Advanced Veterinary Specialists

After a morning of anxiety on a Sunday trying to determine if our dog, R2, could wait a day to get into the vet, I called AVS to get advice. Of course you could say that they are ALWAYS going to say to «bring him in» but I really felt like they sounded concerned and that waiting could cause him to become more sick from infection. So… off I went. Front desk staff was great. Vet techs were great. Dr. Nora Badal was great. Everyone explained exactly what they were going to do and what to expect. Because it was Sunday and because Sundays are a big emergency day, I had to leave R2 so that they could find a block of time to sedate him and perform his procedure. They said to call at any time to check on his progress. As it’s a 25 mile round trip and I was already downtown Sunday evening I just dropped in to see if he was ready to go home. Turned out that I had shown up right at shift change so I ended up waiting about an hour… but that was fine with me. I understand how important it is for them to go through each patient’s situation, case, care, etc. before handing them off to the next crew. Once they were ready they brought me a detailed list of follow up instructions and medications. I was refund a small amount of the up-​front payment I had made early in the day, and R2 was brought to me to take home. It has only been a day, but his treatment seems vastly superior to the previous time we dealt with the same issue at a vet, and I have a feeling that this time I won’t need repeat return visits (knock wood). I feel like I paid a fair price for a ²⁴⁄₇ facility on a Sunday. I am really glad to have had a non-​life-​threatening experience with AVS in case we ever need them for that. I would be go there again in a second. Thank you!

Whether it be with my dogs or client’s dogs, I’ve spent a lot of time at AVS.
Unfortunately, often it is an emergency. The moment u walk in the door u know u r in the right place.
The front staff, vet techs and patient liaison are wonderful
The Drs are knowledgable & honest re: treatment and prognosis.
Santa Barbara is lucky to have AVS

Was treated terribly, One female vet was getting off her shift, one coming on. They were both so rude and uncaring. I walked out and will never be back!
I went down the street and was treated wonderfully with care and understanding.

Annie and the rest of the front desk, Lyndon, and the doctors helped us through a very difficult week with our beloved dog Lily. AVS was very understanding and provided much needed support. Thank you all.

We took in our dog who was running and hurt her foot after she ran into a gopher hole. The front staff was friendly and a few of the technicians were also. The vet seemed nice and capable but she didn’t listen. I told them several times that my dog had all her labs in August and that they were fine. I also told them repeatedly that we had pain medication for her. After nearly 4 hours we were told by the technician that they were going to draw labs to make sure she could take the non steroidal pain meds. I repeated that she just had labs and that we were taking her home. They tech brings her out and hands me some pills. I said no pills, we have them. They had charged me $ 26.50 for them. Maybe they were tired and busy but listening is a pretty easy thing to do.
After several days passed and we neither received the discharge instructions or the reading of the X-​rays we called back. We were told the doctor had an emergency. We are medical people and know what that means – the doctor forgot. We immediately got the results and discharge instructions. Funny how that happens!

Having a sick animal is never fun and always filled with a lot of anxiety and unknowns. After discovering that my pup had eaten something she shouldn’t have I called her vet and they suggested that I rush her to AVS. They took her back right away, kept me informed and updated. They gave me treatment options and suggestions and never once made me feel pressured to do more for my pup, in fact as she was being discharged I asked if it was possible to pre load her on an iv of fluids to avoid dehydration (and keep me from having to worry about yet another thing) and they said of course, it was a nominal fee but they didn’t want to suggest in case money was and issue. They also said they could call the center for toxicology and have all ingredients reviewed by them to make sure we didn’t miss anything– there was a fee, but again my choice and they were confident I didn’t need, but to me it was worth every penny. All in all I felt the total cost for an emergency visit was far less than I would have ever guessed and while I hope it’s my last visit, if it’s not I’m grateful to know they exist.

