VCA University Veterinary Clinic

We have been clients for over a decade and I wouldn’t dream of going anywhere else for my pets care. I was a little concerned when dear Dr. Jackson passed a few years ago, but I shouldn’t have been; Dr. Swieter is wonderful and he has since been joined by Dr. Watson who is a great addition to this team — I trust them both completely. The entire staff is great — from the technicians to the administrators to the Vets — very knowledgeable and patient. You are never rushed — when you are there for an appointment, they focus on you and take as much time as necessary to make sure all of your questions are addressed. This team has seen us through some traumatic times with a number of sick and aged pets, to include a sudden and unexplained serious illness this past year. Personal cell phone numbers were given for calls at any time, day or night — just in case we needed someone. Daily calls to check on Murphy and provide guidance were made. He recovered nicely and I attribute it to the care he received. I’ve told a number of people I wish I received as much time and attention from my own doctor!

These people are the best. From each veterinarian to all staff, they are like family but with professional knowledge and procedure on their side. Been going here over 30 years, and they truly care more than any veterinary I have ever known. They know what to do from the little to the big problems. I’d NEVER go anywhere else unless I had to by location.

I can’t say enough about VCA University Vet Clinic– Fairfax on Braddock Road. Dr. Swieter and all the staff, including Brooke, Denise and all the others are outstanding! Suffiice it to say that we moved over 1 year ago 1 hour away to Silver Spring, Maryland and we still travel down to Fairfax, VA to have Dr. Swieter care for our kitty, Callie. He is absolutely amazing in his knowledge, care, patience, and empathy in his care for her. The staff is great, too. They always fit us in on a Saturday because they know it is difficult for us to get down to VA during the week. They absolutely understand that our pets are our children and they treat them the same way, too. I highly recommend that if you care for your pets as your children and you want your vet and their staff too as well, then choose VCA– Fairfax and Dr. Swieter — he is the best!

First time «patient» here! And I’m ecstatic that I’ve found this place. My mommy’s hand hurts from the scratches I gave her shoving me into my carrier bag, so she said I should write the review instead. She said it will be one step closer to establishing her as one crazy cat lady — but she doesn’t care! So basically — me and my brother HATE leaving the house just as much as the next feline if it’s not under our terms. But the second we stepped into the clinic we felt welcomed.
Dr. Smilie, who isn’t a regular there, but SHOULD be, was very friendly and warm and you could tell right away that he was no stranger to the feline «attitude» My brother was being a punk so they checked me out first and I was my normal princess self while bro crawled all over everything, but the vet and vet assistant LET him. They each listened carefully to my mom’s neurotic stories about us and assured her that everything seemed to be normal. They gave her good tips for our health. I’m not too crazy about this topical crap she will be putting on me monthly to fend off parasites, but I guess after having had fleas a couple of years ago. it’s worth it. I guess. Ugh.
But BEST part is that we never got to leave a doc visit with treats before — only dogs ever get those… but they gave us two crinkly toys to take home! Mom wouldn’t stop talking about the overall sweetness of the staff, both medical and administrative. We could tell they truly love animals and this isn’t just a «job» to them. And they even gave mom samples of stuff that supposedly helps to calm a crazy pet down — better work on my bro — he is getting on my last nerve.
I’m not promising I won’t put up the fight of my life when we have to go back next year cuz it’s just unnatural and inhumane to be carried around in a duffel bag like a poodle… but I guess if we have to see the docs… I’ll make sure mom takes us to VCA!

Once again this veterinary office helped our loved pets with excellent care and thorough exams which helped them feel much better even though I was unaware that they were having trouble. As I say, very good vets and I would highly recommend them and their friendly and professional care.

I have brought my cats and dog here for many years, and I have always been so pleased with the vets and the tech and support staff. They are so welcoming, friendly, kind, and they know the pets and owners. They spend the time to examine and explain, never rushed, and always so gentle. They follow up with phone calls to check on my pet’s condition in the days after a visit. I am happy with this practice, and my pets are comfortable there.

I am so grateful to have found Dr. Gardner and University Vet Clinic.
Being new to the area, I searched Unilocal for good reviews for a great cat doctor but no one really stood out. Lots of good doggie docs, nothing stellar for kitties. I put the word out for recommendations via a neighborhood email group and Dr. Gardner’s name came up several times with glowing reviews, both for her knowledge and professionalism as well as her kindness and courtesy.
I couldn’t agree more! She and every single staff member are pleasant, capable, caring, kind, and trustworthy. From my first phone call on I never felt rushed or made to feel a bother, even though I had several ridiculous questions. At my first visit there with two cats, my 20 pounder was so nervous during the car ride to the clinic that he made a mess all over himself and his carrier. Embarrassed by the smell and the mess, I was apologetic as I could be for Louie, and everyone was kind and understanding and simply said, «Don’t worry, we’ll get him cleaned up for you,» and Louie and his carrier came out clean and smelling like a daisy.
No, UVC probably isn’t the cheapest veterinary office in town, but my pets are family and deserve to be treated warmly and with love and dignity. I have absolute confidence in Dr. Gardner and everyone working there and that kind of peace of mind is worth every penny.

