What specialty services are available at VCA Animal Specialty & Emergency Center?

VCA Animal Specialty & Emergency Center offers a range of specialty services including cardiology, diagnostic imaging, emergency and critical care, internal medicine, oncology, and surgery. These services are provided by board-certified specialists and highly-trained veterinarians dedicated to advanced pet care.

How does VCA Animal Specialty & Emergency Center approach pet cancer treatment?

At VCA Pet CancerCare Centers, oncology teams develop individualized treatment plans using advanced and effective treatments similar to those in human medicine. These modern cancer treatments are designed to have fewer side effects, helping pets remain comfortable and happy throughout their care. The center also fosters collaboration between oncologists and primary care veterinarians.

Is VCA Animal Specialty & Emergency Center accredited by a professional organization?

Yes, VCA Animal Specialty & Emergency Center is accredited by the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA). As an accredited hospital, it voluntarily upholds the Association's high standards across 18 different areas and is routinely evaluated on over 900 distinct standards of veterinary care, placing it among a select group of hospitals.

What is the process for referring a patient to VCA Animal Specialty & Emergency Center?

Referring veterinarians can initiate the process by completing an applicable referral form and submitting it. Following this, pertinent medical records should be emailed or faxed to the center. Once these steps are complete, the client or referring veterinarian can contact the center to schedule an appointment for the pet.

Does VCA Animal Specialty & Emergency Center offer language interpretation services?

Yes, the clinic provides over-the-phone and video interpretation services through Lionbridge for non-English-speaking and American Sign Language (ASL) clients. This service allows veterinary providers to enlist an expert interpreter in real-time, ensuring clear and accurate communication between staff and clients regarding their pet's care.

VCA ASEC

VCA ASEC is a general practice practice in Los Angeles, CA.

Get Directions View on Maps ↗ Call (310) 473-5906 Book Consultation

About

VCA Animal Specialty & Emergency Center is an academic veterinary hospital that began as a surgical referral clinic 30 years ago, growing into a trusted specialty hospital. It offers advanced care in emergency and critical care, cardiology, internal medicine, oncology, diagnostic imaging, and surgery, provided by board-certified specialists and highly-trained veterinarians. The hospital is also accredited by the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA), a distinction held by only a small percentage of veterinary hospitals.

Located in West Los Angeles, VCA ASEC operates as a 24-hour emergency and specialty veterinary hospital, providing continuous care. The clinic facilitates referrals through a structured process involving referral forms, medical record submission, and appointment scheduling. It also emphasizes collaboration between its oncologists and primary care veterinarians for pet cancer diagnoses and treatment.

Photos

Photos via Google · VCA ASEC, Benjamin Ferraioli, Diana Davis

Frequently asked questions

What specialty services are available at VCA Animal Specialty & Emergency Center?: VCA Animal Specialty & Emergency Center offers a range of specialty services including cardiology, diagnostic imaging, emergency and critical care, internal medicine, oncology, and surgery. These services are provided by board-certified specialists and highly-trained veterinarians dedicated to advanced pet care.
How does VCA Animal Specialty & Emergency Center approach pet cancer treatment?: At VCA Pet CancerCare Centers, oncology teams develop individualized treatment plans using advanced and effective treatments similar to those in human medicine. These modern cancer treatments are designed to have fewer side effects, helping pets remain comfortable and happy throughout their care. The center also fosters collaboration between oncologists and primary care veterinarians.
Is VCA Animal Specialty & Emergency Center accredited by a professional organization?: Yes, VCA Animal Specialty & Emergency Center is accredited by the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA). As an accredited hospital, it voluntarily upholds the Association's high standards across 18 different areas and is routinely evaluated on over 900 distinct standards of veterinary care, placing it among a select group of hospitals.
What is the process for referring a patient to VCA Animal Specialty & Emergency Center?: Referring veterinarians can initiate the process by completing an applicable referral form and submitting it. Following this, pertinent medical records should be emailed or faxed to the center. Once these steps are complete, the client or referring veterinarian can contact the center to schedule an appointment for the pet.
Does VCA Animal Specialty & Emergency Center offer language interpretation services?: Yes, the clinic provides over-the-phone and video interpretation services through Lionbridge for non-English-speaking and American Sign Language (ASL) clients. This service allows veterinary providers to enlist an expert interpreter in real-time, ensuring clear and accurate communication between staff and clients regarding their pet's care.

Contact & hours

Address

1535 S Sepulveda Blvd
Los Angeles

Phone

(310) 473-5906

Website

vcahospitals.com/animal-specialty-emergency

3.5 · 241 Google reviews

Recent reviews

7 months ago

Andres Ochoa Rocha

Not sure why this place has such low reviews. We had a great experience here & are grateful for the care the staff showed our kitten. He went in for surgery because it was believed that he had an obstruction and when they opened him up, found that the obstruction had passed. I think the adrenaline of things causes your mind to go through the what if’s, but the staff and care team at VCA ASEC made this whole situation as easy as possible. While in the beginning the surgeon was near certain he required surgery, we never felt coerced or pushed to spend an astronomical amount of money to save our kitten. I felt that everyone here was as transparent as they could be. I also appreciate how responsive they are. While we nurse our baby back to health from what turned out to be a minor surgery, they’ve answered every call and every question in a kind and thoughtful manner. They definitely deserve more praise as they made what could have been a much more traumatic situation, as easy as possible.
9 months ago

