B., San Francisco, California

5/18/2009

Five stars for SF Vet Specialists for being excellent. It's unbelievably stressful to have a dog sick for months and not be able to figure out what's wrong with him. Because of Dr. Stewart's combination of being the best vet you can find and caring a tremendous amount about the well being of your pet, he was able to find what has been making our dog ill for months. After months of visits to other vets, who ran tests and prescribed special diets, doing their best to try to diagnose what was wrong, we were finally referred us to SF Vet Specialists so that Scooter could see an internist. We saw Dr. Stewart and he spent the next month working through the symptoms with us, guiding us through the tests and medications that Scooter needed, and finally finding the cause of Scooter's discomfort, inflammatory bowel disease. Scooter's still getting treatment there, probably indefinitely, and we're very grateful and thankful for all of the care Dr. Stewart and the excellent staff at SF Vet Specialists give our dog.

Heather h.., San Francisco, California

5/10/2009

I was referred here by my general vet. Let me tell you...this place gets down to business. The surgeon was able to give me a precise diagnosis of my dog within an hour. My dog's x-rays showed a torn ACL and dislocated knee cap. The surgeon and all the staff here genuinely love animals, and they understand the owner's perspective. They weighed the options with me, and showed me estimates for surgery.

They kept Frankie overnight for observation after surgery, but they offer visiting hours. It seemed like they took great care of him when I went to pick him up. My 80lb pitbull mix proved to be a handful for them even under pain and anesthesia. He was pulling the poor assistant everywhere. But they were nice about it and had no complaints b/c Frankie is so cute! The surgeon did a great job b/c the bruising went away after a few days. And the 6-inch incision is healing nicely. ..

Wendy L.., San Francisco, California

12/6/2008

... Dr. Watt is brilliant at what he does, and if you are lucky enough to be able to afford him, I highly recommend him as a surgeon. He has performed three surgeries on our boy, once after a knee injury and two following a very severe car accident. We were in Africa when our dog was hit by a car, and it was extremely reassuring knowing that he was in Dr. Watt's care. He presented all of our surgical options and we wound up (mutually) selecting the cheapest and safest option.

Our dog has recovered dramatically from all of the surgeries and now has a lot of good friends at SFVS who obviously all truly care about him. We can't thank Dr. Watt enough for his help in saving our dog and returning him to a normal, happy life.

Eric M., San Francisco, California

11/18/2008

3 weeks after a "tightrope" repair on my dogs ACL (CrCL), she is doing very well. She is still restricted but only shows a slight limp. Dr. Watts was very professional through the process. The line where they made the cut was stitched in a very clean manner. The charges, while a lot ($3400 for surgery and ~$400 for followup and meds), were similar to Dr. Sams in Marin.

5 stars for doing a "tightrope" repair instead of what seems to me as a barbaric TPLO repair.

Ryan S., San Francisco, California

10/16/2008

my pug's been going here on and off since she was a puppy, but our most recent experiences have been with Dr. Vitale, the dermatologist at SFVS.

we've visited Dr. Vitale 3 times so far and while Mia's maintenance level hasn't cut me any slack, Dr. Vitale has at least been able to diagnose her problems (chronic, hereditary, airborne allergies.. basically awesome stuff) and help make her as comfortable as possible. he's also been great at getting back to me when i leave him messages and answering any questions when i have them. most recently, he generously accommodated us for a next-day appointment even though he was booked (and spent ample time with us while we were there). in a nutshell, we like him.

also, the front desk and support staff has always been nothing but friendly and accommodating to us. there is one woman who works there who remembers Mia from when she was an 8-week-old puppy, even though our visits have been sporadic and far between, and she LOOOVES Mia. she always makes a point to come over and say hi give her some lovin'. we like that, too.

yes, they're pricey, but they are SPECIALISTS and you should know what you're signing up for before you visit a specialist.. right?

kay l., San Francisco, California

9/1/2008

Nice, clean and professional! Not cheap but great doctor and staff. My rescue is usually horrified by male vets and this time, the doctor put her so much at ease she licked his face! She doesn't LIKE going to the vet still or anything but I considering how clean and nice it is to wait there (they partitioned the wait rooms so that not all animals are stuck together), that they are open all hours and they are professional, this is my vet for sure!

