Animal Urgent Care K-Town

Veterinary Medical Board Attn: Enforcement Division 1747 N. Market Blvd., Suite 230 Sacramento, CA 95834 Re: Formal Complaint Against Dr. Arlett Montoya To Whom It May Concern, I want to start by saying the front desk staff was kind and proffesional. On 9/30/25 at 7:58pm I brought my dog, Bijou, a Shar-Pei, to an urgent care facility under the care of Dr. Arlett Montoya. Bijou presented with a dangerously high fever, which I confirmed at home using two separate thermometers, both reading 104.4°F. I communicated this clearly to the staff upon arrival and requested that urgent, immediate care be provided to bring down her fever. Despite this, Dr. Montoya refused to provide even basic supportive treatment—such as cooling measures or fever-reducing medication—until I authorized an excessive treatment plan totaling approximately $1,860. The breakdown of costs presented to me was: • $135 for the exam fee (already paid upon entry) • $289 for bloodwork • $369 for urine cytology • $189 for IV line administration • $289 for IV fluids • $589 for x-rays • Additional “miscellaneous” fees for interpretation of results This inflated package was presented as a prerequisite to any treatment, even though my dog was actively in distress. When I requested immediate fever reduction with meloxicam or another safe alternative like alcohol cotton pads on her feet, Dr. Montoya dismissed my request and admonished me to “be more polite.”, in an attempt to humiliate me. My dog was treated because I BEGGED HER TO PLEASE GIVE ME THE SAME GRACE she would give her other patients and treat my dog. She wanted to punish me for being an informed Shar Pei owner. I want to emphasize that throughout the consultation, I remained calm, respectful, and professional despite my anxiety. I consciously maintained a soft tone and courteous demeanor to ensure my dog received care. Despite this, Dr. Montoya withheld basic, time-sensitive treatment. At discharge, my dog was returned to me with a gash on her leg, and fluids were given subcutaneously instead of intravenously. This demonstrates either negligence or a lack of proper skill, especially since the staff themselves noted how calm and cooperative Bijou was throughout the visit. Additionally, Dr. Montoya misrepresented my dog’s medical condition. She told me that Bijou’s temperature had lowered to 102°F. Later, a veterinary technician admitted this was untrue—her temperature remained at 104°F, and they were merely “hoping it would decrease.” In the end, I was refunded part of the $600 charged upfront because the clinic could not provide the treatment they insisted upon. Instead, Dr. Montoya pushed for 24-hour hospitalization, which I believe was financially motivated rather than medically necessary. This experience leads me to conclude that this urgent care facility—and specifically Dr. Arlett Montoya—prioritizes profit over animal welfare. My dog’s health and safety were jeopardized due to unnecessary financial barriers, dishonesty, and a refusal to provide basic fever-reducing treatment. I respectfully request that the Veterinary Medical Board investigate this matter thoroughly, as the conduct of Dr. Montoya falls below the standard of veterinary care and placed my pet’s life in danger. Bijou is black.

posted: 10/01/2025

My cat Kitty had a neuter complication… We went here twice to seek help for him. Everyone including the front desk staff were kind, thoughtful and considerate. Im a young college student, 18 with my very sick cat. They were always helping to find low cost clinics for his recovery, always answering the phone and answering my questions, always talking one on one with me and taking the extra steps to make sure he was gonna get better. Unfortunately my cat has passed a few days after his visit. But the vets here made his final days special. Because they told me they really liked him and that he was so sweet. Truly I have so much respect for the Vets here.

posted: 10/05/2025

This animal urgent has done a fantastic job with our Chiweenie, Pancho who was recently attacked by a pit bull and his back was broken during the attack. It was extremely traumatic to see Pancho in the jaws of this aggressive Pitbull. We took Pancho to A.U.C. K-TOWN as a follow-up visit to the initial emergency stay at a different animal hospital. it was also an emergency visit because Pancho had not urinated or had a bowel movement since we took him home in over 48 hrs. This was obviously a problem. And understandably Pancho was frightened to be back at a vet clinic. Dr. Lee and the staff did a good job treating Pancho. They were able to keep Pancho calm and do an in depth initial assessment on Pancho. The team was able to come up with a treatment plan that made sense and was not over priced. I was quite surprised when I saw the bill. Upon release from the center a compression bandage was placed on Panchos leg where they gsve Pancho a shot of pain medication. This wrap turned out to be a big problem as we could not get the wrap off his leg ourselves. We tried all types of methods. Taking it off with the E collar on so he could not see it, I tried mildly sedating him, putting a lidocaine patch on his leg prior to removal and nothing worked. He would fight us tooth and nail to not have us touch his leg. We needed professional help. We took Pancho back to AUC K-TOWN. We could tell jt was getting infected and it was my fault. Granted the intensity of the infected foot increased 100% over about 2 days And I was embarrassed I could not get this wrap off and it was not good. So when the staff there was able to get the wrap off right away and no problem. This impressed me a great deal. How did they do it? And he didnt make a sound. So the doctor came and said a couple things about us taking so long to get Pancho back in and I wanted at first to get up and say something back. But as I thought about this I realized at least he cared about my dog and was willing to say something about his wellbeing and see where our hearts were. I could not ask for anything more from my pets medical assistance. Because this is why i bring my pets to a clinic in the hope that they will care abouy their profession and how they serve the public. It was a breath of fresh air to have another person care enough to take a chance asking a heated question during a tense moment. He had the courage to ask the question about the decisions we made. They again put together a treatment plan that made sense and put the wellbeing of our pet above the amt of money they would charge. I take this as caring about the welfare of there patients. My evaluation of this clinic is they are a high quality, reasonably priced place that cares. A good grade for this type of animal clinic. Better than most for sure. I would recommend 100%. This has me taking Pancho back there today to get his dressing replaced. Whixh I am happy to do.

posted: 12/24/2025

LOVED everything about this vet urgent care! I first called around 6:20pm, this location (k-town location) to ask if they were able to take in my dog, which was showing signs of being sick. They said they did have availability for him to be seen but I needed to show up within the time frame they gave me. Once I got there, everyone was extremely friendly and patient and very understanding from the Two ladies at the front desk to the nurse who came out to explain what was going to happen and what they were gonna do to my Chihuahua to the Doctor Who met me in a private room to discuss their findings and treatment plan. pricing was reasonable for all the things that were done and medication. The initial examination fee was the cheapest I found compared to other vet locations that I had called, at the end of the day my dog was cared for wonderfully by the staff and doctor Breanna Loved my experience and their help.

posted: 01/15/2026

I’m always stressed out about finding a good place to take my dog when it comes to care and tend to do a lot of research. Hopefully this review will help someone in the future when they are in need of an urgent care for their pet. I brought in my dog for an allergic skin reaction and they treated her quickly and we were done within an hour from start to finish. The staff here were super friendly towards me and my dog, and she loved them! The facility was super clean, and there is even a parking lot which makes it very convenient, especially for downtown. The price was pretty reasonable. They have a fee of $135 to get seen, and then it was meds that were prescribed were not even $50. Which was a nice relief. I will definitely bring my dog back here for any emergencies.

posted: 01/01/2026