Pasternak Veterinary Center

Do NOT go to this man. He is completely unprofessional, had me come back and help him with squeezing my dog’s anal glands, charges up the wazoo for medications which I have since found useless and my dog is better now that I’ve taken him off — «eastern medicine» is not what is practiced here. It is pure business nothing more. Save yourself the trouble and the agony.

Dr. Pasternak is a wonderful veterinarian. I have a senior aged Bichon with severe health issues. We have tried holistic remedies and foods. Dr. Pasternak is always suggesting things to try to heal and comfort my dog. I feel I am always provided with top notch service and care for my dog. In the course of conversations with Dr. Pasternak he informed me that he studies and practices Eastern & Western and holistic medicine. He’s extremely knowledgable in his field. His advice is honest and heartfelt. Whilst speaking with him he mentioned to me that he had lectured to two major, natural pet food companies about nutrition. He has also written a fabulous book that I have referenced to many times for information. He is the only veterinarian that has helped our dog! In our opinion
«Dr. Pasternak Is The Veterinarian Other Veterinarians Go To.»

Such great care! Our IG has arthritis and he is 16. The Dr. Put him on herbs and acupuncture a year ago. His health has improved and he is much more alert. I like the Eastern/​Western approach. As for the cost, it’s worth every cent!

Totally saved my Dobermans life! He had arthritis/​wobblers/​paralysis in his back legs with a few trips to Dr. Pasternak and he is cured! A few treatments of acupuncture and it worked! I don’t really believe in that stuff but it saved his life! Best vet ever!

Not sure where some of these negative reviews are coming from… I don’t see the logic behind them. Anyway Dr. P is AMAZING! He honestly really cares for your pet. My pitbull injured her back (disc injury) and she lost mobility of her hind legs. We took her to our local vet and they gave her a bunch of meds that had her drowsy. The vet also said that if she didn’t improve, we would have to face the decision of putting her down. Well you can imagine how my family and I felt so I went ahead and researched for a vet that used acupuncture on pets and came across Dr. P.
On the first visit he looked at the X-​rays and my dog’s current medicine and he let us know that he could replace a few of the meds with naturals meds to avoid side effects (since he does both western and eastern medicine). I also mentioned to him that the other vet said she probably won’t walk again and we would have to put her down. Dr. P let us know that with he medication and weekly acupuncture she should be able to walk again and remained hopeful throughout the whole process. Now, 3 – 4 months later, my dog is walking again! She still struggles a little to get on her feet (since she re-​injured her self early in the rehab process) but as we continue to go see Dr. P for acupuncture, she will hopefully be back to normal.
The best part about all this is that he NEVER gave up on my dog and he’s very honest about what she needs and never tried to sale us anything we didn’t need like some of these comments claim. I can go on and on about how amazing Dr. P is and how he works wonders but this would probably be a chapter in a book lol
Oh one last thing, his staff is very friendly and the place is tidy and big with a lot of parking space.

absolutely love Dr. Pasternak and staff. Rick the tech is a sweetheart and loves my Dolce. I thought my 15 ½ yr old shepherd mix had thrown in the towel and brought her in convinced it was time to put her down. he nursed her back to health in a few days and always seems to know what’s wrong and what’s best. as far as what people say about price… well, don’t have a pet if you’re not prepared to take care of them. fortunately, Dolce has only needed more extensive visits in the past year (good mutt genes!). but they are always willing to work out the more costly visits, breaking it up into 2 – 3 payments for me. I love his approach, blending eastern/​western treatments and his obvious concern for the animal’s best interest. he keeps you informed along the way and made Dolce’s last visit very comfortable, making a special area in the treatment room for her (versus a cage). I worked for a vet in Malibu for 3 yrs in college and believe me I see the difference in professionalism and thoroughness here. highly recommended!

