If I could give this place 0 stars I would.  The owner is absolutely AWFUL.  She was friendly when I brought my dog in yesterday for an allergic reaction to a bee sting.  The vet that saw her was fine and her son who is an assistant was very pleasant.  During the visit, they had me sign an estimate for treatment, and I continued to be seen.  As I was leaving the assistant told me to bring her back tomorrow so they could follow up and make sure she was doing fine.  The next day I returned and the lady at the front seemed a little surprised to see me.  I told her that her son had told me to come back today for them to follow up.   The vet checked her eyes which still seemed to be reacting to the bee sting.  As I was leaving, the lady at the front (the owner) said, "No, no, no....that will be $48 for a recheck".  I replied, "oh, I didn't realize it would cost money, I assumed it was included since you told me to come back."  She then said, "we just spent 30 minutes with your dog, of course it's going to cost."  She then answered a phone call and I pulled out my credit card.  After she hung up, I calmly let her know that in the future they should inform clients that a follow up is an additional charge.  She then said, "You should have asked."  I was APPALLED!  I couldn't believe it.  I said that I didn't have a problem paying but it would have been nice to know that I was going to be charged.  She then started telling me that I shouldn't have brought my dog in the day before without an appointment (like that had anything to do with it).  I told her to just please hurry and run my card because I was getting upset.  She then replied, "I can see you're upset, you don't think I'm upset too?"  I said, "look, I don't want to argue with you, I just want to let you know that if you want customers to return, you should have better customer service and inform customers of charges before you treat them."  I was shaking at this point because I was so upset and I just wanted to leave.  She continued to tell me that it was my job to ask.  As I walked out the door, she shouted "You're welcome!"  I will NEVER return and as I wrote this review, I looked at all of the other reviews.  Look carefully, every 5 star review is about the specific vets (who have all left) and every one star review is about how awful customer service is (specifically her).  This is the FIRST bad review I have ever given on Yelp.  If you are looking for a place to take you fur baby, steer clear of this place! Read Less

Paid $50 for a urinalysis test and never got a call with the results. Is that standard? No follow up? I took my dog in because it's right down the street and couldn't get an appointment at our regular vet. I knew she had a bladder infection and wanted to start the antibiotics right away so we took her here. One of the nice things was that my dog doesn't know this is a vets office so she wasn't freaking out. Staff is friendly. Read Less

Santee pet hospital has the best staff..., They put the care of animals first they get to the root of a problem with great care no problem is too small or to big for this veterinary hospital and they do it at reasonable cost. I have never been over charged or misestimated on costs. I appreciate that they start with simple tests and build from there.... when you walk in they do not shove unnecessary tests, etc.At you, they start at the beginning and build necessary tests, etc. from the finds of initial testing... the staff is trustworthy with care and cure :)  Lau B Read Less

Not everything that I have to say about this place is bad. The man working the desk was very friendly, and the service they provided was quick and simple. However, there we some things that didn't sit well with me. They wouldn't fully answer my questions concerning our kitten's issues and treatment. We weren't allowed to be in the room with them when they received their shots. Lastly, their examination of my kittens was not very thorough. They couldn't even find the fleas that I, myself found with only my hands. After having taken both kittens there only 4 days ago, they are both dead. Read Less

Great when you are there not so much when you are out of sight.  My dog takes phenobarbital for seizures.  Called in prescription to pharmacy they sent request to vet, vet refused to fill and didn't contact me.   I thought if was fine and getting filled.  Checked with pharmacy next day they said it was refused,  I said must be mistaken, they said they would resend request.   Checked with pharmacy next day they said refused.   Called vet and asked issue they said can't refill.  Asked to speak to vet. She called back 2 hours later apologized and said they would send for refill.   It's now 5:00 and pharmacy said it was still not sent.  Now vet is closed and dog is out of meds.   Checked my voicemail and someone from vet said they left a voicemail at pharmacy and "it's on them"  I called pharmacy 3 days in a row, 4 times today and vet 4 times today,  nothing got done.   I'm sure it would be different if it was their pet. Read Less

