First-rate veterinary care. They saved our cat's life with a combination of medical prowess and compassion for both our pet's fears and our own. We took our 18-yr-old cat in when she sort of stopped moving. AVS handled our fearful cat gently but firmly. They took an ultrasound and X-ray, and found a foreign body in her stomach. They then endoscoped her and removed the foreign body, rehydrated her, and prescribed meds for pancreatitis, to slow the inevitable and make her comfortable for another year or so. We would always go to AVS the next time we're in Santa Barbara. ER is expensive, but in the same ballpark as other vets for the same type of work. read more

First off the post about the cost of one Hospital vs another...not every ER Specialty Hospital is owned by same company! Its common sense just like a human Hospital prices will be different based on the company, and the service. VCA cares, HORIZON AND VMSG are all going to be different in cost yet compared to a pDVM will be more expensive due to being an Emergency Specialist Hospital! You cant compare San Roque and AVS! Ones a pDVM and the other a Specialist. Second if you cant afford the cost dont call it price gauging call it you cant afford the care!! Thirdly, most people know Specialty Hospitals are not cheap! So maybe when you got your pet you should have gotten insurance! Get so tired of people comparing the cost like every ER/Specialty Hospital should cost the same!! Their all separate companies! So Cottage, CMH, St Johns and Ventura County Hospital should all be the same??!!!! No!! If you cant afford Vet care dont bad mouth a Hospital be honest about it!! The best is the review below with the invoice attached to it. Once again instills in me there are way too many people in this world who really believe the crap they type! Plus if you have over 700 reviews on yelp you need a hobby! That is just sad! If you were looking for the free clinic its not this Hospital nor VCA Cares! What do you think was going to be done for free with an animal that couldnt breathe? and in obvious heart failure?! I was there that day with my pet. Your behavior was unbelievable!! You don't deserve to own a plant let a lone a companion! It was obvious you care more about material crap then your pet!! The staff at AVS is extremely knowledgeable! They told you the truth! You just didnt want to hear it!! And thought you knew it all! Its easier to post a negative review and hide behind a keyboard then be truthful.. Since you obviously thought you have a DVM behind your name. Pretty heartbreaking to watch an animal suffer in the hands of an ignorant owner!!! I hope they reported you for animal abuse and negligence! Sad thing is ignorant people who only read your review and see the cost of the invoice dont know the whole story! This is what happens when your not treating your pets illness properly. You rush to a ER wanting their help until you dont like the outcome and then bad mouth the staff and Hospital because your pet needs oxygen and Hospitalization. Pathetic! read more

The entire staff was amazing in every way. It was an end of life visit and they treated my pet and me with the utmost compassion. They were totally professional in every way and gave me all the time I needed. They brought me my pet in a tiny cardboard coffin and he was wrapped in a flannel blanket with hearts. For the hardest thing you hav to do as pet owner they treated me with the greatest kindness and compassion. Their charge was very reasonable. I can't say enough good things about them. very thankful! read more

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. read more

doctor know that my dog would not swallow the pill, as he was having trouble breathing and eating. I called twice I was told both times that the liquid form would be too much to take to be practical. I know my dog, I tried to pill him, he was extremely sensitive around the nose and mouth because he is still having trouble breathing. 24 hours later my dog still has no medication. When I called again this morning I told them my dog was having so much trouble breathing he was walking in circles and I need to have the liquid form of the antibiotic. 4 hours later I never did get a call back. I called again explaining I wanted to come in to get the liquid form, after being on hold for 45 minutes and going back and forth I was told they were so busy they couldn't help me until tonight or tomorrow. Really? I am a client who has a pet with a serious medical issue, I was there yesterday, I should be treated before people asking today.. But, no, I am last in line again. On the way out yesterday, the tech dropped my dog on the floor to pick up medications...she went to put him down, his legs buckled underneath him and she just let him go. I saw it through the window.. He is 16 and is oxygen deprived... He had had sedation... It was disgusting. She then came out, put him in my arms and said she needed to take the ecollar off... She didn't loosen it but kept tugging on it!!! She was hurting him but kept tugging on it!! I was powerless to help because I was holding him! She was pulling on his ears.... It was so traumatic for me and my boy. Not only that, $900 later, I still have no information as to the comparisons of the chest x-ray regarding his collapsing trachea, whether it was worsening, and I have no way to give him medication. If this is ithe kind of service you want, this is the place to go. read more

