Animal Dental Clinic

On Christmas Day, 2015, I noticed a change in my ten year old Boxer. He has epulides, diagnosed as benign growths around his gum line. For several years they have grown, but never seriously bothered him nor impacted his eating and lifestyle. The largest epulis, in the front of his top jaw, seemed to be turning color from the bright pink of his gums to a dark purple, as if it had been bruised. Within days, the growth roughly 1″ x 1″ x 1″ in size, changed color to a gray and started to smell quite bad. I have had limited medical training, but my suspicion was that something was not right.
After a brief discussion with Animal Dental Clinic in San Carlos, I sent pictures from my iPhone which were quickly reviewed by Dr. Nicodin Farcas and his staff. They next day, we were in San Carlos for the first available appointment. 48 hours after that appointment, Baxter was in surgery on New Years Eve.
Performing surgery on Baxter was not an easy proposition. Baxter was diagnosed with right ventricular cardiomyopathy a few years back and he is on medication to regulate his arrhythmias as well as the structural changes of his heart. Dr. Nicodin Farcas was able to get in contact with Dr. Sarah Johns from SAGE Veterinary clinic and discuss Baxter’s case and the sensitivity of performing surgery on him. Given the possibility that the growth could be cancerous, and needed to be removed for biopsy, it was determined that the surgery was necessary but precautions would be taken because of the heart condition.
Baxter did not do well under anesthesia. In short, if it weren’t for the professional care which Baxter received, I wouldn’t be listening to him snore as I write this review. Under anesthesia, Baxter decided to stop breathing, so Nurse Melinda did it for him. Once he came to, everything was fine and he was back at it, minus a rotting growth on his face. Baxter was happier and more lively within 24 hours of the surgery.
I cannot say enough about the staff at Animal Dental Clinic and the professionalism, knowledge, and approachability of Dr. Nicodin Farcas. Baxter has been a member of my family for ten years, thanks to the care of Animal Dental Clinic, I anticipate having several more.

I can’t recommend Dr. Farcas enough, he is an amazing vet. He’s extremely knowledgeable and board certified in dentistry and oral surgery, with the added bonus that he worked as a general practice vet for several years first. This came in handy since he was familiar with treating my cat’s complicating conditions – asthma and early kidney disease – and took several steps to ensure my cat’s safety during anesthesia. He listened to my concerns and adjusted protocols when necessary to accommodate my cat’s medical and behavioral issues (my cat is capable of acting like a rabid bastard when he gets worked up). Dr. Farcas takes his time during consultations and answers all my questions. I’ve interacted with most of the nursing staff at ADC and I’ve always been impressed with their knowledge and professionalism. They were so patient with my furry trouble-​maker. Thanks to Dr. Farcas, Stacy, Lee and the rest of the staff my cat received wonderful care and has recovered nicely from both of his dental treatments. You guys are the best, thank you for all you do!

My little Bichon Frise had a tumor in her mouth that ended up needing two surgeries, the first to remove the growth completed by our regular vet. After the biopsy results, it was determined that a second surgery, a partial jaw removal, was necessary to irradiate all tumor cells to prevent its regrowth. My dog’s regular vet recommended Animal Dental Clinic in San Carlos.
Dr. Nicodin Farcas, DVM, at Animal Dental Clinic, did an excellent job of meeting all of my dog’s needs and of educating and reassuring my husband and me each step of the way. He spent an extraordinary amount of time establishing a trusting relationship with my dog. He completed a successful surgery, and even did some reconstructive work during the surgery that helps my dog live a healthier and neater life. Post surgery, he called daily to check that she had passed all critical milestones and inquired about her activity level and perceived emotional state.
My Bichon was very excited to go back to see Dr. Farcas for her post-​surgery follow-​up exam. She entered the clinic with confidence and was happy to see everyone at there. At the follow up, I discovered that my dog’s teeth had also been cleaned while she had surgery. That was just icing on the cake for me.
Dr. Farcas gets a ⁵⁄₅ star rating from me and I’m sure if my dog could, she would give him a 5 bone rating… or maybe that should be a 5 toothbrush rating. (BTW their dental hygienist taught me how to get her to LOVE getting her teeth brushed daily. It works!!!). I found all of the Animal Dental Clinic’s personnel that I came in contact with to be helpful, kind, reassuring, professional, and highly competent. My dog and I thank them for being there to bring her through the door that led to a healthy, pain-​free life. It’s been about a month now since the surgery and my Bichon is doing superbly.

