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Advanced Veterinary Care Center
Category: Pets Veterinarians Veterinarians [Edit]
15926 Hawthorne BlvdLawndale, CA 90260
(310) 542-8018
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 8 am - 8 am
Erin S. said: "Dr. Hervatic is so warm and goes out of her way to make sure that you and your pet are well cared for. My dog Brutus (Frenchie) has a mast cell tumor that went misdiagnosed at a different vet and Dr. Hervatic took care of the quick…" read more »
37 reviews for Advanced Veterinary Care Center
37 reviews in English
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Review from Katie H.
3/23/2012 4 Check-ins Here
Hemangiosarcoma. It's a ridiculous word. A scary word. It's a rapidly-spreading cancer of the blood vessels.
Over the course of a month, Midnight (12 year old black lab/chow mix) had a splenectomy, developed a blood clot, was diagnosed with hemangiosarcoma of the spleen, started chemo, and passed away.
Every single person I came into contact with at this facility was pleasant, supportive and showed my dog just as much love as I did. The evening we had to say goodbye, the doctors and techs came in to give him a farewell hug, too. Every meeting we had, with the surgeon, the oncologist, the techs, they were all professional, forthright and caring. After Midnight's passing, AVCC sent us a condolence card with 6 handwritten messages from doctors and staff.
Cost was discussed openly and alternative solutions were presented with pros and cons. I never felt pushed into any decision or made to feel like I *should* take one route or the other.
This is not a cheap solution to your pet's problems. This is an expensive facility with well-educated doctors and advanced equipment. If you decide to be aggressive in your pet's care, this is the first place I'd recommend you go. -
Review from Tess R.
Pasadena, CA
1/23/2012
Unfortunately, I'm the mother of a patient here... it's breaking my heart, but I wouldn't have her anywhere else. Regardless of what happens to my darling, I've given her the best chance she has at a good quality of life, for however long that may be. Dr. Lang, Dr. Kobeyashi (sp?), Dr. Elliott - they are all warm, caring, and honest. They've been upfront about the costs (yes, in the thousands and climbing), they're present round the clock, and they are giving my baby a fighting chance.
Bay Animal Hospital referred me here when we discovered profound renal failure, and they were right on. Like other reviewers have said, this is not your average vet - this is the emergency room, with the associated trauma, crying visitors, and drama.
I'm hoping and praying my darling makes it through this... and I'm giving her the best care I can. -
Review from Marion Y.
Newport Beach, CA
2/8/2012
The most amazing practice! I was there once to twice a week for the whole summer 2011 and part of the fall with a cat needing chemo with dr heller. Dr Heller is amazing, as is the whole practice! I know all the receptionists and the techs, most of the interns, and most of the docs. I have had a cat hospitalized there for a week and the staff was wonderful during this time. I know my kitty got the absolute best care she could have gotten. Although they are more than 45 minutes away from my home, I vowed never to go anywhere else, even the specialty vet clinic which is less than 15 minutes away from my house. Can't say enough about this place!
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Review from Rick L.
Westminster, CA
4/3/2012
I'm typing from an iPad, so forgive my brevity, but ... Dr. Morrison's care and the time he spent with us understanding our personal situation, as well as our pet's care, was beyond any of our expectations and experiences ever before! Don't hesitate - go to Advanced Veterinary Care!
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Review from Sandra F.
Long Beach, CA
7/28/2011
First, I think a number of people don't understand what this facility is. This is NOT a standard veterinary practice. You don't come here for shots and basic exams. This is a high-tech advanced critical care facility where all the vets are board certified specialists in things like cancer, heart problems, and internal medicine. If you are coming to AVCC, your pet is in dire need of specialty care.
This is the facility where vets refer patients that need more advanced treatments than they can normally receive at the neighborhood vet.
This place is NOT cheap. It is a new, state of the art animal hospital focused on critical care. An initial consult is $150. But I'll also tell you this, that initial consult for us took an hour and half. That's more time than our regular vet has spent collectively in the past 10 visits with my kitty.
