Canyon Animal Hospital

I own a Bloodhound (actually she owns me) and this is where you go when you have a Bloodhound. I have been coming here since Dr Hamil was the owner. I liked him, but my dog didn’t, so I was glad to meet Dr G and see some of the new updates and changes he made to the hospital. My dog likes Dr G.
She is almost 10 years old and we have spent a lot of time and money at Canyon Animal Hospital in the last year. Lumps and bumps, laceration from a fight, chronic UTI’s, tumor, and a mouth infection. The issues are never ending with this dog. I have seen Dr G and the lady Veterinarian (forgot her name) and they are both excellent! Interested, knowledgeable, detailed, and good with solutions.
I would highly recommend them for quality care for all your animals.
Here are a few tips.
–the lobby and hallways can be a little small so if you have a «not friendly» dog, be aware.
–the price seems high to me but maybe they have the same prices as competitors and I just haven’t compared. If you are price sensitive, make sure you get your quote and are prepared to pay for their quality of service.

We have been patients here for over 15 years. A great, caring staff. I would take my dogs anywhere else.

Dr. G. and his entire staff are the most professional and caring people I have ever had the opportunity to be with. I have had the pleasure of having him look after both of my Labs and their care is first rate.
Dr. G. has cared for my first Lab from birth to his recent passing and no one would have treated us any better than him and his staff. I literally love their care. Words cannot accurately express my gratitude.

Not many vets go out of there way to help people who’s pets are gravely ill and not charge them or charge very little. A friend of mine took her puppy in only to find out that he had parvo and it would be $ 4000 to save him. Sadly my friend explained that she didn’t have the money and to put him down would be best. The vet Dr G. asked her to sign over the dog to him and he would try to save his life. My friend did so and with a broken heart she went home. This was several days ago. Today DrG called and let her know that not only had the dog survived but she could have him back for the cost of the medicine. My friend is over the moon happy and so am I. So many times it’s about the money. But when someone can step back and say let’s try and save a life. That brings back faith in humanity. I work in the pet industry and certainly have met people who have forgotten why they wanted to work with pets to begin with. I will certainly be referring this vet and praising him for what he did.

This is to warn those who visit this establishment how they treat a client after 8 years who has spent tens of thousands of dollars and if for some reason you disagree with them, they refuse service when you question them in detail. Over the years I brought them four dogs, two of which were special needs dogs, and two rabbits, paid my bills promptly. In comparison to other vets in the area they are 10% higher than any other vet. My animals need board certified vets which these folks are not and when they recommend board certified vets for a pet in special need they do not fit the specialty needed. My one special need dog needed a penile amputation and they sent me to a board certified orthopedist, and then the same dog that developed chronic bladder infections was in need of a urologist they send me to an internist that after intensive investigation did not deal directly with urological problems and I had to search for one who had considerable experience in this area.
The immediate problem, in which I parted company with this veterinarian, was that I adopted a dog who was falsely advertised as being neutered, house trained etc, and in great need of intensive dental care and tooth extraction. While I am not certainly putting blame on CAH for this problem, what transpired afterwards is unspeakable. Realizing I needed to find a home for this pet, rescue organizations and/​or potential adopters wanted to know his behavior. While I could offer whatever information I had on the dog, the dog spent three days at CAH. I was seeking answers from their staff, which in the past under the ownership of Dr. Hamel were very helpful, but the more recent hires and an old hand before do not make the grade — they basically just do their job with no incentive to do better — in the past this was not the case and you can refer to other reviews in 2009 – 2011 to see the difference. On returning home with the adopted dog after his castration and his tooth extraction I had a call from a potential adoptee. I call CAH to give me more information on the observation of the dog. I was met with a receptionist that curtly told me she did not observe the dog, I had told her I really needed her help if anyone else was there who did observe them. She then told me what she observed. I questioned her on why all of a sudden she remembered an observation of the dog while 5 minutes she did not. Apparently, this woman was very thin skinned and could not handle the call, so she put my call on speaker phone, unbeknownst to me until the vet that I was seeing said this woman did not like the way I communicated with her. While consulting a lawyer this is not illegal, but highly unethical especially when a client has frequented regularly your establishment for 8 plus years, I don’t know how others feel about this, but I have a feeling that they might have recorded me. They wrote me a surly letter without the owner of CAH signing the document. They cast aspersion on my character not only in the letter but to other local vets. I am just warning anyone that visits them and if you challenge CAH and they do not like the tone of your inquiry, they will drop you as a client. Furthermore, I had a question on my bill that I felt was extraordinary but their letter stating they could no longer serve me inhibited me from disputing the bill. In short, the letter stated that if I had any questions not to call their office and then putting me in a «double bind» situation I could not call their office. A staff member would put me through to their office manager who would return my call «at her convenience.
Is this any way to run a business? I asked my administrative asst to call them but there was no response. I then had to call the office mgr. to formally notify them that I was disputing the bill.
Most clients want to have a stress free environment, and a curious person will ask questions and if you are the type to be forceful in your questioning after spending thousands of dollars with an establishment they should properly answer your questions and deny knowledge of your inquiry and then come back that they knew something about what you were asking and put your call on a speaker phone. I find this intrusive bordering on illegal. Watch out for this establishment.
If anyone wishes to see my previous post outlining my experience with CAH go to ones that are not recommended. My original post was up for a month until CAH wanted to have a near to perfect 5 star rating, and undoubtedly asked Unilocal to remove it. I had to change my name for fear of retribution from them after threatening my reputation and I have lived in a private community for 30 years and never had any problem with any vendor or neighbor.
Many of your best veterinarians service the poor and not the affluent. I come from a family of physicians and you will be surprised. No one should have to put up with exorbitant prices and uncaring quasi professionals.

