ACCESS Specialty Animal Hospitals

I'm going through the most stressful period with a sick bunny, and I don't know how I'd have gotten through it without the reassurance and help from the staff at Access. They’ve gone above and beyond to ensure I have the best care for my sick bunny, including exceptional communication with my usual primary care provider. The reviews on Yelp left me really anxious, but I had no reason to worry. I couldn't have asked for better care. I know that reviews are biased. When someone is very unhappy, they’ll go write a bad review, I work in an industry with customer service elements, so I understand the bias, but it is still scary as hell seeing a 3 star review on a hospital I rely on to save my baby’s life. My little baby bun Pudding developed a sudden and severe head tilt a week ago. He had never been that sick before, and I was in sheer panic. The people at Access, in particular, nurse Karla and Dr. Schachterly, were spectacular. They reassured me that my bun was stable, kept me updated and informed. Dr. Schachterly spent 20 minutes on the phone explaining things to me so I could clearly understand what was going on with him. I can't even get a human doctor to spend that much time with me at my own doctor's appointment. I couldn't have asked for a more attentive vet for my baby. Karla, who is, by the way, spectacular at reading an entire page of diagnosis upside down, was kind and helpful. All the charges were explained, the labs and medication, and what to expect. They were excellent at communicating the lab results to my usual vet as well. When I went to my normal vet this morning, the labs had already been sent to them, and I got a call from the dr to explain additional lab results and what they meant The bill was entirely reasonable. I've heard horror stories about LA vets and was dreading it, but it was considerably less than what I expected, and nothing was unnecessary. I'd have paid anything to help my baby, but it was so nice to not have to spend a fortune, as I'd feared. Again, THANK YOU. Pudding is recovering slowly, it will be a long road, but the first day of his illness was made considerably less stressful knowing he was in good hands with the team at Access. Even afterwards, the doctor called me, patiently listened to me, and updated me with the latest results of tests and just to check in on him. I couldn't be more grateful. Whatever happens to Pudding after this, I am reassured knowing that I did the best I could for him, including provided him with the best care, and I am certain I wouldn’t feel that way without the support of the team at Access. I am so grateful.

posted: 09/03/2023

My best friend (Bunny) was so tough and strong and would still be here today had Dr. Rich not over sedated him. In March, I noticed he was going in and out of the litter box as if he was having trouble peeing. I thought maybe he developed some stones since he had a history of that the year before. I brought him in for a simple tummy x-ray. Dr. Rich, who I was reassured, had lots of experience with rabbits was the one who saw him. Dr. Rich sedated him despite me repeatedly telling her tech I did not want to have him sedated. The tech was like, it'll be super mild just so we can take a quick x-ray. I told her I still wasn't comfortable with that. And asked them to just place him on the machine and that he likely wouldn't move. Later that day, they (Access) called me and told me my bun was ready for pick up and that he had no stones in his bladder. I was so relieved. When I arrived later to pick him up, the same tech jokingly said, "he let me put him in the carrier without a fight." The reason why this comment is important is because he wasn't even moving in the carrier. He was just laying there. On the car ride home, I had to check 2x if he was still breathing. He looked unconscious. When I got home, I called them and emailed Shachterle. I told them he still wasn't moving, and I had to hand feed him and take care of him all evening/night. At around 2  AM, he started walking around a bit (wobbly), eating and using the litter box on his own. The next morning, I noticed he was still a bit wobbly and off balance and not 100% himself. I called them again, and they told me it could take 24 hours for him to get back to normal. That week, I kept a close eye on him. I noticed his head started shaking back and forth, and then his head went in an upward motion, and he was fighting not to fall over. I called them and sent them the video of the incident. I told Shachterle he never had any kind of neurological issues prior to being sedated by Dr. Rich. Shachterle told me to bring him in right away. She said she was not in, but that another exotic vet who trained under her would look at him and that they would keep him overnight, and that Shachterle would see him the next day when she came in. They ran a bunch of blood work, x-rays, tests, CT scan etc to try and figure out what was causing these seizures and/or strokes. They ran my bill up to over 5k. All the test results came in, and everything was negative. Shachterle said that whatever he has was just a “bizarre” mystery. I know doctors generally never admit any fault, which is incredibly frustrating. On April 15th, he stopped eating, wasn't moving, and couldn't walk. I started to give him critical care and water. By the end of the night, he sounded like he was wheezing/moaning as he was breathing, started shivering, and had white stuff coming out of his nose. Shachterle had asked me to keep her up to date on how he was doing. She never replied to any of my last few emails. That night, I called them and told them he took a turn for the worse since Shachterle never bothered to reply to any of my emails. The receptionist, in a very cold as ice manner, told me to take him elsewhere because no exotic vet was in. I could not go to bed knowing my little baby wasn’t eating, drinking, or walking. I called several 24-hour animal hospitals, and only 1 would see him. They were an hour and 15 mins away in Irvine. My little baby was my whole world. I had such an incredible bond and connection to him that I never had with any other pet. The vet in Irvine examined him right away and came into my room. Her mouth was quivering, and I immediately knew she had really bad news. She said he was in a lot of pain and that his body was shutting down. He was moaning from pain, not wheezing and grinding his teeth. He was fighting so hard to be with me. The vet also stated that his neurological issues that happened after being sedated at ACCESS hospital can most definitely have been caused by being over sedated. The vet said that there was nothing more that could be done to save him.

posted: 07/30/2023

I took my bunny here for an emergency, and they took her within the hour. The vets/staff here were extremely kind, hardworking, and knowledgeable. After a day and a half of fighting, my sweet bunny passed away- and I have so much comfort knowing she was surrounded by people who genuinely worked so hard day and night to save her. So much love to the vets here and staff- thanks for everything

posted: 05/22/2023

This review is from a visit from about a year ago. It's been difficult to revisit this memory, but this hospital and staff deserve our most heartfelt thank you. This hospital and staff were just incredible in how they treated our dog and us through a very difficult time. We called ahead of time at 3 am with an emergency and the person who answered was very helpful and said they'd be waiting for us. As soon as we pulled up, a group of staff was already outside waiting for us to take our dog. They held her with such care and love. They were quick and direct with us in order the get all the information needed. They were also very graceful and honest about pricing. We eventually got the news that our dog would not make it. They were extremely empathetic, understanding, and patient with us throughout this very difficult process. Going to the ER is never easy, cheap, and smooth, but they made it the best it could have been.

posted: 08/09/2023

They treat their patients right! Update: They said nothing was wrong with my rat even though I knew she was having breathing difficulties (beyond the normal rat stuff) and she was getting dehydrated & obese. They told me she was fine & gave me steroids for her “allergies”. She died 2 weeks later. Turns out that if you have a lung infection the steroids will speed up the process of the infection. I kept telling the Dr. That I know my pet she’s really sick, I know the difference between what you’re claiming she has because she’s always had it. She was a sicky rat since birth unlike her siblings. This was different! She went from the rat in the 1st video & pic of the nurse holding her to the rat in the last vid & pix in a week! She suffered very much!

posted: 03/25/2023