My regular vet is great and I've nothing but praise for them, but I have a cat with severe resistant IBD that needed a specialist in internal medicine. We got 100% of the full attention of not one, but two vets. We went to see Dr. Carolyn Briggs, a board certified DVM in internal medicine and GI issues. She was honest, thorough and explained things in detail. She even issued a full list of instructions for care and various medications we are going work with.
I rate vets on clean facilities and how much junk they are trying to sell me in the front waiting room. AVCC looked and smelled pristine and there was nary a bag of Hill's prescription food to be seen. So, I give them a "10" so far.
Know what you are getting into with AVCC, that it will not be cheap, and you will be a happier customer. -
Review from Jessamine D.
Newport Beach, CA
5/2/2011
DO NOT TAKE YOUR PET HERE!!
I have a boxer who's a year and a half right now. A few months back, I noticed he was vomiting and it had streaks of blood in it. Unfortunately, his regular vet (Bay Animal Hospital - which by the way is a WONDERFUL vet clinic) was closed. The closest 24 hour emergency clinic was this one, so I took him here.
The "doctor" that saw my dog was a NOT helpful at all and I felt like the entire time, he was just trying to get me to pick the most expensive diagnostic test available to see what was wrong with my dog.I can't remember his name but he was He wanted to do several x-rays and insisted that my dog probably swallowed a foreign object. I told him that there was NO possible way that could have happened because I was with him for the past 48 hours and there is nothing in or outside of my house that he could have swallowed/gotten into, etc. I asked him if he could maybe do a blood test or something that would reveal toxin levels in his system, maybe he had liver issues. He seriously just kept shoving the idea of x-rays down my throat.
I was really frustrated, felt as though he wasn't trying to help diagnose my dog, but SELL services. He gave me a huge guilt trip saying, "I would hate to send you home to monitor your dog and have the worst happen out of the hands of a professional."
The guilt trip worked. I opted for the x-rays and JUST as I had suspected, there were no foreign objects in his stomach or digestive tract. I paid nearly $400 for someone to tell me something I already knew and I left with my dog undiagnosed and without any advice as to how to alleviate his vomiting.
Luckily, my dog is fine and is a happy and healthy pup. I most definitely will NOT be taking him here again and will be warning every pet owner I know against this facility. -
Review from Miss B.
Santa Monica, CA
8/15/2011
Dr Danielle Yuhas saved my puppy's life!
The hospital was clean and the staff was friendly.
My puppy had a Balloon Valvuloplasty and I am happy to report that she is doing Grrrrrreat!
This hospital is also generous with their discount for 501c3 non profit rescuesComment from Jennifer D. of Advanced Veterinary Care Center 8/26/2011
Thank you very much for sharing! We are very glad to hear… More » -
Review from Caritia H.
Los Angeles, CA
9/6/2011
People who low-rate this center because of price or "up-selling" etc. truly don't understand this hospital. I discovered this hospital when I believed it was time to euthanize Diva my precious feline of 9 years and counting. She was diagnosed with renal failure in October 2009 by the awesome Dr. Leach of Beverly Oaks Animal Hospital in the valley. In any event, when I went to Advanced Veterinary Care Center I saw "life" in Diva's eyes and asked them to make sure that it was time. Her BUN and Creatine showed normal kidney function (for a cat in her condition). This meant that it was not time to put her down but it was time to find out what was wrong. She ultimately had radiological exams, Abdominal CT Scans, Surgery, and a week's stay in the hospital. Yes it was expensive and I am of very modest means so it has set me back seriously (By the way, does anyone need a typist? I'm serious, I need a part-time job!). But in the end, I liken AVCC to the television show "HOUSE".
If you've ever watched that show, people go to Dr. House because they have exhausted all means to discover what is killing them and/or he is the first means because people have heard that he is the best and don't want to work with alternative situations hoping for the best. Dr. House orders all kinds of expensive tests but in the end he always gets his disease. Dr. Kobayashi is my "Dr. House". She discovered what was wrong with my girl. Dr. DaCosta Gomez is my "Dr. Chase" the brilliant surgeon who went in and got the problem. And, of course, Dr. Elliot (who may be a Vet Resident or Intern; not sure) is my compassionate "Dr. Wilson". The point is that this group treats a condition aggressively which incurs expense because they assume that you've exhausted all lesser means. So, yes, keep your standard vet for standard problems and use these guys only when you've exhausted all means or if you don't want to put your pet through a lot of lesser tests and want to go straight to the expensive but aggressive treatment. -
Review from Eli B.
