Dermatology For Animals

We went to this vet and were misdiagnosed-- beware! Our dog Has demodectic mange and we were told by dermatology for animals in Oakland that he had an environmental allergy. They claimed that biopsies and blood work had been done but that is certainly false after our experience today at a different veterinarian. The vet we went too today took a biopsy and looked at it under a microscope finding demodectic mange mites.

Our dog has been robbed of years of his life by this faulty diagnosis by these self proclaimed "dermatologists". We stopped taking our Terrier, Teddy to these "dermatologists" after a few visits when they were certain he had environmental allergies, but uncertain to what he was allergic too. As it turned out if they had simply looked under a microscope they would've seen the 8 legged demodectic mange--- Not allergies!

This place is full of unscrupulous scoundrels that diagnose based on their pocketbooks. I am sure they would've loved to charge us thousands to find out that actually our dog wasn't allergic and they were incompetent and had made a faulty diagnosis; woops! I want a FULL REFUND And I also want them to cover my vet bill for the ACTUAL problem my dog had. TLDR; Wrong diagnosis Horrible veterinarians. -Demetri

--UPDATED--- Dr. Miller called and got me all the needed information the next morning after the initial review. She did a wonderful job making sure all my questions were answered and listed to all my comments about my previous experience. AVOID AT ALL COSTS. Severe lack of continuance of care. Twice now they have failed to get back to me. Once was after treats they gave in office caused severe diarrhea that progressed into bloody diarrhea later in the week.

I called and left messages twice with no return. They gave me a call back a full week later for their "2 week check in" The person who called did not bother checking notes before calling. During that phone call I had a few questions about serving size and treat options. I was told that I'd receive a call back after they find out. I've emailed and texted and still don't have any answers to my questions.

After paying a steep fee to see a specialist I expect to receive care and answers for my pet. 500 bucks for 1 appointment. This office either has way too much on their plate or simply is okay with performing negligent care. AVOID AT ALL COSTS.

Update: all I can say to the response below is "wow". All I wanted from this practice was a proper response to their inability to care for my pet, and to address the rudeness of their staff. And, they chose to respond here with a general blanket statement and have the audacity to use my pets name as if they built a relationship with her from one visit.

You guys are something else. You need to deal with your clients on a human level. This is a business, not a family dispute. Call your clients, and don't hide behind a bunch of email addresses.

Absolutely wonderful! Dr. Miller explains everything so well and does a great job helping out our pup. She is knowledgeable and explains different treatment options clearly. The entire team has been easy to work with and friendly in person and on the phone. I'm also impressed in their follow ups after appointments. We are so pleased with our experience.

Everyone at the dermatology clinic was absolutely perfect! Couldnt have asked for a better team. Two thumbs up team!

Dr. Rose Miller is amazing. She's ntelligent, quick thinking, and a skilled professional. My cat started feeling better in 24 hrs and continues to improve (it's been a week now). Dr. Miller is passionate about her work, is easy to talk to, and I felt confident about my cat's recovery after meeting her. The techs and receptionists are also great.

I highly recommend dermatology for animals, Dr. Rose Miller, the technicians Jaime, and Leah.they are very helpful in answering all my questions and concerns with our dog Muffin.they are very thorough in their examinations and attend to even what I have not noticed or whatever they see needs attention.after talking to them at the appointment I felt relief for Muffin with a direction that I needed to keep Muffin comfortable.with allergies and she is 11 years old!.and their price is good also. I wish I had been referred to them long ago from her veterinarian.

We came here since our pup was breaking out in hives and we couldn't figure out what it was she was allergic to. They have safe low contact practices with COVID. They have you wait in the car and call when you arrive. They are your pup in and call you to chat about everything rather than having to do so face to face. The doctor was extremely thorough with his descriptions about what he thought was happening, what the options were, his recommendations, and the plan.

It turned out to be a simple solution where our dog was getting bitten by fleas because we switched her to a topical flea medication rather than oral (which topical seems to be ineffective in Oakland). Each visit is quite pricey but the quality of care seems to be worth it as long as you exhaust all other options first (wish we asked our vet about the flea issue earlier).

I made an appointment with Dr. Hudec when I noticed that my dog was exhibiting symptoms of excessive ear scratching as well as paw licking and biting. When I initially called to schedule my appointment, one of the first things I appreciated was the friendliness of the receptionist on the phone as well as her candor regarding the expected appointment fees.

There are fewer things that bring me such great anxiety as taking my dog to the vet and awaiting the calculation of fees for the services I'm receiving. Due to the current climate of COVID, I arrived to the office, parked across the street, and called the office to let them know I had arrived as it had been explained to me when I made my initial appointment.

