West Valley Pet Clinic

Going to West Valley Pet Clinic is like going to see family. Everyone is always nice and kind. Everyone there knows me. Everyone knows my pets. I am always confident that my furr babies are always in good hands. Love this place– wouldn’t go anywhere else.

The bedside manner and attitude of the ladies at the front desk and Dr. Behrens need some work. There’s a lovely tech there but I wouldn’t recommend taking your animal here if they’re in pain and you’re having a rough time dealing with it. I’m telling you this because you’re taking the time to research this vet because you too care about your animals.
They spoke very loudly around my stressed bird and have a beautiful habit of scorning you in an ever so passive aggressive manner for how you’ve cared for your animal. I communicated numerous times that I was trying to speak softly as he had never needed to or been to a vet and was in pain and I didn’t want him to have a heart attack due to the added stress of the noise there. I was also concerned with my bird being handled by the vet as the last time we’d taken a sick bird to a vet she wasn’t handled gently and died from a fear induced heart attack in his hand. The doctor and staff all seemed annoyed of My concern, and hey ladies instead maybe try to comfort your customer who obviously loves their animal and say something to the effect of. …I’ll be gentle. …I understand you’re worried so I’ll be as gentle with your animal as I can. My Budgie is 18 years old and is very well loved but very picky with his food and I’ve been reprimanded by Dr. Behrens and her staff for what I’ve fed him repeatedly now. Hey. .he’s 18 years old. .I must have been doing something right because no one’s even heard of a parakeet/​budgie living this long. I’d also told them I’d driven 63 miles there just to make sure he saw a specialist knowing it was going to cost a minimum of $ 75. If someone has obviously cared for their animal and driven 63 miles to come see you and asks you to speak in a softer voice for the comfort of their animal and paying you $ 75 for a measly ten minutes of your time. …show them a little respect and lose the attitude. Also this was the loudest waiting room I’ve ever sat in. Wouldn’t recommend taking a very sick animal here for the blatant lack of thoughtfulness. Dr. Retinger at Laurel Pet Animal Hospital in West Hollywood is a Board Certified Feline vet and along with her staff have the most beautiful bedside manner and are very gentle with your animal and you the owner. It’s too bad they have no Avian specialists there.

My chinchillas’ favorite place to come! Dr. Berens is awesome & makes sure to accommodate your pet.
I took in my chinchilla for weight loss and she knew all the right tests to run, he ended up having a lot of issues stemming from one. Medications were easy to pick up, everything was easy for me to understand.
He got his health back & I trusted dr. Berens after the first incident so she ended up neutering my chinchilla.
Only great experiences here, highly recommended!

This will be brief, but still heartfelt. I’ve had my two cats here at this Vetrinary practice. They died years ago of natural causes. Recently I ended up back here with my dog who we’ve traveled around with, and has been in a different set of circumstances. It was a Sunday, and because I’d been here before we ended up here with our beloved 14 year old dog who was now in end of life crisis. Being a Sunday it was now a bit of an emergency and we were not prepared. Dr. Barons could not have been nicer, as was all the staff. It was a very difficult day, and they all were very professional, compassionate, and did not rush us through at all. I stress this because they truly gave us what we needed, and it was the best way to muster through a terribly sad day. I give them a high rating on all fronts. They have a bit of a tricky parking lot, but the waiting room is warm and comfortable once in, and the service you you get is welcoming.
I’ve had two cats here but switched situations with my dog because of travel and teeth issues, but would go back here with a pet in a heart beat.
It was a very difficult situation we faced, and we were treated very well here. I expect they will keep up the good work. Thank you.

I just recently started going to West Valley Pet Clinic. Dr. Carol Winkler, who I believe was hired relatively recently, is the kindest, most warm, most compassionate human being that I know. She truly, to her soul, cares about animals and their caretakers. Sadly, I had to take my 10 year old Great Dane, «Stori», to their clinic to have her humanely euthanized when she had reached «her time». My husband and I were SO sad, and Dr. Winkler and the entire staff did EVERYTHING they could to make us and our dog as comfortable as they could. That really means so much, in such a difficult, emotional time. The staff were so incredibly sympathetic, kind, and caring to us. You could tell they really all felt for me and my husband, and they handled us with such tenderness. And then, a week or two later, I got a surprise card in the mail from the staff, with each of them writing their own sweet little personalized note. I was absolutely not expecting that, and it was SO incredibly thoughtful and touching that it literally made me teary eyed. What nice people! They really go above and beyond.
I also have to add that their lobby is very clean and cute.
If the staff is reading this, I have to give a giant thank you to Susan, Kim, Natalie, Meg, Claudia, «Dr. B», and of course, Dr. Carol Winkler, for writing and sending the sweetest card to me regarding Stori’s passing. You all have no idea how much that meant to me.