CA
7/12/2007
This, my dear friends, is what a veterinary clinic should be. Trouble is, they handle advanced medicine, so you can't really just come here for your bordetella booster (well, your dog's, but you know what I mean).
However, if you have a seriously sick animal (for which you have my sympathy), this is the place to come.
I took El Perro here when another vet had told me his heart was so enlarged he'd live a week. Dr. Zimmerman diagnosed a collapsed trachea and minor heart disease and back went my puppy into the yard to play to his (reasonably healthy) heart's content.
Then we ran into serious trouble. Poor El Perro had been given a diagnosis of a mass in the spleen and had unexplainable bleeding. I called AVC right away looking for a surgeon/internal medicine specialist (Dr. Z is cardiac only). Dr. Fischer called me back RIGHT AWAY, left me several messages when he missed me, and left his cell. I'm impressed when my HUMAN doctors do that!
Again to make a long, sad doggie tale short, Dr. Fischer did an amazing surgery on my poor little guy, unfortunately confirming his first opinion of what was wrong with El P- intestinal cancer. Now, it's awful to hear that the puppy you've loved (ok, not such a puppy any more) for seven years is in big trouble. And Dr. F didn't sugarcoat the news. But it was delivered with such caring and my PET was treated with such caring, that I could not have asked for a better vet to have handled it. -
Review from michelle c.
Los Angeles, CA
4/2/2008
Miss Maizie, my faithful feline companion over the past 11.8 years was diagnosed with congestive heart failure in the summer of 2005. Dr Zimmerman has taken care of her over these years as if she was her own kitty and Maizie knows it.
The day she fell ill, her regular vet of the previous 9 years wouldn't make space to see her. They said to go to the "emergency vet" which wouldn't open for another couple of hours. The local vet I finally got her in to said she wouldn't have survived those few hours without immediate intervention. Needless to say, she hasn't been to her old vet (nor have my other cats) ever since. (cough...cough...VCA Mission in Alhambra).
If not for Advanced Veterinary Care Center, Maizie would not have survived that week, much less the past, almost, 3 years. All the cardiologists call her the "miracle cat," because she's done so well. Well, until the past couple months. But even the best medicine can't fight fate and nature forever.
It doesn't come cheap...keeping Maizie healthy has cost my past three years of vacations and a good part of my savings, but who can put a price on unwaivering love and companionship? Plus, when I adopted her, I vowed to take care of her the best I could. AVCC has facilitated that.
Dr. Zimmerman really is the best. I wish every veterinarian could take a lesson from her in compassion and kindness. I hope I never have to take another pet to her, but if I do, I know they'll be in the best hands possible. -
Review from Patricia K.
Los Angeles, CA
6/27/2011
My 17-year-old dog just received excellent care from Sarah Zimmerman DVM, Diplomate ACVIM Cardiology. I could not have asked for better treatment. Dr. Zimmerman was kind and professional. She very carefully explained the results of each test and even provided sketches of my dog's heart and how the various areas were affected. She was thorough and thoughtful in her suggestions for treatment. I will definitely return to Dr. Zimmerman if the need arises and I will recommend her HIGHLY to anyone seeking veterinary cardiology.
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Review from Laney K.
1/9/2010
Pet owners, don't take your beloved pet here! I wish I could give this place negative stars.
I transferred my sick dog here from a smaller vet hoping they would be able to help him and find out why he was having kidney complications with their "Advanced" care. The first vet I talked to, Dr Kobayashi, said he needs an ultrasound to find out why his kidney is not working so I agreed. Well, $500 later, she explained that his kidney's were abnormal either from birth or something he consumed and that was all she gave me(umm I could've told you that). So she tells my dad and I that they can give him treatment that costs $1500/day or put him down. And at this point, I am bawling and asked her to give me some time to think it over. She comes back 5 mins later asking if I decided. I say no, she leaves and come back again within minutes, rushing me to make this decision to put my dog to sleep!
