Sunset Cliffs Animal Hospital

I've been taking my dog to Sunset Cliffs Animal Hospital since early 2024, and while my experience started off smoothly, it has completely deteriorated due to their poor communication, rigid policies, and lack of compassion. I want to be clear--I have pet insurance, I prioritize my dog's health, and I handle situations professionally and level-headedly. I am not someone who avoids necessary vet visits or argues about costs for no reason. But this clinic's unreasonable policies and lack of support made it impossible to trust them with my dog's care. At first, things went well--I even had a dental cleaning and mass removal done without issue. But after that, red flags started appearing. First, they failed to disclose that they don't accept CareCredit until after my pet's procedure, leaving me scrambling at checkout. Then came the excessive charges--I received a notice that my dog needed a booster vaccine, and they charged me a full exam fee for a 10-minute visit without warning. I took responsibility for not asking beforehand, so the next time I made sure to call ahead. After debating with the front desk for 10 minutes, they finally told me I could walk in instead of making an appointment to avoid the charge. Then came a critical issue: My dog was diagnosed with diabetes in January. Shortly after, I discovered a Vetsulin shortage on the West Coast. I was ahead of the problem and found the medication on Chewy, but SCAH has a policy against calling in or approving online prescriptions. I respected their policy and asked for a written prescription--only to be told I had to wait 48 hours to get it. When I finally mailed it in, Chewy told me they could accept the prescription over the phone--but SCAH refused to make the call, saying they "don't work with Chewy" even though there were no legal reasons preventing them from doing so. I was left scrambling. As my dog's insulin ran out, I pleaded for help. Their response? "Call Costco." But Costco was the reason I was in this situation to begin with. Their only other advice? Wait until my dog became lethargic and bring her in then. Essentially, let my dog go into a diabetic coma before they would act. To make matters worse, they repeatedly failed to follow up on critical lab results. After running tests for both a UTI and her diabetes-related bloodwork, they never called me back--I had to follow up multiple times, waiting nearly two weeks for answers. Finally, I spoke with the Business Manager, hoping to professionally and calmly voice my concerns. Her response? 1. Their staff "doesn't have the luxury of time" to help beyond the basics. 2. They did "help" by calling other hospitals--except none of those hospitals had the medication. 3. They couldn't call Chewy because if they did it for me, they'd have to do it for everyone. I asked point-blank: "So you wouldn't even make an exception if my dog was going to die?" Her answer: "No." At that point, I knew I had to find another vet. I calmly told the business manager that I thought it was best to move forward with my pet's care elsewhere then - two hours later they sent me an email stating they were "discontinuing services with me"--as if they needed to have the last word. It felt petty and unprofessional. Leaving a Vet when your dog is in the middle of a health crisis is the last thing I wanted to do, but I gave SCAH plenty of opportunities to close any gaps. I genuinely thought these were just missteps falling through the cracks rather than an intentional lack of care. But after months of repeated issues, it's clear that better care is available elsewhere for both patients and pet parents alike. A diabetes diagnosis is already overwhelming, but instead of guiding me through it, they made everything significantly harder. I deeply regret trusting them with my dog's care. If you want a vet that truly supports pet owners and prioritizes patient well-being, go somewhere else.

This vet office is wonderful. The front desk staff are kind, and the vet tech Amanda was kind, helpful, and answered all of my (many) questions. They were very supportive and took good care of my pup. Highly recommend!

Zuri says thank you to the staff for being so so so so nice to me! Our rescue pup can be a little shy which can come across as scary and the staff here is so kind and patient with her. Especially the vet tech that started our visit today- was amazing. I didn’t catch his name but he told us this was his first week working there and we had a great experience with him!

Have never had a better experience with a veterinarian. I adopted my dog when she was 7 months old when I was in college, in Alabama. We then moved back home to Connecticut. Then I moved to LA, and recently moved to SD. The point of my life story is I’ve seen a lot of vets and they’re the best! Just genuinely care about the health of your dog and don’t try to sell things, as my experience has been with a lot of vets.

0/5 stars. Sunset Cliffs Animal Hospital completely mishandled my dog’s surgery recovery. She endured extreme stress during each visit, which led to a broken tooth while in their care—a painful, preventable injury that now requires an extraction. After multiple stressful visits with no updates, I went to a second vet, who found an infection in her surgery wound and dying skin tissue that Sunset Cliffs never mentioned. They failed to refill her antibiotics, leaving me unaware of her true condition. The staff consistently failed to communicate, mismanaged her care, and were not forthcoming about the severity of her condition—both with her surgical site and the broken tooth sustained during a visit. Each of these injuries was preventable if the team had paid more attention and handled her with proper care. When I called to address my concerns, the manager informed me that the owner was out of town, and I’d need to wait for her return to see if they’d take responsibility for the harm caused under her staff’s care. At this point, I assume I won’t receive an apology or any follow-up from the owner. This place lacks the basics of animal care and compassion. Do yourself and your pet a favor—choose a different vet. UPDATE 11/13/24: Due to Sunset Cliffs Animal Hospital’s negligence, my dog’s condition became far more severe than it should have. The lack of attention and oversight led to a serious infection that eventually spread through her tail. This could have been prevented with proper care. As a result, my dog had to undergo a full tail amputation. Additionally, the tooth she broke while in their care, which Sunset Cliffs dismissed as minor, ultimately required extraction due to exposed pulp and potential complications. Their mishandling of her recovery not only caused unnecessary pain but also led to irreversible outcomes. I urge anyone looking for compassionate, thorough veterinary care to avoid this clinic AT ALL COSTS or it will cost you and your pet.