VCA Family and Oahu Veterinary Specialty Center

We love them. Wish we used them with our late puppy, but they treated him very kindly in the end. Now, our 2^nd puppy is in love with them. It’s his doggy disneyland.

We’ve lived in many different places with our dog, and this is one of the most amazing places we have ever taken her. She had an emergency requiring immediate surgery and the team here took perfect care of her. The surgery was done quickly and throughout recovery they updated us with her condition, and they did everything they could to make her comfortable. All of the staff, from the doctors to techs to front desk staff are so friendly and knowledgable. We can’t imagine taking our dog anywhere else now.

Dr. White is one of the best vets there. She is thorough, caring, and will personally call or talk to you. We recently put our dog down because her sickness and old age. Dr. White was there for us emotionally and supportive of our decision. It was a very difficult one. She really cares about each pet, even if she sees 50 of them a day. I can’t thank her enough. Ziggy is resting in peace. The only reason I gave it 4 stars was because this clinic is pricey. Higher than most clinics. Pets can be expensive, get insurance!

Yesterday I had to bring my frenchie, Pork Chop to the VCA Pearl City location because he got into a fight (again) with our bigger dogs. My actual vet clinic, VCA Kapolei referred me because we weren’t sure if he needed stitches and they were booked solid, so I contacted VCA Pearl City. The assistant that answered was friendly and concerned sharing they do have a walk-​in doctor on site as well as providing the required fees for the visit. She also shared a «guesstimate» price (my term of possible costs) if there was any extensive procedures that needed to be done, which I appreciated. She took my dog’s name down as well as my last name before we hung up.
As soon as a I walked in and shared that I called in before hand-​the front desk already had a record waiting for him and they called for triage. Then, they brought him to the back to be assessed.
While I waited, there was an assistant that walked around making sure everyone was ok. He also went to the back to follow-​up with how Pork Chop was doing before they called me into the back as well.
Thank goodness, it was just scratches. She gave me the option of doing self-​care and antibiotics, which was highly recommended or if I wanted them to sedate him to clean him up further, which would be additional fees. I chose to do self-​care of keeping his scratches clean and giving him the prescribed antibiotics.
Overall cost of the visit: $ 150 (whew)
Thank you, VCA Pearl City!

Excellent staff treated our dog with love and sincerity we were referred here by our regular get during non office hours for an emergency bite/​sting which resulted in breathing difficulties in our German Shepard/​Alaskan malamute mix. The team of staff went above and beyond to calm our baby, fully understanding her fears and anxieties and anticipating her reactions and soothing her in advance. That extra step of personal touch is a rarity to find mahalo now to keep our fur babies away from those pesky stinging creatures!

I’ve been going to this clinic for the past 5 years and have not been disappointed. We actually came across this ²⁴⁄₇ clinic when we first got my dog & he became really sick late one night. We called in advance and drove to take him in at 10 pm. The staff was very nice and helpful in our situation, hence having my business for the last five years!
All Veterinarians are friendly and very welcoming. They make sure you understand everything they are doing and never pressure you into running expensive tests if they don’t believe it’s necessary. My dog doesn’t have one specific bet he goes to, and I’ve never had a problem with that because they’re all on the same page.
The staff sends out regular appointment reminders as well as following up with courtesy calls. If you’re ever in need of a vet, I recommend them! They also accept/​offer Care Credit & a new Care Club program.

If they didn’t accept care credit I would have never brought my dog here! The staff is beyond rude. They had us waiting for over an hour just to change out his bandage. They made sure the maxed out our credit cards and made up all the excuses in the world why. Our dog is still in recovery but unfortunately due to their ridiculous over charges we weren’t able to keep him. I wouldn’t recommend this place to my enemies

Our elderly dog developed pneumonia & heart failure. Throughout his hospitalization and eventual passing, the entire staff showed such compassion and professionalism. From our emergency arrival through several days of critical care, they kept us updated on his condition and went above and beyond to keep him comfortable and to give him the opportunity to recover. It is so hard to lose a pet, but we appreciate the outstanding medical care he received, as well as the kindness and support we received from all members of the staff. We wouldn’t consider anywhere else for the care of our pets. Thank you VCA!

I love how caring they are. My dog was recently attacked, needed a drain in her neck and some stitches. They gave her so much love! The price is kinda up there but they are open 24 hours for emergencys, and ER visits always cost more for human or animal anyway. They do help out the military which is super great! When I went to have drain removed from neck and had my baby son with me they came out to my car to help me bring my dog in! Super kind!

I went here to get a dog I found checked for a microchip. The woman at the counter was very friendly, and we found the baby’s home!