B K., Los Angeles, California

8/24/2008

There is a sense of comfort I have just knowing that this place is available 24/7 and is within driving distance. They have every type of animal specialist you can possibly need for a pet as well as off-hour emergency services. My Pekingese had spinal surgery performed a couple of years ago by Dr. Frankle after a disk problem left him nearly paralyzed. They took very good care of him during his post-op stay and they even offered on-site acupuncture to speed up recovery time. He bounced back quite quickly upon returning home and was up and walking on his own within two days. Needless to say, it was a huge relief. It cost me dearly, but my little guy is worth it.

Carol Y., San Francisco, California

06/23/2008

My doggie Madison has a cancerous tumor on her hip area. You can read my (lengthy) review of Bay Area Veterinary Specialists to see how I ended up here at SFVS. http://www.yelp.com/bi...

Anyway, I met with Dr. Fong, the head of the Holistic Medicine department and before I could bring it up, he was mentioning a Bloodroot derived product that he has had good success with called Neoplasene http://www.buckmountai...

There was a consult with an oncologist, Dr. Rodriguez, outlining the "traditional" course of treatment which mirrored most of what I had heard already. The difference between him and the oncology resident from BAVS in talking through the options was astonishing. He had a much more upbeat attitude and I didn't feel like I was being spoken down to. He also was not dismissive when I said I rather not use his services (surgery) in lieu of the less invasive holistic treatment.

Anyway, armed with this information we decided to start treatment last Friday, 6/20, with injections deep into and around the border of the tumor. Three days later I can already see part of the tumor being eaten away (looks kind of gross, actually). I have high hopes for a successful treatment without surgery for my girl!!

Andrew C., Oakland, California

06/13/2008

I have two dogs both of whom have had surgery at SFVS.

I have to agree, that the place is very expensive. However, I have to say my experience with the doctors and nurses there has been nothing but excellent. There is one standout front desk person - Justin. He is extremely nice, helpful, and completely competent. He follows through when he says something, and if you ever had a problem that needs straightening out, then he is your guy.

The medical staff are top notch. My dog is currently having particularly aggressive cancer care there, and quite frankly the amount of money I have spent, I could have bought a new car. However, Dr Sabhlok is the best - she is completely up to date on treatments, thinks outside of the box, is open to ideas, is compassionate and knows where the owner is coming from. My dog just today underwent a very dangerous and complicated surgery to remove secondary cancer which wasn't recommended by the Internal Medicine team. However, after a lot of discussion with the Oncology folk, and then the Surgical team, I came to the decision to go ahead, and he is being treated very well, very humanely, and with extremely skilled hands. I do understand why people get angry with some of the excessive costs, but the skill and compassion level is top notch from our MANY experiences.

I have had personal experiences with Dr Sabhlok, Dr Fong, Dr Maretzki, Dr Rodriguez, Dr Watt, Dr Brown, and now Dr Mehl and I have not one negative thing to say - they are knowledgeable, and compassionate.

Kerry W., San Francisco, California

06/09/2008

After spending a great Saturday at Fort Funston, we decided to visit a buddy in Daly City. My old guy was a little tired and cranky and bit my friends dog on the side. In my dog geek circle it is understood that you are responsible for your dog's actions. We called North Peninsula EMX and they had a two hour wait. They recommended SFVS and I'm glad they did. I brought my buddy's dog up and had wait a bit but we were seen really quickly.
Here is what I liked:
Easy parking.
Short wait.
Let me bring my pup in the room. (I like to bring my pups to the vet and have nice experiences so they don't associate visits with only bad things) Very nice receptionist and tech.
VERY nice vet., Dr. Wong.
in and out in less than an hour.
No hidden costs or unnecessary procedures.
Least expensive bill ive had in several emx visits.

Here is what I did not like:
Nothing.

