I have taken two cats here several times over the last 6 years and have been generally happy, but after dealing with some serious illnesses, I have been left disappointed by their service. First, I would still praise them for their general services like feral spay/neuter program, adoptions, state-of-the art facility, and I know that their staff are compassionate and very hardworking-- maybe a little overworked. I think the SF SPCA's Animal Hospital's biggest problem is that it is too big, and animals get moved through too quickly. Also, I have found an ongoing lack of consistency with the doctors who see the animal, starting with the vet techs who measure the basic vitals before the doctor sees the animal. If there is an emergency, then you can't see your general practitioner, and vise versa, if there is a regular scheduled follow up appointment, you can't see the original emergency doctor who admitted the animal. All this makes it difficult for the doctors to systematically troubleshoot a sick animal. In the most recent situation, the vet's didn't want to do further diagnostics (like an ultrasound) that would have shown my cat had cancer, but instead were focused on teeth extraction and one of them even suggested acupuncture at $100 a session! I found another excellent veterinary clinic that was able to provide better individual attention at a better price. Bottom line: The SPCA is a good resource, but I would recommend another smaller clinic for regular veterinary services. A smaller clinic can fit emergencies intro their schedule better than the SPCA which is often quite booked, and true emergencies can be taken to a 24 hr. clinic (which the SPCA is not.) Also, a smaller vet can still refer you to a specialist if there is a need for more advanced services.

If you're looking to adopt a pet, please go here! We got our second cat here and loved every part of it - we still go back for food and specific toys. Our new cat's favorite toy is still the "noodle" from here - I guess she loved her playtime while at SPCA! Everyone there - whether a paid worker or volunteer - was very nice and helpful. They have a great system in place to color code the animals personalities and match it to what you are looking for. They gave good advice and had printouts for how to acclimate your pets to each other. All the animals seem very well taken care of and the shelter typically takes in animals from other locations since they stay so busy.

They are the best veterinary hospital.