Animal Health Center

4.5 (86)
92 La Mesa Dr, Salinas, CA 93901, USA

Hours:

Monday: 8:00 AM – 5:30 PM

Tuesday: 8:00 AM – 5:30 PM

Wednesday: 10:00 AM – 5:30 PM

Thursday: 8:00 AM – 5:30 PM

Friday: 8:00 AM – 5:30 PM

Saturday: Closed

Sunday: 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM

How to Save Money at Animal Health Center

Schedule Regular Vet Visits

One of the best ways to save on vet bills is to prevent expensive health issues before they develop. By scheduling regular wellness checkups, your vet can detect health issues early, helping you to avoid costly treatments and surgeries down the road.

Price Shop for Pet Prescriptions

Oftentimes our fur babies are prescribed human drugs off-label. Your vet is apt to charge more for these medications than you would pay at your local pharmacy. In fact, big-box or chain pharmacies can offer steep discounts. So it’s best to price shop.

Pet Insurance

Most pet insurance providers will pay between 80% and 90% of the vet bill. You can even get coverage for routine care and things like vaccinations and dental cleanings. If you do the math, you’ll most likely find that pet insurance makes financial sense in the long run as well as gives you peace of mind.

How Do You Choose the Right Pet Insurance Provider?

Pet Insurance Review makes it incredibly easy for pet parents to select an insurance provider they feel good about. You can use our handy comparison tool to get the gist of what a company offers. We’ve also collected over 150,000 reviews of insurance companies from real pet parents like you to rank the top providers in the market. Here is the current ranking of each:

Top Pet Insurance Providers of 2024
Rating Provider Total Review
4.4 AKC 889
4.7 ASPCA 11,411
4.9 Embrace 14,234
4.9 Fetch 2,051
4.4 Figo 2,579
4.7 Hartville 164
4.9 Healthy Paws 7,477
4.9 Lemonade 783
3.2 ManyPets 2,153
4.6 MetLife 493
4.8 Nationwide 21,393
4.3 Pet Assure 12
4.7 PetPartners 110
4.5 Pets Best 7,196
4.3 Pumpkin 1,163
4.7 Spot 5,260
4.9 Trupanion 60,297
4.8 Prudent Pet 125

Or, you can simply get a fast quote from multiple providers and go from there.

Thinking of insuring your pet?

Get Quotes & Compare

Getting to Know Your New Vet: Essential Questions to Ask

Choosing a new veterinarian is an important decision for any pet owner. You want to find someone who is competent, compassionate, and a good fit for you and your fur baby. To help you get the most out of your first appointment, here's a list of essential questions to ask your new vet:

Tell me about your experience with [pet type].

Different vets have different areas of specialization. Some are experts with cats, some dogs, some pocket pets, and some horses. Knowing that your vet has vast experience treating your specific type of pet can bring you peace of mind.

How do you handle emergencies?

You must know what to do in case of a pet medical emergency. Inquire what after-hours policy the clinic has, whether they have on-site emergency care available, and if they have a relationship with any nearby emergency animal hospitals.

How do you communicate with pet owners?

Good communication is key to building a trusting relationship with your vet. Ask how they prefer to communicate (phone calls, emails, online portal) and how often you can expect to hear from them.

Are there any breed-specific health concerns I should be aware of?

Some breeds are predisposed to certain health conditions. Knowing what to watch out for can help you catch problems early and get your pet the treatment they need.

Do you have any questions for me about my pet?

This is a great question to ask because the answer will show that the vet is interested in getting to know your pet as an individual and is willing to listen to your concerns.

Bonus question: Can I take a tour of your facility?

Getting a feel for the clinic's environment can help you and your pet feel more comfortable during your visits. Remember, you’re not just looking for a veterinarian, you’re looking for a partnership. Do not be afraid to ask these questions and any others you can think of. Any vet worth their salt will be happy to answer them. Because the more informed you are, the better equipped you'll be to make decisions about your pet's care! And that should be every vet’s top priority.

Reviews from Google

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Eduard Couttolenc

Very affordable, with a friendly and empathetic staff. I have always been able to get an appointment relatively quickly. The doctor is very kind, and answered all my questions without making me feel like I was making late for their next appointment (unlike some other veterinarians I've taken my pets to before). The staff always handle my pets lovingly, and make sure to not stress them out more than they already are. I highly recommend them for your pet's care.

posted: 02/27/2023

Sherry Warner

So compassionate when our 13 year old Labrador was at the end of life. Made this gut wrenching time calm & peaceful. We we're able to help our girl cross over with dignity and love.

posted: 05/16/2023

Noah Migotti

Wouldn't recommend this place as their main concern is getting pets in and out without actually diagnosing the problem the first time. Brought my cat in for what I assumed was mange or scabies and let the practitioners there know of my concerns before his exam. Was told that wasn't the case and that he had an allergic reaction to flea bites and recommended flea medication, low and behold month later dealing with a full blown scabies outbreak. They didn't do a skin scrape to actually confirm my suspicions likely to just save time on their part but still foot me with a bill for the "exam" as if they took it seriously.

posted: 07/01/2023

Jerico Gumapac

Staff is so helpful especially maam patty…

posted: 08/11/2023

Craig Schnagl

Update #2: Life saver for my older dog(normal vet is a different office). Another vet really had me in a pinch over some medication, wouldn't renew a prescription or see my dog for 3 weeks. This office got me in and changed her to a more sustainable medication(off steroids). First visit with Dr. Bartlett, she was amazing. This office is great and affordable, I've been using it for my 1 and a half year old dog. Now I will be changing my older dog here aswell. Update review:(new puppy on a puppy plan) Last two visits have taken around 2 hours each. They are not procedures or anything fancy. Just a visit for a rash. They are moving to a new building, but the wait time is horrendous. Will be a 5 star again if they can work on the long service times. Original review: Great service over the phone. My normal vet could not make time for my dog to follow up on an emergency vet visit over the weekend(10 days out for soonest appointment!). I came to this vet, I was able to get in a reasonable amount of time. I was not disappointed in my service and I felt like they knew what they were talking about. If my dog wasn't 14 and comfortable with my normal vet, I would consider going here full time. Very kind and followed up with a phone call to make sure my dog was still feeling well.

posted: 06/23/2023