Rocky D., Redwood City, California

02/26/2008

We, unfortunately, got the opportunity to meet with their Oncologist, Dr. Rodriguez.

I was so completely impressed with him. He is smart and has a good bedside manner. He gave us the clinical information, and the options and then he did what the other oncologist was afraid to do - he gave us his opinion about what we should do.

After discussing it with my husband we decided to follow his course of action. It's been a year now and my dog is cancer free.

Even if he would have been wrong, and we knew that was a possibility � he had the balls to give an opinion.

Kristin G., San Mateo, California

02/21/2008

I have used the SFVS Emergency Services for my dog and was really impressed. The staff is efficient and friendly and provided excellent customer service and medical care.

But really what I love about SFVS is Ella Woods. She has helped our 11 year old dog tremendously. Ella is a Chinese Medicine Practitioner- highly knowledgeable and skilled in acupuncture and herbal medicine. Ella is great with animals- my dog really enjoys seeing her.

Ella has helped my dog with a pulled muscle in her neck that kept her limping for days. After Ella's treatments, she recovered completely. As my dog is developing some arthritis in her lower back and hind legs, Ella's combination of acupuncture and herbs have made a big difference. My dog is no longer walking with her tail down and is able to walk and run. I have sent other friend's dogs to Ella's, and they have all improved in their conditions � Kidney and bladder issues, as well as dizziness caused by vestibular syndrome.

Ella is an excellent choice for an alternative approach to conventional veterinary medicine. Although she is not a vet, Ella works with vets and knows when conventional medicine is needed for an integrative approach.

Daniela F., San Francisco, California

01/31/2008

If you love your pet more than you ever thought was possible, this is the place to take them if they're ill and require more expertise than your regular vet can provide. The docs are first rate, the staff friendly, helpful, and most of all compassionate. We are more neurotic than most pet owners and never do I feel that anyone there thinks that we are overreacting.

Dr. Alan Stewart is one in a billion (Our cat's Internist). Our cat is high stress (as are we) and he does everything that is humanly possible to keep her calm including hugging and nuzzling her as if she were his own cat. We never feel rushed or that Dr S. has not examined every aspect of the situation. Moreover, he does all he can to keep us calm and purring.

The same is true of Dr. Carlo Vitale who (our cat's allergist) who has such a love of what he does that it just shows through every time we see him.

One last thing. Gaby, the office manager, is someone that I truly respect and admire. She sets the tone for the rest of the desk staff so that pet owners such as myself and my wife know that no matter what is happening with our cat, or how upset we get, the staff is there to help in any way that is humanly possible.

David K., San Francisco, California

10/29/2007

This place is amazing. The staff at the front desk are punctual, knowledgeable, polite, and very sympathetic when you come in with an injured animal. The doctors were super gentle with my dog (who is pretty shy around strangers), talked to him before touching him to calm him down, explained everything to us very thoroughly, answered all our questions with no complaints, never seemed rushed with us (even though we were definitely not the only people in the emergency section with an injured pet) and did a great job with my dog. They all truly seem to love animals and I think that makes a big difference in vet care. I have no idea what their other departments are like (all the holistic health specialists, etc) but I can say that there is nowhere else in the city I'd rather take my dog for emergency care. They made a horrible experience much easier to deal with. Actually, we've had to go twice, for two different incidents, and we've been really happy with them both times. I cannot recommend them highly enough.

Holly B., Daly City, California

09/04/2007

Wow, Susan our house cat has made a major change after just one visit with Betsey Carpenter (not the cat you see in the photo here, that was me petting a cheetah at a zoo in Africa...i know, not the smartest thing to do but really fun). After a neurological exam at UC Davis, we thought we were destined for an expensive back surgery. We discovered that Betsey Carpentar is an animal chiropractor at SFVS and we went to her not knowing what to expect. She did marvelous work on our cat easing our cats back spasms (that we didn't know about). She really took her time, and gently gave our cat tremedous attention. Our cat can walk again when before his back legs were giving out and could barely get around. I'd recommend her without a doubt.

