Carmel Holistic Veterinary Clinic

Insufferable incompetence at boutique prices. There is nothing holistic about this vet, except maybe, in rare cases, the recommendation of raw food. I took my cat in for a critical health issue — they earn one star for being able to see him at a moment’s notice — where he was very leisurely seen to, taken back and treated with minimal examination. While waiting for a prognosis from the vet, I heard staff screaming at whining dogs and laughing at the sounds of a cat in pain. Not a happy place. Because it was a critical issue, I felt I had no choice but to leave my cat for treatment. I was given a written estimate that included a panel of tests and procedures that needed to be done. Nowhere on that estimate sheet did it say anything about general anesthesia or any drugs that might be administered. Imagine my shock and surprise when I came to pull him away for a second opinion (because the vet — Stephanie, I believe — had absolutely zero answers for me beyond an absurdly pained face and a lot of ‘well, we just don’t know’) and found a bill that included not just general anesthesia, but also a slew of drugs — none of which I had ever approved, either financially or treatment-​wise! I expressed some disdain and concern, and was treated dismissively and rudely by the woman working the front desk. I would have stayed to fight the absolutely exorbitant bill, but my cat needed real care, so I took him out of there as quickly as possible. We will never be back. Avoid this place at all costs. This is not a natural or holistic clinic. Everything they did here was 100% traditional medicine, the knowledge of the vet was next to zero, and the prices were twice what you would pay at any other clinic. I ended up taking my cat to Harden Ranch in Salinas, where the non-​holistic vets there were much more receptive to my questions about alternative healing options.

I had been treating my dog’s ears on and off for so long with my old vet– I met Dr. Bookbinder at an office where I worked (not at his office) and knew he was a vet– I was embarrassed but told him I was treating my dog’s ears for ear mites but they just keep coming back– his reply sticks with me today– he leaned towards me and quietly said «dogs rarely get ear mites» I called his office to schedule an appointment that very day and have been happy ever since– that was 10 years ago– since then I’ve learned all about the work CHVC does for rescues and enjoy the 2 new doctors– Dr. Shannon and Dr. Stephanie :)

Just two quick words:
Rude
Arrogant
I didn’t make it past the front desk because of the attitude of one employee. That’s too bad.

So sad to feel ripped off by this place as staff is relatively friendly, they have a great reputation for compassionate service, and the location is ideal.
Brought my just-​adopted pooch there for an SPCA visit (free!) but did not bring paperwork re: his vaccinations.
When I brought him back for a distemper shot, and to board him for the day, I was also CHARGED THE $ 60 EXAM FEE even though Dr. Tom had examined him one week prior.
I was not told that this additional fee when I brought my dog in. Very unpleasant sticker shock at the end of the day. The receptionist wouldn’t listen /​did not understand my complaint, but talked down to me instead. Really disappointing.
I currently have a call in to Dr. Tom Boekbinder about this issue. If it is resolved in a fair way, I will revise the rating above.

I have been using this clinic since I got my first dog, a puppy, and she is ten now. When we first got her we had just moved here and we had to go away. Dr. Bookbinder took her home and she slept with his daughter. When my pup started wheezing in the middle of the night and I didn’t know what to do, I called Dr. Bookbinder at 1:30 AM. He answered the phone and talked me through what ended up being kennel cough. She she injured her leg and another vet hardly looked at her and said keep her off it, Dr, Shannon treated her properly doing digital radiography, which I feel is much safer than x rays. I feel Dr. Shannon gave my dog the attention she deserved as a super athlete and saved her from what could have become a permanent injury. Dr. Shannon is lovely and I feel she truly loves her job. They have an open door clinic that I really appreciate. I hate when my animals are taken away to be treated and I can’t see what they are doing. That said, yes, it is the most expensive care you can imagine. It is always three times more than I imagine it will be.
The boarding there is an added plus and the clinic is very clean.
Dr. Shannon is moving the office next year and we’ll see what the prices go to then. If you have a dog with lots of issues, I say get the Pet Plan insurance and then it won’t hurt your pocketbook quite as much to get their good care.

