My family and I have been taking our dogs to Dr. Payne for nearly 20 years. He's knowledgeable, professional, responsive, compassionate, and pragmatic. I'll keep taking our dogs to Dr. Payne as long as he practices. Read Less

I started going to this clinic due to the people who I bought my puppy from had been going to this vet and recommended it.For the 1st year of my puppy's life everything has been great. But it all change when we saw a Dr. David Payne .I have always told the ladies there that my Dog was very shy / nervous. The vet techs have always been comforting and understanding but on our last visit we got to see dr David Payne (we usually see a female Dr)When David came in he was very intimidating. I felt like he was already in a very defensive state of mind.He creep up on my dog and my dog barked at him. He ordered me to mussel my dog and told me that my dog was a danger to the public and that I was not allowed in his office unless my dog was mussel. He man handled him so rough. He was no careful when lifting him or putting down orThe exam table. After he gave my dog his shots he threw a treat at him and walked out.Now......, I know and understand that because my dog is very nervous I should mussel him for safety. But the visit before this our original doctor told me to not mussel a dog just for barking. But when you talk to a paying client that goes to you for guidance and help. The last thing a (animal lover ) should do is treat someone so badly.Like I mention the vet techs and the front desk girls are nice even the female doctor has been great. But I would not recommend Doctor David Payne.Please go look for a place that loves animals and is not only looking for your money . Read Less

One star is because you have to rate it that to proceed, zero is what they deserve.My dog panics at loud noises, and firecrackers for the Fourth of July were going to be upon us in a few days, so hubby took her to see Dr. Payne .$65.00 later my hubby left with a pill bottle for doggie Thorazine, which is not what is recommended to give for panicked dogs, and she's not schizophrenic , so what gives?When I called , I was told that they didn't have any other medication in stock, they could not refund my money for the junk they gave my hubby, and it would be after the Fourth of July before we could get our dog any panic relief.So, what you're saying is... You prescribed inappropriate medication, and you ripped me off?Buh-bye... We can find another vet in town, thanks very much! Read Less

I would give 0 stars if I could! Took my dog into Santa Clara Valley vet clinic because my dog was very ill. We thought it could be one of two things: an intestinal blockage or parvo. The techs threw out the idea of parvo because He had all of his vaccinations, which a dog can still contract the virus even with vaccines. It would have saved us a lot of money if we would have gotten the test right away but Dr. Payne sent us away with anti biotics. Obviously our dog was much, much worse the next morning and had reached every single symptom of parvo by then. We took our dog back into the clinic and they gave us a very reasonable estimate for admitting our dog for up to 3 days to treat parvo, and we chose to trust them with our best friend. Their communication was awful, never made an effort to update us. Even when we would call to see how our pup was doing, they said they would give us a call right back but never returned the call. The next day he was doing much better (kudos to them) so we decided to take him home after one night and one day at the clinic. We were slammed with a VERY large bill, to say the least, double the estimate without the total care Dr. Payne had factored in. We questioned the bill and were treated so poorly that I was in shock for the most part. Dr. Payne continued to yell and intimidate us for questioning the amount and became very unprofessional. So we decided to leave and seek help from another Veterinary clinic. A week later we get a call back from SCVV that our remaining balance was significantly(a ton) less than what we had questioned last week. They billed us incorrectly and yelled at us for their mistake and caused us a great amount of stress and discomfort. We did not even receive an apology. I will most definitely not be going back here or referring this clinic to anyone. Very unprofessional and money oriented, their intentions are not purely for your pet. Read Less

Took our very sick cat here on a Tuesday , we had a treatment plan in mind and was told by the doctor that it was just an infection treatment would be $450; said no then the doctor came back with a new treatment plan that didn't include over night stay and was $215. Seeing how we were told it was an infection and that this would work we went with the $215 plan. Labs were done and antibiotics were given and the doctor said she'd call with the test results, that we should see improvement by the next day. Never told us what to look for in terms of improvement, when your cat has stopped bleeding and is drinking water which was an improvement, we thought we were on the right track. Wednesday came and went no call from the doctor. Thursday came and went still no call. Friday mid morning we all the doctors office and was told the doctor is outhit the results came in on Wednesday but they can't give them to us. The doctor will call you tomorrow. Saturday came still no call, we had to call them, but it didn't matter what they told us because our cat died Friday evening. Once we did talk to the doctor, she refused or didn't want to give us the test results. To this day we have no test results, a dead cat and out $215 for treatment. I understand that doctors don't know all, but to be treated like this and not get what we paid for is dishonorable and shady business practice. A simple I'm sorry this happened, the symptoms presented as an infection but the labs results indicated (fill in with the real problem), we've done all that we can just love your cat til the end. No instead we got silence, shady business practices and avoidance, not a good way to practice! I would never take a pet to this place again, I'd think twice if I were you. I can't even find a valid business license or a certified veterinary license on file with the veterinary medical board! Read Less