So I went into West Valley Pet Clinic with my cat today and they were just wonderful. I arrived to my appointment early and they were able to accommodate me right away. The office was nicely air conditioned and every single person I dealt with was lovely. They answered all my questions. They took the time to explain how much I should be feeding my cat and gave me a free measuring cup to do it with. They even gave my cat a free heart worm/​flea medicine & sample! The prices for the services I did pay for were very reasonable.
The only reason I didn’t rate WVPC 5 stars was because of my previous experience. I made an appointment to come in but when I came in they had no record of me nor the appointment.

I just bought my dog this past weekend from awful owners who didn’t take good care of the puppies. My husband and I discovered the dog has worms and fleas within the first hour of having him. We were able to go into West Valley Pet clinic on Sunday and they were 100% caring of our dog and wanted what is best for Olive. Usually when you go to a vet they try to get as much money out of you as they can and my husband and I did not feel this way with Dr Berens. She was caring, honest and even waived our visit fee on a Sunday. They gave Olive at 6 weeks his first set of shots, flea meds, a dewormer and even some goodies to bring home. Within a few hours his stool was already looking better.
On top of it I got a call this morning to check how Olive was doing and to let us know that the stool sample did test positive for tapeworms which we knew but luckily thats all it was. We are happy to know that West Valley Pet Clinic were happy to treat our dog from the kindness of their heart and well be back for Olives second set of shots in 3 weeks.
I highly recommend this clinic. A+++++

Arthur and mayas doctors and this is where I get them their food… for the most part everyone has been very nice. thank you… best wishes for continued success

Please read:
I have a 9 year old lab mix that has been going to this clinic for vaccines since she was 3 yrs old, as long as she has been in good health I trusted the vet here. She just about a month ago got these tiny growths on the back of her legs and we took her in to get them checked out. The doctor was afraid of my dog, she walked in with poor bed side manners and cornered my dog then said she can’t see anything and wrote a estimate for $ 1800, but said she may or may not send the growths to the lab, she wanted to put her under general anesthesia for hours to clean her teeth but she said well I couldn’t even look in her mouth. We paid the 55 visit pay and went home to think about it I got a second opinion from an alternate vet who will do a needle aspirate to test the growths before putting her under anesthesia with calling and asking around I have learned is the first step before putting her under general anesthesia. I called to speak to her and she said she would call me back on Sunday (5 days after the visit). She called on Monday and avoided the subject of my dogs legs and instead complained about my dogs behavior and called her bi-​polar. She is a terrible vet and not very compassionate. Personally I would advise against taking your dogs to her as she truly is not good with K-​9s. I also think she is over priced and greedy.

–courteous
BUT
–busy (long wait just to pay, about 20 mins)
–forgetful (don’t return phone calls, hang up on me when I was in hold, don’t find out prices of products I inquired about)
–do not communicate (see below)
Here is my only experience with this vet and I can assure you that I will never take my pets here again. Based on other reviews, people seem to either love or hate this place. I am part of the latter group.
I called over a half dozen vets looking for Merial’s Purevax rabies vaccine for my cat because I have been getting it for years and it is free of adjuvants. This vet told me over the phone that they had Purevax so I made an appointment. Both before and after getting my cat vaccinated, I asked the vet nurse, Robert, and he confirmed my cat was getting Purevax, which turned out to be good for three years from this vet, though it has only ever been approved for one year. I went home did some more research, called them and was told I’d get a call back, which i never did. So I went in and Robert confirmed yet again that it was Purevax. My dad went in when he got home from work at which point Robert told him that it was actually just Purevax «equivalent» — something with adjuvants!
As Megan, the head nurse told me, the phone call confusion was a matter of playing the game «telephone. She insists she told Robert it was Purevax «equivalent» and Robert told me it was Purevax. We talked to the vet and even the vet there said he wasn’t clear on the difference between the two brands, made by the same manufacturer. These people are unreliable even on something as simple as telling me the words on the bottle of their rabies vaccine. How can you trust them with your pet’s care when they aren’t being clear and direct with you? Did Robert really make a mistake three times? Did Megan really tell him it wasn’t exactly Purevax? Why can’t the vet even tell me about the vaccine he is using? Don’t go here!

