Veterinary Cancer Group of Los Angeles

Dr Rosenberg & her team have been there for me when no one else understood. During & after a family camping trip over the summer my 6 year old corgi, Ryker, wasn’t acting like his typical lively & spunky self. He was more lethargic, didn’t want to go on walks, wasn’t eating like he used to & I felt 2 lumps under his front legs. I took him immediately to his regular vet. The diagnosis was made 2 days later that he indeed had canine lymphoma. Our primary vet told us to seek out Dr Rosenberg & her team at Veterinary Cancer Group. We had an appt the following morning. That day Dr Rosenberg literally sat in the floor to examine & get to know Ryker. She wanted to know what he did & enjoyed when he was feeling well. She wanted to get him back to that point. I appreciated her getting to know him, me & how we interact together. Dr Rosenberg has so much knowledge & is able to explain so that a lay person can understand. Ryker started chemo that day and a few days later seemed to perk up again. There is no cure able for canine lymphoma, it is about getting them into a remission & giving them the best life they can have.
Ryker has been seeing Dr Rosenberg for the last 10 months and her care to him has been top notch. We have learned to embrace life and enjoy the time we have together. Dr Rosenberg has reminded me that I can be his mom & she will be his Dr. We have been working collaboratively to give him the best care possible. Since his diagnosis there have been ups & downs. However, we are embracing life & giving Ryker the best we can. He loves going to the beach, going on jogs with me, riding in his cart behind the biks, going on walks, getting treats from everyone, smiling out the car window, playing with his toys, hearding his red ball, snuggling with me & barking at the moon!
I am and will be forever grateful to Dr Rosenberg for the extra times she has given me with Ryker. If you are going through canine cancer or got a recent diagnosis, Dr Rosenberg is the person to go to at Veterinary Cancer Group.

Well it’s 2 years now and Toulouse is still cancer free :) He has absolutely no negative side effects from his radiation treatment. He is now a happy healthy kitty. All of his fur has grown back. Other than the difference in the color of his fur from the treatment you would never know he had cancer.

It’s hard to really give an unbiased review of this place as it’s so connected to the emotions of my pet. When we found out Roscoe had cancer we were so excited to discover that Dr. Lyons offered stereotactic radiosurgery; a cutting edge treatment that cut the amount of times he would have to go in for what I was told was an inoperable brain tumor. Considering that prior to the surgery, Roscoe was given a few months to live, I guess you can say the results were a success. However it’s really hard to say as he started suffering from strokes and when we took him in again 9 months later, they found the tumor was still there. Either the surgery didn’t work or the tumor had grown back. When we went to VCA they told us they thought they could have actually operated on the tumor but by then it was too late. It’s hard not to put some fault on Cancer Group for denying me that option, but at the same time, I know they did everything they could. The staff is friendly, the place is clean and it has some of the top tech advances in the country.

Took cat in from a professional referral. He had cancer from being out in sun too much. Original diagnosis was surface tumor that could be treated with 1 or maybe 2 rounds of fairly mild strontium radiation therapy. After first round, cat developed horner’s syndrome and eight weeks later during follow up was told that treatment did not produce desired results so more aggressive therapy was in order. Expenditures up to this point were north of $ 5,000 for various X-​rays, blood tests and other diagnostics and 1 round of radiation. Decided not to pursue ‘definitive’ chemo treatments at a cost of $ 10,000 + due to the lack of any guarantees of effectiveness and quality of life concerns. Also be advised that should you roll the dice and spend the money for an unsuccessful treatment, there is no refund apparatus available. Sounds kind of like Vegas to me. And lastly, I was never counseled in end of life/​euthanasia options. Kind of makes me feel (personal opinion only) that they prey on people’s bond with their pets in order to offer sometimes unrealistic hopes albeit at a cost that could bankrupt the less financially fortunate. I was born and raised in the Midwest, relatives had farms, so I have a deep and complete love for all of Gods creatures. However, offering up services to extend the life of a cat 12+ yrs old with multiple health burdens at a cost of potentially 15 – 20 thousand dollars without ever discussing more prudent Humane (chemo is very inhumane to a pet that doesn’t understand what is taking place) options is doing a great disservice to their clientele.