This is a second hand review, as my mom doesn’t have a Unilocal account, but it’s important that this gets shared.
My mom was driving with our 6 year old greyhound in the back of her jeep, heading for home after some Christmas shopping in Laguna Beach. Due to construction there was some stopping and starting, and no one was going over 30mph. The car in front of my mom came to a dead stop, and she slammed on the breaks to avoid hitting it. The front of her jeep stopped inches from the other car’s bumper, but the force of the stop and some ill-​timed activity resulted in our grey tumbling through the two front seats and colliding head first with the windshield.
My mom was obviously traumatized and pulled off the road– right in front of the Canyon Animal Hospital. She went into momma mode and got our grey into the hospital as quickly as possible. The staff informed her Dr. G had 3 surgeries currently occurring, but my mom, so badly shaken she could barely speak coherently, told them to look at her windshield, that this was an emergency.
The windshield is entirely, severely cracked down the passenger side.
They immediately pulled our grey into the back for x rays and tests. He was miraculously uninjured, though he’d be sore for a few days. They then kept both my dog and my mom in observation for an hour, and gave both my mom and my dog warm blankets and water. Dr. G was involved the entire time, checking in our grey and explaining everything to my mom. When they were sure my mom was collected enough to drive and our grey was all right, they released them.
They didn’t charge my mom a dime. She got our dog home then turned around and went to the animal shelter down the street to make a donation. Pay it forward, right?
Dr. G and his staff were fast acting and kind, and even though we had never been there before, treated my dog and my mom with the best possible care, then didn’t even charge for it. That kind of generosity is exceedingly rare, and Dr. G has my family’s gratitude, admiration, and trust. He has also definitely secured some new patients.

I want to thank Dr. G and the rest of the staff at Canyon, after bringing in my beloved dog Louie, who at the time was in distress, the staff was understanding and did all they could do to help my boy. Ultimately and sadly, he was not able to recover from the distress he was under and passed away. Even after, I got a follow up call from Dr. G to see how I was coping and just yesterday we received a handwritten sympathy card from the whole staff. I couldn’t recommend them more for pet care. Again thank you Canyon Animal Hospital for the care and understanding in such a difficult time. Never experienced this level of service before

Who ever answered the phone at 9:50 am this morning should be fired immediately and should go to hell. I was crying… my 15 year old dog is dying and… this asshole woman LAUGHED at me on the phone. My dog is in pain I need help and this bitch LAUGHED!!! The doctors are fine if you can get past their incompetent, stupid and insensitive bitches at the desk. I will never go back ever!
Dexter died in pain while I was trying to get help. I needed someone to waive euthanasia fees until I could get to SVHS who would have paid for it. So this laughing woman… hope she has the same kind of death as my doxie. I will be laughing. A vet really will let an animal die like that??? Dexie was fine the night before, no idea if it was heart, stroke??? but it happened literally overnight… and the woman laughed that is what I remember.

Dr. G is the best Wheaten doc west of the Mississippi! :) He did wonders to help our pup and was able to diagnose and treat what no one else could!