Having visited Dr. Berens for our rabbit Freckles a few years ago, we wanted to bring in Nibbles our Dutch lopp eared rabbit. Nibbles’ breathing was very rough and Dr. Berens knew right away what was wrong. Pneumonia. Our rabbit was given some injections and medication. The next day I received a call from Claudia to see how «Nibbs» was doing. Thoughtful! The Crispin family appreciates Dr. Berens and her staff and Nibbles is doing much better. As for the person who commented negatively on Claudia, I say WRONG! Claudia has been the main person who I have been in contact with and she’s been great. Thanks again WNPC!

A good bird or exotic vet is hard to find. Since I have a large amount of animals (I do rescue and also train animals… so I am always in need of a good vet) I was hoping that Dr. Berens would be a good back up vet for my regular awesome vets Dr. Latos and Dr. Jennie Conrad. My usual bird vet Dr. Pitts is retiring, so I needed someone close who can treat my feathered friends.
I did read all the negative reviews about how this place price gouges, but thought since they knew my experience, they would realize I have a lot of knowledge on what is a BS charge and wouldn’t pull that on me… Nope. They did. Not once, but twice.
First time, I brought in a parrot with a bite from another bird. I cleaned up his wound (a puncture the size of half a grain of rice) and brought him in. Long story short, they charged me an additional $ 37.50 to ‘clean’ the wound’ and then they tried to sell me medications at 7 – 10 times the price than if I went into Target and bought them with a prescription. I explained that I had ALL of the meds they were trying to pawn off on me already, just give me dosage for use. Dr. Berens actually gave me hard time, and insinuated that if she had to give me dosages for use, then I should buy the meds from her! WTH? Seems a bit of a conflict there… dontchya think?
Second time was today. I have a small finch that has a bloated belly. I called for an appt, but Dr. Berens was already booked. They offered for me to bring the bird in as a ‘drop off’ which I do all the time at the other vets I use when they are busy. No big deal. You drop the animal off, and when they have time to see it, they do. Well, from my past experience with West Valley Pet Clinic trying to rip me off, I made sure to tell them that they may NOT bill me for anything without my approval.
Ha! They did call, I give them credit for that… but they wanted me to authorize them billing me for the vet appt (of course)…AND $ 35 for the bird to be waiting to be seen! Are you freakin kidding me? The bird was waiting to be seen, because the vet was too busy to see her. So… they want to charge me extra for that? So I called her out on that BS. I said I will not permit them to jack me up like that. It is a bogus fee. She then claimed that it would be for ‘hospitalization’…uh, no. I am not hospitalizing the bird. I am bringing her in to be seen, get a poop sample, MAYBE an xray and I will treat her at my facility (I have over 30 years of experience with birds and animals).
Unbelievable. If this is the bulls#*t they pull with someone who has a clue… how much are they over charging people who don’t?
Oh, BTW, it isn’t that I wasn’t willing to spend money on this bird, either. Even though I can go to any pet store and buy another one for less than $ 40, I was willing to pay reasonable charges for an office visit ($ 77…kinda high, but whatever), plus x ray (probably in the $ 100 – 200 range) plus poop sample ($ 25ish). I just think that if you take on the responsibility of an animal, that includes paying for medical expenses. But, that being said, I will NOT be ripped off.
Too bad for them. Last year, I spent over $ 15,000 on vet fees. Yeah, you read that right. Sometimes, people are just too greedy, and want to squeeze the wrong people. In order to try and make a few unwarranted bucks, they have lost a client with HUNDREDS of animals and birds.
***Update*** I just read Megan’s response to my review from almost a year ago… wow…I guess it took a year to wade through all the negative reviews before you got to me… and this is what I have to say:
Megan, did you read the ENTIRE review? You claim you try to be ‘cost competitive and then go on to compare «box store pricing» too hard to compete with. Megan, I did not know Target has a vet on staff. Because my ire is that your clinic GOUGES clients on SERVICES, and then tries to force/​guilt patients to buy medications from you at 7 – 10 times the price elsewhere. And, charging ME an additional $ 35 because your vet was too busy to see my bird, and I was willing to do a drop off to fit around her schedule… are you kidding me? How in the heck does that speak of your ‘standard of care’ and treatment to your clients? It shows that you have absolutely no regard for people, and think we are all too stupid to realize what your doing.
Nice try. Next time, it might be best to attempt it on someone who doesn’t have a clue. Because this time you chose someone who DOES, and can see right through you.

