VCA Albany Animal Hospital

"We had an appointment for an annual exam at 8 am this morning, in order for my dog to get a flea medication prescription. We showed up on time and found a sign on the door that said, "We are closed today. Sorry for the inconvenience." They did not answer the ringer, and the phone message said they were in a staff meeting. I'd understand if they had cancelled the appointment ahead of time. But who books appointments and then just doesn't open for the day? It's unprofessional. We're switching vets."

"My family has been coming to VCA Albany for over 30 years now and the quality of care and the focus on profit has gotten out of control. I would recommend anyone find a different vet as all the Doctors who were there for a long time have either retired or quit and they appear to have not replaced them as wait times have gotten incredibly long. They also will misadvise you in the interest of scheduling extra appointments. We brought our dog in in November for vaccines to renew his registration and had a checkup for him in January scheduled. We asked if we should keep that appointment and were given a strong yes. Fast forward to that appointment, we were in the waiting room until 25 minutes after the appointment time start after arriving five minutes before. When we saw the doctor she weighed our dog and asked what dog food we were feeding him. They asked if we had any concerns and we had her look at a small growth he had since we were there. We wouldn't have scheduled a separate appointment for this as it wasn't a big deal. This bill was $120 for an appointment that was less time than the wait and equated to a phone survey. When I called to try and discuss this ridiculous charge the hospital manager said that it was our choice to bring him in and they'll always recommend "the best care" and preventative medicine. I find it disturbing to essentially say we shouldn't trust their advice because they'll always recommend the maximum number of visits to increase their billings. Yes it's a pet owners decision to bring their pet in, however many of us rely on the advice of the vets we bring them to and VCA will give you the advice that helps their bottomline first and you and your pet second."

"2/14 Update: For what it's worth, I emailed the address they replied with on 1/17 and haven't heard back. I've been taking my cat here for three years. In all that time they repeatedly told me she had chronic herpes but there was no test and no other treatment than the one that only had so-so results for her. It was increasingly hard to get a timely appointment so after adopting a dog and getting a next-day appointment at another vet, I decided to switch my cats as well. At the first appointment for this cat the vet asked if she had been tested for respiratory diseases. I was floored. They ran the test and it was not herpes. It was feline Chlamydia which is treatable and cured after two weeks of meds. My cat had been suffering for three years because Albany VCA did not run a simple test. I have now switched all my pets to a different vet and will never be returning."

"Staff were friendly and Dr. Draeger really took time to listen to all of my concerns and questions. A little pricey for what ended up just being a well visit but I feel it was worth it because the doctor was really thorough and attentive, and gave great guidance for my new kitten."