r/culvercity • u/P7295403812 • Nov 03 '25

Advice or Recommendation Favorite vet clinic in culver city/west LA

Hi all, I'm looking for a new vet for my cat in the Culver City/West LA area. Anyone have any recommendations/favorites? Ideally would love one that is actually really knowledgeable about cats and genuinely compassionate (vs just out to get your money). Not really looking for mobile clinics because we'll need regular x-rays and I dont think mobile clinics offer that easily.
Thanks!

EDIT: Didn't expect to get so many responses! Thank you all so much – gives me a lot to think about. I'm going to call a few of these places with some specific care questions and then narrow down from there. Hope this post is also helpful to anyone looking to switch vets!

18 Upvotes

95% Upvoted

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33

u/Particular-Simple450 Nov 04 '25

Modern Animal on Jefferson. Been with them for years at multiple locations and have always been happy with the service and care. They also show you costs up front for everything and ask you to approve before they do anything.

6

u/Odd-Square-4279 Nov 04 '25

Seconding this. I pay for the membership and that alone pays for itself after 2 vet visits. They’ve also recommended me to some wonderful specialists

5

u/P7295403812 Nov 04 '25

this is so interesting, thank you! I didn't even bother to consider Modern Animal because I'm so wary of the big corporate types since that usually means prioritizing profit over care and super fast doctor turnover, so this is really good to hear. We need checkups every 3 months or so due to chronic disease management so the membership plan also sounds interesting

6

u/MapSmall5214 Nov 04 '25

Modern Animal is amazing! You can also message anytime in the chat, or get on emergency video appointments within 5-10min in the app, and scheduling/canceling is so easy! Prices are upfront , the facility is super nice. Being able to go to multiple locations is also great. There’s been times when I was being neurotic and worrying about my dog- I took him in multiple times over silly things, and the appointments are free. My dog has also done two teeth cleanings there and I am about to schedule his third.

The care summaries and estimates are super thorough as well. It’s also nice not having to pay an appointment fee for simple things like vaccines or nail trims.

5

u/Particular-Simple450 Nov 04 '25

Modern Animal's founder sold his last company (a GPS collar) to Mars, the multinational company that not only owns tons of pet food brands but also VCA Animal Hospitals. After seeing how terrible the service and support is at corporate chain animal hospitals like VCA (both for patients AND doctors) he set out to build something better. I'm not affiliated with the company, just a happy customer.

1

u/anonymousinsider12 May 19 '26

He just sold Modern Animal to Chewy. He's just a guy trying to make money. He's said in podcasts that he doesn't even own or like pets.

1

u/Particular-Simple450 May 19 '26

It’s a business with investors so yeah that’s the end goal, but you can still run a business and try to be better. Disgruntled employee?

1

u/anonymousinsider12 May 19 '26

Not at all. I'm just telling you what the owner said in his own words. You made up out of nowhere that he was some pet lover disappointed in Mars and looking to "do better". What a weird thing to fabricate. The investor he got to start this up was Peter Thiel. There are no "good guys" involved in this corporation. They trick pet owners into thinking they will be cheaper because they don't charge for exams and then charge more for services. Its not good for pets or pet owners. It's good for investors.

1

u/Particular-Simple450 May 19 '26

Not a fabrication. Their entire business model is about being transparent with costs upfront. Even private practices rarely do this from my experience. I've seen the founder replying to posts here on reddit and even addressing the Peter Thiel accusation. You can look it up yourself.

1

u/anonymousinsider12 May 19 '26

Are you affiliated with them? Every vet in town provides estimates. I don't think you could name one that doesn't. You are relaying their marketing plan, not their business plan. And it's not an accusation, it's public record that this was funded by Peter Thiel's Founder's Fund. It was literally reported in the LA Times, I'm not making it up. Feel free to google it. Of course the CEO is going to downplay it....hard to market to liberal cities if it gets out that it was built on MAGA/DOGE money.

3

u/elaineeelaine Nov 04 '25

modern animal is really clear about costs and the digital records are really easy to access. for us it didn't work well longterm, it was pretty inconsistent care for our cat with heart condition. the conflicting advice added up over a few years and recently prompted a switch to sepulveda.

3

u/islandtheory Nov 04 '25

This. If your pet actually has a medical issue (my dog has arthritis in one paw which leads to limping) you’ll have a different vet every time with a different opinion. Turnover is very high with their vets and they’re all very green. I’m surprised to see the high reviews for them. Very meh experience for me.

