UC Davis Veterinary Teaching Hospital

An extraordinary experience, far surpassing any expectation I had when I brought my sick cat Jennifer in for an oncology consult. I met with Dr. Fabrice Fosset and vet student Cassandra Shoup, who were so gentle and compassionate with my cat, and so very articulate and thorough in their examination and explanation and recommendations. Over a period of four hours, an extensive exam was performed, they looked at the x-​rays and read the test results I brought with me from a local vet, they consulted with faculty clinician Dr. Steven Epstein, and a printout of the findings, recommendations, instructions, and the two medications were given to me. The private rooms are warm and quiet, very stress-​free for the animal and human. The waiting rooms are wonderful — very large, quiet, with lots of magazines and coffee/​tea/​hot water available ²⁴⁄₇. The staff is very friendly and supportive. My cat was diagnosed with advanced malignant cancer, and our family chose no further tests or surgery. Their summarizing report is thorough and so very, very kind. «Thank you for entrusting us with Jennifer’s care. We are so sorry that we did not have better news for you today. We hope that your remaining time with Jennifer is precious, and know that we are here for you if you have any questions in the future. Please feel free to contact us or bring her in; our hospital is open ²⁴⁄₇.» I wish I had brought my cat here for all care — vaccinations, checkups, etc. Just recently UCD Veterinary Medicine Teaching Hospital was announced as #1 in the world. Well deserved. Thank you, Dr. Fosset, Ms. Shoup, and Dr. Epstein.

I just moved, and am using a new vet. My oldest cat just had a tooth cleaning done with this new doctor, and the vet found that he had a cavity and some gingivitis, and needed further dental work. One of the 4 clinics he recommended was UC Davis. I had taken one of my other cats to Davis about 6 years ago because she had a knee that kept popping out. The diagnosis, with X-​rays, was exceptional, and the charge was surprisingly little, and so I was open to trying UC Davis again. I called my former vet in Orinda to discuss options, and he was surprised at my previous good experience there, which alerted me to do a little research before I made an appointment. I am so glad that I did. There were so many negative Unilocal reviews that I finally sorted them starting with the lowest rating first. Over a third of the 113 reviews were one star ratings, so how can the overall rating be 4.5 out of 5? Anyway, by the time I got to page two, some of the accounts of how people and their animals were treated by the faculty and the interns had me in tears. It felt as if I was reading about research subjects, not patients, on top of which the price gouging and guilt tripping after bills had run up to as much as $ 30-​$ 40,000 was unbelievable. Honestly, PETA should go in there and do an expose on this place. What the heck happened to this hospital? This is NO place for a sick animal.
Needless to say, I won’t be calling UC Davis for an appointment, and I’ve called a few friends this evening that I’ve referred to UC Davis because of my experience 6 years ago, and told them to disregard that recommendation.

I took my dog here when she was suddenly having seizures. Growing up with animals i have always known about UC Davis Veterinary Hospital, but this was the first time i ever had to use them. Scared for my dogs life i took my dog here hoping they could tell me what was wrong. Shortly after arriving the veterinary came out to talk to me and give my dog a checkup. The veterinary went through my options and after hearing everything decided to leave my dog for observation for the day. Potential costs were outlined before i left and i felt confident that my dog was in safe hands.
In the end they were able to diagnose my dog and provide me medication to help stop the seizures. If it wasn’t for the people at UC Davis Veterinary Hospital i’m not sure if my dog would be at my feet while i write this review.

