Codornices Veterinary Clinic
Category: Veterinarians [Edit]
944 San Pablo Ave(between Buchanan St & Solano Ave)
Albany, CA 94706 (510) 524-3062
11 reviews
Berkeley, CA
"I've been taking my pets to Campus for many, many years. I was sorry to see Dr. Berger retire, but Dr. Yen has more than filled his shoes.…" read more »
16 Reviews for Codornices Veterinary Clinic
Once upon a time, long ago and far away, I was a licensed veterinary technician so my cat hasn't seen a veterinarian in many many years. He's getting old and has put on a couple pounds so I thought I'd bring him in for an exam and maybe bloodwork. I didn't feel a strong connection with Dr Yoo but she was friendly and gave my cat a nice thorough exam. She convinced me that kitty isn't TOO old and could probably stand to wait on bloodwork. I appreciated her honesty. Definitely no extra charges or recommendations which is always reassuring.
With my limited experience, I would recommend Codornices Vet and would feel comfortable bringing my feline back in the future.
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The staff oohed and ahhhed my Bebe for his cute looks and treated him like he was their own pet. I like that. Everyone there was super friendly and have excellent customer service skills!
Dr. Yoo was honest, down to earth and very knowledgeable. Since my Bebe is blind on one eye, I asked if it was necessary to bring him to an eye specialist for his gooky eyes. She told me that it's allergies and that they would tell me the exact same thing, a eye specialist was not necessary. That made me feel good because I always thought he didn't need to see an expensive specialist for eye ointment prescription. Dr. Yoo prescribed it to me for Bebe.
Bebe also had a bad ear infection and she gently carried him into the back to clean his ear out. Then one of the staff carried him back out and handed him over to me. She told me he was a sweet dog. I was gleeming!
I really like it here and I think I've found my forever veterinary clinic! The prices are comparable to other vets. Might as well have the better service for the same price!
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Dr. Grant and Dr. Hack are wonderful people who don't just provide services -- they provide care as well. They are more than happy to explain things (sometimes patiently and more than once if you're distressed!) if you need help and take the time to make your pet feel completely comfortable with being handled for examination. I've never heard a harsh word from either of these gentlemen. Their staff is also lovely and all of them seem try to make a personal connection with their clients as well.
Admittedly, I'm obsessive, so I came to them via referral: from the woman that I bought my house from; from my neighbors (both next door and across the street); people at Pt. Isabel; random people walking their happy dogs around town -- you get the picture. I was amazed that everyone that mentioned Codornices was positively thrilled with them. The only complaint was that there can be a long wait for non-emergency weekend appointments. Bleh - who cares about that? I'll wait as long as it takes to get my pup the best care that there is - and it's at Codornices!!
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Dr. Hack doesn't remember but he stitched up my whippet beautifully, actually following the brindle line to make the scar unnoticable. Whippets have thin skin. When the first stitches pulled out, he replaced the stitches with thin wire, at no extra cost but for the cost of the wire. He is highly experienced and skilled, but had a sweet bedside manner with worried me.
He resolved an odd recurring infection in Beau's foot about eight years later. He found that the sack of a drained cyst was floating around, acting as an "invader" to his immune system.
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Dr. Hack is awesome- but expensive. If I could afford it, my kitty would go here. However, back in the 90's, Dr. Hack preformed emergency surgery on our bunny (who lived in my Mom's classroom), amputating his leg and resuscitating him from a heart attack for FREE because he was a classroom bunny in the public schools. That tells you what kind of vet he is.
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Dr. Hack, Dr. Grant, and the people who work here are wonderful. It's a popular place - the waiting room is usually bustling with people and their pets, but there is method to the madness, and the wait is never long (and you end up meeting terrifically friendly people and their funny sidekicks while you're waiting).
Dr. Hack and Dr. Grant both have very serene sensibilities about them. They are thorough, take the time to explain things, and care for your pet as if their own.
You will NOT get a sales push here, as you do at some other vets' offices, to buy a certain type of food, or get unnecessary vaccinations or procedures.
You WILL get top notch veterinary care by a skilled, passionate, and caring staff. I won't take my cats anywhere else.
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Been bringing my dogs here for the past 3 years .... and probably will continue to do so for as long as they both shall live. Dr. Yoo, Grant and Hack are all amazing. Between my 2 dogs, I've visited all 3 doctors for check-ups, surgeries and emergencies. When my dogs got neutered, I received personal phone calls from Dr. Hack informing me that the surgery went well and my dogs were recovering. How's that for service!?
Note - if you're ordering from 1-800 Pet Meds, you'll have to get the prescription and mail it in to Pet Meds. Codornices won't release the prescription to them directly. Also, the receptionists / nurses are all super friendly - but on many occasions I've had to wait for over 10+ minutes on the phone when calling in for info. (I know this because I have timers on my phones!!). It does bug me that they never seem to apologize for having kept me waiting for so long ....
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This is a good place. My dog is a pain in the ass in that he does not like to be bothered much and hates other dogs. They always accomodate him with good humor. When he needs his nails clipped they get half the staff to hold him down while one does the deed. You can hear him snarling all the way out in the waiting room. He's an akita-chow mix, you see. Not mean, just a grump and very vocal.
They are always able to take me last-minute when something comes up. Really good people.
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After our dear Mr.Puss became ill and was rushed to the emergency vet, we were introduced to folks at Codornices. Dr. Hack is wonderful, he goes above and beyond, in fact, all of the staff is wonderful!