Within a minute someone came to greet me at my vehicle to collect the new patient paperwork and my dog. I received a call within minutes of my dog being brought in that Dr. Hudec would be with her shortly to examine and would call me with his findings. It was not a terribly long time before he called me with his findings. What I appreciated the most about speaking with the doctor was how thoroughly he explained what was going on with my dog and what the options were for moving forward.

He laid out many options as well as his recommendations and at no point did I feel that he was trying to sell me anything or push any kind of agenda. This has not been my experience with other vets, who have often over-prescribed rigorous, expensive treatments right off the bat with a tone of disapproval if you do not do exactly as they advise. At the advice of the doctor, we moved forward with a plan for medicating my dogs ear infection as well as a plan for finding the root source of her allergies.

The doctor and his associates were thorough in providing instructions for her treatment. After speaking with the doctor, it wasn't long before I was redirected to the receptionist to pay for the services and my dog was brought back out to me a happy camper. My dog is extremely shy and I was very nervous about her being in the office without me.

They took great care of her and I have no more fears about leaving my dog in their caring hands. A few days after my appointment when I found I had some questions, I contacted the Walnut Creek location as the Oakland location was closed and they were just as friendly and helpful. Highly recommend all around.

After 2 years of vet visits to try to help my dog Bailey with her allergies, i finally decided to bring her to the specialist at Dermatology for Animals in Oakland. Our story is very similar with prescribed Apoquel, Cytopoint and the occasional anti-bacterial meds because Bailey would lick and bite her paws until infection. The whole team at Dermatology for Animals is super nice and helpful! Dr. Hudec was very thorough, informative and talked us through a plan of action. Currently waiting for allergy test results but at least now I have some peace of mind that we can finally figure out what Bailey is allergic to.

What a wonderful experience I had at Dermatology for Animals in Oakland. The office is calm and peaceful. I was immediately shown to an examination room. Both the staff and the doctor were kind and professional. They patiently listened to my dog's health problem, followed up with questions and clearly explained next steps and options for diagnosis and care. I wish they could be my regular vet! So glad a friend recommended them to me.

(Note to lady who is scared to come to Oakland--well then, it's probably best you stay home).ok, now on with the review. I was referred to D4A by my regular vet because she thought my dog had a growth in her ear canal but to be sure, a more advanced scope needed to be used. D4A has the right equipment so I made the appointment and took my dog Betty there.

When I made the appointment, they warned me about parking (it's Oakland) and they answered my questions about how much it would cost and about how long it would take. All good. Appointment came around and I found parking right in front (ok, that NEVER happens in Oakland!). I got there about 3 minutes before my appointment time. My appointment was at 1 pm and I was in an examining room at 1 pm.

The vet and vet tech came in at about 1:05. I explained the problem, they took Betty in back to scope her ear. After about 20 minutes, they brought her back and the vet proceeded to show me the pictures from inside her ear canal and explain what the real problem was. He explained all the options, the pros and cons of each, and we agreed on the least invasive approach.

I paid and was out the door by 1:50. I only had one visit, but it was as smooth and as useful as it could possibly have been. Yes, it was pricey, but all speciality vet care is. Bottom line, I would not hesitate to go again.

I took my dog who has been suffering allergies! The Doctor was 45 minutes late, never apologized & parking is bad! To make matters worse, she didn't solve or identify the cause of my dog's issues.

My pet was referred here for their skin condition and suggested by my regular vet. First off I noticed that every time I came in for an appointment that they always ran late. They would sit me in a room and I'd just hear all the techs talking and playing right outside. Every time I came they ran at least 30mins late. I also had many billing issues with them too, always getting overcharged for things and also finding charges on my bill for things they didn't even do that I would have to correct them about.

Also when I scheduled my appointment for the first appointment of the day so this would not happen, the tech brought me back at my appointment time and informed me that the Dr. would not be in until 15mins after, that that's when the Dr. usually arrives every morning. So. why would they book appointments for a time before the Dr. arrives? Another time they took a drop in post op check before me even though my appointment was first!

Treatment for my pet went well, and of course ridiculously expensive at every appointment. They insisted on all kinds of skins tests at every single appointment. Also a weird thing happened, during one of our appointments the Dr. told me that she has to be the only one treating my pets skin issue. She didn't want the regular vet to touch her treatment.

This should have been my red flag right here that this place is all about the money. I agreed and bit the bullet because I love my pet and wanted them to get better. One day my pet took a turn for the worse with a different health issue, and I had to take them to emergency. The next day I called in to talk to the Dr. about the medications that she had prescribed and also to talk to her about some other things that I felt were important for her to know since she's her Dr.