Very impressed! First off there was parking!!! Which in LA, can sometimes be tricky. As we arrived it was automatically dog friendly. Nice grass area for them to do their business. Walked in and they had a welcome sign with all the animal’s names that had appts. that day which was special. All the receptionists were very kind, sweet and compassionate. We met Dr. Kang who is a sweetheart. Very knowledgeable and clear as to the procedure of treating canine lymphoma. We were not forced to do anything we did not want to as far as procedures or medication. Alex, spent plenty of time going over numbers with us and didn’t seem frustrated at all. All of the staff were able to answer all 1 million questions we had and every single one treated our dog as if it was their own. Our dog was so relaxed during the entire process I guess an assistant had asked if he was sedated lol, which he wasn’t. They gave us a follow up call the next day to make sure everything was fine and even wanted me to tell our dog hi for them. So sweet. All the extra little things really helped our decision to go with VCG Culver City.
P. S. Our dog was doing great by the next day after his first chemo treatment. Was eating that night, no nausea, softened stool but not diarrhea, and he was happy acting like his old self, no longer lethargic.

Thank you Dr. Lyons.
When I took my cat with a mast cell tumor on his eyelid, Dr. Lyons was dismayed at the poor treatment options from the previous vet. The previous vet oncologist had offered a lifelong drug treatment, or removal of the eye, or a series of radiation treatments that might possibly damage tear ducts. None of the choices were acceptable to me.
Dr. Lyons offered a brachytherapy strontium 90 treatment that would eliminate the tumor and saved my cat’s eye. Because I had been taken advantage of by the other vet via a series of numerous office visits, nickled and dimed — my cat had to have two treatments due to the length of time that the tumor had been growing.
But the tumor is now gone. My cat is healthy and happy. I have Dr. Lyons and his treatments to thank for it.
My cat, Sammie, has a whole new extended family of friends from Dr. Lyons office. Sammie comes home with his tail up and happy.
Overall my experience with Dr. Lyons has been one that aimed solely to heal my pet. At no time have there been unnecessary visits or costs. My cat is now 100% healed and has the perfect use of both of his eyes. All thanks to Dr. Lyons and the fact that he has the necessary equipment, the knowledge, and the caring, gentle team.

My dog was killed by Dr Lyon this month. Before we took our loved one to this vet, he was ok of course i wont say he is fine as he has tumor but still he was able to walk on his own and enjoyed his life. right after Dr. Lyon gave my doggy the first session of Pallative radiation which he told me that there is no side affect other than diarrhea. He called and told us that my doggy is not doing well and want to send ER now… well. long story short, in stead of cure, my dog end up dead. If you are thinking pallative radiation, please know that there IS side affect and chance to make dog sick. also all additional costs were added because my dog needed intensive care. and they just recommend us to put my boy down and even they took us a room for dogs who has no hope — very insensitive! I dont recommend this vet.

First let me just say I’ve had two Rotties who unfortunately developed cancer. The Veterinary Cancer Group gave me hope both times. The service and compassion is amazing. And the doctors there are world renowned. They have three locations with Dr Rosenberg traveling to all three to provide the best possible care for her patients and clients. For the last year VCG became a second home to my boy PJ. He was always excited to go due to the love and care he received. He was never scared or anxious. And I knew he was getting the best care. If your four dotted kid develops cancer, don’t worry you and your pet are in good hands.

Our beloved weimaraner had stage 4 lymphoma. Our boy passed this past Monday, but Dr. Rosenberg, and her team, gave him 6 more months of life and allowed us to complete his puppy bucket list. He went through a few different chemo protocols. Of course there were ups and downs, but Dex was still able to enjoy walks, hikes, snuggle-​time in bed, and treats galore! We are missing him dearly, but these additional 6 months with our fur kid were priceless! Thank you, Dr. Rosenberg!