I read a few negative reviews and was a little worried. Dr. Nicodin Farcas was so wonderful. A very kind man, he knew exactly how to handle my dog and put me at ease, explained everything very clearly. The entire staff was awsome. So kind, helpful, clear in explaining everything and most important they took good care of my baby boy! Yes it is expensive but I always put money aside for my dog’s health care and I suggest everyone do the same so when you get the bill you won’t take it out on the staff. They all were wonderful, I wish Dr. Farcas could be my dog’s regular vet, he will be my dog’s dentist. I would not think of going anywhere else.

Exceptional in every way. Staff is knowledgeable, courteous, friendly. Dr. Mincheff is a professional. Just be prepared, root canals, extractions, etc. are very expensive ($ 2k+). Part of this sticker shock is that if you’re like me, you don’t budget health costs for pets at all, so $ 150 would be a lot.
Absolutely wonderful demeanor and care by all that work there, from the top down.
Really great job. It’s wonderful to see professionals doing what they’re meant to do.

I don’t know why people keep complaining about the switching of Dr Holmstrom to Dr Mincheff. The first time I called in 2010, the receptionist already told me that Dr Homstrom is not seeing new patient and was semi retired, and I would get another vet which is Dr Mincheff in resident to see my cat. Moreover, I had been told that the first consultation visit is 125 USD, so I already know what will happen. I felt a bit weird the first time I know this fact, but since my cat’s broken canine was still in good condition, I did not make the appointment in 2010, instead, I did my first appointment in 2013 when my cat’s broken canine started to show abscessed.
I have three cats. The eldest cat did canine root canal and extraction due to resorption in 2013 June. The second cat had one tooth extracted due to resorption in 2013 Sept, and the same cat did the surgery to removed all of the molars and premolars on right side due to resorption of 4 of the molars and premolars in 2014 Mar. Both cats came home happily and they all show they are comfortable with the clinic.
I really appreciate Dr Mincheff and the staffs. I will continue to have Dr Mincheff as our cats’ dentist.

I really agree with review from Ken on here.
I was very disappointed too with the feedback from my initial phone call here.
The receptionist was abrupt with any of my questions upon calling.
I proceeded to ask about anesthesia and before I even had finished my question
I was asked «well, would YOU have a root canal without anesthesia ?»
*please, allow someone to first FINISH their concerns and questions, and I had
very good reason to ask from a traumatic prior experience.
My payment questions seemed like a hassle as well.
I would NEVER address any concerns from my patients in the people hospital world like this, our animals are just as important. Utmost compassion should rule
in all interactions.
Even if it is a very good facility, none of this represents it or puts
nervous potential clients/​callers at ease
They lost my interest.

