University Veterinary Hospital - Beth Phimister

Actually it's very disappointing experience. Fall much behind my expectations. The first time we were told very rudely to go out and wait; the second time when I checked in I was told the time was not as scheduled. It's half hour late! How can they change schedule as they want? So disappointed. Forgot to mention that if you are a new patient, you have to wait almost 2 months for your first appointment.

The doctors are very good but the office staff is rude and inefficient. It takes several attempts to get anything done through them. We would take our dogs elsewhere if the doctors weren't so good. Go ahead and use them but be prepared for administrative glitches and rude responses. They don't know how to deal with people; I guess they like animals.

I really love the doctors and nurses at this vet. They are the main reason I keep coming back because I trust them with my animals. Unfortunately, my feedback is for the receptionist. This place has not had the best of luck when it comes to their front desk/receptionist staff. (Not all of them, just a couple of them). As a client, who is expected to pay for service(s) (and not a cheap services) the front line needs to understand a gentle, warm greeting goes a long way. Also, the new protocol of waiting outside needs to be explained prior to coming in for a scheduled appointment.

I understand covid protocols, but waiting outside and calling the receptionist (who weren't answering at first) was a bit frustrating. I also made the mistake of walking in and not waiting outside only to have a receptionist yell at me to "go outside and call us". Once I saw the doctor and checked out - everything with smooth. The greeting almost made me leave and go somewhere else.

Terrrible vet experience. Started off arriving early for my appt. Than I was told to wait outside. My 3lb Yorkie was shivering outside in the cold while only two ladies sat at front desk. My Yorkie was scheduled to get his stitches taken out because he almost lost his eyes a few weeks back. Than the doctor told us that the would remove the stitches and do extra test to see if his eye was salvageable.

Mind you these "test" they did were not cheap. 15mins later they gave me back my dog and left one stitch holding his eye shut. They told me to go to the Pet ER because they where afraid his eye might pop out I told them all the test they did where unnecessary if they where just going to send me to the ER. They still made me pay for the test. The staff there where completely inconsiderate and cold. I totally don't recommend this place at all. If you love your pet and want the best treatment DO NOT GO HERE!

My dog has been going here for several years. the vet and vet staff are very kind. they are cheaper than San Francisco.

Our senior boy seemed to be fading fast after a recent renal failure diagnosis by another vet. Our new doc here put him on a new treatment course and he's doing much better! The customer service was great; they were friendly and welcoming. So glad to have found a great local vet we can trust.

Really good experience. Took care of my "not easy to take care of" cat. Very reasonable prices and super nice staff. Will be my regular vet from now on.

We have been going University Vet Hospital for several years. The staff are friendly, professional and knowledgeable. Dr Mattu ( the other Veterinarians too) are caring and offer sound advice without pushing unnecessary procedures. My dogs have had great care. We are happy.

Absolutely amazing veterinary office. I wish I could give TEN STARS. Thank you for taking such excellent care of our cat Monkey, and we will be bringing in his sister Bubbles soon too. So grateful we found you! -Andrew and Cara Scully

I received a hand written sympathy card from UVH on the passing of my kitty, Ted. Many of the staff wrote notes of condolences. Goodness. Someone there must have seen my Instagram post. How very beautiful and thoughtful to think of Teddy. Words cannot describe my gratitude for the love and kindness. Mahalo nui loi.

The doctor pushed for a specific brand of pet food, then in the exam report my pet is recorded a much lower weight than truth. What point are you getting at?

With all the negative reviews about vet's in Berkeleysidenews I'm almost hesitant to acknowledge how fabulous University Vet Hospital has been during Covid and before. I'm a new dog owner, like many others I have a pandemic puppy. As a knew owner, privileged to afford pet insurance, I have visited UVH for many things...my pet swallowed a small plastic object, to big to pass and need endoscopic surgery, she also has had a bloodshot eye, and tested for a UTI, etc.

everyone is kind, I love the vets, and I appreciate sitting in my car while my dog goes in for treatment. Thank you UVH!