Took our very sick cat here on a Tuesday , we had a treatment plan in mind and was told by the doctor that it was just an infection treatment would be $450; said no then the doctor came back with a new treatment plan that didn't include over night stay and was $215. Seeing how we were told it was an infection and that this would work we went with the $215 plan.Labs were done and antibiotics were given and the doctor said she'd call with the test results.Wed & Thurs came and went no call. We called on Fri and were told results received Wed., but the doctor is not in, can't give results Doc will call tomorrow.Saturday came still no call, we had to call them, no results given, no service given, and our cat passed away Friday evening.we got silence, shady business practices and avoidance, I would never take a pet to this place again, I'd think twice if I were you.I can't even find a valid business license or a certified veterinary license on file with the veterinary medical board! Read Less

So grateful to have found such a helpful and kind clinic in the Ventura area as I'm new to this city. I needed to have my sweet senior kitty looked at in a very timely fashion and they were able to squeeze us in immediately. All of my options were explained including costs. No superfluous tests were pushed. I had called other locations who gave me extremely expensive estimates. Santa Clara Valley Vet was much more interested in the comfort of my beloved pet. Read Less

My pets have been patients since 2004: three stray dogs and two stray cats. Only one survives (he's 15) and the others left us in advanced age. Dr Payne has cared for all of us with professionalism and kindness. His staff is equally kind and professional. I credit excellent veterinary care including dental and appropriate, judicious medication for my little mutt's good health and happiness. Highly recommended. Read Less

I picked one star because you have to pick at least one to proceed.  You assume vets love animals and that's why they do what they do.  It's shocking when you find they just want your money and prescribe based on what cheap items they have in stock as opposed to what is best for your pet.  This is what I disappointedly found out about Santa Clara Valley Vet.  I will be filing a complaint with the Veterinary board.  Two negative events occurred.  The first one was that after having to take my dog to an emergency vet and then a neurologist from there I went to Santa Clara Vet, my local vet, for a hydrocodone scrip for my dog who has a persistent and chronic cough and is in distress, secondary to neurological issues.  Prior I had driven from Ventura to Tustin to see the neurologist who couldn't complete the work up due to his chronic cough.  She gave him prednisone to temporarily manage his herniated discs and cyst in his brain and said she would call in the hydrocodone to stop his cough to my local pharmacy where I could pick it up when back in Ventura.  She called me back when I was just reaching Ventura that they were unable to call it in and per the new laws it has to be written on a prescription form and hand delivered so to get it from my local vet.  That's how I ended up at my local vet the next day to see Dr Spells.  He coughed all night and continued as we walked into santa clara valley vet.  I specifically told the office staff we were at the neurologist the day prior and were told to go to our local vet for hydrocodone to stop his coughing.  I then saw the vet for this specific purpose.  She said they don't "recommend" hydrocodone.  I said but the neurologist said he specifically needs this.  She then agreed to fill it but to call it in.  I said I went through this yesterday with the neurologist and it has to be written out.  I was told to wait in the waiting room as she has to see other patients but will write it out.  The front desk charged me out for the office visit, then proceeded to say they will call it in.  I again explained it has to be written out.  The office manager sternly repeated that they were calling it in.  I called the neurologist in front of her and asked again if it has to be written out as opposed to called in.  The office manager was furious with me but still insisted she was calling it in when the pharmacies opened in a half hour.  I said I would wait and let's see what happens.  A few minutes later she goes back to talk to the vet and hands me a prescription for the hydrocodone.  When I get to the pharmacy they tell me it's a phony prescription and they can't fill it.  They said the vets should know better.  I called the vet while at the pharmacy and explained and asked for a refund of the visit as now I needed to find a new vet who is authorized to write the prescription as the purpose of my visit was not fulfilled and my dog is still coughing with no relief from them.  She refused to refund the visit and made up some ridiculous reason to justify the charge.  She actually said if I had made an appointment as opposed to walking in that they would have told me they weren't authorized to write up the prescription, but since I was a walk in they were charging.  I found another vet the next day who is now my new vet who actually helped my dog butters by prescribing meds to help ease his discomfort, although he had to suffer for another day and night because of Santa Clara Vet.  It then gets worse.  My dog had been on a flea and heart worm prevention pill taken monthly at a prior vet before I moved to Ventura and needed a vet in my new area.  At Santa Clara Vet when I had asked for a refill they said they don't recommend it as it's like poisoning your pet on a monthly basis and heart worm is not a concern in this area.  They recommended frontline or advantage and they had either of those in stock at the time.  I switched him to advantage.  At this new vet I said Dr. Payne didn't recommend the monthly pill but I wanted to get my dog back on it, as now I question their recommendations.  My dog was given the heart worm blood test and it came back positive.  If you don't understand heart worm when you google it and read about it, it's horrifying.  It's basically a death sentence for your dog, especially if they're older and not in the best health, as is my dog.  With no treatment they will die and the treatment can also kill them.  I'm just cherishing each day with my dog while he still has some comfort as in time he may soon pass away.  I'll have to put him down before he feels  the pain as dying from heart worms is a horrible death.  It's said holistic measures don't work but I'm going to try some supplements to try to save him and then he's retested in a month in the hopes it was a false positive or that the herbal supplements cured him in the meantime.  If you love your pet keep them far away from Santa Clara Valley Vet and warn others. Read Less