My 13 year old lab mix Timber has severe arthritis we manage well with a combination of cold laser therapy, chiropractic, aqua treadmill and medications. We wanted to take both dogs with us on a 2 week road trip but didn’t want Timber to lose ground on his physical therapy. I found this clinic via a google search. My vet sent Timber’s records to the Carmel Holistic Veterinary Clinic, and Dr. Tom agreed to see Timber.
Dr. Tom was very friendly, gentle, and thorough. Timber was very relaxed for his treatment, and it really helped him stay up with his therapy. It made all the difference in our trip to know that Timber could get the care he needed.
I found the cost to be quite fair. It was exactly the same as I paid at my local vet for an office visit and chiropractic.

All vets are expensive. So are dr. And so are dentists. When we make a commitment to get an animal that the responsibility we take on. so I can’t complain about that. dr. Shannon and dr. Tom took very good care of our beloved Lab after she got into a dog fight, they took such good care of her and also made her feel comfortable. The staff– Sarah and Lara were on top of it calling us every few hours to give us an update and prepare us for what we were being billed for before hand. The after care instructions were explained precisely. I had a good experience there when it could have been awful.

I have brought my cat here for the past 6 years, and each time they take good care of her. Dr. Shannon is really nice, and the environment is much more calming than any other vet we’ve been to. The glass doors on the exam rooms help distract my kitty, because she can look at what is going on all over the office.
I think that the prices are high, but I’ve been to other vets on the peninsula, and each time my kitty came back sicker than she was going in. I would recommend that in general, pet owners get pet insurance. Also, inquire about the price of services before they are rendered. Like many others, I would prefer that the vet inform me of price before they go ahead with tests, etc., but most vets don’t.
(Come to think of it, it would be great if medical doctors and hospitals did this, too!)

I have had many vets over the years, and having had, many animals I firmly believe that the Holistic Vet is the best. Is it cheap? no If you know your pet, and are willing to do some work on your own aka raw food, etc. this is the vet for you. I have a diabetic cat. I took him and in after some blood work confirmed what I suspected. I disucssed some information I found about glucose testing at home. Dr Tom was totally supporitve, and from what I read most vets are not supportive and instead suggest putting the cat down before even attempting treatment. In fact one night I dropped a vial of insulin ($ 100) in my kitchen after drawing my kitties evening dose. As it shattered across the floor I thought what do I do now? I called the vet and Dr Tom personally delivered a vial of insulin he kept im reserve to me on a Sunday so I would have my morning dose to give my cat. With their help and my personal research my cat is off insulin. My allergic cat is no longer covered with bloody messes my previous vet could not diagnose. I can not say enough. Are they expensive? at times yes. But. ASK how much something costs, I do and they tell me BEFORE I agree to something. Be proactive, this is a good Veterinarian in my opinion.

Carmel Valley holistic veterinary clinic specializing in the art of ripping people off.
The good old Dr. Tom cares merely about the money coming out your pocket.
This business is SEVERELY lacking in the fairness department and the compassion department. There is indeed also a lack in the professionalism at the front desk.
Of course there’ll also be good experiences. As indeed there were with me during my ten year patronage. Unfortunately that patronage was only rewarded with being ripped off and taken advantage of during my cat’s death.
I would no sooner take an animal now to the Carmel Valley vet than I would toss it off a cliff. I could go on and on and on with details and details but that would be a waste of my energy directed towards such a lousy outfit.
Don’t be fooled, Dr. Tom is a quack who really doesn’t «care to be fair».
Or go ahead and be fooled! But why? When there are considerably cheaper vets locally where professionalism, compassion and fairness are a part of their daily operation.

We are in the unusual situation of living on opposite coasts during the course of the year. As a result, our dogs are under the care of vets in three different locations. And, in one of the locations, one of the dogs has to see two different specialists, in addition to our regular vet.
Dr. Shannon and Dr. Tom are the only reason this little dog is still alive. They spent enormous amounts of time with me and on her, diagnosing her problem, working to get the correct dosage and making sure her various medications weren’t interacting adversely with each other. She was on death’s door when we took her to them almost a year ago. She had suddenly developed diabetes and just as suddenly gone blind. (This may have been the result of too high of a dosage of prednizone for too long of a time.) Dr. Tom actually came in himself and stayed up all night with her to get her on exactly the right dosage of insulin. None of our other vets would have done such a thing.
I think they are wonderful vets. They are careful and cautious. None of my other vets seem to have enough time to carefully consider everything that is going on with this little dog.
I have heard people say that they are expensive, but they are not more expensive than our vets on the East Coast and they spend much more time with us.