With all the negative reviews about vet's in Berkeleysidenews I'm almost hesitant to acknowledge how fabulous University Vet Hospital has been during Covid and before. I'm a new dog owner, like many others I have a pandemic puppy. As a knew owner, privileged to afford pet insurance, I have visited UVH for many things.my pet swallowed a small plastic object, to big to pass and need endoscopic surgery, she also has had a bloodshot eye, and tested for a UTI, etc. everyone is kind, I love the vets, and I appreciate sitting in my car while my dog goes in for treatment. Thank you UVH!

Dr Mattu and his team of excellent Veterinarians, clinical staff, and administrative staff are personable and highly knowledgeable and friendly. We have worked with Dr Mattu over 10 years. He treated our older pups with kindness and competence. Haley lived to 17 years and Gabe lived to 18 years. He managed their chronic disease and end of life gave us great comfort. His staff sent sympathy notes. We adopted a beautiful pup and we are happy with the joy in knowing Deja will receive kindness and highly qualified care. Thanks!

The pets and I love UVH. I've brought both my dog and my cat here to be seen by Dr. Thomas McBride. Dr. McBride and the vet techs who have helped us have been super supportive and gentle with the pets and totally transparent and kind to me. I especially appreciate that Dr. McBride takes the time to walk me through all the differentials, and helps me understand the balance between prolonging life and increasing quality of life that different courses of treatment entail.

We have had Dr Mattu DVM for our dogs for the past 9 years. He is intelligent, comforting, supported these elder dogs to the end of their life and managed their chronic care. In 2020, we obtained a wonderful puppy who has been offered inoculations, microchip and sterilization and caring/ parent education. Dr Mattu and the wonderful team are outstanding and therapeutic! Thanks!

They always have great, attentive care and the wait for appointments isn't usually more than a week or 2. We are happy our pup goes here.

Absolutely amazing team and they took wonderful care of my little baby. When my cat, Ivy stopped eating and started lounging around all day, I took her to the ER because UVH wasn't open yet. UVH transferred the records over and when she didn't eat again this morning, I called ahead and they managed to squeeze me in for an appointment today.

The staff were already knowledgeable about her condition. The nurse was loving on Ivy and even though she was scared, Ivy cooperated so well and even looked a bit sad when she walked out to print out the invoice. Yes, it was a bit pricey, for a check-up, blood panel, subQ fluids, some antacids, and nail trim, it came to around 500. I'm a first-time pet owner and a first-year grad student, so I don't have a lot of money to go around, but the care and attention they gave to my cat and the fact that she is already much better and playing around again made it worth it.

They also answered all of my concerns about the price, medication, and her condition, and what to monitor for. I will say the check-out process was a bit rough, my card kept being declined because my debit card is super old and the chip doesn't work sometimes, and the receptionist seemed to be getting annoyed, and I'll have to follow up again to get the actual invoice because I never received an email.

That might have just been me being anxious about interacting with people, but it felt like she was a bit annoyed with me and my payment not going through? Or maybe she just had a rough day, because when I came in last time I didn't have any troubles with the front desk. Overall, I am so happy that I found this vet.

Absolutely amazing team and they took wonderful care of my little baby. When my cat, Ivy stopped eating and started lounging around all day, I took her to the ER because UVH wasn't open yet. UVH transferred the records over and when she didn't eat again this morning, I called ahead and they managed to squeeze me in for an appointment today. The staff were already knowledgeable about her condition.

The nurse was loving on Ivy and even though she was scared, Ivy cooperated so well and even looked a bit sad when she walked out to print out the invoice.

Yes, it was a bit pricey, for a check-up, blood panel, subQ fluids, some antacids, and nail trim, it came to around 500. I'm a first-time pet owner and a first-year grad student, so I don't have a lot of money to go around, but the care and attention they gave to my cat and the fact that she is already much better and playing around again made it worth it.

They also answered all of my concerns about the price, medication, and her condition, and what to monitor for. I will say the check-out process was a bit rough, my card kept being declined because my debit card is super old and the chip doesn't work sometimes, and the receptionist seemed to be getting annoyed, and I'll have to follow up again to get the actual invoice because I never received an email.

That might have just been me being anxious about interacting with people, but it felt like she was a bit annoyed with me and my payment not going through? Or maybe she just had a rough day, because when I came in last time I didn't have any troubles with the front desk.

