VCA Canada Birchmount Animal Hospital

The Vet is professional and experienced. But the customer service and front desk are horrible! I bring my dog to visit this clinic over 5 times in last 2 months. They told me the insurance claim has been submitted. Even I ask them why the insurance company hasn’t receive claim forms, they just complain the insurance company always slow. Finally, I realize that they never submitted the claim. They just want to finish the conversation quick and don’t care about the client.

This clinic really need new customer service

Thatcher's first visit was amazing. His first vaccines happened with him not even noticing.
I've been bringing my dogs here since 2019, and never had a bad moment.
100% recommend!

If you're going for paperwork to be filled, make sure you overlook what's needed.

On two different occasions, they did not do their job correctly.a job that was paid for, from what you would hope is being done by a professional and correctly.

Our male cat was blocked on a Sunday afternoon and we had to take him to one of the emergency hospitals to unblock him. After 3 days of not getting better, we were told he had a severe blockage and would require a bladder surgery. Dr Tse at VCA was very helpful, speaking with the ER doctor, getting all the reports, setting up surgery as soon as possible for my cat. All we had to do was to transfer him from the emergency hospital to VCA. The surgery was difficult but Dr Tse did an amazing job and saved my cat's life. During the recovery, Dr Tse was very thorough and teaching us what to do with each complication and problem. We felt comfortable taking care of him at home.
One month after the original blockage our cat was blocked again unfortunately. He was very sick. Dr Tse and Dr Barrett both worked on him that day. Dr Barrett did a major surgery that day to save his life. Our cat was in hospital for another few days but he got great care by the doctors and the staff. Our cat is alive and doing well all because of the good care he got at VCA. We are very thankful to Dr Tse and Dr Barrett for saving him.

Although we moved out of the area a couple of years ago — we still visit this location. They are incredibly helpful through their 24/7 app, staff when you call are always helpful and caring + the doctors are ones where I have never felt pressured to spend and I have absolute trust in their care.

From a dog bite to double elbow dysplasia + a recent instance of pneumonia — the care we’ve received is always top notch.

The place is nice. However, Can't get any return email or phone calls within 24 hours.

Really bad customer service. Majority of the administration team/front desk personnel's
Seem to be incompetent in their roles. They have a lot of trouble with completing tasks and relaying information/fulfilling requests and really lack follow ups for urgent matters such as medication orders, changing phone numbers etc. They do not seem to communicate well within their own team or to clients/customers. There are very long delays in processing orders and look to point blame on clients rather than taking ownership for their actions.

I ordered a life long medication which I am not too sure why was extremely difficult for them to receive it, I was given various explanations and instead of them doing their job, they put the burden on myself to call daily until I found out they received the medication and I was finally able to retrieve it.and this was not a one off either. These type of incidents has happened on numerous instances for similar/same type of requests. Based on my experiences, I would highly not recommend this location for your pets who are in need of medication/care.

I initially found this place nice, but with time, I got to know they charge way more than other clinics. For 2 min checkup where other clinics charge $40-80, they charge almost $180. Their vet told me also because they are franchise, their charges are more than the other clinics. I stopped going to tjis clinic.

Brought my dog for exam. They wanted 1000$ upfront, to just do the wrong treatment I've found out after going to a different vet. Not going back there and wouldn't recommend to anyone either

Courteous and professional clinic. It is obvious they love animals.
I took my cat in for grooming. I was notified they whole time. Highly recommend this clinic.
I found them through my vet. My vet highly recommended this clinic for their special attention.

My German Shepard needed eye surgery to remove a cyst the developed fairly quickly. When he went for surgery they found a lump in his stomach and we agreed to remove that as well. He has healed very well and is doing great. The eye looks like nothing happened and his stomach is healing very well.

This place is horrible. Not only a rip off but a bunch of arrogant people. They are predators who try to prey on you when you are vulnerable. Please, spread the word, never take your pet to this place.

Dr Barrett is a wonderful vet who took care of the needs of a patients cat. If I needed a vet in Scarborough I would absolutely use his services first. Very calm, competent and clear with his description of what is on and what needs to be done.