This place used to be great with their old staff and i loved Dr. Kus. I work in the veterinary field and these people made me feel uncomfortable and once they found out i woke at an emergency hispital they treated me very rudely and told me to just take my dog there for all her future needs. All the new people want is your money and do not care about the pets. Please if anyone knows where Dr. Kus went let me know! Read Less

The only reason I'm even giving this the 2 stars is because the office staff is so nice. Brought my sick dog and in and the vet barely did an exam and sent us home with out presenting a treatment plan or telling us what was wrong. We took him to another vet for treatment immediately afterwards and they told us within 30 minutes that he had Parvo! How did this vet at Santee miss that? It's a simple test and pretty standard solution to a puppy with his symptoms?!?! Won't be back, no matter how nice the office staff is. He fails vet school 101 in my opinion. I had to pay the office visit fee for nothing, truly. Read Less

The only reason I'm even giving this the 2 stars is because the office staff is so nice.Brought my sick dog and in and the vet barely did an exam and sent us home with out presenting a treatment plan or telling us what was wrong. We took him to another vet for treatment immediately afterwards and they told us within 30 minutes that he had Parvo!How did this vet at Santee miss that? It's a simple test and pretty standard solution to a puppy with his symptoms?!?! Won't be back, no matter how nice the office staff is. He fails vet school 101 in my opinion. I had to pay the office visit fee for nothing, truly. Read Less

WARNING to all pet owners that take their loved animal to Santee Pet Hospital.  This place run by fraud, dishonesty and lies.  The owner Stella is a liar, dishonest person and money hungry.  She think she has right to decide for your animal without any consent or even a phone call.  I took Stella to the court and I won the case.  I fallow Dr. Kuss to this place and now I am really happy for Dr. Kuss, Nashida and others that keep their good reputation by getting out. I will never go back to Santee and do not recommend it. Extremely poor customer service. Thanks for reading this - hope it helps someone else. Read Less

The staff was super nice and friendly. They treated my chihuahua with care during his two vaccines he needed to get. The doctor took her time with the exam she did. The assistants were all nice as well as the front desk lady. Read Less

We had been going to this vet for years. They have treated several of our dogs. We've seen a couple different doctors there but the only one that we felt truly took the time to care of our dogs was Dr. Kus. He would never try to sell us tests or services that we didn't need. This week, I called in to get a quote for a spay and it was over $500! But don't worry - she said that would include the cone and medications! I've never paid that much for a spay! When I questioned the cost and asked if we could get a second opinion on what was needed from the doctor, who just saw my dog less than 6 months ago for her check up, I was abruptly told no! She said I'm the owner and these are the fees! I'm not sure what has changed here recently, but the vet now seems to be money-driven and my doctor of choice is no longer there. I was told that he retired. Nope! Thank God I found out where he went! I will not be returning to this vet and will drive the extra distance to go to a caring, reasonable, vet, that cares about the animals, not just the money! Read Less