Overall, I am so happy that I found this vet.

I made an appointment for my chihuahua after 1.5 months of disappointing treatment at another clinic. I cold called University Vet Hospital, and they got me in as a first-time client relatively quickly, and promised that I wouldn't need to wait long for a follow-up since my dog was in pain with a swollen foot. There was barely any wait, and I could go inside (vaxxed, masked) to chat with the vet. Dr. Landman seemed very smart, had a diagnostic approach, and then pulled a big old thorn out of my pup's foot. The dog is doing well and I am thrilled to have found a great vet in the area. Thanks!

I have been taking my pup to UVH for about 15 years now. We always saw Dr. Mattu but now also see some of the others. They are pricey as vets go, but their facility is fairly modern, very clean and they really do everything they can to provide great care. My little Yorkie is almost 16 now and they still spend a great amount of time with him, answer all my questions, check between his toes and eyes and ears - discuss treatment options and *listen* to me.

I am a believer in taking responsibility for your own pet and learning as much as you can about their issues and doing research about medications and therapies and doing ultimately what you feel is right. Asking them to help you make decisions about what is truly medically necessary when facing a bill you can't afford. And also respecting the expertise and time of the Vet - they see animals all day every day - but they also don't always see the same type - so it's always best to go in prepared with printouts from *reputable* websites - but even questions about things that seem to be too good to be true (are there really eye drops that dissolve cataracts? Hrmmmm, .) Even the desk staff is great and helpful, they respond to emails and always check in on us after our visits. And of course there is that one young tech who I swear will steal my pup she is so sweet with him. Highly recommended.

We bought the puppy package and then they added $50 for everything they could think of. They are so shady. Also the woman at the front desk and who answers the phone is beyond the rudest person I have met in a business. I tried to give feedback but no one cares. We left mid first year and moved to VCA on solano and ultimately I think it's been cheaper, even though we had already paid.

Excellent end of life care for our dog Larry. At the end we received a lovely card in his memory.

This vet office gets 5 stars for customer service, efficiency, and communication. They respond quickly via email and always send invoices immediately for approval. The techs here are always friendly and good with my animal. Only downside is the visits are much more expensive than other vets. Worth paying more for their communication and friendly staff!

So.on a recommendation from a friend that has a small dog, I went to this location. First meeting, they're pushing to buy a "puppy plan, " but then get mad when you want to use the services includes in the plan. I'm a first time dog owner, so there's a huge learning curve for me, but their bed side manner was off putting for me. I felt like my puppy didn't get the attention he deserved. Brought him in for a shot and was turned away because he had a stomach thing, BUT charged for an "exam." Never got the discounted price for having purchased a puppy plan, which they said would be 10% on other things within the first year. Overall, I felt like it was a terrible business transaction and no actual care for my dog son.

Final straw, I tried to set up the final exam included in what I already paid and they refused to schedule it. This place just wants money without providing actual care. I'm taking my money and my puppy elsewhere. 4/23/2021: i don't care that we couldn't get a shot the day he had a diarrhea for eating different food. I care that we were charged for an exam that didn't happen. I told them he was sick to his stomach. Nothing was actually done but I was charged. So, at this point it doesn't matter. My experience wasn't a good one.

Would give less stars took my dog there turned out he had a ear and skin infections. They gave oral antibiotics no drops in ears. Called them twice my dogs ear were draining puss itchy red from scratching. No one ever called me back took my dog to another vet got it cleared up. They don't care wouldn't recommend to anyone.

My Location: Santa Clara Tl;dr: Incompetent people work here. There are good people here too but you will mainly interact with incompetent people. I called to schedule a Root Canal Consultation for my feline fur baby on January 13th after I was informed by her primary vet that her options for her chipped tooth are: root canal or extraction. I called all over the bay area EMPHASIZING that I needed to schedule a root canal consult for her.

This clinic offered the earliest time slot of today, February 17th, with them fully aware I need to schedule a root canal consult. Two days prior to the appointment, I called the clinic to confirm the appointment time is booked for the specific time and type of appointment discusses 1 month ago. It was confirmed. On the day of the appointment, I used PTO to ensure that my fur baby would get to her appointment on time.

