VCA Beacon Hill Cat Hospital

This is a weird review to write. The staff are very knowledgeable and very caring towards us and our four legged friends. The only thing that truly stuns me into a 1 star rating is the pricing. These prices are through the roof. a $ 500 visit at this clinic actually costs $ 134 at other clinics with the same level of care. If you’ve got the money and this is a convenient location for you then by all means… Just let me know when you go. I’d like to ask you for some money :)

My fiancé had been taking his cats here for a few years. He even boarded one cat there for a week. In all of the years of contact and exams they never diagnosed this cat’s asthma, even after they were given a description of his attacks.
What they did do was sell expensive tests, shots, food, procedures and services for everything possible (except asthma, apparently) — most of which were not necessary.
Once I started bringing the cats in with him, the staff would gather in the reception area to whisper while looking over their shoulders at us. I got the distinct feeling that I was encroaching upon their social flirting hour.
They gave us a run around on obtaining the cats’ records in order to move to another vet. Expect them to suddenly not have access to the folders and take them a few weeks to get them to you when you (correctly and wisely) decide to go elsewhere.
The upsells and superfluous services are a trademark of the VCA brand. Expect them to care more about robbing you blind and not actually caring for your cats.

Dr Suska had been our cats primary vet over the past 2 years (we only went a couple times over the years) and I’ve downgraded my overall rating for a few reasons. You’re probably asking ‘well why’d you stay?’ All our house cats needed were rabies vaccinations and one of them lost a canine… and they were 3 minutes from our house.
They frequently pushed extreme testing/​procedures, demonstrated poor hygiene practices, and were pretty focused on the up sell.
We have since moved but I would recommend researching other facilities in the area.

I just don’t know how to rate VCA and Dr Suska as I have such mixed feelings. When I took my cat there for his first visit (with a hacking cough), Dr Suska wanted to do some kind of baterial scan of his throat which cost about $ 1500 including lab work and x-​rays and confirmed he needed anitibotics. In my personal health plan, my doc gives me antibotics BEFORE scheduling a procedure, but then again, my insurance company doesn’t want to pay for unnecessary procedures. My cat had serious dental problems and all that had to be put on hold for a couple of months while we did the expensive tests and antibotics for his throat infection. Overall, the care I received seemed good, but my cat still has a serious cough. In the meantime, I continue to get emails and snail mails from VCA trying to sell me every service in the world – multiple x-​rays, bloodwork, lab work, dental work – you name it. Being a concerned pet owner who has already gone thru a lot with this cat, I want the best for him, so called about another dental. The receptionist cheerfully scheduled him for lab work and dental without suggesting a doc first first to ensure he needed the work. Today I called about getting a copy of his x-​rays so I can get a second opinion about his cough. I was told to come into the office and fill out a form, then they would ask Dr Suska if they could release the x-​ray. That would require me to drive there twice (it is a long drive) first to ask for the films, then, if the Dr agrees, I would have to come back. When I mentioned my frustration about getting all these marketing materials, the office manager said that Dr Suska would never do a dental on a cat without first determining if one was needed. Based on my experience with the dental, I don’t think that is true.
So, while I think Dr Suska is probably a pretty good vet, the fact that VCA continues to promote multiple services that may or may not be needed is frustrating. On the other hand, the reason my cat had serious dental issues is that his pervious vet only gave my cat an antibiotic shot when asked about his cough and red gums. Guess you have to be a very engaged owner to get the right best care for your pets.

I agree with the other reviewers about the prices being high, and the pushy practices at the clinic — in fact, when my apartment was being fumigated, I boarded my cat here and was charged for veterinary services I was never asked about and obviously did not authorize.
But I could accept that to a degree. What I couldn’t accept was when I called in tears to say that my cat was dying and he needed to see the vet immediately. This was on a Saturday morning (moments after they opened). I was offered an appointment on the next Friday.
I ended up calling a vet my cat had never seen before, who was willing — and able — to rearrange their schedule and get me an appointment in 30 minutes, and, sadly, three weeks later, he died under the other vets care.
Dr. Suska let us down when my cat needed her most — and that is unacceptable from any health care practitioner.

I suggest trying somewhere else! While in the waiting room I overheard one of the staff instructing the receptionist (self-​professed «new») on how to convince people to come to the all-​cat clinic over other places as they needed to boost revenue. My experience shows they are REALLY out to get cash!
I took our cat, Jack, in after moving to the area in Feb ’11. He had a raw spot below his nose and swelling & redness around the thumb on his left front paw. We’d never seen anything like it and were REALLY worried.
Jack is a friendly feline but got «tail puff» when we went into the exam room (bad sign– I should have listened!). The doctor and VA both acted like they’d never dealt with a cat that had claws before. The vet first told me Jack had a heart murmur that needed an EKG and then began examining his old chronic eye issue. I told her that was NOT the problem, but she insisted on examining it anyways. He has a slight runny nose constantly from a tear duct issue – and has all 7 years of his life.
The vet said we needed to do a feline Leukemia/​HIV test «just to be sure» his nose drip wasn’t due to one of those – even though he’s been vaccinated ANNUALLY. ($ 90 test came back negative – surprised? Me either.) She then got me set up to do a $ 1200+(!) sinus flush to keep looking at his nasal drip.
I refused the expensive flush and asked AGAIN about the nose redness and his paw I came in about. She rubbed a microscope slide directly ON HIS PAW (showing AWFUL lab procedures) to do «cytology» (aka, evaluation under a microscope). Then she said I should wipe his nose & apply vaseline.
They gave me a collar to keep him from scratching his eye (not the problem!), some ointment for his eye (NOT THE PROBLEM!), some antibiotic pills for his nose (NOT THE PROBLEM), and some betadine to dip his paw in twice a day to disinfect it.
Total cost was over $ 350. I felt cheated by the expensive unnecessary testing and neglected as a concerned caregiver for Jack.

Outstanding facility and even better service from Dr. Suska and her staff. She’ll give you the honest answers about your cat and allow you the flexibility to decide what you’re comfortable with.
Best of all Dr. Suska’s very prompt and may squeeze you in for an appointment just in case you didn’t make one. Very impressive.
The only thing lacking stars is a modernized interior, which I’ve seen in other clinics. But who cares about that, right?! It’s the service you’re looking for, and that’s what you’ll get here :)