Ark Animal Hospital

been going there for years with all of my pets. There is no other Vet to go to… Promise!!!

Second visit today, went in for Saturday vaccines the staff is awesome, super friendly, and office is clean. Talking with other pet owners that have been coming here for years… Hearing that has reassured us we are getting the best care for Kaizer.

When we moved to Murrieta a few years ago, we continued to see our old vet in Orange County because we loved them… but it was getting a bit ridiculous to keep driving all the way out there so we looked for a new vet close by. We found Ark Animal Hospital on Unilocal and couldn’t be happier with this animal hospital. Dr Costuma and ALL of his staff are wonderful. They are always friendly and make you feel at ease even when your furbabies aren’t feeling well. Not to mention how they are with our pets. Dr Costuma got on the ground with my dog when he was scared and really soothed him. They don’t try to make you do a bunch of tests or try to push products on you to make you spend obscene amounts of money but compared to our former vet, they are so much more affordable for all of their services. We also foster dogs and have used other vets in the area for them and they didn’t compare to Ark. I completely trust that our animals are in the best care with Dr Costuma and staff and believe they want the best for our pets and treat them as if they were their own. We will continue to go to Ark Animal Hospital and cannot recommend them enough! If you need a vet… look no further!

This vet is AMAZING! After countless TERRIBLE vet visits, I finally found the best vet ever (literally!!). My cat got really sick after she was spayed by a terrible vet elsewhere. She wouldn’t get out of the loopy phase and she was throwing up like crazy. The doctor was soo polite, he treated her like she was his cat. They aren’t too pricey either.
They are very very sweet people.
All of the nurses talked to all of my pets that I brought there as if they were humans. I brought both of my dogs, one for moral support for my other dog and in the end both of my pups got 2 treats each! If you’re looking for a vet GO HERE!

My dog had a deep cough leading to vomit. He wasn’t eating and had a dry warm nose. He definitely had a fever and after two days I got worried. Not only for my dog, but for my wallet. Every pet owner’s worst nightmare is facing the potential for expensive vet visits. I searched every online resource for a vet that would provide excellent care for a reasonable price, then I looked at Unilocal.Doh! I should have looked at Unilocal first!
We walked in on a Saturday morning just after they opened at 9 am. Unfortunately, they don’t take walk-​ins, but they were able to schedule us an appointment an hour later.
My pup was so excited about being out of the house, he forgot that he was sick. Luckily Dr. Costuma is pretty much a badass. He got down on the floor with the dog in the exam room and gave him a good once over. Checking his hips, teeth, and looking for other potential problems.
Because of the coughing, it’s hard to say what might be the problem. The most likely answer is kennel cough. So Dr. Costuma started treating for that with cough suppressants and antibiotics. If this treatment fails we’ll move on to the next possibility. Fingers crossed!
The overall price was just about $ 100 for the visit and the meds. Plus a few suggestions for other issues that might be ailing my pup.
Dr. Costuma is friendly, fast, and professional. We really appreciated his candor and efficacy.
I hope we don’t have to see him again, but if we do, this is the place to go!

My dog was sick for about a week, I was assuming that he ate something or was getting old and little extra pounds he has on him was slowing him down.
When he didn’t get better after I took him to a vet near by my house (this vet told me my dog was fat and put him on a lot of medicine and diet food, horrible place),
I took him Dr. Costuma at Ark Animal Hospital.
Dr.Costuma really took time to find out what was going on and truly cared about my dog’s well being.
After the blood, urine and cytology test… We found out that my dog had lymphoma…
Dr.Costuma called right after he got the result and gave me all the options we can consider for my dog.
I could tell that Dr. Costuma was sincerely heart broken about the bad news as I was.
Unfortunately my dog’s condition was going bad to worse in really short time and our family had to put him down for his quality of life…
Today, I received a card from Dr. Costuma in the mail with hand written sympathy message.
It made me cry so much but I really really appreciate him for reaching out to us and mourning with us.
«Thank you Dr. Costuma for everything you’ve done for Sonny and our family. I truly appreciate it. I’m not sure if we can ever get another dog but if we ever do, you’ll be the only vet who we will trust and go see»
We’ve already told so many friends and family about Ark Animal hospital, and if anyone is looking for a great veterinarian, I wouldn’t hesitate to say Dr. Costuma will take care of you and your pet.
Thank you Dr. Costuma again from bottom of my heart…

I am SO happy we finally found a caring and capable vet in our area! I too have had multiple vet nightmares since moving to Murrieta 6 years ago. We recently took in an elder dog and noticed she had a lump on her belly. Unfortunately it turned out to be cancer and many other small tumors were present. The vet was compassionate and honest and said the best thing to do was love her up as long as she was able to enjoy life. We did just that. After 6 months it became obvious that she was in pain and suffering. We took her back into Ark and had to say goodbye. I have had to let many dogs go over the years and this was the most gentle, easy, peaceful experience we’ve ever had. Thank you, Dr Costura for making our sad day a little easier. You really do care and it shows!