Accupuncturist and DMV Dr Fong is a kind and gentle man who produces results with his work. I did all the tests I could at UC Davis and eventually got a diagnosis of a spinal lesion in my cat. The problem was there was no treatment option at UC Davis. SFVS is a good place though I wish they had a neurologist on staff.

I was recommened to Dr Fong by chiropractor Betsy Carpenter. He always takes the time to discuss with me where our cat is at physically and emotionally and what possibly can happen with our treatment. He offers our boy named Sue Accupuncture and Hemotoxicology (chinese medicine with vitamins) into the body. It's helped quite a bit. He is really calm and precise with these accupunture needles.

Ella Woods is quite good as well, especially with herbal advice. She has a nice personality which didn't quite match up with my grumbly cat, (who usually has a great personality but was seriously constipated and mad about it). She sincerely cares and wants the best for your pet.

I haven't used hardly any of the vets at the hospital other than Dr. Fong who is both a vet and an accupunturist. When asked he ran a full blood panel for Sue without hesitation.

The front staff is generally nice. If you are in a crisis the most helpful thing to do I think is call. The will tell you if it is a good time to come in. I'd rather keep my pet at home than wait a long time for a vet when they are doing rounds or when the waiting room is full.

Denise D., San Francisco, California

08/03/2007

One of our cats, who is about 12, was catapulted out of the second story of our house in a freak accident and broke his back. Our local vet sedated and x-rayed him and sent us up to SFVS. I was at work when this happened, and started pulling down the reviews, and asked for another recommendation, but our vet strongly recommended that we go straight to SFVS. I got there before my partner did and started filling out forms, but as soon as he got there with our cat, they jumped into action. They knew exactly what to do, how fast they could do it and were honest about the fact that they didn't know what the outcome would be.

Dr. Watt and Andy were the two people we were primarily working with. We were given several updates over the next 24 hours as they tried to stabilize his condition and we always felt informed. Yes, it was very expensive, and the cost did go past the high end of the estimate. Follow up visits aren't included, so if your pet has something that will require multiple follow-ups you will pay for those. It is worth it if you have an injured animal and you want good care - I expect this type of care to be expensive, and I suspect that Dr. Watt should be one of the higher paid animal specialists around - you pay for that kind of expertise.

Our cat was treated successfully (entire recovery was about three months), and the outcome was better than anyone could have imagined with such an injury - he is able to walk and has a happy life again. I don't think anyone else could have pulled him through - certainly a local vet doesn't have these surgical capabilities, and probably very few places are even in a position to attempt it. The staff at the front desk were always nice, sometimes they don't understand that you need a different kind of appointment than they normally set up, but you can usually explain and get what you need. I think this was just a fantastic place for an emergency surgical situation.

Laura R., San Francisco, California

03/30/2007

I learned that my 2 and 1/2 year old dog had chronic renal failure. I took my little guy to Dr. Craig Maretzki who examined him with great care and understanding. He calmly informed me what to expect and answered all my questions. I was quite emotional and his matter of fact manner helped me keep my tears in check. He called me promptly with test results, answered all my additional questions and suggested some alternative courses of action. He talked to Charlie in a calm manner and handled him very gently (even gave him a couple of kisses).

The front desk staff was very organized. When we walked in for our second visit, they knew who Charlie was, greeted him by name, and cooed and gushed all over him. All the vet techs were extremely efficient, caring, sensitive, and knowledgeable. They treated my little guy with great care and love.

While I was waiting for Charlie to emerge from his blood tests, I had an opportunity to watch other vet techs and the front staff interact with dogs, cats, and nervous human companions. Every person was treated with respect and each pet was treated gently and lovingly.

I am extremely confident in Dr. Maretzki's treatment of Charlie and pleased that he listens to my questions on all the research I've done about chronic renal failure and some alternative treatments to follow. The front desk staff is efficient and very pleasant on the phone. Yes, this place is a business and some people seem to feel it's not "touchy-feely" enough or too expensive. All I can say is I know Charlie and I are in for a long haul with his illness and I feel he's getting the best treatment possible.

Laura M., San Francisco, California