Cardiff Animal Hospital & Wellness Center

We’ve been in multiple times with our two dogs (one always healthy, one always something going on) over the past year. Dr. Woods and her staff are efficient and thorough and sensitive. They review different options in terms of treatment and foods (until I fully understand them all) and are competitive with pricing. They always follow up within a day of treatment to check on how the little furry one is doing and ask specific questions to make sure my guys are doing well. I recommend Dr. Woods to all my friends with pets in the North County area!

Dr. Woods and her staff are nothing short of amazing. They provided our dog amazing care that included two overnight stays. Also, if you have insurance they worked very closely with our provider to help get multiple surgeries covered.
If you live in north county this is the veterinarian you need to use.

Well, i met Dr. Jodi Woods the other day, I believe he’s such a nice and caring lady and she’s doing great job. I wish i had a dog (or any pet, but dogs are my fav). I’m telling you, if you have a pet, you’ll have nothing to worry about, just ask her for help.

Dr. Woods and her team were so warm and welcoming to my sweet dog, Sugar, who wasn’t feeling well, and had already had too many vet visits lately. They did a great job of relaxing her, and going the extra mile to make her comfy on a dog bed. I personally appreciate the compassion and sensitivity they gave to my feelings as well. I like that Dr. Woods takes a holistic approach, and that she is willing to try different plans to see what works. She is organized and gives me confidence by looking at all the details and putting it into a comprehensive plan. Sugar is already feeling better!

Staff was cheerful, welcoming, and friendly. Dr. Woods was knowledgeable and informative, and very patient. I’m glad to have found such good veterinary care here in Cardiff in our community! Would definitely recommend to other pet owners.

Dr. Woods & the staff are so friendly, competent, & their prices are about average, as expected. Although our dog was Dx w/​cancer in his bladder & prostate, Dr. Woods took the time to thoroughly discuss all tests, options… all the while being sensitive, kind, & never upsold me on additional, pricier services. It was already a costly visit, but reasonable considering everything done to be thorough. IMHO: get pet insurance! We’ve come to Cardiff Animal hospital for 11 yrs with all our pets & have always been pleased w/​the quality of services, cost, & great staff! We’ve been to other vets, & nothing has compared to here. This will be our 2^nd dog to put down here, but wouldn’t take Chili anywhere else.

Let me be the first to sing praises for Dr. Woods since she bought this practice a few months ago: She certainly deserves it!
Within 10 minutes of closing time she took in my poor cat who had stopped eating and become listless, and she promptly did a comprehensive exam including x-​rays and blood work – even though it kept her there well after closing. When the situation turned out more serious than I had hoped, she was clear and sympathetic in her conversations with me, and made sure I always felt comfortable and informed with each step.
A few days later, my cat is still hospitalized there, and it’s amazing the feeling of relief I have just knowing that she’s looking after him. Because Dr. Woods acted quickly, I feel confident in the trajectory of his health. She really is one of a kind.
To those previous reviewers worried about the price – it’s true, emergency pet care is expensive. That’s an across-​the-​board truth. But the mindset at this practice seems to be that, if time is of the essence, they’re going to act fast and cast a wide net to make sure to catch the culprit and treat it promptly. While some people might not agree with that method, I for one am extremely appreciative! I want to feel like I’ve done everything I can for my furry family members.
Dr. Woods and her staff will be allies for us as long as we live in southern California. Her kindness and expertise are both one of a kind.
Update: Kitty is now home and purring like usual! Not surprised :)

We have been taking our cats to Dr. Norell for nearly 10 years and have received nothing but the best in quality feline healthcare. Her experience, knowledge, professionalism, and general compassion for feline healthcare are simply exceptional. Dr. Norell always provides a complete explanation, offers various choices and strategies to resolve medical issues, and thoroughly describes the benefits and drawbacks of each approach. She often recommends what she would do in our case, if she were treating her own cats. In the times where we’ve been recommended to a specialist, we have found Dr. Norell’s recommendations to be impeccable. Finally, she has an understanding of the cost of different medical procedures and takes that into account when recommending treatment options. I give Dr. Norell nothing but the highest rating.
Furthermore, the staff are always friendly, knowledgeable, and caring. The staff make timely follow-​up phone calls and are always open to questions. We are consistently welcomed by name as soon as we enter the door. Assistance during examinations are professional and caring. And the staff often provide help with carrying pets and supplies to the car. The staff truly make a visit to Cardiff Animal Hospital a warm experience.
The facilities are great — having the dedicated entry door for cat owners definitely helps calm our cats. Great selection of products, including food, medicines, and flea medications — which are always on hand. Ample and easy parking.