Took my dog here the other day for a routine check up, (didn’t feel comfortable taking him to his old clinic) and the staff there were just so friendly. Dr. Kristin Dang was our doctor and she was so informative and helped us cut costs down for shots. She even made a few personal phone calls to myself to discuss further treatment plans which I thought was really generous. She even offered to have me speak with her directly when scheduling my dogs appointments so she could fit me in where it would work for me. Wait time for appointment was not long at all, and paperwork was just two sheets. They even contacted his previous vet to obtain shot records for my dog. The staff was super friendly and the doctor was super informative, that is all I ever asked for when looking for a vet. I’m going to continue care for him there, and make sure I recommend this office to everyone I can.

I cannot thank Dr. White for helping my 16 year old dog when he was sick. Her bedside manner is remarkable and also the VCA employees are wonderful. If you live in the aiea/​pearl city area I’d recommend VCA for all your pets needs.

LILO has been with the VCA all his life. VCA has provided great service and he loves visiting the center. Thank you for all you do for my wonderful LILO and all the pets you provide assistant too.
If you are looking for a good place for your pet, VCA is the place. The medical team and the staff are outstanding. Each visit we are always welcome with a friendly smile. Thank you for all you do!

If I could give them negative stars I would. I had a bad experience involving my Cocker Spaniel, Vincent. He was presenting very, VERY obvious signs of Parvo. He was vomiting, had bloody diarrhea, and was lethargic. He wasn’t drinking water and I knew he was dehydrated, so I was force-​feeding him water and Pedialyte.
I made an appointment for the VCA Hospital in Pearl City with a Dr. Chen. She examined my dog, I asked her if she thought it was Parvo, but she never gave a straight answer. Instead, she basically gave me three options: Take care of him myself with no actual diagnosis from this veterinarian (whom I’m paying), do some blood tests to find out what he has, or put him in the hospital.
I went for the middle route, not wanting to spend an entire paycheck on a night’s stay at the hospital. When she did the labwork, she basically came back saying she still didn’t know what was wrong, that it couldn’t be seen to be parvo or any other disease, only that he was dehydrated.
Later, I find out that parvo CANNOT BE DETECTED via blood test only fecal exam (but that’s about ¹⁄₁₀ the price of a blood test).
Upon checking out, I find out they’re charging me over $ 400 for the blood test, and apparently $ 100 for a brief hydration by the vet, which I didn’t authorize for that price.
All told, I spent nearly $ 500 and didn’t find out anything. Later, I went home, started treating him for Parvo myself, and had him fixed in about two days of hydration and nursing.
This is, truly, a disgrace. I love my dog and would do anything for him. It’s very sad your hospital would take advantage of pet lovers like this. They could have detected Parvo for less than $ 100 (maybe a bit more). But, no, they wanted to rip us off.
I really hope VCA can do something to stop veterinarians from doing this and ruining any chance at a good company.
— - -
Oh, and to the Unilocalers: If your dog is actually SICK, they will not honour the «first exam coupon» for new customers. Apparently you have to bring in a perfectly healthy dog for them to just look at, and that’s free.

Dr. Lam is excellent! He is very thorough and efficient! Our dog, Buddy needed surgery to remove a calcium oxalate bladder stone, and our vet recommended Dr. Lam. He explained the procedure in detail and answered all of our questions. Dr. Lam also kept us updated during Buddy’s surgery which made us feel better. We were very happy with the results, and so glad Buddy feels better now, he is back to his Kolohe self! I highly recommend Dr. Lam and his staff. The staff is so friendly, knowledgeable and caring. The clinic is A+++ super clean!
Mahalo Dr. Lam for helping Buddy :)

Came in here because my dogs penis was openly bleeding. The only thing this vet did for me was charge me money and say nothing was wrong with him. Uh… A bleeding penis is not normal. I took him to my normal vet and they actually checked my dog out completely and found he has a tumor. Which is a lot worse now because it was not discovered initially by VCA.

Very nice location and easy parking. Office staff was very nice when we arrived. Doctors exam rooms are very clean and it’s like going to a people doctors office.
We will go again if needed.

