East Bay Veterinary Specialists and Emergency

Great concern for the animals — very caring staff.

Long post for a lot of problems. BULLDOG OWNERS BEWARE. Dr Hall Essoe — I took my dog in for a cleaning and a tooth removal. During the consult I noted to the Dr my dog gets extremely anxious at the vet, is an English Bulldog and extra precautions/​care are needed during anesthesia and recovery needs to be monitored. She assured me he would be closely watched. Upon discharge he was brought out to me, I finalized my bill and then noticed that he was acting strangely and was extremely bloated. The vet tech took him back to Hall Essoe. The vet tech came back with my dog and said Hall Essoe said he could go home, «looks puffy, probably inhaled a lot of gas from panting» and that Hall Essoe «she doesn’t seem concerned». The vet tech said if we wanted to have him x-​rayed as a precaution we could but at the ER side of the hospital.
I had him x-​rayed after the $ 2000 dental cleaning and tooth extraction and Dr Green (the only bright spot in this dismal place) immediately came out and told me he had developed bloat — a life threatening condition that requires immediate treatment. Dr Green called in a surgeon and while we were waiting Dr Green performed a procedure to allow some of the gas out of his abdomen. Hall Essoe spoke to me once while I waited in the waiting room for 7 hours despite going by several times which was when she told me she didn’t have the capability/​equipment to deal with anything other than dentistry. I live an hour away from this facility. If I had driven home, got my dog inside, determined he needed to go to our closest ER in Dublin 45 mins away in commute traffic, I would have lost precious hours that could have resulted in the death or damage to my dog’s internal organs due to Hall Essoe’s complete failure to recognize my dog developed bloat while in her care and under her supervision.

There were several other unfortunate events during my 7 hour wait and the follow up care by Dr Nurri and his staff the next day. That evening the surgeon didn’t even come out to talk with me before or after and I later learned that my dog’s stomach had indeed flipped.
Just to mention this… after discovering my dog had developed bloat while in their care and no one noticed and that he could die or suffer damage to his internal organs if not treated… one of the vet techs informed me I would have to deposit $ 5000 before they would start any treatment on him… she said it just like that! Who does that!?! I have 3 English Bulldogs and have been to numerous vets and ERs in Nor Cal including UC Davis and one in Folsom and have never had an experience such as this.
The following two months my dog kept bloating when he drank. I had to take him to an internist at Sage who put him on a medication which he would have to take for the rest of his life (least intrusive treatment) or we could do exploratory surgery to see if the surgeon at East Bay placed his stomach correctly which wasn’t recommended due to his breed and anxiety. My dog will be on medication for the rest of his life due to the incompetency of this facility.

E Bay Vet emerg has taken care of all our needs ranging from our treasured young Golden Retriever who liked to eat the cat’s foam play toy and similar bad habits until he ultimately succumed to a seizure 12 ½ years later, just last month. They provided corresponding compassion and understanding as we we distraught and heartbroken in our loss.
The staff displays wonderful care, in a painless administrative environment in a highly convenient location at Ygnacio and Oak Grove roads.

I took my 16 year old westie in last week and they took really good care of him. All the staff was friendly and helpful. They didn’t rush me with all my questions and the Dr was knowledgable about my dogs history. I’ve been going there for 7 years. They prescribed a treatment that worked very good and I got a follow up call to check on my dog. I defiantly recommend East Bay Veterinary Specialists and Emergency.

The staff is the best. From the moment you walk in, they make you feel welcome and make it easy to bring you pet in. And while they are all excellent, the best and most awesome is Dr. Angus. She has cared for our Rabbit and our Cat. And both animals just love her.

