James R Howard Animal Hospital

3.4 (78 reviews)
4275 CA-86, Brawley, CA 92227, USA

How to Save on Veterinary Costs at James R Howard Animal Hospital

Preventive care

Routine wellness exams can help identify health issues early, often before they become more serious or expensive to treat. Regular checkups are one of the most effective ways to manage long term veterinary costs.

Compare prescription pricing

Some pet medications prescribed at veterinary clinics may also be available through local or online pharmacies. It can be helpful to compare pricing when appropriate to reduce ongoing medication costs.

Consider pet insurance

Pet insurance may help cover a portion of eligible veterinary expenses depending on the plan, including accidents, illnesses, and in some cases preventive care. Coverage details, reimbursement levels, and deductibles vary by provider.

Why Pet Insurance Information Appears on This Page

Looking for information about James R Howard Animal Hospital? This page also includes pet insurance resources to help pet parents understand how to prepare for unexpected veterinary expenses.

Veterinary care costs can vary widely depending on the type of visit, treatment, or emergency. Many pet parents explore pet insurance before they need it so they are better prepared when unexpected situations arise.

How to Choose a Pet Insurance Provider

Pet Insurance Review helps pet parents compare insurance providers using verified customer reviews and real-world experiences. Our tools make it easier to evaluate providers based on claims experience, service quality, and overall satisfaction.

We have collected more than 220,000 reviews from pet parents, creating one of the largest independent databases of pet insurance feedback available.

How rankings are determined

Unexpected veterinary expenses can happen at any clinic. The providers below are ranked using verified reviews submitted by real pet parents through Pet Insurance Review. Results reflect overall satisfaction, claims experience, and value based on real world feedback. Rankings are updated regularly as new reviews are submitted.

Top Pet Insurance Providers of 2026
Rating Provider Total Review
4.8 Adoro 19
4.5 AKC 1,801
4.4 ASPCA 12,226
4.9 Embrace 19,970
4.9 Fetch 5,900
4.1 Figo 2,868
4.4 Hartville 183
4.9 Healthy Paws 11,365
4.8 Lemonade 833
4.6 ManyPets 2,416
4.7 MetLife 11,195
4.8 Nationwide 25,683
3.9 Pet Assure 15
4.3 PetPartners 121
4.9 Pets Best 15,326
4.8 Prudent Pet 2,864
4.7 Pumpkin 3,533
4.6 Spot 11,560
4.9 Trupanion 55,033

Compare Pet Insurance Plans

You can compare coverage options from multiple providers to find a plan that fits your budget and your pet’s healthcare needs.


Getting to Know Your Veterinarian

Choosing a veterinarian is an important decision for pet parents. A strong vet relationship is built on trust, communication, and understanding your pet’s individual needs.

Experience

Ask whether the clinic has experience treating your specific type of pet, since care can vary between dogs, cats, and pocket pets.

Emergency Care Procedures

It’s helpful to understand how the clinic handles after-hours emergencies, including whether they provide emergency services or refer to nearby emergency hospitals.

Communication Preferences

Ask how the clinic communicates with pet parents, including updates, test results, and follow up questions.

Breed Specific Health Considerations

Some breeds may be more prone to certain health conditions. Early awareness can help with prevention and early treatment.

Facility Tour

If available, touring the clinic can help you and your pet feel more comfortable before the first visit.


Final Note

Pet care decisions often involve both medical and financial considerations. Having access to trusted veterinary information alongside pet insurance comparisons can help pet parents feel more confident when planning for their pet’s health and wellbeing.

Explore Topics

Reviews from Google

3.4

78 reviews

Professional, but the veterinarian herself had somewhat of a bad attitude, was a bit condescending, and got a bit nosy. The assistant lady was so sweet, and nice and understanding, that was nice. But for the high dollar I am paying just for vaccinations, I would like to be treated with a little more respect by the Vet.... photos are of my puppy, Molly, who was the patient for shots...