Also, my father is from Japan so he has broken english and Dr Kobayashi(Japanese herself) was so rude and impatient with him. She kept saying I don't understand and sighing! And yet the Caucasian receptionist understood what my father was saying!
We kept our dog here for 4 nights and visited daily. They ask you to call before you make you visit so I did every time. But when we got there, they would make us wait half an hour to see our dog. It made me wonder what they were doing back there.
Spent a lot of money and ended up putting our dog down :( But even if he had made it, I would NEVER take my pets here again!
One good thing to say about this place...Dr Marshioni(spelling?) the young male vet was polite and very helpful. -
Review from Amy N.
Redondo Beach, CA
4/16/2011
This was not our primary vet's office, but we had to take our cat here a few times over the past 6 months (once to see a kitty cardiologist, and a couple of times for emergency visits when our cat was having difficulty breathing). Each time we went, I was always blown away by how much time they took with my husband and me, explaining the tests, what they meant, all of our options, etc. (Human doctors barely give you the time of day, yet somehow every vet we encountered there was incredibly attentive!)
Our last visit sadly was when we had to put our cat down. It was a terrible day, so I'm not going to recount it in my review. The staff there was very sincere and caring, even though they did not know our cat very well and had not been treating him that long. Less than a week later, my husband and I received a condolences card in the mail from the staff at Advanced Veterinary Care Center. Not only had they sent us a card (an unexpected gesture), but the card included long, handwritten, personal notes to us from 5 of the vets and vet techs.
As crappy a situation as it has been having a sick cat and losing him much too soon, it's a great comfort knowing he was taken care of by people who truly care about their clients and take extra steps to ensure that sad situations are met with humanity and compassion. -
Review from Sally H.
Torrance, CA
1/24/2010
Received cold, inflexible service when my cat was in great need.
They denied us the option to do home subcutaneous fluids ("due to his heart murmur"), and prescribed oral hydration even though my cat hadn't kept anything down for three days. Even on the anti-nausea medication they gave us, his projectile vomiting continued.
We took him to another emergency hospital by our house, and the FIRST thing they did was give him subcutaneous fluids, even knowing about his murmur. They said I should have been able to give them at home. Also, their care overnight literally cost HALF as much as AVCC's overnight estimate.
We were very happy with the place we ended up going (see my other reviews).
I don't recommend AVCC if you are looking for any sort of sympathy for your pet. They only seem to care about their bottom line and would not do what's "second best:" for my pet (reasonable home care), given our financial options.
Also, in his discharge papers, the vet wrote that she had a discussion with me about using Denosyl daily (for enhanced liver function)--which absolutely didn't happen. She lied in her discharge papers about a medication that could have helped my cat's failing liver!
I'm completely disgusted with how we were treated there, and I honestly do not believe the vet was doing her best to get my cat the best care available to him.
Our cat passed away at the other emergency hospital this morning with a kind staff that did everything possible for our cat. We were able to be by his side. May his sweet little soul rest in peace. -
Review from D. H.
Santa Monica, CA
4/6/2011
My adorable cat Buster who has a heart problem (HCM) was under the care of this cardiology clinic for two years, and twice each day, as AVCC prescribed, I gave him two medicines (a beta blocker and diuretic). One day while I was out of town, my pet sitter found Buster collapsed on the floor. At that time I trusted AVCC, so I had her my pet sitter take him there for emergency care. It was a disaster. A very expensive disaster. First, the vets there told me my cat was sick because he must have swallowed a toxin such as aspirin or NSAID (which indeed can be fatal). They failed to isolate him from other animals with infections, so he caught an upper respiratory infection. They gave him the wrong food and he hovered on the brink of death the entire time due to insufficient nutrients. Dr. Kobayashi tried hard to convince me he needed a liver biopsy and possibly chemotherapy -- I later learned that liver cancer in cats is extremely rare. When I mentioned that I needed to provide him the best care possible within my budget, she looked me right in the eye and said, "Well, I guess WE care more about your pet than YOU do." Wow. Finally she said whatever poison he had ingested did permanent organ damage and he would never fully recover.
At one point one of the vets who was really nice (who is no longer there, not a surprise) pulled me aside and said Buster would actually do better at home because with the constant procedures being ordered (by Dr. K no doubt) he was unable to simply sleep, and he really needed rest.