I am constantly impressed with the level of care provided here. While, like many my pets are my family, I had no idea that my dog needed such extensive dental care. After a thorough examination and education (for me) I decided to go through with anesthesia dental cleaning for my dog. He did fantastic, he is eating better and even more playful.
I am so glad that my animals get the kind of care that they do at Cardiff Animal Hospital!
(And you can’t beat the view either!)

I have been impressed with Cardiff Animal Hospital for several years now. I took my cat there a few times in 2011. The service was top-​notch. Friendly and efficient techs and a great vet. My fiancée I recently brought my bulldog puppy there for his first vet visit. Again, the service was outstanding and I found Dr. Norrel very professional. Upon checking in, a receptionist took Cassius’s picture, added his name to it, put a copy on their wall, and gave us another copy. I felt that Cassius received a very thorough check with no pressure to perform any unnecessary procedures. we will certainly continue to take our new family member there.

I don’t have any specific criticisms of the particular vet I saw here, but before I met with her I was given the impression they are definitely there to sell you things in a big, big hurry that you may not need.
When I explained my pet’s minor issue to the tech, they quickly had an agreement on a clipboard outling a litany of procedures and medications that totalled roughly $ 250. I would have appreciated a detailed explanation from the vet as to why I needed to spend all of this money– which I didn’t get from the tech. The funny thing is that I own an expensive, exotic animal and little do they know I would spend thousands of dollars on him in a heartbeat if I thought it was medically necessary.
I run my own business, and I believe in and understand the need to make money, believe me, but I don’t like to feel like my pet and I are a dollar sign right off the bat. That was definitely the impression I had at this place. I ended up not spending the money because of the impression I had, took him to another vet, spent ¹⁄₃ of the amount, and he’s doing just fine. :)

I think this vet is unique in North County because it not only houses Dr. Norrel who is a very competent «traditional vet», but Dr. Lafflin who is a very competent holistic vet who used to run a more traditional practice.
This means that you can get 2 very different perspectives under 1 roof. This is quite useful if you are like me and want to mostly provide holistic care — but realistically need traditional medicine to support.
For example, we are very much against vaccinating our pets. That said, the law requires rabies vaccines. So having Dr. Lafflin vaccinate assures we are very conservative in what they get.
On the other hand, we also provide great dental care for our pets which does mean anesthesia and radiographs. Dr. Norrel helps us figure out whether they can do this in their office or whether we need to see a specialist. For our aging cat they felt a specialist was necessary. Having someone think through these issues and be «on the pet’s side» 100% helps these decisions be completely neutral.
What I mean by that is there is a monetary incentive for the typical vet to recommend things to you like dental, exams, and shots. These guys don’t work that way. Not that it’s inexpensive — but I have faith that whatever they are telling me is in the pet’s best interest and not because it’s a money maker for the practice.
I have no doubt that my pets lived a longer and more pain-​free life because of these docs. And I am a better and more responsible pet owner because of them.
The only reasons I would say it’s not a 5-​star operation:
— hours of availability: we have to maintain a 2^nd emergency vet as they are not ²⁴⁄₇ physically open.
— they do sell Hills in their office and it’s completely crappy food and I hate that any reputable vet sells it
— Dr. Norrel can be condescending in her tone — she is very competent and caring and will call nights and weekend and is so dedicated that I am happy to look past it — but I can see what other posters are saying in that regard

I brought in my 15 year old cat and did the recommended labs, blood pressure, ect. However the cat has started some bad habits an they are getting worse. So I brought her back in for a weight check up and voiced my annoyance with my cats behavior. It was recommended that I spend, spend and spend, more test and more money. When I said «no» I got the «well this is a living creature and I’m responsible for her well-​being» lecture… really people, what is she going to cure world hunger? I asked at what point have I done enough and there response was money. I don’t think so!

