Veterinary Healthcare Center

I took my boxer in today and found these guys to be a great place. My boxer ended up being sick. They took me right in without an appointment which was good. This was my second experience there and the only reason they get 4 stars is because I find the prices for the labs and X-​rays pretty high compared to what I’ve seen before. Other wise they are good. The seem caring and the vet tech was really good handling my dog.

I really like this vet so far. I recently moved from Temple City to Monterey Park. So, when my dog fainted, I Unilocaled the closest vet and stumbled across here. When I got there, I had tears streaming down my face with two people ahead in line.
There was two receptionists at the desk. One receptionist immediately asked me if I had an appointment. I tried the best I could to explain the situation, and they had a vet tech immediately out to examine Lucky. She determined that he was in no immediate danger and to let the receptionists know if he fainted again.
Because I had no appointment, it took about 1 hour to meet with Dr. Odama. The entire time allowed Lucky to familiarize himself and to calm down. Dr. Odama immediately noticed that Lucky could have heart disease and that’s what could have caused him to «faint”(now he told me it was probably a syncope). Araceli, the vet tech, stayed in the room with Lucky and continued to soothe him. She brought in an estimate and asked me which items I wanted to do. She gave me her recommendations and asked me if I wanted to make an calls with family first. I really love that they show that kind of respect. I did all the tests.
Araceli and Dr. Odama took their time with Lucky as he did all their tests. He came back with the X-​rays and confirmed that Lucky did indeed have heart disease. I found this astonishing because our Temple City vet didn’t inform us of anything like that. Dr. Odama and Araceli wrote different plans we could follow and their recommendations of which plan of action to take. Araceli pointed out that I could go home and find out more about Lucky’s conditions.
I asked if I could get the X-​rays because my brothers were in complete denial that our dog could have heart disease. Araceli gladly provided a complimentary CD of them.
Over the next 2 weeks, I called them to update Dr. Odama on Lucky’s continuous syncope episodes. They were always very patient and very prompt with responses.
They referred us to see a specialist because Dr. Odama felt that would be the best solution. Most places will refer to one specialist, but they provided 5 different referrals.
Overall, service is exceptional here. The wait can be long but you can avoid this by making an appointment, sometimes even same day. The prices don’t seem exceptionally terrible. They do have a walk in fee. But, having a dog is like having a child so I don’t see how this would be different from an emergency room fee. ¹¹⁄₁₀.

Ever since my first dog, I have been taking them to Veterinary Healthcare Center. The staff there is excellent and genuinely cares about the well being of your pets. I highly recommend Dr. Beltran, he explains things in detail and will answer any questions you have.
The prices are also very reasonable for the services they provide. A+ in by book.

Dr Beltran and staff are amazing! I have been bringing my girl here for a few years. Dr. Beltran always listens to my observation. He was also the only vet that diagnosed my dogs symptoms. She was having stomach problems and even breathing problems. He suspected allergy issues and he was correct. Even though I was feeding her what I thought was quality grain free food, it was not until we had her tested for allergies that we found out she was highly allergic to potato, oats, beef and pork. and more items that some of rhe foods i was feeding her contained. Thanks to Dr Beltran she is so much better. The food she was eating was causing her intestines to be inflamed. Dr. Beltran’s patience and caring attitude is priceless! !

Feels like the county hospital for pets as far as everyones demeanor here. Attitude, no smiles or customer service, the «you are inconveniencing me» attitude and ill take as long as i want.
Don’t want to deal with that for my dog, gonna go to a small local vet, more personalized.

Thankful for the staff and Dr. Beltran. My dog had gotten through the trash and ingested some bones. He became severely constipated to the point of throwing up on Saturday evening. Luckily, VHC was open on Sunday and took walk-​ins. It was also my first time at VHC so the sign-​in and registration process was quick and easy. I waited less than an hour for my dog to be seen and Dr. Beltran was quick with a diagnosis and prognosis after examining my dog and taking his x-​rays. My dog is alot better now thanks to Dr. Beltran. He also recommended foods I should be feeding my dog and how to keep him healthy.

Dr. Beltan is an amazingly caring, dedicated, wonderful doctor.
He was in constant communication with me regarding my dog’s diagnosis and treatment plan options.
He went out of his way to locate the pharmacy that carried my dog’s medication.
I’m very impressed, not only with the quality of care provided by him and his staff, but also how humane and caring they were.
Your pet will be in great hands at his clinic.

