The Drake Center For Veterinary Care

Could not be happier with Dr. Boehme or the amazing service at The Drake Center. Highly recommend them - and I have done a lot of research on the best vets. Perfect blend of holistic and allopathic and super responsive and great to work with all the staff there. Read Less

I have used Drake Center for all my dogs since 2004. Everyone there is extremely helpful, caring and accommodating. They are up to date on all new treatments available. On every visit they prepare a detailed treatment plan and discuss the options. Drake also works with a Care Credit when the cost of necessary services exceeds what someone may be able to pay upfront. I’ve also used their grooming services and they’re great. Everything is definitely worth every penny they charge. Read Less

I don't know about price, but the care and office help are first rate. I took my 3 year old grandson when I had Lilly's teeth looked at and a girl in the front came around and made Liam feel special. She showed him the toy box and talked to him for a while. I was impressed Read Less

Drake has changed my opinion about vet offices. I had previously been with a vet who was impersonal, the office was dirty, and they shooed me away when they didn't think my dog's issues were "intense" enough. Stepping into Drake was a breath of fresh air. The office was immaculate, the staff was incredibly friendly, and the vet was SO kind and sat on the floor with my pup until she was comfortable. Her tail even was wagging after a few minutes! Thank you, Drake, for making me and my dog feel confident in her care - not to mention their costs were less than my last vet! Read Less

3 stars for trying to schedule an appointment. Requested an appointment online. Then received a phone call the next morning to schedule. Awesome. Then received a voicemail from another employee asking to schedule my appointment. Hmmm. Called back to let them know I already had an appointment schedule. Then received an email to confirm an appointment for an entirely different day/time. Had to call back a third time to confirm my original appointment date and time. 5 stars for our yet! However, once we arrived, Dr. Kovac was exceptional. She got to know us as a family, and she took her time with our dog, Buddy. She made sure to answer all our questions. She even called the next day with lab results and recommendations. We needed to board our dog, so she offered to contact the boarding facility for us in case they had an issues with Buddy's lab results. Superior service, and highly recommended!Thanks, Dr. Kovac! Read Less

The Drake Center was great, we were able to schedule an appointment the day we called for our new puppy Zoe. They were very helpful answering all of our questions and giving her the care that she needed. They were very helpful explaining ahead of time and during our consultation the prices for Zoe's needs and they were not unreasonable. We were referred to them by our friend, we will definitely be back for all of Zoe's future check ups. Read Less

Thank you Drake Center and Dr. Taylor Borsack for being the first stress-free veterinary visit our 10 year-old dog, Cookie, has ever had!!  The entire staff and Dr. Borsack were friendly, caring, and knowledgeable!  Now that we have found Dr. Borsack and The Drake Center for Cookie, our family can finally continue to keep our four-legged family member healthy and happy without having to dread going to the vet!! Read Less

WE LOVE THE DRAKE CENTER! A friend of mine recommended the Drake Center when we moved to Encinitas, and they have been amazing! The front office staff are professional and friendly, and our westie is a big fan of Jenny! :) I can't say enough about the vet techs and the veterinarians, especially Dr. Hamlet and Dr. Shotwell who always take such good care of our sweet boy. He is a member of the family and they treat him like one too. I know when we walk in the Drake Center we are in good hands and that is an extremely reassuring feeling. We will continue to be clients for many years to come. I highly recommend the Drake Center!! Read Less

Okay so let me start by saying, I usually hate vets. I am extremely critical of them in general. However today I took our newest adoptee here, much to my surprise it was easily the best experience I've ever had at the vet. I arrived on time for my appointment, was warmly greeted and promptly taken into an exam room. After maybe two min the tech was already there. The thoroughness of the staff here is second to none. Both the tech and Dr. Borsack were extremely caring and the passion they exhibited was amazing. Dr. Borsack is the best vet I have personally ever met. She was prompt and knowledgeable, yet not pushy when it came to the bill. I hate when vets attempt to inflate the bill with unnecessary meds or procedures. This was not the case here. I will be returning with my other pups when they need to. Read Less

We have always been very happy w the service we and our pets get at the Drake Center.  We have been going there since 1999 and have seen the place grow and services expand.  We highly recommend the Drake Center and have referred multiple friends there who are also very happy there.  It is great that they have office hours 7 days a week and the staff are nice to our pets. Read Less

I've driven by this place over the years so many dozens of times and had my first experience with them today.  Very, Very caring first impression, even had a welcome to new clients in the lobby with our cat's name on it.  From reception to doctor, we were treated with friendly, respectful and professional folks. Didn't balk when I mentioned ordering the meds on line and wrote me a prescription.  I'd highly recommend them to anyone.  Thank you for your excellent service today. Read Less

We have seen various vets in North County. We feel that we are in good hands at the Drake. They compassionately helped us put our dog with cancer down. I will always appreciate their help. They treat our current dog wonderfully and really went the extra mile when we had an emergency. Thank you. Your pet will love them too! Read Less