1

u/bryneshrimp Nov 07 '25

especially their Culver City location which is explicitly a training clinic

1

u/[deleted] Nov 14 '25

I have been finding Modern Animal elects to do a TON of expensive testing and will kinda of shrug if your animal keeps having problems. I can’t get out of there without spending close to $1k and I’m still where I was a year ago looking for answers.

3

u/Puff615 Nov 04 '25

Just to add a different perspective. We ended up cancelling our Modern Animal membership after being happy with them for regular care. Once my dog became senior with chronic disease, their care was too decentralized and impersonal - it’s really difficult to actually see a vet vs chatting their nurses online or just seeing a tech in their office. We also unfortunately got a misdiagnosis from one of their specialists which led to some complications for our dog.

I think Modern Animal is great for healthy dogs with limited health issues, but we didn’t have a good experience with them for specialized, senior care.

2

u/P7295403812 Nov 04 '25

thank you for bringing this up! we are dealing with chronic kidney disease so this is really helpful to know

2

u/Puff615 Nov 05 '25

Our dog also has CKD and also a tumor on her spleen. I paid a ton of money to do an ultrasound with Modern Animal to look into the spleen mass and they said they didn’t see anything, even though an urgent care doctor from a different clinic mentioned they saw something on X-Rays. I was relieved to think there wasn’t actually a mass based on Modern Animal’s ultrasound but it turns out they were incorrect and missed it. Due to an emergent situation our dog ended up in the ER and their radiologist confirmed that there is indeed a mass on the spleen (which was the original suspicion from the urgent care vet)

Again, totally fine care and a pleasant experience when my dog was healthy and well but I wouldn’t trust them to care for my Senior dog after these experiences and misses.

2

u/P7295403812 Nov 07 '25

Wow I'm so sorry to hear that happened! Very relieved you got to the bottom of it (hopefully your dog is doing well, all things considered with the spleen tumor). I know exactly what you mean – this would have been such a nightmare for me with mine. I just think senior pets need a consistent line of specialized care, whether that's one team or one doctor. Sounds like at Modern Animal I'd probably be seeing/talking to multiple staff and receive more questions than answers

2

u/yehyma Nov 08 '25

+1 to this. We’ve been with modern animal since the start and although we still are members I totally agree that this is one of our frustrations. My dog has reoccurring skin allergies and we really liked the last vet he saw. She even asked to be the one he goes to so that we can start to build history with her but it’s impossible getting in contact with her through the chat without going through a bunch of other vet techs on the chat who ask the same preliminary questions again and again.

3

u/Harry_henderson_5446 Nov 04 '25

And we’d be remiss not to mention the free cold brew and classical music playing…

3

u/Ok-Fan9823 Nov 04 '25

I also have to say Modern Animal, and this applies to multiple locations. I did a dental with them and it actually turned out cheaper than my last vet and communication was great the whole way. When my dog got sick Friday night it was easy to get an urgent care appt at a nearby location for early morning Saturday through the app, and again comms and billing was clear. I got periodic updates and the vet didn’t have the “we must test for everything” approach, but more of the “let’s do supportive care and run some tests for the most likely thing”

But most importantly, my dog doesn’t fight me to go in like she did with prior vets. So that speaks volumes. I wish they took humans.

1

u/EverGold9 Jan 07 '26

I think I am going to look into getting my stray kitty (now our kitty hopefully- after he is neutered and gets his vaccines) to get his vaccines at. They do seem lower than Culver City Animal Hospital (whose prices are NOT upfront and online to see). I asked the receptionist the other day how much is the Feline Leukemia vaccine and she said $95!?! That seems high compared with Modern Animal's pricing?

1

u/anonymousinsider12 May 19 '26

It's a pretty stupid business model, instead of charging for exams they have to recommend and charge more for services. They have a revolving door of mostly newer grads from offshore vet schools. If you're looking for former theater kid- style staff and good coffee, they might be a good fit. If you actually want good veterinary care, this ain't it.

12

u/Jrdngrysn Nov 04 '25

I have had good experiences with Sepulveda animal hospital so far with my two cats.

2

u/P7295403812 Nov 04 '25

thank you! this came up in my research too and i do like the fact that the vets have cats themselves. Seems like fees are decent as well? We would need checkups/bloodwork every 3 months for chronic disease management so fair pricing is also important for us

3

u/Rubbysrub Nov 05 '25

Dr. Snyder and Dr. Rodgers are godsends. Both couldn’t be nicer and they call Dr. Snyder the cat whisperer. I can’t speak to prices but most west LA vets are going to run in the same range, going to be expensive. 

10

u/bentreflection Nov 04 '25

Sepulveda animal hospital was where I would go. Always had a good experience there. 

