Long Beach Animal Hospital

Brought my kitten in with cold flu like symptoms. They were open until midnight. Which is why I went there after I got home from work. I got there at 11:30, I called ahead so they were waiting for me. Doctors were nice and listed to everything I said. Had been at a few animal hospitals the past few weeks and experienced lack of professionalism and less than average one on one animal care. LBAH was quite the opposite. I walked away feeling good about my visit.

My vet was closed for the day so I took my dog to Long Beach Animal Hospital where they want to do everything that they can to charge you as much as possible. It was almost a grand for a bladder infection. The infect was not fixed so I took my dog to her normal vet who gave her a couple of shots and two meds to take. He sent for labs and this was only 186.00.

I encountered this full service clinic/​hospital after my Vet referred me because they closed at 7:00pm. My Lily girl has diabetes & I found in her in a state of acute despair. She stopped eating, she could not hold her bladder & appeared to have lost weight over night.
Dr.Kennedy assessed her & after reviewing & explaining in detail the possible disease states (i.e. infection; pancreatic, kidney & liver involvement) she hatched a treatment plan that worked. Continuity of care with the overnight ER Doc took place thru phone calls & faxed assessments. labs etc., When I arrived the Dr was on the phone w/​Dr. Kennedy getting report. (THIS DOES NOT HAPPEN TO HUMANS. DOCTORS DO NOT CALL & GIVE REPORT TO PHYSICIAN’S & FOLLOW UP & THEN FOLLOW UP AGAIN THIS DOES NOT OCCUR IN THE HUMAN WORLD OF HEALTHCARE; and makes sure your loved one has her MooMoo Cow toy tucked in for nite-​nite). There is a huge disconnect in human health care that compromisizes the Human and quality attached to healthcare. I know I am a physician.
I was overly impressed with the compassion; quality of care, and service delivered by the physicians; their extenders (Certified Vet nurses) & the front office staff. Check out the compressive web site, you will learn a lot; and fall in love with their mission (Hint: Expenses for Wildlife are forgiven)

Best Dr. Lurline Nieto call for questions about my experience/​review 562−607−2961

I’ve taken our cat here twice. Our regular vet was closed and these guys are open until midnight on most nights.
Prices are on par with most vets in the area, if not a little on the cheaper side. Staff was friendly and helpful. The doctors took their time and didn’t pressure us into spending tons of cash. The doctors called to follow up and make sure our cat was okay.
My only complaint is that the exam rooms are small and lack ventilation. It can get stuffy. My suggestion to management would be to obtain some small fans that they could mount in the rooms, just to help with circulation.

I called in the morning because one of my ratties was sounding like she had a respiratory infection. They were able to fit me in that very same day, I didn’t have to wait long (maybe 20 minutes, but I arrived very early!) and was actually seen before my scheduled appointment time. I was anxious for my rats because it was their first vet visit but the staff were very kind and accomodating. I was really blown away (and truly comforted) about Dr. Ridgeway’s knowledge about rats. Even though he admitted to being allergic to them, he treated them with such great care. He was very reassuring and offered me a couple of options for her treatment. I will be returning in a couple months to get them spayed by Dr. Ridgeway and feel very secure about it. Like I said, his knowledge and compassion is very apparent and I am so grateful to have found a great vet on the first try. I highly recommend Dr. Ridgeway and LBAH.