Make sure you have all the facts before you go. Being a Unilocal citizen, I’d like to provide a fair and honest report about what happened to me, so everyone here can make the correct decisions re. where to take their pets to.
My 3 year-​old dog had an accident on Thanksgiving. He fell and his K9 tooth went into his sinus. We first took my dog to an excellent ER vet, Dr. Mark and Dr. Robinson at Pacific Veterinary in Capitola to stop the bleeding over night. The next morning, Dr. Robinson was so honest and told us that he stopped the bleeding and could remove the K9, but dental vets are more equipped to a better job, so he recommended Dr. Holmstrom from Animal Dental Clinic. I was so impressed by how honest Dr. Robinson was. We need more vets like him.
The following week I went to Animal Dental Clinic for consultation. The week was so chaotic and I didn’t even realize that I didn’t get the recommended doc, Dr. Holmstrom, but I got Dr. Mincheff instead. Before Dr. Mincheff showed up, the nurse Melinda sent us to a waiting room. Here is what I did NOT appreciate nurse Melinda did —
1. She didn’t tell me that Dr. Mincheff is not «dental vet certified» when I asked her for Dr. Mincheff’s professional background.
2. She didn’t focus on my dog’s injury, instead, she made me feel very guilty about not brushing my dog’s teeth. Gee, my dog is only 3 years old, how bad could his teeth be. Melinda told me that I should send my dog to the clinic for annual cleaning. A total unnecessary up-​sell!!! ²⁰⁄₂₀ just had a show about this type of unethical business practice.
Then Dr. Mincheff came into the office and checked out my dog for about 5 minutes. No test, no treatment, no meds. This whole consultation was $ 125 !!
The appoint #2, the day of the surgery, I brought my dog in. While the staff was putting anesthesia on my dog, I was walking around office and didn’t find Dr. Mincheff’s «dental vet» certificate on the wall. All the certificates were from Dr. Holmstrom. So, I asked the nurse where Dr. MIncheff’s certificate was, and then found out that Dr. Holmstrom was semi-​retired and was no longer taking new patients, and Dr. Mincheff was not «dental vet» certified. At this point, I felt blindsided. I was paying extra $$ to take my dog to a specialist; the point was to see a «certified» specialist, not a regular vet. While this discussion was going on in the front office, Dr. Mincheff stormed out to the front office and yelled at me, «take your dog, get out of my office !!! «. I was blown away and was almost in tears. My dog had been under anesthesia, he couldn’t even walk, and the doc just asked to get out just because I had a question re. her professional background? Since my dog was under anesthesia and I didn’t want him to go through another one unnecessarily, and his injury couldn’t wait any longer for treatment, I had to swallow my pride and put up with the rude attitude, and let Dr. Mincheff treat my dog that day.
Dr. Mincheff and I later had a civilized conversation. She didn’t exactly apologize but I could see she regretted being rude to me. I hope she will take her certification test in March this year as she promised, and truly has the heart and the compassion to help animals. Even today, 4 months later, I’m still shocked that she yelled at me and asked me to take my sick dog home after she already put anesthesia on him. Where was the love and compassion for animals in this picture? BTW, the whole procedure costed another $ 1820, ~$ 300 more than what the estimate was. I don’t think it is fair that Dr. Mincheff charges the same rate as a «dental certified» vet like Dr. Holmstrom does until at least she gets her certification. I definitely feel I over paid for the service (2 healthy teeth extraction, 2 hour surgery), and got a lot less than what my dog and I deserved.
A few hours later that day, I came back to pick up my dog. I finally met a nice nurse, Stacey. She was thorough in explaining to me re. post procedure care, etc. Sitting right behind Stacey, I saw nurse Melinda eating her lunch at front desk. She didn’t even show any concern about my dog, and just kept eating her food, which I consider extremely unhygienic. Medical staff shouldn’t eat at the front desk of a hospital !! That is common sense. She had always acted very cold and condescending toward me. I wonder why she picked this occupation.
All I want to say is that vets/​veterinary staff should always put animals first. It really shows who picks this profession for $$, and who truly loves animals.

Make sure you get a second opinion if you take your animal here with a tooth problem. The tech could not bring herself to take my dog’s temp anally, tried to do it in the ears which have so much fur no accurate reading possible. The doctor diagnosed an abscess and said my dog was in pain and stoically not showing it. He presented me with two plans: root canal for $ 2000 or extraction for $ 1900. My dog is a diva and never hides her discomfort. There are no visible signs of infection or of the tooth bothering her. He took no X-​rays. Bothered by the cost and the sloppy exam, I got a second opinion from another vet with dog dental experience. He told me nothing needed to be done unless an abscess formed, which would be visible. He said extraction would be done if this happens because dogs don’t need these teeth to eat.
I was relieved to not put my dog through dental surgery pain. I feel this clinic attempted to scam me: diagnosed my dog with an abscess with no evidence, told me she was stoically in pain to make me feel guilty, and scared me that if I didn’t do this procedure I would be putting my dog’s overall health at risk. Will not return.