If there was a ZERO STARS option I would choose that! A BILL FOR $ 600 to pay for an xray and supposedly give my dog antibiotics and find nothing wrong with him and have a waiting period of 5 HOURS when they weren’t even busy is ABSURD!!! When I called after dropping my dog off for several hours and heard nothing from them with no update or anything they said my dog still hasn’t been seen and this was at the 5 hour benchmark. Then they spent another 45 minutes taking an «xray». My dog came home and after a couple of minutes, he threw up a thorn up to an inch!!! Why did the vet say they didn’t find anything wrong with my dog when he had that object in his throat??? They probably didn’t even perform an xray and just pocketed my $ 600!!! All that money for what exactly? What miracle did you guys perform!!! This joke of a business is ran by fools and liars STAY AWAY FROM THIS POORLY RAN ESTABLISHMENT I HIGHLY RECOMMEND CONSUMERS TO GO TO A DIFFERENT VET HOSPITAL!!! I WANT MY MONEY BACK IMMEDIATELY! I feel horrible that my sweet dog went through this kind of foolery! These people need education on better people skills and show more cultural competence for citizens such as myself… they spoke to me in a very unprofessional tone and even came off extremely disrespectful… I have never been treated so poorly at a vet clinic… unbelievable indeed!

I do not recommend this hospital for your loved pets, I found the facility was filthy, the staff was rude and the prognosis I got from the provider had nothing to do with what occurred with my dog. And to top it off I have pet insurance and due to the fact that the provider did not properly document what the cause was for my dog coming in initially I had to pay 80% of my $ 1400 bill. If he did his homework on how to document the cause and treatment for my dog, he would get paid no matter what, but instead his lack of knowledge on the insurance of his patience causes their owners to fork out money for a service that should be covered! So beware if you have insurance and go to this office because they do not document properly!

These folks were extremely helpful, kind and efficient with our emergency. Luckily everything is OK but obviously we didn’t know that at 1:30AM. I called ahead so they were waiting for me and took my dog right in to see the Dr. immediately while I filled out paperwork. By the time I was done, the Dr. was in the exam room with my dog talking to me. I have a dog that is Very nervous at the vet, so the Dr. left for 10 minutes to get some meds and to give him some time to calm in a good room with a bench so we could just chill. That helped! She then re-​examined him to see if the adrenaline rush was masking any pain the first time. Bill was actually pretty reasonable for the time of night I thought.
So I can’t speak to a catastrophic emergency or anything here, but they were there when we needed them and cared for us well. Thanks!

My dog Quincy is a frequent flyer here. We were first referred in January 2014 when my vet found a melanoma on Quincy’s jaw. She saw Dr. Atwater and Dr. Hall and had surgery to remove the tumor and part of her lower jaw. They were both wonderful to work with. We’ve also been a few times since after Quincy has eaten a few things she shouldn’t have (chocolate and raisins), and they always take such good care of her. We have pet insurance for her, so we were very lucky that we didn’t have to pay full price for most of her care. They always call to check up on Quincy after she’s been in for a visit to see how she’s doing.

Dr. Green and the staff were great! Took my 9 ½ month old puppy in on a Sunday after she had been throwing up everytime she ate. Finding many non-​food items in those bouts and that she seem to throw up within 45 mins of eating… I was concern she had a something blocked in her intestines. They kepted me informed throughout the process. Shared all the pros and cons. In the end she had to have exploratory surgery and they were so good about keeping me informed of her status. Dr Green personally called me to give me her status after surgery and one of the Vet Techs called me in the morning on how she did overnight.
It was also a huge bonus that they would file my claim with my pet insurance carrier for me since they had electronic processing with them. That was such a tremendous help. I checked my puppy out on ⁹⁄₁₄ and on ⁹⁄₁₇ my insurance company paid my claim.
Couldn’t be happier with the emergency care, professionalism and compassion I received from the staff!

My experience was as good as I could imagine. My dog, who was in a critical state after hours, received excellent care (he’s asleep next to me now) from Dr. Green and her team (Greene?). They also were very supportive.
It turned out when it came time to pay, that they have a relationship with my pet insurance, so I didn’t have to pay the full amount, submit a claim and then be reimbursed. I just paid the net after insurance. Really convenient and kept nearly $ 1000 from going onto a credit card.

Took my dog here for dental work. After sitting in a kennel for 8 hours they finally started the procedure. Doctor had been working since 6:30 AM and started our procedure at 4:00. How good could this be? Also, very expensive!