I originally had a 5 star rating here because I felt it was out of obligation. I brought my cat in a few years ago as he was having dental issues. He got the normal round of pain meds, antibiotics and was waiting for a surgery or options. My cat responded to the meds hence the 5 star rating. It was the follow up that killed it for me
I have to tell you yes, my cat had a couple of cavities. but the underlying diagnosis was well missed! I was referred to a feline dentist in Orange County that was told by the vet I saw. that it would be a couple of thousand dollars to get his work done. The vet also wanted to do an echocardiogram and check my cats FIV status even though he was a rescue, lived inside an already has an FIV — status on record. The vet tried to tell me the cat needed an echo as he was tachycardic (fast heart beat) while being examined. I kid you not, the cat is scared to death and is why he is «tacky». She did not know I am an RN. the two tests echo and fiv would run $ 400 (that is with NO dental work) I called that fancy assed referal and left two messages. NEVER to have gotten a call back. I guess business is that good. or that charge that much they didn’t need anymore clientele. This was a GODSEND and a blessing. the original vet insisted his teeth get fixed, root canals and the likes. Its nothing short of a business looking for an opportunity to make money. when it wold not of fixed my cats issue.
It was suggested I take my cat to another vet here in LB for a second opinion. I took him to Primary Care Animal Hospital and within the first visit (which as free for new clients at this time) my cat was diagnosed with feline stomatitis. A chronic oral issues that in his case was caused by not bad teeth, but the tarter on his teeth, it’s a severe allergic type reaction.
He was confirmed and had the necessary treatments and care. which all ran me well under the $ 2000. The first oral surgery I had on this kitty was under $ 400 (the same costs for an echo and FIV check) it was nothing short of insane Long Beach Animal Hospital tried to suck out of me with fancy referrals. I never had to have an echocardiogram, my cat is still FIV– and his heart still beats like a humming bird when I take him to the vet 2 years later. his heart is fine. My cat after a few surgeries has ALL his teeth removed. which cured him… he eats canned food, is happy and without pain.
I would suggest to use these guys only in the event of a real emergency. The staff was kind, the prices are double to triple what I paid outside at my new vet. I know this is a business, but to up sale on unnecessary treatment using a fear tactic is not wise. Not all your clientele are gullible and I am glad I had a second opinion. My current vet did NOT agree with the plan of care set forth for my cat, and neither did I win I saw what the vet was trying to do.
Use your skills, have competitive prices and do not play on the fear of your clients to make your business go.

My dog had a severe allergic reaction. Let me share with you that this was the best place to take him. The staff are helpful and kind. No overlong waits. The nurses and doctor really took the time to find the problems and address them systematically. I appreciated that they have their own on-​site pharmacy and the attendant even cut the pills in half and quarters as prescribed by the doctor without my asking! This attention to detail was noted throughout my experience there. The place is kept neat and clean; as are the exam rooms. It was a relief to find a place that treats animals with love and respect. When a dog’s tail still wags after undergoing a painful procedure, you know you have made a wise decision for your pet. Pricing is fair and they are willing to work with you for procedures over $ 300 in terms of payment options. You can call for an appointment and they are opened until midnight!

Totally shocked at what a great experience I had. I will be honest, when I drove up, I was a little taken back. I came in and it was kind of uneasy and no one was at the front desk. They are a busy clinic for sure especially when we first got there. I think we were at the tail end of the evening rush because we were able to get a same night appt at 7:30 PM but probably did not get seen until about 8:15. Office manager answering phone was very sweet. The receptionist made sure to apologize for the wait and was very conscious of our wait times and thanked us for our patience. My cat Charlie was seen by Dr Yamamoto. She was great and so good with Charlie. He is very skittish but he did not mind her. I was happy, happy, happy. She took her time with him and was very cool. Prices are very reasonable. We got x rays for his leg, and got caught up with all his shots and did microchip. All his stuff was done same night. Got to look at the xrays and she explained what we were seeing and we got out in a total of 2 hours beginning to end. The techs were so good, office manager so nice and the doctor way awesome and bonus was that I did not pay an arm and a leg for Charlies treatment. BTW, I also think they take carecredit so that can be a plus although I did not use it this time… Dont let the office trappings fool you. You are paying for pets health and their treatment and not for the interior designer. Your pets dont care, why should you!

I can not imagine a worst Vet then Dr. Yamamoto… When trying to hard sale Vaccines to a pet parent it is not acceptable to threaten to euthanize the animal and have to cut off its head… And yes the «CUT OFF ITS HEAD» is a direct quote from her…
I took my lethargic kitty into the vet, it was after hours at our normal vet. So figured LBAH would make do. The Front Staff and the Tech were pleasant and friendly, then came the Dr. Y. After giving my cat an exam, she starts recommending a course of action, Blood work, rectal exam… She then questions if Frankie is up to date on her vaccines, I tell her she is, however Frankie only gets the FVRCP vaccine, since she is an inside only cat with no chance of exposure. She then ask what about Rabies? Which is not a required vaccine for cats, mind you. I say no. (Now being this isn’t my normal vet, she and I haven’t had a discussion on minimal vaccinations and treatments, that both my Vet and I have agreed upon). She then starts her hard sale tactics for the rabies vaccine, by saying «if we don’t give her the rabies vaccine, and she was to bite us during treatment, we would have to euthanize her and cut her head off»… now this is not even true seeing how their is a California mandated quarantine period that would start, to determine if she was rabies positive or not… I then say to her «so you are telling me that if you give her the vaccine tonight, and then she bite you that you wouldn’t have to chop my cats head off, even tho she could already been exposed and be a carrier of rabies» she replies «yes because we could use that as an excuse to not have to kill her»… At that point I was done, I packed up my kitty and went home…
One positive note, she did say that it would be NO CHARGE, since she threatened to chop off my cats head!!!