I want to share my experience with both my visits with my cat Sasha. I went in to find out why my cat was so lethargic. I explained to Dr Mcloughlin, that my cat seemed to be extremely lethargic. Multiple tests were given to her, including a CBC and PVC. Dr Mcloughlin determined that Sasha was servery anemic but didn’t know what was causing it. She recommended that I come back at 7: am to re-​check her PVC. I came back at 7am, Sashas PVC was re-​checked and she got blood drawn to test for feline leukemia and as well as parasites. The tech then said that Sasha tested negative for feline leukemia and that I would have to wait for the parasite test results from the lab and it would take a day to get the results back. I called back Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and was told that her results had not come in yet. After I was told her results didn’t come in yet on Thursday, i asked what lab her test was sent to and that i was going to call them myself for the results. One min after i said this, I got a call from a doctor at AVS and was given the results of this test. Seems kind of strange that after I mention that I will call myself, I immediately get a call from AVS with her results. Was the test even sent out to the lab?
Fast forward to Friday, I bring Sasha in again because I noticed she was not doing well again. As soon as Sasha and I were brought to the examination room Sasha’s temperature was checked and she had a fever of 105. The vet tech wanted to take her away immediately to give her fluids, I told her I want to speak to a doctor first before anything was done to Sasha. Dr. Mattie Mcpeters came in to talk to me and the conversation was appalling. She came in and pretended to know something about Sasha history. She suggested that I give Sasha a Feline Leukemia test and I wold her that one was already done by AVS. I asked her to check Sasha’s PVC. She then suggested that I give Sasha x-​rays and if the PVC came back low a blood transfusion. I asked her to check her PVC. The PVC results came back that she was at 8% and that she needs a blood transfusion. At that point, I had questions before I agreed to have Sahsa go through with this procedure. Once I started asking questions Dr. Mcpeters started getting notability irritated. I asked if we could test her bone marrow for an infection, to which Mcpeters replied with a morbid laugh and said Sasha was in no condition to get her bone marrow tested. Her long laugh was not only extremely insensitive, it was insulting. I starting asking about the types of anemia (regenerative and non-​regenerative) when she cut me off and said «either I give get her the blood transfusion or it was time to start talking euthanasia». I don’t think it is unreasonable for me to ask these questions as AVS completed a CBC which should have determined if Sasha’s anemia was regenerative or non-​regenerative anemia. Instead of answering my questions she tried to force me into agreeing to have a traumatic and very costly procedure done to my cat. If she were non-​regenerative then a blood transfusion would only temporary help her. At that point i started to fear for Sasha’s safety with Dr. Mcpeters. If this was the way she treated humans, there was no way I was leaving my Sasha in her care. She was extremely rude, pushy and insensitive. The paperwork says that I left for financial reasons but that is not correct. When I told the front desk man that I would be taking my cat elsewhere, Dr. Mcpeters came out and asked me why I was leaving because she needed to know what to tell her boss and not wanting to get into an argument, because my cat was still in the back room, I told her Care Hospital seemed more reasonable. After our conversation, I really questioned her state of mind.
I left to CARE hospital and after speaking to Dr Li felt 100% positive about removing Sasha from Dr. Mcpeters care to Dr. Li’s care.
After Sasha’s ER stay I took her into my regular vet. The facility that recommended AVS to me. She noticed that I transferred Sasha’s to CARE and asked why and when I told her my experience with the Dr. Mcpeters she told me that several of her clients have said similar thing about Dr. Mcpeters and that I need to notify the owner Dr. Wells. It has taken me a while to write this because Sasha passed away to Feline Leukemia almost two week ago. I feel Dr. Mcpeters was trying to take advantage of me in my emotional state. I am extremely THANKFUL that I had the option to take Sasha to another ER facility. Dr. Mcpeters behavior was appalling.

Exceedingly positive and supportive staff. Can’t express how calming and understanding and kind hearted the staff were under emergency circumstances. Very very good experience despite the circumstances.

Our german shepherd has been seeing the cardiology team at AVS for about 7 months and both Drs. Nakamura and Morrison are great! But Wednesday morning (5am), I had need to take her in. We were met by Dr. Matie McPeters. A nicer, more compassionate and empathetic vet I have yet to meet in all the years I have had dogs (40+). Regrettably, we ended up putting our beloved down. At the end, we were ALL in tears.

I was sent here by my local veterinarian who spoke very highly of the vets here. My dog had been dealing with severe neck pain and was not responding to the medications given to him during the past week. My experience here was horrible. They didn’t have any available appointments for the next week but told me I could come wait in their ER section to be seen. Doctor Kingsley was the vet on duty. Right away I got a bad vibe from her. I explained what he had been dealing with and when she tried to examine him he was shrieking in pain. She asked if he always acted this way and I responded by telling her that he’s in severe pain. She then went on to say that he was disgracing his breed (Chihuahua) based on his behavior and continued to say what a bad dog he was being. I couldn’t believe what she was saying. She also seemed very incompetent. Every other vet I’ve seen shows compassion towards your animal and she didn’t seem comfortable being around my dog. It was as if she was scared to touch him. She eventually took him in the back for an examination. After hearing him constantly shrieking all the way from the room I was in, she returned to say he didn’t have a problem with his neck. She said he needed an MRI as it was a possible neurological disorder. The closest place was down in Woodland Hills. After his examination at Access that evening they told me it was definitely a neck issue. I had to make the decision to put my dog down that night as he would never have a full life otherwise.
I would never recommend this veterinary clinic to anyone and will definitely never return. I give them one star for sending me to Access. The staff and doctors there were amazing!

