I give the staff an A+.They are friendly and compassionate. They keep you updated. They keep you updated and are very understanding. Dr. Helms couldn't have been any nicer. He is very kind and compassionate. The rates are reasonable. The rooms are very clean. I felt very at ease with them caring for my 2 month old English Bulldog in an emergent situation. Thank you Central Animal Hospital !!! Read Less

I have been a client of Dr. Carter's, Jennifer and the clinic since 2004, they are the best. I like to be fully informed so I can make appropriate decisions for my dogs and they make me feel like I am a valuable member of the team when it comes to health issues, I never feel like I am being talked to but that we are having a discussion and my input is valued. At the worst of times the entire clinic has shown great compassion to me and my dogs. They also help the most needy of animals, injured wildlife and strays with kindness and compassion. They simply are the best and deserve the accolades they receive from local to national recognition. Read Less

My dog Maggie found herself with a foxtail stuck in her ear drum yesterday just as I came home from work! It all happened so quickly and I was so thankful that when I called Central Animal Hospital they were still open and would get us in for an emergency appointment. Dr Helms and the staff were so gentle and patient. He just plucked that nasty foxtail right out! Thank you Dr Helms and CAH team for your friendly smiles, care and concern, and love of our fur babies as you would treat your own! Read Less

We've gone to Dr. Matt Carter for years. The entire practice, all the staff really care about each animal. We recommend them for their top skills, their compassion and willingness to view each pet as a special individual. Big Love for Central Animal Hospital! Read Less

We take our cat here and they are kind, respectful, and cautious in their care. Dr Helms takes all the time necessary to explain what the different options are for treatment. The cat hurt its toe and it has healed wonderfully. We feel very confident when we go to see Dr Helms. Thank you so much for your expert care. Read Less

The staff here is so compassionate and caring towards pets and the owners. Sadly for me my first visit was to put one of my pups down, the staff was so caring and checking on us and for being our first ever visit they made us feel comfortable. The next couple visits received bad news and within a year and a half all 3 of my pups crossed the rainbow bridge. Each time the staffs compassion was exactly what was needed in that hard time. Read Less

Great practice, wonderful doctors and technicians. They were incredible when my 10 yr old golden was at the end of his life. They are compassionate and thorough. We now have a golden girl and she loves it there too! Read Less

We have been clients for over 10 years and will never bring a member of our family to this business-the human touch is gone.  The front office our nice and even the vet MD's have been nice in the past-but as far as their value as diagnosticians-they are lacking.Our older family member had been showing increasingly troubling signs of weakness, anxiety, restlessness, and weak back legs and I was focusing on his waking me up every 1-2 hours at night???  Instead of using his expertise and wanting to focus on the dog with maybe an ultrasound etc. the Vet just prescribed sleeping medications so I could sleep.  I now know that my dog was suffering from suspected Hemangiosarcoma-this after I brought him to the Vet Hospital in Rohnert Park.  Prognosis Poor-the pet was "agitated" probably from going through end-stage cancer.  I can't say enough wonderful things from the Rohnert Park VCA-so caring and gentle from diagnosis to end of life care.  When our loved family member could no longer support his weight and his back legs were too weak to go out in the backyard to relieve himself we knew it was time to end his suffering.  We got to spend time with him at VCA-they put an IV in him-brought him back to us and brought him a last meal of poached chicken.  We then got to hug him and say our goodbye's and tell him how much he had enriched our family as he received the very pain-free injections to stop his heart. This business is so great, for an emergency visit with their Professional specialists and all the Vet Techs and front office individuals.  For our other dog, we will take him to another practice here in Petaluma. Read Less

Please do not bring your pet here. From the minute you walk in, the upselling starts. They know you are vulnerable and anxious.  They push hard for major lab work and expensive procedures immediately.  I was worried ; So I agreed. The next day I had to call 3 times for the results of these so called urgent labs---finally a different doc called end of day or next day.   When the minor problem didn't go away, they strongly recommended expensive X-rays and another very expensive overkill procedure. But the "team" of techs didn't have the time do do it then. They actually said that if I brought my pet back later for X-rays,  I would be charged for another office visit!  This is a money making mill powered by the grief of sick pet owners. They now have a new scheme where before standard chronic medications can be refilled, a doctor has to "review " your file to see if you need yet more labs or yet another office visit.  Shameless greed.  I could list many more examples of how this so called Vet practice uses fear to up sell every possible condition or outcome your pet may have; I feel sorry for pets and owners who get caught up in this money driven outfit.  Perhaps they should all go back and read the ethical oaths they signed to graduate Vet school.     ANY other vet in Petaluma would be a better bet.  Brandtner or Adobe come to mind. Read Less