If you’re reading this chances are you are struggling with what to do with your newly diagnosed fur baby. First off, nothing about this journey is going to be easy. You’ll want 100% assurances, you’ll want 100% cures and sadly they can’t always be provided. Thankfully what can be provided is care, empathy and honesty from VGA.
We were referred to them by our Vet and a friend who had a successful radiation therapy for their dog’s cancer. Our Vet had explained that our beloved beagle’s expectancy wasn’t great due to a sudden onslaught of Mast Cell Tumours but recommended we speak to the team at VGA to get their opinion. They let us know what the various options were, what treatments were available and what the long term prognosis would be — anywhere from 2 weeks if he didn’t respond to treatment to a few more months if he did. Our main concern was quality of life, we didn’t want to make a sick dog sicker and neither did they. Dr Schuh and Dr Turner mapped out a treatment plan and it began straight away.
Thankfully the chemo was painless for our beagle to endure and every visit saw him wagging his tail as we approached and continue to wag when he saw Dr Schuh or Turner. For 2 months they treated him, and us, with dignity, love and respect and saw us through the little success we got and the sadness of making the heartbreaking decision to help him move on. All the way through they kept in touch to check on him, to see how he was responding to treatment and offer advice when one of those bad days came round. For those extra 2 months our dog didn’t appear sick — he still had his energy, still enjoyed walks and still loved creating mischief. When, in his final days he took a dramatic turn for the worse (due to a septic stomach issue) they counselled us on the best way forward and helped us come to that most difficult of decisions. Following his passing we received a lovely sympathy card from the team at VGA and were happy to see our little man touched so many of them there with his regular visits.
It’s always difficult to rationalise things at such an emotionally charged time, and when you don’t get the outcome you hope for its hard to not want to find cause or second guess things. All I can say is if we had our time over again I wouldn’t have gone anywhere else. VGA offers a calming, friendly environment, is next door to the ACCESS Emergency Hospital (part of the same complex) and all the staff and doctors treat you and your loved one with respect and are right there with you every step of the way, willing and doing everything they can for a positive outcome. And when, as sadly will often be the case, that isn’t to be they are there to help you through.

Beware– do not see Dr. Fiochi. The other docs are fine. Fiochi is always at least 20 min late. The one time I was ten minutes late because my cat was hiding under the bed, she retaliated by making me wait an hour. The whole visit took nearly 2 hours, mostly me waiting. I won’t return. She did not care that my cat was so stressed the whole time. When I complained she just grinned smugly and fought back laughter at my distress. She did not care about my cat’s mental well being at all. On previous visits she tried to charge me for services that were not provided. She also tried to increase the chemo dose to make more money, despite the fact that there had been no problems with the current dosage. Please, please, beware if you want your pet well taken care of.

Dr Lyons is the best radiologist and knows exactly what he’s doing. I love Molly, who is part of the staff here. Their acupuncturist dr mahanny is amazing and knows exactly what he’s doing. If you love your fur babies please DO NOT take them to ANY VCA clinics and hospitals, they’ll end up killing them.

I won’t go in to details of the decline our pup Charlie that had an incurable cancer… that is not the fault of VCG. However, Dr Turner and her team, as well as the last days in the hospital next door at ACCESS were among the worst follow up and communication of his condition, I’ve ever seen for any patient. You would expect when you call in the morning to let your Oncologist know that you brought in your dog next door in the middle of the night, that you’d get some response. Nothing. I understand that his cancer was incurable, but to not even call back until 6:30 that evening is completely unacceptable. It was a nightmare and I will not bring any future pet that is diagnosed with cancer back to this facility until they get their priorities straight. I do understand from my regular vet that they are going through changes with vets leaving and the case loads high, but then don’t take on new patients until you have adequate staff.
The physical space is very pleasing and they have designed it nicely with large windows. Like a scene from a movie, when we left that evening having put down our beloved Charlie, we saw Dr Turner in the waiting area playing with I suspect was her dog, laughing it up with co-​workers. She knew we were putting the dog down that night and she didn’t even ask when we were coming over to offer perhaps condolences, since she was obviously, still in the office. Maybe I expect too much, but I won’t be back.

