This is review should have been written years ago. I highly recommend PAD. I (my dog) was referred to Dr. Boyanowski years ago for severe allergies to almost everything by his vet. She is known in the field to be an expert. My poor guy and one thing after another and she always explained things in an easy to understand way and was always willing to answer all my questions. If one thing wasn't working we would try something else. She is very knowledgeable and stays current in the field. I never felt taken advantage of financially, like some of mentioned in some reviews. You have to pay for specialists. Her office staff are great as well and get back to you if you leave a message.After my dog recently passed away, this office was the first to send me a sympathy card. Read Less

I highly recommend this practice for anyone needed a canine dermatologist. My dog had a terrible case of demodex along with a bad reaction to ivermectin that made it very difficult to treat. Even the bay area's most renowned dermatologist at SF Vet Specialists could not find a good solution and we were spending a ton of money on custom medication. We were recommended to Dr. Sickafoose who solved the problem almost immediately with some new medication that had recently become available. Her adept observance and knowledge of current treatments saved my dog a lot of suffering. I am forever grateful. Read Less

My dog had several ear infections back to back for almost 2 years and nothing would fix it. We went to three different vets, tried countless rounds of Mometamax ear drops, special cleaners, tried prescription food, tried homeopathic remedies, literally nothing was helping. I finally brought my dog in to Dr Sickafoose at the recommendation of my vet. She took her time assessing and getting a full history on my dog, went over the treatment plan with me and kept persisting with my dog's ear infections through three rounds of ear treatments and antifungals. I'm so happy to say his ears are completely yeast free! The staff is SO nice, the office is a really beautiful facility (albeit a little chilly at times), And I truly trust the knowledge and expertise of the vets here. This is definitely an expensive process but I've found it to be completely worth it to keep my little fur baby healthy and comfortable. Read Less

We love this place. Rooms are big, everyone is friendly and nice and Dr. Boyanowski is our favorite. She knows everything about our pets problems, loves them and cares a lot of their wellbeing. Visiting her clinic is always fun for my husband and me. We are coming to this happy place from Cupertino. Read Less

I'm overdue for a big THANK YOU and shout out to Dr Sikafoose for healing my cat Bijou. I'm spent thousands on this cat over the years but worse than that is seeing him in discomfort! He had huge chunks of fur falling out no his rump and behind his ears, was scratching and also having trouble urinating, which is life-threatening. Tons of trips to vets - sedations, xrays, cultures, prescription foods, meds, etc., and nothing helped. SOOO glad I did not follow advise from another vet who recommended extreme surgery to turn him from a male to a female! Dr Sikafoose examined Bijou and identified several possible sources and treatments. We tried two solutions together, a prescription food and a prescription flea treatment, and she said when the food runs out we will wait two weeks before refilling (going back to former food). The reason is if it was a food allergy we would know in two weeks if it comes back. Fortunately the skin irritation did not come back so we were down to the flea allergy as the source. It's been nearly a year since we were there, the flea med is working great, all of his fur has grown back and there are no urinary issues. Bijou is back to his beautiful self and happy!! My only regret is it took me too long to find this clinic. Read Less

Terrible experience. DO NOT RECOMMEND! The office staff are very nice and helpful but the vet who treated my dog was useless. My dog has chronic skin allergies - their supposed specialty! and was being treated by Dr. Sickafoose for OVER a YEAR with very little improvement, frequent relapses, and huge vet bills (thousands of dollars).  When I expressed my concern to Dr. Sickafoose about how much money the visits and infinite medication trials were costing me, she just shrugged her shoulders, and was clearly not interested in working out any kind of payment plan so she could continue to work with my dog. She never consulted with her colleagues for a second opinion and I honestly believe she had no clue what was wrong with my dog!! I finally got fed up and found a general veterinary practice and within TWO visits my dog's skin condition improved dramatically!! What is more, when my new vet read all the lab test results performed by Dr. Sickafoose, she was very surprised with the medications Dr. Sickafoose prescribed for my dog, because based on his lab results many of the medications she put him on were contraindicated by his lab results!! When I requested my dogs medical file be transferred to a new provider, Dr. Sickafoose never bothered to call or ask why I was transferring my dogs care. Complete waste of time, energy and money! Read Less