If I could give a minus for my review I would. I did not attend UC Davis. I took my young dog to the Vet Dept on the reccomendation of my personal vet. I was expecting so much and was so dissapointed. It isn’t that the vet, Jaime Peyton messed up though she failed to lled acmention a huge yearly cost the obraces, my dog needed, would cost. If I had known that I probably would not have preside this. I’m on disability so they let me put a $ 500 deposit while Davis donated 2,000. Very nice, I thought. But right from the get go, there was miscommunication. And the billing was so confusing I had to get an accounting friend to look T it for me. I called OrthoPets, they made the braces and there was about a $ 500 markup. Which they never explained. I just got the run around every time I called and that was numerous times. Each time someone said they would get right back to me but the never did. I ended up having to pay 187.00, that I was trying to get some answers about but never did. At the time treatment was not finished but no one ever contacted me again. It was just a miserable experience. And I find it hard to believe that I would be the only client to experience this.

I wish I could rate UC Davis Vet Hospital and their staff 10 stars. I have a 15 year old Maltese/​Terrier that is a very challenging case as she gets into trouble quite often. We have gone through a lot the last few years with our dog and experienced the very worst of emergency vet hospitals and over charging for unnecessary tests that have resulted in incorrect diagnoses. With the recommendation of our trusted vet — they have been able to get our precious dog back to where she was. I have worked with Dr. Dear to Dr. Bonadio seamlessly as they were in constant communication. All the the resident doctors are so pleasant and caring. I am able to reach out with questions and know they will respond with answers quickly.
Their pricing is fair and service is World Class. If you are ever in need of top notch vet hospital and caring place for your beloved family member– This is where you go. Period.

Neurology: Incompetent.
My elderly chihuahua had had an MRI and I wanted a second opinion. I spoke with one of the faculty there, who said she would be happy to review his MRI images. I duly made the appointment and received a call back saying «You understand that you will not be seen by faculty, you will be seen by a student and a supervising resident.» I wrote the faculty back explaining that I was not interested in having my arthritic elderly dog be a guinea pig and training device for a student; I only wanted a second opinion on the MRI images. She said she would be sure to see me that day.
Just as I’d feared, my dog was used a training vehicle for vet student who ran out of paper taking notes about his case and ended up writting on the back of a folded over sheet, and who apparently failed to communicate the main aspects of the case to her resident who came in and didn’t seem to know anything about my dog. The resident asked me if I ever noticed pain in Bernie’s neck «before now». This is after I gave the student a full accounting of when the pain started (years) ago and how we knew it was pain.
I also told the student that the reason for my visit was to get an opinion on the MRI. They took the CD-​ROM with the images on it, and disappeared for a very long time. They came back with almost nothing to say about the MRI. I had to query and didn’t get much other than yes it could be inflammation, yes it could be degeneration, yes it could be some leakage out of the ventricles, and no it’s not neoplasm.
They didn’t go over the MRI with me present, and they didn’t provide me with a report of their MRI findings (I actually contacted the faculty again, who explained that «Oh we don’t give reports on MRIs. That’s the radiology department.» Seriously?) They also REFUSED to let me talk to their supervising faculty — who btw was NOT the one I’d originally spoken with — that one was nowhere to be found that day. As we were leaving, they came and told me «We forgot to get his weight» and took him out of my arms. I thought that was strange, and later came to find out they had taken him to see the faculty … WITHOUT ME. I’m furious about that. They lied and they denied me access to the faculty.
After all this, these secretive geniuses concluded that after 4 years of being treated for neck pain, my dog probably doesn’t have neck pain. They recommended I take him off prednisone and pain drugs. They didn’t even mention the possibility of neuropathic pain (i.e., fibromyalgia). They seemed to be looking for something discrete like a bulging disk.
My regular vet was highly skeptical about their recommendations, but we decided to give it a try. After 3 weeks of reducing prednisone and pain drugs, my dog is now a basket case, shivering, guarding his neck, Unilocaling. I contacted the faculty but heard nothing back. So then I called and the resident who had seen him told me the faculty is OUT OF THE COUNTRY and cannot respond. I have to wonder what faraway desert or jungle this person is traveling in, to be unable to find a wifi signal.
Meanwhile the resident proceeds to chatter on about tramadol. Tramadol? After she diagnosed my dog as having no neck pain and recommended taking him off all drugs, now she’s telling me we should try tramadol? What on earth makes her think that over the past four years we didn’t explore that already? Oh right, I know. She never read the student’s notes about my dog. That was clear in the appointment.
This was the biggest waste of $ 165 I’ve ever experienced. I’d been warned that UC-​Davis is terrible. I have a horse friend who had two expensive surgeries that made her horse worse. Others have had incompetent students mess up their horses. Others have been over charged and double charged for services. They all said «Don’t go there» but I really wanted that second opinion.
If you want your beloved animal sacrificed on the altar of «the best vet school in the universe», go right ahead. Good luck with contributing to the fabulous UC Davis reputation. If you want communication, sensitivity, and competence, find another place.
Me? Never. Again.