After many weeks of intensive treatment, Mr. Puss passed away (liver failure). The Doctor's at Codornices did everything in their power to make our beloved pet more comfortable during his time of need. When he passed, Dr. Hack and the staff wrote us the most heartfelt condolence card, with personal reflections of how special Mr. Puss was. They really get to know your pets and actually care for them, in this time of computerized service, it is nice to have a friendly face and a family Doctor. You would be foolish NOT to bring you pets here!
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my late FiFi & my current baby KoKo both go here...
they're SUPER sweet every time i go...VERY reasonably priced...its not one of those clinics where its WAM-BAM-THANKU-MAM kinda place...
a month after i got KoKo, she kept limping...and every time i try to pick her up, she'd let out this cry/yelp...and every time i move her right arm she'd yelp...being an overprotective mommy, i drove her to the clinic ...without an appointment...even before it opens and i waited....
as soon as it opened, i asked if she could be seen...just for a few min....they were very sweet and accomodating...the doctor made a huge =( face when he saw my 2 pound pup limping and yelping as she walked. although she had no appointment, he thoroughly checked her arm and said there was no sprain *phew* no dislocation *phew* mayb a sore muscle...and to wait a day or two and if it doesn't get better we'll do an xray (cuz xrays are EXPENSIVE for dogs...plus the sedation...etc) he didnt try to take advantage of me and go ahead with the xray~ and thankfully she was all better in 2 days YAYY!!
thanks cordornices! we love you!
p.s. yes i realize i have really dorky names for my pets..
Mr. Turtle (turtle my dad picked up ...on the road...my mom threw him in the trash can when he died....TRASHHH CANNN!!!)
Mr. Fishie (suicide beta fish....he jumped out of his bowl o.O?)
"ing-uh" (koi fish....i named them all ing-uh cuz...i was little...and it got too confusing to name them all)
Brownie (brown hamster...hated roommate grady)
Grady (gray hamster....hated brownie)
Elvis (guinea pig i had in memphis that squeaked/sang a lot...ran away from home....then returned...we found him in the backyard 2 wks later when we were mowing the lawn ...but rescued alive and well)
poncho(chihuahua who pranced like a horse)
sandy (chihuahua got ran over by a motorcycle)
FiFi (infamous murderer ex-bf)
angel (literally ...got sent to a farm in arkanasas as a hunting dog)
toby
TuTu (chihuahua...got sent to a retreat center (gidowon) in texas)
**current**
KoKo-nut cream pie (who uses coconut shampoo)
...my next dog...(another maltese? pomeranian?) will be PUFFS!!
koko-puffs hahaha
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When our gal Lulu was about four months old she came down with a severe case of pneumonia and, quite literally, almost died. The combined efforts of the doctor she saw at the Pet Emergency Clinic on 10th street in Berkeley and Doctors Hack and Grant at Codornices saved her life.
My husband had taken her to the Pet Emergency Clinic the night before and they had pumped her full of fluids and drugs and kept her for several hours, but Saturday morning came around and she was lying on her side laboring for breath and looking just awful. I called Codornices to ask their advice. They were supposed to be closing in a few minutes, but when they heard what we had already been through and her current condition, they told us to bring her in immediately. Both doctors stayed past closing time to examine her thoroughly. They pumped more fluids and drugs into her and wouldn't let us leave until they were able to regulate her breathing. They called us at home to see how she was doing the next day, and the follow-up care was excellent too.
We never knew exactly what hit her (it was so severe that they sent all her lab work up to UC Davis to check for that virulent dog flu), but the care we received here was outstanding.
I am happy to report that it's 13 months later and Lulu just went in for her annual checkup. She's healthy as a horse (and almost as big).
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I've been bringing mostly cats, but other animals at times as well, to Codornices since 1979. I LOVE this place. I call Dr. Hack--the "kitties' quack"--but he is no quack! Dr. Hack is a superb veterinarian. Whenever I have had to bring a sick cat into Codornices, I have felt my whole being relax the minute I walk through the doors of the office. I know my animals will get the very best care possible. I am so grateful for many years of expert and compassionate care from Dr. Hack, all the vets who have worked with him ( I really miss Doctor Mary Allen!), the techs and the front desk staff.
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Dr hack and staff are the best ,they are very busy and yet you still feel like you get personal service
I would recomend them to anyone,my 2 dogs love them
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.Rich Hack DVM. is considered for Sainthood by many...I met him back in 1980, and he's still the most amazingly warm skillful Vet in the bay area...(I know, we all have our fav's)...but seriously...he has a huge following and deserves it.
The staff are fondly (by me) known as the Hack'n'folks. Anyone who sees the drawing of the "Local 17" in the first exam room, those were my cats...yeah, I was a cat lady for a while. Now I'm a dog guy.
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Been taking my cats here since 1990. Dr Hack is tops, as is the front-desk staff and vet techs. I like that I've seen vet techs come back to Codornices as full-fledged vets, too. I recommend these folks without reservation.
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When I lived in El Cerrito, I tried out several different vets, because the Coop-dog had a bunch of medical issues (freakin' inbred backyard breeders -- to hell with you!). Dr. Foor is the standard El Cerrito recommendation, but he consistently failed to diagnose a problem with Cooper's eyes.
So, I shopped around. I landed on Dr. Hack at Cordonices, and he's probably the best vet I've ever had. He's knowledgeable, friendly, and thorough, and he just loves my dog.
I had to switch vets when I moved to Hayward, but when Cooper was hit by a car recently, I took him back to Cordonices for yet another stellar experience.
The front desk staff are also incredibly nice - they even helped me find an address for my credit union (since I had to clear my savings for the emergency vet care). If you live in a 20-mile radius, this place is worth the drive.
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