Dr. G is great! I unfortunately purchased my wheaten puppy from a not so honest breeder (most likely a puppy mill). We didn’t know any better at the time. Once we brought our puppy home. He had horrible diarrhea for a few months. We took our little pup to banfield where they just couldn’t figure out what was wrong. We finally heard of Dr G and all the work he does with Wheaten’s. We got him an appointment where Dr G was able to finally diagnose all of his stomach parasites and ailments. Turns out we got our puppy with giardia, circo virus, corona virus, cryptosporidium, and C perfergins. Some of which Dr G hadn’t seen in a puppy in all his years of practice. We are glad to say our little pup is all better now. Dr G prescribed the right meds and put him on a diet to help heal his intestines. Thank you to Dr G otherwise I don’t know if my pup would still be alive. On a side not, do not buy a puppy from Freedom Farmz in Adelanto from a lady named Denise. She’s running a puppy mill and selling some very sick puppies. Again thank you Dr G for getting our pup well!

Dr. G is the best! He took time and was truly concerned about my dogs problems. I would and have recommended he and his practice to several pet owners. With our old very, I always felt like we were $$ signs, not with Dr. G… he actually offered suggestions that could save us money. Thanks to him and doing things the right way!

Dr. G and his staff are excellent. Very polite and caring. They have exceeded my expectations and I couldn’t feel any more comfortable leaving my dog in someone else’s hands.

Dr. G and his staff are wonderful!!! No wait, people are so nice, easy in and out!

We had to take our Scottish Terrier here when we discovered he had an abscess in his gum line. Very painful for our boy. Don’t let your dog chew sticks! Lesson learned…
We were seen by Dr. G., and we couldn’t be happier with him. Dr G. was calm and caring with our boy as he was also very informative about what was about to be done and what steps we should take in the future. He also made a diagnosis of separate issues that were never previously brought to my attention with our dog’s previous vets. Dr. G. was thorough, compassionate, and patient. All the good qualities of a doctor/​veterinarian.
If you care about the long term well being of your pet, this is the vet!

I have been bringing my dog Latte to Canyon Animal Hospital for the past eight years, and I honestly cannot imagine taking him anywhere else.
To be fair, I have no other point of reference other than Canyon, so I really can’t say how it stacks up compared to other places. But I can say that Latte and I have always felt welcomed here, and although the prices do seem a little high, I feel the care is excellent.
Since Latte is an Italian Greyhound, I first chose Dr Hamil because of his extensive knowledge of hounds (he was the co-​owner of the Bloodhound in the movie Best in Show). But Dr Hamil is now semi-​retired, so for the past year I have been taking Latte to Dr Brower and Dr G, both of whom are outstanding and always seem to take that extra step.
While it’s easy to love my dog (I’m biased of course), the doctors and the staff at Canyon really do seem to have fallen for him too. And that extra attention and care puts us both much more at ease during his visits.

Dr. G and everyone else is awesome. They go the extra mile with followup phone calls in which they’re actually GENUINELY interested in how your pet is doing. I’ve had 5min to 30min chats depending on my questions.
Some vets pressure you about vaccines and anesthesia cleanings, but Canyon does not. I really appreciate the care they take to explain vaccines, options and are overall very candid about my pet’s care. Thank you!
Their online RX ordering system is great too. Nice addition to their services.

I worked here for a couple days several years ago and as a result of what I saw, I quit. I wouldn’t bring your pet here.
The kennel area is tiny and boarded pets spend all day in travel crates, which I personally feel is wrong.
But the reason I quit is what I saw in the clinic area. A vet tech was supposed to be watching a small poodle mix going under anesthesia, but she was so busy gabbing and yammering about some stupid story the dog flailed around, drugged, and fell off the table onto the hard concrete floor! The dog must have bitten it’s tongue, as blood started pouring out of its mouth. It was such a truly disturbing sound and sight that I didn’t go back the next day and quit.
Would never bring my pets here!

My family loves Dr. G, and he has treated our pets for years. His motto is «I treat the whole animal, not the disease,» and it has always been true. He cares how the pet feels — he doesn’t simply treat to get the blood levels and tests in line. He is cautious about ordering too many tests, and he always does his best to help us keep costs down. This includes follow-​ups by phone when possible instead of office visits and not charging for every little thing like many vets do. He and his staff are gentle and excellent at putting you and your pet at ease. We’d like to see him move to a bigger office, though — his practice is quite busy and he seems to have outgrown the place. Dr. G is one of the best.