We first brought our dog here for a basic check up and really loved the doctors and staff. Everyone is awesome and goes over everything with you to make sure you know exactly what was done. A few days later we had to come back for an emergency after our dog had an accident and was hurt pretty bad. Again they were awesome and took him right in to fix him up. We've been here several times since then to have bandages changed and the wounds cleaned up. The prices have been very reasonable considering the amount of work and time they all had to put in. We would definitely recommend this place to anyone who loves their pup and wants to make sure they get the best care. Read Less

Having recently moved to Petaluma, we needed to find a new vet for our Chocolate Lab "ROCKY" so we decided to try/take him here to Central Animal Hospital & we are so happy that we did!!! We saw DVM "Tim Helms" who was extremely thorough, knowledgable & nice so we are pleased with our 1st visit & we definitely plan on sticking with Central Animal Hospital & will hopefully have Dr. Helms as our permanent vet. Read Less

We have been customers of Central Animal Hospital for many years. We were fortunate to have two dogs blessed with good health so we had minimal contact except for normal vaccinations etc. Then we hit the senior years! Our Dalmatian developed kidney issues and chronic ear infections. Dr Alman worked tirelessly on researching treatment for his kidneys. The treatment plan she established has restored his kidney function. Then we just couldn't get a handle on his ear infections. Dr Carter had been to a seminar addressing these not run of the mill infections. Again he did his due diligence and (fingers crossed) have finally resolved the ear problem. Two weeks ago we had to say goodbye to our Lab. The staff was sensitive to the situation. They even sent us a nice note which included her paw print and some wild flowers to plant. Has this been an expensive year?  You betcha but we want the best for our fur babies. Read Less

Our dog was yelping in pain one morning and we couldn't figure out why. We called around and Central squeezed us in between 2 other appts. a couple hours later! They were so friendly and accommodating, the entire staff seemed to be very knowledgeable. The building didn't have a bad smell (to my human nose) which I noticed right away. If you have pets you know some animal hospitals are very stinky. Even though my dog was in pain, he didn't seem overly stressed by me taking him here since it has a pretty calm atmosphere and staff. They even had a soft mat for him and offered me water. We went over each step to take beforehand with a visual price breakdown, including some "what if" scenarios. They even emailed me the xrays afterward, reminded me what shots were due, gave a next day follow up call, and a thank you note to my house. I had such a good experience I think I have to switch vets! Read Less

I have not tried the vet services yet, but Danielle is amazing. My dogs are on a specific vet diet and my vet was unable to get me the food on time. Danielle came through in a pinch. She was friendly and professional and I will be visiting them again soon for more of my vet needs! Read Less

Incredible team here! My itty bitty kitten broke his femur and needed surgery ASAP. Dr. Helm and his amazing staff immediately accepted my baby, ordered the metal plate needed with overnight delivery, and operated on my kitten the next day. I cannot begin to thank them for their awesome work and support. My kitten is healing beautifully. Thank you, thank you, thank you!! I HIGHY recommend this clinic! Read Less

Central Animal hospital are always so friendly and accommodating. I've been taking my dog Koji since he was 12 weeks old and Koji loves them. He knows when we turn on D st. His vet Dr. Helms is awesome, thorough with each appointment and very knowledgeable. The rest of the staff is amazing too! Wouldn't go anywhere else! Read Less

We've been clients of CAH for over 11 years. We are currently on our 10th rescue dog, all with different needs, health issues and care. Expensive? You bet. But that's a choice you make when you get involved in rescue work and take on an unknown dog. However, we try to have a game plan in mind when we go in for unexpected health issues and talk the care protocol through with the vet and come to a financially reasonable treatment plan. It helps to "Google" the dog's symptoms so that you can give a clear picture to the staff/vet of the behaviors the animal is presenting. They aren't mind readers and the dog isn't talking either. We, as owners, are the liaison between the dog and the vet. As with any business, there is staff turnover and there have been some bumps in our 11 year relationship with this practice. Overall, the staff has been very responsive and about 2 years ago (12/2013), we saw the staff really step up their game. We've had a couple blips in the past few months in terms of getting follow up from Dr. Helms but feel a full time assistant for him to help with return calls would eliminate this. It's an internal operations issue, not a skill level issue. So, yes. We're a fan of CAH. Read Less

Please. Please. Don't go here. We were faithful clients for a couple years. They almost killed our lovely elderly Bichon Pooky....they have new vets and they didn't prescribe the right amount.  It was treacherous. We immediately moved to Dr Angie at Petaluma Veterinary Hospital on the Blvd. she did a series of blood tests and got our lady back on track. Thank goodness. If I had the time and money I'd have taken this further but, I don't. And the upselling???  Like thousands of dollars to clean her teeth and gums???  W heave paid and paid and I feel that it was just a scam. They are not in this for the right reasons. We now have another dog Louie...a Labradoodle pup and Dr Angie is the bomb. Read Less