Of all the vets that I have ever encountered, Dr. Costuma is without a doubt the best. He goes above and beyond helping pets and their owners. My dog Elvis was seeing another vet when he became ill at 14 years of age with a terrible cough that wouldn’t go away. His former vet couldn’t help him and seemed to be uninterested in perusing other options. Elvis’ age might have been a factor with the vet giving up on him. When we took Elvis to Ark Animal Hospital, Dr. Costuma welcomed him with open arms. He was very insightful and determined to do whatever it took to help Elvis with his health problems. Elvis’ cough was cured, but unfortunately after several months, Elvis’ health started to decline unrelated to the cough and it was determined that he had bone cancer. Dr. Costuma rose to the occasion and tried many treatment options to ease Elvis’ pain and help him through this difficult period. In the end, when Elvis was suffering so much, Dr. Costuma supported our difficult decision to put him to sleep. The way he handled this situation is beyond the call of duty of a typical veterinarian. It showed a lot about his character and professionalism. When we were by Elvis’ side when he was being put to sleep, Dr. Costuma treated the dog, as well as our family with the upmost respect and compassion.
We would recommend no other veterinarian than Dr. Costuma. Whether you have an older or younger pet, he is there for you. In the future, when I’m ready to have another pet, I won’t hesitate a moment to call upon Dr. Costuma again. He’s simply the best.

I have not actually been into ark yet. I have been working at a vet in San marcos and called ark recently about establishing a vet up in a murrieta when my family moves. Each time I have called the receptionists were nothing but helpful and informative. i even got a message from them welcoming me to murrieta and that they hope our move goes well! Little personal touches like that make me excited to come to the clinic!

I cannot begin to explain how amazing Dr. Costuma and his staff are! We have a kitty who has had the worst luck with her health. She has seizures and also has knee problems. Dr. Costuma has been very thorough in all of her visits and provides the best information for us that we can understand. You can tell this place is not about getting money, but about the quality of our pet’s lives. After our first visit we placed our kitty on seizure medicine and Dr. Costuma personally called to ask how she was doing on the medicine. He is very good about giving his recommendation and professional opinion, but also informing you to help you in making the best decision for your baby. We are about to get a puppy and I cannot wait to bring him in to see Dr. Costuma.

11 years in Menifee and 8 horrible, incompetent and greedy vets later – I finally found the best one in the Inland Empire!
I thought the nightmare would never end, seriously. You can see the worst ones in my other Unilocal reviews.
My vet of over 20 years is in San Diego, and some of my pets had a hard time with the long drive and would get sick in the car, so I prayed I would find a vet that knew what he was doing.
Thanks to active Unilocalers, I decided to give Dr. Costuma a try. My 14 animals now have a great home with an extremely knowledgeable and caring veterinarian.
It’s been 14 months and I’ve brought 6 of my «kids» in so far and he’s done a wonderful job with these issues…
1 kitten needed a spay, but she had a really bad hernia and holes in her abdominal wall in two places on her stomach and Dr. Costuma fixed them both.
1 cat with severe diarrhea — antibiotics solved this problem
1 cat diagnosed with diabetes — got it under control in 2 weeks!
1 dog with diabetes and the other vet couldn’t get it under control, lied and was only about the money — Dr. Costuma finally got it under control! Their dental hygienist did an AMAZING job getting her teeth clean, too.
1 cat with herpes and a breathing issue — got Lysinex and nose drops
1 cat with a lump on his chest, found to be only lipoma (fat tumor) — so happy!
It’s all about experience and compassion, and Dr. Costuma has animals of his own and wants the best results for his patients. I trust him implicitly, and I don’t trust anyone with my animals.
What else is great about Ark Animal Hospital?
The people who work there are all very nice. They are not pretentious or snooty like other vet techs I’ve encountered. They are so friendly and really love the animals. It’s important the people who take your pets in the back and give them shots or anything they need to be friendly and loving to our kids. Kudos for an awesome team!
If you are looking for a new vet or leaving one of the horrible ones in our area, you are in very competent hands with Dr. Costuma. He is the only one I would recommend in Riverside County, hands down!