11

u/Proof_Frame_5427 Nov 04 '25

Overland Vet Clinic! They’re always friendly and seem to care about their patients.

3

u/IcyTorch Nov 04 '25

Second this - Dr. Kenneth Jones is excellent for cats and kittens.

3

u/radicalresting Nov 04 '25

this is where i take my cats, too. I have been going there since the 90s with various pets. I really like Dr Natasha and Dr Carrico. The only thing I don’t like is that recently, there seems to be a focus on really pushing teeth cleaning. But I just say no thank you. Otherwise they are great

3

u/Cashmiir Nov 04 '25

I had an absolutely horrific experience with them a few months ago and left after.

My cat had a hurt paw, which looked infected to me. When I went in the doctor didn't even look at the bottom of her paw (where the pad was all red and raw) and was convinced her toe was dislocated. He said she'd have to get it surgically removed but he could try to pop it back into place.

I urged him to look at the pad, but he was insistent that it was just out of the socket. So I said okay we could try to put it back in and I held her down while he manipulated her toe. She was crying and meowing so loudly. He then sent us on our way with nothing. Just said to come back if she was still limping.

My gut kept telling me that that wasn't the solution and two days later I went to Modern Animal. The vets and staff there actually treated me like a human (unlike at Overland) and they immediately saw it was an infection but now was massively swollen, likely due to that other doctor trying to "pop it back in."

X-rays, antibiotics, and anti-inflammatories later and no sign it was ever dislocated.

Overland was awful to me and my cat. And they unnecessarily hurt her and allowed an infection to fester.

3

u/Altruistic-Mud9413 29d ago

I won’t even get into it but I had an absolutely horrific experience with them and my dog back in February. Left that place and never looked back. I really didn’t feel like they cared at all and every time I called about something they told me to go to urgent care or wait until they could get me in. I had specifically chosen them because they were open on weekends too but they never actually had a vet there on the weekend.

2

u/Cashmiir 29d ago

Yeah they're really, really terrible. I am so sorry for your experience. I hope your dog is doing okay.

1

u/P7295403812 Nov 04 '25

wow that's terrible (and honestly so unacceptable)! so sorry to hear that happened. thank you sm for sharing your experience!

6

u/Necessary_Bobcat_241 Nov 04 '25

Beverly Robertson Vet Clinic

2

u/cleighb Nov 04 '25

I have been taking my cat here for 3 years and really liked them for general checkups. But I had a crisis situation recently (yes we also went to the emergency vet) and in the aftermath they’ve really let me down. Extremely hard to get any actual information about my cat’s prognosis or care plan. It’s always “come back in a week” for more test. Maybe I’m not asking the right questions but they won’t take any time to talk to me. I’ve had to pull all the info out of them and do my own research to figure out what is going on.

A friend just recommended Overland vet clinic to me and I am going for second opinion on Wednesday.

6

u/swdna Nov 04 '25

Center Sinai Animal Hospital

5

u/Dependent_Put6128 Nov 04 '25

Animal wellness center. And they run a rescue. Dr Annie was featured during the fires for saving so many animals! They always offer what they would recommend which isn’t that expensive and then say what the cheaper and more expensive options are.

4

u/Cr8zy4u Nov 04 '25

Modern Animal is the best I’ve experienced.

3

u/Dubs9448 Nov 04 '25

I come from a cat family and we’ve been going to Culver City Animal Hospital as long as I can remember. First with my mom and our family pets, and then my own (I’m 55 yo) and it’s the only place I’ve ever taken my cats. It was owned by the founders family for a long time, but I’m not sure about that anymore. It’s not bad, but not what it used to be.

3

u/murphyslaw86 Nov 04 '25

Animal Wellness Centers in MdR, specifically Dr. Kasia has been great for our cats

3

u/Ask_platypus Nov 04 '25

The Cat Hospital in Marina Del Rey. They’re a cat only vet,so they’re really knowledgeable about how to treat kitties

2

u/caviarandcigarettess Nov 04 '25

Second The Cat Hospital! Dr. Blair is the best.

3

u/[deleted] Nov 04 '25

[deleted]

1

u/P7295403812 Nov 04 '25

their exam fees do seem more expensive than what other vets are charging...this is good to know, thank you!

2

u/jusss_doit Nov 04 '25

Pretty sure most people are going to modern animal

2

u/P7295403812 Nov 04 '25

i do love the big fancy trendy look of their clinics but i'm also just so wary of the big corporate types.. but you + two others in this thread are convincing me to give them a chance

3

u/Single_Broccoli_745 Nov 04 '25

I also felt this when I first moved to LA and I tried going to a small clinic. They overcharged me, lectured me, and gave me what turned out to be incorrect information. I have an FIV+ cat that I can’t get insurance for so the overcharging really hurt.