Ok, first thing I’m going to say is: If you aren’t really willing to think about spending quite a few $$ on your pet, then you really shouldn’t even consider an animal dental specialist.
Now…if you are willing to shell out more than a few bucks to take of your four-​legged member of your family, then read on.
I came here after more than a month of deliberating on whether I should come or not. But after months of my regular vet just prescribing continued antibiotics and pain meds, I knew that I had to figure out why my cat’s mouth was such a mess and what was causing her to be in so much pain. (I have NEVER heard a cat scream in pain as I have with this cat. Scary. And sad…)
MAKING THE APPOINTMENT:
I should have made an appointment when I first starting thinking about it because when I finally got around to making the appointment, the soonest they could get me in was a month later. Ouch.
(But I called a few times to see if they had cancellations and it turned out that they were able to get me in about 5 days sooner.)
When I called to make the initial appointment, then gentlemen that I talked to was very caring and thorough in asking about the status and problems of my cat. He even told me to make sure to keep getting pain meds from my regular vet so that my cat wouldn’t suffer.
DEALING WITH THE STAFF:
Every time I called in to ask about moving up my appointment, the staff was more than helpful and very friendly.
DAY OF THE APPOINTMENT:
When I went in for the appointment, the front staff was super friendly and was asking about how my cat’s pain was doing. She got me filling out the paper work immediately and then got me into the exam room quickly.
The first nurse I met in the exam room took down all the notes and really listened to me go on about what my cat was going through and what my vet had been telling me. I’ve never been to a counselor, but this is something what I imagine it to be like.
The nurse was thorough and noticed a number of things about my cat that I hadn’t noticed (including flea dirt… bad cat mommy!)
Dr. Mincheff herself came in and immediately started talking softly to my cat. The doctor moved slowly and just talked at first… no exam. Initially I didn’t know what she was doing, but then it became apparent that she was just trying to get to know my cat.
Dr. Mincheff listened carefully as I spoke and went through all my cat’s ills. I felt like she, too, was listening to me fully and taking her time. For being used to my vet who listens but moves through our appt very quickly, this was very nice to see.
When the dr was explainin the procedures and the costs (like I mentioned at the beginning, if you’re not willing to pay… this may not be the place for you), she spoke slowly and clearly and explained everything very well. I REALLY liked that because normally any doctor I talk to speaks REALLY quickly and moves through everything too fast.
DAY OF THE SURGERY:
The front staff was able to work some magic with their surgery calendar and got my cat in only 1 week after the initial appt.
From the second I dropped off the cat, to the call they gave me with her status, to the guy who explained everything when I picked my cat up, I felt completely comfortable with everything that was going on.
My cat had even peed on her towel on the ride up that morning and they had washed it for me.
They even cleaned up her nails for me/​my cat since she hadn’t let me do it because of her pain.
In the end, while expensive, this was definitely a good decision on my part.
Only one day after the surgery and my cat is really starting to seem like a brand new cat.
Thank goodness!

Yesterday I took my 11 year old pug to have 2 teeth removed because they actually had cavities and my regular vet was afraid he would break them as he didn’t have the proper tool to remove them. I was dreading this and was so worried to have my baby go through this procedure but knew it had to be done.
Dr. Mincheff put me at ease during the initial consult 2weeks ago but I was still a nervous Nellie yesterday.
We arrived at 815 and a few minutes later they took my girl and gave her a shot to get her relaxed and she was brought back out to me while the sedative took effect.
We went to breakfast and about 45 minutes later received a call to let us know that 2 more teeth needed to come out. At approx 11:30 we went back to wait and she was waking up. Dr. Mincheff came out and talked to us and explained what she had done. They let my pug wake up a bit on her own and then once again brought her out to me wrapped in a warm blanket to finish waking up with us. After about 30 minutes she was ready to go home. The whole process was about 4 hours from arrival to departure.
Stacy at the front desk was wonderful as was the tech who sedated my pug but I didn’t catch her name. We had gotten an estimate with a low and a high and were pleasantly surprised that the total bill fell right in the middle with meds and 2 extra extractions.
I want to thank Dr Mincheff and her staff for taking such wonderful care of my girl. Today she is almost 100% and a big load has been lifted from me. :)