Advanced Veterinary Specialists - Veterinarians Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

I believe you get what you pay for. I spare no expense for my cat. But I wouldn't take my cat here again if my life depended on it. They misdiagnosed her, were rude, gave her toxic medicine despite seeing her labs, which caused her to become more ill. We had to beg them to allow us to be with her so we could go back when they examined her. When we went back to confront them about how ill she got and how she was mistreated and misdiagnosed this very large, platinum haired, mean looking woman chastised the staff in front of us, and then said "Do you want me to tell them or do you think you can finally handle it??" The woman behind us with her dog and kids said "that woman shouldn't be allowed anywhere near animals" and walked out. I don't make the same mistake twice. Just a horrible horrible experience. read more

Never taking our dog back here again. Make sure to get a second opinion from your vet's office. Getting a second opinion saved us $5k and having to put our dog thru unnecessary surgery. read more

JUST no...!!! I AM BLOWN AWAY BY THE NUMBER OF ERRORS MADE BY THE STAFF! I have been looking over the reports and everything we talked about is incorrect on the paperwork. The cardiologist made several mistakes as well and I am TOTALLY UNIMPRESSED by the lack of accuracy by this animal hospital. They didn't listen to a single thing we told them, and I don't know that I would recommend them in the future. Even our primary vet takes her dogs there, and SHE WAS SHOCKED as well. If you are going to call yourselves "advanced" then maybe you should act like it. I'm worried that many of these errors have contributed to false test results or even wrong medication doses being prescribed... I'm happy we were able to bring our little guy home, but I'm just TOTALLY TAKEN BACK by the problems we have run into with this place. There are too many people taking information from you, and NOT ONE OF THEM could get any of it right.... Very sad that this is one of only places to go for emergency care for our pets. read more

My review is for the ER hospital not the specialty part of the hospital. To call it a ER hospital is taking liberties because it really is just one young veterinarian who isn't capable of handling the large influx of patients. And what if there was a bad emergency that required more than one vet? It's kind of a joke and as such, I'd never recommend anyone bring their pet here for an emergency. Keep driving to another ER hospital where they are actually able to handle emergencies and have experienced veterinarians. My dog had a wound that was bleeding for over an hour so I took him to AVS since it was a Sunday night. The front desk staff was nice and the waiting area had bottled water, apple juice, coffee and tea with some snacks like pretzels. The hospital waiting area smelled nice as well. Those are the only good things I can say. They took my dog's vitals (away from me) and didn't tell me any of the results (good, normal, bad?) then gave him back to me. Then I saw a veterinarian who looked to be 16 though I'm sure she was a new graduate who just looked young. She had zero personality, no compassion, acted cold and just left me very uncomfortable. She said my dog's growth (that appeared to be snagged and bled) should be removed under anesthesia despite my dog's heart condition (and a cardiologist --and several vets in Arizona where I normally live --who said no to anesthesia unless it's life or death which this wasn't) because she didn't know what it was and it could be cancer and it would just continue to bleed and cause problems. She said I should see a regular vet for advice (um, what did I pay all that money to AVS then for?), put a cone on him and spray Vetericyn. She said she would be right back with the Vetericyn and never returned so after waiting around for 10 minutes I went to the front desk where the vet tech met me with the Vetericyn. Um, how was I supposed to know to go to the front? Nearly $200 for someone to tell me to spray Vetericyn and put a cone on? What a waste. Then four days later my dog's wound opened up and began to bleed again. It was at night so I waited until the morning and called around to see if I can get an appointment with a regular vet (since I don't normally live in Santa Barbara but am renting a vacation house) but no one was available so I was told to go back to AVS since that's where I went before. I wound up waiting two hours because there was one urgent case after another and again, only one vet working. How can an ER hospital have only one vet working????? I saw a different vet than the one I saw four days earlier and this one was nicer but again, she suggested my dog have the growth removed right away and said she didn't have time to put him under sedation and use a local anesthetic (my alternative to anesthesia) to remove it because she had too many patients and was the only one working. So she was supposed to tell the surgeon to call me on Monday (this was on a Friday morning). No one bothered to clean my dog's wound which began to bleed yet again while I was there. I asked if I should get gauze for my dog's wound and the vet said she would give me (not sell me) gauze and a bandage. Well they didn't give me anything, they charged me $25 for that. What a joke. The vet tech wrapped my dog's leg and showed me how to do it but as soon as we got home (10 minutes later), the bandage fell down to his paw. I tried to wrap it myself and the same thing happened so that was a waste of $25. I never heard from a surgeon at AVS but was able to get an appointment with a wonderful vet at San Roque hospital on Wednesday who advised against any surgery, didn't think my dog's growth was cancer or anything to worry about and said to just leave it alone because it was a papilloma (warts). She didn't agree with the two ER vets who said my dog's growth would continue to bleed if it wasn't removed and she was right. It's been a week and hasn't bled. I will never go to AVS again and cannot recommend them for the ER hospital. They don't seem to be very compassionate or knowledgeable and use scare tactics to make money. Huge waste of money and time. And for an ER hospital to only have one vet working is a huge red flag. read more