Dr Pasternak saved our dogs life, literally.
During a business trip our 9 ½ year old Australian Shepherd stopped eating and was having trouble walking so Roxy was brought to her vet. She was terribly misdiagnosed there and at an intensive care clinic where she spent five nights. In a very short period of time she deteriorated to the point where she was an hour away from being put to sleep. She could not walk, she would not eat, and was dying in front of us. We did everything. Nothing worked. We were devastated.
In a last ditch effort, after a friends recommendation, we went to Dr Pasternak. He immediately identified the problem and set up a protocol that resulted in a miraculous recovery! Roxy now is back to chasing squirrels in the back yard, she’s gained back 15 pounds, loves her walks and has made a full recovery. I cannot say how grateful I am for finding Dr Pasternak, Glory, Rick, and the whole crew. They could not be more loving and concerned. Every day with Roxy is clearly a gift.

Dr. Pasternak, who has been our vet for many years, is the best veterinarian we have ever had! We have always adopted rescue dogs. Often they come with special needs and because Dr. Pasternak is so knowledgeable, he has helped each of our rescues to develop into strong, healthy and happy dogs. We took Mimi, who had a horrible skin condition to Dr. Pasternak after seeing 6 different vets. We believe that Dr. Pasternak saved this dog’s life. Dr. Pasternak has always carefully explained to us whatever course of treatment he has recommended. We trust and value his judgement completely. We also appreciate the wonderful office staff, who are always very friendly and helpful. One great advantage to seeing Dr. Pasternak is that he takes walk-​in appointments. We never again have to worry about not being able to get a same day appointment to see a vet.

I am in the process of adopting a dog. One of the first things that I did was ask family and friends to recommend a Veterinarian. Out of the ten people that I surveyed, seven recommended Dr. Pasternak… two even told me how he saved the lives of their dogs. I am happy to say that my dog will soon be under the expert care of Dr. Pasternak.

Pasternak Veterinary should be closed, they are thieves. Every time I took my dog there, they prescribed 5 – 7 different prescriptions that were completely unnecessary. In addition, last year September of 2013 I was traveling out of the country, K9 Loft in Sherman Oaks where my dog was, called me and said my dog wasn’t able to stand up so they took him to Pasternak right away to see what was wrong. The following day my dog died. When I called Pasternak to ask what tests they did on my dog, he said «none, we just cleaned his ears and prescribed some meds».
Gary M.

I got a kick out of reading the reviews. I took my dog Otis in after 3 years of being on the parade of vets in West LA. (I could be an expert on this subject, as I have racked up $ 11,000 in vet bills with not much improvement to my dogs chronic issues). I appreciated the fact that we could walk-​in.
A call today to California Animal Rehab for an appointment would be over a week away. I appreciated that the office was clean. Parking was easy — especially, since my dog has issues walking. I appreciated that the staff was friendly and genuinely cared about the animals.
I was surprised to see the reviews about the prices, as I have lots of experience with vet prices. If you go to Animal Dermatology for example, the Doctors come in, give a look, and then leaves. An assistant comes back, gives you a written estimate in which you sign off of — and it’s a very sterile experience making health decisions over your beloved animal. I’ll take right ear culture with medication, but I’ll pass on flush etc. A follow up visit at Animal Dermatology was 2x, 3x as expensive as an initial consult and treatment here.
I appreciated Dr. Pasternak’s ability to have a conversation about money, choices and the animal’s well being with out thinking I was looking at a menu from Jerry’s Deli of choices.
Overall, the clinic has a right to profit — otherwise, it wouldn’t function. However, I genuinely felt that the focus was on the «let’s get this dog better» than on the other experiences where I have been left feeling like I was «bad» for not getting x, y, z for my animal, if I don’t spend this much money.

Dr. Pasternak has done wonders for my Basset, Fred. He has arthritis and Dr. Pasternak administered acupuncture treatments. After one treatment I could see the relief in how Fred walked.
Great staff and a very clean clinic! Walk ins welcome with no snobbish appointments required is a huge help.

As a health care provider myself, I think Pasternak Veterinary center is the best. My Toby lay dieing and I could tell from the symptoms that he was bleeding internally. I rushed him to Pasternak without an appointment. Dr. Pasternak quickly and correctly diagnosed the mass on his spleen. Immediate surgery, Our Toby, who is an adoptee from Katrina is now his old self. Toby is at least ten, and once again is acting like a puppy.
Toby’s grateful person.

Very nice, animal friendly people!