The tech answered the call and asked me what questions I had, and she said she'd have the Dr. call me back as soon as she could, this was early in the morning. Late afternoon I get a call back from the tech stating that the Dr. is busy all day long and has no time to call me back at all, but informed me that she asked her and got all my answers for me.

This is just ridiculous! First off, let me say that I've never EVER been treated this way by any vet! You mean to tell me that she can't take 5mins out of her day to return my call? Not even at the end of the day? Funny, because in the beginning when we first started treatment she had time to call to check on my pet then. I just let it go, and got off the phone. Later, after my pets other health issues were resolved, I called back to cancel her last appointment with this Dr. and give them one more chance to do right by us, the tech just responds back ok, cancels my appointment, doesn't even ask if I would like to reschedule for a different day, or even asks to see how my pet was doing!

I haven't even gotten a call from the Dr. to this day about my pet either! This place only treats you well when they are getting paid, other than that, they don't have time for you or have any compassion at all for your pet. Now I'm taking my pet to a different Dermatologist and continuing my pets treatment that this place started, but at least I am now getting the service I and my pet deserve!

This place is a joke. I'm glad they showed they're true colors so that I can invest my money in a place that truly cares about my pets health all around. I Won't EVER be back to this place again!

Dermatology for Animals has been a blessing for my cat which has been struggling from skin allergies over the years. Dr Simoes is professional and methodical in her diagnosis and treatment approach. I appreciate that she takes the time to carefully explain everything and presents treatment options. And her staff writes the most thorough discharge instructions at all my visits so that there is no confusion on how to properly apply the medication.

Silly people leaving comments about being scared to come to Oakland. Okay, now that I got that out of the way. I brought my dog in today to see Dr Simoes. He's been in tremendous discomfort and has been on a ton of food trials/steroids/anti itch meds/topical treatments for the past year. No one has been able to help us. They tell you when you book that the appointment will be an hour - and it was! Dr Simoes listened to me about what his symptoms have been, how they've changed, what we've tried, and what the outcome was.

She was invested in his care. He was almost immediately diagnosed by Dr Simoes, although a skin culture will confirm in about a week. Oh, sweet relief. Cant recommend this practice enough!

My two little dachshund mixes were experiencing reoccurring ear infections. Only this time I had to bring my older male to emergency since his ear had suddenly become infected and was much worse than usual. My regular vet would just fill the troubled ear with a greasy goop and would send us on our way. But this time, the emergency clinician sent me home with ear flush solution, ear ointment, and a 10-day cycle of anti-b's.

I was informed that the reoccurring ear infections were caused by an allergy that would only get worse with time, and was told to seek the help of a dermatologist to avoid my dog from needing possible surgery in the future. Where would I find such a place, I wondered? Right in Oakland's pill hill area, no less! I contacted Dermatology for Animals and the young woman who answered the phone was very knowledgeable and professional.

She explained in detail what my appointment would consist of, and what the costs would be. I was able to make an appointment pretty quickly, like within a few days. Even though only one of my two dogs needed attention, I decided to bring both of them in so the examining doctor could see what other animal my dog was exposed to. The facility is extremely clean, and the staff is warm and friendly.

I was assigned to Dr. Simoes who spent a lot of time with us and thoroughly examined every square inch of my dog, and prescribed a six-week plan of attack to determine what the underlying allergy was. I was sent home with some brief literature on pet allergies, and received an easy to understand prescription for home care. Dr. Simoes was extremely down to earth and personable, and she answered all of my questions in a very professional, knowledgeable manner.

Like with any other medical "specialist", it is expected that the costs are going to run you more than a standard doctor visit. If you want to own a pet, consider that you will more than likely need to throw some money down for unexpected care at some point, or perhaps check into purchasing pet health-care insurance. I felt that the cost was not too bad considering the level of care my dog received from the entire staff at Dermatology for Animals.

Dr Simoes: Very competent very humble. Grounded and caring. She has what most Doctors do not: active-listening.

I'm very pleased with the services at Dermatology for Animals. Usually when your pet is referred here, your pet is likely suffering from a hard-to-diagnose and equally difficult to treat allergy or dermatological problem. This was certainly the case with our dog. However, Dr. Simoes and her team created a treatment plan that has provided measurable success for our dog's allergy problem in a quick timeframe. So, I'm very pleased with the results from Dr. Simoes and team (and my dog is grateful, too - woof!).

