Our dog is now 16.5 after working with Dr. Brown, Chelsea, and recently Ruby for 7 years (and…read moreongoing). Our dog has had many ups and downs, a couple ER scares, and Dr. Brown has patiently walked me through all of anxieties that come with loving a geriatric soul dog. In my mind, you're paying for time - his time, which he's generous with, and more time with your pet. It will always be worth it. I trust this team implicitly and hope they know what kind of impact they've had on our lives by giving us so much time with our dog and helping her live a good life.

No one picks up the phone during business hours. Called at least 5 times on different days…read more It is a real struggle to communicate with the vet tech. Common sense is not her strength; for appointments (can only be booked by email), she only gives days of availability not times. She rarely responds to emails in a timely manner, even when it involves medications for example that need to be received in a timely way. It is very stressful playing phone tag with her or reminding her to respond to emails. I really like Dr. Brown, but I cannot imagine how I can rely on this clinic when my pet is having an emergency and there is no one to speak to. Voicemail directs emergencies to a third party. It would be terrible to be unable to reach your veterinarians during an emergency. Their physical address maps to a UPS or a rug store so you can't go in person for an emergency either.

We've been coming to El Cerrito Veterinary Care since our dog Mango was a tiny puppy doing her…read morefirst wellness exam. We've consistently had Dr. Fernandez as Mango's vet until most recently when Dr. Vi has been filling in the appointments. Both of them have been great. As they are both patient, kind, and really thorough about walking us through different concerns we've had as they arise. And aside from 1 vet tech whom we met very early on who seemed to exhibit zero bedside manner nor patience with Mango when she was very young, all the rest of the techs and staff here have been a pleasure to work with. And that one tech doesn't appear to work there anymore (not surprisingly) as we've never seen him in any visits since, so it all works out. One thing of note though, El Cerrito Veterinary Care now offers their own online pharmacy. So as a result, they will not accept phone/email requests from other pharmacies confirming prescriptions. Instead, you'll have to ask for a written prescription during your visit.

We were quickly ushered into an exam room, minimizing my pets' time in the waiting area. Dr…read more Fernandez performed a thorough examination on both cats right in front of me and patiently addressed all my questions and concerns. She handled my pets with great care, as if they were family. The support staff was also highly professional and quickly and efficiently drew blood for labs. I especially appreciated that my cats weren't separated from me for long.

Best experience for veterinary services in Berkeley. Calm,…read morecompetent and organized from the moment you enter. You can feel confident with the care, your pet will receive.

Kind staff, but a frustrating and disorganized urgent care experience…read more Our visit took about 1.5 hours. Even though we completed intake over the phone, we were asked to fill out the same information again on paper, and we weren't seen until ~15 minutes after our scheduled time. We also spent a long time waiting due to a lepto test. We were initially told results could take up to 30 minutes and that the assistant would check with Dr. Holliday to see if we could leave and come back. About 20 minutes later, we were told we only needed to wait 10-15 minutes total--by then, we had already waited most of that time unnecessarily. Follow-up was the most frustrating part. The front desk was responsive through the online portal, but not helpful--they repeatedly said they would "leave a note for the doctor" or were "waiting for the doctor to finalize their notes." We later found out test results were available on Tuesday but weren't released to us until Thursday. For an urgent care visit, this delay felt unacceptable. We requested SOAP notes and lab results on Monday for insurance purposes and had to follow up multiple times to get documentation that should have been readily available. The medical care itself seemed thorough, but the administrative side was lacking. Given the cost (urgent care exam alone was $147), I expected a more efficient and timely process. Overall: kind staff, but poor follow-through and delayed communication. For urgent care, I expected a much greater sense of urgency.

I took my three year old Cavachon in for a check because she had diarrhea. It was easy to schedule…read morean appointment for the same day. The staff are always pleasant and helpful. We were seen by Dr. Fong who was very nice and thorough. She did a very thorough assessment of my dog and ordered tests. We were contacted the next day by email with the results of the tests. Medication was prescribed and I picked it up. Everything went very smoothly and efficiently.

Before this place was absorbed by Thrive, I would have given Kensington a 5 star review, but after…read morethey became Thrive, things completely changed. We took our dogs Kensington for over 10 years. For most of this time, we lived in Albany. Then later moved about 1hr away. We liked and trusted the vets so much that we kept using Kensington instead of changing to a closer vet. That completely changed after they were bought by Thrive. The veterinarians themselves did not change, but there seemed to be some drastic changes to operations. Suddenly they had a screener who made it near impossible to get into a vet for somewhat rush appointments. One of our dogs became ill and we needed some immediate appointments to get a diagnosis. It turned out that our dog had an aggressive cancer. For treatment we took him to the oncology department at SAGE. He passed away about 6 months later. I will not say that it was Kensington's fault for the dog having cancer. But dealing with them made a stressful situation so much worse. And in retrospect, the delays on appointments were detrimental. The oncologist we used clearly aid that if we had been able to move quicker, we might have caught things in time. We are now using a different vet.

This has to be one of the top veterinary practices in the east bay…read more It is well run with very competent veterinarians. In particular to me, they have little problem handling cats who are less than cooperative.