Do NOT bring your animals here to get cremated. We paid almost $ 200 for our baby to be cremated and thought we were going through the best people possible but they commuted her ashes & «lost her»! HOW TF can you be so careless and lose a dogs ashes! Stupid morons. FCK THIS PLACE

If I knew years ago what I know now I might still have my cat, and that is to not come here. When we first moved here I brought my kitten here because it was close by. Something happened and her chest filled with fluid (I know now that it was an abscess). My only option was for her to have «surgery». $ 2500 later I took her home with antibiotics. The fluid ended up coming back. Then my only options were to do another surgery, so another $ 2500, or put her down, which is what we did.
Fast forward 8 years later and our new cat. He too formed an abscess and instead of going back to VCA I took him to Surf Paws in Hawaii Kai. A couple of hours and $ 193 later I took him home with antibiotics.
This is just terrible the price gouging that they do. And most people don’t even realize, or they are made to believe they only have one option. Please look into all of the other places on island before coming here.

Would highly recommend this place for your pet! We took our Pekingese here for a back surgery and Dr. Lam and his staff did and amazing job on him! Marcus (our Pekingese) is a multi show winner in Australia and New Zealand. Also this was Marcus’s 3 surgery on his back. Dr. Lam and his staff is amazing on how they care for your pet and making sure your pet is comfortable. Also, Dr. Lam takes the time to explain what is going on and he made every effort to follow up with us and kept us up to date with Marcus status. Dr. Lam takes your pets care to the next level with his compassion and love for your pet!
Dr. Lam Mahalo so much!

This was the first time we have ever used the VCA, but the staff and quality of care was amazing. We brought our baby girl Lulu in for her c-​section, and everything was perfect! We couldn’t be happier with the the results. Our questions were always answered by the vet, techs, and staff, no matter how many questions we asked. They were never rude or irritated to us. From the beginning of the visit-​to the very end, I highly recommend the VCA. Dr. Dang is a wonderful vet and we look forward to meeting with her again soon!

This review was a four star review, that was until we contacted the VCA regarding a medication refill and then did some research of our own…
The front desk staff is polite and kind. The girl who helped us and another girl named Casey were great.
What we didn’t appreciate was the fact that our cat was taken from us and we didn’t know what was happening or going on. It wasn’t until the very end of the emergency appointment, when we asked to be shown how to apply the medication, that our cat was finally brought in. This and the fact that we weren’t asked before tests were done (which we were told we would be informed beforehand) bothered us.
So we brought our cat in. She had conjunctivitis of the eye. We were prescribed a medication for this, to be applied 3x/​day for a week. Three days later, our cat started having diarrhea. We called the VCA and expressed to them that we were concerned it might be a giardia flare up, as our cat is a carrier (though she’s never had a giardia flare up). Dr. Pearman (the doctor we saw), went ahead and prescribed two medications for this.
One of the medications was to be administered 3x/​day for 5 days. We tried every day, every 8 hours to get this down, and it never happened. Our cat had probably ½ of a dosage (she foamed up the rest… and yes, the syringe was back far enough in her mouth) and the rest of the medication we never got down. We were able to get her to take the second medication. It was 1x/​day for 3 days. She had every dose, no problems.
So, a few days after all medications were finished, we decided to call the VCA regarding the fact that our cat’s stool wasn’t as solid as it was before. We told them the whole situation about the medication and how we were only able to administer one; she basically had none of the one medication… We asked for a refill for the one medication we were able to administer, as we could get her to take it and that we thought it was working because her stools were formed and not diarrhea. and Dr. Pearman wants to go ahead and tell us (she left a VM) that (1) she will not refill the medication that «worked,» but she would refill the other meds, (2) «maybe» our cat has food allergies, and (3) we should come in for a fecal sample.
1) What? What good is a medication that we can’t administer, and why not refill a medication that is «working?»
2) Maybe she has food allergies? MAYBE? Check her charts that you asked for. She has them, and she’s been on a limited ingredient diet since shortly after adoption. Seems funny that food allergies would all of a sudden «act up» when a cat has conjunctivitis of the eye…
3) A fecal sample? You mean to test for giardia? She’s a carrier, she WILL test positive for it.
So in the meantime, we went ahead and did a little research of our own… turns out that the eye medication (that we were prescribed and that our cat had been administered about 8 times before she showed any symptoms of diarrhea or loose stool) has symptoms… symptoms of… that’s right… DIARRHEA.
I’m convinced that the «diarrhea medication» that we were able to administer wasn’t the reason the diarrhea cleared up… I’m convinced that the diarrhea has cleared up because our cat’s been off of the eye medication (which was causing the diarrhea) for a few days now.
So when Dr. Pearman called me back, I addressed this issue. She straight up told me that yes, though not always common, diarrhea is a symptom of this drug… but since SHE’S never experienced that in hundreds of pets, it’s not likely. She went ahead and told me that if my husband or I got giardia, she would be held liable, etc. etc… I told her I am well aware of how to prevent, treat, and «clean up» giardia (didn’t you read in my cat’s charts, she is a carrier?), and besides, when we called saying our pet was having symptoms of diarrhea, it would have been nice to have been told, «We know you think it might be a giardia flare up, and we would really like to give you medication to treat that just in case, but we would also like you to know that diarrhea can be a symptom of this medication.» We totally would have bought the $ 30 worth of diarrhea/​giardia medication, and we 100% would have been satisfied customers. Dr. Pearman told me that they, «can’t go over every symptom and side effect of the medications.» OKAY, I never asked for every symptom or side effect, but when I call explaining that my cat is having diarrhea (which is a side effect of the medication she’s on), I would really like to be told, «OH HEY, that’s a side effect.» Come on now! Quit playing games.
Dr. Pearman also told me that if our cat’s stools do get worse, that she should be retested. Uh, duh. I told her I was almost positive these soft stools would be back to normal once this eye medication is out of her system. THEN she proceeds to tell me that she thinks the diarrhea was probably just caused by the cone and stress. SERIOUSLY?
We won’t be back unless in need of emergent care.