Finally nine days and $9,000 later, I knew if I left him there he would die for sure. So I instructed them to release him to me for home care so he could at least be comfortable during his final days. Dr. Kobayashi was so disgusted with me (maybe for not being wealthy) that she literally stopped speaking to me.
Well, I brought him home and he looked so terrible -- seemed to have brain damage -- so I took him to another vet for euthenizing. (Did not want him to be in that horrible place again.) Imagine my surprise when this new vet (Dr. Au at VCA West LA) told me he had developed hepatic encephalopathy from lack of nutrients, and that with good supportive care (food and medicine) he would most likely enjoy a full recovery. Whereas AVCC was charging me $1,000/day for intensive care which was not effective -- this new vet charged $100/day -- and the very next day he was eating again and keeping food down. It was like a miracle. Three days after he was admitted they told me he was ready to come home, but as he still needed to be tube fed I asked them to continue for another week until he was really built up. The quality of VCA's care was in stark contrast to AVCC.
Here's the punchline. Several months later, still puzzled over what caused this illness -- and wanting to prevent it from reoccurring -- I sent Buster's medical records to Cornell University Veterinary School and had a phone consultation to ask what they thought had gone wrong. This vet told me the diuretic AVCC had me give Buster caused "dehydration, metabolic derangement, pancreatitis and hepatic lipidosis." No wonder AVCC "didn't know" what was wrong. They were what was wrong!
When I confronted Michael Lesser, the owner of AVCC, he not only refused to admit that their own medicine had nearly killed my cat -- he threatened to get revenge on any vet who would dare to contradict him in a small claims court should I choose to dispute the fee. What a peach.
Thank God, Buster has recovered completely and these past two years under the care of his new vet have been his best ever!!! He is no longer on a diuretic and he romps, purrs, snoozes and plays like any healthy cat was meant to do. His new cardiologist is Dr. Tsugawa at VCA.
I wish there were zero stars to give. I do hope to save other pet lovers the grief and expense I have gone through.Comment from Jennifer D. of Advanced Veterinary Care Center 8/26/2011
Your recent review has just come to our attention and while… More » -
Review from Kay L.
Raleigh, NC
1/12/2012
This place is terrible! They will sell a lot of procedures and medications your pet does not need. This happened to me, and my current vet has weaned my dog off all the heart medications he was on and he's doing better (4 yrs. later) than when under their care.
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Review from Sarah K.
Updated - 2/3/2010
After talking with my general practitioner vet, she advised not to even both going there for chemo after getting such bad service, and recommended some other places to me.
I found somewhere else and canceled my appointment. Why be a pet doctor if you are so inconsiderate of people and their pets?1 Previous Review: Show all »
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2/1/2010
Extremely poor customer service. I had an appointment at 11 AM. Sat for 30 minutes. Waited another… Read more »
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Review from Margie J.
Mission Viejo, CA
11/3/2011
My dog, Brandi, sees Dr. Lesser in the Tustin office. We love this doctor. He is kind, patient, thoroughly explains things, speaks in terms that are easily understandable, is honest and straight-forward, and is very loving towards his patients. We also love his nurse/receptionist, Jennifer, who goes out of her way to make you feel welcome and is very helpful. We never have to wait long and they are very prompt and accommodating to our needs. It is hard enough to go through the pets illness that brings you to Dr. Lesser's office, but this staff truly makes it bearable. I would highly recommend them with no reservations.
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Review from robin e.
Redondo Beach, CA
9/20/2011
One of my cats has had 14 lives due to the efforts of Dr. Briggs (internal medicine) at Advanced. She has everything from diabetes to cancer to polyradiculaineuritis(a really rare disease of the nerves). A cat whose prognosis was that she would not live past five just celebrated her 10th birthday thanks to Dr. Briggs. I have been to a lot of animal hospitals in the South Bay and this is the only emergency or specialty hospital that I will ever take my cats to.
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Review from Daniel O.
Los Angeles, CA
12/14/2010
My dog shih tzu got a attack from another dog (pitbull). I took my dog to the emergency. My dog got a lot of holes in the neck.