We've been taking our dogs to the Drake Center for over 10 years. We love them. They have helped us find the specialists we need to care for some of our dogs more extreme issues. Very clean and welcoming facility. Warm staff who are very timely and they have weekend hours. They are on the expensive end but we find they are worth it and provide outstanding care to our pups. Read Less

I have been a client here for 14 years. Obviously I'm very happy with the care my beloved dogs receive. Everyone here is a pleasure to interact with; from the front desk to all of the vets. Two of the saddest events of my life took place here, losing beloved dogs, & on both occasions Dr Hamlet had the misfortune of being the vet to end my dog's suffering. Her empathy, professionalism & loving care of my dogs on those horrible days made me feel that someone understood just how devastating a moment it was & I very much appreciated the kindness. I get the feeling that Drake Center thinks my dogs are just as amazing as I do. Most importantly, I get ongoing expert medical care from Drake  forr my canine family members. Read Less

Never coming back.  While the vet I saw was very nice, the vet tech and receptionists were very snippy and condescending.  One questioned the breeding of my dog (I didn't get him from a box of puppies at Walmart!), another had rude remarks about the organization I'm volunteering with.  Then when I inquired about a discount I heard they might offer, the vet tech started talking very slowly to me, went over the entire bill to be sure I could afford it before service would be provided and then asked whether I needed pet insurance (which I'm sure they're getting some commission for).  As if that weren't bad enough, my dog needed a prescription.  They didn't carry the medicine but gave me a written prescription with no recommendations about where to go for it.  I later found out that other vets won't sell it to you unless they've examined your dog in the past year.  When I tried to do it onine, the online pharmacy said that the Drake Center wouldn't authorize the prescription that they'd given me over the phone.  I would need to mail it in!  Who has that kind of time to wait for their dog's medicine???  Do yourself a favor and find a more cooperative, customer-service oriented vet. Read Less

Really great experience. Got there and they took us and our cat straight to an exam room which doubles up as your waiting room. It was cat only and they had feliway wall plugs so our cat stayed calm. Doctor was very thorough in her explanations and works to keep expenses to a minimum. She self described herself as a minimalist, avoiding unnecessary testing. She showed us how to cut our cats nails, take her temperature, and administer the antibiotics for her upper respiratory infection. After the appointment, they print and email a copy of the notes from the entire appointment for your records. They next day, they called to check up on our cat and how she was doing. Highly recommend and will be continuing to use them as our vet. Read Less

Really great experience. Got there and they took us and our cat straight to an exam room which doubles up as your waiting room. It was cat only and they had feliway wall plugs so our cat stayed calm. Doctor was very thorough in her explanations and works to keep expenses to a minimum. She self described herself as a minimalist, avoiding unnecessary testing. She showed us how to cut our cats nails, take her temperature, and administer the antibiotics for her upper respiratory infection.After the appointment, they print and email a copy of the notes from the entire appointment for your records.They next day, they called to check up on our cat and how she was doing.Highly recommend and will be continuing to use them as our vet. Read Less

I know Leon might not show his appreciation! But I want to let the drake center know how appreciative I am that they take the time to make my kitty feel comfortable in a veterinarian setting. His high anxiety and high stress makes it hard to bring him anywhere else. But the drake center was willing to take the time to work with him! Read Less

Terrible. Terrible. Terrible. Where did the old Drake Center go? I used to love this place. Now, I am never going back. I never complain because I understand that sometimes people have bad days and I used to be in the restaurant industry as a Manager and understand the importance of customer service. So, that is exactly why I am writing this review. To save everyone the time and money and find another Vet. I have 2 dogs. One is 5 years old and one is 5 months old. I just returned from a hour long examination with the 5 month old. First, they basically scolded me on how i didn't come in sooner to give him his last vaccine for Distemper and made me feel guilty about it. Honestly, he was due on the 11th an its the 21st. Don't worry drake center you got your money for that. Second, anytime I ask for alternative options for his eye that has no pigment, i.e. homeopathic they always try and sell me something they have there. I don't want any eyedrops from you,thank you. Third, the last time I was in to get more flea medication they said i could use sentinel between my two dogs. This time they told me that I can't because my older dog hasn't received his heart worm test. Why did they tell me that I could the last time? So I opted for the other flea medication and when I said that the front desk lady, under her breath said its better to test your dog then to not. Yeah, I know lady. But I just spent $200 dollars, let me wait to schedule his appointment, thats obviously not going to be with the Drake Center.  I am going to be spending the next month finding another vet that doesn't push a bunch of products on me and scold me for not coming in on time to get the vaccine. Lastly, they have so many people working there that I always get a new Vet helping me and they never remember me. This is what happens to company's when they get to money hungry. GROSS. This is my dog we are talking about, not some crappy meal at a restaurant. NEVER returning to this place. EVER. (just for the record I have spent well over $1000 in pet care here.) Read Less