We absolutely loved Dr. Jackson and always found him to be honest and forthcoming about costs and alternatives. We also love the friendly and helpful staff. They truly do love animals and we trust them completely with our golden retriever. The staff is like family and we have never had a problem. I am wondering if many of the issues mentioned were perhaps misunderstandings, misperceptions or human mistakes and can only say from our experience all of our questions were always answered and prices were always stated up front. The post cards sent out can be inaccurate but are computer generated and not always up to date if you have already had a shot or visit completed. I find the post card reminders helpful, personally. I would suggest if anyone has a problem to call Jay (Vet Assistant) or Dr. kate Gardner (one of the Vets) as they may be able to further explain things. I have no reservations at all recommending them!

We have been going to VCA University Veterinary Clinic for 10 years, ever since we brought our first puppy home. We now have 5 pets, 2 dogs and 3 cats, and we are thrilled with the friendly, and professional service we receive from VCA. The front office staff is courteous and friendly. Everyone knows us and knows our pets. The Vets are knowledgeable, friendly, and will spend as much time as necessary to answer our questions. It’s very obvious that they care about their patients. Dr. Gardner and Dr. Sweiter are amazing. They really know what they are doing and how to treat our pets. The Vet Techs and Assistants are also very professional, knowledgeable, and they are also sweet! What more could we ask for?
To be honest, I would never consider going anywhere else but VCA!

Love, love, love the staff and service here! My cat is easily rattled but the staff made her feel at ease for her first check up here. The doctor offered a cheaper alternative when I expressed concern about the cost of the product suggested for my cat’s dental issues. I really trust the staff and would highly recommend.

I have to say this — my pets are important to me. Dr. Jackson and the staff handled the death of my dog Sera 7 years ago, helping me decide when the right time for us was and being gentle as I could ever imagine. Last week when her half brother reached his time we made that long trip to VCA and although «Doc» was not there the same staff was, all who hugged me and helped me through the process. I would never consider taking the rest of my pets anywhere else. They are gentle, kind, and find the most humane way to treat your animals and are always willing to work with you on things.

Don’t believe the hype from others that this hospital overcharges and misdiagnoses. Dr Jackson — God rest his sole — was a fantastic veterinarian and a good friend. VCA has been treating our cat Tigger, since we adopted him back in 2006. We discovered VCA’s amazing services «by chance» one day when we noticed a Laser De-​clawing banner outside of their office one evening, which we thought was a good idea to have done for Tigger before bringing him into our home with our other de-​clawed cats. At the first visit, we were impressed with the excellent services we received. Even though Dr. Jackson is no longer with us, the director of Clinic that replaced him is so good that she knew what is going on with our other cat, based on the symptoms we described to her when we last visited — very impressive.
Yes. VCA is not cheap, but most veterinary services are not. Just face it, you get what you pay for and we don’t mind paying for top quality services. BTW — This is the only vet hospital we will take our pets to and we travel to this hospital all the way from Woodbridge.

Dr Greg Swieter is wonderful! Our dogs have been very lucky to have had him as their doctor!

Not a very good experience with this vet. He is very expensive. A simple teeth cleaning (during the cheap month) turned into $ 700 at a blink of an eye. That was about $ 500 more than I anticipated. The workers are so slow, checking in and out takes forever. The vet refused to give me a heart worm prescription so I could get the meds at a cheaper place. I always felt like I was paying for all of these tests that were unnecessary.

I have to agree with other reviews here on over pricing. I was looking at upwards of a grand just for diagnostics when he couldn’t even give me an educated guess on exam. With all of his years experience, I would think he would have at least an educated guess to know what diagnostics to order. I just left with that feeling of, I don’t know, I just didn’t have full trust. A sixth sense maybe, but not to go back. And while they were showing me the estimate, I mentioned how I’m in a bad financial position right now, and he says, «We all are.» I’m thinking, some of us are doing better than others since vets make 6 figures a year and you’re signing everything with a fraking Mont Blanc pen. So, bite me.