My recent rescue had a couple of teeth pulled at the shelter, and had another that was showing a root. My vet took a look and said we should check it — so when it came time I called Dr Holmstrom. Long story short, he took X-​rays, and found several obvious issues — leading to several extractions. The entire staff was very communicative during the entire process, and Dr Holmstrom came to talk to me a couple of times during the surgery to give me updates. The entire process was very smooth. I would recommend Dr Holmstrom to anyone, he’s fantastic, and my shy fearful dog also liked him! My dog is doing fantastic, he’s recovered quickly. Thank you Dr Holmstrom!

Super kind, thoughtful and efficient. Dr minschkeff explained everything about my little kitty girls extraction, sedation and recovery and so far so good. I love my vet but she doesnt do teeth. This is the place to go:) Kitty made it iut great… she was high for a day or two… but she is purring away on my lap right now:)

Five strikes against this clinic.
First strike — there was a «bait and switch» on the vet. I made an appointment to see Dr. Holmstrom, the senior veterinary dentist, who had been recommended to me. However, when I arrived, another vet was there. Dr. Holmstrom wasn’t even in town! The vet, Dr. M_​_​_​_​, just appeared in the examination room without anyone providing an explanation or excuse — she just appeared! I learned later that Dr. M_​_​_​_​, is a vet, but hasn’t yet passed the dental exam, so is a «dental resident».
Second strike — she came in the room wearing a very dirty lab coat. I hated to have her touch my puppy’s mouth without gloves.
Third strike — she didn’t know what the problem was, if it was serious, or if anything could or should be done about it. She said come back in two weeks to reevaluate. Valuable time is passing with no action.
Fourth strike — I was charged $ 125, which is more than other veterinarian dental offices for the same initial consultation, and the same as Dr. Holmstrom — for a vet that hasn’t even passed the dental exam!
Fifth strike — This is just personal — but I had no confidence in the evaluation of this vet.

dont even bother calling these folks, if you have a question or concern
the receptionist or tech that answers the phone has a holier than thou attitude and while we understand that pricing is specific to the case, there are kinder ways to share information and attitude that should be checked at the door if you are in any type of customer service…
i wish it wasnt so and we could call them our local dental vet, but we’re looking elsewhere…(no matter how good the «services» are supposed to be)

I hate to be the one negative nelly here, but my experience with a vet here was anything but positive. We got a rescued dog with significant wear on his teeth likely due to being overly obsessed with dirty tennis balls. All his pre-​molars were very, very well worn, canines are fairly worn and he had one chipped incisor that we were concerned about. He had started eating his dry food slowly and I was concerned that the wear may have exposed something sensitive.
We met with the resident DVM, not Dr. Holmstrom that everyone else is commenting on. Without looking really look at my dog’s mouth, she declared that ALL his *healthy* lower incisors should be pulled immediately. Why? Oh because it’s possible that a lower incisor had mashed into the chipped upper incisor and that could happen again, so it’s best to pull all the lower teeth just in case. To the tune of $ 2k.
Really? Um, no thanks.
Now I might have bought the story a little more readily if she’d actually looked at his teeth some, spent time explaining what was going on with the pre-​molars or if pulling several healthy teeth seemed even slightly reasonable. The appointment maybe lasted 10 minutes tops and I definitely got the feeling she had more important places to be.
Instead I got a second and then third opinion from vets who said his teeth are fine. These vets both were able to safely look all around my dog’s mouth (I brush his teeth several times a week so he’s used to it). Very worn, but as long as he’s off the tennis balls, he should be OK.
I know it’s hard to say what’s going on in animal’s mouth. They can’t tell us where it hurts and could easily take your fingers off while you try to find out. Advocating ripping out healthy teeth is just plain wrong.
I’d give only one star, but I do have friends who took their rescue with horrible teeth in to see Dr. Holmstrom and had a wonderful experience. Two root canals and some other work and he’s a very happy dog now.
So all in all, call and ask for Dr. Holmstrom specifically and don’t be afraid to get a second opinion.