This is a very disorganized, overpriced and poorly run vet clinic that puts little into customer service and what appears to be more emphasis on transactions by double booking.

Meiko jumped and had an unfortunate break in 4 out of 5 of his metatarsals (hand) at 1am.
Luckily I was able to get him in and looked at immediately.
A day later he was set to come back home.
We are so happy with the level of professionalism and service this will likely be the only place we go to from now on.

My 14-​month-​old English bulldog, Paz, stayed a total of 22 days at the East Bay Veterinary Specialists and Emergency (EBVS). I was on site daily from early mornings to late evenings. Because of the time I spent at EBVS, I was able to observe the doctors and staff in all situations.
I was in the back treatment room often visiting Paz, which gave me the opportunity to observed the doctors and staff working with pets in their care in both emergency and non-​emergency situations. I have nothing but great things to say about every person at the EBVS. What I observed, at all times, in all situations, and it never changed, was loving, compassionate individuals who got eye to eye with the animals to sooth them, used gentle, loving touch, calming voices and yet when needed, firm, skilled hands. I was so impressed by the compassion I witnessed. I saw this same kind of compassion and skill only one other time, years ago, from the nursing staff of Mt. Diablo Hospital, on the oncology unit when my mom was dying from cancer. The level of love and emotions that I felt watching these doctor and EBVS staff work was like watching the love and compassion I witnessed on the oncology unit when my mom was so sick. Each and every pet that crossed the path of the doctors and techs were handled with love and concern as if they were their own pets. Never did they seem bothered or hurried. Each and every owner was welcomed and made to feel comfortable while they waited to hear if their beloved fur family member was going to be ok. I observed the staff give devastating news to some families with the same love and understanding as they gave the pets in their care. I observed individuals come into the hospital to retrieve the ashes of their family pet and watched how they were lovingly greeted and sent on their way feeling understood and respected. Often I saw tears shed in a comfortable environment with complete understanding.
I had personal contact with Dr. Nurre, Dr. Wang and Dr. Koehler. On the morning I arrived at the hospital with Paz, Dr. Nurre literally saved Paz’s life by performing a tracheotomy so he could breathe. Dr. Wang had numerous conversations with me giving me every detail of the problems Paz was facing and the plan of treatment they were going to follow. Dr. Wang never left me until I asked all the questions I needed to and understood the plan for Paz. I cannot say enough about Dr. Koehler, the surgeon, who listened to me and after examining Paz, changed the plan that was drawn out for Paz because it was not in his best interest. Dr. Koehler is the bomb… BUT this hospital could not run without the assistants and vet techs that were hands on with the animals and humans who walked into the hospital. I wish I could mention each one of their names. I wish I could tell them how much they affected both Paz and my life during the 22 days he was hospitalized. These individuals are the heart and soul of the hospital.
I also had the opportunity to speak to the hospital administrator who was so welcoming and monitored a positive working plan between her doctors and myself to assure that Paz received the best care possible. As you can imagine, the cost of a 22-​day hospital stay adds up very quickly. At the time I did not have pet insurance. I sure do now and urge all of you with family pets to look into insurance. There is some for every budget.
If you ever need emergency care for your beloved pet, or even on-​going care, Bay Area Veterinary Specialist and Emergency Hospital is the finest place in the Contra Costa Bay Area. I recommend this hospital without reservations.