This was our first time taking our fur baby to the vet, first time she has ever been sick, so as you can imagine, my husband and I were quite worried and stressed. Everyone at Central Animal Hospital made us feel at ease! We didn't feel pressured to opt into excessive expensive testing, the vet tech immediately went over all of our options and pricing so that we knew what we were in for as we were making our decision. We felt very comfortable and like our Patsy was in great hands! When we had to leave her for the afternoon I was worried about her being alone, and scared. But, when i came to pick her up later that day, and the receptionist told me she spent her whole lunch cuddling, and loving on my girl, I knew this was a place that truly cared about the animals they treat, and all my worry went away! We have definitely found our vet and will bring Patsy back for all her doggie needs! Thanks you Central Animal Hospital for being awesome! Read Less

Can I give less than one star?  My girlfriend and I just moved to Petaluma and we took one of our pooches in for a checkup.  We were just attempting to bring our healthy dog in for a first visit getting him on the books if we ever need to bring him in, but were confronted with high pressure fear tactics to run a rather expensive panel of tests.  We were pressured to get teeth cleaned, pressure to re vaccinate for everything...   It made us rather uncomfortable, and feel as though this clinic was taking advantage of their position of veterinary expertise as a means of exploiting us for far more money than we needed to spend.  Not only did we feel as though we didn't get an honest opinion as to the health of our pet, we were made to feel guilty that we didn't opt in for their expensive tests, as if we don't love our pet enough to spend the money!  We decided to go to another vet instead, and haven't looked back.  We have however, told everyone we meet to STAY AWAY FROM CENTRAL ANIMAL HOSPITAL!  The place we go now seems to care about our dogs, not how deep our pockets are!  Our new vet is honest, reasonably priced, and when I told them about my horror story and the cost of the panel of tests, THEY USE THE SAME PANEL FOR HALF THE PRICE OF CENTRAL ANIMAL HOSPITAL!  The also explained why we didn't need the test done now, but IF something is wrong with our pooch, it is a tool we could use to help our pet!  STAY AWAY FROM CENTRAL ANIMAL HOSPITAL!  They are veterinary hooligans looking to rob you! Read Less

The best vet in the world. Honestly. I have a cat who gets extremely violent at the vet, is super sensitive to any kind of change or stress, and must be sedated for every visit before he can safely be examined. I'm sure he's in the top 5 of Central Animal's biggest troublemakers. And yet..The staff is nothing but kindness and understanding. They answer all my frantic questions, give me all kinds of advice over the phone (especially for the times it's deemed more harmful than good to bring him in) and are endlessly patient with my grouchy little biter. They provide thorough, high-quality services that are more than worth the cost--which really isn't that bad. I saw in other reviews that people claimed CAH tried to guilt them into spending more on unnecessary tests--that is the exact opposite of my experience. I'm a student, and when I tell them I'm worried about not being able to afford something, they totally understand and drop the issue. They get it. I've never been nickel-and-dimed here, and CERTAINLY not badgered into spending more than I'm comfortable. If you can't afford something, they can give you info on Care Credit. But honestly, the prices are reasonable for the services you get, especially in the Bay Area.Everyone there, the vets, the vet techs, the whole patient & client care teams, are great. Especially the patient and client care teams, they get an A+. The best I've encountered at any vet's office. I'm a super obsessed/crazy cat person, and sometimes I worry I'm just as bad a patient as my cat, but they really seem to go out of their way to prioritize happiness and comfort for pet and owner alike.This is where to go if you want high-quality, reasonably priced care from a great team. The peace of mind is worth it, and your fur baby will be very grateful. Read Less

I can't say enough good things about the Central Animal Hospital staff and particularly about Dr. Mathew Carter. I have found the staff invariably friendly and courteous. Dr. Carter has taken care of my pets practically since he opened his doors. He is competent, up on the literature and ready to answer any questions I might have. He seems like a genuinely nice guy. He also seems to really like my pets, even my elderly and sometimes grumpy Sheltie Buster. Read Less

I have been bringing my old cat here since we moved to Petaluma a couple years ago. She has seen a couple doctors, the latter being Tim Helms. He has provided very good service and care for our aging but healthy cat. She has needed little care so I have nothing to complain about. He did clean her teeth last summer and her mouth looked great. So far, I am satisfied with the quality of care from Central Animal. Read Less

I have been going to Central Animal Hospital for 6 years now. I highly recommend Dr. Carter, Dr. Helm, and all of the staff I have met. They are completely thorough in their evaluations of your fur babies and treatments they may need. Dr. Carter performed surgery on our dog and saved his life. He and Dr. Helm see our 2 dogs regularly and help in what ever way they can. Read Less

