VCA Sacramento Veterinary Referral Center

My little guy got into my grocery bag and ate some chocolate. I brought him here for treatment. The staff was amazing and the price was reasonable. I am very thankful to have a place like this in my community. Keep up the good work VCA!

Great doctors and support staff here. The quality of care and customer service are wonderful. I truly trust them with my pet’s care.
The doctors who worked with me had every opportunity to tell me I could have been a better pet-​parent or other I-​told-​you-​sos. They knew it, and I knew it. But they never went there; it only became about what they could do and what I could do from here on to help my little guy get the best treatment and quality of care for the remainder of his life. I am now completely broke. But no regrets.

We had a first visit with VCA Sacramento in 2013 for a referral to see Dr Katy Fryer, for our beloved GSD Bella and a possible hip dysplasia issue. We fell in love with the way she bonded with Bella, answered all our questions and calmed all our fears. No need for surgery at that time and we went on our sassy canine way. Recently, Bella became impaired in her hind legs and we were referred to Dr Gregg Kortz. Dr Kortz and his team, Mary, Jessica, and Heidi to name a few were amazing during our 6 weeks of care. Personable, approachable, dependable, clean, transparent, prompt, professional, educated, patient, kind, and warm are just some of the words that describe this Veterinary Team and Center. Though it has taken me some time to be able to post, I am warm with the opportunity by their support, to have had almost all of our entire family at the bedside while we assisted Bella across the Rainbow Bridge. This team will forever be in our hearts and at the top of our list for referrals for specialized care.

I have always had a pleasant experience with this VCA. One of my dogs is epileptic and we went through a very rough patch with her a couple years ago. Because of how well I was treated during that tough time I have stuck with them. They were so helpful and I felt comfortable leaving her with them when she had to be housed overnight. All of the veterinarians she has visited with i. e emergency vet, regular vet, and her neurologist have always helped me stay educated with her epilepsy and I appreciate that. The front office staff is always nice and courteous as well.

We had to take our three-​year dog here due to neurological issues he was having. The ER man vet was extremely cold and rude. He was not helpful one bit. In addition, he was acting like we were conducting some type of business deal, rather than being compassionate about our animal. The vet did not even TOUCH our animal, ONE TIME. He just goes, «Yep, it’s neurological, and our neurologist is booked for the rest of the month». BUT… I can go tell him about it and see if he can maybe see your dog. Then, he comes back with a bill for over four thousand dollars. He goes, yeah he might possibly be able to see your dog at sometime today, here is the bill. I understand the neurologist is a very busy doctor; however, there was no way we were leaving our loved dog with «professionals» who could slap us with 4,000 bills without even TOUCHING/​SEEING/​EXAMINING OUR ANIMAL. Literally, the whole entire consultation was about the money, nothing about animal, no advice, nothing.
So, we left with our dog, and continued to give him his medicine/​care/​love. He has made a fully recovery and his body took the steroid.
I would not recommend this VCA to anyone. I would like to state that the emergency technician who first came to run vitals on our dog was extremely professional and kind. The front desk was nice as well. My review is solely on how this vet was extremely cold, and business seems to be focused on the $$$$$$$$$$$$, not the animals. If you have wads of cash, maybe they will «act» like they care about your animal more than they did ours.

I drove 2 hours on a friend’s recommendation to see Dr. Gregg Kortz when my dog had some neurological issues. It was worth the drive and the time to get the best care possible for my Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. Dr. Kortz is extremely knowledgeable and caring. With his continued care and guidance my dog has returned to her normal sweet self and we owe it all to his expertise. I highly recommend him if every the need arises.

We brought our golden retriever here last week late at night hoping for just an ultrasound and some good news. Unfortunately we found out our Fred had numerous bleeding tumors that were killing him quite quickly. There was really only one thing left that we could to do… we had to say goodbye to our baby that night. With that being said, we couldn’t have asked for better staff and a better dr to help us get though this tragic situation. The compassion they showed us along with their patience while we said good bye was absolutely amazing!!! (an added bonus was the wonderful hand written card we received from them a week later with their condolences) I will forever recommend this veterinary hospital to everyone!!!