AVOID THIS HOSPITAL LIKE THE PLAGUE.
We brought of our child «Einstein/​our cat)» to the emergency service of their hospital early night on 1÷20÷2016. Einstein was having trouble in breathing. We did sign the papers which were stating that the low estimate was $ 2200(like two thousand two hundred dollars and high estimate was $ 4900(like four thousand nine hundred dollars.)
We live in Oakland and they called us the next day saying that they will perform surgery on him. But at the next call we were told that they are doing some tests and they prefer to do the surgery after the test results. Also they did put a camera from his throat to see why he had the swelling at his trachea. They continued to keep us informed daily. Also we started receiving calls from their «crook» financial department every other day saying that our total was going up!
On Monday or Tuesday, the doctor informed us that Einstein was doing great and ate on his own. In her own words she said” we turned a major corner.” And she added that the next day they will also remove the breathing tube. Also she told us that he is doing excellent.
The next day when they removed the tiny tube but they saw that he had again breathing problems and they decided to do the surgery on Thursday. And every day our bill was going up several thousand dollars!
The doctor also told us that if Einstein were a dog they could have released him with this condition but it is not possible for the cats.
That day we visited Einstein and he looked miserable in his cage. And they were constantly saying that he is doing excellent and his all test results are excellent. When we were in our car I told my wife that poor Einstein did not look good at all!
On Thursday they did not do the surgery by saying that his red blood cell count was low so they decided to give him some blood and postponed the surgery to Friday. THEY ALSO DID MORE TESTS!!! BEFORE THE SURGERY. They called us again and said he is doing excellent.
Friday one hour before the surgery we received a call from the Doctor Lim saying that the swelling increased and ASKED US !!! if they should do the surgery!!! After one week!!! always saying he is doing great and suddenly things doesn’t look good just before the surgery!!!
After the surgery the doctor and the surgeon called us and told us that they did the surgery but unable to do anything because of the swelling!!! At this point if I am correct our bill went up to $ 26000(yes, twenty six thousand dollars!!!) And they told us that they can put a tube in and he may recover with time (they said %5 chance!!!) and they asked for another $ 8000 (eight thousand) for the next four days. When we told them that we can not afford anymore $ 8000 after already billed $ 26 000 they said «no way.» You pay or we put her a sleep. THEN THEY PRESUMABLY KILLED OUR PET.
THESE CRIMINALS SHOULD BE TRIED IN A CRIMINAL COURT. AGAIN OUR PET WAS ALIVE AFTER THE SURGERY. THEY PUT HIM TO DEATH BECAUSE WERE UNABLE TO PAY $ 34 000 (THIRTY FOUR THOUSAND DOLLARS!!)
SINCE THE FIRST DAY WHENEVER WE ASKED DR. LIM A QUESTION HER ANSWER WAS ALWAYS «WE DO NOT KNOW.» AFTER HUNDREDS OF TESTS SHE ALWAYS SAID «WE DON’T KNOW.» HER ANSWER FROM THE FIRST DAY TO THE LAST DAY WAS ALWAYS «WE DON’T KNOW!!»
We asked her if she doesn’t have any scientific curiosity to find out what Einstein has and her answer was” We are not a research hospital we are a teaching hospital!!!” Hilarious and sad!!! So, she is teaching to her students presumably only to say «we do not know.» Also several times we received calls from her student and the student’s version of treatment was different than Dr. Lim’s!
THEIR CRIMINAL FINANCE DEPARTMENT (WHO COULD TEACH MAFIA BOSSES IN SICILY HOW TO COLLECT MONEY!!) AND THE VETS WHO HAVE NO RESPECT TO THEIR VETERINARIAN OATH’S SHOULD BE PUNISHED AND THEY WILL BE PUNISHED.
After our last talk with them on Friday night we never heard back from them!!!
AT THIS POINT WE DON’T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO EINSTEIN. AS THE MONEY FLOW STOPPED THEY DO NOT COMMUNICATE WITH US ANYMORE (NOW IT IS SUNDAY LATE AFTERNOON AND SINCE TWO DAYS WE DID NOT HEAR FROM THEM.)
THIS IS SUCH A TORTURE. WE MISS EINSTEIN DEARLY. IT HURTS.
WE GO AFTER THESE CROOKS FOR TWO REASONS:
1– THEY MURDERED OUR PET AS WE WERE UNABLE TO PAY$ 34 000.
2– THEY TREATED OUR PET AND US LIKE DIRT WITH NONSTOP LIES TO SUCK OUR MONEY FROM THE FIRST DAY!!!
THEY JUST HAVE NO LOVE OR ANY COMPASSION FOR ANIMALS (ESPECIALLY THE CRIMINAL GROUP IN THE FINANCE DEPARTMENT) AND THEY WORK IN A PET HOSPITAL!!!
IF YOU KNOW ANYBODY WHO CAN BE HELP IN OUR FIGHT AGAINST THESE CROOKS WE WOULD LIKE TO HEAR FROM YOU
THANK YOU.

