Unlike many businesses, assessing the quality of veterinary and health care are often very subjective exercises. After all, how can we really know if the doctor is making a mistake, missing something ... Read More
Unlike many businesses, assessing the quality of veterinary and health care are often very subjective exercises. After all, how can we really know if the doctor is making a mistake, missing something important, etc.? How can we even know if the prices we're being charged are fair? It really all boils down to trust.My dogs Shaquie (95lb Rottweiler/Shepard mix) and Brownie (35lb little-bit-of-everything mix) are my family, and nothing is more important to me than their well-being. And from 2011 - 2015, I saw a vet in Chula Vista whom I trusted completely. So I knew when I moved to Hemet, I would need to explore several different offices until I found one I felt comfortable with. ** REVIEW (SEE BELOW FOR BACKGROUND) **Small Animal Care Center was the fifth vet I tried in the Hemet area - and will remain my vet for as long as I am here. Located in a very large, freestanding building (NOT part of a complex, the area appears quiet and safe. The facility is extremely clean and in good condition, and they have a full service grooming salon in addition to the veterinary facilities. They are open until 10pm most nights with no inflated urgent care fees!!Everyone is very friendly, and most are "pet lovers" - my girls are always greeted with lots of oohs and aahs, and treated with the care that only comes from an obvious and genuine affection for animals.The staff also really goes out of their way to meet customers' needs. I live alone, and Shaquie freaks out when she is left alone, so when Brownie has a vet visit I prefer to bring Shaquie too. Brownie is also very loud and can be disruptive when around other animals, and they've always gone way above and beyond to accommodate me with both of these special needs.Pricing seems to be very fair. It's varies from vet to vet and is difficult to do a direct comparison - but in a year and a half (with many visits, unfortunately) I only recall one time where I thought a price was a little high (and only about $10) compared to several times where the price was actually less than I expected.But of course, most importantly, is standard of care!I first met Dr. Joy, who saw Brownie for what I thought was going to be a minor problem and a relatively straightforward visit. Dr. Joy spent a lot of time with me. I really cannot stress this enough - she answered every question I had (and answered them well), and never once did i feel rushed. Later, when she found a problem in Brownie's blood work, I was able to come in for routine visits for bloodwork without needing to advance schedule appointments or pay follow-up fees, and Dr. Joy still followed up with me regularly over the phone. Though I certainly wish Brownie hadn't been sick, I could not have asked for a better or more attentive experience.Later I met Dr. Chang, who saw Shaquie. Shaquie has had hip dysplaxia since she was two, and now (at almost 6) its worsening. Dr. Chang provided exactly the same level of attention as Dr. Joy, answering all of my questions and giving me a lot of hope with many of his answers.Overall, I found both doctors to be highly competent and knowledgeable, and willing to spend as much time as necessary with their patients. Both were also extremely gentle and careful when handling my girls (which is important to me, and not the case in every vet's office).One final note - Small Animal Care Center is a franchise, and has their own online pharmacy (i.e. mail order delivery with a prescription) for convenience, as well as an online portal to view some basic information about your pets' history with them. The online portal is a little limited - but still a large step above what most facilities offer.** BACKGROUND **The vet I saw in Hemet was acutally chosen by availability - Shaquie hurt her paw on our third day here, and it was the only vet with reasonable Yelp reviews who could see her on short notice. He actually did a very good job overall, but did not seem to "like animals" in general and wasn't particularly gentle - and I also had a serious issue with their billing practices (specifically, I was surprised with a large bill which I had not pre-authorized). I saw 3 more vets in the area. One's office was filthy and unkempt, and in another the vet was not able to answer questions I had in a way which made me feel comfortable. The third, in Winchester, impressed me in almost every way (staff, doctor, cleanliness, etc.) - but was extremely expensive, and simply out of my price range.After having tried those 4, I actually gave up and decided I'd deal with the 3- to 4-hour round trip to continue seeing my vet in Chula Vista. Then, by sheer happenstance about 6 months later, I heard of Small Animal Care Center (which for some reason had not shown up in my original Yelp searches) and decided to give them a try - and have been very, very happy with them ever since! Read Less