Finding a good vet is almost as stressful to me as it is to my dog. Went here due to the Unilocal reviews touting Dr. G’s diagnostic skill and way with animals.
I’ll be honest: on initial impression, I was turned off. Although the receptionists were all great, the exam room I waited in was TINY, quite dated, and a tad smelly. There are 2 doors leading in/​out of the room — one was facing a hallway that led you back out to the front waiting area while the other was facing a back hallway where vet techs did their work and animals were being treated. Both doors were kept wide open, and I could hear dogs loudly Unilocaling in pain and whimpering in the back. This did nothing to assuage my initial nervousness and my dog was getting quite anxious as well.
But when I met Dr. G, I felt comfortable and at ease. He listened without rushing me and seemed able to pick up even small body posture changes in my dog denoting pain that normally only I would’ve noticed. He didn’t push surgery or unnecessary X-​rays, but encouraged a rest and medicate approach for my dog’s spine and pain issues. He also told me that the clinic does not support vaccinating animals every single year, as it’s usually unnecessary. I agree with this wholeheartedly.
Fast forward 24 hours later, the meds that Dr. G prescribed seem to be working. My dog got out of bed without crying in pain for the first time in 2 days. As a result of this first visit, I feel comfortable with this clinic and will likely bring my dog back for future medical needs.

I drive from LA to see this vet.
From 1^st-​hand experience, I have come to believe that vets are a dime a dozen, and more often than not, the absolute lamest of all medical professionals, (with perhaps, the exception of podiatrists). The exception is Dr. G. He is hands-​down, the best vet I’ve ever seen or worked with and I can give you concrete reasons and comparisons with other local vets as to why Dr. G is superior:
My present pet was sick when I adopted her. She’s been to a total of 6 vets prior to seeing Dr. G., including Laguna Beach Animal Hospital. Canyon Animal Hospital (and specifically, Dr. G) came HIGHLY recommended to me by a dear friend who runs the Laguna Beach Animal shelter. This shelter has taken animals to every vet in the area, and chooses Dr. G above and beyond all others. (If you go see Dr. G, please thank him for donating his time to the shelter).
On my first visit to Dr. G. he pointed out something no other vet had ever mentioned to me — something he saw this from the very same x-​rays Dr. Levin at Laguna Beach Animal had taken, and all 5 additional vets before him had seen: my cat had a spinal injury.
Additionally, I had seen all 6 vets regarding my cat’s IBD and allergies, but Dr. G was the very first vet to tell me that both are related, and also very common in Tortoise Shell Cats or, «tortie» mixes. He was the 2^nd vet to change her food, but the 1^st to get any result and the only one to change it to rabbit. We had an immediate improvement.
Down the street was a vet I honestly loved — Dr. Levin. I love the crisp, white Dr.‘s coat he wears, his office and his demeanor — but Dr. G just intuitively and professionally, knew more about my animal. Dr. G knows what he’s doing and that’s a really nice confidence to have when you are taking your pet anywhere.
When it comes to loved ones that can’t tell us what’s wrong in words — Dr. G is your best bet because he knows medicine. I believe that with all vets there is some guesswork involved. But there’s less with Dr. G, and his guesswork is simply more intelligent. This alone can save your animal’s life, and save you thousands of dollars.
The offices at CAH are computerized and while they don’t text reminders for appointments, they do email and appear more modern and clean than other vet offices. They also follow-​up in a way that doesn’t feel completely formula. If you don’t get back to them, they’ll call again. If you have a concern and leave it on the Dr.‘s voicemail, he calls you back himself.
I have seen more vets than anyone I know, and the terse version of a few of my disappointing experiences with vets are detailed below:
A previous vet in (VCA on Wilshire in LA), failed to suggest to biopsy the lump I brought my cat in to inquire about. (They actually told me it was her, «extra rib.») Months, and 2K in testing later, I asked again about the now bigger lump and they determine it was cancer.
On TWO occasions my 2^nd vet in LA, (Westside Hospital for Cats), had me starve my cat of dinner and breakfast prior to surgery, and drop the cat off for surgery. A teary-​eyed endeavor, with the reality that I might not see the cat again if the surgery revealed the cancer inoperable. This vet then canceled the surgery, twice without explanation. This same vet actually canceled on her euthanasia the morning of, offering no reason.
Before putting my cat to sleep, the next vet — a pet oncologist in Beverly Hills wasn’t much better. She gave my cat a pill to increase her appetite and failed to mention that this pill also hurts the stomach. After several weeks of taking it without incident, my cat refused it so I asked if there was an alternative. The vet then gave me a cream to rub on my pet’s ears. A week later her ears fell flat against her head. To which the vet responded, «Oh, we’ve never seen that before but it’s one of the possible side effects.» The day I called to ask if they thought it was time to put my cat to sleep the tech on the phone answered, «Oh yes, you should’ve done that a long time ago.»