I cannot say enough good things about the team here! They were very knowledgeable, kind, and communicated the whole process with me. I would definitely take my animal back here for further care! read more

Thank you so much for helping Romeo after he was hit by a car in December! We have had his eye removed since then and he's doing wonderfully!! Thank you again for all that you do!! I sent you a picture of him!! He's got a big smile on his face!! read more

Advanced Veterinary Specialists - Thank you from Romeo for helping me!! - Veterinarians Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

I feel very lucky to have had Dr. Wells and the other Drs at Advanced care for our dog. Our dog came in with Meningitis and vomitting blood. We were a mess. It was just terrible. The Drs and techs took great care of all of us. I REALLY loved that they let us visit Willie during his 3 day stay. They made this very easy and encouraged it. read more

Our dog recently past away unexpectadely afteing being run over by a car. The entire team (from chek in to the end) was informative, compassionate, and skilled. We opted for theraputic options for several days before putting the dog down. It was complex, heart breaking, and costly, but the AVS team handled it with expertise, compassion, and efficiency. Thanks guys! read more

Outstanding care by a truly remarkable team of dedicated veterinary specialists. I was referred to AVS after my personal vet referred my pug Gigi to them. She had developed pancreatitis with secondary diabetes. Thank you AVS. read more

The sooner you can get your pet to AVS the better! I highly recommend them. Santa Barbara is a small town and lacking competent Veterinary providers. Sadly, I was taking my dog for 5 years to Montecito Pet Hospital not knowing that the doctors there were incapable of properly diagnosing my dog's intestinal cancer. From the first visit at AVS, I was immediately impressed by the high level of professionalism. Their office is also very clean. They have the technology and experienced doctors to properly diagnose and provide care for any disease. For my 15 years old dog, it turned out that by the time we found AVS, her cancer was already so advanced that nothing could be done for her. I regret that I continued going back to Montecito Pet Hospital even after seeing on multiple visits that they are incompetent. I regret that I didn't. read more