I took my small dog for an exam when I noticed she had a lump on her snout. Dr. Berens looked in her mouth and saw bloody gums and said she had to operate on my dog’s mouth. She said the snout was swollen from impacted teeth. She removed four teeth and took a biopsy. The lab said it was squamous cell cancer. Dr. Berens called us with the news and referred us to an oncologist. She never called to see how our sweet baby was doing. By the time we found out her condition, the cancer had spread throughout her nasal passages and mouth. The bloody gums were from the cancer. Radiation could not save her, only prolong her misery. We had to put her to sleep when she stopped eating and took her to another vet for that. For three years we continued to get postcards from West Valley Pet Clinic, asking us to bring her in for a vaccination. Nobody ever called to see if her cancer was cured. I would not recommend them after that experience. They always were very expensive also.

We have been taking our pets to Dr. Berens for 15 years. We have always received the very best care at a fair price. We have always been told the price of a service prior to the service being rendered. She has treated our pets for a variety of illnesses but some have been very serious; our dachshund had pancreatitis and needed ongoing care for a long period of time. The nurse taught us how to give the IV hydration which helped with the cost. One of our other pets developed mast cell tumor and Dr. Berens was able to refer us to a very special place to get the chemotherapy needed and assisted us with the ongoing care of our beautiful pet.
More recently, our new rescued dachshund, Flower, had a failure of 3 discs in her back which rendered her paralyzed. We were on vacation at the time this occurred but the vet, Dr. Lian who works with Dr. Berens, made sure that our wonderful pet received the surgery necessary to save her life but they also guided us through the long process of rehabilitation. She is now able to walk almost normally and is in good health. We will always be grateful to both doctor Berens and Lian and the wonderful office staff for their caring treatment given to all of our pets. Flower is truly a little miracle due in large part to the efforts of this team of dedicated professionals.
We really can’t say enough about this wonderful place. The doctors and staff are very knowledgable. There have been times when we have had to wait, but I know that the reason was perfectly justifiable. The doctors will take care of emergencies promptly and that may mean that we have to wait. The office staff has always been very forthcoming with the reason for the wait and has offered to reschedule us if necessary.

Brought our dog in after she got some «bites holes» from our other dog. They were very nice and helpful and took good care of her and us.

I found WVPC here on Unilocal when I needed an exotics vet open on Sundays. We found the staff to be competent & kind. Reception was prompt & very thorough. We did wait quite awhile to see the Dr, but that’s because she actually spends time with you when it’s your turn & then I was well-​educated & well-​cared for. My bun Wylie wasn’t a bit afraid of anybody! :) Costs are fair & forthcoming. The Unilocal offer was honored for a $ 37.50 discount! :)