This place is pricey but worth it. I love that they take care credit and have the 18 month promotional period. Anyway, I have been taking my cat here for 14 months now… sadly she is a frequent flyer at the VMTH. Sasquatch has used the services of nutrition, dentistry, emergency, cardiology, internal medicine and integrative medicine — she gets acupuncture every week. When it comes to my cats health I make sure she gets the best, can’t go wrong with this place! She gets better care than I do. That’s for sure.

If I could get my own medical care done here, I would! Hands down the best in equine care and worth traveling to. The students and faculty are all warm, friendly and extremely competent. Prices are reasonable in comparison to local independent options and the care is always thorough and humane, especially when you face the the most difficult decision.

I wish I could leave no stars…
7 years ago, this used to be an amazing vet! They took care of the pets brought in and saw them not just as a paycheck but a family member who needed help. 7 years ago we brought our little baby girl to be diagnosed for an unknown disease which they found and helped us resolve.
Last year, while getting more money hungry and careless with their clients, but still one of the top of the line vets, we brought another one of our babies to have surgery for a tumor in his spleen. They did the surgery and told us that that type of cancer was rare and our dog would probably only live another year. He’s been fine for over a year and a half now.
This year things started going downhill quickly with their team. Another one of our dogs was diagnosed with a brain tumor and the neurologist on his case straight up told us that she didn’t like chihuahuas and that the best bet would be to euthanize him. They told us our cost would be about 6 – 8 grand and wanted the 6 upfront. 12 000 dollars later our dog is recuperating well because we fought to have him treated and, as I read other reviews, I’m glad it didn’t turn out worse. (Though we did get forced into 4000 – 6000 dollars worth of unnecessary tests).
Last night, my wife rushed our dog who was diagnosed 7 years ago into their clinic because she was unresponsive. After the 10s of thousands of dollars we’ve given them throughout the years and even this year alone, they refused to help us set up some kind of payment plan so we could try to save our little girl. We had to put her down and I didn’t even get to say goodbye. She was 10 years old. I wish we’d taken her elsewhere so that her yippie obnoxious bark could still be driving crazy today. RIP baby girl. I’m sorry we had to let you go.