Thank you to the personnel of the Drake Center for taking such loving care of our Little Eddie on his first visit. He's a big boxer boy but so gentle. He had an ear hematoma and was scared; and you were kind & reassuring. The appointment was on time and reasonably priced. My husband was so impressed with the expertise and just as important to us, the care. Thank you for the exceptional bed side service! Read Less

I can't say enough good things about Dr. Kaela Shotwell and the staff members at Drake Center.  Dr. Shotwell is so sweet, caring, humble, a great listener and responsive, as well as knowledgable.  She is open to my ideas and to trying different approaches.  She treats all 3 of our pets with great kindness and they respond very well to her.The office is always clean and smell-free, easy to access and easy to get desired appointments.The staff is attentive and supportive and seem to really like working there.I greatly value Drake Center for the care of my animals and highly recommend them! Read Less

We have been to the Drake Center twice since we adopted our dog in Dec '15; once for her first time check-up and once for an ear and torn paw-pad issue (Mar '16). We are very satisfied with both the doctors we saw, and the vet techs. They were very helpful with the medical issues and our dog seemed to accept them; which is a big deal for her. Also, they were extremely knowledgeable about behavioral issues and gave us some great ideas / options. We will continue to take our dog to the Drake Center. Read Less

I am not surprised at the number of 5 star reviews given for The Drake Center. The entire staff is kind and knowledgeable. Just as we want to have the best doctors, dentists, and pediatricians for our family, we want the best care for our pets as well. We have been taking our dog to Drake for over 10 years and I must say that our experience with them is by far the most rewarding. From the front desk staff to the doctors and the assistants, we can only wish we felt as confident in our physicians as we feel at Drake. Every team member takes the time to listen and resolve any problem our dog has had. They offer more than one solution in many cases, and respect our decisions. They share their knowledge and speak in terms we can understand. Not to mention the obvious love of animals each and every one of the staff sincerely display. To the person who gave them the one star review- I was relieved to hear that if a pet can be saved, they will support treatment instead of euthanizing the dog. As far as their fees go, overall, Drake Center is worth every dollar spent. Read Less

Our family has been going to the Drake Center for Animal Health for over six generations of dogs. We love the friendly staff and the Vets are so knowledgeable and offer the latest services. When we call with a question or to book an appointment, any one of the staff knows our dog and it's history immediately. And our dog has always loved going there. We know because she gets so excited if we are within 3 blocks of the office. Read Less

I could not have had a better experience. I was looking for a new vet because mine had relocated. I heard that the Drake Center was a local, family owned veterinary clinic, that provided good. care. So I scheduled a introductory visit. Before that scheduled visit my dog got very sick. I called the office and was able to see Dr. Shotwell that afternoon. She diagnosed my dog with Pancreatitis. Treatment was started immediately. The doctor followed my dogs progress daily. Even on her days off. My dog is still recovering and I feel as supported today as I did that first visit. I believe I have found the veterinary clinic that I will use as long as I have a pet. Read Less

Professional, competent, & friendly! They are there when you need them, and they deliver when you do! Great bunch of Professional and Administrative staffers. Make your Pet happy......Knowing they will get the best! Read Less

Only angels work at the Drake Center...from techs to vets and everyone else. Seriously awesome, knowledgeable animal lovers...every single one. I can't imagine entrusting the care of my 3 fur kids to anyone else! Thank you Drake Center for 16 years of loving care. Read Less

This place seems to do it all, and they definitely like to push those services on you for "the well being of your pet". It is so stinking pricey! I haven't left an annual exam paying under $500. And my dog is healthy, just a sore joint!The joint soreness led them to recommend an X-ray, and they also suggested removing a dead tooth, estimate came to $1,300. I took this estimate to other vets and they on average came in 30% lower.If you don't mind paying inflated prices, than this place has the convenience of being a one stop shop. But I'd recommend getting second opinions on bigger issues to make sure they aren't milking you for cash. Read Less

I took my dog/best friend here yesterday for his first acupuncture appointment. I was impressed when I first walked in by how friendly every one was. Most veterinary offices feel stale and cold and this place feels warm and inviting. It translated to my dog too because he was much calmer than he has been other places. I don't remember the vet's name that helped us (bad with names, :/), but she was great. She took her time with us and made walked me through every step of what she was doing. I see in improvement in his pain level and attitude already and am so excited to keep coming to this place. Thank you, thank you. Read Less

Been with the Drake center from the beginning. We moved from Olivenhain to Fallbrook, but won't take our dogs and cats anywhere else. They are current on all the new technology and have made our pets lives better and longer. Thanks Michelle and Keala. Read Less

Love everyone at the Drake Center and my 2 dogs and 2 cats love everyone there also. And yes they maybe a little more than others, but I found out the hard way...you get what you pay for. And rather pay more and know my kids are getting the best care! Thank You Drake Center!! Read Less

Excellent care of my two cats Dickens & Rosco. All staff are very kind & helpful. Vets & their assistants most knowledgeable and caring. Answer all my questions and concerns. Provide nutritious pet foods for those that require special diets. Glad I started going there after I first moved to Carlsbad some 16 + years ago. Highly recommend! Read Less