I have only been here twice and I can tell you all they care about is to take your money and check you out as quickly as possible. The front desk team does not smile or appear friendly on any of my visits. Instead of helping me calm down my animal for the ride home I was told “o there’s nothing we can do about that! ” Everyone watched and doing nothing. No kind of nurturing and sense of warmth that you want for your special animal. Very Insensitive and I will never return. Do not waste your money here for this kind of service. I actually have to ask a lot of questions instead of them educating me on what is happening.

We started going to Birchmount Veterinary Clinic 20 years ago when we got our kitten. The vets were great back then. After they changed to VCA, the vets who specialized in cats changed a few times.

The last time we brought our cat in, we saw Dr. Tse. Our cat was 18 at the time and one of her eyes was changing colour. Without doing a single test, Dr. Tse told us she probably needed to have the eye removed and that it would be $1,500. She touched our cat's belly and said it felt like she had cancer and if that was the case, she would likely 'go quickly'.

The assistant was very rough with our cat and indicated she had 'two yellow stickers" on her file.   They didn't even try to be gentle given her advanced age. Then, Dr. Tse took her in for tests and gave our 18-year old indoor cat who never has contact with any other animals and was apparently on a death's door, a rabies shot (which of course, there was a charge for).

A few days later, the tests revealed that the only problem with our cat was hyperthyroidism which is being controlled with medication. We've since switched to Toronto Mobile Vet Services. They are amazing! They're reasonably priced and gentle with our now 20 year old cat. They are never rough with her and don't give our very senior cat any unnecessary treatments. They also told us that there was no need for us to continue with the prescription diet that VCA told us she needed.

Having said all of that, the 2 stars in this review go to the people at the front desk at VCA Birchmount. They are always friendly, always return calls and answer any questions you have.

The staff is kind and sympathetic but I felt they weren’t knowledgeable and didn’t understand what was going on. They sent me home with my cat, stating that everything was fine and that there was nothing to be concerned about. He (my cat) died later that night and it was a horrible ordeal. I never even met with the vet.doctor that day. I had been asked to leave and come back to pick up my cat (because it would take some time to shave him down - no problem), but when I wanted to come in and have a final word with the doctor, the technician asked me to pay outside the door (and leave) because they were holding a meeting at 12: 30pm …. The cat was having serious difficulty with breathing and I was very scared he was on his last leg. When I called the next they to let them know this happened (that my cat passed on that same night), I just received a sorry from the receptionist. I asked her to let the doctor know (so that the guilt could be shared). I wouldn’t want to return here for any sort of emergency. I would rather, that I have straight facts, instead of being told that everything was going to be okay with him.

I've been coming here for years now and the staff is incredible! They treat my fur babies like royalty and go above and beyond for them.

I HIGHLY HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

Deb, Dr. Barrett and Dr. Tong are absolutely amazing! We brought our then, 9.5 yr old Newfoundlander, Monty, in about 2 years ago for a suspected torn ACL and since then, this crew have been super with their care and attention of Monty.
Deb has been so kind and attentive to our needs and always follows up promptly. She has gone above and beyond for us and we so appreciate her.
Dr. Barrett is a very kind and gentle vet and we felt instantly comforted in his care and his recommendations for Monty's ACL surgery and follow up.
Most recently, we have been seeing Dr. Tong for acupuncture for Monty and we have been seeing amazing results.
Dr. Tong is so patient and professional and she explained in detail what she was going to do. She took a video before and after the first treatment so we could see the progress in only one treatment which was so encouraging.
She also suggested some herbs for Monty and the difference after being on the herbs after a very short time was also incredible! The color of Monty's tongue and the clarity in his eyes showed a marked difference.
It's like our 11 year old is a puppy again.

We highly recommend this vet clinic and can't say enough about Dr. Barrett and Dr. Tong, and in our experience, Deb, who is the cherry on top.