Adopting my girl Patches was one of the best decisions I’ve made. I know, it’s said with complete bias, but I will make the claim that she is the sweetest, most gentle dog ever. She’s the first dog I’ve cared for as an adult and without a doubt has made me a more compassionate and responsible person.
So, last March when she was diagnosed with an extremely rare skin cancer, I was obviously upset and unsure of the appropriate next move. I visited multiple animal hospitals and the obvious choice was VCG. The other hospitals accepted the biopsy results and were ready for heavy treatment and presented a somewhat grim fate, but Dr. Davis decided to take her own biopsy and start the process over; she seemed to approach Patches strange condition with a scientific curiosity. Well, after removing a large amount of tumors (some cancerous, some benign), Patches responded as I could’ve only hoped for. Not only did she quickly return to her normal self, but it was almost as if she knew she had a second lease on life.
Unfortunately Patches year with cancer wasn’t over though. In December it was discovered that she had a sizable and inoperable brain tumor. Again, the prognosis wasn’t good; reviewing the MRI, it was explained to me that a real option was to put her down. Well, just like before, I wasn’t willing to make a decision until I spoke with the All Stars at VCG. Introduce Dr. Lyons. As you can imagine, my head was spinning; inoperable brain tumor, putting my dog down. Dr. Lyons patiently and gently explained the options we had, what the statistics/​data represented, the realistic life Patches would have with and/​or without radiation, and then finally offered his own thoughts. I knew an immediate decision was required and the doctor made it an easy one: definitive radiation. Going in, I absolutely understood what was involved, the effects the treatment would have on Patches, and the financial costs.
During treatment, I was fortunate to be able to wait every day in the lobby. One would think being exposed to visibly sick dogs, some with improving health and others not so lucky, is a depressing sight. Surprisingly, it was an entirely uplifting and inspiring experience. Dogs and owners would enter with absolute hope and love which was equally matched by the VCG staff. And while waiting, I’d get updates from the vet techs that Patches was done with the radiation, was waking up from anesthesia, etc. I’d even get photos from in back! (one of my favorites was Patches licking one of her two «cancer boyfriends». So precious!).
By the midway point of treatment, it’d be a struggle to get Patches from the hospital to the car. No joke, I’d have to bribe her to the car with treats. The VCG staff cared for her more than I could have ever expected and she obviously returned the love.
We’re nearing 2 months from the day radiation was completed and Patches is yet again returning to her former self. She has proven herself a resilient dog, however it required not just myself but an entire staff to believe in her too. Dr. Lyons, vet techs Amy, Shauna, Denali, Sari, wonderful Molly and Jerenny at the front desk, Dr. Turner, Dr. Davis… even John the custodian! I could not have wished for a better team to bring Patches back to healthy and a good quality of life. I am grateful beyond words and can’t give a high enough recommendation. If you are in a position to be able to employ their help, you are an extremely fortunate pet owner and I can only imagine how special your pet is.

Our dog received super-​expensive Cyberknife radiosurgery after Dr. Lyons told us that he would live out the rest of his natural life (4 – 5 years) with no worry of the tumor quickly returning. The tumor did quickly return, and our dog died about 2 years later. This was about the same life expectancy as with traditional radiation.
Nobody seemed surprised or overly concerned about the recurrence. Published papers by Dr. Lyons that are available online showed that the median life expectancy after Cyberknife is far shorter than what we were told.
Also, the procedure and follow-​up care were loaded with surprise expenses, so be prepared for this. For all the cost and ground-​breaking nature of this treatment, nobody seemed particularly interested in how our dog was doing. They may or may not know he is dead.
Dr. Lyons made light of a huge cataract our dog developed that eventually left him mostly blind, and he also made light of the nosebleeds that turned out to be a sign of the tumor’s regrowth. When the tumor was officially detected, they urged us to give him palliative radiation. Upon researching this online, it appeared to be a very bad choice for him, so we opted out of it. Read up on this if you are at this crossroads.
I’m glad our dog had the Cyberknife, but I did not have a good experience with the group. Also, our dog received 2 out of the 3 treatments we paid for because the doc deemed 2 treatments adequate. Were they?
Bottom line: their number one concerns are money and statistics. If catchphrases like «hope» make you feel better, this clinic will help. «Help» is a keyword there, but «caring» is not.