The doctor gave some medicine.I got so piss cuz they even didnt give instruction to how to give medicine. And of course at the neck my dog wanna scratch. They even didnt give bandege at holes. I asked if my dog need bandage. They said its up to you.
Horrible service! Never gonna go back to this place! -
Review from Madeline J.
Los Angeles, CA
10/1/2010
Wow! This was one of the most amazing places I have ever had the opportunity to go to... My beloved Doberman lived a better longer higher quality of life because of Dr. Nick Russell and his wonderful staff. Needless to say I was devastated beyond belief when my Dobi was diagnosed with a terminal heart condition. They took a very negative and made it into a very positive experience. I lived some distance from the Lawndale office but it was never a chore to drive there on a regular basis to get my dog examined by Dr. Russell.... The staff was always so caring and compassionate not a bunch of phonies that unfortunately we all encounter on a regular basis at most vet offices.. My Dobi unfortunately passed away from a heart attack I believe, it was quick thank goodness..
Dr Russell prepared me but she never showed signs that she was suffering because of his great care... She also liked going to Advanced Medical and was never afraid to be in their care.( They were so gentle with her as she had cataracts. This is the place to go for heart conditions as well as any major health conditions that your dog or cat may have. Yes it can be expensive but it was worth every penny.... It was a small price to pay for the great care we received. -
Review from joe j.
Torrance, CA
3/28/2010
my dog is alive due to the staff here.
my 3lb Pom swallowed a 6" chicken jerky from Costco. He was in a sorta digestive shock. Went to our vet who said, "get him to Advanced Vet care right now, your dog is dying."
Long story short, they got our dog breathing, were lightning fast and the bill? $1000 ? $500 ? no.....$40. -
Review from Princess H.
Manhattan Beach, CA
4/8/2010
My dog had digestive issue and was bleeding heavily and not moving. My regular vet clinic nurse was notorious about her attitude and, sure enough, she told me that the doctor is not coming there for 2 hours while my dog was in shock state. I burst into tears and then for the first time she told me (with sigh) that I take my dog to Advanced Vet Care. As soon as I get there, my dog was hospitalized and taken care by caring friendly staff at Advanced Vet Care and they told me to visit my dog at any time I want and let me stay as long as I wanted. Dr Brown did not seem a resident vet there, but she was excellent. She clearly explained to me about the sickness and how she would treat it. My pet is a dog, but was treated like a human child. It is funny that my own physician does not even explain that much details when I am sick.
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Review from puna c.
Los Angeles, CA
1/29/2009
Dr Zimmerman, one of the cardiologist on staff there did a great job installing a pacemaker on my dog. My dog is 9 years old and was fainting prior to having the pacemaker installed. Dr zimmerman was very concientious about the whole procedure and took the time to answer all of my questions. My dog is doing great and has no fainting episodes.
In addition, I ended up paying slightly less than the estimate. The entire staff is very frielndly. The only reason that I gave a 4 star and not 5 star is because the hospital canceled one of my follow-up appts that i had for a month two days before the appt. Not sure if it was a front desk error or the doctor's error. The doctor went on vacation that required plane travel so it would seem to me to be a front desk error. -
Review from Stefanie S.
Hawthorne, CA
7/19/2011
I love this place, I have taken several of my pets here.. lastly being my LARGE mastiff that made a meal out of a foxtail plant that refused to go down. His mouth had swollen, his tongue had swollen, his throat had swollen almost shut. I took him to AVCC they took him in right away and fixed him up. The cost wasn't to bad for an emergency visit, when I was still nervous 4 hours later they had me bring him back in with no charge. A few days later, he was still acting funny, the vet provided me with new meds and he is perfectly normal now.. They were great !
Comment from Jennifer D. of Advanced Veterinary Care Center 8/26/2011
We are very grateful you took the time to leave us a review… More » -
Review from Samuel C.
Orange, CA
7/12/2011
My regular vet of 5 years referred me to this facility when my dog was struggling to breathe and on the brink of death. Dr. Morrison displayed extreme compassion, knowledge and miraculous skill set. He clearly described my dogs condition in terms that I could understand and even took the time to draw me a picture. The treatments he started have saved my dogs life and have allowed me additional time with the greatest friend I've ever known.I cannot recommend this facility more highly or thank Dr. Morrison enough. His patience, thoroughness and true caring is a rarity in today's society and was heart warming to witness. If your animal is sick or suffering, this is the place to go.
