Montclair Veterinary Hospital

Needing a new Vet, I’d begun sampling local vets. The first one was personable enough but my dog immediately became phobic after her nail trim (out of sight) during the initial visit. It took me months before I could touch her toes again. I suspect the tech just didn’t take enough time with this nervous dog.
My first appointment was with Dr. Richter. He’s definitely awake and expert in his field, but a bit brusk. As an older woman sometimes people underestimate me or perhaps he was just too busy. I also didn’t like it that the attempt to trim the dog’s nail was unsuccessful, though I was given tranqs. for next time and was considering not returning but thought I might give it another chance.
In the interim, between then and now, she was boarded at Ferrington Kennels, Pinole (recommended highly) where at my request her nails were trimmed twice during the three weeks I was gone. I knew that they would take the time to relax her into allowing it, teaching her in the process. Success both times, with «she was just fine» as a comment. I have boarded 3 successive dogs at this facility that is always clean (and doesn’t smell of anything, including cleaning products), incredibly well laid out, and a staff that genuinely likes, no loves, dogs). Worth the commute.
My second, recent, visit to this Vet Hospital for vaccinations, I met Dr. Lynn. I am ever so impressed with her bedside manner and alertness, as she is definitely especially knowledgeable in training a dog as well as observing it. She didn’t remark on a small growth on the dog’s back, which I am watching carefully, but checked her malformed teats from being cooped up with puppies that were teething. That truly impressed me as the process included a demonstration so I will do it from now on. She also observed my interactions and praised them as well. I was charged for the examination, which was not what I came for, but thought the price fair for the service rendered. Most likely wise vets do an exam during the periodic vac. updates anyways for how often does a dog come in?
My dog is phobic about new/​unusual sounds, so she reacted to an ear temp. gauge, surprising me as I didn’t know they made noises. I watched Dr. Lynn (were we introduced? maybe not) do a specific routine that I’d read about but never tried. I’ll work training her out of this minor fault (compared to her earlier ones) that is quite inconvenient. A dog can be trained to do a lot of things, from evacuating on command (ok, it’s great for trips and an old lady who can’t walk far right now — new knees needed!) to using the leash’s different tensions to communicate with a dog… So I appreciate learning new techniques kindly given.
I always give stories so you know the whole experience… Judge for yourself.
I’m going to ask for Dr. Cynthia Lynn in the future!

I called in a panic convinced my older cat with health problems was on his deathbed. The receptionist was very understanding fit me in right away. Being this was my first time taking my cat to this vet I was a little nervous because of the circumstances. The vet tech, Bridget, and the vet, Dr. Cayton, were wonderful. They were kind and understanding to my situation. They patiently answered all my questions and ran some tests in house so we could have some information right away. My old boy is not quite out of the woods yet but know I will continue to bring him to Montclair for future treatments.

Got my sick cat there, very underwhelmed by the experience, if not pissed actually.
On the plus side, same day appointment and very pleasant receptionists.
But the doctor was totally non committal, examined our kitty like 3 mn, and rushed to get us «the estimate: blood test, xray, … for a cool total of circa 1000 $ !!! Without even bothering to explain what was the underlying theory diagnosis, justifying to proceed to these exams, that also happen to cost more than for a human being …
I am sorry to say but this feels like a racket, exploiting people love for their pets and charging them an arm and a leg for probably totally unnecessary exams. Very disappointed. Will not return. Buyer beware.

Dr Gary Richter is amazing — Gary and his staff took such good care of my dog, Louie and I couldn’t be happier.
Our dog is a member of the family and we expect excellent health care for him, just as we would for ourselves.
If you want world class health care for your pets — Go to Montclair Veterinary Hospital

I love going to Montclair vet. The staff are such nurturers, and Dr. Richter is a pioneer, and an innovative force in his field. It’s really wonderful to have such an amazing team and my animals corner, as it relates to health and wellness.

This is a hard review to write because I feel that the front desk and technicians and Montclair are very caring and want to try and do what’s best for clients and their furry loved ones but it’s become painfully apparent that the vets themselves are overbooked, and have little time to provide thoughtful and clear guidance on issues.
We took our dog in for lameness in his rear leg and the techs were, as always, very sweet and accommodating.
After leaving him for x-​rays, I got a harried phone call from Dr Lynn who, in the course of 30 seconds blurted out that he had arthritis and a ligament tear and that we’d need to consult an orthopedic vet/​surgeon or seek advice from their holistic practice in terms of what our options for rehab and recovery would be.
The only thing she offered up was that he’d need to have bloods done because of the pain medications.
That’s it.
$ 500 to confirm that my dog is lame in his rear leg and a hot potato referral to other vets.
Compounding this frustration is the fact that the office sat on prescription approval for nearly 6 hours, causing a delay in shipping his pain medications.
When I called to inquire about picking up enough medication to get him through the next couple of days– caused by their delay in approving the prescription… I was informed that they would charge me for a baseline quantity price regardless of how much they dispensed. (At nearly 4 times the price from the online pharmacy)
So to sum up:
–Great techs and front of office staff
–Vets themselves are too busy to properly consult with patients and seem unwilling to provide any guidance on issues other than referring to other vets
–Lack of response on prescription verification and greedy business practices (price gouging and ridiculous «pricing» minimums) on medication (which is where I’m sure they make their margin)
Seek help for your furry friend elsewhere.