We were referred by City of Angels — next door to VCA Group — because the tumor grew back on my family’s 15-​year old dog two weeks after the surgery he had gone through to remove it. Dr Lyons was very nice, helpful, answered a million questions my sister had, and finally we agreed on the dates for 5 sessions of radiotherapy which meant there was a risk the dog could die because, besides his old age, he had an enlarged heart. Heart wrenching to say the least.
Well, Shauna, his assistant, made everything even more unpleasant by acting as if she were doing us a favor when we dropped off or picked up the pet. Hope not only was 15 years old, but he was deaf and blind. Every time she brought him back, after he had been under anesthesia for an hour or so, she made him walk as fast as she was. A senior blind dog is never in a hurry, but always with her, and only with her, he walked at fast speed. She would hand us the leash and say that was it and just leave as fast as she could. I started to get annoyed by that, especially when I saw that she took the time to explain everyone else how to treat the dog, what to watch for and even petted the dog.
I was glad when someone else brought me the dog, because the person seemed liked it enjoyed working there — or at least they smiled.
So when she would bring me Hope, I would not get the leash from her hand, I would ask questions but everything that came out of her mouth was «yep» «yeah», and once in a great while she managed to say more than 5 words, which must have been really difficult for her.
After those 5 sessions, we went there a couple more times for check up and she was unhelpful as usual. The tumor seemed to have grown back 2 months after the radiotherapy, but since Hope was uncooperative with Dr. Lyons — trying to bite when he tried to see into the dog’s mouth — the vet wanted to put the dog under anesthesia to open his mouth, which I found ridiculous because I didn’t want Hope to be out for one hour only for that. Since we had paid in full for his radiotherapy and we had a balance of $ 122, I decided to just get the money back. They told me that they would have Shauna call me, and of course she didn’t, so after a week, I called, spoke to a very helpful gentleman who works on the front desk, and he had the check sent within a week.
If my dog or another family pet develops cancer, I honestly will ask that this unhappy woman stays far away from us, because any pet owner knows how stressful it is that your dog is seriously ill, regardless of your pet needing 5 or 50 radiotherapy sessions, and there shouldn’t be anyone trying to make your day less bright with their miserable self. Two stars off because of Shauna.

Fellow Unilocalers:
Read reviews for «City of Angels Veterinary Specialty Center» as it’s the same.
… urge you pay attention to 1-​star comments.
Also urge to post, if CyberKnife failed after being told of a high success rate.
Thank you,

The best place for animals with cancer. Very caring, knowledgeable and sympathetic staff and doctors. They took good care of our Annie when she developed liver cancer. Affordable pricing too. All around great place for your loved ones.

We had the best experience at VCG. Dr. Lyons and the entire staff are amazing. We had consulted with other offices and we chose the best. From the minute we walked in it was a very pleasant experience. Seeing my boy’s name on the board really made my heart smile. VCG really cares. My Kane was spoiled and all techs loved him. We’re very hopeful that his tumor will go away soon. If not, he’s going back to VCG. I’m so happy with them. Their level of service and attention doesn’t compare. I have high expectations now of other vet offices/​clinics/​hospitals.

There are not enough words to express how much we love Dr. Lyons and the entire VCG staff. But more importantly our dog, Norman, LOVES them. They made a scary experience one that was easy and stress free. Despite driving an hour and a half each day for 4 weeks to the radiation appointments, we were actually sad on the last day that we weren’t going to be seeing everyone. Norman would drag us IN to the office and we often had to bribe him to leave. That is a 5 star testimony in itself!