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Review from Jin B.
Santa Monica, CA
10/25/2009
We lost our Shiba Inu yesterday - the nicest perfect dog in the world, only if we can clone him. He has been chronically ill due to being chained up outdoor 24/7 for 8 long years. Not only Dr. Nick Russell miracally prolong Muki's lilfe for extra 5 months, he genuiously care, he is a greatest vet , thank you for your compassion and knowledge, we trualy appreciate you. Yes, it's pricy but they are the specialist, they are not running a charity. I would take out a loan if I have to. Muki was mis dianogsis by another vet when he was rescued last year, because of that, he died so soon.
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Review from Fung N.
El Segundo, CA
1/24/2010
Customer service lacks here. When we take our fur babies to the hospital, we are under a great deal of stress. The staff lacked empathy. I was treated very cold that day, but the Dr was good, she took her time with me and answered all my questions. I would go back. It is also known by a few vets in the area, that this is one of the best dog hosiptals in South Bay. It has all the latest equipment.
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Review from Seem W.
Pacific Palisades, CA
8/17/2007
If I could give this place 10 stars I would. My husband and I truly believe that the Advanced Veterinary Care Center saved our dog's life. Our 1-year old (at the time) Italian Greyhound, Miles, became extremely ill after we boarded him at a kennel for three days. He stopped eating completely, was very lethagic and could not stop vomiting. Our vet at the time (no longer our vet) had no idea what was wrong with Miles and tried every test in the book to try and determine the source of his illness, charging us up the wazoo for test after test, even though they were all coming up negative...We left Miles at the vet for two days and he just kept getting sicker and sicker. We would check on him and he was getting thinner and thinner and sicker and sicker. The vet basically told us they had no idea what was wrong and that we should not expect him to come home with us...she basically told us Miles was going to die. Well, we wouldn't have it. We demanded a specialist referral and taa daaa, enter Advanced Veterinary Care Center. We busted our little guy out of that hellhole and drove him down like bats outta hell, IV and all. I am not kidding, as soon as we walked into the sparkling clean wait room, Miles started to perk up a bit. The receptionists were as nice and professional as can be and Dr. Kobiyashi was AMAZING. She examined Miles, made a preliminary diagnosis and threw in an extra test just to make sure she was right. SHE DID NOT CHARGE US FOR THE EXTRA TEST (the other vet wanted to charge us $300 for it) because she thought the test was necessary to confirm her diagnosis. The wonderful assistants took us back to the area where they kept the animals and I swear it was cleaner than my house. They gave Miles his own little area with a cat bed and hot water bottles and within two days, he came home. I HEART THIS PLACE. If you have a sick animal, tell your vet to refer you to AVCC. Your animals will love you for it.
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Review from Allie M.
Los Angeles, CA
8/27/2010
I hope my review will save another dog. Sadly, my dog's care with Dr Zimmerman did not end well. She didn't anticipate the gravity of his heart disease, which, I thought with an echo would have done so. She even did a "free curious echo", which at the time I thought was nice of her to do extend a free service. Now I understand all her niceties was to shadow her complete lack of understanding! This is not slander, this is not for revenge, this comment is only meant to help another dog.
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Review from Paul V.
Whittier, CA
12/29/2010
Well....reviews are only as good as the person giving them...There is no establishment that is going to be perfect....I was referred to Advanced Veternary by one of the best holistic vets in the country...My dog "Bogie the Shitzu" was diagnosed with congestive heart failure...Dr. Lesser came highly recommended and without his treatment my lil guy would not of lived another two and a half years....The staff always showed me respect and compassion.....
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Review from Hippy M.
Santa Monica, CA
6/19/2008
We have had to take our dogs in during off hours of our regular vet several times now. Our experience has been very long waits and simply over-doing it in some cases. This past experience has made us decide that we will no longer choose this office because we had to wait for a very long time and then we were charged for services that the doctor decided weren't needed (even though she did them anyway). My feeling is that they overcharge for mediocre service.
