Animal Hospital of South Bay - Lawndale, California

miriam contreras

Muy buena atención a mi Logan1?

Ana Ga

Muy buen servicio

Marisol Ibarra

Excelente

Ro Israel

Booking an appointment was quick and easy, which was a huge relief given our dog's urgent need. The front desk staff was friendly and Dr. A, who attended to our dog demonstrated commendable knowledge and professionalism.

Haerim Ryan

Poor professionalism and customer service after a puppy’s death

On August 5th, we lost our ‘healthy’ (according to the multiple vets at this hospital through regular check-ups) 6 months old puppy, Luna, during the spay surgery. Per post mortem which hospital offered to pay for, we learned that she had a congenital heart condition. This is a devastating experience to any pet parents, but the hospital’s poor professionalism and prioritization of their business interests were so outwardly at display throughout the whole experience. There were vital signs missing in the surgery records which the hospital shared is caused by a broken machine. Sure, given the heart condition, the hospital didn’t “kill” our puppy technically, but we are not returning to this place again based on how things were handled after the death.

Few examples:
- Lack of access to the vet who performed the surgery: when my husband and I arrived at the hospital, we talked to the vet (Dr. Andrew Arriola, who performed the surgery) for 5 minutes. He has always had the bad bedside manner as he is impatient in explaining things in laymen’s term. (FYI, we are not in the medical field) As distraught as we were at that time, he was certainly not the most comforting figure to be around. Those 5 minutes were ALL we got since August 5th. The vet who performed surgery, leading to our puppy’s sudden death, was only willing to chat with us for 5 minutes.
- Disarray at the front desk: when we sent Luna’s body to the necropsy facility, we specifically requested the report to be sent to us directly once available. I had to make 5 different calls between the hospital and the facility to confirm that was done. Front desk staffs are always short staffed and they do not follow-up, leading us to call them multiple times for a simple task.
- Lack of urgency: as we reviewed the surgery records, there were missing vital signs, and the doctor’s notes were illegible. We asked the front desk on August 6th to perform a medical review to understand what exactly happened during the surgery. On August 21st, we found out they never started the review process, asking us for additional 45-60 business days.
- Refusal to exchange communications over emails: the medical director, Dr Roberto J. Marchan, reached out to us few days later Luna’s death wanting to talk on the phone. Again, we are not in the medical field, and medical jargon goes over our head. So we asked him to send us his findings about missing vital signs from the surgery record and their theory on what happened to Luna so we can pre-read and digest them before getting on the phone without getting too emotional. He refused to share anything via email and kept requesting to talk over the phone. When we point blanked asked if there are any things to share with us based on his findings, he said no. That’s when we knew this hospital is just a business at the end of the day. That really hurt our feeling.
- Lack of empathy: on the day of Luna’s death, we were in one of the exam rooms holding Luna’s dead body for 7 hours. We were in shock, and grieving. It was difficult to let go and accept. During those 7 hours, nobody offered us water or came in to check in unless we went out looking for a staff.
- No flowers, no condolence cards: I know the hospitals are business at the end of the day. But we have been taking Luna to this place since she was 8 weeks old for regular check-ups and vaccinations. Even our daycare that Luna attended for THREE DAYS sent us a card filled with kind notes from all staffs that met Luna.

We have another older dog, and we are never returning to this place ever again. Puppy’s death alone was tragic, but the hospital’s treatment of the situation during such a difficult time really showed us who they are.

Vinny -

Dr. Andrew and his team are incredible! Our dog, Ritchie, was suffering from severe allergies and had developed a huge wound on his belly. Dr. Andrew provided a thorough diagnosis, answered all our questions with patience and clarity, and guided us through Ritchie's treatment. Thanks to his expertise and the exceptional care from the entire team, Ritchie has healed beautifully. We are so grateful for the VIP treatment and the compassion shown to Ritchie. Thank you, Dr. Andrew, and your amazing team for taking such great care!

AC Spencer

Wonderful care was given to our precious dog! She wouldn't be here today if the Animal Hospital of South Bay hadn't taken her in without an appointment and made time for her emergency surgery. The vet and office loved and saved our dog. We couldn't be more grateful. Doctor A. was so empathetic and caring and the staff was as well. They didn't want to perform unnecessary surgery so they referred us to a specialist. If she would have had the surgery at the specialist's hospital, it would have cost $12,000 which we could not afford. The staff at Animal Hospital of South Bay took her in and performed the surgery for a more reasonable price. Their staff is extremely loving and kind and we couldn't be more grateful.

katia riley Santos

This place was The Best!
I have a (very) complicated pet, my dog is large and has fear aggression. The wonderful people here worked with me to get my boy treated for cancer.
We worked together to get him sedated so he could be treated. They treated him well, and his recovery was amazing.
The prices were fair.
Staff was so understanding and patient with us.
5 stars from us.