This review is way overdue… My experience wasn’t exactly positive and not extremely awful either, it was ehhhh… There were a few things that made me give them a 2 star review, rather than 3 stars.
I was referred by my vet here since my cat needed major dental surgery and extractions and she couldn’t do it. Making an appointment was slightly difficult. I called the dental dept 3x times and left messages each time and it took about 5 days before I got a return call. They did apologize for the wait and were helpful with scheduling the surgery.
The day of my cat’s surgery, I was beyond STRESSED. My cat is extremely shy & nervous and had never had a surgery in his life, so I was worried how he was going to handle it. When I got there at 7am, I was not greeted at all and when I asked the receptionist if I could get help carrying him in (he’s 18lbs and I have a fractured spine) she gave me attitude.
Once we were in the room, the vet tech checked him out and then told me the vet was running late, about an hour late… I was slightly annoyed since I woke up at 4am to make sure to get there on time since it was an hour and a half drive away. When the vet finally got to us, she started asking me questions about my cat and why we were there??? Come to find out she couldn’t find my cats paperwork or blood panel that was faxed by my vet 3 days prior. I know that they received it since I called and confirmed that they had the day before. She then started going over the surgery and then told me that his surgery wouldn’t be till 11am, that was almost 2 hours away. I was told by the receptionist who made my appointment that his surgery would be shortly after our appointment.
I received a call at 1:30ish that they were just starting my cat’s surgery and that he would be ready for pick up around 5:00 or so. By now I was extremely upset since my whole goal was to not have him wait in a kennel for surgery, I could have taken a later appointment and not have had my cat wait in a kennel for 5 ½ hours. When I finally received a phone call to pick him up at 5:45, whomever called me said he was ready and he’d been ready for awhile. I said no one told me he was ready till now, she responded that they must have forgotten to call me…
When I got there to pick him up the receptionist that helped me was extremely nice & helpful, she even chatted with me while I waited. Which helped calm my nerves. The vet tech who checked me out was also really nice & helpful as well, she patiently answered all of my questions. I was disappointed when I asked about his results, since the vet tech told me they would go over them in his follow up appointment. This was news to me, no one told me that I needed to have a follow up appointment. I asked if they could do it over the phone and they said no, to this day I still don’t know the results of his surgery.
I don’t know if I recommend them due to all the mishaps I had, I don’t know if was a fluke thing with me or not, but I did not walk away happy or satisfied with their services.

Thank you EBVS/​ER.
Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!
Victoria and «Frosti Smith.
Staff and Doctors are Excellent!
A Special Thank You to Dr. Green.

We took our little pug in after a bee/​wasp sting and were really impressed by the service. The staff was engaging and genuinely concerned. The facility is spotless and even smells nice; free water and wifi while you wait. The dogtor was great and spent a lot of time with us explaining the diagnosis and treatment plan. Our dog got a head-​to-​toe exam to make sure nothing else was amiss. We’ll hopefully never have to come in again, but it’s comforting to know we’re in good hands if we do.

My dog is like my child. I don’t have children but I could only imagine how I would feel if I did. If you break down and cry because your dog is limping because the pad off her foot scraped off, then you can’t have kids because dogs are way more resilient than children.
Or at least I think so. Anyway, like I said my dog scraped the pad off her foot while we were playing fetch. She started limping and I couldn’t figure out why until I checked her paws. Poor thing!
I couldn’t get an appointment with my regular vet for same day. So I went here thinking, here we go…
…an hour and a half later she’s fine. The pad is ok. They did notice she’s been very itchy and her skin was red. Also she had conjunctivitis in her eye. They provided the meds to treat them all. She’s doing very well and actually when we got home she started running around again (they had to cut off the skin that was dangling from her pad). The price almost as good as my regular vet too. I was shocked. I may just start coming here as a regular but I want to be courteous to those dogs actually in need and for the worry wart parents like myself.
The staff is super friendly and the vet that was helping me and Darla was very helpful and concerned. They know you’re stressed when you’re there so they did a good job taking care of things.
Highly recommend.

Having a working dog in the field you seem to always be going to the vet for either shots, check up, dentist work or even upset stomachs. This is not my regular vet because I am from out of the area. I came to east bay vet for the dentistry dept and Dr Sarah Bonner expertize in the field.
My K9 lives to protect people and keep other people I work with safe. When he broke a bottom K9 tooth off it needed to be fixed. I traveled far to east bay to have Dr Bonner put a titanium tooth on his bottom k9 and also do ¾ crowns on the other k9 teeth. Dr Bonner was extremely helpful, nice and did a fantastic job. As seen from the pic attached to this review.
I can’t speak for the rest of the vet office since my only dealings have been with the dentistry dept. Dr Bonner and Dr Hall-​Essoe did a great job and are highly recommended.