PETS Referral Center

*Please read if you are considering bringing your pet here* I wish there was a negative star that I could give to PETS Referral Center. A one star certainly does not suffice. It was an extremely chaotic & traumatizing experience to bring our cat to them. Firstly, we were waiting for many hours for our cat (who was in immense pain) to be shown to the vet. We were not given any clarity on how long the wait was for. Secondly, the vets were cold and insensitive in their demeanor. The process of them seeing our cat was rushed. The vet created a high stress situation and shared the worst case scenarios for our cat, taunting us by saying that our cat's tail could be amputated and we are not taking his pain seriously. They did all of this without finishing the due process of checking him for all potential things that could happen to him, and simply jumped to the most terrifying possibility - all the while pushing for us to spend more money on different things. And lastly, the medicines they gave us were (1) not at all appropriate because they gave a sedative to our very relaxed cat, so if only they cared enough to know their patients they would know that our cat never needed that sedative (2) the medicines ruined our cat's appetite completely which further weakened him. It is so ridiculous to trust someone with your child when they are in pain, and for them to have such a flippant, ignorant, and capitalistic approach to caring for them. We left the clinic feeling deeply unsettled and terrified; the clinic just wanted to extract money out of our cat's pain. When we went to a different vet, the experience was completely different. There was no need for amputation that was mentioned, our cat was treated with tenderness and care and so were we, and the newer vet did a very through job of understanding the problem at hand and giving the appropriate care needed. I highly recommend people to not go to this emergency clinic if possible. We all deserve a lot more care than this emergency clinic seems possible of offering.

I've had to bring my 9 pound small dog here three times for emergency situations, and one time for surgery to repair her torn CCL - Cranial Cruciate Ligament (basically like a human ACL). Every time I've brought her in for emergency situations, the staff has responded with care and relatively quick attention. When I brought her in for a CCL surgery consult and then the actual surgery, requiring an overnight stay, I am going to go out on a limb and guess I was as anxious about it as my dog was. In advance of the surgery, Dr. Meltzer and staff did a fantastic job explaining the surgery to me - she spent an hour with me to talk through everything. I had gotten two surgical consults elsewhere and ended up going with Dr. Meltzer for a variety of reasons. I'm really glad I did. The surgery was ten weeks ago and my dog's leg is almost good as new. I highly recommend Dr. Meltzer for small dog surgery. The only downside to PETS is that I found them to be a bit loose with the appointment times. I typically waited 10-15 minutes after my appointment time to be seen. So perhaps go in expecting to wait a bit past your appointment time.

Brought in our cat for a partial urethra obstruction. The front desk folks were super sweet, but the vet & tech were totally unsympathetic to our financial situation. We felt lots of pressure to pay the highest price on the spot without asking any questions, felt like the vet was deliberately encouraging our anxiety. Ended up going to Oakvet for the rest of his treatment and had a much more pleasant, sympathetic experience (little difference in cost, but lots in patient/client manner & flexibility)!

Thank you to Dr. Michal, Mandy, and the rest of the PETS Referral team for taking such wonderful care of our pup, Clark. Our pup was trying unsuccessfully to throw up, having difficulty swallowing, and was clearly in distress. At the recommendation of her vet, we took her into emergency care to get her checked out. The team at PETS was professional, kind, thorough, and efficient when it came to triaging and treating our girl. The quote for Clark's treatment was priced in a range based on possible treatments, as it was unclear what was going on until the doctor checked her out. When I returned to pick her up, I was refunded the difference between the cost of treatment and the deposit I paid. The price for her treatment was reasonable and fair, and everything about PETS felt professional, ethical, and confidence-inspiring. While there, I saw the PETS team providing the same high level of care to other people with their pups, and I feel fortunate to have a place like PETS nearby. Thank you for everything! Your dedication to such a challenging line of work is truly admirable. Y'all are saints for the care and attention you provide to our furry friends. We are truly grateful for folks like you!

I am truly pleased with the PETS Referral Center in Berkeley, CA. I brought my poor 15 year old Poodle in as he was in distress. They immediately took him to the back and started working on him. The Vet was so gentle with us as she knew he was in heart failure. Unfortunately they had to euthanize him and she walked me through it every step of the way. I had him cremated and I received his remains back in one week! Everything was packaged beautifully. I was so pleased and it helped with the healing process from losing my fur baby. This is a great place to take your animal! Highly recommend.