Hillview Pet Hospital

I will start with a big saying that might surprise you when you first read it but read on and you will believe it: «The best veterinary hospital with the best veterinarian in East Bay». We, I and my kitty, met him six years ago after I adopted my cat from the Berkeley Animal Shelter. At that time we were located in Berkeley. It was our first veterinary visit and we didn’t know how the others would be. We entered the hospital knocked on the window there appeared a very kind lady with a warm welcoming smile. They asked us to have seat and it took one or two minutes for Dr. Kim to open the door and welcomed us to his room. The first impression I had about him was him being hearty. He diagnosed my cat and prescribed him couple of medications which as a result quickly relieved my kitty from the symptoms he was having at that time. We were very happy when we left and Dr. Kim guided us to the door of the hospital and waved after us. He had given us the best compassionate caring someone could ever give. We felt like we visited our granddad. This was all lovely till we moved to Fremont. There I tried two different veterinary hospitals which had the highest Unilocal ratings. There we experienced the «REAL VET VISIT» where we kept waiting to enter the room for at least 15 minutes and sometimes more than that, and once we were in the room we waited another 15 minutes and guess who we saw of course the nurse, who was there for just weighting my cat and measuring his temperature. Then she told us that doctor will come soon, when we understood that she wasn’t the doctor… Then we waited another 10 — 15 minutes for the doctor to come in… In one of these real vet visit experiences after a lot of mumbling and bumbling the veterinarian couldn’t even prescribed my kitty the right medication and we paid double the price that we were used to pay to Dr. Kim. I was disappointed, and after all those wait my cat was disappointed as well. After this visit I decided to take him to Dr. Kim, we had to drive an hour to get there but it worth it, the feeling of being in secure hands and of course Dr. Kim diagnosed him correctly and gave us the right medication and guess the price was half the price we paid for the wrong medication. And our grandpa Dr. Kim conducted us to «the door of the hospital» waving behind us and telling me to take good care of his grandson.
I never got my lesson and one day when my kitty came limping I decided to try another veterinary hospital in Fremont there we were disappointed as well, and paid a lot for an x-​ray and finally they told us to rest at home for couple of days. Guess what happened, we had to go to our grandpa after couple of days because my kitty’s leg couldn’t heal, Dr. Kim checked his leg, he didn’t even look at the x-​ray and was able to make a diagnosis and the medication he prescribed help my kitty right a way.
Then we moved to Oakland. We were happy to be close to our dear Dr. Kim.
But, in an emergency situation I had to try another «#1 Veterinary Hospital» in Berkeley another disappointment and paying another high bill for an x-​ray which never helped and we had to wait a long time to see the actual veterinarian and this was an emergency… And of course next day we had to see Dr. Kim in the morning because the prescription we got from that hospital didn’t stop the symptoms at all and they sent the x-​ray to a specialist which I didn’t hear back till afternoon. I called Hillview Pet Hospital and they gave me an appointment within 20 mins and because it would take me at least 20 mins to reach there… Dr. Kim again didn’t need to see the x-​rays and prescribed a medication which ease the sytmptoms and help my kitty recover within the following couple of days. Then we went there for a follow-​up and we DIDN’T PAY ANYTHING!!! I tried another veterinary in Monclair Village Oakland, CA it wasn’t too bad but the wait time was long, my kitty gets frustrated when he waits a lot and sees other pets there, and we paid A LOT and the veterinarian wasn’t any hearty, compassionate, concerned at all. We are planning to see Dr. Kim tomorrow again and we are so excited about it, I even took my brother there to meet him, he is a unique veterinarian with a unique personality. I could write more about him I have similar stories to share but all ends up to this: «He deserves more than 5 stars and I mean it! »

You will never get veterinary care that is better, more personal or more compassionate than what you’ll get from Dr. Kim. There are no fancy waiting rooms here, and no unnecessary check-​ins, where a nurse weights your pet for no reason. Dr. Kim welcomes you in immediately and gives you his full attention. He is humble, loving and kind. His treatment is exact and to the point. I had been in situations where I had taken my cat to an emergency hospital, where the first thing they did was to take an xray and charge us $ 300 for it, and my cat was no better for it. Dr. Kim diagnosed the situation immediately — no xrays necessary — and the prescribed medicine made my cat better within hours.
I cannot recommend a vet more highly, sometimes I wish he was my doctor. You’ll get used to his accent, if you put in a little effort.

I like these nice folks a lot. They have always been very nice to me and especially to my 2 beautiful dogs. I think their services are probably limited, no specialists here, but for most routine care it is a great place with warm hearted animal lovers to care for my pets. Their prices are lower than most too.

i love Dr. and Mrs. Kim! And it’s important for me to support a modest, family-​owned business that has been in the community for years and really cares about its clients. I used to go to the SPCA in San Francisco, but I moved to the East Bay and I’m so much happier taking my two cats here. They never try to upsell or make me feel bad about any decisions regarding pet care (like I experienced at the SPCA) and they are thorough and sweet with both of my cats. I always know I can trust them and even though my cats hate it (understandably!), I feel great going there and knowing they are in good hands :) They help make a stressful situation for a pet-​owner much more pleasant!