I sat in traffic for at least 1.5 hours to be informed by a nurse that the root canal consult is not offered?! The star itself is for the nurse that has remained calm, while I was frustrated at how I had wasted my time driving to a useless appointment, and Dr. Landman, who had called me personally, otherwise this place would deserve 0 stars. Apparently from what I was informed, the person that had initially made the appointment is a manager and that speaks volumes.

To that manager that isscheduled the appointment, the individual who confirmed the appointment 2 days ago, and the individuals that "trained" those two, this is for you: t (= _ = )t

Not bad, the nurses are so nice and friendly - paying $75 for the doctor to tell me something I know really hurts though. Doctor should also have a little better presentation, but they are all nice. My dog is very timid and they are so good at being sweet with her.

After our weird experience below, we decided to get our cat, Apollo's teeth cleaned at El Cerrito veterinary clinic. They got us in the next week, and did an amazing job for HALF the price. Apollo's teeth were in bad shape, he ended up needing three extractions. I'm so impressed with how white and clean his teeth look now. The el Cerrito vet office is not as nice as this one (it's kind of a hole in the wall) but the customer service makes up for that.

The receptionists are so sweet, and the vet seemed to really care about Apollo's well being. I recently called when we realized Apollo had eaten a huge hairball of mine in the trash, and instead of telling us to come in for X-rays and whatnot (which university has done before costing us $900) they told us to watch his behavior over the next couple days, making sure he eats and poops and gave us a couple recommendation of what to do to help his digestion.

He ended up being totally fine, el Cerrito vet even called us to check up on him. I'm sharing this because I'm so glad we made the switch to a different vet. University vet is scammy and has rude employees, why support them?

I understand some of this may be due to covid, but everything just felt so cold and impersonal here, from booking the appointment and communications beforehand to lack of follow-up after my dog's visit. From the email, I was prepared to stay in the car - nerve-wracking as hell as that was! - while a staff member walked my dog in for her exam.

We showed up on time, and it was strange, but whoever answered the phone (on the third call) sounded like we were unexpected even though I had an appointment, and it took another five minutes before someone came out to get my dog. To me, the most off-putting thing about the visit was that I had prepared a list down to the ingredients and amounts of each in her diet and folder of as many medical documents as I could gather, and the staff member waved it off and didn't take anything when he came out to get my dog.

That was actually. concerning to me? Wouldn't - shouldn't the vet and any vet techs trying to figure out what is wrong with my dog take all the information they can get, especially since I can't be inside to answer any questions? I was fairly sure that it was a UTI, but since I'm not the professional and it could be any number of things, I was still worried or that there could be other issues they would find with my dog apart from the suspected UTI.

I paid about $90 for them to confirm that it was indeed a UTI and marked-up antibiotics for her that I later found for half the price online. They didn't tell me anything else was wrong, but I'm not sure what else they would have done in a general exam. I just know they were trying to charge me hundreds more for a follow-up exam and tests.

I know that it may seem like a "simple" UTI, but previous vets I have had for my other dog have always had their office do a courtesy call to check a week later or however long meds are prescribed for to see how the pet is doing. Radio silence here since I wasn't paying extra.

No long waits so far after three visits. They are very helpful and informative. They've gone above and beyond what any vet I've been too in 20 years as far as communication and information. Offices are very reasonable as well. They also worked out a good plan for my pet when $ was tight.

UVH is where I brought my dog for her first two years before moving out of the area. Dr. Mattu and his staff were always fantastic. I don't know if its the stress of covid or a lack in employee training, but we had a bad experience recently, showing up for a scheduled appointment to be rudely dismissed and told we didn't actually have an appointment.

Ultimately (several days later) Dr. Mattu's office manager Joana determined that due to a last minute scheduling change, our appt was accidentally dropped from the system. An honest mistake. Yet the failure of the desk staff on duty that morning to adjust to their own mistake in real-time lost this business a client. I've adjusted my rating from one star to 3 because I like the doctor.