I just wanted to say thank you to all the staff tonight for helping my family with the euthanasia of our family pet, Lucy. They all were very considerate of us and our feelings. They made sure we had the time we needed with Lucy as she passed away and after she was gone. Thank you for being so kind during our delicate state. I’m glad Lucy was able to be put to sleep in a caring environment.

We took our cat here after she spent the night vomiting all over the house. The vet did an x-​Ray and did not find an obstruction, but thought maybe there was one.
We suspected she ate some ribbon after coming home again and went back to the vet to discuss.
The on call vet after hours told us we had to do emergency surgery or put her to sleep within the next 24 hours. We of course were leaving for a holiday vacation the next day.
After a sleepless night we decided to board her for observation instead of either of those options. She was and is still fine. She went home a couple of days later and hasn’t been sick since.
I’m glad we had someone observing her, but we weren’t going to do the surgery, so we would have put to sleep our healthy cat only at the recommendation of the vet.
It’s been about 6 months and she’s still here and fine.
Not sure if it was just the staff on hand at the time, as when we took her in to be boarded the vet there during the day said that he didn’t see anything on her x-​Ray and that she was probably fine.
It’s nice to have a vet available if there is a true emergency, but I’m not sure I would rely on the opinions of the off-​hours staff.

Have not used in a long time. I used to take Toby my Indian Ringneck to them they were very good I always felt they did a great job it’s my and feed bird. I have taken my cat to them Tinkerbell they were good. But I have found a great pet in Long Beach now

If you have a reptile don’t bring them here. Really look into where you should take them. I brought my two year old chameleon in today and they told me she was dehydrated and they could give her some IV fluids, vitamin shots (that were highly recommended), and «tube feed her». Mind you she was shedding so chameleons don’t eat very much when they are shedding. I spent 4 hours there and spent 200 $ there too find out what was taking so long was that my chameleon died and they were waiting for the doctor to tell me.
When the doctor came to speak to me I knew what she was going to say. She told me that they pushed to much stuff into her and she passed away. Right there in front of me my chameleon died. Yesterday she was completely fine and healthy. I wasn’t expecting it. And the nurses kept lying to me when I asked where she was the whole 3 hours I was just sitting there waiting. Thankful they returned my payment. But still tried to push me to purchase the private cremation. My chameleon just died unexpectedly and I wasn’t in the mood to argue that I didn’t want her cremated. They may be really good with other animals but they will tell you they have a lot of experience with exotic animals when clearly they didn’t know how much IV fluids to give to a tiny Cham.

This place is so confusing because sometimes you can have a good experience and sometimes a horrible experience. I don’t know exactly what is going on at LBAH, but I do know I see a lot of different people there each time I go (and I go there a lot), so maybe it is a staff turnover issue, which makes me wonder how they treat their really good employees (because there are some, please see bottom of this review)…which is such a bummer. If you don’t care about keeping good employees… well, it makes me wonder how much they care about the business they are in… caring for animals. PLEASE LBAH… clean up your act. Just hire some good qualified, organized employees who will be loyal to your business and be courteous and kind on a consistent basis. You could be so good, it’s such a shame that you’re not.
Anyway…I went in today to pick up a bag of fluids for my 15 year old kitty. She has been getting these same fluids for over a year now and I pick them up every few weeks. I walked into the office this morning and no one was in there… no clients, nor anyone at the front desk. I waited a few minutes and then a girl came out of the back and asked if I had been helped (long curly dark hair, no name tag). Before I could even answer, she turned her back and walked away into the back again. She started talking to another girl back there, but never once told the other girl that I was out at the front desk waiting. Eventually, the other girl came out and was surprised to see me there… and she apologized and said that she didn’t hear me come in (yeah, and the other girl who saw me certainly wasn’t telling!). Anyway, she handed me the bag of fluids and it was clear, so I knew the normal added vitamins weren’t in it… so she took the bag in the back and put the right vitamins in it. Okay, so, no big deal so far… just a little extra wait time. Then, as she was ringing me up, she told me that Dr. Seto said this was the last bag of fluids until I brought my cat in for a follow-​up visit. Well, I explained that I didn’t think that was right because I had just had her in a few weeks ago for a complete physical and other tests (blood work, xrays… over $ 600 worth of stuff) and I had brought her back a week after that for a follow-​up because her symptoms were not clearing up. The girl says to me that I was a «NO SHOW» on the follow-​up. I tried to explain that was not true. She insisted that it was true and that they had even left a message on my answering machine. At this point, I tell her that I have now had this exact SAME conversation 3 other times with 3 other front desk people and that I want the NO SHOW taken off my records. I explained, once again, that I brought my cat in for an appt. in early May, had tons of tests run and was prescribed something for my cat to try (IBS). It didn’t work, so I brought her back for her follow-​up visit 2 days early because I called Dr. Seto and told her it was not working, so Dr. Seto told me to bring her back right away… which I DID! I guess since I called and told them I wanted to move the follow-​up appt. up two days, that they never canceled the original one and now this is «following me» around on my chart every single time I come in… so exhausting… so unnecessary… and why hasn’t anyone removed this from my chart before now since I’ve had this conversation several other times??? Ugh… SO annoying. By the way, I got a call about 15 minutes after all this saying that Dr. Seto said that I didn’t need to bring my cat back for 6 months as long as she was doing well. *sigh*
All that being said, I do like Dr. Seto. She has been kind and caring to my beautiful 15 year old girl. I just think the whole place needs a new system… something a bit more organized. Maybe more client focused with consistent efficient and courteous people at the front desk for starters (since this is the first interaction clients have and I have had so many bad experiences with this part of things). Also, I would like to add that Lisa, one of the vet techs there is absolutely wonderful. She has been a consistent face in the midst of the changes there and she really cares about the animals that she takes care of and is so amazing at her job. I just wish all the employees there were this kind and caring!
PLEASEEEEEEEEE LBAH, get it together!