They are supper nice and professional.
Will do the extra for you and your pet.
Few times they stayed late for me.
They give their privet cell phone for emergency :)

Dr. & Mrs. Kim are wonderful. It’s a non-​issue their accents are not American as Dr. Kim is an excellent vet, they geniunely care, and appointments are a breeze to book. I see from his diploma hanging on the wall in the clinic he got his vet degree from UC Davis in 1985. Sure, it’s a modest business but Dr. Kim is efficient, effective and professional. He and Mrs. Kim have seen us through the lives of our three cats (one which lived until the ripe old age of 23) and now provide great vet care for our rescued lab. It’ll be a sad day for our family when they decide to retire.

Even though some people say «rude» or «unfriendly», I can’t believe it because it was very nice and pleasant experience for us. Dr. Kim and Ms. Kim were so welcoming. They are smiling all the time!
Yes, I agreed that we had some difficult time to understand what he said but it was OK level not that bad.
Our dog had some skin problems.
Dr. Kim explained well, did not give us any pressure, showed some options and let us choose whatever we feel comfortable.
I am not sure if it is very cheap but a visit was $ 45 and 2 anti-​allergy shots were $ 55.
We will definitely go back!

Dr. Kim is a devoted and caring doctor. He and his wife work together with no extra staff. As a result, his office is very intimate — he always remembers you and your pets no matter how much time has passed. He has a very thick accent but his wife is a great translator.
We first visited Dr. Kim 11 years ago with two feral kittens that other vets refused to treat. He was extremely professional and lighthearted, delivering expert care at a fair price. He is consistently gentle, compassionate, and caring. To this day, he still remembers us and our cats every time we visit.

I don’t take my pets to Hillview Pet Hospital anymore, because I live well into Oakland and their office is too far to travel, (never mind with a sick animal or a screeching cat,) but Dr. Kim was my vet for numerous animals 1995 – 2001 and I found him to be very kind and accommodating.
For the first five years of that period I lived on a boat at the Berkeley Marina and since people have a disgusting practice of «dumping» animals at the marina, during that time I rescued approximately 20 animals – all but one were dogs. Some of them required veterinary care, and Dr. Kim always gave me a discount since he knew me and knew the animals were not my pets. He was very skilled and compassionate as he handled these very stressed out critters. The animals, even when they were feeling ill, seemed to know Dr. Kim was on their side.
In 1995 – 2001, I also took my own pets to Dr. Kim. I had two cats and three dogs during that time. Dr. Kim was wonderful to me and my animals, and Mrs. Kim, who runs the administrative side of the business, was also compassionate and very skilled at assisting Dr. Kim.
Hillview Pet Hospital is definitely not a fancy vet office. It feels homey, comfortable, and, honestly, a bit well-​worn. I don’t need a fancy vet office, though – at least for regular veterinary care. I know where to go for specialists and emergencies – and if possible I would rather not pay for an extensive remodel with groovy furniture indirectly as part of my pets’ regular health maintenance.
I do wish that Dr. Kim spoke better English. (I’ve lived abroad a couple times, though, and been on the other side of the «native tongue» equation, so I’m perhaps more forgiving than others about this issue.) When I needed help understanding what Dr. Kim was trying to explain to me, Mrs. Kim always stepped in to help out. This can be somewhat tiring, though, so that’s the reason I am giving them four stars instead of five.
Kams-​hamnida, Dr. and Mrs. Kim. (That’s «thank you» in Korean – they were always happy to help me practice the 20 words I remember from a vacation in Korea 20 years ago.)
I recommend Hillview Pet Hospital if you’re in the El Cerrito/​Albany/​Richmond area – especially if you’re looking for a less expensive but still high-​quality veterinarian.

If I could leave no stars I would, I would never take my pets here. I made an appointment for one of my dogs for a second opinion, all was well until my other dog got sick. I had an appt at 10:30, called at 10:00 to see if I could swap appts. I had to call three times before anyone answered the phone, which was annoying. My poor dachshund was in severe pain and when I called the receptionist gave me the run around about blood work from a previous vet. When I asked if she could call and get those records instead of me having to stop on my way with a very sick dog, she told me no that it would be a waste time and that I should probably take my dog somewhere else. I was appalled and shocked that she even suggested that, what vet would not want to treat a sick animal, isn’t that what they do? I was infuriated and canceled the appointment all together. I then called another vet and they were gracious and caring and got us in immediately.
I have never had such poor service. It was a shame I never even got to meet the doctor because the staff thought my pet was a waste of time and not worth her energy. Ridiculous.

Yes, you may have a hard time understanding the doctor if you have a difficulty with accents, but this place is great.
Very friendly, thought my puppy was the cutest, and the bill wasn’t as steep as other places. It’s been very easy to schedule appointments and they are really accommodating.

I don’t know why Ange M. or L. A. had their respective problems, because whenever I have called during business hours Hillview’s receptionist has picked up and been very polite to me (and I’ve taken my cat to them for years). Her accent is easily understandable, too. Hillview Pet Hospital is a friendly, accommodating family-​run establishment with a gentle and skilled vet.

After calling this place once to make an appointment and having a barely english-​speaking, rude woman on the phone, I never called back, nor will I ever go there.

Well, well… this review is likely to change… if anyone at Hillview Pet Hospital ever picks up the phone!!!
I am trying to make an appointment, and cannot get a person or answering machine to pick up… grrrrr!!!
–Ok, ok, I am not heartless after all! I have given them 4 stars instead of 1, because once I was able to get them on the phone, they were very kind and acommodating. And when our puppy had his appointment, the vet was very sweet and gentle with my boy.
Why didn’t they get 5 stars you ask? Because they take FOREVER to answer the phone! They need an answering machine PRONTO!