All of the staff are very pleasant and professional. The waiting rooms are remarkably clean considering the pets that trounce through the halls here. Also, the staff are very thorough in explaining treatment plans and steps. If results are what you are looking for your pet's skin and/or allergy problem, I would recommend Dermatology for Animals since this is their specialty, and they are very thorough and competent at tackling these type of problems. If your general vet is dumbfounded by a skin or allergy problem that your pet has, Dermatology for Animals should be your next step.

This place is really great. We struggled to get a diagnosis and treatment for our cat's allergies, despite trying a few vets. Eventually we were referred to a dermatologist, which we thought was a bit crazy and very expensive. Nevertheless, our little guy can't continue to scratch his face off every time we remove the steroids! We were so pleasantly surprised at DfA Oakland - such a nice facility and the staff were all wonderful. Yes, like with any specialist, it's more expensive. However, the attention paid to our cat, all the detailed questions they asked us, and the fact that they are definitely more knowledgable about skin conditions than the average vet - I'd say it was worth it. We have a new plan of attack, and I'm hopeful that we'll make some progress. If you're at the end of your rope and your vet suggests a dermatologist, try DfA!

Best vet visit ever. I have had to take one of my two cats to the vet several times for different reasons and now consider myself well versed in costly pet visits. So when it came time to take our other cat, Sophie, to Dermatology for Animals, I was concerned about cost. At all the vets I've been to lately (and yes, I tried different ones looking for the right one), the vet will often want to take blood tests and urine tests or poke the cat in any expensive way possible all at once instead of trying the best option first and so on.

At Dermatology for Animals, the vet looked at my cat and knew right away what the problem was and that was that. No tests! Sophie has been cleaning herself non-stop for a couple months and has lost hair. The cause is that she is allergic to flea saliva. I was given steroids to solve the problem as it is now and prescription flea meds to combat fleas faster.

If you are considering using a Seresto Bayer brand flea collar for your cats, note that Sophie had a negative reaction to it and all the hair around her neck came off. Not knowing what to do, I took it off and didn't give her any flea meds for a few weeks to give her a break. There's a lot going on on that collar even though it is light and she couldn't handle it.

It worked fine on the other cat but I since went back to Advantage which the vet told me to use in conjunction with the flea meds she gave me two doses of. Two doses to try things out and if all goes well, then I'll buy the usual pack of six. Another thoughtful consideration on the behalf of D4A.

I've been to the Campbell location of Dermatology for Animals, but decided to come here to their new Oakland location because Dr. Schick, who we've seen and know and love, now practices only out of the Oakland office in California. I was a bit apprehensive of coming to Oakland for an appointment, but the office is located in an area of town that seems quite safe.

The front desk was very friendly. The office was neat, clean, and well kept. The exam room was clean as well. There are treats located at the front desk and in the exam room that are free to take. You can tell that everyone who works there loves dogs. I brought my Maltipoo in because I'd noticed two red bumps above her eyes that I didn't think had been there before.

She was taken to the back for an exam, and Dr. Schick returned and assured me that they were harmless. Turns out they are actually touch receptors that all dogs have, and whiskers (supraorbital vibrissae) grow out of them which function kinda like antennae and help dogs navigate their surroundings. Lola's were swollen likely because the last time we took her to the groomer, they'd clipped too closely and irritated them. Dr. Schick was very patient as usual and took the time to answer all of my questions and explain when I did not understand. I wholeheartedly recommend her if your pet is having any type of skin problem!

Though it sounds like something out of a Jim Carrey movie, a Pet Dermatologist is a real thing. This is not the kind of place you bring your pet to for a routine checkup, but rather a specialist clinic that diagnoses and treats skin disorders (and like a specialist for humans, you can expect to pay more for that expertise). The vets here are normal vets who have all the same schooling, but then go on to specialize in several years of specialization via an intensive internship program.

I brought our family lab in for a scary looking growth that turned out to be nothing more than a lipoma - basically a big old sac of fat. The vet dianosed it visually with almost certainty that it was a lipoma, but to be safe drew a sample and then analyzed it under a microscope, confirming it was just a normal type of growth that some older dogs get. Bonus points for the organic, all natural dog cookies (sorry, I think he ate about six of those).

This clinic just opened but they have other locations in Fremont, Campbell and Walnut Creek which are usually very busy. Though Oakland can sometimes sound like a scary place, this clinic is in a safe area, just off Auto Row right next to the Mercedes dealer and the new Sprouts store. It was an easy 20 min drive from Alamo in the middle of the day, so this clinic is a good option if some of the other offices are too busy and you can travel off-peak.