Thank goodness for LBAH! I’m so glad they’re open late. My 5lb Yorkie was recently bit by a german shepherd, and I had to take him to the vet right after. I called first to see if they could accommodate me, and the woman I spoke to on the phone was very reassuring and pleasant.
I arrived with my pup in my arms and they took him in and inspected him right away. He was in shock, and frankly, so was I. I don’t think any of knew how extensive his wounds were until they shaved him, because prior to that, we were just sitting and waiting. My dog was shivering pretty badly and the room I was waiting in had super uncomfortable chairs and my dog was really cold, so I wrapped him up in my sweater and just waited.
I got in around 6:30 and left around 9:13. It was a long wait. They took an x-​ray of my dog as a precaution, which I understand, but it was 65 dollars for something they already knew and they unfortunately did not let me have a copy of the xray when I asked, although my previous vet did let me have it!
Finally, after a bunch of bills and medicine, I was able to take my pup home. He still kind of smells like blood and the wounds don’t really look clean, so I plan on dabbing them with some cotton and water at some point.
All in all, customer service was excellent, vet was nice enough, but I wasn’t wowed at the amount of care given to my puppy. I have to go back to get my dog’s staples removed at some point (they didn’t tell me when…) so maybe I’ll re-​do my review after I see how that goes!

Awesome Place! Awesome staff! I definitely recommend it!
As a dog parent I get anxious every time I have to travel and leave my little dog behind. This place offers pet boarding service… nothing too fancy but it’s clean and they provide great quality care and I can’t forget to mention the staff in this place is amazing. They are not only friendly but also very caring! And as a dog parent that’s very important for me! I want my dog to feel as if she was home and they definitely make her feel that way here. I like how the caretakers are so loving with the animals and treat them as their own. When I pick up my dog she is happy and that makes me really happy too!
Overall they offer great service, great staff and reasonable prices:)