I have to agree with the other reviewers. New to the area, I found VCA University Veterinary Clinic from an internet search. They offered a coupon for a free first visit, which is a good thing because even after the coupon the fee for my first visit ended up being over $ 250! To be fair, most of the fee was for the standard heartworm and flea and tick meds, but the vet pushed me hard to get the flu vaccine for my dog, and after doing some research, I think the shot is pretty much a scam. I also told the doctor that I noticed some small bumps on my dog’s skin. He barely even looked at them and then prescribed a sensitive skin shampoo, another $ 12. My impressions of the doctor was that he didn’t really care about the health of my animal. He spent a very brief time looking him over and then sent me on my way. I brought him back after 2 weeks for his 2^nd course of the flu vaccine and this time it was another $ 69. At the time I brought up some concerns about my dog’s behavior. I said he has been whining a bit and acting a little weird for the past couple of days. After examining him for all of about 30 seconds, the doctor said he didn’t appear to be in any discomfort, dismissing my concerns, and then told me to bring him in for training, assuming the problem was behavioral. He didn’t bother to ask me any questions to help diagnose the problem. After taking him home and giving him a quick once over myself, I noticed a small sore on his underside, which I am assuming may be causing his discomfort (or at least a symptom indicating a physical root of the problem). Anyway, my overall impression is that the doctor really didn’t really care about the health of my animal. I would rather find a sympathetic and compassionate vet. From the other positive reviews here I believe I am going to try out Dr. Segl at Alpha Animal Hospital. Also, I don’t really post many reviews on the internet, but my experience was so bad that I wanted to spare others from future similar experiences. If you decide to visit Dr. Jackson, proceed with caution!

I’ve been taking my dog to Dr. Jackson for years — with no complaints. Simply stated, I think I just didn’t know what else was out there. After a little research and some calls to other local vets, I found out that he’s price-​gouging me After spending thousands of dollars on care for her, based on recommendations from Dr. Jackson, I only just found out that he never reviewed her file and completely missed her disease! I typically wouldn’t leave such a horrible review on Unilocal,but I wanted to warn others to take their pets to another vet.

When we took our pets to Dr. Jackson, we loved him and the place. The people are friendly and Dr. Jackson is a complete character. At the time, we thought they were expensive but didn’t really know the difference, and it seemed like our pets were getting quality care.
But then we moved and found out that Dr. Jackson had WAY over-​prescribed both of our pets and his prices were outrageous. Our indoor-​only cat was on medications she didn’t need. She had a bladder infection that we kept buying medication to treat, spending a total of $ 1300 on check-​ups and medications. It turns out that she didn’t have an infection at all, but that Dr. Jackson had never done a bacterial culture to find out — he just kept prescribing her pills. All she needed was a change of diet. We only found this out after we had a new vet in a new location and that vet looked over the past records for both of our pets.
Dr. Jackson is very nice, but his garrulous personality hides the fact that he overcharges and over-​prescribes to make more money. We realized long after we had moved that he took advantage of how much we loved our pets by getting us to agree to all these tests and procedures our pets never needed. Go somewhere else!

Inefficient, expensive and disorganized/​rude workers!
If you have money to burn and don’t mind an attitude from staff, go for it. Our initial appointment was really good but then it went bad. We brought in our records from the shelter and they kept the originals instead of making a copy and giving them back to us. Then they sent us a post card telling us she was due for her 6 month Bordetella shot… when I called the woman who picked up was very short and rude (Jinny), she said I needed all of these other shots (with a sneer of contempt, as if I was a negligent owner). Lily had already gotten these at the shelter. I told her this and she abruptly told me that «That was the problem, you need to bring those records in» with a snort of derision and I calmly informed her that I had and they had them in the records. She blamed it on the computer and got my record. The price she quoted me for what Lily needed was almost 1,000 … she’s a healthy dog. I’m getting it for ½ the amount at PetSmart with less attitude and more organization and efficiency.
p. s. I think they are all trained to say how much they love your dog… because everyone says that and one woman said that to me but it was about a different dog with the same name.

I never feel the need to review things, but VCA is so amazing that I want others to know.
My cat Jenny got out of the house and when she came back, she had a deep abscess that opened up the following night. I rushed her to an ²⁴⁄₇ Animal Hospital and when they returned a $ 1500 price, I cried on my way home, only being able to afford meds for pain.
The next day I received a call from VCA. The animal hospital had faxed the paperwork to them and VCA wanted to know my course of action. I was amazed that they took the initiative to call me to begin with, then when I explained my cost limitations, they told me to bring her in anyways.
Face to face, Dr. Jackson let me know that he would never let her die and that he wouldn’t make me pay over $ 450 no matter if they went in and found more problems. That we would figure out a payment plan if need be.
He did exactly that. I set up for 4 payments and when they brought her out and the cost would have been 400 more, he reinforced his promise that he said I would pay the quote and nothing more. Jenny is back to herself (hair still growing back though, got a little baboon baby for a little longer) and she is absolutely healthy. Loving her as much as I do, I am SO grateful that they called and quoted me something that they understood would be more manageable.
Other than that, the staff is personable and have a true love for pets. The atmosphere is relaxed and they have the greatest coffee machine!

The doctor called to remind me Lucy need to go in for another check up and shots. My how the time does fly!