Thank you all for a wonderful service.
Love, Monty and his moms

Literally the worst vet ever. They lock you in with their care club plan for the year and because they are already set to take your money for a year they do not care to be there provide services for your pet when you need them. This has happened to me twice where the vet has cancelled my appointment when my pup has been sick. How can you just cancel on your clients like that if their dog is possibly on the verge of dying. They call once and say they leave a voice mail but I never receive a voice mail notification. The least they could do is call twice and leave an email. But no, instead they go wasting my time to drive to their clinic just to turn me and my dog away because they have no doctor on site. Instead they automatically rescheduled me for the following day in the middle of the afternoon assuming I have no life no job. This is the most inconsiderate vet I have ever been. As soon as I can get out of their contract I will do so immediately. I will never recommend this clinic to anyone unless they don’t mind subpar care for their pets.

Dr. Peiman is the BEST veterinarian. We had taken our dog to a few different vets prior to seeing Dr. Peiman as we were never satisfied with the way she was treated/handled. The previous vets did NOT have Dr. Peiman's vast experience and confidence either. Dr. Peiman is an honest gentleman who is very professional, very knowledgeable and very patient. He takes the time to answer all of your questions and takes pride in his work. We are grateful for his care and support and will only see bring our dog to see Dr. Peiman. Also, the clinic staff are welcoming and hardworking, everyone is engaged and courteous. In particular, Daphne is very pleasant and helpful. The clinic is very CLEAN and in order, lots of parking as well.

Dr Radchenko is an exceptionally wonderful veterinarian. Very professional, caring and knowledgeable. I highly recommend Dr Radchenko to look after your family fur child.

We love all the staff and Vets at VCA Birchmount (especially Dr. Tse). She has been my dog’s vet since he was a little pup and I know he’s in great hands here. I would definitely recommend this clinic to anyone looking for excellent care for their furball!

Excellent veterinary practice. They actually know me and my pet Weimaramer by name. Very confident about their care. I do not hesitate to recommend them. Dr. Barret neutered my female dog and you can barely see the incision scar. Saved me hundreds over keyhole surgery.

Vets are great and most of the receptionist are friendly and helpful 99% of the time. Just one receptionist last visit was weird and not friendly, she made the visit uncomfortable.

But see Dr. Tse if you can, she's awesome!

The staff at this facility have been taking care of my pets needs for close to 20 years. There are places closer to my home but I make this my place of choice.

**UPDATE**
Customer Experience Manager, Chelsea, called me the day after writing the original review to explain to me why my dog never received the vaccination I was initially calling to inquiring about. She mentioned that "We did drop the ball on this one and we should have explained this to you, so I apologize for missing that".

to make this short:

1. I do appreciate them calling me to 'rectify' this situation
2.they should really consider hiring staff who are competent and educated enough to answer customers questions accurately or AT THE VERY LEAST be resourceful to find an answer and call us back.instead of answering 'no idea'
3.please, I am pleading.get rid of the current staff you have. This goes far beyond 'educating and training' there is an evident attitude problem with he staff that are currently in place at this organization and no amount of training/L&D will salvage it. There are many other individuals out there who ACTUALLY CARE to be in this line of work (helping people and their pets). Why WASTE THE ORGANIZATION'S MONEY ON PEOPLE WHO CHOOSE TO NOT TREAT OTHERS WITH KINDNESS!? Why invest in these kinds of individuals while also sacrificing the reputation of the organization?
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STAY AWAY FROM THIS CLINIC! If i could provide negative 5 stars.i most definitely would

the most terrible receptionists and management i have ever dealt with. INCREDIBLY rule staff who hardly ever answer the phone and NEVER RETURN YOUR MESSAGES! Infuriating and absolutely unnecessarily rude. They clearly hate their jobs/lives and take it out on customers who trust them with the care of their beloved pets. I called them simply to ask if they could help me understand if my dog was vaccinated for a particular vaccine, and the receptionist said 'so, whats the question. ' I repeated my question and she answers 'nope'. I asked "why? Because she received her other vaccinations at this clinic except this particular one, which is kind of odd to me. " and she responded 'No idea. You could have come in and refused it and that's why it wasn't given'. I immediately said 'there is no way i would refuse that treatment. ' and she said 'ok well i have no idea then. '

Please tell me.truthfully, is this the way to treat paying customers!? Calling your clinic to have a simple question answered and the explantation/reasoning given is to BLAME THE CUSTOMER FOR THEIR ERROR/MISTAKE? STAY AWAY FROM THIS CLINIC AT ALL COSTS.it will save you a lot of unnecessary frustration in dealing with such rude individuals.