After years of going from vet to vet to help my Golden Retriever with her very severe skin condition, i found Dr Boekbinder and Carmel Holistic. I feel like they saved her life. I was ready to put her down she was so bad. She was 6 then and is now 11 and when she’s running on the beach many people ask me «is she a pup?» and I say «no, she’s actually 11 years old». She’s on the diet recommended by this vet. I don’t buy their food, i’m able to fix my own at their recommendation. yes, it’s expensive, but far less cost than I’d put into previous specialists. I love this clinic.

professional, reasonably priced, safe, clean, the daycare and boarding staff are friendly and caring. my dogs always come home healthy, happy, and clean.

Terrible pricing policies and ridiculous markups through slick packaging of services make this place tough to accept as a reasonable place to get affordable care for your pet. I must agree with the previous PROS regarding the courtesy of their staff. It is unfortunate that the policies of their management forces them to be the messengers of bad news.
While I have been somewhat satisfied with the services they’ve rendered in the past, when I can get the same service (or better) at a different location and have the opportunity to deal with honest, up-​front, non-​hidden pricing why wouldn’t I?
We went back and forth on pricing for a service I never received, and in the end they told me flat out that I will not get a refund for a service they never performed because they wrap that price into a bigger service. Now on the surface that sounds somewhat reasonable, but when I happen to know what their lab charges for this service, their argument falls apart somewhat. At the end of it, they told me I could call back to speak to someone else (as again, the poor receptionist was just the messenger). My perspective is that if you want to break this pattern which people are professing online about the unfair pricing practices, you should be calling me. I explained this to her. Needless to say, I am still waiting for their call. Hey, if it’s worth it to you to lose me as a client over a $ 30 refund, more power to you.
I have no doubt in my mind that the staff here is dedicated to making your pet healthy to the best of their abilities. Unfortunately, it seems that they are concurrently trying to squeeze every penny out of you that they can. There are equally-​good vets all over the peninsula with up-​front pricing, comparable (if not better) education and experience that realize the dollars will come when the service is worth it.
Bottom line: Look elsewhere.

Found all staff to be professional, with understanding, and extremely thorough, especially Dr, Shannon who is still working on the reason as to why my two pups are unwell. No corners are cut here, dedication to animal well being is to the fore.
If you are or have to be shy of spending money on health care for your pet/​s. !!ASK! about the fees BEFORE taking them anywhere. Personally, if I have to cut corners to make sure my charges are well, so be it.

I took my dog here when he was bitten by a tick for the first time. I had never seen one before and was nervous about removing it. The tick ended up falling off on its own before the appointment, but I brought my dog in anyway for a general exam. The vet didn’t hesitate to recommend a completely new diet for my dog (he is fed all organic, all the time) and push a bunch of products I didn’t need. He also took several blood samples and informed me that he would call within the day to let me know the status of the blood work. Just the checkup itself ran me about $ 300 and no one ever called me about the results of the blood work. Save your money and go elsewhere! This place is a scam!

Ok they must think I have the word «sucker» printed on my forehead. When my dog was pregnant I took her in for various concerns, each time they wanted me to run a bunch of tests, after $ 1,000 I realized my dog was normal and they were just taking me for a ride. I brought her in again after her pregnancy and they had no idea how to treat her endocrine disease so now I have to take her somewhere else.

Pros: Friendly staff, clean building.
Cons: EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE
I’ve taken my dogs here several times for minor maladies. It has never cost less than $ 300.
On top of that the owner (who also works there as a vet) tries to get me to leave my dog there for an IV and «supervision» almost everytime. I could only guess how much I would get charged if I allowed that to happen.
I also called around to get a few prices to have my other dog neutered.
Carmel Holistic Veterinary was well over twice what anybody else charged. They wanted literally $ 725 to neuter my dog with laser surgery. That’s compared to $ 275 at Carmel Valley Veterinary and $ 250 at Northridge.
I always feel there is a deliberate lack of financial transparency when you come here. prices are never discussed until you get the bill and all kinds of tests and other expensive crap will get ordered without your consent. I guess if money is no object than this is the place for you… if not you probably want to take your dog somewhere else.

I take my dog to Doggy Day Care when I travel to Monterey for work. The facility is clean and my neurotic little dog loves being there. When I pick her up, they give me a report card which has pictures and captions. It is so cute, I love it!