Our rescue dog cracked her large incisor tooth while playing with another dog. We first visited a vet in San Jose and the vet quoted us about $ 500 total to remove the tooth. I was hoping they could save the tooth since it was only cracked, but the root was exposed and my poor dog was not the same since the injury. The vet did recommend another specialist in San Carlos, but did advise us that the cost would be a lot more.
So we went home and my fiancé and I decided to just go ahead and take a chance with the cost. We visited this clinic and we were quoted between $ 1,400-$ 1800. I decided to go ahead with the procedure since we had our dog since she was just a little puppy from the pound and I wouldn’t feel right just paying a cheaper cost to remove an important tooth.
The procedure took place all in one day and not only did they save our dog’s tooth, the specialist smoothed the tooth after doing the root canal surgery and now my dog tooth only looks like a smaller version of the other incisor tooth. The specialist also cleaned her entire teeth and her teeth look amazing.
It’s been about two months now and our dog is doing great. The tooth is not bothering her at all and she’s back to her normal self. Yes I paid almost $ 2000 for the entire cost, but I’m glad we spent the money for the well being of our dog.

Our 10 year-​old kitteh had reabsorbtive lesions on a number of his teeth (a common but serious problem), and we knew that they necessitated some extractions. We had him checked out at Pets Unlimited, his usual vet, but based upon their price estimate and a few horror stories on Unilocal,we looked around for alternatives. After posting a question about dental vets on CraigsList and getting wholehearted recommendations for Animal Dental Clinic, and reading their reviews here, we decided to go with them.
And are we ever glad we did!
After being tied up in traffic down the Peninsula for a half-​hour longer than we thought it would take to get there, we were welcomed by the Lilian, the nicest vet tech we’ve ever met. She treated our cat with gentleness and skill to prepare him for the main event: oral surgery with Dr. Holmstrom.
Dr. Holmstrom impressed us as knowledgeable as it’s possible to be, as well as concerned for our cat, and for our budget. There is probably no vet on earth who has more experience with dental surgery for pets. And his clinic is one of the very few places that uses the latest in anesthesia, which puts less stress on a pet’s system than the usual anesthesia, although it costs far more. The «worst-​case scenario» cost that they gave us beforehand made us gulp, but he assured us that he would do what he could to keep the price low.
In the end, seven of kitteh’s teeth had to come out, but due to Dr. Holmstrom’s skills, he was able to extract them and perform the rest of the cleaning, etc., in considerably less time than was estimated. That meant the total bill was actually less than the lowest estimate that Pets Unlimited gave us for just 3 extractions! And our cat is doing remarkably well now, despite the trauma of a long car ride and being put into a strange environment. After a week, he’s like a new cat — much more playful and contented than he’s been for months.
Big thanks to Dr. Holmstrom, Lilian and the rest of the staff at Animal Dental Clinic!

Fantastic humans taking great care of animals, what could be better.
Yes, I agree this care does not come cheap. Our pets rely on us to take care of them, and these are the vets that support our furry babies.
They saved my dog’s life — literally.

My cat recently needed a cleaning and a couple of cavities removed. Dr. Holstrom was knowledgeable and explained the procedure in detail. The staff is great! My cat has hip problems so they were careful to take notes so that extra care would be taken turning him over while under anesthesia. Everyone in the office was kind and gentle with my little king and patient with his protective mom!
Check out their website under «frequent questions» or «services» for helpful information about procedures and safety precautions taken while placing an animal under anesthesia.