University of California Veterinary Medical Center - San Diego

I cannot thank the team at UC Davis Nephrology Department more for saving Santos life. Santo, my 13 year-old Labrador developed acute renal failure from leptospirosis. I remember kneeling, saying the rosary when Dr. Bierlein came into the room. All I was praying for was a chance that Santo could be a candidate for hemodialysis since he was not really urinating much at this point and had signs of fluid overload with puffy eyelids. Dr. Bierlein said that he was a good candidate for dialysis. His creatinine (kidney function test) was 18 before we started the first dialysis session. After the first session, Santo started urinating when he really wasnt urinating before. A normal creatinine is in the 1.0 to 1.5 range. Santos value was 1.0 in November of 2023. This shows that it was definitely a case of acute (not chronic) kidney failure. Dr. Bierlein and her nephrology team is comprised of nurses Melissa, Emily and Tracy, all of whom helped with Santos care at one time or the other. I would say that Melissa was his main nurse. All of the nurses on his team were friendly, professional and committed to making Santo better and being aggressive with his treatments, all at the direction of Dr. Bierlein. Dr. Bierlein continued to be aggressive with Santos treatments at my urging because I started seeing Santos personality come around. He was becoming more active and mischievous compared to the lethargy that he had displayed upon his initial evaluation. Dr. Dufayet, Dr. Bierlein and Melissa had to change out Santos feeding tube a few times and I appreciate their diligence in doing this for me. Dr. Bierlein had to change out Santos dialysis catheter one time and she expertly performed this job. The receptionists at the UC Davis Center included Ashley, Libby, Yersinia and Abby who were always helpful and cheerful and even went so far as to dab on Our Lady of Lourdes holy water on Santo in my effort to have him experience a miracle. After a few weeks of hemodialysis treatments each of which would bring his creatinine down to less than 1.5 on each visit and oftentimes to less than 1.0, I could no longer afford to pay for dialysis treatments. After not having dialysis over the weekend, Santos creatinine had rebounded up to 7.1 on a Monday. This was very discouraging since I could no longer afford any further dialysis treatments. To my amazement, what Dr. Bierlein had hypothesized that 7.1 was his plateau appeared to be the case. On that Friday, the other nephrologist, Dr. Dufayet, saw Santo for evaluation. Santos creatinine had come down to 4.2 with no need for dialysis (they hold off on dialysis at less than or equal to 5.0). The following week, without dialysis, his creatinine was 3.5 and his dialysis catheter was pulled! We have now been told to return in 2 weeks time for repeat evaluation. Dr. Margo Karriker, the pharmacist at the center has been invaluable in advising me on the various medications, giving me tips on their administration and helping me understand the myriad of medications that Santo was placed on and that are now being decreased. I truly believe that the University of California Veterinary Medical Center-San Diego Nephrology Team and all of their dedicated workers are a Godsend! If it wasnt for them, Santo would be dead by now. Thank you to Dr. Bierlein and everyone on the staff for your God-given talents!
Apr 1st, 2024

We had a cardiac echo done on our senior cat, and 2 weeks later I'm still trying to get a report from them. I've called 3 times requesting it, and was told the first time that it would take 2-3 days, the second time that it would be emailed to both me and our regular vet by the end of the day, and was told today that the report is locked on the cardiologist's screen and no one else can access it. The front office staff could also use help in the professionalism department. Apparently, the call in which I was promised to have the report by the end of the day wasnt even logged or passed on to anyone. We have cancelled our follow up appointment as this appears to be an ongoing problem with this organization.
Feb 18th, 2024

I've been bringing our cat here since March of 2020. There is an amazing group of caring professionals here that do their very best to give your pets the best life possible.
Dec 14th, 2023

Highly recommend their cardiology team. The entire team has been so kind and on top of our dog's care. The front desk and scheduling team, especially Ashley and Libby always follow through and have been so kind and patient. Dr. Hodge is incredibly knowledgeable, kind and informative. We are so grateful our vet referred us to them to care for our pup. We have felt like we are in great hands.
Nov 19th, 2023

This vet center has been a wonderful experience in an often difficult circumstance. My cat has been experiencing heart failure, and first and foremost, this hospital has provided excellent care, communication and service. Everyone is so nice and easy to work with. The front desk staff are always so upbeat and helpful, the pharmacist is an absolute pleasure to work with and is very capable and kind and Dr. Orvalho is just wonderful. He takes the time to fully explain everything, walk through options and suggestions and he cares about how the animals is actually feeling, behaving and living and takes all of that into account rather than just looking at the numbers and facts alone. He is clearly very good at what he does, but he doesn't talk down at all - he allows you to feel that you are making a decision together. I'm so lucky I found this place and continue to be a happy client!
Oct 22nd, 2023