This review is incredibly hard to write. I still grieve over my sweet Lab who died after being at Davis. Maybe Davis used to be great. It’s horrible now. Sort these Unilocal!reviews by «newest first» to see for yourself…
We brought our 5 year old black Lab into UC Davis because of an unknown/​undiagnosed illness by the recommendation of our regular vet. Bringing her there is one of the biggest mistakes of my life and will haunt me for all of my days. I won’t discuss the outrageous costs ($ 11,000 total), their unrelenting requests for the bulk up front, their complete lack of kindness, transparency or communication, nor their inability to figure out what was wrong after a week in their hospital. This review is about the most important thing: their treatment of my dog as essentially a living experiment for them to do as they wished, while we had NO control over her care. For those that love their animals as I do, PLEASE, PLEASE, do not send your kiddo there. For the rest of my days I will make it my mission to not let what happened to my Lab happen to ANY OTHER ANIMAL.
We were told when she first came in that there was hope (!) and they could treat her. With one surgery where they would removed ONE suspicious node for biopsy, they would have more answers and could treat her and give a diagnosis. We signed on the dotted line and paid them $ 7500 upfront. We were STRONGLY led to believe that they could help/​cure her. Come to find out upon visiting her the next day, that the same vet who told us that doing this surgery was a «good bet», had come in earlier that morning saying to the other vets she was «shocked this dog is still alive». That was my first clue that we had been completely and totally misled. Fed hope so they could have an «interesting case» for their teaching hospital.
They also put a vacuum bandage on her which we did not consent to. But worse… THEY HAD CUT HER OPEN IN 2 OTHER PLACES WITHOUT CONSENT. Our poor sweet Lab was suffering. And I saw other dogs there, suffering. And I wondered how many other pet parents had been fed the same lines. If they had also been told, «oh, it’s best not to visit, because it upsets them». But I demanded to visit. And they didn’t like that. Now I know why. I saw dogs lying on concrete with no beds or blankets, in a hot dank room, with no airflow. No stimulation… drugged up and quiet. I saw one tech pushing a dog on a trolley outside to pee, and then TIP THE DOG OVER. The dog, who had terrible balance (probably drugged up on pain meds), was roughly and angrily put back on the trolley by the post-​teen tech with an eye roll. It made me cringe.
I could see her deteriorating. Dying. And they kept telling me, «oh, no. She’s getting better. You just don’t understand. Our treatment is working». I was treated like a complete bumbling idiot, as someone «in the way» of their work, and annoying for not praying at the alter of UC Davis Vet superiority. The intellectual snobbery is really something to behold.
One day, she could not stand on her feet. I was told flippantly by the rotating student staff, «that’s because we have to keep re-​poking her to find her veins… they are so small!» Apparently, they were taking her into surgery several times a day to re-​poke her to find her veins for the IV —So many times that she could not stand. The student told me, «Yeah, I’ve never seen a dog have to be poked so many times. But she’s such a good patient, she just lets us do it».
The day my sweet girl looked me in the eye saying, «don’t leave me here… please don’t leave me» I knew I had to spring her from Abu Ghraib ASAP. But they didn’t let me. I had to wait TWO DAYS (while paying for the bill of course) because of the vacuum bandage they put on and THEY COULDN’T MAKE TIME IN THEIR SCHEDULE TO TAKE IT OFF. Unreal. The vets and staff had been hostile with me since I expressed my anger about them cutting her more than we agreed to, but now they went cold and cruel when I told them I was taking her home. The one vet on her case, Lynelle Johnson, coldly told me (in front of my 10 year old daughter), «If you take her home now, you may as well euthanize her». She is one of the coldest people I have ever met in my life.
When I brought her home, I saw that she had not 2 additional surgical cuts, but many. All over her body. My poor baby girl. They had even cut into her belly, and sewn up one of her nipples in the suture line. There was a bleeding cut on her shoulder, like a puncture. Her legs were swollen from all the IV pokes. We did not consent to this!!! Nor were we even TOLD about it!!! We would have never consented! Never!!! Please, do not send your animal there. Compassion, dignity, and quality of life are non-​existent and not in their vocabulary. I will forever regret my decision to put my trust in them, and I will never forgive myself for putting my dog through that. I’m so sorry, baby. RIP.