A prerequisite to work here must be that they only hire staff who are rude and uncaring because this is what my experience has been like with reception staff at VCA.

I hope that new management can come in and clean this place up and rid of all the imbeciles that are there today.it is entirely disheartening to be greeted by such a rude demeanour and uncaring individuals when you are concerned about your pet.

STAY AWAY!

I can't say enough good things about the staff at Birchmount. I had an emergency with my dog and they took her in and took such amazing care of her. They were professional, but also caring and compassionate.
Dr. Barrett is wonderful!

A-MA-ZING! I first came to the clinic a few weeks ago, my cat was injured and in pain. She required surgery which they right away. I had called numerous places, nobody could even see us, but they did and they are incredible! From the staff to the doctors, they were so helpful and understanding! If you need a vet, a great vet.this is the place to go! Thank you for the incredible care, you guys are awesome!

I really want to thank everyone for taking such a good care of my cat Pepper. She was in need of a cystotomy to remove the stones in her bladder which was causing her pain. Birchmount was the only animal hospital that was transparent about the pricing upfront, out of 5 different vets I called. As Pepper does get very grumpy and aggressive to strangers, it was important to know what to expect before bringing her in as I know she's a tough cat to deal with, I had to make sure I didn't need to bring her in to different vets multiple times as that will cause her to be more stressful. Birchmount was able to accommodate Pepper's exam and surgery all within few days. Thanks to Dr Barrett, Dr Radchenko and Dr Mariampillai's good care, Pepper's recovery is going well!

Anyone watching Dr Death?
Yeah, that is who these people are. While our beloved fur baby has not yet passed, it is no thanks to these guys who don't care enough to call anyone back. Read the reviews, we are not alone here.

Please, please, please go elsewhere. Reviews matter. I wish I read them before coming here.

I've been working with Birchmount vet for over 20 years. Always had a pleasant experience with the staff. They have been supportive with my animals during routine check ups, they have been quick to get my pets in when they have been sick and done so much to help me get through the ups and downs of my senior pets final years. They were like family when I had to have pets put down and supported me every step of the way. The staff are compassionate and friendly and definitely put the animals first.

I strongly suggest this hospital specially Dr. Peiman Hojjatti who was very professional and caring. We live far away from this location but it is worth of driving. Thanks to ALL the personnel and God Bless You All.

BEWARE! I used to come to this clinic over the past 15+ years, but it has changed and I will not be back.

On my last visit, I was charged $268 for blood work that was never done. When I realized, I tried to call to discuss. It took me many attempts and a couple of answered messages to finally get through. After pointing the fact that I was charged for service that was not provided, I was given refund but not even a hint of apology.

This is the same clinic that 3 years ago told me that my cat needs a surgery for $3K+ or he would probably not make it. I declined it and decided to see what happens, and now, 3 years later and without any medical intervention at all, the cat is perfectly happy and healthy. At the time I just thought we got lucky, but after my latest experience, I'm convinced that the surgery was not needed to begin with and that this clinic is just out to scam clients.

Extremely disappointed.

I have been a client for many many years, my only complaint is that you cannot get through on their phone lines. They give you the option to leave a message, however they do not return the calls. I have spent 2 days leaving messages this time with no luck. My dog had a mass removed more than a week ago and sent for pathology to determine if it was malignant or not. Needless to say very stressful waiting for the results, how ever I cannot get a return phone call. They charge more than other clinics just to walk in the door, surely they can hire a receptionist.

I’m so happy with this animal hospital. I used to bring my dog skittles to a different clinic and switched to this one! My dog has seen both dr radchenko and dr Barrett and both were so amazing and caring for my dog! Recently my dog had to under go surgery at 15 years old I was so scared but I knew my dog was in good hands. Thank you guys ️ I will be bringing all my pets here

Brought my 17 year old girl in for an exam and everybody was very polite and helpful. My options were clearly explained and everything was quick and easy.
Having just moved to Scarborough I was very apprehensive about finding a new vet. I have been very pleasantly surprised by VCA. And the ability to book an appointment online is so convenient!

