Animal Wellness Centers - Marina Del Rey, California

M S

I cannot say enough thank you to Dr. Lim and Animal Wellness Center for the incredible care they provided for our very senior dog, Mook. He was suddenly diagnosed with severe kidney disease, and our previous vet recommended either euthanasia or trying hospitalization at an emergency hospital. However, due to his heart murmur, there was a concern that his heart wouldn’t hold up under the stress of IV fluids. We were looking for a private clinic rather than a big corporate vet, so we decided to visit Animal Wellness Center, which also offers acupuncture.

Dr. Lim suggested a unique approach of daytime-only hospitalization during office hours. While we were worried about Mook’s heart, we trusted Dr. Lim, who took the time to explain everything thoroughly.

Thanks to their incredible care, Mook has recovered well, and now, five months later, he’s still running around happily. We know our time with him may be limited, but we’re so grateful for the extra time we’ve had with him—time that we wouldn’t have had if we had gone the other route. We are truly thankful for the compassionate care we received here.

Maureen Tomlin

They are competent but they will charge you for services you don't need- and they charge alot! We took our dog in to confirm an acl injury-that's all we needed. We've been through this before with another dog-next step is to schedule TPLO surgery. So Dr. Annie looked at her leg, felt it, confirmed that was it..as long as she was looking at her-she looked in her mouth ears and next thing you know on our way out the door we're paying a $400.00 bill for a physical and medications (some that I'm not even sure we needed)

Elizabeth Fujiura

This review is really painful to write. We had been taking our two cats to Animal Wellness all through Covid and it was fine but lately the quality and care has gone down.

We had a senior cat aged 16 who was losing weight and had a “benign”heart murmur in March and we were told it was fine and just a product of old age. Fast forward to September and it turned out he had been experiencing heart failure for a while.

We ultimately had to put him down as a result and while I regret not getting a second opinion and I know 16 is a good long life, it also feels like some basic blood tests and xrays would have caught it sooner and maybe we could have started treatment before he threw a blood clot in his paw and had reduced quality of life. The vibe at the time was pretty much “eh he’s old what can you do” but I would have done literally anything for that cat if it had been presented as an option. Take all my money. He was my son. I loved him beyond words. I wish I had known what I know now.

Meanwhile, our 4yo cat is very aggressive at the vet and we were instructed to give him sedatives before his visit. We followed the instructions as given and he was still too angry and bitey to be seen. We had to take him home and ultimately forego the checkup.

We were treated as if this was our fault and overall made to feel bad about it, because he is so angry and aggressive, but truthfully isn’t that part of the job of dealing with animals? Is that not what we’re paying the hundreds of dollars for? If not, the name of the clinic should be changed to “Nice Animal Wellness Center Only Please”

I know this sounds like a disgruntled person doing a revenge review but I mainly just want to prevent anyone else from having this same experience. Our pets are so important to us and while I don’t ultimately blame this vet for what happened I think if you’re having any kind of health issue or you have a pet with more complicated health overall, this is not the place to go.

Shanarra Goode

I’m extremely disappointed to be writing this review. I’ve been seeing Dr. Edstrom for over 5 years since I adopted my rescue. I live all the way in West Hollywood and Dr. Edstrom’s bedside manner was always top notch.

However, I will no longer be making the trip to the Animal Wellness centers because about a month ago my keys were stolen by either a patient or a staff member quite literally right under my nose. I was in the waiting room the entire time. Though cameras are present in the waiting room they were conveniently not working. It also took about 45 minutes to get a manager involved. I asked numerous times for their patients to be contacted and they acted as if it was an inconvenience.

This incident ultimately lead to me having to spend over $1000 between towing and buying a new key and just feel that as a patience of over 5 years there would’ve been a bit more care/concern that my property was stolen on their grounds.

Will miss Dr. Edstrom but trust is of the utmost importance to me.

Kristina Boccardo

We cannot say enough amazing things about Animal Wellness Center. We are beyond grateful for all of the help they have given us the past year with our puppy, Barkley. She has seen both Dr. Edstrom and Dr. Annie several times, and they both are so knowledgeable, honest, patient, and kind. I am a first time puppy parent with a million questions, but every staff member always takes the time to help me and answer everything. The office staff is amazing too - I have called the office on numerous occasions to ask questions and they are all so helpful, and also email me back so quickly. I know Barkley is in the best hands when she is at AWC, and that is the best feeling in the world. We actually recently moved about 40 minutes away, but we don't want to switch vet offices - AWC is so incredible that the drive is worth it to us. I cannot thank you all enough!

B Jo

I'm giving three stars because I adore Dr. Edstrom and Dr. Kasia. However, I consulted with Dr. Lim about my cat's condition (vomiting and nausea mostly) and she gave me 100% certainty there was a foreign object on my cat's stomach (it is usually quite difficult to assert an 100% possibility of a foreign object inside an animal). After a whooping $1000 on tests (which is fine if she hadn't run unnecessary tests like urinary density) she sent the x-rays to a radiologist who said it looked like something was in there, but that it could also be partially digested food. Dr. Lim suggested I take my cat to the emergency to get an abdominal ultrasound (high cost specially at an emergency) to see the location of the object. So far so good- except for her extreme rudeness, but maybe she was just having a bad day so I didn't think much of it right away. Next day, I let her know my cat seemed fine after the nausea injection she received: she had stopped vomiting, was eating normally, and was running and playing around. I have four cats and have had several cats over the years- I know a sick cat when I see one. So I told her I'd rather wait a couple of days before proceeding with surgery or a second $370 x-ray. She seemed upset on the phone and said that ok, I could do that but if an emergency happened I was to know that she would no longer be available for surgery and I'd have to take my cat elsewhere (mind you, I did not say when my cat would, or that she would at all need surgery- so Dr. Lim would NOT be available EVER? Give me a break). I SWEAR I was nothing but nice with this Dr. and not once did I complain about price (I know vets often get uneasy about people complaining about money so I really never do because I understand their job and the costs of vet expenses). Regardless, she was beyond rude, aggressive, arrogant and unprofessional. As much as I love the other two vets I'll go elsewhere if Dr. Lim happens to be the only person available. Also note, the girls at the reception are lovely- not sure why I see some reviews about their service- personally never had a problem with any of them.

Shaina Shanti

They’re all about the $$$. Took my dog in for itchiness and they chastised me for asking questions about the products they were pushing on me (flea poison and ear drops). Come to find after using the ear drops on my dog that it contains all sorts of chemicals including fragrance and dyes - why That’s not safe - not even sure why it’s on the market let alone sold by a vet. Then of course the fact that flea meds are known to cause neurological issues in dogs - the vet here told me “the people who create these would never put something dangerous like that on the market.” She’s either dangerously naive or a crook. Good luck here.

Chef Eileen Elizabeth

I can not say enough about this place. DR. Edstrom is by far the VERY best vet in the world. She cares about animals, like truly loves and cares about them. And her staff is exactly the same way. They saved my pup's life, and gave him back quality of life where other vets had failed. When you bring your fur babies here they will get the very best in Vet services. I relocated to Arizona last year and I still drive to LA for my pets and their vet care. 5 starts hardly seems like enough. We love you guys.