I came home from a vacation to find my cat deathly ill. I rushed him to VCA and after 2 days in their ICU, etc he was home. Unfortunately I had to euthanize him 2 days later, to no fault of them. His 18 ½ years were well spent with lots of love.
I was so impressed with the staff, vet techs, and vets here. they were incredibly competent, kind, understanding of the situation, and communicative. The ER vet was so professional and I had the utmost confidence in her. She explained all the options, speculation of the causes of him illness, etc. the next day the internal medicine vet called me and could not have been more helpful going through all his labs, treatments, responses. As an RN, I felt very respected for my knowledge.
The facility is a bit worn in the waiting room, but the rest of the hospital is very up-​to-​date. The wait was very minimal every time I was there. When discharged the vet tech was so sweet, compassionate, and professional. I can’t say enough good things about this place.
Although it was incredibly expensive (close to $ 3000) a similar stay in a human ICU would have been 10 times that likely. It was money well spent to know that I had done all I could to turn the situation around.

I have been bringing my dog (now dogs) to VCA Sacramento since they were puppies and cannot say enough good things! I take them there for their general medicine needs and we see Dr. Johnson (the best!) I have comfort in knowing that they are a full service medical facility, their staff is absolutely professional and they clearly love their jobs. My dogs get such amazing care from the VCA Sacramento team and I appreciate them!

This is the second time in as many months that we have needed emergency vet care at 4am for 2 different pets. My cat would likely have died if this hospital not been open at this hour with a terrific staff to take care of her.
Yes, it can be very expensive. And it is difficult to weigh the benefit of trying to save a very sick older pet vs. bankrupting yourself, especially if diagnostics alone are half of your monthly income. When I explained that I just didn’t have the money for the cost of diagnostics and treatment that was estimated, Dr. Balgooyen was able to propose some alternatives that we could try. She cautioned me that there was a risk at electing to treat my cat without being certain of a diagnosis, but that we could try treatment for the most likely health issue. If that didn’t seem to be working then we could switch to treatment for the second most likely health issue. This of course would not work if your pet did not present with symptoms that could be caused by only one or two health issues (in our case pneumonia or congestive heart failure).
I never felt any pressure from the staff to choose one way or the other. They did their best to offer the best course of action in consideration of my personal circumstances. They did not make me feel bad that I chose a less than ideal option to treat my cat– they understood, and they made sure that I understood it was not ideal. My cat and I were fortunate that the first course of treatment worked and I was able to bring my cat home on lifelong medication. I was gently reminded that the best thing to do to prolong my cat’s life was to get the testing done for an accurate diagnosis (right now we do not have a true diagnosis — we only know that the treatment that we hoped would work did work). There may be better treatment options available for my cat based on an accurate diagnosis.
Dr. Balgooyen, Dr. Fetner, and Dr. Wong are wonderful and professional. This is my second encounter with Dr. Balgooyen and her demeanor in the wee hours of the morning is reassuring when you have a sick pet. Dr. Fetner took a great deal of time to explain the results of the tests that I did choose to do and their meaning to the current and future health of my cat. Dr. Fetner also did not necessarily agree with the radiologist’s interpretation of my cat’s xray — her experience with pneumonia in cats led her to choose to treat my cat for congestive heart failure first and it was the right choice for my cat.
Thank you to the doctors and staff and this hospital for saving my cat. You guys are great!
(Also I should add that I was encouraged to contact my regular vet and see if I could find less expensive care for my cat as another option. When I called a couple of our other vets, I was told that my cat was in the best place that she could be for her situation.)

Sadly I had needed to bring my little Pom here on a late night emergency visit. The staff was professional and caring. They took great care with my dog, and were warm and friendly. The faculty and waiting area were clean and well organized. I felt safe arriving to their well lit parking area, even in the late night after hours. We were promptly greeted, and I was keep informed as to what was going on in the various exam rooms with my little doggie. Dr. Sun, was so helpful, and kept me informed as well as calling the next day, twice, to follow up. Dr. Miller, who did the sonograms was also very helpful. They even cleaned him up for me. This place is expensive, but can you really put a price on your beloved pets health.