Great place to bring your pets. The staff and Veterinarians are top notch, always very friendly and super helpful. Always willing to answer questions and spend time explaining things in detail.

Vet is great and knowledgeable. Only think is they should be transparent and inform us before appointment that there will be a examination apart from the vaccine. We learned at the day of our vaccination there is examination and had to pay extra $$$ which not sure why, even we have had our puppy examined 2 weeks before. Overall okay experience and all in 1 place where people enjoy taking their little ones

I had an appointment here. My babies was very ill and unfortunately they had to send me to an emergency vet instead. Very kind and helpful.

Great hospital for pets. Doctors and nurses at this location are great. I have had great experiences. Would recommend.

The vets and staff are excellent. I would have given 5 stars but they are not diligent at returning phone messages. With curbside service if your call goes to voicemail, you have to enter the office because they don't respond to messages and you'll end up waiting a long time in the parking lot.

Always kind compassionate people. Very professional and skilled. I've used them for years and would never stop. They find ways to treat a friend and afford it!

LOVE this place! Staff and doctors are friendly and really care about you and your pet. They take the time to remember you and your pet by name. I wouldn't bring my dog anywhere else. If you love your pet and care about the quality of treatment you both receive then this should be your number 1 stop for your pets health needs.

Please ask a lot of questions and watch your invoice. We had a cat that needed an extra not an ultrasound. The cat was dieing, we should not have been charged over $500 for something we knew already.

Specifically booked an appointment at this place for after work on Sept 4th @5pm. Arrived at 5 only to be told that the appointment was at 12: 30pm and that I've missed it and the doctor wasn't in. We wouldn't have booked an appointment at that time as my wife would be home with the kids and she wouldn't be able to take our dog in at that time. They didn't even care to rectify the problem and told me to book another appointment. Now my dog doesn't get his shots

We end up to loos our best 4 leged friend at the end by doctor sugestion but from the moment we drop Chowie there he was taki g car of and had best treatment possible unfurtunately it wasto no good.the price was much more affordable and staff are great

If i could give this place no stars i would.steer clear of VCA. They just take your money and don't care about the animals.
I took my puppy there in July after being referred there by my dad and a few other friends of the family. Waited outside for our appointment for over an hour our appointment was at 10am. I tried calling them multiple times and they didn't answer. Multiple cars/clients came after me and got seen before we did. Finally at 11 i went up to the door where they were taking the animals in and asked the vet tech what was going on. She said they were understaffed (mean while i was sitting there and saw 4 employees get dropped off and walk inside), she said we would be seen next. Another half n hour goes by and he still hasn't gotten taken in (two other dogs got taken in and came out after she said we would be next.
Finally he goes in for his second set of shots. The vet tech let me know that this would be his last set and he wouldn't need anymore until next year. I took him to another vet a month later. Found out that VCA didn't give him lyme vaccine and he needed boosters of other shots. NEVER will I recommend this place to anyone. They are a waste of money and don't care about their customers nor the pets.

All of the staff are lovely. Dr. Tong always does a thorough exam for my cats and takes time to answer any questions I have about them. All of the doctors are highly compassionate, they genuinely love all patients as though they were their own. The grooming studio is filled with very technically skilled groomers as well.

I'm not the biggest fan of their vet here cause I was here about 8 years ago but I have been bringing my dog for grooming since then and it's a little overpriced but they can deal with my dog.

Good service. Not the cheapest but have been coming here for almost 7 years and the quality of care from vets and technicians are great. Have not used their grooming or boarding services though.

Was quoted a firm price on Euthanasia for my pet, only to get there and price doubled with no justification except someone made a mistake. This is hard enough to put a family member to rest yet to have them take advantage at the last minute in time of sorrow!

Sharon burger is wicked! Fries dressing and gravy awesome aswell! Friendly staff and fairly priced!