I can not give enough praise for all the staff and doctors. When Lea and I walk thru the door we are greeted not by employees but feels more like family, everyone starting at the reception desk are so kind and caring. The Vet Drs., are outstanding, they truly love their profession they treat your pet like it is their own. I am not sure what I would do without this team. Read Less

It's how staff act when things get tricky that really reflects the care of an organization.Jenifer from Central Animal Hospital (without charging any fees to me) really stepped up to the plate in copying and forwarding my dog's records (sorely needed to satisfy a quarantine facility in New Zealand who was transporting my dog overseas to me).  And Jenifer finalized this task in less than 24 hours.  Because of Jenifer, I say, "Yea, Central Animal Hospital", and thank you! Read Less

Had to give a star to post review, but they deserve nothing! Brought my dog in for ear infection. He gets them every year - it is a yeast infection. The Dr tried to up sell us a bunch of useless tests that I know we didn't need. After being given the guilt trip over & over we did the blood work. Guess what? It was a yeast infection = big surprise. I don't need a Vet degree to know that! They tried to give us a small tube of medicine. I know from experience that it wasn't enough to help our labrador's ears. The Dr said, that's ok if it's not just make another appointment. Yea - I bet you would like that. The Dr didn't even flush out or clean out our dog's ears. EVERY Vet we have been to in the past 8 years has always flushed out his ears. Lazy!The up selling & guilt trips may get you a quick 300.00, but you have lost us as customers & lost our future business. I will also be sure to tell everyone I know who has a pet to NOT go here. Shame on you! I'm sure you will be out of business soon. Read Less

Lets start off by saying the care and compassion is great. We got to know Dr. Carter when we had to euthanize our wonderful dog who had inoperable cancer. He and his wife were kind and  compassionante and agreed to perform the task in our home.  Later, when we got our current dog, it was natural to call Dr. Carter as the care practitioner. The other vets at Central are also good with my dog.The care again was great but as a business, little things started to irritate me that said its more about the money. First, we need a prescription renewed but before they do that, they insist on another exam that was just done 6 months ago.  I know a human with the same issue and he only has this exam once a year. Do we really have to have another exam that costs $$?  Second, they refused to fax a prescription direct to an online pharmacy for heartworm preventative, saying they do not advocate taking business away from them.  They mailed the prescription to me instead.  I got news for you: the stamp you used to mail is more expensive than faxing to a toll free number!  I get their point  but services aren't medicare prices and  we are paying top dollar for care.  So is the mark up on a box of Heartguard that important as to turn your nose on your customer?.  Are they at all interested in helping customers to save money?  I don't mind paying but I do feel squeezed at every issue.  Also boarded the dog there once.  Velcome to Stalag 17.  However it was cheap...you get what you pay for.  5 stars for the care but 2 stars for the business end averages to 3 stars. Read Less

If you are looking for an office that doesn't actually care about animals and only about money - This is your place!We have been bringing our two dogs here for a little over 2 years. We keep them up to date on the important stuff but don't bring them in as much as they recommend. My 10 year old lab has epilepsy and has been on medication for about 4 years. We started coming here once we moved to Petaluma and at first thought it was ok but really overpriced. Then they started telling us that we had to get bloodwork done on our dog every 6 months (use to be once a year) to get his prescriptions refilled. I understand that levels need to be checked periodically but that seemed outrageous. So we discussed trying to taper him off of the medication and the doctor agreed. We keep some of his medication around and give it to him when we know stressful situations are coming up. Everything for the last year was going great until he had the worst seizure ever (2 hours) a few weeks ago. It was about 8am. I called the office to see what we should do. I was given attitude and told "Well, he hasn't been here in a year". Ok - I'm well aware of that. My dog is dying - what do I do? "Well, that will be $90 for the exam plus medications to stop the seizure and we will need to do some testing" I explained that I didn't have much money but I just need to seizures to stop. We know why he is having them. With absolutely no compassion in her voice she said "Well, he needs to be seen immediately but we cant help you. Try the humane society." Then she hung up. She didn't bother to check with one of the doctors.I immediately hung up and tried the humane society - which was closed.Then I did a Google search and found the Pet Emergency and Specialty Center of Marin in San Rafael (See my review). They were angels!! Pretty bad that they are an emergency hospital and prices were still less than Central Animal Hospital.I will never bring an animal to this place again and make sure I let everyone I know how horrible they are. Read Less

What can I say, I love Central! They have cared for my dog Pork Chop as well as my parents dog Jetson for over 10 years, thru many health issues. The staff is always kind, and helpful, never rushed or frustrated. The Drs are thorough and really show they are dedicated to your pets wellbeing. Thanks to their recommendation after my dog was diagnosed with a tick born illness, I was tested, and diagnosed with Lyme disease after a long health battle of unknown origin. I wouldn't trust my dog with anyone else! So grateful for all you do for pets AND their owners! Thank you! Read Less