Everyone at Montclair has been so helpful to us in the last few weeks during an extremely difficult time. They got us in quickly for an appointment, had blood work results back to us within a day, recommended a good behaviorist, and helped us euthanize our dog in the midst of a sad situation. Everything they did was with kindness and compassion. We’re so grateful to have found them. Tiffany, one of the staff, was especially kind and helpful over the phone and Dr. Lynn was wonderful to work with. They have earned our business for our other pup and we wholeheartedly recommend them to anyone looking for a clean facility, kind people, and thorough service.

I can only say good things about the medical care of MVH. They were very gentle with my two little sweethearts (male and female kitties), everybody was always very friendly and professional. But what really keeps me from going back are their prices. At my two visits there I paid over $ 500 for the initial checkup, blood work, two rounds of vaccinations, de-​worming and stool samples for two cats.

Very friendly and helpful… UNTIL you mention your cat goes outside. Then be prepared to be treated as if you have leprosy.

I have not been satisfied with the level of service here. I found the vets I saw to be impersonal and not very thorough. One of my dogs needed a shot and of course I had to pay for the yearly exam as well, which would have been fine except the 65.00 exam included weighing her and listening to her heart. That’s it. Didn’t ask me questions, didn’t look in her ears or mouth or feel her body. Gave her the shot and collected the money. I have since found another vet and we get treated well!

I’ve been bringing my dogs here for years. They are so calm with little spazzy dogs. Kind, compassionate, and knowledgeable.

Good location, stylish interior design, super friendly staff, great services.
I’ve only gone once, when my dog broke out in an allergic reaction to fleas, and they were able to see me almost immediately. They were so kind, knowledgeable, and helpful. The prices seemed very reasonable. My dog got well quickly and I will definitely go back in the future.

Probably the single hardest kind of visit a vet clinic has to deal with is when a pet is terminally ill. 2 years ago my wife and I had just moved to Montclair with our elderly cat, Fluffy, 6 months prior and suddenly she was clearly acting sick.
We brought her to MVH because of their proximity, and they made the difficult visit as comforting and pleasant as possible. They told us that she had advanced kidney disease and didn’t recommend treatment given how frail she was.
We had already suspected that she was beyond help so we decided to euthanize her and the staff put us in a private room so we could say our goodbyes. Here were 2 grown adults crying like babies enjoying our last precious moments with our beloved kitty, and the staff was completely understanding and respectful of what we were going through. They gave us all the time we needed, and when the time came, the doctor came in and was incredibly sensitive and compassionate. It helped us not feel self-​conscious crying in front of a complete stranger.
We chose to have her cremated and were delighted a few weeks later to receive in the mail a ceramic heart with her name and her paw print in it. We now have it hanging in our bedroom as a remembrance of her warmth and presence in our lives. We really appreciate MVH for the great job they did the one and only time we’ve needed their services. I would highly recommend them to anyone.

We returned last week for a wellness checkup with shots to the new location. Wow is it big — my girl is accustomed to sniffing down the whole place, and she couldn’t get it done before we were called back into the exam room. Our old routine was to play «find the treat while waiting for the tech» in the old location, but now the tech is THERE instantly, so we had to do an abbreviated find-​it game while he waited patiently. It’s part of what keeps her from ever being anxious about visiting the vet, so they were completely fine with it.
Dr Richter was with us shortly and dealt with shots, exam, questions from me about incontinence and joint pain symptoms in an aging dog (12 or 13, we are not sure as she’s a rescue) and a request for refills on heart guard and flea protection. Man, the fleas are already hard at work since there has been zero cold or rain in the past few months; can foxtail season be far away? I hope we can avoid it this year.
Thanks to Proin and Cosequin, there are no puddles in the house and no stiff joints or Unilocal when rising. She still runs after a thrown ball, though a little slower, and she is still ecstatic when visiting a dog park. MVH helps keep her that way.
It’s not the cheapest vet option you’ll find, but it’s a great practice filled with people who know how to treat your animal. I’m really happy I moved here from the farther-​away Berkeley practice I used to visit with my old dog. We are happy customers.