First time customer. Brought my new 10-week-old corgi for the initial exam.
1. Very friendly customer service. The representatives greeted us and played with my puppy.
2. The vet, Dr Crystal, was helpful and took care of my baby by examining him thoroughly and asked us if there is any concerns

Kind knowledgeable vets, clean place, friendly staff, a bit expensive but aren't all vets? Lol.

Very professional and careful team, specially Dr Payman. He is very kind, professional and friendly.
I strongly recommend VCA team for your fluffy friend

Best customer service ever. I have never seen anyone here in a bad mood and venting it on customers. Really nothing more to say than I highly recommend this vet hospital to anyone.

This clinic has been part of my family for over 20 years. And thats exactly how they make me feel everytime I walk through the doors. Whether I'm there for an appointment or just for a simple weigh in, even if its just to say Hi. There's always a warm welcome and friendly staff. There has been days I've had nowhere to go with my animals and VCA allowed me to stay there while I waited, they were quick to offer my dog water and see my cat was able to go to the washroom. When it came time to say goodbye to my bestfriend, the staff was accommodating, they let me choose which doctor and assistant were there with us, they took care of us through the whole process. And it wasn't just a case of bring him in and get the deed done, there was a " Goodbye Tour" where most of the staff came out front to say goodbye to my baby, just like a big family, they felt my pain too. There is no where else in the city I would take my animals, I trust the front staff and the doctors explicitly!

First time here and it will definately be our last.

Saw their vet with 35+ plus years of experience, Dr. Barrett. He was aloof and constantly trying to sell us on things we did not need. He didn't seem to care very much or was interested in listening to anything we had to say about the history of our dog.

Asked if we wanted to do a heartworm test on our rescue dog from Greece. When we said no, he said "well I guess that's fine because there is no heartworm in Greece". Why would you even suggest it then? !

All they seem to care about is adding cost to your bill. AVOID THIS PLACE. There are much better clinics in the area.

If I could give negative starts I would. HORRIBLE PLACE, DO NOT GO HERE. Bunch of scammers they are. I went here 2 weeks ago to start the process of getting my cat a haircut. They required updated vaccinations and examinations from the vet as the pre haircut procedure policy. But yet NO ONE mentioned that my cat's hair is considered "short hair" when in fact, the vet actually said he has "long hair. " I paid around $150 for that process, and then proceeded with scheduling the grooming. The day of the grooming they called me at work and said "oh, you're cats hair is too short for a cut so we can just wash and brush him instead" ABSOLUTELY NOT. The entire goal was to get a haircut because my cats sheds a lot in the summer and ALL STAFF MEMBER'S THAT ASSESSED MY CAT FAILED TO MENTION HE DOES NOT QUALIFY FOR A HAIRCUT. This place was a horrible experience and they just rip people off! WASTE OF MY TIME, MY MONEY, AND INCREASING STRESS ON MY CAT. I NEVER WILL RETURN. Hope this place goes out of business or gets slapped with a nice lawsuit in the near future.

Despite carrying around iPads that show pictures of patients, the staff still can manage to mix up patients. Even worse is that they start talking to me and making small talk and devulging personal information.

By the way, the iPads tell the staff what to ask and based on the responses the staff mindlessly charge fees even when they don't make sense.

Professional, organized and caring for the animals in their care. They put us at ease and were understanding of the stress we were in. Doctor Crystal was the best. Thank you.

Personal attention, very courteous. Detailed explanation of procedures and my pet was very well looked after. By the way, vthey offer free coffee and hot chocolate.

We resantly started this clinic. They are expensive for everything. The doctor did a 5 min.check up, which included barely looking one of the ears and teeth. Barely touching the stomach. No body checks for lumps or sore spots, couldn't take check the temperature and charged $100.

Dr. Peiman is the best. We found him by accident and although we live in oshawa and have our own vet. We drive to VCA birchmount just to see him

Taking care of pets is not an easy task. My 2 months jenny was about to die when I visited this pet care clinic. I would really like to thank them because they saved my jenny.

Excellent pet care, though a bit expensive but you get what you pay for very good service and friendly staff.

Trustworthy and caring staff from the front staff to the Veterinarians. Boarding on site. They may recommend medical services for your pet but they aren’t pushy. Highly recommended.