Change of Animal HospitalCathy Perkins from San Carlos-South · 27 NovBear with me - this may be a bit lengthy. I adopted a dog from Lab Rescuers about 5 years ago and those people highly recommended Dr. Kus as a vet - and up until recently he was practicing at Santee Pet Hospital. I started going there and he was wonderful as was the other vet there, Dr. Nishida. I trusted them, they were so kind and loving toward my dog, who has had several big issues over the years. I recently went to Santee Pet Hospital for a routine visit because my dog was due for a bordatella shot. There was an emergency appointment ahead of me, so I waited an unusually long time. That's ok, no problem. Didn't bother me a bit. While I was waiting I realized that the person at the front desk was different, and that both doctors' cards were no longer at the front desk. A woman who told me she was the owner of the hospital apologized for my having to wait. I said I understood but then asked her about the absence of the 2 vets I had known to work there. She told me they were both gone and she didn't know where they were - maybe retired. I asked her why I hadn't received a letter of explanation that they had moved on and an introduction to whoever was taking over for them. She said, "I don't have to tell you about that. I'm the owner, not them." She didn't seem to get that there's a special relationship of trust that you develop with your pet's doctor. She told me that her son was taking over - and then told me that he hadn't yet passed his exams. SO ....... that means he is not even a licensed vet at this time. Our conversation got stranger and stranger and she told me I was making her uncomfortable. I did not raise my voice, but only asked questions, including are you being honest with me when you say you don't know where the two previous vets were practicing now? I could not locate Dr. Kus by googling his name but when I got home I called the people at Lab Rescuers and found out that Dr. Kus is now practicing at San Carlos Animal Hospital. I have since picked up all my dog's records and taken them to San Carlos Animal Hospital where I also discovered that the wonderful receptionist, Janelle, who had previously worked at Santee is now at San Carlos. I just can't believe that the owner of Santee is so callous to not get the importance of a pet owner/vet relationship. I will never go back to Santee and do not recommend it. Extremely poor customer service. Thanks for reading this - hope it helps someone else. Read Less

Drs. Kus and Nashida have left this office. The owner, Stella, lied to me and other customers by telling us that Dr. Kus retired when, in fact, he went back to San Carlos Pet Hospital. Dr. Nashida is at Eastridge Animal Hospital in La Mesa. The vet we saw, who was filling in and not employed there tried to upsell us on unneeded procedures. We will be following either Dr. Kus or Nashida to their current practices. Read Less

Right when I was satisfied with this place it of course failed me. My sister brought my dog in on my behalf as I was at work and did not know the severity of the situation for my puppy. My sister explained to the dr that it was my dog and also wrote my information on his chart. The dr called me who by the way was very nice and informative. The front office is where my issue stands. I was told by the dr it would be $316 if my dog needed an additional medication if he had a seizure. (Which did not happen). I spoke to someone named Lacey who I told these words -verbatim to. She was extremely rude and displayed the worst customer service I have seen yet in healthcare. She had my sister (again not the account holder) blindly sign "so the dog can be treated" what she failed to mention to me (again knowing I was the pet owner at work// even provided that phone number) that she changed the fee to $360. Did not find this out until another girl told my sister upon checkout. When I expressed my feelings I was told "sorry I wasn't here earlier". After paying and basically holding.. Actually not basically literally refusing to release the dog without payment- I asked to have an office manager or owner Doctor call me back. (I was told her name was Stella). I will not only never return here but I also encourage everyone to beware of these Yelp reviews. Extremely misleading. I manage a healthcare practice so believe me when I say I know what excellent patient care standards are-- this place is not even a 3rd of the way there. Customer feedback: front office is the face of any business- put a smile on and actually provide the service people deserve. Being rude and disrespectful to people who are already going thru a hard time with their fur babies is not the way. Sincerely,Your one time, never again patient. Gus Gus. Read Less

I have had many, many cats in my life and several vets but have seen Dr. Kus for over 30 years. He is better than the best and I have every confidence in the world in him as do my kitties. He gets at least 5 stars. Read Less

The Doctors Stan Kus and Dr. Nashida are the best . Simply amazing !!! The Staff Lacey , Jan and Genelle are very caring and ready to help . Thank you all for taking such great care of our Kitty's and Doggies over the last 20 or more years ! We love you ! Read Less

Dr. Stan Kus is one of the best vets in San Diego and truly has been amazing with both our dog and cat. He has treated our golden retriever since she was born and also our cat. Our cat recently died, but his treatment was truly exemplary and his care and concern really helped us through a hard time. I know he is new to this clinic, but our experience there was great as well. One of the techs showed sincere kindness as we were dealing with our dying kitty. Highly recommended! Read Less

been taking my pet there for years. love the vet. everyone else is right, the receptionist is so rude. also very short, seems to hate job. ive seen her show up late several times with our early morning appt.s. Read Less