I found this place by taking my patients dog here and I liked the vibe so I decided to take my kitty here and establish it as her vet. Very clean nice and made her feel so comfy and happy. Definitely love this place good caring animal people and good prices too. They don't force anything on you to make more money Read Less

My furbaby was throwing up and we are from out of town... All the other vets I called wanted me to make an appt for later. This vet told me to just bring her in. He checked her out and discussed it with me. No extra expensive tests, no trying to sell me meds she doesn't need. She had swallowed a wire as it turns out. We ended up following up with him a week later, and she's doing fine now. Some vets probably would have pushed for surgery. I appreciate he was trying not to put her thru more than she needed. And he was right the wire passed right thru, nothing extra needed. Read Less

I should probably give this place 4 stars because of how unorganized the front desk staff is, but their great attitudes and our vet doctor REALLY make up for it!CONS:1) Front Desk staff will call to schedule appointments you've already attended.2) Front Desk staff won't keep proper track of all vaccinations, etc. (We keep our receipts, so I wasn't too upset.)PROS:1) DR SPELLS!!!!!! She is ABSOLUTELY amazing! Knowledgable, caring, kind, gentle, and most importantly UNDERSTANDABLE. She took the time to bring us a model of a dog's knee to explain to us the problem but DIDNT talk down to us (which is often what we get from other places.)2) The ENTIRE staff (including the front desk people) are EXTREMELY loving and personal with our animals. They give them treats each and every time and will ALWAYS ask about the dog we didn't bring in that day. The last time we went, our dog was being a weirdo rubbing his body on his first treat so a man kindly brought out some jerky for him to try and said, "Maybe he will like this one better?" SO KIND!3) We never have to wait that long to be seen. They are VERY prompt!4) It doesn't smell of pee or anything weird. They keep it very clean :)5) I don't feel like they over-diagnose or "sell" me on anything here. There were plenty of instances where I had asked concerning questions of possible diseases that I should be cautious of and even though she could have sold me medication after medication, she was extremely honest with us and was like, "I wouldn't worry about it. Pets are very good about letting you know when something is wrong with them."6) DR. SPELLS!!! We can't say enough about her. We are moving to Illinois and are upset about the fact that we will have to search for another Vet. We will be pleased to find someone HALF as good as her. Read Less

I found this clinic a couple of years back when we found a dog with a broken leg which I still have. I always have remembered how nice and helpful I was treated. Today I took in my 2 dogs and tomorrow I will take in my other one, I am so pleased with the excellent service and all the valuable information I was given. Thank You this is definitely the best Veterinary in the area. I am so glad I found it. Read Less

Very good vet.  Won't try to bankrupt you with expensive tests that you don't need - they are very fair with their charges.  Another vet told me my dog had a heart murmur and needed a sonogram.  When I took my dog there, they told me that he did not have one.  Wow! Read Less

I have brought my cats and guinea pigs to Dr. Payne, usually when there is an emergency. I have never had a problem getting a quick appointment, the staff is courteous and professional, and Dr. Payne has a great bedside manner with both pets and people. I highly recommend them. Read Less

My 19yo cat always received her care from SCV....And when the time came for  her to be put down from a terminal illness, Dr. Payne & staff were very caring.  I even received a hand made remembrance card from this wonderful clinic. Read Less