«She is not dying; she is just having very sensitive stomach.» Said Dr. Beltran.
A week later our beloved dog passed away…
Hearts were broken. Totally not see it coming. We went to see Dr. Beltran four times in a month for the same illness. Unfortunately he totally didn’t find out what really caused my dog sick and suffering, while the other vet could tell at the very first time that what happened to our dog was not something simple and we got to see specialist right away.
Because of the serious misdiagnosis, we lost the most crucial month to save our dog…
«UP»
We had been seeing Dr. Beltran for more than 3 years. When we first found this place, we told ourselves «Yes, this is the place and we are in good hands now!» Dr. Beltran was always very careful with our dog and willing to listen when we talk about symptoms and related information.
«DOWN»
With the increased business, Dr. Beltran didn’t provide the same level of service like he used to.
On our recent visits, the hospital was always busy no matter daytime, nighttime, or weekends. Dr. Beltran was even willing to see our dog after regular hours. My wife and I really appreciate that but we both also notice the following big NoNos (Red Flags!)
1. Dr. Beltran «Forgot» what medications he had prescribed — even with medical records in his hands!!! We needed to remind him whether he had or hadn’t tried certain mediation. Apparently his focus was NOT on our dog.
2. He literally only saw our sick dog with worsen symptoms after taking prescribed medication for less than 2 minutes. We tried to ask questions and tell our observations, but the response we got was «Nothing major» and «She is not dying!!!» And then we saw he just wanting to get out of the exam room and get to the next patient.
Now our dog passed away, I just wanted to remind other pet parents that if you feel something is wrong with your furry baby and not 100% comfortable with the vet, go and seek advice from other vets, and do it QUICK!

So happy!!! Everyone at the veterinary healthcare center is so helpful and caring. No matter what the situation may be they are eager to help. Every employee there is exceptional with animals. I have a jack Russell terrier and even though I was a walk in late on a Friday night they took the time to thoroughly exam her and make sure her needs were met. I’ll never take my animals anywhere else. Thank you!

–Friendly and amazing staff!
I think my buds have seen every doctor that works here and they’ve had good experiences with all of them. The vet techs are extremely knowledgeable and kind. My dog had some skin issues (smelly, oily, flakey, etc) since I adopted him and now he’s all better! Smelly dog no more!
–Clean and spacious
I like that there’s an indoor and outdoor waiting area. I know that sometimes some dogs get anxious around others so it’s nice to know that they have an area to wait while being comfortable.
–Wait time
The wait time here can be really long, but please also consider that the amount of time they’re giving to another animal is the amount of time you’ll receive for yours. I’d rather wait and have a thorough examination with the vet instead of a quickie where none of my questions are answered.
–Pricing
I felt like the pricing here was fair. My dog had to get some teeth removed and we went in for a consultation at two vets and this one was by far the cheapest but also offered services such as overnight stay/​24 hour watch for free.
–Parking
The lot is pretty small so during peak hours expect to park on the street.

We’re regulars at this joint. Absolutely hands down, the BEST veterinary facility I’ve ever been to. I live on the Westside and don’t mind driving over because it’s that great! Everyone is super friendly, Dr. Beltran is the best, has never tried to over charge me or suggest services that we don’t need. He gets straight to the point and always treats us like family. He loves all the animals that come in and will do whatever it takes to help them and make them comfortable. Should probably change his name to Saint Beltran :) I actually wish he was my doctor too… Cockapoo says she gives it 4 paws up!

When I had my first dog, this is the vet I always went to whenever my baby was sick or needed to get his shots. For my most recent dog, she had a hotspot on her head so we had to get her antibiotics and allergy medicine so she could get better.
The workers here are so nice, friendly and very gentle with my babies. You can tell that they all truly care about animals and don’t just try to rip you off.
The vet also explained to us that not only medication will work for my dog. He said I always need to give her oatmeal baths because her hair is getting really nappy and unhealthy. He wanted to inform us of all the things we needed to do to keep her healthy in the long run, not just for the time being.
The workers here don’t try to sell you stuff, or add on extra random things that your dog may need. Yeah it may be pricey because after all, it is a vet, but they give very genuine advice to keep your dog healthy.
Make an appointment because walk-​ins wait forever! Had to wait 1 hour and 15 mins before they could see my baby.

A few weeks ago we lost a member of our family. After 12 ½yrs of being the most loving and loyal member of our family, we had to make the toughest decision to put our Coffee to rest.
From his first day to his last, this place has been there every step of the way. So when it was time, the staff and Dr. David Beltran could not have treated us and the situation any better! As emotional we all where that day, the staff made everything possible to make it hurt just a little less. We were allowed to stay as long as we needed with our beloved Coffee despite it carrying over their closing time.
And to our pleasant surprise, just a few days ago, we received a stuffed blue knitted heart with Veterinary Healthcare Centers condolences. They absolutely did not have to do that upon them selves and yet, they went the extra mile to reassure us that Coffee was a huge part of my family and they saw how devastated we were.
Thank you again to all the staff and we will continue our relationship through our other pet, Porkchop…