Hi, I really like Glory and Dr. Pasternak. He is very knowledgeable and skilled in holistic medicine. My beloved Mooshu was diagnosed with bladder cancer a few weeks ago and I decided to pursue alternative treatment versus chemo bs and she is doing well. Dr. Pasternak gives her ozone therapy 2x a week and he is great vet. Glory is also very sweet and kind.
I really prefer this vet as my vet for my furry babies. I use to go to Center Sinai and I like Dr. Baum there but there are not holistic.

My wolf Raven was taken by me in 1998 as a 25 day old cub to Dr. Pasternak.
My wolf Raven is 97% wolf. Dr. Pasternak & his staff not only embraced him but told me how to care for him. Now Raven is 15 years old near his time to go and I wouldn’t go to any other Vet.
I started with Dr. Pasternak with my then German shepherds (2) and was living in Pacific Palisades around 1990. This man & his staff during the fires in and around Malibu when LA was on fire took all of his animals
(including my boarded German shepherds) into his home to make sure they would be safe. At this time, we didn’t know if the fires would engulf the «Highlands) where his then practice was & where I lived. This impressed me so much that I thought, I will never leave this Dr.
Here we are all these years later, I have lived now in Sherman Oaks for 13 years and travel. I board my wolf with Dr Pasternak & travel through rain or shine knowing I can leave & my wolf knowing he is fed, safe, walked & happy. He gets excited even at 15 years old when we approach Dr Pasternak’s clinic. He’s since been for several years in Santa Monica. I love this Dr & his staff. when 15 year old Raven goes, my next puppy (no more wolves) will be taken to Dr. Pasternak.
Thank you for your staff for loving animals. Is he pricey? What are your pets worth to you. They are your children it costs money to operate a business. Who cares! He’s cheaper than most Vets who con you into thinking your pet needs more care and treatment than they actually need. this Clinic is honest

This is the nicest vet I have met in years. I love how you can walk in without an appointment. Genious! It’s nice going to a vet who has 20 years experience as well.
It’s wonderful to find a vet that is eastern and western. I highly recommend buying his book. It could save your pet’s life and change it for the better!

I’ve been coming here for many many years. You won’t meet a more caring vet than Dr. P. I agree with all the bed side manner comments but once you get to know him, he loves animals, he’s an excellent vet.
My Dachshund was paralyzed in his hind legs. Henry treated him with acupuncture twice weekly and herbs and anti-inflammatories…after 5 weeks my dog was walking.
The girls at the desk are lovely. Very accommodating, always happy and nice.

I worked for dr. P for a few yrs. It was a wonderful experience. People bring their pets here because they love them with their heart, body and soul. Only people who loveeeee their animals and want to try everything, comes to PVC. Best clientelle of all time.
As far as the front staff, those are my girls! Doing a damn good job just like when I was there. I read a lot of reviews here and I hear everyone saying nothing but wonderful things about the satff, and that’s how its always been there! The staff loves animals and they are very warm and welcoming like always.
As far as dr. P… yeah, yeah, he’s not the warmest, friendliest or has the best bedside manners, but deep down inside, he really loves your pet and wants to do right by it! I’ve seen him perform one miracle after another. I saw pets who should have been or would have been dead, but dr P gave the pet more time with healthy alternatives. And shhhh… don’t tell dr. P, but a few times I caught him, snuggling and kissing a pet or two on his hands and knees and when I walked in, he stood up and corrected himself, but I’m telling you, when you’re not looking, he’s a big softy and a teddy bear, he just doesn’t want to show that side =)
I believe in what dr. P does. I’ve seen him work his magic time after time. When you’re looking for a vet, you’re looking for a good dr for your animal not a therapist for yourself. So even though he might not be the friendliest with you, know he is good with your pet and really just wants to do the best by it. I love using both eastern and western medicine and there isn’t a vet out there with more knowledge and up to date products then dr. P.
Although I haven’t been there in a while, ill always stand by PVC because I have first hand experience for over 2yrs!

Dr. Pasternak is basically the Dr. House of the veterinary profession. His bedside manner with people is so disconcerting it’s actually kind of funny. But the man is amazing with animals — and he’s a vet — so what more do you really want?
And the rest of the staff is beyond lovely…
As far as the up-​selling of herbs and supplements goes, no one there will give you a hard time if you take a pass.