Jun 10, 2021

Brought a stray kitten in and got a full blood work/ wanted anything wrong with it diagnosed. Was told it had an infection and malnourished, but nothing else major and brought home antibiotics. They worked but a few days later he was sick again so I brought him back. Was then given the same meds and herpes was mentioned and I had to straight up ask, "are you saying he is being treated for herpes now?" I was given a yes, that is what the vet thinks is wrong. That was the first time I was even hearing that he was diagnosed with herpes- At the first appointment I was not told that nor what the effects of herpes are and that it is HIGHLY CONTAGIOUS to other cats. That he may have to take these meds for the rest of his life and it is uncurable. None of that was mentioned and I practically had to force it out. You take an animal to the vet and you expect them to plainly tell you what is wrong, how to treat it and any risks and I was not given that. My resident cat is now coughing due to the fact that I was not told that the stray had a transmittable virus that would affect my resident cats health. I did not recieve a writeup from the vet that summarized the visit OR even speak to the vet on the phone. They put my resident cat in danger and when I mentioned it on the phone I was given a 'sorry for the inconvenience'. Makes me wonder how much they cared for my animals or if the vet even looked at the cat and discussed it with the vet techs. I have never been so disappointed in a vet. Update #1: COINCIDENTALLY me, my dog and my other cat contracted ringworm after the vet said the kitten did not have ringworm. I have never had ringworm in my life and theres no reason my pets should. Spoke to him on the phone because a simple google search says that visual ringworm tests aren't always accurate and instead of offering to treat my new severly infected animals, he wants to take a sample of the kitten and send it to a lab and wait for 4 weeks for results to prove if he does or not- he repeated this to me ten times while I just asked him if he could treat them for it. The signs are there now and my pets shouldn't have to wait four weeks to be treated. This is not a vet I feel I can trust to give me all the information or even the correct information. I honestly question whether he even could find ringworm if it was there. He has consistently put my pets health at risk and the only response was, "well I don't know what kind of situation you have going on there." I hope these pictures let you know. Update #2: After the second set of viral medication ran out, I got more from the vet and I was also offered a random anitfungal treatment for my pets (even though he says we do not have ringworm. This treatment is not specifically a treatment for ringworm). Took the kitten to another vet who said his tail "lit up like a christmas tree" with ringworm. The new vet does not doubt that that is why it is missing patches of fur. The cat, after THREE WEEKS, is STILL coughing and sneezing, and the new vet said that the antiviral medication prescribed by Howard had not helped the entire time because it is a BACTERIAL infection- he is now on Doxycyclin and doing much better. We have also been prescribed ringworm medication. I do not know if this is because he is 90 years old, or doesn't care or whatever the heck else could have made him get this all so wrong, but I am reporting it (especially since there are so many other horror stories at his hospital). Three people, 5 dogs and two cats now have ringworm and who knows what else due to this 'vets' inability to do his job. You are putting yourself and animal at risk if you go here and he should not be allowed to practice. He failed to diagnose ringworm, a bacterial infection and put me and so many others at risk, while denying it to save himself. I. am. appalled.

Mar 4, 2021

I’ve taken my dog here to get fixed and the doctor had completely forgot to close her wound shut and ended up letting my dog almost bleed to death. When I had went back. All they did was wrap it more and my dog was too hyper as No dog should be after surgery. I ended up taking her to a new vet and they properly fixed her up correctly. Wouldn’t 100% request this place.

Mar 28, 2020

We have gone to Dr. Howard for all our dogs since the 80's. The doctor and staff always make you feel that they are concern about the health and welfare of your pet. Dr. Howard, you and your staff will be missed. Thank you so much. 👍👏🐕🤗

Jul 5, 2021

If I could give out -100 stars I would, I am overwhelmed with emotions right now, my mother took our beagle into this vet and trusted his life in their hands for what was claimed to be a simple and "not a big deal" procedure to help him with his anal glands. She wakes up to a phone call that our dog is dead. They referred to him as "the beagle" and not even by him name. No Emotion was shown towards the loss of this animal, which was entrusted to them. When she arrived she confronted the staff as to why he died, was it during surgery? Medication? WHY did our dog come in healthy and leave dead? They could not provide her with any reason as to why he died. Either they screwed up the surgery or it was just pure negligence. They attempted to take my mother to the back of the vet to turnover the dog in seclusion so their other customers in the waiting area wouldn't see that they killed an innocent pet, she made them bring the dog to the front to let everyone know what they did. Upon further questioning she found they do not even staff their clinic during the night to look out for pets who are sick and have just had surgeries, they just close the doors, turn off the lights and leave for the night. Hopefully none of the post operation animals have issues right? The "doctor" who performed didn't even have the decency to show his face to my mother to apologize for his lack of caring, understanding and attention to our dog. This dog has been with us for YEARS and was a member of the family, but he died alone in a cage in the dark, I just hope it was a peaceful sleep and there was no pain, but I will never know. I will never go to this vet, my family will never go to this vet, my friends, co-workers, associates and anyone I can ever tell our story to will never go to this vet ever again. I hope you are exposed for what you've done and I hope others see this and turn the other way because this vet will kill your animals.

Jan 26, 2018