Echo Park Veterinary Hospital

Franklin had urinary track issue, he still alive to this day. I recommend everyone to take their pets here. I want to thank everyone from the front desk to the techs and doctors. Thank you.

I’m so grateful for the team at Echo Park Veterinary. I brought my French Bulldog in after two weeks of her not feeling well. We had already seen an emergency pet hospital, where they ran tests and told us it might be the early signs of IVDD. That was really scary to hear. We followed up with a regular vet who thought it might be a knee issue and told us to go to a bigger hospital if things didn’t get better. She wasn’t improving, so I brought her to Echo Park Vet—and I’m so glad I did. The vet there did a very detailed exam and quickly noticed things no one else had: a slight head tilt, balance issues, and sure enough, when she checked her ears, she found infections in both. They gave her a steroid shot, cleaned her ears, and sent us home with antibiotics and ear drops. It’s only been three days, but the difference is already clear—she’s moving better, her energy is coming back, and she looks more like herself. I truly believe she was misdiagnosed before, and Echo Park Vet finally got to the root of the issue. On top of that, the cost of the visit and medication was surprisingly reasonable. I left feeling taken care of, not taken advantage of. I highly recommend this clinic—they genuinely care and pay attention.

I've debated writing this, but after what happened to my puppy, and reading how many others have gone through similar or worse, I feel a responsibility to speak up. Veterinarians like Dr. Holly Polk are actively harming animal welfare through willful negligence and outdated, reckless care. I brought my 9-week-old Miniature Schnauzer puppy to Echo Park Vet in February. She weighed just 2 lbs, was visibly underweight, and tested positive for Giardia and Cystoisospora, two intestinal parasites. They took her to the back, then told me she'd been given the first half of a deworming pill and I should administer the second half at home. Weeks later, when I went to give it, I realized the pill was completely intact. She had received no treatment at all. She could have died. Additionally, the clinic completely failed to identify or act on clear signs of malnutrition and illness, including a bloated abdomen (commonly associated with parasites or protein deficiency), extremely low weight for her age and breed (2 lbs at 9 weeks for a Miniature Schnauzer), visible ribs and bony spine, weak muscle tone, low energy, a dry, patchy coat, and a small, stunted body frame. These are textbook red flags for undernourishment, especially in a parasite-positive puppy, and yet Echo Park Vet made no mention of concern, no follow-up plan, and listed her as medically "healthy." The socialization advice I received was equally dangerous. I was told to treat her like an "unvaccinated newborn" and not expose her to new spaces until 16 weeks, advice that directly contradicts every current veterinary behavioral guideline. The critical socialization window is 8-16 weeks. Missing that window can lead to long-term behavioral issues, which are a leading cause of shelter surrender and euthanasia, especially in Los Angeles. Dr. Polk's guidance was dangerously out of step with modern veterinary standards. It was medically reckless and shows a clear disregard for staying informed. Weeks later, I requested a temporary spay exemption so I could license my puppy in LA, which legally requires either proof of spay or a vet-signed exemption for intact dogs. I provided her rabies certificate, a full medical summary from her primary vet in Connecticut recommending delayed spay, and the county's official exemption form. Dr. Polk refused to sign, stating there was "no contrary indication for spaying." She declined to re-evaluate my puppy, speak with me directly, or acknowledge the very real health risks of spaying a small, still-developing dog at 19 weeks. This was not a refusal based on medical assessment, it was a blanket denial, and in my opinion, medical negligence. I am filing a formal complaint with the California Veterinary Medical Board and am in touch with others who've experienced similar harm or dismissal at this clinic. Echo Park Vet is not the clinic it used to be. If you have a small breed dog, a young puppy, or need informed, individualized care, please be careful. What happened to us is not just inconvenient: it's shameful, lazy, and dangerous.

I’ve been bringing my pets there for 13 years. They are kind, knowledgeable, affordable and worth the wait.

It is not easy to find a clinic where all the staff are so consistently kind and well trained on how to handle cats. Echo Park Veterinary Hospital has never let me down and I’ve been bringing my cats here for several years now. It my new favorite place even though I travel from Boyle Heights. I especially love seeing the clinic cat who often comes to welcome my cats when we arrive ❤️❤️