I will say one thing to sum it up short and sweet — They only want your MONEY, they DO NOT care for your pet.
I would never want to give ANY money to them.
We came here in an emergency super early, before the birds were singing. This was due to the apparent only ER vet open, had no choice to come to this one.
They took him in and the diagnosis was that it seemed his kidneys were failing. They could do a kidney flush, couple tests, meds and see from there what they could do.
Estimation almost $ 3,000.
Right then and there they wanted 75% of that payment, so about $ 2,250 BEFORE they did anything.
We did not have all what they wanted. Almost, but not quite. VCA said that there was a company that you could borrow $ 500. We thought, okay, we could do that, but since we were still short, the nice lady [sarcasm] at the desk wanted us to wake up any family and friends and ask them if we could borrow the difference.
They did not want to wait on the the difference, which was only going to be about a couple hundred, it was either contact more family, or to put him down right there.
Are you f&@king kiding me?!
After asking for our dog back and paying almost $ 1,000 for them to take him in and give him a little oxygen, we took the dog home & waited a couple hours until the vet we normally see opened so they could decide what to do for him.
No way we were going to pay this awful facility any more money.
All for the money, definitely not for the animal. They would rather let the animal suffer.

They’re okay. Nothing to really brag about
The price for the ER Visit was $ 145. There wasn’t a lot of people so they were able to take us in right away. The Vet MD Was VERY knowledgeable but I felt like he was in a rush. He also had that personna of «why is she asking me stupid questions?» So, I just stopped. There’s always Google, I guess.
The only reason we came was because of Unilocal offer of free pet initial visit. When we got there, they said it doesn’t apply for ER visits :((. Personally, I understood it as any FIRST TIMERS to their clinic… I guess not. KAPIOLANI VET ER RATE IS $ 102.
Overall the visit was average, i am still very unsatisfied with the service. Primarily, I would have preferred the staff communicated a little better with the pet parents about what they’re going to do or what they did. i understand they’re busy and it’s an emergency, but a little communication never hurts. It also puts pet parents at ease and feel like they’re pet is really taken cared of.
If I could go back in time, I would have tried the kapiolani vet er.

Our English bulldog is on a special diet so we have to get his food from here. The price isn’t too bad. Parking can be hit or miss. The staff is super nice. There’s a lot if people working so we get in and out if here quickly which is a big thumbs up cause we’re typical busy running all our chores.

This has been my vet since I got my best friend in July 2014. I called to set up an initial exam for my pup and they informed me that it is cheaper if I go ahead and make an appt. as opposed to doing a walk in. I was able to get in the following day. Everyone I have encountered since that day have been so nice and helpful. They are always available for questions and really help me out. I like that it is clean in the waiting area as well as each room. My babies are talked to by their name and I feel like that is really nice and special. I haven’t had any bad experiences. It did take some time to pick them up from surgery on 2 separate occasions, but as far as normal check ups, we are in and out. We use the same Vet for both pups and she is the sweetest. They do have military discount for some services which is nice. I do like they have a few spots right in front that are designated for just the vet office.