My rescue cats were both suffering from hair loss and excessive scratching. My regular vet suspected allergies so she sent me to PAD.Dr. Flynn prescribed Royal Canin PV and started them on a course of meds that has just done wonders for them.  One cat in particular had a horrible rash on her stomach that has now healed and her daily dose of Pepcid has helped with her sensitive tummy. The other cat didn't have quite the same skin issues but the change in diet and the meds curbed her excessive scratching as well.I felt the prices have been very reasonable and am thrilled with the service here. Read Less

Waste of money and time. Dogs really can't be allergic to grass. There's something else manmade in the environment causing it. I spent over $600 to be told to rinse my dog off in between baths, feed one protein source and the blood work. His neck was bruised from the blood draw and now he's traumatized. This vet is just like any other vet, nothing special. They said results will be ready in three weeks, so I called at 4 weeks. The lady asked if I had received a call, I said no that's why am calling. She said the results were not in due to the holidays and to wait for a call. I called again at six weeks and same thing. The vet herself calls me and apologizes that there was a mixup. His results were in at three weeks but nobody called. Don't mind paying good for good service, but we didn't get anything out of it from here. Turns out my rescue was detoxing from his previous life and there was a flea issue. That's taken care of without chemicals. Read Less

Our Boxer has been experiencing hair loss and after rounds of baths and antibiotics the vet referred us to Dr. Boronowsky. It was well worth the drive from San Jose, she is extremely thorough and reasonably priced.  Our follow up call today gave me great peace of mind we have a treatment regimen path and our boy is going to be ok.  She is excellent, beautiful office and the staff is courteous and very efficient.  Highly recommend! Read Less

Worth making the trip down the Peninsula from San Francisco... My dog was losing hair Feb-May.  She was constantly scratching and her little paws looked horrid with bald spots and weird scabbing - the pain she was in when I bathed her just broke my heart.  During that time frame, I took her to multiple appointments with a local vet where she was given new antibiotics and also steroids throughout the course of her visits. They consulted with another vet, but no one could figure out what it was because  her skin scrapes were negative.I finally made an apt. with Dr. Boyanowski at PAD. She was popular so our wait was about a month to get in, but it was worth it. As soon as she saw my dog she said "I know what this is." She scraped her skin and had to dig in deep to find the evil mites which happened to be very good at hiding out. Turned out my baby had Demodex (aka the non catching type of mange.) Yeah, my dog with a cushy life had mange.  She explained everything in detail (including how the steroids suppressed her immune system thus making it easier for the mange to infiltrate) and put her on two types of meds. One for the mange and one for her allergies.  She started clearing up after a few weeks (mange mites go down fighting.) When I had questions throughout the process they were answered immediately. Now you would never guess she ever had a problem. Her coat is shinny and full.  We are pared down now to allergy meds every other day. In time we may even be able to reduce them again.  It is a relief. Another thing I liked about Dr. Boyanowski is she did not recommend any tests that were not absolutely required and I was duly warned about cost before I requested a test that I wanted to see from a curiosity standpoint.  I really like doctors like this b/c I can let my guard down and trust them.  My current vet in the city is the same way, but others I have been to just test for the money.Finally, I am also appreciative of the office staff. They are very sweet to my dog,  I call for meds and it arrives the same week, my insurance form is signed and filled out before I leave each time, and they know their business.My dog is sick a lot so we have a lot of experience with doctors. Wanted to thank everyone here for making our lives a little easier. ;-) Read Less

My ten year old Westie began to experience chronic ear infections and Dr. Sickafoose was recommended by his vet.  All I can say is that this practice is outstanding!  The treatment has greatly lessened his issues.  Certainly a relief to know he could be treated without surgery. Read Less