I recently moved to Encinitas and this vet was recommended by a pet sitter we used who didn’t turn out very well either…
I brought my 5yr old (almost 6!) lab/​pitt/​shep/​? mutt here for his bordatella vaccine update and a check-​up. It had been awhile since he’d had bloodwork and I had a concern that his activity level has mellowed out and he’s been eating grass and vomiting.
The techs were great here, no complaints.
When Dr. Nancy came in, she had a condescending manner about her, it was awkward and odd. She did the physical exam and asked me questions about my dog’s activity level and habits.
She noted that he had some buildup on his very back teeth and suggested a full teeth cleaning under anesthesia. I’ve never had my dog under anesthesia except for when he «got fixed.» I wanted to know if there were other options besides anesthesia since the hospital advertises as «holistic.»
She also noted his dew claws. She suggested they be trimmed back and his other claws be trimmed as well. I told her I’ve never cut my dog’s claws, they naturally grind down during walks and the length has never caused problems or been a concern.
After the exam, she left the room and I could hear her talking to the tech just outside the door regarding my dog’s activity level «he’s 6yrs old, what does she expect?» and regarding the dew claws «I see his claws and I just think of all the dogs who have come in here after they’ve snagged their claws.»
She came back in with an estimate for services: bloodwork, urinalysis, fecal exam, bordatella vaccine and claw trimming. I declined the claw trimming and signed the estimate.
The following Friday, I was out of town and Dr. Nancy called after 7pm. I didn’t answer as I didn’t have the number saved and I was busy out of town. I called her during business hours on Monday. She scolded me «I called you several days ago about the lab results…» and she went on to explain the lab results in vet terms, not layman’s terms that I could understand to make a good decision about what to do next for my dog’s health. When I asked her to explain a few things, she just slowed down and spoke louder! (I have a Masters Degree, I’m not a total idiot) She told me that I had two options: an expensive ultrasound or a course of antibiotics. I figured there’s got to be other options that are more «holistic» — perhaps taking my dog’s diet into considerations. I told her «no thanks» and I will bring my dog to his former vet for a second opinion. Good thing we didn’t move TOO far away!
I called her office later for a copy of the lab results and picked them up the next day.
I will not return to Cardiff Animal Hospital and would not recommend them to my friends.

Having moved up to North County this year, I was in need of a new vet. I had gone to one vet in Del Mar and felt they were competent but not thorough. There were some new health issues discovered without much instruction on how to address it other than coming back in 3 months to redo her bloodwork.
Fortunately, I happened to meet Dr. Nancy Norrell and in talking to her about what was going on, she gave me some advice based on her personal experiences with her own cats, which led me to switch over to Cardiff Animal Hospital to have her check out my cat. She gave me very clear concise instructions on my cat’s medications and even called one of the cat food companies to troubleshoot which food would be best for her based on her multiple medical issues. Dr. Norrell always got back to me when she said she would and truly seemed to have my cat’s best interest in mind while trying to keep the costs of meds/​food reasonable.
So far the kitty seems to be doing well with her new changes and I feel confident in the care that has been provided to her!
Thanks Dr. Norrell!

We have brought our pets here for 10 years and I am now changing vets, not because the doctor’s are bad, Dr. Norrell is great. I am changing vets because of the profound change in attitude and sheer lack of respect the front office has displayed. On two separate occasions I was treated shockingly bad by the vet techs/​front desk girls. They have chastised me for not coming in for yearly checkups (2 of them because I went to VCA Encinitas a few times for emergency and therefore did not need to bring my pet), and use this as their reason for taking me off their active client list, and not being in their current computer system which after 10 years of nearly total loyalty I guess I expected more. They used to treat my dog AND ME like family. A Word to Cardiff Animal Hospital: Just because you work with animals does not mean you don’t need people skills. We are after all paying the bill!
My suggestion is to find a different vet that has both great reception AND great doctors. I just can’t get past the front desk issue to justify paying these people anymore. This is not the same outfit I remember and loved. The two stars are for 8 years of good service and for Dr. Norrell. Reception gets none, go back to charm school and learn some etiquette.