I called before I go, they said first visit for free, but end up they charge me $ 65, they said first time for free if my pet doing the exam in the other office within 3week, so 8mins for $ 263(exam and took out one nail)
And I don’t like them keep selling staffs (20mins), my son got very sad when we got out the door because I didn’t buy everything’s that the lady tell him what should we buy for our dog

I’m so happy I found a Vet for my puppy today. This place is awesome! Staff is very helpful and easy to work with. Everyone from front desk to Dr. Odama were a please and answered all my concerns. They also recommended my short haired puppy chihuahua the John Paul Pet oatmeal shampoo and I loved it! My pup smells great and feels better. Vet was knowledgeable along with his assistants. Office is clean and presentable. I have an appointment again in a few weeks. Hopefully the wait time is as fast as today. I waited about 5 mins (don’t know if it’s average or I got lucky)

Omg I can’t say enough positive things about this clinic!
My pup was 2 years old when we first started coming here. Since we got her as a puppy she would have problems gaining weight and would have diarrhea every single day. Our old vet never did a full work up on her and just said to keep feeding her and gave an anti-​diarrheal medication with no improvement in her symptoms.
We saw such great reviews on here so we gave it a try. We saw Dr. Beltran who was extremely friendly and calm. He did a full work up on her and referred us to a specialist which later turned out that my puppy’s kidneys were both underdeveloped. My puppy was only given 6 months to live from the time of diagnosis.
My puppy was deteriorating to the point where she would shake and vomit without eating for an entire day at a time. We took her to Dr. Beltran and he took her in and kept her overnight to keep her on IV fluids. He released her the next day and she slowly started getting better!
Dr. Beltran and later Dr. Boyle both were seeing my puppy and were watching her closely. They were so empathetic and patient when seeing us. They taught us to do subcutaneous injections with her which we had to do every single day. They also advised us to change her diet to a home cooked kidney diet, which we did.
Presently, my puppy is doing extremely well. She has so much energy, decent appetite depending on the day, and had solid stools! We were even able to take her off her injections!
If it weren’t for the Veterinary Health Care Center team and Veterinarians, my puppy would not be alive! I could not thank them enough!
They also have a huge inventory of food items and sometimes accepts returns if your puppy doesn’t like it.
In conclusion, I would not go anywhere else other than Veterinary Healthcare Center!

Staff throughout is friendly and the facility is nice. But I’ve had better experiences…
I brought my dog here for a simple shot and when speaking to the doc, I had told them that my 3 year old pitbull throws up from time to time after eating. And gets the runs after eating dry dog food. So I’ve been feeding him an expensive raw diet blend. First, Dr. Beltran highly suggested giving him meds for nausea. A special pro-​biotic vitamin and sensitive stomach canned dog food. About 200 dollars worth of stuff.
Some background info, I’ve done this dance before at this vet with nausea meds and suspected my dog of eating too fast, I’ve told both Dr. Beltran and the female doctor of this. He also gets rashes in humid weather. Which I’ve brought him here for before. And they suspected it was a food allergy. I found out later from reading a pitbull forum that it was a heatrash after spending 300 dollars on unnecessary meds. 3 Dollar gold bond fixed that problem.
So I explained to Dr. Beltran that I’ve been here before for the same thing and nothing they gave helped. I was hesitant to spend more money especially since my dog is full of energy and very active. Dr. Beltran said he highly recommends it and persuaded me to give it a try, so I gave in and did.
After a month I went back and like I suspected the special diet or 2 x’s a day meds did not help and he still threw up a couple times a week after eating. Dr. Beltran was off but there was a woman doctor that helped me. First she told me that the 3 dollar a lb raw diet I was feeding my dog was not good for him because it was not balanced. Even after I explained that the food contained USDA beef with ground pumpkin seeds and berries, ground bones, kale, kelp, organ meat and has made his coat so shiny and stool firm. She said shes not going to argue with me because I’m going to do what I want but from her experience raw is bad. I accept that, but honestly with my dog I’ve only seen good things with this raw diet so that’s why I spend 180 on dog food for him a month. But than, it gets better. The doctor makes a discovery that all the past vets have all over looked including their own Dr. Beltran.
«Frank, your dog has an irregular heart beat. He has a heart murmur» She suggested I take my dog to a heart specialist and have him examined. Its not going to be cheap she told me, A few grand most likely not including whatever meds he may need. Oh goodness I had such a good laugh, as hard as I tried to hold it I couldn’t. «Look I told her» I took this dog in from a owner that couldn’t keep him, he was a free dog. He was on his way to the pound, I spent several grand on this dog already, about 3 thousand alone on bull shit vets with misdiagnoses. (look at my review for emergency pet clinic) Now if he has a genetic defect and passes from that, he had a very loving home. That ended the conversation pretty quick.
I started taking my dog to the VCA vet in Alhambra for his shots and the occasional boarding. The friendly lady in the front even asked about where I get my raw dog food as she is interested in feeding that to her dog. And my dog stopped throwing up! A 15 dollar dog bowl with a big circle in the middle was all it took!
I understand its hard to diagnose an animal. My dogs not able to tell you whats wrong. And all you can do is trial and error until something works. Now I never knew about special slow eating dog bowls. Maybe if they would’ve listened instead of prescribed they could’ve caught that when I said that my dog just swallows his food. And that I’ve done the whole thing with the nausea meds. How can they not think to start with that before giving medicine? Are these dog food companies and pharmaceutical companies holding the strings to these puppet vets?