On Saturday, during a walk by the beach, our 14 year old poodle came up lame in one of his back legs. We couldn't figure out what caused the problem, and we were on vacation 200 miles away from home. We were turned away from two other vets because they were "too busy" to take another patience. So we we happy to find a place that would see our dog. The front office manager who greeted us was very friendly and helpful. She quickly notified the staff that we had arrived. The technician was caring and knew his stuff. He predicted the problem even before Dr. Reid saw our dog. Dr. Reid did a great job explaining the situation, taking care of our dog and getting us on our way. AVS is top notch. Makes me wish I lived in Santa Barbara! read more

I see many of the reviews to be emotional in nature because many times it's a life or death issue about a family member. Some are caused by incompetence others poor business practices. Luckily I only went here once and found the other negative reviews to be true. I don't mind paying a high price for quality service but when they mark up medication 300-500% (in one case over 1000%) that's called gouging. They wouldn't write a prescription I could fill at Costco because for them the money is all that matters.These are not ethical people. read more

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 read more

Is a very nice veterinary hospital with specialists, The facility is very clean and the staff is exceptionally friendly.

The staff at AVS are unbelievably amazing. I took my cat Jada in late on evening 5 months ago because she fell suddenly very ill - she wasn't eating, having trouble going to the bathroom and very lethargic. The staff at AVS saw us quickly and scheduled an emergency ultrasound. They found a mass and suspected cancer. They scheduled an appointment with their oncologist, Dr. Ayl, first thing in the morning and texted him to instructions that night to make sure we got the meds we needed ASAP. When my husband and I met with Dr. Ayl, the oncologist, we were fully prepared to have to say goodbye to our sweet kitty, Jada. She was in such terrible condition that we didn't have much hope and were preparing for the worst. Dr. Ayl discussed treatment options for Jada's aggressive cancer. He took over 1.5 hours with us explaining our options and reassuring us that we know best for Jada and that any option is valid and brave. His knowledge and honesty helped us make a decision that we felt was best for Jada's care to give her the best shot at more quality time. We began a chemotherapy treatment for Jada. At first, I was very apprehensive as I didn't want her to feel sick - we only wanted to pursue treatment if she would have great quality of life. Within 2 weeks, Jada was back to herself again - eating, using the bathroom and at the center of attention. Here I am, 5 months later, and I still have a happy cat. In fact, today we got the news that Jada is now cancer free! I cannot recommend the staff at AVS highly enough. When we were at our lowest lows, thinking we'd have to say goodbye to our fur baby, their staff listened, comforted us and helped us along emotionally. They listened to us, helped make changes to Jada's care along the way and greeted us every time we came in with a smile and cheerful good morning. Every staff member that we've worked with has truly cared about Jada and has gone above and beyond. They cried with us, cheered us on and celebrated our wins. I honestly don't know where we'd be without AVS. Do yourselves a favor, if you ever need emergency or specialty care, don't hesitate to take your pet to AVS - you're in the very best hands. read more

Top notch in every way. And by every way, I mean technical medical and diagnostic expertise and equipment, ease of check in and wait time, compassion and competence of medical staff and facility cleanliness. What else is there to say? I hope you NEVER have to take your animal here. But if you do have an emergency, this is the only place in town I'd recommend. It was a long wait, but the state of the art, emergency 24 hour pet hospital SB needed is finally here. Thank you to everyone involved in this place. You guys rock. read more

Sarita rocks!!! I've been dealing with a very complicated insurance claim for my pet and of course like all insurance companies, they're doing everything they can to deny the claim and reporting the vet never sent the records. Sarita went above and beyond to personally email me my pets records and she followed up and communicated effectively throughout the process. Talk about going above and beyond and delivering awesome customer service. Thank you Sarita!! Ollie and I thank you from the bottom of our heart. You're the best!! read more

