Half Moon Bay Veterinary Hospital

With 3 animals, and all with health issues, we’ve frequented the vet a lot in the past year. I really like this vet office. Dr. Perman is our regular vet and she is kind, attentive, and knowledgable. She promptly returns my calls or emails and really supported us during our dog’s rough recovery from surgery. Dr. McKinney did our dog’s ACL repair surgery. My dog had many complications after the surgery– no fault of the doctor, our dog is just very sensitive and didn’t tolerate any of the pain medications, pulled herself out of her cone and chewed out all her staples, and on and on. I felt like there were several weeks where I was there or calling every single day. All of the doctors and the staff were patient and caring during this time, and squeezed us in for a last minute appt. to check our dog’s incision. I would highly recommend this practice to anyone who has animals!

I have been bringing my dogs here for many years, but wasn’t compelled to write a review until today. While walking the girls, Google and Granola, I ran into my neighbor who said he had hit a small dog as it ran across Hi way 1. He searched for the little guy, and when he found him, he took him here. Dr. Mckinney not only treated the little one, who is fine, BTW, but she didn’t charge him anything! A huge THANKS to Dr. Mckinney for going above and beyond!

Called as a new patient and was put on hold for over 5 minutes. Called back again and no one picked up. Doesn’t give a sense of confidence regarding reliability so will go elsewhere for my pet’s care.

I just had my 4yr old pug Edgar seen by Dr.London.
First off the staff at the front desk was very kind and efficient in scheduling us quickly. Jennifer and the other front desk gal were sweet and informative.
Dr. London was very kind, Edgar took to her nicely. She listened to my concerns and was very hands on and attentive to our pet. She explained every possible diagnosis and gave detailed information on different prognosis/​treatments. She was also informative on every test. explaining which ones were priority. same with medications. Which helped us plan out Edgar’s future care, and accommodated our tight budget. She listed our cost of treatments and helped us plan care for our other new rescue dog (Cooper the beagle). Who we’ll definitely be treating here as well.
Not overly pricey and kind staffed, I highly recommend Dr. London and the crew here. Since we live in town it was such a relief to find an office locally, that didn’t cost «an arm and a leg».
Happy pug and happy customer.
(Edgar had an ear infection, yeasty rash, and flea bite allergy)

I cannot say enough good things about Dr. McKinney. My husband and I had just moved to HMB from San Francisco, when our older (12 yrs) but otherwise healthy pitbull Jean became suddenly lethargic one morning. Our regular vet is in San Francisco, but I didn’t want to have to drive her that far. I called Half Moon Bay Vet Hospital in a panic, and they were able to see me within two hours. Unfortunately it turned out our poor girl had been growing a cancerous tumor in her stomach for quite some time, which ruptured and was causing her to bleed internally. After an ultrasound revealed cancer in her lungs as well, Dr. McKinney kindly explained that there was nothing that could be done. We put our girl down a couple of hours later. Dr. McKinney was so kind and understanding throughout the entire process. We had never met her before, but she made us feel like she had known us and Jean for years. This was such an emotional and stressful day for us, and Dr. McKinney did all she could to help us get through it. An added surprise was the beautiful bouquet of flowers that showed up at our house the next day, with Dr. McKinney’s condolences.

I wish there were negative star reviews…
Terrible customer service. Waited for an hour, to actually be told we had the wrong type of appointment. (We got this type of appointment because we couldn’t reach the doctor by phone for a week.)
Once we got in to see the doctor, she actually said the following…
«I’ve never been in and out of any type of medical office in under 2 hours. You should know this.»
No apology, nothing. We were being perfectly cordial, and just saying how long we had been waiting. She didn’t have the time to even deal with it. And actually suggested that we would be better off transferring our records to a different doctor.
We have been using this office for 4 years, for 3 of our cats. They recently moved to a newer, bigger office and it has been completely downhill.
Terrible, Terrible customer service. You will not be receiving our business any longer. I only wish there were more choices in half moon bay.

Brought my 7-​year old vizsla to Dr. London owing to a persistent «Mast-​cell growth» on his forehead. I was dreading the worst as in a cancer diagnosis, but after an in depth discussion with Dr. London I feel at the very least Rusty was in good hands, and would receive top notch medical care. After the biopsy I was immediately called by Dr. London to inform me that the results looked good and it was doubtful to be a malignant tumor, boy the relief.
You can tell Dr. London has a special way with pets as Rusty was very much at ease and even allowed the needle aspiration procedure without and fuss. Another aspect of the service and protocol at half moon bay veterinary hospital is that before your procedure is done they give you an estimate as to the range the bill may fall between.
A wonderful experience, I highly recommend this practice.