Our cat fell about 20 feet and brought her to VCA. They quickly took her in for a diagnosis. Luckily she was okay. VCA is the most equipped to handle pet medical emergencies. The staff and vets are very friendly.

Initially I thought these people were great. Unfortunately on my last visit, they decided to put drops in my dogs ears without consulting me. One of the possible side effects from these drops is deafness. My dog is now deaf. There was no excuse for them to risk for my dog’s hearing without consulting me. It is difficult to prove or I would certainly be suing them right now. Inexcusable disregard for my dogs health.

I accidentally cut my kitten’s nail too much and it was bleeding. As a 1^st time cat owner I panicked and took her to the ER here. They took care of the wound, recommended the methods I could do by myself the next time this happens, and trimmed the rest of her nails for me! I would definitely come here for help the next time we get in trouble!

They ream you for every dollar they can!
Don’t just pay… ASK LOTS OF QUESTIONS!
Sad that they take advantage of people when they’re in such a fragile state.

At the recommendation of our regular vet I took our cat to Dr. Kortz at VCA. I was very happy with the customer service I received from the moment I walked in the door, the staff are very friendly, patient and helpful. Dr. Kortz was great, he took his time, he’s patient, especially when it came to repeating information, first to me then again on the phone with my daughter (it’s her cat). The doctor took his time explaining the issues at hand as well as the ways he could be treated.
I highly recommend VCA.

The first time i took one of my bulldogs for an emergency appointment. Unfortunately to circumstances out of our comtrol we decided to put him down so he wouldn’t suffer anymore. The entire staff was fantastic. Dr Arnold was our veterinarian on that visit and she was so compassionate.
Today we took our French Bulldog in for a consult appointment to help his breathing. We met with Dr Runyan who was very informative about the procedure that needed to be done. To my suprise he did the surgery that day. I was able to pick him up this evening and he’s doing great.
I am so happy with the service I have received both times. And I’m very thankful for the caring staff. They are all very compassionate and treat all the animals like it was their own. I would definitely recommend them!!!

This review is about a specific experience, full disclosure, I had no interaction with the veterinarians and our animal received no care.
When we were traveling to Sacramento to visit family, our dog was attacked by fleas! We took her into VCA in the early morning and asked if we could purchase a dose of flea medication for which we have a prescription at our neighborhood vet back home.
The tech said that without admitting the dog into emergency, that she could not sell us the pill. The emergency visit was $ 140, and from several feet away, you could literally see the fleas on our dog.
Just a bit disappointing. It’s not a controlled substance, and we were happy to pay for it. Their policy was a flagrant cash grab with the purpose of taking advantage of people in desperate situations.

Aggressive billing is taught to their techs and vets — financing at interest is encouraged. If you balk at a cost, the animal ends up dead. We even paid for the ashes of our beloved German Shepherd Ribsy, but they took our money (over six hundred dollars) and sent his remains to the trash anyway — tech told me they just «dropped the ball.»
Comparing the loss of my dog’s remains to a sports game? Cold-​blooded.

This place is awesome. And they obviously care much more about you and your pet than your money.
My cat had a little accident while we were playing with her one night (around 12:30AM) and her «finger» on her front paw got stuck in this plastic loop on the stick we were using to play with her (we learned our lesson). She was absolutely freaking out– hissing, howling, and going insane. We were worried that she might have broken the finger because she seemed like she was in a ton of pain. She was so scared and upset that we couldn’t even look at it closely to try to get it off. Plus it was so close to her body that we didn’t have a tool to cut it off without accidentally cutting her. So, our only option was VCA Referral Center.
They worked magic and had her fixed in a few minutes. They said she was well behaved– I don’t know what happens to that cat when she’s in a vet’s hands. They told us we didn’t even need to pay. I wouldn’t advertise this as «hey, go here and you might get out for free!» but it was obviously so easy and quick for them to do that they didn’t find it necessary. They could have easily made some easy money on us.
I am so glad I have this resource for my kitty! It’s good to know I have an emergency vet pretty close that I trust.