Montecito Pet Hospital - Santa Barbara

4.9 (119)
1252 Coast Village Cir, Santa Barbara, CA 93108, USA

Hours:

Monday: 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Tuesday: 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Wednesday: 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Thursday: 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Friday: 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Saturday: Closed

Sunday: Closed

How to Save Money at Montecito Pet Hospital - Santa Barbara

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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marla smith

Great experience. Staff was attentive and Doctor was so kind. Did entire exam sitting on floor next to my extremely nervous dog. Highly recommend.

posted: 08/10/2023

h evans

Excellent. Happy to answer my tedious questions at George’s 1 year check up.

posted: 07/11/2023

Matt Schaefer

Just awesome. Dr Waikart called me in the evening to follow up with some additional results when my cat had injested strings of a mask. Very thorough and an abundance of care and information for the pet owner. Will happy come back whenever my girl needs something.

posted: 04/03/2021

Karissa Hamblet

I don’t know even where to start with how wonderful Dr. Weikart was. I called Montecito Pet Hospital in a panic because I needed a vet to do my dog’s final testing for importing her to another country after things went awry and we were in an extreme time crunch for whether or not my baby would be able to come with me. After calling countless vets up and down the central coast, Dr. Weikart herself happened to answer the phone because everyone was on lunch break; she was so extremely kind and fit me into her schedule for the day I happened to be driving up from LAX. Well worth the 2 hour drive— my dog is very fearful at vet’s and not only was she and her staff able to walk her in and examine her (literally a first for my dog), but they also put her safety and well-being first. They caught a double ear infection before my dog was set to fly, as well, and treated her with a medication that would last her through her quarantine period. Without this attention to detail, my poor dog could have possibly lost hearing in her ears / been in extreme pain during flight. Then the day before my pup was meant to fly out, something went wrong with the lab used due to a clerical error at the lab (not the vet— Dr. Weikart is legit a pro at importing pups to Australia!). Dr. Weikart called me on her day off and made calls herself to try to help sort this out. I truly can’t thank you enough, Dr. Weikart! If I was still in California, I would literally drive 2 hours to take my dog to her because she is that wonderful. If your dog is terrified of vets due to bad experiences, I couldn’t recommend Dr. Weikart and her staff more. Also would like to point out that she and her staff were very welcoming to us as a queer family! ♥️

posted: 12/29/2022

Yarnshine Fiber Arts

We have gone there for years, Dr Kirksey is simply the BEST. She is knowledgeable, caring & easy to talk with about any concerns one might have. They also went above & beyond in ensuring extra Covid19 precautions were followed to keep our at-risk family safe, I can't tell you what a relief that has been. I 100% recommend this hospital.

posted: 10/12/2022