All I would suggest to any would-be clients in the meantime is to double check your appt before taking time off work and driving across town. And if all else fails, ask for Joana and hopefully that will set the underlings straight. This place has gone downhill since I last brought my dog here in 2015. Two weeks ago I made an appointment for her over the phone with a staff person.

The woman I spoke with first told me told me I needed a current checkup for my dog in order to buy Nexgard. I said great let's make an appointment and she made one for me today Jan 14 at 11am, I wrote it down in a phone note. She also answered specific questions about I had about vaccines, 2 medical tests I wanted done, and told me she would retrieve my dog's medical records from her recent previous vet.

Fast forward two weeks - I arrived on time today greeted by a rude staff person who simply informed me we did not have an appointment. She made no attempt to apologize for nor right their mistake, basically telling me it was my mistake. She kept insisting I must have called a different vet. UVH was my dog's only bay area vet, from 2 months old to 2 years. So now we have a new vet and I will steer my pet-owning friends away from UVH.

On their website it says Pet Dermatology is their special interest (https://www.uvhberkeley.com/pet-skin-allergies.html). When I called the front desk at 8831 number, the lady told me they don't have this service. I followed up and ask what number I should contact instead. The lady told me to look it up online. If you guys don't offer any dermatology related service, please don't advertise on your site. And please educate the front desk lady to not be rude. [UPDATE] Thanks to Dr. Mattu for reaching out.

When our beloved hound dog Lola got really sick recently, these guys were incredible. They worked so hard to make her feel better, and to make her happy and comfortable. Unfortunately we lost our girl, but the staff at UVH made this time a little less terrible for my wife and me. I have had lots of experiences with vets, some great, some terrible.

I can honestly say that this is the best vet clinic I have ever worked with, in 15 years as a dog parent. They don't try to price gouge, and as a client you really feel that they care about your animal. After Lola passed they sent us a beautiful card which was signed by every member of staff. If you live in the Berkeley/Albany area and need a vet go with UVH, you won't be disappointed.

Edit: My aim is absolutely not to suggest people go elsewhere. I will continue to bring my animals to UVH. The care UVH offers is incredible, and I've been happy in every other way. I received a call from Dr. Mattu apologizing for the behavior of the staff member mentioned in the review below and that this persons behavior has been noted. This call made a huge difference in my review, and this is absolutely the kind of care that I expect to receive from a clinic that clearly has very high standards which I have experienced in many other areas. Again, as stated below, I absolutely love the nurses and doctors that work at University Veterinary.

Almost everyone I have come into contact with has been kind and attentive to my animals, apart from this one receptionist. I would absolutely recommend this clinic to friends and family, the only negative experience I've had has been with this one specific person. The care my animals have received here has been phenomenal. I arrived for an appointment this morning, calling the front desk and announcing where I was parked.

The receptionist who answered seemed annoyed and hostile when she let me know I didn't have an appointment, let me know they were under staffed (which as a customer/client is not my fault), and proceeded to insinuate I was behaving in a rude manner for arriving to the clinic. I let her know I would happily double check my details, did so and found that I was in fact incorrect, and had the dates wrong.

I called back, apologized for my mistake, to which she hung up on me without saying another word. This is not the first time I have had rude encounters with receptionist staff, but it will hopefully be the last. I love the vets and nurse staff here and look forward to having a lovely experience myself moving forward.

This place has seriously gone down hill for us. To have the nerve to charge for a follow-up visit when we clearly knew the dog was ok was probably the last draw for us. This place goes out of its way to make sure they charge you the most they possibly can. Service had also suffered to say the least. We will be looking elsewhere, you have been warned.

Awful rude service by JAY and DALASHAY BOTH OF THEM treated us poorly and handled our dog roughly and without care. I'll never go here again.

I really want to give a higher review because most of the nurses and doctors we met are super friendly and helpful. But one of the lady at the front test just has the worst altitude EVER. Before the appointment, I scheduled for a wellness check. But because my dog was also having a weak stomach lately, I added a stool exam. Due to the pandemic, pet parents would have to wait outside for the result.

So I wasn't sure what tests were run on my dog, and assume they did a wellness check, at the emphasis on the stomach issues. After the weekends, I called in to see if the stool test result had come out, along with some other questions about general health. The lady in the front desk told me I only ordered the stomach exam so I only get the answers regarding that.