I brought my puppy into the clinic because she had vomited twice that morning and my regular vet was booked. I was stressed out because I had to go out of town the next day and I wanted to figure out if my puppy was sick. I agreed to the services they recommended, which were quoted to me in a price bracket. I’ve never seen a vet present a range of services in a bracket, nor have I seen them run six tests despite my telling them that the dog had previously been treated for giardia, which might be the cause of her stomach issues. I asked them if they could test for giardia before anything else; if it came up positive I’d be satisfied treating her for that and being done with it. They agreed — and then proceeded to run another $ 400 worth of tests! The only test that came back positive was giardia. I was aggravated but wanted to have a healthy pup before I left the next day, so I agreed to have my sister bring her back the next day for a checkup. I put my credit card on file and approved an approx. $ 68 charge. When I got off the plane the next day, I found the clinic had decided to run more unnecessary tests and charge my card almost $ 200! I feel like they completely took advantage of my distressed/​emotional state to manipulate me into disregarding their overcharges. This was confirmed when I was comparing prices for spaying the dog; theirs came in lowest at $ 150 so I made an appointment, fasted the dog and arrived at 7 am the day of the procedure. They handed me a bill for $ 400 and said the $ 150 price did not include IV/​catheter or intubation which should come standard for all spay surgeries. They blatantly lied over the phone and waited until I was tired and nervous at 7 am the morning of the surgery to tack on another $ 250 to the bill. I have since relayed this story to two other vets, both of whom suggested I report West Valley Pet Clinic to the BBB for unethical and predatory practices. Through BBB correspondence, the clinic danced around the truth, claimed I approved the transaction over the phone even though I was on a plane at the time, and claimed they gave me a detailed quote for the spay beforehand, when in reality I was not provided with any such quote until the morning of the scheduled procedure. I guess they’re refusing to resolve anything through BBB because they fooled me twice, so shame on me. Beware!

I am sad to see so many people to have bad experiences, but then I realized that most are from years ago, and I feel better.
I am new to the area, and never dreamed I was going to get a pet when I moved, but then came my kitten, and I wanted to make sure I found someone wonderful.
I have loved this vet sense the first day I brought her in. I got an appointment the day after I called. I took her in and the staff was/​is wonderful. They were all very nice and professional, and treated both of us wonderfully.
As part of the first routine visit they automatically did a fecal exam, which is a good thing I didn’t reject it, due to the cost, because it turned out she had a parasite.
They called me back within hours with the results, and I was able to pick up medicine that day. Medicine, which I might add, was at an EXTREMELY reasonable price.
They called me the next day to see how she was doing, and when she wasn’t feeling all that much better, I brought her back in, and they figured out what was wrong and helped fix it right away, at no charge to me at all!
I signed up for their pet portal, which is the best tool I could possibly want. Its easy to use and has appointment reminders, last visit information, and can even schedule a new visit!
They call after every visit, and send e-​mail reminders for upcoming visits.
I am a new cat owner, not having one for 15 years, and I had tons of questions, many of which were probably common sense and slightly stupid, but they answered them in the most courteous way I could imagine.
All in all I am super happy I found them, will continue to bring my cat to them, and would recommend them!

As I read the reviews about Dr Berens and staff I felt compelled to write my own. As a registered nurse who deals with patients, their health and their satisfaction I have found that those who are not 100% satisfied with their experience tend to leave reviews much more often than those who are satisfied.
I have been taking my 20+ year old white ring-​neck dove Angel to Dr Berens since 2006.
Dr Berens is an Avian specialist whom I was referred to by another Vet.
During these past 7 years I have found Dr Berens and staff to be so warm and caring and I am sure Angel would not have been with me for so long if it wasn’t for them.
I have been to their clinic too many times to count and there are always others whom I sit and talk with in the waiting room and they love West Valley Pet Clinic. I wish all those people would write a review on Unilocal but I guess they are like me. I have been very pleased with WVPC since 2006 but it never dawned on me to write a review.
I thank you Dr. Berens, Chelsea, Ashley, Megan, and Joe for all the wonderful care you have given Angel and Christie and for treating me with much respect and understanding.

HORRIBLE!!!
I am so upset as I write this review. I went to this clinic about a month ago because my dog had symptoms of an ear infection. Saw the dr. She said he had an infection and prescribed an antibiotic and some drops to put into his ear twice a day. But before that she said they had to numb his ear to be able to clean. It cost me a lot$$$$ $ 248.and some vaccines. for nothing really.
Anyway… to make a long story short. It has been about 5 weeks now and my dog was still not feeling well. I called a friend of mine that referred me to her vet all the way in Siverlake so I took my dog there this morning.
He had no ear infection! he had a fox tail stuck into his ear all this time. The doctor did not need to numb his ear to take it out! It took her 2 mins to take it out then afterwards she cleaned it and put some ointment. Also gave me some to take home and continue using it for a week! The total bill was $ 99.
Stay away from this office. Dr Kunin down the street is much better but he’s always super booked!
I did not like the «lady» manager at the front desk, he’s not very nice!
I was not happy at all with their staff and doctor BERENS!!!