Kenneth Harkewicz, VMD

Dr. Harkewicz is the best reptile specialist I have found, after doing hours of research and calling many veterinarians. He treated two of my African Dwarf Frogs when no one else was able to help with the rare situation, and he practically saved their lives. With Dr. Harkewicz, I am always confident that my frogs are in the hands of the most knowledgeable and kind doctor. Dr. Harkewicz is also very flexible and caring. He responds to all of my questions over email, and follows up several times (even asks for pictures of my frogs), to ensure that everything is going well. Very grateful to Dr. Harkewicz for his dedication and care.

I brought in a very rare and exotic turtle to Dr. Harkewicz and it was so nice to find somebody who specializes in more exotic and rare pets. Very knowledgable and great communication skills. Thoughtful and thorough in his evaluation and explanation of things. Highly recommended vet who taught me a few new things!

I have never actually taken any of my snakes in to see Dr. Harkewicz, but that is only because he has given me so much help over the phone or through email, that I’ve never actually had to make an appointment.
He is very knowledgeable, kind, and helpful.
I definitely recommend bringing your exotic pets to see him if you are in need of a vet.

Dr. Harkewicz is the only vet in the Bay Area worth taking a reptile to. His specialty seems to be tortoises but I have taken only snakes to him. Fantastic guy, easy going manner. He knows what he is doing. And he will treat whatever ails your snake correctly, the first time.
Many vets won’t even see a snake. If you can find one willing to take a look there is no telling if they really know what they are doing. They can be the best dog vet ever, and it means nothing when it comes to treating your ball python.
If they pull out a book, or an iPad, and start looking info up, its because they are clueless. Willing to help, but clueless.
Dr. Harkewicz is the real deal, and he enjoys what he does. He has the expertize to serve your pet well. Even if you live in Gilroy, or Stockton, he is still the man to see.

It just does NOT get any better than Dr, Harkewicz. there is no doubt in my mind he is the reason my mikie, (green iguana) is as big and healthy as she is. With is wonderful, caring, and knowledgable comments, one can not go wrong on home care. Most iggys do not make it to Mikie’s age, she is 12 and going strong. they die when they take ill because ppl do not know how to care for them and neither do most vets, THAT is why you MUST do study on your own AND get a damn good vet, like the one I found! I was told of him by The East Bay Vivariam, who has use Dr. Harkewicz to treat their reptiles. He is very well respected in the iguana world by ppl like Melissa Kaplan writer of the well respected book Iguanas for Dummies. So if you have a pet other than a cat or dog… THIS is the vet you want to deal with your baby, be it Rat, Turtle, snake, or lizard. I would never trust any other vet at this point.

Ken is an amazing exotic animal vet. He was great helping one bird I owned when someone stepped on it accidentally. He was calm and gentle and helped us nurse the bird back to a recovery.
He just recently spent a significant amount of time over the weekend consulting with me by email for a dehydration emergency with another bird. And he refused to take any payment for the help! This is a vet who truly cares about the animals under his care, and is in the business because he wants to be.
I’d highly recommend him for bird care, and from reading other reviews, he is just as good with other exotics like lizards/​snakes. Highly, highly recommended.

Dr. Harkewicz is the best reptile veterinarian I know in the bay area. I worked at a specialized reptile store for a few years and never met a doctor more knowledgeable and caring about his job and patients.
I found out about him when I went to school in Berkeley, and even though I now live in Santa Clara, 60 miles away, I still take my reptiles only to him.
I’ve owned quite a few reptiles and many of them were sick rescues I would take from work. To this date, he’s helped me out with Tokay Gecko nutrition, sticky pad issues, infection and parasites. He’s also helped with eye problems in one of my Brown Anoles. He treated shedding problems on my Niger Uromastyx. I’ve also had a rare tree frog, banded gecko, veiled chameleon and leopard gecko that he may have treated (but I’m not certain since this was quite a long time ago). Either way, if he didn’t I wish that he did.
Bottom line, I would recommend Dr. Harkewicz for all reptiles. He is incredibly knowledgeable about many different reptiles and illnesses which is very rare from my experience in the trade. Reptiles are still not very well understood compared to more common pets just because of the sheer number of species. While many hospitals have experts on dogs or cats, and can usually handle the more common reptiles such as leopard geckos and bearded dragons, very rarely do they have a true expert on a variety of reptiles and conditions. On top of this, he is both friendly and caring about the pets.
Look no further than taking your reptile here, I cannot recommend him enough.

In a previous review of Berkeley Dog & Cat Hospital, I extolled the virtues of their care, professionalism, courtesy, and overall swell-​ness. This review is limited to the kind vet who made such a favorable impression: Dr. Kenneth Harkewicz, V.M.D. This man looks like the quintessential vet: he’s big, bespectacled, and wears flannel. He takes his time, listens, and takes in all the information. In return, he gives a lot of sound advice, with follow-​up instructions, his business card (with e-​mail, should questions arise) and truly wants to know how your pet is doing after the treatment/​appointment.
He handles dogs, and cats, tho’ his specialty is in that nebulous category, «exotics»…I noticed lots of magazines on reptiles, as well as several specimens of various tortoise shells in his inner sanctum. We inherited an Amazon parrot years ago (truly the bane of my existence… but that’s another story) and I hope against all hope Papageno will not be needing Dr. Harkewicz’s care (ka-​ching, ka-​ching! Parrot vet bills are not inexpensive), still, should something arise with the old feathered reptile, I would unquestioningly bring him/​her/​whatever here. This is a great place to bring your pets for wellness care as well as any problems they may have. I have 100% confidence in this doctor’s service.