The only reason I gave them one star is because I had to to write this review. I will never take an other beloved 4 legged pet to Davis. After promising me that my dog would receive pain medication they decided that they would rather have the neurological staff i.e.“students” see the symptoms my dog was presenting. He had a brain tumor. They let him suffer so that the students could see his symptoms during morning rounds which were around 9am. I dropped him off at 1am. The Dr PROMISED me that he would have pain meds immediately. The only reason I left him there was for pain meds. He was in absolute misery. I will never forgive myself for trusting UC Davis. My beautiful loving boy died in a run, alone at Davis. There are more heart retching, unbelievable details. I won’t get into it. They charged me $ 6000 for the students to observe my dog in pain. Don’t take your pet to Davis… ever.

Two weeks ago, I was faced with the most difficult decision a pet owner would ever have to go through — watch my furbaby suffer or have to put him to sleep.
My furbaby of 14 years had severe Acute Kidney Failure, which was diagnosed through his regular vet earlier that morning. He already had a physcial exam, bloodwork and a urine test done. After consulting with the vet, my options would be an ultrasound to pinpoint the problem and start dialysis or to put him down. I went straight to UC Davis, since it was the only clinic nearby with a dialysis program.
There, a student came and performed ANOTHER physical on my already ill-​feeling doggie. She pressed pretty deep into my dog’s hind quarters to feel for the kidneys and whatnot and he kept looking back at her, not liking it one bit. After, I waited for about an hour for the intern vet to come see us.
The intern vet told me I needed to do bloodwork AGAIN, even though I brought all the test results from earlier that morning. She said it was because several hours had passed and they needed new numbers. I felt it was an unnecessary and only done to get more money from me. Either that, or they were following textbook steps and making me pay for it. Keep in mind that she never quoted me for any of this. they would just do it and tack it onto the bill.
They kept my dog in the back and came in to consult with me. Basically they needed to perform a series of tests to rule out the problem, which I was ok with. Coming in, I was already expecting about $ 6k for the dialysis, since I did my research on costs. But, they quoted me $ 8−9k and that was only for THREE dialysis treatments. That only covers about one week! Since he was severe, I knew it would take at least 5 – 6 weeks and cost WAY more than that.
So now, faced with money issues, my dog’s condition, his age, and whether I would want to put him through all that, I started asking questions on the recovery success rate, his severity conditions, his age, etc. Being 14 years old, he had already gone through 2 surgeries in his lifetime (one was only a year ago) and I didn’t want to put him through all that, only for him to not recovery in the end.
It seemed like every question I asked the intern vet, she would never give me a straight answer. Her answers was always «It’s too early to tell. We would need to perform the tests and ultrasound first in order to know more.» I felt like all she wanted me to do was pay for more services. She kept telling me I needed to keep him overnight, have IVs, and do ANOTHER bloodwork set in the morning to get numbers that would reflect my dog’s true condition. She also said she couldn’t answer my questions because the lab was closed and the bloodwork results would not come until the morning. So after rephrasing my questions tons of different ways, she finally told me, Yes, my dog would need dialysis no matter what the problem was, because he was very severe.
After talking to my sister and friends, I had to go w/​the difficult decision to take my dog home and put him to sleep within the next two days. I was not ready, but since he stopped eating and drinking water, I couldn’t keep him home because he was starving and suffering. With this, I pretty much broke down into a hysterical cry.
After I told the intern my decision, she gave me a guilt trip! I was distraught and could barely tell her that I wanted to take my dog home. She asked me why I wanted to do that. «Is it money?» WOW. Way to make me feel even more of a horrible person for having to pull my dog out and put him to sleep. I had to explain to her my reasoning as if I was defending myself. thanks.
Then she went on to overstep her boundaries and told me that «as a practitioner, it is inhumane» (her exact words) for me to take my dog home since he needed IVs and if I wanted to do that, I needed to sign a form. I understand that they cared for my dog and wanted to do everything to save him, but for me as a person, they did not care whether they would bankrupt me or how I felt in that situation.
She went to type her report and revise my bill. When she came back, the report had updated numbers regarding his bloodwork, comparing the earlier morning results to the one she just did. But wait. didn’t she just tell me that the bloodwork results would not come until morning because the lab was closed??? what BS!
The ER fee and bloodwork came to around $ 450. They never even put him on an IV the entire time he was back there. Obviously he needed it! What a waste of my time and money! I came here and left basically paying for exactly the same services I had already paid for at his regular vet. Actually, it was less because they didn’t even put an IV in for him. They wasted 3 – 4 hours and did absolutely nothing, but charged me double for it. And had STUDENTS working on my pet.
Rip off, inexperienced, unempathetic, unprofessional. Never again.