Can't sing the praises of this practice enough.  Every person I have ever interacted with here is a HUGE animal lover; they're all considerate, friendly and want to help you out to the best of their ability.  Dr. Sickafoose has been treating my little terrier who is, quite literally, allergic to everything (including human dander if you can believe it).  After discussing all the options, we decided to start him on weekly allergy injections as she believes this will cause the least amount of stress to my dog's kidneys and liver over the course of his lifetime (vs all the steroids all the other vets just kept putting him on).  Her staff did a great job training me to administer the injections at home and I left feeling confident in my ability to do so.  We're only about 5 months in, so we still have a ways to go before his body stops being so sensitive, but I've been very pleased with the office's willingness to talk to me over the phone when I have an issue or question.  In my opinion, you get what you pay for... if you're fine with your pet on steroids their whole life, as prescribed by a mass chain pet food store vet, then this might not be the place for you... if you want to FIX the issue so your pet can live a happy, healthy, relatively itch-free and long life, I have confidence that this practice will be able to help you. Read Less

We were referred to Dr. Boyanowski by our vet because our dog, Neo, had some sort of infection or fungus on his snout. Us being the hypochondriac kind of people that we are, we thought that our 7 year old pup could have the worst of the worst kind of issues. It didn't help that we had no real diagnosis or reassurance as to what it was and that it was or was not serious. It took a few weeks to get an appointment and luckily the issue had cleared up but we decided to play it safe and have him checked.Our first impression, with any pet medical appointment, was that is was going to be expensive. I'll elaborate more on this later, but our boy's well being is worth it. We found the place easy enough and parking was not an issue. I heard that they recently moved to this location and by the looks of the place, it was apparent. The pavement looked new as well as the building itself. The reception area was very modern looking compared to the vets we have been to and seems very laid back. A scale in the waiting area that they will have you weigh your dog on pre-appointment, treats near that area, and overall a pretty easy going space for your pet. We were called into our room that was very spacious and modern looking, unlike any vet place we have been to. Nice hardwood floors and an overall relaxing atmosphere for our high anxiety dog. It took a little bit for our doctor to check in with us but that wasn't a big deal. Dr. Boyanowski came in and was very sweet and communicative. We came prepared with pictures of the growth over time and examined Neo accordingly. She broke down the time line of the photos and where the growths occurred and came to the conclusion that all the effected areas have healed. After seeing that the initial reason has resolved itself, she concluded that it was more than likely a fungus infection that the anti-biotics our vet gave us, had resolved the issue since the issue no longer persisted. We were so relieved by this and understood what she had explained to us. She then went above and beyond and gave him a full look over to make sure he was healthy. She made our shmedium sized anxiety filled dog feel as comfortable as can be through the entire process. He even gave her a rare tail nub butt wag when she put him down (which he rarely does for any stranger, he really liked her). We were completely satisfied with the appointment and were willing to spend hundreds of dollars even though the issue was gone, just to make sure our baby boy was ok. Our experience was very positive and streamlined. We understood all that was communicated to us and we had all of our questions answered. Our boy was treated with the utmost care and we couldn't have asked for more. The icing on the cake, which wasn't even necessary, was the fact that Dr. Boyanowski decided that, because the issue had resolved itself, there was no reason to charge us (even though we were ready to pay a lot of money) for the appointment. This is going above and beyond and I wish every business could surprise and delight all of their guests like this. Dr. Boyanowski was reassuring that our  boy would be taken care of if the issue resurfaced and that's all the reassurance we needed. This facility was great overall, parking is easy and the staff that we interacted with was great! If our boy approves of her, that's all the approval we need!!! Read Less

I've found the office staff rude and the doctors not totally truthful. This is EXPENSIVE stuff... rudeness and lack of full disclosure can't coexist with high prices for office visits (90) and very expensive medications. Once an animal begins treatment, it's FOREVER.  Think twice before starting with these people.  There must be other pet dermatologists. Read Less

