Coastal Animal Hospital

"Fantastic experience for our new puppy. So personable & informative. The place is so clean & everyone is so friendly. We will definitely refer & become a fur patient at this Vet. They’re wonderful!"

"My dog has been established with Coastal Animal Hospital and I had been very pleased with the care she received up until 3 weeks ago. 3 weeks ago I brought her in for a routine health visit and for vaccines. Prior visits I was advised it was ok to omit the leptospirosis vaccine given my dog's lack of exposures, however this visit the vet told me the guidelines had changed and it was actually recommended now. Again, I would do anything for my dog so of course I trusted the vet and agreed for her to receive 3 vaccines that day. I was advised that it is normal for dogs to feel lethargic after vaccines however few days after vaccines she was still not back to her baseline with eating/appetite. I called the clinic and was reassured that it was normal for pets to take a few days. It finally got to the point that I was concerned that she was not eating normally as she had before- she would eat cooked plain chicken but was not interested in any treats that she loved. I schedule urgent care visit as now her weight was dropping. Besides not eating/low appetite she was her normal happy little dog- social, walking, drinking, sleeping etc. When I brought her into the Carlsbad office and evaluated by Dr. Sheldon, I was told she was severely dehydrated given how dry her gums were and the skin turgor. Dr. Sheldon said it seemed my dog was sensitive to receiving 3 vaccines and is not unusual to have long effects. I was advised to have some blood testing and provided a stool sample. I again reviewed she was acting normal with exception of lack of appetite and weight loss (17lbs to 14.4) She was taken to have labs done and she came back into the lobby with me as I waited. As I was waiting I was happy to see she was interested in the treats in the lobby, so I of course gave her a few. Dr. Sheldon came out to review the results she was very concerned with the lab abnormalities- the lab abnormalities were very mild usually a bit below the normal range there was nothing that jumped out as significant when I had mentioned that the labs did not seem signifiant I was told that I did not understand the severity of the labs abnormalities. She had wanted further testing to rule out Addison disease and protein losing enteropathy. I should have googled those symptoms because she did not present with any symptoms that would make me think she had either diagnoses besides the obvious weight loss. I of course obliged and agreed with further testing with urine, more blood testing and ultrasound which of course came back normal. She recommended IV fluids which is the only thing I am happy to have done but everything else was a reach and felt fear mongering with the work up that was done. When I again mentioned the multiple vaccines that could be contributing she rescinded her statement earlier saying that it would be unlikely the cause and that we would need to evaluate her urine and stool studies that were not resulted back but could schedule her for further testing with more blood work and ultrasounds. She reviewed the results and reassured me that everything was fine- that she would recommend "supportive measures" with modified nutrition and supplements which ended up costing $140- which my dog has not touched anything I have tried. I was able to return the nutrition and supplements and refunded. Dr. Sheldon promised me she would call me the next morning at 8 am to review the rest of her results. I did not receive any phone call and received the results via the portal only to find out that she did not feel comfortable speaking to be due to the review I left."

"I brought my dog and cat in yesterday and had a wonderful experience! I saw Dr. Ecker, but I also previously saw Dr. Colby. Both visits have been absolutely fantastic I highly recommend them. They are so kind. It is hard to find a good vet but every time I have gone in I have been met with compassion, dedicated time and thorough explanations. My pets are my children and I feel very comfortable with them, they are very reasonable both with price and recommendations. I will be returning."

"Dr. Ecker is the best! I am admittedly a crazy dog mom and spent hours and hours researching vets who would do a LOVE spay. Dr. Ecker's name kept coming up with the most positive reviews so we booked our first appointment with him. Our rescue is afraid of everything and from the start Coastal Animal Hospital and Dr. Ecker were so kind and accommodating. He listens, explains things in detail and doesn't make you feel rushed during your appointment. The staff also does a great job making sure your pet has a fear-free experience. Highly recommend this vet and clinic."

"Dr. Rachel Plasterer is the BEST VET! She goes above and beyond. My pug has had major eye issues. Dr. Rachel went above and beyond researching alternative treatments to try to get better results. She could have just treated him in which she thought was best. The additional treatment that she offered truly helped immensely. She truly has the best interest for her patients. I am SO happy that I found her. I would recommend her to anyone! I wish I could give more than 5 stars!"