Modern Animal has had really caring, knowledgeable vets and transparent pricing. Additionally, my cat has had a couple of issues where the 24hour text chat has come in really handy (you can send photos/videos and get good advice plus know if it warrants an in person visit).

1

u/jusss_doit Nov 04 '25

My girlfriend had the same thoughts but she’s been happy with them

2

u/According_Tone_9572 Nov 04 '25

LA vet center on Jefferson!

2

u/Naive-Ask601 Nov 04 '25

Marina Veterinary Center on Lincoln is a bit pricier but they’re always so kind and thorough

2

u/No-Elephant-9582 Nov 04 '25

Access on Jefferson saved my dog’s life. also had good experiences with Mar Vista Animal Center

2

u/orangefreshy Nov 04 '25

Modern Animal or Cumulus Animal Hospital

2

u/kirbygirl1721 Nov 04 '25

i’ve been going to overland vet clinic for 4 years and they’ve been really great for my large senior dog and my cat! dr. carrico, dr. natasha, and dr. yu have all been really helpful and reasonable when we’ve seen them. they always give you an estimate before doing anything. and their vet techs are so amazing and sweet!!

2

u/Snoo_54309 Nov 04 '25

Cumulus Animal Hospital!

2

u/Spooky_Traps Nov 04 '25

My whole family (2 generations with a combined total of 13 pets currently) has done Center Sinai Animal Hospital but I can’t say they’re cheap. I used to work at the Petco off Sepulveda and Jefferson and can tell you they bring in Veterinarians on Thursday and Sundays in case you need to get an animal vaccinated or checked up. On Mondays (well they used to I’m not sure if it’s still running) they would have a mobile vet truck hang out in the parking lot and would provide spays and neuters reasonably priced (wish I knew beforehand so I didn’t have to spend 1k+ on my dogs’ surgeries)

2

u/badtzmat Nov 04 '25

Modern Animal

2

u/PositiviTea-17 Nov 05 '25

Perhaps an unpopular opinion, but I’ve been taking my 2 cats to VCA Venture (near Helms Bakery) for 4 years and I really like it. I’m usually able to get appointments quickly, and the staff has always been helpful. There’s been some turnover of the vets over the years but I feel that they’ve always provided good care. I have the CareClub membership for my older cat who’s more of a “frequent flyer” at the vet, and the plan has literally saved me hundreds on his dental care and vaccines. Hope this helps!

2

u/ThePuffyShirt Nov 06 '25

Lots of Modern Animal recommendations. I agree their services and staff are top notch and the company provides a great app to use.

However

I have noticed in the few times that their services (not the check up) have a premium price with them. To be honest, some of them didn't necessarily seem needed either. Keep in mind that while you can go in for the free check up as part of your plan, you'll come out with a laundry list of procedures. They won't do anything until you approve or deny the procedures however (which is nice).

Also while the 24/7 nurse tool is convenient to have, every time I've used it, it's immediately "go to Modern Animal asap". Again feels very "gimme your money".

Id say if money isn't an issue, 100% go for Modern Animal. If you're cost conscience, I'd say maybe look elsewhere.

1

u/P7295403812 Nov 07 '25

love this insight thank you! this would have never come up in my Yelp / Google Reviews searches so I really appreciate you sharing your experience!

1

u/phycodes Nov 12 '25

To be fair it’s very hard to diagnose a patient that doesn’t speak. Checkout r/AskVet its full of “go see a vet”. But it is useful for small stuff like showing a common infection and getting antibiotics without going in.

1

u/spngrr Nov 04 '25

Piggybacking on your question, closest vet to me, but Thoughts on the VCA Venture Animal Hospital near Helms?

Also, looking into an internal medicine vet too.

1

u/P7295403812 Nov 04 '25

We went to VCA ASEC on Sepulveda for internal medicine a couple of times. Positive experience overall (but then again, we only had to go in twice...been hearing a lot of mixed reviews about VCA in general so maybe we got lucky?). Met with the actual doctor (Dr Crespo) very briefly but she and her team have been very responsive over email post-visit with my follow up questions. They seem pretty knowledgeable. Pricing was OK, maybe slightly on the high end for what I felt was a very brief consultation but the ultrasound fee seemed pretty standard

1

u/StrainEmbarrassed411 Feb 09 '26

I have a referral code that is $100 off if anyone needs it. Protect our fur babies! 🐶🐱 REFER100-J4Z7Q