As a pet owner, the most painful times are when our pets are sick or dying. It’s unfortunate that I had to meet Dr. Beltran under such circumstances, but my experience here with the vet and staff was just exceptional that I will continue to take the rest of my pets here. It’s already difficult enough to find a veterinary clinic that treats pocket pets and even more rare to find one with such considerate vets and vet techs.
My pet had gotten sick alI of a sudden and taken a turn for the worse, so I made the decision that it was best to humanely let her go, but I wanted a professional opinion on my choice as well. I will note that the wait time was pretty long, much longer than most other vet clinics. I waited there maybe about 3 – 4 times longer than I had anticipated, but it became clear once it was finally my pet’s turn why it was so. I first met Chuck and I explained the situation to him and then waited some more for Dr. Beltran. When Dr. Beltran finally came in to see my pet, he listened to her lungs and told me of my options, and did not once try to persuade me into something unnecessary and costly. He explained the euthanasia process to me and when the time came, I was able to hold my pet as she passed.
Chuck came in occasionally to check up on us and he is such a warm hearted person who was able to empathize with what I was going through. He even gave me a couple of personal anecdotes as a brief distraction and definitely made me feel better. It was obvious that Chuck is a very caring person and I have nothing but good things to say about him. We finally left at 10pm (way past their closing time) and some of the staff was still there as well.
I had arranged for a private cremation and gotten the call back around a week and a half later. What really touched me was when I was picking up my pet’s ashes and noticed a crocheted heart with my pet’s name on it. The girl at the front noticed and said, «Dr. Beltran made this.» I managed to mumble a thank you, but there are no words to describe the feeling of appreciation and respect I have for a doctor who is no doubt very busy, yet still takes time to make something memorable for someone he had briefly met. Thank you, Dr. Beltran.
I will miss my Popcorn, but I am extremely grateful that she was handled with such heartfelt and sincere care.

So… the people here are very friendly and welcoming and the facility is nice and has parking. That said, I think they tried to take advantage of me big time, and the vet didn’t even answer my question about my cat’s claws and how to cut them, and they also would not apply Soft Paws to my cat’s nails to keep her from scratching.
Judging by the $ 163 estimate they gave me, my cat has 2 paws in the grave. For minor problems, they had pretty drastic solutions ($ 42 IV fluids for a minor case of diarrhea that had resolved itself by the end of the day), major antibiotic shots and pills for sneezing ($ 22, $ 12) and vitamin shots for her not eating much when I first got her home ($ 46, $ 36). Talk about catching a fish with a grenade. I declined their services. Unilocal is clearly a very sketchy place to find an honest vet. After reading other people’s reviews, I think the vets here make a lot of money selling people expensive and unnecessary procedures and medications for their pets, and pet owners allow themselves to be suckered by these people. I guess trust your instincts is the only thing I can say… also, stop turning off your brain because your pet is sick.
Some of the basic assertions made by the vet have since proven untrue, it makes me seriously doubt his competence.
Also, I’m pretty sure my cat picked up fleas at this clinic. Would advise everyone to use frontline on your pet after you take them here, because fleas can give pets worms, but hey that’s a gift that keep$ on giving for the people at this place.

I had taken in a 3 week old kitten who was abandoned and noticed that her butt was inflamed and red. That same day I looked up available vets in Monterey park and immediately found this AMAZING place. The ratings and reviews were good so I decided to give it a try.
My baby was given her medications and I could see that the medication had worked because her inflammation had gone down the very next day. This place is pricy for sure but hey, I’d do anything for my baby so I’m not complaining. I like the fact that the vet tech was very understanding that I was a new mother of a half day and explained to me everything I needed to know. My baby was 0.3 pounds when I found her and now she is a healthy 8.9 pounds 1 year and 2 months later. She’s very active and happy.
I love this place and although it hurts my wallet, I know I’m always getting the best care available.
I also took my kitten to get spayed here and I was surprised at how quickly she recovered from her surgery. They allowed my kitten to stay over night for observation which made me less anxious and worried about post operative complications.
Workers there are always very friendly and I can tell that they truly love animals. Thank you for treating my baby well =) the place is very clean and neat. 5 stars all the way.