Lenity Vet Specialists Emergency Care - San Mateo (CA)

5 /5 Kristin H: Dr. Carlson saved my dog’s life. Lenity saw us through an incredibly stressful week last week. Our 4 year old standard poodle, Luna, became very ill inexplicably. Luna stopped eating, became lethargic, and ran a fever. The team led us from diagnosis to emergency surgery for a liver abscess, as well as (two!) complementary staple repair procedures when she got through her collar. Dr. Carlson is a fantastic surgeon and owns the practice - it’s not corporate owned like many other places. She gave us a tour of the facility- they have everything there. I will not comment on the price, except to say that now we know the importance of having pet insurance without a cap. Overall, Luna is alive and we are lucky. I trust the team and am grateful for our time there. Apart from the animal care, they are good with people too. I was an emotional wreck all week and they rolled with me and my anxiety like pros. Shout out to Autumn and Brian who were particularly supportive. Thank you!!!

5 /5 Rose Kilgore: We brought our male cat, Finn, to Lenity when he was on the verge of a urinary blockage—a potentially fatal condition. Having previously lost a cat to the same illness, the experience was incredibly distressing. Thankfully, this time we caught the issue early and were able to save Finn’s life. While it took around 11 hours over the course of two visits to fully address his condition, we recognize that emergency clinics operate on a triage basis, prioritizing the most critical cases. That said, if your pet isn’t in a life-threatening situation or in need of 24/7 care, you may be better off waiting to see your primary veterinarian. The cost was significant and quickly exceeded our pet insurance’s annual coverage, but we acknowledge that without immediate treatment, we might have faced another heartbreaking loss. If youre a pet owner, I can’t emphasize enough the importance of pet insurance—it made a huge difference for us. (We use ASPCA and highly recommend having coverage in place!)

1 /5 Ana Ramos: While I enjoyed the concept and what this place’s mission and visón were, my experience was less than desirable. My teacup poodle went in for a potential bite or allergic reaction on her right eye after walking through some grass. The initial conversation with the receptionist was pleasant and I felt at peace taking my little one there. The emergency doctor was a lady. However, you first see a technician. They take the notes and then make you wait. They come back with an estímate and you need to pay first before they will look at/treat your pet. After much wait, the doctor comes in, takes notes and then explains what they found. This particular doctor was super rushed when she came back and did not take time to connect with the owner not answer/explain well. You then have the Technician come back with the medicine and they barely explain what it is and what to do. If you are not an experienced pet owner or know about medication, good luck! They expect you to read all the materials they give you and hooefully you understand. She remained ill, went in a second time, same emergency doctor and she made me feel so bad, incompetent and spoke down to me. They gave me more medicine and did a procedure. She remained ill and I went in a third time. This time is was a different doctor, showed more compassion but again the medication and process was not explained well. I finally went a different route after spending thousands of dollars over a supposed allergy. I called the medical director and it took weeks to get back to me. I left several messages. I wanted her to review the experience. This happened at the beginning of January. To date, I am still waiting on the follow up to the conversation we finally had, not just an apology, about everything that took place. I would definitely never return here and could never recommend anyone to take their loved pet here.

5 /5 Kim McGarvey: I called Lenity last weekend after my recently adopted rescue dog ate something in a bush and started vomiting. The person on the phone was very friendly and said they would see him. The process is efficient and seamless, you check in from your car, complete paperwork and then my dog was taken in. He was examined and I recd a phone call from Dr. Zak, also very friendly and explained thoroughly his recommended treatment. Every member of the staff (vet techs Brian and Amanda, I think) was wonderful, so nice, patient and kind. I really cannot remember the last time I experienced this type of excellent service at an ER Vet and I am so thankful to have found them. After recently moving back to the Bay Area, I was concerned about finding services in this exact type of situation. I had previously used another well know Vet Specialist and did NOT want to go back there since their customer care and services had severely declined over the years. I highly recommend Lenity Vet Specialists and Emergency Care.

5 /5 Tiffany Amoyen: We had a great experience at Lenity with Dr. Tong for our puppys surgery. We had found out from our vet that our puppy would need surgery. We reached out to Lenity and they responded on the same day, and we were able to make an appointment for a consultation the next day with Dr. Tong. The entire appointment was seamless. Since they have a small indoor space and are still following COVID protocols, they have you park in a numbered spot, and theyll come out to grab your pet. Dr. Tong was very kind, straightforward, and transparent about the surgery and potential risks. We were able to book the surgery for the following week. Following the surgery, the staff answered all of our questions about how to care for our pup and gave us very detailed printed instructions. The entire experience was very positive, and our puppy is having a great recovery. Everyone we worked with was so kind, communicative, and patient. Thank you Dr. Tong and Lenity staff!