After reading all the reviews I can't help but side with the negative experiences here. The people at the front desk give a smile and make you feel welcome but that's where it ends. My little Border Terrier puppy had suffered a fractured leg and I asked the tech if I could please see where he would be housed while waiting for the Doctor....I just wanted to see where my little guy would be as any pet owner would. She said that would cost me an additional 30 minutes in the waiting room. I just wanted to take a peek where he would be??? Her tone was disgusting, it was almost like I was cutting into her coffee break. His rehabilitation briefing was cold at best... just a CYA and on your way. That was just a little example of my customer experience. I'm not going to give a deep dive into my my case, I simply wanted to make everyone aware of their service level and a glimpse of my experience. I only used this Veterinarian because Veterinary Medical and Surgical Group (VMSG), 2199 Sperry Ave, Ventura, CA 93003 was completely booked and it was imperative that he was seen immediately. They are a first class operator. You are brought into a private waiting room and the Doctor diagnoses your pet with you and provides you with options Eye to Eye. None of this send your pet through the revolving door and a tech comes back with a slip of paper with options BS. 40 year SB resident and have to go to Ventura for the best service.... it's worth it. read more

There are not many board-certified veterinary surgeons in California, but Advanced Veterinary Specialists has a good one, Dr. Shields. She is a Davis grad with more than 10 years of experience. Davis is the best vet school in the world. To be honest, we chose to take our mixed Golden to Dr. Shields for a TPLO because the nearer surgeon in West Los Angeles was actually less accessible, taking into account the difficulty of finding a dog-friendly hotel, the traffic on the 405, and the attitudes of the support staff at the West LA facility. AVS is a large office with a great, supportive staff. All of our questions were promptly addressed. Costs were explained in detail. Most of all, the surgery was successful and our dog's residual arthritis can be treated with meds. Based on my pre-surgical research, there might be offices/surgeons that are less expensive, but not by a significant amount, and the itemized bill from AVS accounts for why each thing was necessary. And if you are located where West LA and Santa Barbara are both options, you will have a much better waiting time in Santa Barbara, I saw a number of negative reviews and took them into account. People bring their beloved pets to vets under circumstances where it is too late, or where medical intervention has a high expense to outcome ratio, and disappointment is unavoidable. Many negative reviews were about the way the pet owner was treated, not about the quality of care. If your primary interest is in the best care for you pet, I don't think you can do better than AVS. read more

WORST customer service EVER. We specifically CALLED AHEAD and were told to come right down ( almost a 1 hour drive). BEWARE!!!! I called these folks because our 8 year old giant breed dog was in VERY SEVERE LEG PAIN. Their surgical consult appointments were 3 weeks out, so they told me to come right away to their emergency room. Because it was Friday, I could get a surgical consult in the ER today. We drove 50. Minutes to get there. When we arrived, I found at least 5 staff members sitting around chatting and eating pizza at 1:30 in the afternoon. I was RUDELY told to wait out side and someone would come get me. The tech that came out was VERY RUDE with ZERO compassion and stated there was NO WAY they could see our dog today.....DESPITE what they told me on the phone. Clearly this facility is poorly run, unorganized, with poorly trained staff with ZERO compassion for an animal in pain or their owners. I will NEVER come to this facility again and will tell everyone to AVOID!!!! read more

They do a great job with detailing all options when it comes time resolving your pets issue.

Expensive but worth it to get answers. Not sure why they need to charge 3 times what other vets charge. X-rays on humans I have paid $40-100 cash without insurance but at AVS it was $300. Our bills at AVS have been $500-2000 to help our dog. Our regular vet does not listen and gives poor advise. Andrea Wells at AVS is excellent, she listens and has empathy. She got us answers to tough questions. Just wish other vets in SB were as good as her. read more

My first experience was awesome they save my dog from the dead after she ate rat poison and charged me $7000.00. My next experience with Advanced Vet my American Bull dog had a visible foxtail in her noise also I was adamant against putting my dog under Anastasia, knowing that dogs CAN AND DO DIE from Anastasia alone. After waiting over an hour in the waiting room, obviously there was no Vet on site. After the hour plus long wait and after I told the vet techs at the front desk Multiple Times no Anastasia, the "vet" shows up says Anastasia has to be used. I asked can you she it I can hold her down and she will cooperate. The vet said she could see it but the dog had to go under Anastasia. I left refusing payment and after a goggle search used a dropper to put olive oil down her nose. Problem solved, she sneezed it out. NEXT SCARE THOUGHT MY DOG ATE POISON AGAIN, RUSHED TO ADVANCED VET, WAITED IN THE WAITING ROOM FOR OVER TWENTY MINUTES TO BE TOLD THEY CAN NOT HELP ME DUE TO NON PAYMENT. read more