I'm so grateful to have found PAD and Dr. Boyanowski. I have a 5 year old Frenchie who has struggled with severe allergies since birth. My regular vet and a secondary vet that I took her to were all unable to identify mysterious growths on her face, the cause for her severe itchiness, and her biting/licking problems. After consulting with Dr. Boyanowski, I was completely calmed and finally understood why my little girl has struggled so much. Dr. Boyanowski is extremely knowledgeable, particularly of my breed, and knew exactly what all the ailments were caused by. She performed allergy testing and I opted for allergy injections. While it takes time for the injections to work their magic and my girl is still not 100%, her quality of life has improved so much since we've been on the right path toward tolerating and controlling the allergy issues. I always feel so relieved and calm when I visit PAD. If your pet struggles with any skin-related problems, I highly recommend PAD to help you fully identify any problem and get on the correct treatment method. This is a specialty that most vets simply don't have the experience in and a specialist is really the key. Read Less

My dog has serious seasonal allergy issues and was chewing holes in herself constantly.  Dr. Sickafoose found a combination of medications that works to keep her comfortable.I don't find the price unreasonable for what you get.  Any specialist is more than a general vet, and it's worth it so that your dog isn't miserable anymore. Read Less

OK, I don't know what is up with the reviewers listed below who wrote the crazy bad reviews. I think most of them are from when the practice was in another location and had different doctors. And re: the expenses: people, if your pet gets referred to a specialist veterinary practice for treatment, it is going to be expensive. That's just how it is with animal veterinary expenses. I have had a very sick kitty many times and I think this practice is absolutely outstanding relative to many places I have been.I brought my cat here for treatment after months of a failed food allergy test. They gave me a ton of information upfront about how this type of treatment could get expensive, why they take the various approaches they do, how their process works, etc. It was all very clear so I knew what I was going into. They also made sure to tell me the price of everything BEFORE they did anything, which I have found is the exception to the rule with most vets. They also don't nickel and dime you for every little thing, which I really appreciated, and again, seems to be the exception to the rule.I really like Dr. Boyanowski. You can tell she really loves animals. She was so sweet with my kitty and spent time giving her some extra pats and cuddles. She also really took her time answering all of my 800 million questions. I never felt like she was in a rush. And she is very knowledgeable and explained the reasons for everything, along with pros/cons of different types of treatment so I could understand what was happening.I had to take my cat back for a follow-up appointment where they showed me how to administer allergy shots. I probably spent 45 minutes asking questions and the vet assistant lady whose name I can't remember (sorry!) was SO patient and so incredibly helpful. Imagine trying to give a squirmy little cat injections. Yeah, it sucks but I felt very competent and was able to do it successfully without problems after the visit.They always encourage you to call with questions, and the one time I did Dr. Boyanowski was out but the other vet (Dr. Sickafoose) called me back within 20 minutes. Now when does that ever happen with medical professionals!?So overall I am really satisfied with the care my pet has received there and the customer service. I definitely recommend this practice. Read Less

I have a 3 year old Pit Bull Mix with extreme allergy issues. We are often visiting some vet somewhere, if not an emergency vet. This issue is not easy to treat and I know the general options available to me. However, I was looking for a new dermatologist for dogs after bad experiences with other specialists and came across this group. I'm extremely glad I did! The office staff is extremely nice and easy to work with. The vet took her time with us and offered additional information that others hadn't. Yes, specialty vets are more expensive than your regular vet. But, these people were extremely fair and logical. They told me a few different ways I could keep costs down and avoid some unnecessary highly expensive testing other places had recommended.My dog had to be sedated briefly and I had some errands to run nearby. They were willing to monitor her while I did my errands. That was extremely kind and helpful.Overall, they were on target to the issues, easy to work with, and I'm thrilled to have found this practice. I look forward to working with them on our serious problems with dog allergies!As a side note, I love all the cute dog decorations in the office! Read Less

We have been taking our golden retriever here for about 7 years.  Our dog was chewing her paws raw, and we had no idea what to do.  We took her in to see Dr. Boyanowski, who tested her for allergies, and determined that she was allergic to grass, wool, and cats.  She recommended that we give her allergy shots and meds, and made sure we knew exactly how to give the shots.  Within a month or two, the paw-chewing completely stopped...and she's been itch-free ever since!I would definitely recommend PAD to anyone who's animal has any kind of skin issue. Read Less