I made a call which was handled professionally, to this section of UC Davis. I don’t want to be a Debbie Downer, anyone working with our beloved pets, are heroes in my eyes. BUT, and it’s a big one (not mine, but you’ll get the reference).
I thought and clearly I’m wrong, but if your allowing Students to get their hands on our beloved creatures for training the trade off was that the price was LESS then your regular vet who already is charging as if I had a money tree in the backyard, from which to pluck from.
I was quoted 2.5 times more than what my own veterinary Dentist was quoting for the same procedure. Why???$$$ again, why?
So, where is the benefit to letting my sweet, small, non aggressive pet be put under the stressful procedure, rather than let her undergo the same procedure for 2.5 times less with people I know and trust???
Oh, if it isn’t obvious already, I’m not wealthy or even currently employed so its pretty much out of the question to set $ 3,000 aside for my beautiful dog for dental work when I need three times that amount for my smile to dazzle you and let you think ‘Wow, that girls got it going on! Meanwhile, rainbows and Unicorns are appearing from my neither regions.
Anyone willing to explain, I’m all ears. No Ponytail and/​or Single horned thingy-​ma bob required.

Wow this place is outstanding! I took my bearded dragon here and Dr. Sara Gardhouse was the best vet I have ever been to. She’s extremely smart, knowledgeable and a very sweet person. I can tell she really cared about my lizard and she was just so helpful! Also Courtney Blumer was amazing too. She was very smart and kind too. I can’t thank them enough for their hard work!

This teaching hospital is amazing!!! They literally changed our dog’s life. When we brought him in, he was unable to walk. He had no motor ability in his legs. From the minute they took him from me, the doctors communicated beautifully with us. I received a call 2x each day with status updates. My dog’s surgery went well and I truly believe that he was in the best hands possible!!!
We are one week post-​surgery and he is walking again. A miracle for sure!!! Dr. Knipe, the neurologist, performed the surgery with the amazing help of residents and vet students.
If you are ever faced with needing a specialist for your pet, don’t think twice about it. UC Davis is the best place to bring your pet.

My review is for the U. C davis small and large animal hospitals along with the doctors and oncology department. I was a student at UC Davis but I cannot speak for their veterinary teaching, I assume its some of the best in the country.
The operation procedure procedure on my dog was extremely complicated he had to have his spleen removed he had three types of cancer and needed a blood transfusion in and has allergic reactions to sedatives so the anesthesiologist had his work cut out for him. I have been to more then seven veterinary hospitals and my experience at UC Davis has been night and day 100 times better then any other experience I’ve ever had at any veterinary hospital in my life. That expertise the level of care the concern even though they have more animals that they see daily than any other veterinary hospital in California, it is all unbelievably amazing.