I must admit, I was a little skeptical of this place after I read the Unilocal reviews, but I had already made an appointment and needed to get my cat into the vet ASAP.
Years ago I had taken a different cat to a holistic vet, but am currently unable to foot the $ 250 initial visit fee (ouch!), so I started looking around for new places. I called Holistic Veterinary Care on Piedmont Ave, which I guess is a sister clinic to Montclair Vet Hospital, and when they couldn’t help me with what I needed, they referred me here. I made an appointment and THEN read the Unilocal reviews.
High prices, long wait times and misdiagnosis seemed to be a theme. Since I was coming from a very pricey vet, $ 68 for an exam seemed to be a steal! I armed myself for the other two issues of long wait times and misdiagnosis when heading to my appointment.
First of all, this was my cat’s first trip to the vet and she freaked out in the car and released her bladder and bowels in her cardboard carrier (ugh!), which leaked all over the back seat of my car! I entered MVH in distress and the receptionist promptly took my cat in the back to get cleaned up and put me in an exam room. When my cat reappeared, she had been cleaned up (no charge) and had a new cardboard carrier lined with plastic (no charge).
The vet tech and vet were both amazing! Wait time was minimal (with a little bit of prompting on my part) and all fees were discussed with me before procedures were performed. They even waived a few fees for me that helped them make a (seemly) correct diagnosis (it’s not a tumor!), which was unexpected and very considerate. I realize this is just my experience, but I was sooo happy with MVH! They made a pretty unpleasant experience really great and I truly appreciate them for it!

Simply stated other than one (saw three) veterinarian it felt like they wanted to remove as much $j$ from our pocketbook. Would be ok with that but they gave the wrong and then a non therapeutic doses of medication. Ended up at UC Davis. Thank goodness. Don’t go there.

Been coming to Montclair for almost 2 years now since becoming the proud parent of a wonderful lab mix that we adopted. Over the years, they have always been very attentive to our needs. Our pup had surgery last year and they were great with explaining the process and following up with us to ensure he was on his way to recovery. We have Trupanion pet insurance and the follow up from them was spectacular as well with getting the paperwork processed in a timely fashion.
Since then, we adopted a cat who was having skin/​shedding problems from SPCA and they prescribed her some fish oil that worked wonders. Our cat Lola actually enjoys coming in to the vet!
The only reason I am not giving them a 5 is because they have cut my dogs nails in many times in the past though he HATES getting this done. Last time I brought him in, I was told that next time he would have to get sedated before getting his nails cut. I do not look forward to this day or the costs associated with such a routine procedure and wonder if there is another alternative. He’s always been tough for nail cutting but wonder why the change in procedure or costs all of a sudden.
On a more positive note, love the additional space and facilities in the back and the customer service is always quick and friendly!
They are so busy that getting a same day/​urgent care appointment is tricky most of the time so my recommendation would be to have a back up plan for emergencies.
Thanks Montclair!

We brought in our rescued kitten to have a FeLV test done two weeks ago. We opted for MVH to do the still expensive 97% accuracy test vs the very expensive 100% accuracy test. The pitch from MVH staff when they gave us their test result was to continue with more expensive testing.
The next morning Animal Care & Control retested her per our request as they mentioned her sibling was already tested as negative (meaning she was also likely not positive) and… that’s right, she came back with a negative result!
After reading other Unilocal reviews, we realized that it would not be uncommon for MVH to misdiagnose in order to make additional money. Animal Care also mentioned how incredibly high, $ 200 for an initial visit, their prices are.
In addition, when we picked our kitty up from Animal Care and Control, on our way back we were side swiped by another vehicle at 55 MPH. Our damaged vehicle is now in the shop for two+ weeks. Had none of this testing result happened (3% chance MVH told us the truth), we would not have crossed the Bay Bridge at that time.
Unfortunately this «hospital» is all about their bottom line getting better not about their patients. We’re now back to going to our old Berkeley Dog & Cat Hospital we went to years ago when we lived in Berkeley, well worth the drive now to avoid MVH.

My parakeet, Peep, was sick and my friend who also works in a pet hospital recommended taking her to MVH for their aviary services.
I had read up a lot on Google and found that most likely the cause of my birds illness was due to a tumor. Dr. Vangelder (sp?) did the initial check up and suspected that to be most likely the case. They gave me some options but really didn’t push any expensive treatments and didn’t give up hope either. I really appreciate that a lot. They gave her some meds which I think helped manage her pain. And despite only going once for a basic check up, they were courteous and caring when I called several times to ask for advice as my bird’s condition changed.
Peep passed away a couple weeks later of a tumor. I’m very grateful to MVH for their honesty and compassion even for a little inexpensive bird. Thank you.

Only posting a review for my red ear slider turtle!
My turtle showed symtoms of respiratory infection and it was the only vet that treats red ear slider that I could find in my area. The staff was super friendly and nice dont get me wrong, but I felt like the dr wasnt able to explain to me what happened to my turtle or why she was having the symtoms. Aside from the injections that I should give my turtle, the dr didnt tell me what I should do in the future to prevent this from happening. My turtle took an xray because I was really anxious and wanted to see if it was something else and not just respiratory infection. The dr didnt show me the xray or explained what happened and I paid $ 370 out the door for the xray + antibiotics + consultations and did not receive any explanation was not okay for me. I was having doubts if they really even took the xray which I hope they did! Overall I would not recommend this place for turtles.