The front desk receptionist was nice, and Dr. Wu was nice and knowledgeable. Unfortunately, the…read moreservice was very expensive (at least for me). I recommend doing your due diligence and understanding the pricing beforehand. When you're worried about your pet, you just want them to be okay and do whatever you think is best, so it's easy to agree to services right away. In my case, I also didn't do enough research, and my ignorance led me to overspend. I can't blame anyone but myself.

Huge thank you to Dr. Dianicia Valencia and the team for taking such good care of Ben today. I was…read morehonestly very stressed and worried when his dew claw injury suddenly became worse, especially after already bringing him in the week before. What I appreciated most was not only the care for Ben, but also the kindness and understanding toward my financial situation. The doctor took the time to explain every recommendation clearly, never pressured me, and helped work with me to find a treatment option that was still safe for Ben while being more affordable. As a pet owner, that level of compassion means a lot. Veterinary emergencies can be overwhelming, and being treated with patience and understanding made the entire experience so much less stressful. Ben may have been a little dramatic today but he came home safe, cared for, and already acting like himself again (especially after snacks). Thank you again for your kindness, honesty, and for truly caring about both your patients and their owners. We really appreciate you so much.

Dr was very experienced addressed my concerns and took care of the issue of our dog and provided…read morethe medication required

If you are in the need for an in-home euthanasia visit, I highly recommend Dr. Grant. We were…read morelooking for someone who would transition our adopted feral cat at home. Mer did NOT want to be in a carrier, his stress and anxiety levels were running high. Having the ability transition him in the comfort of our home was, for all of us, perfect on many levels. I called the clinic, explained what I what I wanted to do and they had me reach out to Dr. Grant via email. He was responsive, communicated all the pertinent details to me and we scheduled a date. My husband and I have "graduated" many furbabies in our lives so we are not strangers to the process, but when the day came, Dr. Grant arrived and went over the procedure one more time to make sure I would be at ease. He did not rush and Mer moved on peacefully. We still have four dogs who will eventually need help in moving on. It gives me great comfort to know I can reach out to Dr. Grant when it is their time.

Dr. Grant is wonderful and caring. He has helped us on three different occasions with end of life…read moredecisions for our dogs. The service he provides is invaluable. Highly recommend!

University Veterinary Hospital in West Berkeley is a fantastic clinic with a really nice, clean,…read moreand well-organized facility. They have a small parking lot, but there's usually decent street parking nearby. They're open Monday through Saturday by appointment only. I saw Dr. Schaffer for my cat Sophie and she was amazing. She was incredibly thorough, compassionate, and clearly very good with animals. The entire staff was great--professional, friendly, and attentive. I felt very comfortable here, and I think my cat, despite it being a new environment, felt relatively at ease as well. They're very transparent about pricing and never pressured me into getting any specific tests. They answered all my questions clearly and made sure I understood everything. The clinic gives out free treats for both cats and dogs, which was a nice touch. Their prices do lean a little on the higher side compared to some other clinics I looked at nearby but they provided close estimates over the phone beforehand. They offer basic blood/urine work and have an in-house pharmacy for some medications. They also do basic bladder ultrasounds, but for more advanced imaging, they refer out to other nearby clinics they trust. Overall, I highly recommend this clinic. The level of care and professionalism is excellent, and Dr. Schaffer especially was wonderful with my cat.

Best.vet.ever! Dana Schaffer was the most patient, competent and caring vet we've ever had - and…read morethere have been many! She took her time making Genesis, my German Shepherd, calm and comfortable before doing a very thorough exam. She explained her thinking clearly, gave background literature and was also very cost conscious in her treatment recommendations. So grateful that she's just around the corner! A++

Dr. Kim literally saved our bulldog. She was so skinny,…read morecouldn't walk and had allergies that no one could figure out. We thought we'd have to put her down. But we took her to Dr. Kim as recommended by a friend and after a few months, she was like a puppy again. Running around and acting goofy again. The only thing we still can't figure out is her allergies but he has it managed to the point where she's comfortable. She still stinks though but that's just how she is lol Dr. Kim really cares so much about his patients. I was going to post this years ago... but I guess I didn't complete the post. It's a good thing I didn't. A few years have passed and now we bring our other dog too. Dr. Kim and his wife, Young are wonderful and we love going to them. You will too!

Kind and experienced Dr. Kim and Mrs. Kim have always helped our cats stay healthy and happy! They…read moreare a wonderful team.

Dr. Chew is the most amazing woman. As a death doula, there is no one I can recommend more highly…read more She is empathetic and kind. Her serenity accompanying me through one of the most difficult losses of my life was a gift.

I'm not sure what took me so long to write this review, part of me thinks it's because saying…read moregoodbye to my best friend was so hard, and I still miss her 2 years later. That said, Dr Susan helped my wife and I through a very difficult time. She helped me say goodbye to my sweet elderly cat who was suffering with cancer. We did it in the warmth and comfort of our own home, and Dr Susan was very sweet, gentle, and caring. We could not have asked for anything more, and I highly recommend her. If you're on the fence about saying goodbye to your elderly pet this way, you should know that our sweet girl passed very calmly in her own bed, surrounded by the people who loved her. I'm grateful that we got to part ways with her relaxed and comfortable.