We took our lab there because he kept sneezing and wouldn’t stop. The vet suspected a foxtail, so my dog was sedated and no foxtail was found. We picked the dog up at 10:00 PM and brought him home. I noticed some tape on his leg, but it was dark and we were tired so I thought I’d remove it in the morning. When I went to remove it the next day, to my surprise and dismay, the vet tech had left the catheter inserted in his leg, which included the needle, tubing, two ports and lots of tape. Had the dog chewed on that during the night, he probably would have choked to death. While the vet was perfect, watch out for the vet techs and examine your dog before you leave the facility. It could save your do’s life.

I had to rush my nine year Boston Terrier in at midnight on a Saturday for a serious eye injury. I am so incredibly grateful for their fantastic care and kindness. The front desk/​vet tech Lyndon was kind, understanding and great with my dog. I can’t remember our vet’s name but I so appreciate her care and concern. I was pleasantly surprised when we got the bill and it was less than I anticipated it was going to be. My dog is resting comfortably and on the mend.

Our older Leonberger was referred here when he had cancer to special doctor (I wish I remembered his name) the doctor was kind to our old man and helped us make a decision about a tumor in his lung. He truly cared about our animal and helped us see our decisions from our beloved dog’s eyes.

Our sweet boston terrier was suffering from bladder stones, a blocked urethra & a tear in his bladder. Needless to say… we were overwhelmed with worry and fear. The staff at AVS was calm and walked us through several care options and took our little guy on with so much care and thoughtfulness. He required a very delicate surgery and after 4 days of 24hr observation our boy came out the other side. Our surgeon Dr. Shields was so caring and understanding through out the process and gave us detailed daily (sometimes multiple times a day) updates on his condition. I was on the other side of the phone crying and trying to keep it together. From the reception desk, vet assistants, client liaisons (Denyce) and doctors themselves our our dog was well cared for. After leaving AVS and coming back in for follow-​up appointments, our little guy was happy to see the staff and walk through that big red door. To me, that said it all…
Thank you AVS for being so caring and attentive to not only our dog but also us as worried owners/​parents during a stressful and scary time.

VERY expensive and felt pressured to agree to a treatment plan on the spot..

I have found in my lifetime that most people pursuing a career in veterinary medicine are somehow a cut above the rest of us. The staff at Advanced Veterinary Specialist is no exception. I’m so grateful for the care available ²⁴⁄₇.

We had one of the most difficult days today and we have only positive things to say about Advanced Vet Service. A friend had recommended them and it was perfect for us. After 14 years of a beautiful life, we had to help our dog become a beautiful spirit. The staff and Dr. McPeters were so incredibly thoughtful and sensitive to our family. The facility was incredible and the setting was absolutely perfect. They fully explained what we could expect and gave us all the time we needed to say good bye. Throughout the day we weren’t sure what to do but because of their availability we didn’t feel pressured. We had all the privacy we could want… which is essential when you are mourning the loss of a loved one… I also felt they really cared. Thank you AVS for your caring and professional service.

My sick dog was taken to AVS by rolling pet ver. I have to say I felt I was financially taken to the cleaners. There was no other option they literally wanted to put my dog to sleep if I wouldn’t pay a close to $ 2000 bill. We complained and got the charge reversed by our credit company. I think some of the vets there are decent but the ones we dealt with were not. As far as I’m concerned.
Today my dog is strong, happy, healthy a joyful pet. The experience we had AVS was one of the worst ever. In my opinion we need kinder less expensive quality after hours emergency pet care in Santa Barbara.

AVS is amazing! I don’t know what we would have done without there expertise and personal care. They treat all the animals there as their own. It feels more like a family than a hospital.
Our pit bull tragically go hit by a car and our family friend brought her straight to AVS. I can honestly say that if it wasn’t for AVS my girl Tegan would not be alive today. She suffered a broken pelvis, dislocated hip, a broken knee and severe bruising to her lungs and bladder. They knew exactly what kind of emergency care to give Tegan and acted very quickly without hesitation but still consulting us every step of the way.
I am extremely thankful for the AVS team and won’t be taking my dogs anywhere else for emergency care!

I am incredibly touched by the love and care that my babygirl Tegan is getting at AVS. All of the doctors technicians and support staff have been amazingly helpful, kind and loving to our family. Our poor pitbull daughter was hit by a car a few nights ago, and I truly believe the love and care she is getting at AVS is keeping her alive. She is doing a lot better now but is still very fragile and needs to heal internally before she can be a candidate for pelvis surgery.
The team here is wonderful, they treat us with such care and kindness, and truly are doing everything to help my dog. The facility is clean and organized, it is quiet and comfortable there, and they operate with the utmost professionalism and respect.
Thank you team AVS, you rock!