I was super confused because I scheduled for a wellness check at the first place. So I asked couple more questions about what specific checks they did. The lady started to get impatient and told me that if you want the answer of those, you have to pay for the money and do another check. You only pay for the stomach check, and that's what you get.

I didn't know the two tests couldn't be done at the same time, and it's totally okay that they didn't run wellness check. They could just explain to me in a nicer manner, because I know there's must be some misunderstandings. But this lady decided to give my altitude and talked to me as I'm the fool. If other people call the front desk and hear a lazy voice from a lady, that's probably the nurse I'm talking about. I will never go to this vet again.

We've been going to University Vet for almost 4 years now and I've even referred a close friend to them as well. Dr. Mattu is empathetic, gentle and quick when he works with my cat Nym. Overall, we've been getting great care from him and his vet techs. However, I have to say I'm often disappointed with the front staff and the negative attitude.

When I'm already stressed & confused about my pet's health, I hope to be met with empathy and patience. Instead, I'm getting reprimanded over the phone for even just following up. For example, I called today regarding hair loss on my cat, not knowing if it's flea related or if it's just dryness, hoping to get some info over the phone so I don't have to bring her in for an appointment.

I work during the day and narrowly missed the doctor's call, and when I called back immediately, the response I got was, "Why did you call back, just listen to the voicemail". I know the doctors are busy, but I prefer to have a conversation in case I have additional questions. So if the doctor is predisposed, then let me know when, and I'm happy to call back.

I try to make appointments online now instead of calling in, because I feel like no one has time / cares to listen to my concerns and just want to funnel me through to making an appointment.

Mediocre vet care at a high price. Pretty good with scheduling and payment. Vets seem to be competent at the diagnostic part of their job. However, this place could use much improvement in communicating options and collaborating on treatment options. In our last visit, our dog was prescribed meds, but we only discovered that as we were paying for the bill with a nurse, not during the consultation with the vet.

When communicating during visits, the vets usually seems like they're too busy to fully answer our questions, and typically just present a medical course without discussing other available options (+pros/cons of each). On the plus side, the doctors are usually available for email communications, but their answers are not always clear or concise. Nurses are very nice and good with our dog, but also tend to start running diagnostics on the dog immediately without connecting with us first about whatever issues he may be having, or any special needs he may have.

In short, if you want to pay above average prices to have the doctor prescribe their course of action without much of your input, this is as good a place as any. If you want more say over your pet's care at fair prices, look elsewhere.

I do, most definitely recommend the Staff and Dr. Mattu, he is compassionate and sensible. We truely appreciate them.

In honor of National Cat Day, I wanted to thank Dr. Mattu for seeing my kitty, Ted. He's a good guy and allows our pup, Maybelline to love on him. I rescued Ted from my ex-spouse who adopted him many years ago. She was moving and no longer want to keep him. I didn't know any medical history about Ted. I've had Ted for about eight years.

I think he must be 15 years old. I think he was a feral cat. Last month, my son noticed a small lump on Ted's rear leg. He took him into see Dr. Mattu who agreed to exam Ted. Many vets won't see animals without any health records. Dr. Mattu believed Ted has Lipomas, which are benign (noncancerous) fat-filled tumors. Just to be sure, Ted had a blood test. He's fine and prescribed a supplement to prevent liver disease. Ted's doing fine being a lovely fat cat. I'm grateful for Dr. Mattu for keeping Ted with us for we hope many years to come.

We have taken our cat Sophie here 3 times in the past couple of years and have had an excellent experience every time! Would definitely recommend. They get us into a room right away, and are extremely transparent and about the cost of everything before they proceed with anything. And it's very clean!

Dr. Fosbender is very good with our cat who HATES going to the vet.

We also had the best vet assistant see her before the vet. I wish I remembered his name, because he was so nice and sweet with our angry, sick cat and made us feel very comfortable. He also did a great job clearly explaining how to give her the prescribed antibiotics.

Overall, I have been impressed by all the staff (seems like a very well run practice) and would recommend to any family or friends!