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Review from Jim R.
Long Beach, CA
8/28/2010
I'm sorry other people have had negative experiences with AVCC. Personally, I know they extended the life of my dog by almost three years. When he first went there I was told by his regular vet that he had 6 months to live due to his congestive heart failure and recommended I take him to AVCC. They were wonderful with him. Everyone on the staff is very caring and all the vets I dealt with seemed top notch. Dr. Miller and Dr. Zimmerman especially. They seemed to take a real personal interest in seeing my little guy do well. Once he was stabilized after a few weeks I only had to take him in as needed which for the longest time was only every few months Over time those visits had increased. Unfortunately we had to put him to sleep today. Medicine can only do so much and it was time to let him go but I'm thankful for the extra time we had with our dog. And yes, it is expensive but they are specialists so it's a personal decision everyone has to make for themselves whether they can afford the treatment. If you decide to go with treatment I highly recommend this clinic and specifically Dr. Zimmerman.
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Review from Mirasol F.
Los Angeles, CA
1/24/2010
This comment is regarding Dr. Zimmerman:
I chose this Vet-Cardiologist because of the positive feedback on Yelp. The original Cardiologist referred by my dog's Vet was unavailable for another 3 weeks and my dog was deteriorating quickly.
My background is medicine and realized something was amiss after 2 weeks of treatment with Dr Zimmerman. I scheduled with another Cardiologist who:
1. Added another diagnosis which was easily found on xray and Dr Zimmerman completely missed.
2. Restricted activity due to the severity of the situation. Dr Zimmerman instructed to increase activity, challenge my dog. She also predicted her longevity another 5 years (she's almost 12 with extreme heart disease. Doesn't take a medical person to know what BS that is!)
3. Added other medications, including one which Dr Zimmerman said was not available in the U.S. (I later found out it has been regularly prescribed by many Vet Cardiologists for the past 2 years)
Within 1 week of treating with the new Cardiologist, I'm proud to say that although my dog is not the active terrier she once was, she is symptom-free and happy. I am now stress-free as well. -
Review from M G.
CA
4/6/2010
I could not get over this vet. Dr. Zimmerman saw my dog this afternoon. My husband brought her in as a specialist referral, as our regular vet thought it was needed. Dr. Z. told him she would explain everything to me after 6:30, as the info was complicated. When I called, she was still tied up, but she called me back at 7PM, and explained everything to me in incredible detail, so I would fully understand my dog's condition. She did this after a long day at work, and had me on the phone for well over 20 minutes. She was so patient and helpful, and I thought her recommendations were extremely conservative. The fee we paid was reasonable. My husband said all the vet techs and other staff were warm and wonderful and caring.
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Review from Mary Lou D.
San Francisco, CA
Updated - 8/26/2009
This is the best Advanced Vetinary Care ever!!
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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8/6/2007
This is the most amazing veterinary clinic! My dog was very sick with $2.55 in his stomach and… Read more »
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Review from Chandra A.
Phoenix, AZ
8/2/2009
This place was perfect in every way. Read my other reviews and you will see I am PICKY about vets. Most are crap. So, I read and study everything, because I don't trust them. Therefore, I know when I hit gold. Dr. Zimmerman is gold. She and the whole staff were very kind and gracious when we arrived 1 1/2 hrs. late (we called, it was traffic). They took my baby Tootsie, to another room for her checkup. Why? After ten min's. or so I freaked. I wondered around, opening doors saying "where's Tootsie?". Finally, I went to the receptionist and said "I need Tootsie back, have them bring her to me now". I'm sure they thought I was a mental case, but were very nice about it (I had a vet abuse one of my dogs in the back room and he's never been the same since). Then Dr. Zimmerman did her echocardiogram. She was amazing, calm, very thorough, highly trained and intelligent -and just likeable in every way. I could tell that the staff there really cares about animals. I never felt rushed or "passed off". Even though we were making her late for a dinner engagement, she calmly and thoroughly explained everything about the heart (and Tootsie's in particular). I have been to vets from CA to OH. I've done dog rescue and been to MANY (20?) vets. I had a list of TWO vets I trust implicitly. I am happy to say there are now three.