This was awhile ago but Prize, my daughters horse had a melanoma in her cornea. We took her to Davis for treatment by the equine ophthalmology dept. She was examined by so many people from students on up to the Chief of that dept who did the surgery. Saved her eye and now several years down the road her eye is still normal.
Now, Prize is twenty and our local vet thinks she may have a tumor under a incisor tooth so I’m going to make a appt at Davis Equine Dentistry.

Finding out my one and only baby — my 4 year old German shepherd dog — has osteosarcoma was one of the scariest and most nerve wrecking things I’ve ever had to deal with, but getting him surgery and treatment at UC Davis was the best thing that could have happened given the circumstances.
We found out when he started limping, what we thought was arthritis turned out to be cancer after some X-​Rays. Our local vet recommended two places: one was Sage in Campbell and the other being UC Davis. Sage was good too, but given this is cancer and required amputation, I wasn’t going to do so without consulting several experts– besides — Sage wanted about $ 8,000 for surgery alone and that was way out of my budget (we didn’t have doggie insurance either) and that’s not including chemo, hospital, which would have came out to be about $ 10 – 11,000.
Then we took him to Davis —
The appointment: the soonest one was two weeks out, but I was afraid my dog was going to be dead by then and asked if they could call me the min something opens up– the next day they called and said someone cancelled and a slot is available immediately next day at noon — I doubt any appt in the oncologist dept really got cancelled, I suspect they fitted us in during some doctors lunch break. Either way, so immensely grateful that they actually worked to get us in someway.
The oncologist appointment: you first see a vet student, who then relays his or her diagnosis and recommendations back to the professor, at the end, they both come back and give you their expert opinion. We found their demeanor to be honest, kind and compassionate. Mind you these are the top veterinarians of the nation so they were extremely smart and knowledgeable as well. Later that night, we received a very comprehensive memo about our discussion at the appointment and all the options. It was customized and covered what we talked about in extreme detail.
Communication– dr. made herself available to us via email and phone. When the results came in, she did everything she could to get us in the surgery department asap. We needed to do additional CT scans before the surgery so required both a CT scan opening as well as a surgery opening right after — despite the long waiting list, they got us in within one weeks time.
The surgery — our surgeon was just as professional and compassionate as all the other staff members we’ve interacted thus far. Post surgery, she actually sent us videos of our dog as he was recovering and taking walks. The student who was shadowing the surgeon also called us twice a day, just to let us know how our dog was doing. The team is always going above and beyond and I am truly grateful and amazed.
We finally picked up my baby today and they had made him a big «L» for Louis on his band aide wrap to make him look like a super hero dog. When I got him back and he was looking all happy and healthy –I broke down in relief.
This place has truly been great and I cannot say enough about how much I appreciate their expertise and compassion during this difficult time.
Last note on pricing — Surgery, hospitalization, including chemo, would be more than half of that of Sage — around $ 5000 (compared to $ 11,000) PLUS credit care has a special agreement with UC Davis where you can get 18 months zero interest. Thank god I didn’t have to lose my baby due to financial reasons– that would be the last thing anyone wants to deal with!

UC Davis Veterinary hospital makes you want to be an animal. Yes, yes; We humans are animals too, but you know what I mean.
Here’s what makes this place worth every penny:
1) Your pennies go a long way here. This place is extremely reasonably priced compared to the private sector. Your furry (or not so furry in the case of exotics) loved ones will be treated by the best in their business.
2) The students and residents at the hospital are extremely competent and compassionate. When your pet is hospitalized they will call you twice daily with updates. This will make you realize they work at least 12 hours a day.
3)Teaching hospitals conduct numerous clinical trials. Sometimes your animal can be included in a study.
4) The nutrition department is involved with a significant number of studies. This means your pet will get to try out various foods for free. It’s better than spending a lot of money on something your pet won’t eat.
I recommend UC Davis without hesitation.