In the wee hours of Sat morning, my cat fell deathly ill.
I called EVERY VET IN HALF MOON BAY and they were all «booked up and over booked» …I called Half Moon Bay Veterinary Hospital (which is my cat’s doctor’s office, Dr. McKinney & Perman and staff). Yes, EVEN THEY were booked up! …I had been calling EVERYONE IN HMB since 8AM Sat morning… not to mention the weekend hub-​a-​hub-​ba with the Pumpkin Festival dwindling down but still a lot of traffic. The only emergency room that I could get to with not too long of a wait was in Pacifica.
I called Dr. McKinney’s office again in the hopes of getting in and Loralyn their receptionist, said get here by 320pm.
First, thank you Loralyn for having the instincts that you have.
That only comes from experience and compassion. Which «young folks» don’t have yet. My cat and I were there by 230pm (haha, 1hr early) and Loralyn reminded me that i was an hour early !! I said yes, just wanted to be here in case someone doesn’t show and she agreed.
We didn’t see Dr. McKinney, we saw Dr. Perman.
Yes, she is young and perhaps a bit «wet behind the ears» with «experience» but she was very thorough and sensed my cat’s urgency and immediately took care of her.
The next day ¹⁰⁄₂₈ Sun… I peeked into the back to see if anyone was there and one of the morning staff was there looking over the animals. (Sorry, forgot her name) but she was compassionate enough to let me in to see my cat who was no longer in pain and at least in a more «neutral» state !!!
Had it not started with the front desk (Loralyn)
Dr. Perman and staff? …My cat would probably be dead.
I couldn’t help but see the bad review the office received and I am sorry that things went the way they did. I know nothing anyone does or says will bring your «friend» back… but the shame of us being «pet owners» is we can not communicate with our animals. I too have had this type of loss and I CAN sympathize very much on how you feel. (No, not with Dr. McKinney’s office)
My cat is now «stable», eating and had her first «real» BM since Sat. (4 days later)
which Dr. Perman approximated.
Again, thank you for everything you did to help stablize my cat !!

We took our beloved lab to see Dr. Perman because he had skipped breakfast and was lethargic — Dr. Perman ran some tests and concluded he was in perfect health. He passed away 4 hrs later. Sadly this isn’t the first bad review for this doctor and I truly regret not taking our dog elsewhere. I can’t express my dissatisfaction more– If you love your animal, don’t make the same mistake I did — take them somewhere else.

Dr. McKinney, Dr. London and the entire family of technicians, veterinary assistants & feline greeters/​entertainers deserve all the stars in the sky. They have been with us thru 22 years with the handsome Tuxedo Kitty we just lost and their collective sensitivity is just wonderful. Truly feel he survived all odds and enjoyed «11 lives» in those 22 years because of their care of him. He was always comfortable getting in the carrier for a trip up to see them… and, on this last trip up, I feel he knew that, once again, Dr. McKinney would take away the pain. Losing a pet is never easy but I thank this family so much for their gentleness & sensitivity.

I took my Airedale in for what I thought would be a routine visit to fix an appetite problem. Unfortunately she was discovered to have an advanced case of cancer with no real chance for recovery even with surgery followed by chemotherapy. Rather than put her through the pain, separation from home, followed by a very poor quality of life I decided, with the help of Dr. London, to put her to sleep. It was a painful day, but I felt that Dr. London and the whole clinic were very helpful and compassionate. There was no nonsense, about the potential outcome, and they gave my dog a treat of cat food just before her end, making her think that she had found a really nice place to visit. When I next have a dog I will certainly bring it to this place for care.

I’d give 10 stars if I could! Dr McKinney and her staff are beyond great. Their hearts are with animals and that makes all the difference. I’ve been to vets before where everyone seems apathetic, not here! Oh, no. My kitty, Smokey has been treated exceedingly well. He got in a fight w a stray cat whose tooth got lodged in his chest. Poor baby! But they removed it and have been helping me rid him of the fever n infection that came w it. They are angels for sure! Trust your pets to them. They’ll treat em like family!

Frustrating experience. Had my husband take my elderly cat for a check as she had recently been losing weight. They recommended a bewildering array of tests but didn’t test thyroid, which is a relatively common problem in older cats. Their results indicated there was nothing terribly wrong with the cat. My bill was staggering. The animal contined to lose weight and was clearly sick. I have since taken the cat to a different vet. The problem is thyroid. The price was HALF what I paid at HMB Vet. (In fairness, I had the other vet quote prices for the vaccinations and dental cleaning that was done by HMB Vet, and added that to the price for the blood work, exam, and medications at this new vet).
I will not be going back to HMB Vet. I’m not comfortable paying a lot of money and getting a wrong diagnosis for a fairly common problem. Moreover, and most important, my cat suffered longer than needed.

Needed a place to take my dog on the weekend after noticing she was having difficulty walking and was in noticeable pain. The staff was very accommodating, took her in right away and Dr. Josephine diagnosed the problem and had my dog back to me in no time!