I was very disappointed with my visit to the VCA Animal Hospital in Pearl City. I called to inquire about some symptoms my dog was having in fear of him having an upper respiratory infection and scheduled a same day appointment as I did not want to wait thought the weekend to take my dog to his primary vet. Fortunately, they were able to squeeze me in.
Upon arrival, it was a quick check in and they immediately took my dog to the back to get his symptoms examined. I waited about 30 minutes before we were put into a room, and another half hour before my dog was brought into the room with us, along with the doctor. The Vet we saw was Dr. Narito and the first thing she told me was that my pet was fine, which I felt really uneasy about since he was such in bad shape right before I brought him in. She said he was completely healthy and that she could not find anything wrong with him (which was completely untrue because he had mucus dripping from his nose and obvious wheezing). I began to explain to her his symptoms again and she was set on her first diagnosis, nothing is wrong with my dog and that its normal for Bulldogs to exaggerate their breathing because they easily overheat. The night before, my dog made a weird snort/​coughing sound which she diagnosed as backwards sneezing, which again she said was normal with Bulldogs. But because she believed he was fine and convinced me nothing was wrong with my pet, she sent me on my way, with no medication for my pet or anything and left the room. At the counter to check out and pay the bill, not only was the bill huge, but I come to find out he was seen as emergency visit which hikes the price from moderate to excessively expensive. This doctor was not thorough at all and because of her incorrect and careless diagnosis, my dog has to suffer the entire weekend with a runny nose, backward sneezing, wheezing, and coughing. When I called to confirm her diagnosis, the receptionist would not let me talk to the vet even though I insisted I speak directly with her, she would not prescribe me antibiotics (even though my pet clearly needed it), and they dare tell me if I’m unhappy with the vets diagnosis, I can come in again and have him reexamined but I’d need to pay more fees. If they had done they’re job correctly the first time, I wouldn’t have left with such an uneasy feeling. First thing Tuesday morning (Monday was a holiday), I took my pet to his primary vet where they diagnosed his upper respiratory infection in his sinuses and prescribed him antibiotics. If the VCA in pearl city had been more thorough instead of focusing on his obvious backward sneezing, then maybe my dog would not have suffered the entire weekend.

Friendly and helpful techs and doctors. The reception/​check-​out staff leave something to be desired; they could be more informative, efficient, and friendlier! Otherwise, good, convenient service, though on the expensive side.

Dr. Joy Yasuda and staff was awesome! Thank you for taking care of my baby Vanny! Staff was great including Dr. Yasuda assistant. It’s hard to find good customer service and people these days, and I am speechless!

I have been bringing my pups here for years and I always get pretty good service. It’s very easy to get appointments here, they are open seven days a week and they do appointments up to 7pm at night. After 7pm you can walk in but you get charged extra (quite a bit extra).
My dogs have been through their share of emergencies, and it’s very comforting to know there is somewhere I can take them to ²⁴⁄₇ with no doubt they will have open doors and a qualified veterinarian who can handle emergencies if needed.
I also take my dogs there for their regular vet checks. My newest addition, Muppet, was a rescue from the Humane Society, and his first visit was free as a courtesy service. I did have to pay for some worming medication because he had a few parasites in his «deposits», but it was not that expensive.
I board my dogs here when I vacation to the mainland. However, the dogs are kept in kennels, they are not running around like they do in doggie day cares. They are walked several times a day, they are fed and given medications, and they offer services during their stay including grooming and monitoring. One of my pugs had scheduled surgery while I was in California, and he did terrific, the vet office kept me up to date on his status and I felt very comforted by that.
My pugs had surgeries here as well. The staff was very courteous and fast when one of my pugs got attacked and I rushed her in because her eye was bulging out. They had her pain taken care of quickly, she was so scared when I brought her in, but I knew this was a place that could take care of her. Unfortunately, she needed surgery to remove her eye. My other pug needed bladder stones removed. I brought him in when I noticed he was lifting his leg and nothing was coming out. They did surgery that day for him. These surgeries were expensive, but my pugs are priceless.
They also do euthanasia and offer cremation services. One of my senior dogs was not doing well (stopped eating and couldn’t walk). I brought him in and the medications they used worked really fast. They took his body away when I was ready to let go and they called me a few days later when his ashes came back. When you pick up the ashes, it comes with a clay paw print and some tufts of fur in a bottle as a keepsake. I thought that was a very nice gesture since that is the last thing you think about when bringing your pup in for the last time.
I’m not sure how their prices compare with other vets, but they offer a complete line of services, from birth to going to the rainbow bridge. I keep coming here because the location and hours are very convenient.

I’ve been bringing my dog here for years now and have consistently been pleased with the great treatment he has received. Veterinary care can be pricey but the vet always works with us to try to get the costs down as low as possible.
My only complaint and the reason I deducted a star is that the waiting room staff is sooooo slow. They always seem to be having a great time though… talking amongst themselves… joking and laughing… and when I finally FINALLY get called up to the counter, they are always so friendly and helpful. It’s hard to complain about the slowness.
Overall, I would recommend this vet for your pets. Our vet, Dr Yasuda, is THE best.