Amazing staff! 100% opposite All creatures Animal Hospital. They are a joke compared to Ark Animal Clinic.
Go to Ark animal clinic. Doctor Steve Costuma is Amazing!!!

Took my baby here last week since the vet I had saw before was the worst I had ever seen.
Overall, Ark was probably the best experience I’ve had with a vet. We made an appointment for that day since she was very sick. When we got in, one of the receptionists at the front desk wasn’t the friendliest (she never smiled at me ever the 2 times I went in), but the lady who actually took us back to the exam room was very sweet and was great with my dog. Cute and comfy environment, I like the paintings on the walls.
Dr. Costuma was nice, and did a very thorough examination, and informed us he would like to run some tests. The tests and medications were a bit too expensive and we couldn’t afford to do them all, so we were only able to do an X-​Ray and get a prescription, which came out in total to ~$ 270 with the exam fee. No one made us feel guilty that we could not afford to do all of the tests, which I really appreciated.
Unfortunately, my baby did not get better, and I had to let her go later in the week, but I was impressed that Dr. Costuma called me daily to check up on her and see how she was doing. That really made me feel like he cared about her, and cared about our family. I am glad I took my baby here, and that she was well taken care of.

We love Ark!!! We are a breeder of golden retrievers and they do a great job taking care of all our dogs and puppies! They have been available after hours when we needed them as well. Highly recommend!

I have been searching for a vet for quite some time and turned to Unilocal as a referral source. My ten year old Beagle needed some medical and dental treatment. Dr. Costuma and his staff were extremely professional, helpful and informative throughout the process. My dog is like my child and I am very fussy with who I trust. I have much faith and trust in Ark Animal Hospital. I find them to be honest and fair with their prices.

Love Dr. Costuma and it’s nice to find a vet that doesn’t overcharge. The staff has always been very nice. We have 3 dogs, one of which is very nervous. When we took him in to get fixed the staff said he was adorable and they wanted to keep him there. I like that they tried to keep him calm and relaxed while he was recovering/​waiting for us to pick him up.
My only complaint is one time when I went in one of the ladies in the front smelled of cigarette smoke. It was very off-​putting and just made me want to hurry up an leave. That’s not the greatest first impression for a new/​prospective client.

So very pleased with this place. I walked in at about 8:45 this morning with my cat, no appointment but due to the urgency of my cats situation Dr. Costuma made time to see me in between all of his morning appointments. He was completely booked. They took my cat to be looked at while I filled out new patient paperwork and within 10 minutes I was already talking to Dr. Costuma. He explained everything so well to me and stated the possibilities of what could be going on. He gave me an estimate of how much treatment would cost give or take the outcome of their findings. He even gave me handouts to read up on to further educate myself which is great to have to reference. Overall I am very pleased and would definitely recommend this place to others. This will be my go to place for all future veterinary visits.
Staff was also very friendly and kind — hearted.

Anyone who knows me knows that my dog is like my child. When he spent the whole night throwing up in my bed I had to take him to see a vet as soon as possible and being new to the area, didn’t know where to go. Ark was recommended to me by a friend and I am so glad I took Tucker there. I didn’t have an appointment and they were booked all day but after talking to me about his symptoms and understanding how worried I was, they got us in to see the vet right away. Dr. Costuma was so thorough and gentle with Tucker and answered all of my annoying questions. I really felt informed and understood all of the treatments they gave him. I couldn’t have had a better experience and will definitely be taking Tucker to Ark for as long as we live in this area. Thank you guys so much!

I took my little pup in to get surgery (almost a year ago) and all the staff was so kind and sweet to her. Good experience and she is doing wonderful now.

Love this vet! Went to him because our dog couldn’t jump anymore and her back legs were dragging after a walk. Instead of running a whole bunch of tests and xrays he wanted to try anti inflammatory (they prescribed) and Glucosamine (picked up at Sprouts) and said no walks for 2 weeks. She is FANTABULOUS now and jumping up on the couch and barking Zip​pity​.Do. Dah o
n her walks!