This clinic is excellent. Not cheap but highly competent and professional. Performed a full battery of tests on our Bichon who had been vomiting and had bloody diarrhea. Ran multiple tests, one of which two days later confirmed Dx of pancreatitisPrescribed multiple medicines before confirming diagnosis. Called me in MEXICO while we were on vacation, confirmed diagnosis, carefully explained she needed low fat bland diet and provided the proper food. We are deeply appreciative read more

How about minus stars! I didn't get a chance to see a doc here First let me tell you I had my cat before my three children,he was raised like a part of the family. I wasn't aware of parking so I had walked two blocks with my terrified 19 yr old dying cat, Who has only been out of the house 2 times his whole life, I was out of breath, disheveled when I walked in & the receptionist looked at me crazy for worrying so much about my cat being frightened on the drive/walk over The atmosphere was very unwelcoming A nurse came out and asked to take him to the back until they had a room ready I responded I didn't want him to leave my sight, she also gave me a funny look and walked away While we were waiting for a room my cat was scratching at me to get down, there was a small dog in the waiting room on a leash so I made sure to keep my cat close & cornered in a corner so I could scoop him up at any moment, another lady from the reception area screamed at me "excuse me,you need to keep your cat up off the floor!" I was really offended at the tone of her voice, i've been to two other vets never having a problem with my cat out of a carrier! Then the nurse comes out with a carrier and tells me that I need to put him in it! I explained to her that he has never been in a carrier and he was already terrified I told her I would keep him in my arms she said it was their policy I was not about to put my cat under any more pressure as sick as he was I decided to walk out and go to another vet I can't speak for the doctors but the people that are working in the front are obviously not animal lovers and are very cold and unfeeling when it comes to someone with a dying pet! I do not recommend this place for that reason. read more

We've been to AVS twice. In Dec 2017 our cat Natasha was having trouble moving her hind legs. Her regular vet would not see her (too busy) and so we went to AVS. They saw her, kept her overnight, and correctly diagnosed a tumor in her spine. Unfortunately the tumor was fatal. The vet was competent and compassionate. She's no longer there. In November 2018 our cat Lily had a large swelling behind her ear. It increased in size very quickly, more than doubling in one day. We suspected an infected bite from another cat, and an abscess. We took her to AVS that night. The vet seemed to be on speed, talking a mile a minute and never to the point. She instantly mentioned a lot of diseases that obviously had nothing to do with the tumor: feline HIV, feline leukemia. She talked us into ordering a lot of tests, so that the bill amounted to more than $1000. She kept the cat overnight and cut the swelling open that night. She wrote in her report that little pus emerged from the cut, so she thought the swelling was a cancer, rather than an abscess, and didn't install a gauze tape to drain it. She wanted to perform a biopsy for an additional $250. We declined and took the cat home, and got an appointment with her regular vet the next day. The problem was an abscess--and the clumsy butchery the AVS vet had performed on our cat. She diagnosed an abscess. She gently reopened the wound inflicted by the AVS vet, drained a lot of pus, and installed a drain. Cost was less than $100. Two weeks later the cat is almost well again -- other than the big cut inflicted at AVS, which is still healing. My advice: wait until the next day, and go to a regular vet. read more

AVS saved our dog's life and when no one could figure out what was wrong, they did. Turns out it was Addison's disease which is easily managed. Dr. Oblado has helped us many times when we took our dog to AVS for impacted foxtails. Now thanks to Dr Oblado's recommendations we keep our dog Lucy's paws well trimmed and we've avoided any foxtail problems this year as a result. I would never take my dog to an any other emergency facility other than AVS. read more