Diana Davis

VCA ASEC saved my bulldog's life! Splash had an obstruction thanks to her habit of exploring the world through taste. She had abdominal surgery requiring multiple incisions in her digestive tract at another hospital, and it failed and ruptured internally on the third day of recovery, sadly not utterly unexpected. The contents of her stomach and intestines were leaking into her abdomen, making it septic. The other hospital discovered this whilst I was visiting, confessed the needed surgery was beyond their capability and sent me to VCA ASEC. I'm so glad they did! Only an hour and change later, board certified surgeon Dr. Sroufe arrived and completed what he later told me was a "pretty gnarly surgery", removing unviable tissue, resectioning her intestines, cleaning out the infectious goo from her abdomen to put poor Spash's digestive system back together. Splash had an extremely long recovery time in hospital, several weeks. Her poor insides had been through a lot and stomach motility had stopped. She regurgitated (something very familiar to bulldog owners), aspirated, and caught pneumonia. She was in and out of the oxygen cage and required a GI tube for feeding and aspiration of fluid build up in her very slow tummy, and for a while an abdominal drain. She was on IV meds for darn near everything. For a while, she was on IV fluids, but then had edema and needed treatment for that; another familiar thing to the breed. It was ages before she was out of the woods. Each and every step of the way, for days, the team was kind, compassionate and patient with both her and us. Doctors Tovar, Spurlock, Regalado, Ixtlahuac, Judge and Ong all at one point of another took care of Splash and communicated with us in person or over the phone. Tovar, Spurlock and Regalado made a point of calling us with updates once and often twice a day; they would even take time to keep Splash with them around the hospital, to ensure she was able to keep her emotional state up. Both my husband and myself were always made welcome on our daily visits to see Splash. Each visit, the doctor on shift would come and fill us in and answer all our questions. We always felt they cared about both us and Splash. If we called, someone would ALWAYS call back within an hour or two. The techs and nurses were also amazing. They were invested in doing the best they could for Splash and helping her survive and live. They even took time to pet her and comfort her. When she was able, they took her out of her kennel for play and walkies. Everyone she passed when I was there would greet her by name with a cheerful voice. The total care for her entire time there was expensive. That's around the clock board and care, medication, oxygen cage, food, IV placement and replacement when the vein blew (which is a fact of life; eventually, you need to move to another vein.) repeated scans throughout her stay such as x rays and ultrasounds and blood/fluid tests to see how her recovery was progressing, treatment for edema, and more. Critical hospital care for much of the month of July. This is not unusual or a rip off of any sort. We have no pet insurance, as bulldogs are expensive to insure, and that's what it cost. The finance department were very clear about charges, and gave us a high and low estimate, letting us know that anything not used would be refunded or used as credit for the next period we pre-paid for. They were patient as we did our best to gather funds from our savings, credit, and eventually a GoFundMe. They worked WITH us to ensure we could continue, as everyone could see she was fighting and not ready to die. Without them, I would have lost the sweetest dog in the world! Now she is home and nearly back to herself, playing, snoring like a bear and demanding treats and butt scratches.
2 months ago

Joseph Elian

Twice I had a very frustrating experience at VCA Animal Hospitals in their emergency room. When I checked in, I was told the wait time would be approximately two hours. While I understand that emergency veterinary clinics can be busy and that critical cases must be prioritized, I appreciated at least having an estimated timeframe. However, after waiting for three hours, I was then informed that the wait would be another three hours on top of that. The lack of accurate communication and care was extremely disappointing. VCA should work on honest communication. VCA has a habit of auto reply or AI reply to show other viewers that they care but they simply don’t.

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7 months ago

Olga Halak

I rarely leave negative reviews, but this experience was truly heartbreaking due to the lack of compassion and what felt like prioritization of profit over care. I do not recommend this emergency clinic for urgent pet care. On October 1st, I rushed my cat to this facility around midnight after he developed a urinary blockage. Unfortunately, the situation was made significantly worse by the way it was handled. What should have been a straightforward emergency procedure turned into a night filled with stress, confusion, and disappointment. Dr. Emani Green appeared more focused on maximizing the bill than addressing my cat’s urgent medical needs. My cat required a simple catheter placement to relieve the blockage and determine the cause, which was clearly bladder stones — yet I was pressured into unnecessary testing. When I insisted on doing only what was essential, Dr. Green gave me an ultimatum: either sign for surgery without an estimate or pay an additional $600 to wait two hours for one. This kind of approach felt deeply unprofessional and insensitive, especially during an emergency. From 12 a.m. to 6 a.m., I endured not only the fear for my cat’s life but also the stress of being financially pressured at every turn. The next morning, I had to make multiple calls just to obtain my cat’s bloodwork results. Despite paying for X-rays and a urinalysis, I never received them. I understand that veterinary medicine is a business, but compassion and transparency should always come first — especially when someone’s beloved pet is in crisis. Unfortunately, that was not the case here.
6 months ago

Karen Larrañaga

It's taken me some time to write this, but today I checked my mailbox and found I had received a package from VCA ASEC from weeks ago, after the loss of my beloved Ruby. My boyfriend and I rushed my baby here late last month when she became ill incredibly fast. We met with Dr. Abigail Leon who explained in detail what testing Ruby needed. I was fully prepared to put the large expense on a credit card, when Dr. Leon returned to our room and gave her honest opinion about the situation. We made the difficult choice to say goodbye to our sweet girl, but Dr. Leon made the experience a little easier. We sincerely appreciated her compassion, her honesty, and her kindness. I truly feel that many other vets would have taken the opportunity to make $$$ out of our desperation for answers, but Dr. Leon was gentle, honest, and kept Ruby's best interest in mind. I hope to not experience another pet emergency, but if I do, I will be bringing my beloved fur babies here. The front desk staff were incredibly kind during one of the worst nights of our lives, and Dr. Leon exemplified what all veterinarians should strive to be. Lastly, thank you for the thoughtful card and paw print gift, it brought tears to my eyes. I will always miss my sweet Ruby girl, but I'm grateful that her transition over the rainbow bridge was so peaceful, thanks to Dr. Leon.

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