I cannot express my gratitude or my thanks enough to the team at Half Moon By Veterinary. What was a terrible situation with my 13 year old Mini Schnauzer Annabelle, they made the most comfortable and loving time possible.
Dr Nordhagen and Kathy are compassionate and caring above my expectations and we will be bringing Matilda, Kahilani and Kekoa here as this will be our new vet office.
Thank you!
–Diane

A few times in my life I can say I’ve had experiences with businesses that were truly exceptional. This was absolutely one of them.
I’m not ashamed to admit that i’m a grown man that loves a cat like family. One morning we found him sick: diarrhea, weak, refusing to eat or drink. When I called the office at HMB Vet they told me they didn’t have any appointments for two days. When I explained the symptoms the office staff agreed to see me in less than an hour. Considering how busy the office was that morning my wait time was minimal. The staff was understanding and responsive. Dr. McKinney listened, examined, and the explained that they would need to keep my little buddy for at least the afternoon.
He ended up spending two days and two nights in the clinic. I called regularly throughout his stay to check, and the office staff was both patient and informative. Sometimes they wouldn’t have an update, but would call back quickly with one. Several times Dr. McKinney called to explain what was going on, the treatments and medications being used, and the progress of my cat.
The outcome was exceptional. I hesitate to say that because I know that can’t be the result for every animal every time… sometimes even the best doctor in the world can’t save a patient. But I think it’s important to point out because it speaks to the quality of care. Not only was my buddy feeling better, but he was 100% back to his normal self after just a few minutes of being at home. A prolonged stay at a clinic, around strange animals, has the potential to be pretty difficult, especially for a cat. The response my cat had speaks VERY highly of how he was treated and handled while under the care of Dr. McKinney and staff.
As for the bill… I’ve heard my share of horror stories. Dropping my cat off to be treated I wasn’t even thinking about how much it would cost, I would have spent every cent I had to make him feel better. When I got the bill I was surprised at how reasonable it was. I had expected two days of care, medications, fluids, xrays, etc to cost A LOT more.
In summary, I can’t recommend Dr. McKinney and Half Moon Bay Vet enough. It’s rare to meet such exceptional people, and experience such amazing customer service. The Coastside is blessed to have such a wonderful business and a wonderful veterinarian.

Dr McKinney and staff are wonderful. I have been a client at this hospital for 15+ years. I recently had an animal death and they were kind, courteous, alert to note that the box the ashes came in had the wrong spelling of my animal’s name (of course they got it corrected by the company that did that) Last time I was there Dr McKinney came out to the waiting room just to chat with a dog owner whose animal had some unusual issues, you knew there was no charge, she is just a great vet.

Two weeks ago, my beloved indoor kitty accidentally got outside and was attacked by some dogs. The injuries he sustained were horrific. As I’d moved Coastside from Palo Alto over the summer, I hadn’t been to the clinic yet, though had heard great things about Dr. McKinney and staff. After a panicky call from me, they didn’t hesitate and were ready for us, already having prepped meds and fluids before we got there. When I arrived, they ran out to my car, then gently carried Tazz, who was barely holding on to life, inside for the critical care he needed.
Dr. McKinney sat down next to me and calmly and gently spoke with me about the seriousness of my cat’s injuries. Though Dr. McKinney and staff made a valiant effort, Tazzy lost the fight for his life.
After Tazz passed away, they let me spend time with him, loving and holding him for the last time. I was inconsolable, yet was so touched that everyone involved was teary eyed and so, so caring. Cindy, one of the nurses came and sat with me, comforted and hugged me and couldn’t have been more wonderful, empathetic and kind. She even insisted on walking me to my car afterward.
Because of Dr. McKinney and her staff, instead of leaving this earth in terror and awful violence, Tazzy left surrounded by caring, loving people. Sweet and professional at the same time. For that I’m eternally grateful.

I decided to use this veterinary hospital because a few months ago I was at the beach in Half Moon Bay and a large poodle ran off a cliff. Someone called a veterinarian from the Half MoonBay Veterinary Hospital and they immediately came to the rescue. Unfortunately the dog had already passed away. But I was impressed that she immediately came out. I know the owners of the dog really appreciated it.
Yesterday my dog suffered an injury and they squeezed us into their afternoon. I was so grateful they were able to look at him because althought the injury seemed really minor, but it turns out he will need surgery.

Dr. McKinney at Half Moon Bay Veterinary saved my dogs life. How can I thank her? I would give a higher rating if I could!
On August 12, I stumbled into this office, asking «do you have an x-​ray machine? Can you see my dog? He just fell off a cliff.»
It was a horribly scary afternoon, but one that could easily have turned out SO much worse. Even though I was mostly worried about his leg, Dr. McKinney calmly told me that he probably had air in his chest from the impact, and we needed to take care of this.
Which she did. So quietly I didn’t realize what would have happened without her.
Several folks have pointed out to me that my dog was busy dying at the point Dr. McKinney saw him first, and without her actions, I would no longer have my beloved guy. So all praise to Dr. McKinney!
We were only in the office this one time, and only for about an hour and a half, but this little veterinary office is going to be getting good thoughts sent their way from me for a LONG time.
By the way, his recovery is almost complete, having been handled by vets closer to home. ;-)
But I’m glad I gave credit where it is due!