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. read more

Our (formerly) "man about the neighborhood" cat was struck by a car at 700pm on a Saturday night. He was fully mobile but very shockie and breathing heavily. We bundled him in the car and contacted AVS on the way. They were ready and waiting for him and took him straight back. Within 1/2 hour he had X-rays, a diagnosis and was in an oxygen tent as stable as possible. I knew he would get the overnight attention he needed. Dr. McLaughlin was AMAZING - she is a true gem. We opted for conservative treatment and after a night of watchful waiting and morning X-rays and assessment he was released home. He is now recouperating under the bed. There was even a credit! The entire staff from front office to the doctor were wonderful. I felt so fortunate to have this resource in Santa Barbara when we needed it most. Thank you AVS. read more

The staff at AVS is the most caring and professional crew. The front desk was both efficient and compassionate when we carried our 100# dog into the clinic because he couldn't walk on his own suddenly. They took him back right away when we arrived and we consulted with Dr. Kelsey within about an hour. She gave us her observations on his physical exam and was right on the money about some personality traits that contributed to his limping. Her recommendations were direct and thoughtful as well as respectful. After the X-rays we had a treatment plan in place and were sent home with great instructions for Louie's care. We felt well cared for and when they brought my dog out he was calm and pretty happy all things considered. He clearly liked the care he received too! Thank you AVS! read more

We came in for a visit on a referral from our dog Tank's primary Vet. He has been experiencing what seems to be kidney failure from a NSAID that obviously did much more harm than good to our sweet boy. Let me start of by saying that every single person in this establishment: receptionists, vet techs, triage nurses and Veterinarians were all 100% amazing. Every question, every need(both for me and my boyfriend, and for Tank) was taken care of with the utmost customer service and care. In what could have been a very traumatic and scarring time, they made it very easy to understand and even went so far as to help us financially, giving us links to a non-profit foundation in town to help us monetarily. Dr. Armour and Dr. Mary Ashley; from the bottom of my heart, thank you so much. I hope that Tank makes a full turn around recovery and lives a long happy life thanks to all your help. read more

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! read more

Just an update - we've moved and we've found AVS SO helpful in transferring care to our new vet. I love them so much,

Dr. Letty Obledo and the staff at AVS are incredible! My 16 year old kitty got her tail closed in the door, of course, right at the time when my regular vet closed for the evening. The tail had a big laceration and appeared broken. I yelped 24 hour pet care, called them and asked how busy they were. Fortunately, it was a slow moment and we raced in. I know this isn't always the case with emergency care, but it worked out for us. The friendly front desk staff helped us get admitted right away. When Dr. Obledo came in, she thoroughly discussed my cats injury, a few plans of attack and what we could expect. She had wonderful bed side manner! We agreed to her plan, and I left for a few hours while my cat had to have repairs done. Dr. Obledo personally called us before the procedure to bring us up to date on status and again right after the procedure. My husband and I were so taken with her thoroughness, how she answered all of our questions and that she was truly happy to help. Incredibly important when your baby is injured! After deciding our kitty would need to spend the night, we picked her up the following morning. She was bandaged, cone on her head, the whole nine yards. A staff member sat down with me a discussed all of her home care, medications, what to expect, etc. Upon check out, I was blown away when the staff member said we were actually getting a refund back since the services rendered were not as much as projected. Where does that happen?! No where in Santa Barbara!! The entire experience was phenomenal. For all future emergencies, this will be the only place we take our animals. Thank you AVS, Dr. Obledo and staff!! Hopi is home resting peacefully and looking forward to making a full recovery! read more

Advanced Veterinary Specialists - Veterinarians Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

I had an elderly sick pet .. they might have realized he could not be saved, hard to say, charged thousands, did not seem caring. Maybe if you need an ER with fancy equipment for emergency service. Be prepared to spend a lot of money. read more