Signal Hill Animal Clinic

Terrible clinic. Extremely unhappy with Dr. Sweet. Brought are dog in for itchiness and dry skin. We had told them we thought it was a chicken allergy. He was adamant that it was not. After $1000 of testing and a $300 assessment (which we were told was no cost) it was back to a chicken allergy (which is a $700 test). Steriods were also recommended for a 6 month old puppy, which we found out was a horrible idea. Good thing we went to another vet before we gave her that. They are not open about the costs of the work being complete and will take advantage of you if they know you have insurance. Read Less

We had been going to this clinic for 16 years with multiple dogs and always loved Dr Wagner. Sadly he no longer owns the clinic and our most recent experience there has us deciding to never go there again. Our dog of 13 years had struggled neurological issues, seizures and Horner syndrome for a few years and in the space of 24 hours, she went downhill fast. She was stumbling and walking into things and wouldn’t settle, she seemed to be in pain and wasn’t eating. She was a nervous dog who always hated going to the vet so since it looked like the end, we called Signal Hill to inquire about a vet coming to our house to put her to sleep. They insisted we bring her in for a vet to examine her to determine if she was truly end of life. Considering she could barely stand up at this point and we didn’t have much hope. We re iterated she does not like being at the vets, it distresses her and we would rather not have her there so expected it to be a short check. Due to Covid, you can’t go in the clinic so Dr LeBoldus called us to say she heard a heart murmur and thought it was Congenital Heart Failure not her neurological issues and we should get her x-rayed and some blood work done because if the vet is right, our dog could go on medication and have another good 6 months or so. Our son relied on our dog for everything so we agreed to spend the $1000. The x-ray came back without the obvious signs of CHF, there was no fluid in her lungs but her heart was enlarged so we should now spend another $1000 for an ultrasound with a cardiologist because she is still so convinced it is heart. After the ultrasound the tech concluded that it wasn’t her heart causing her issues but her neurological problems. By now our ailing pet has been at their clinic all day and we can come pick her up now. I picked her up and she was catatonic, wasn’t moving or opening her eyes. They prescribed medication for a heart problem that the tech determined wasn’t even her problem and told us to give her a pill at 8 pm that night. I assumed she was so listless when I got her back because of they had given her some sedative for the procedure but it turns out they didn’t need to. Not surprising considering her state when I picked her up. You wouldn’t need to sedate a dog that was no longer moving. Anyone with eyes could have seen she was dying, but they had insisted these tests were necessary. Within 2 hours of her being back at home it was clear she was struggling with breathing and continued to not move or seem aware of her surroundings. So we called animal emergency to make an appointment to euthanize her within the hour. Years ago, I worked at a vet clinic in Chicago for 4 years and cannot imagine any of the vets there to have put a dying dog through so many unnecessary tests. In her last 12 hours of life, she spent over 9 of them at their clinic. In a place she was never comfortable to be in with people who didn’t love her or look out for what was best for her. It is absurd they suggested giving her medication at 8pm that night. You can’t pill a dog in the state she was in and she died at 8:30pm. It breaks my heart that Dr LeBoldus would push for this experience on an end of life animal who was part of our family, she not an experiment that will help her pay for her next trip to Hawaii. If you are looking for compassion, you will not find it in Dr LeBoldus. Read Less

Dr. Nagy is amazing! We have a difficult dog and she is always very understanding and patient with him. She truly cares about all her patients and is very competent in her practice. The clinic staff is great as well and always friendly. Read Less

Absolutely love Signal Hill Animal Clinic. I have been taking my dogs here for about 10 years, and (over this time) all three dogs have received excellent care and great advice. About 4 years ago we moved to another area in the city which wasn't close at all to Signal Hill, but I still made the trek as I didn't want to go elsewhere. Read Less

Have been going to this vet clinic since the original owner operated out of his acreage in the late 80's then opened this vet clinic. Its a bit of a hike for me to take my animals in, but because of the quality of the vets, I am willing to travel across town. Dr. Sweet has been my vet all these years and has seen me through several dogs and cats. All were treated with compassion and he went the extra mile to ensure that my elderly pets were taken care of. He was fair and honest in his opinion on their quality of life. He and the other vets were always kind and gentle with the animals even when my normally sucky cat turned into Catzilla. Dr Sweet even made a house call when it was time for my older dog to pass on and it was one of the least stressful times I had when it was end of life for one of my animals. Read Less

Been using this vet clinic since the original owner was operating out of his acreage in the 80's. Having had 3 dogs and 4 cats over the years, I have found the doctors at the clinic to be capable and caring. I have noticed a trend recently with sending pets for tests which are pricey, but never felt that the tests were done just for the dollars. They always asked me what I wanted for my pets and informed me if they felt that the tests would be pointless. Dr Sweet even paid a house call to put down one of my elderly dogs when it was time. It was one of the most peaceful passings of my animals with no stress for the animal. Read Less