VCA Care Specialty and Emergency Animal Hospital - Santa Barbara, California

Maya Sabella

Big thank you to Dr. Gibbs and the VCA staff!!

I had a holland lop named Oliver who was suffering from dental disease and other complications due to his dental decline. Dental care and exotic knowledge was difficult for me to find when I moved to SoCal, and we felt we found a true gem here at VCA.

Dr. Gibbs is a stellar veterinarian and my partner and I felt Oliver was receiving exceptional care under the VCA staff. Dr. Gibbs is a kind, knowledgeable, and understanding veterinarian who truly cares about what she does! When it was time for Oliver to pass the rainbow bridge; we felt he was receiving the best and most loving care up until the end. We would also like to thank VCA vet tech, Ricky, who assisted with Oliver and provided him with warm and loving care.

We worked with the VCA team for almost a year, and when the time is right, we look forward to utilizing them again for their outstanding rabbit care and professionalism. Thank you, VCA!

Jacob Schmidt

Doctor Barry and her team did an amazing job taking care and curing Mila during her Addison's crisis and overnight stay. They were reasonable in price and answered all my questions. They went above and beyond in helping out and providing extra material and resources to proceed as safely as possible. Mila is back to herself again thanks to the VCA team! Stellar service and highly knowledgeable!

Michelle Mauk

First, Clients are not allowed to accompany their pets to the exam room. You just hand them over from the waiting room.
Not my experience at any primary Vet I have ever had over the years with different dogs. Blood draws and other procedures yes, they go to a separate room but I have never been told I needed to be separated from my pet the entire time until the end when ready to leave.
I was told doing so “is a liability”.

Second issue was the add on fees with the estimate I received. The biggest was “a 20% fee applied automatically by the system”. When I asked what it was for, I was told she didn’t know it was just automatic.

Third, I was told my dog would need sedation for an Xray. A friend of mine who was there a week earlier with her cat, was told sedation was needed for a blood draw.
Sedation can be dangerous without a diagnosis. Sedation was never required or even recommended at any other vet I have had when tests were needed.

The doctor we spoke to after she examined our dog seemed competent but, the system and methods are horrible which turned me off right away. Add that we felt VCA was attempting to financially exploit us, there was no way I trusted anyone there to provide care.
We paid for the exam and left.
I won’t be going back or recommending.

avalon jenkins

Sometimes there is a bit of a wait, but what a relief to get vet care in the middle of the night! Very reassuring to know they are there 24 hours. They are compassionate. I don't like that they take the dog away from me to go to another room. I came in for an ear infection, and although I know they needed to clean her ear, it was pretty clear she was in pain when they did it . She was returned to me with a very, very sore ear, (albeit clean and plucked) with medicine. My dog was clearly shaken. Again, I don't like the idea of going into another room to treat my dog. I would rather be there to see what is happening. Bottom line, she is better, and I'm grateful for the treatment and care. Thank you VCA

Keith Frick

Mikky, a semi-feral tabby cat, became ill and was in pain from an abscess. It was determined that he would not survive. Dr Wayne and her support crew at VCA Santa Barbara are all very compassionate people and were very reassuring to me, the human side of the pet parenting equation. Mikky and I were fortunate to contact/meet such nice/competent people on that cold February morning. From first phone contact, to a follow-up letter of condolence received from the Doctor, everyone was very supportive. This is greatly appreciated as I was out of my league. Thank you for compassionately and professionally facilitating our transition. If I had to do it over again I would definitely return to VCA Santa Barbara.

casie kruseman

I wish I could give this place more than just stars. They were there when I needed them most and I can’t thank the staff more for my experience.
After being turned away in Ventura by an emergency room that clearly could not see the severity of my dogs illness, I ended up at VCA.
Immediately they were welcoming and took the time to go over my 10 month old Bernese puppies history. They asked questions and listened intently.
As I sat waiting, a huge rush came in, and I noticed the receptionist, Kate, handed everything with care but speediness. She got all of us taken care of in the order of severity and I can not thank her enough for listening and seeing the pets for what they needed, unlike the other facility I had been to.
Once I was seen, a lovely gal named Cheyenne came to get my pups vitals and she was so calm and sweet. She talked to me like a real life person and not some frantic pet mom, which put me immediately at ease.
Dr Duran was the vet for intake and she was so helpful in not wasting my time or money in tests that were unnecessary, but still enough to figure out what was going on with my poor boy.
She came up with a game plan and sent me off until his X-rays were back.
Even at 2:30 AM when I came back in for updates, both her and Cheyanne were lively and intent on helping me understand what was going on, something I could never do that early in the morning!
My boy stayed with them for two nights (36 hours) and I have never had so much peace of mind in such a scary situation. They got him treated and loved, which is all I could ask for!
The twice daily updates were a life saver in keeping me in the loop, and the reassurance they gave that I could call at any time.

Again, I can not rave about this place more. After being in the pet care industry myself for years, this is the BEST treatment along with urgency I have ever received. VCA, you’re doing it right!!! Thank you!!!

Tristan Jackson

A huge thank you to Dr. Duran, Brett, and staff! We came in with a leg incision that opened up from a procedure a couple days before. Our dog is big, fearful, and reactive with anything vet related. Dr Duran was conservative knowing it was a quick fix but also thoughtful in knowing he needed to be sedated for comfort and safety. She followed our trusted surgeon’s sedation protocol while making sure our dog was safe and as calm as possible. She used her fear free techniques as well as “just getting it done” so he could get home. With a large and fearful dog, even a “quick fix” is a longer, stressful process. They all listened to my concerns and took their time and again showed so much patience and kindness to us. We are so grateful!

Heather Clayton (The Storyteller Projects)

VCA AND ALL STAFF ARE FANTASTIC! We walked in with a bloody paw, and they took such great care! We don’t know if it was a cut from glass or an embedded foxtail - but it required a suture and anesthesia - we came in at 2 and left at 5, easy leash! Dr Wayne, James and Leslie, the front desk staff and Sabrina are excellent doggie lovers and medical providers. Even after 7 days, see the picture and a few woopsies of him getting too rambunctious on it, the suture is still holding strong, and it looks to be healing nicely. Thank goodness it’s the last paw he always lands on - if it were a front paw I think we might have challenged the suture. They double checked the paw at day 5 and sent us home to rest until day 14, they gave us probiotics and even a few pill pockets and a little special food to get us home so we could run to the the store later. They really really care from what I can see, it’s also clean and when I’ve been there, there was only one or two pets in front of us and we got in and out painlessly. THANK YOU AWESOME VCA TEAM!