When I call up and make an appt for our dog to be seen by a specific doctor, that’s the vet I want to see. If I wanted to be switched to a new vet, I would have said so on the phone. Our dog is a bit afraid of vets and it’s all we can do to keep her calm… As a rescue puppy, she spent a lot of time in shelters and being adopted and then returned because it wasn’t a good fit for that family. They didn’t realize they were adopting a puppy I guess.
So when we show up and find out that we don’t have a choice but that the LBAH has switched us from Dr. Seto to someone else, that didn’t make us happy. I was more than a little concerned. The new vet comes in and she’s trying to «make nice» but she’s not nice. The dog had a small growth on her lip. Rather than just do some blood work on it OR tell us that it’s most likely a viral skin tag… she was proposing inordinately expensive surgery and pre-​op tests – over $ 1k!
We kept trying to backtrack on this path… the vet wasn’t listening and she wasn’t reading our cues…
While we saw Dr. Seto there, we were not able to talk to her. Dr. Seto had already seen Holly once and Holly liked her a lot. This new vet. not so much.
We left without doing anything… we are not going to help you all defray the new addition to your staff by paying for $ 1k + surgery that isn’t much of a surgery. plus grind down Holly’s nails. (really? really!..)
The skin tag eventually fell off entirely and she hasn’t had another reoccurrence. It was just like a cold sore and it hasn’t come back. While I am sorry to miss Dr. Seto. because she was a GREAT vet… and the office handled our previous dog’s passing just a few months earlier passing so well for us… and Holly’s introduction to the LBAH family. really well.
This last visit was exceptionally disappointing.
We are no longer going to use your facility. We found another animal hospital that won’t be seeing us as the cash cow to pay the overheard by saying that our puppy needs a pricy surgery when she doesn’t.
There definitely had to be some intermittent treatments to be tried before being presented with an option of a $ 1k _​+ surgery but your vet couldn’t seem to figure what that could be.
We found the right treatment online… We bought it from Amazon. It worked great. The dog is now tag free with very little hassle. It didn’t require the use of the entire bottle. It didn’t require us to anesthetize our dog.
Also please tell the last vet we saw (the newbie). that it’s not right to twist a dog’s ears up like you are a kid playing with a toy. Don’t treat my dog like a toy for you to play with. I want my dog to be treated with love… and caring. Given the previous review that I had done on LBAH, this is a major change. This was a very very scary situation that happened to us. The newbie was pushing us to get this done that same day we had been there last… and we don’t spend $ 1K + when it requires surgery that fast. especially when we want to think about what’s being recommended and why. (think of it as like a second opinion. Only we didn’t see another vet. We thought about what was being recommended and we didn’t agree. We found a very successful alternative treatment that cost less then $ 40.
We have since switched to another vet.
This review was sent to the LBAH the same day that it was posted here to Unilocal.

One of the few places in Long Beach that provides exotic care. A definite recommendation if you have small animals like rabbits and would like to get some general checkups and emergencies.
Prices for small animals care are fair for the services and the vet showed years of experience dealing with small animals. She provided excellent feedback and analysts of lab and x-​ray results for my rabbit in an emergency.
Open late too! Good for emergencies.
They also can provide care for wildlife and ship injured ones to rehabilitation centers if you were to stumble upon some.

Update time!
I feel as though I live here.
I have three fuzzkins (all rabbits), who visit here, and are thankfully alive thanks to the staff here.
If you have an exotic pet, your choices for veterinary care are slim, and they can be scary.
LOOK NO FURTHER!
Yes, veterinary care may be costly for such animals due to their tiny little bodies and delicate systems, but Long Beach Animal Hospital will give you options of things to do, and will not force you to do anything.
It is all up front and honest (which I appreciate, when I send a price estimate to my boyfriend for assistance ;)).
Now, who do my kids personally recommend after their years of care?
My old man Simba (who has been seen the longest) says Dr. Ridgeway treats him with the most respect for such an old bun.
He also says Dr. Palazzolo is another great vet if you can see him.
My kids come in for routine nail and incisor trims (being an old Lionhead is rough).
One of mine broke a nail and was checked by the vet and okay-​d (yay! Safe princess paws).
My old man had a molar procedure and was safely put under, and brought back (pretty impressive for a 6 year old at the time).
My little special needs kid (brain issues from being abandoned near chemicals), put himself in stasis, and the staff here saved him from blowing up into a bloated little man, gave him tons of love, care, and he survived.
Also, my old man just came in for a molar check and a spur fell out (lucky him!).
So yeah, we kind of live here, but don’t pay a high rent thankfully. ;)
The vet techs are all sweethearts, and my kids seem to have their favorites, even if they give them hell.
This place is family.

Last night, my sister noticed that her rabbit’s eyes were irritated due to a possible infection. We called our usual veterinarian who informed us that they would be unable to see him until next Tuesday.
We couldn’t imagine the possible repercussions would have been if we would have waited more than three days, so I decided to search online for other local veterinarians.
After multiple phone calls, we were finally able to locate and contact Long Beach Animal Hospital who confirmed that they treat small animals like rabbits and could see my sister’s rabbit in the next hour.
Upon arrival at their office, we were greeted by their awesome staff including the receptionists and nurses who immediately saw my sister’s rabbit and confirmed that he had a minor eye infection which could be treated with drops.
I am so appreciative of Long Beach Animal Hospital for their convenient location, amazing office hours (open until midnight every day) and their awesome staff especially Dr. Wendy Hsu!
We will be taking all of our animals to their office from this point on.