The Drake Center for Veterinary Care - Encinitas, California

Katie Mugge

I want to start this review by saying I am a veterinary technician myself and I trust these guys fully to take care of my two special kitties. The staff is phenomenal, the front desk is efficient and can often answer my medical questions by reading the medical records (amazing!!). The technicians are lovely, positive, and smart. The doctors are very collaborative and think outside the box. Even when I don’t request a doctor to call me back they usually do. I also love their hours and think their prices are comparable to other clinics I’ve worked at. There are few places I trust to care for my crew but Drake has been phenomenal since I moved to the area.

Halé Richardson

I can’t begin to express how grateful I am anytime I need to turn to Drake Center and their amazing staff and veterinarians. When your pet is hurt, you’re so worried and emotional. The only relieve for that is seeing how kind the Drake team is and now empathetic and committed they are to their sweet patients (and their patients owners). So appreciative they’re right here in our community. ?

Sierra Kerr

Dr VanWorth is excellent! Our Pomeranian is 9 years old and I wish we had found Dr VanWorth when our dog was a puppy. We’re importing our dog to Australia and found Dr VanWorth while in the importing process. She has handled everything with ease and efficiency. She’s everything you could ask for in caring for your loved pet. She’s kind, organized, prompt, and truth worthy. The office is clean and welcoming as well. Highly recommended! 5 stars isn’t enough!

Jon Rosen

We have been getting care for our 2 elderly dogs at the Drake Center for about a year. During this time, their primary vet, Dr. Dowd, has consistently provided excellent care. She takes the time required to thoroughly examine the dogs and carefully and thoughtfully provides a treatment plan. Despite the many challenges we have faced in the recent care for our dogs, they are doing extremely well and for that we're extremely thankful to Dr. Dowd and the rest of the staff at Drake.

Kirsty Tosh-Hall

I have been taking our last three pets to the center and while everyone there is friendly and have been good with our beloved babies, I find their prices are VERY HIGH. I was quoted 749.00 to spay our new puppy and the first visit was over 200.00. All that was performed was a meet the vet and one vaccine. When I returned for the second vaccine I was charged 73.00! The vaccine was 36 and the “tech visit” was 37.00! For less than 5 minutes. With regard to the spaying, they also wanted to charge an additional 99.00 for bloodwork. I called around and received quotes for spaying between 500 and 350.00. All quotes included everything the Drake Center included. If you are on a fixed income check around. 400.00 more to perform a procedure is outrageous! I can’t afford to pay these significantly higher prices when the same services are offered for much less down the street.

Rose Wangler

I have not been to this clinic, but I just read the article on coconut oil and its potential benefits to pets. This is not a well-informed article at all. It does not begin to give credit to the benefits of coconut oil. I have used it extensively on myself and on my cats and I know them to be true. It does everything they say it does and more. I give plenty of other things to my cats but the coconut oil is indispensable, they are much better off having it on a regular basis, though not too frequently. A couple times a week on average.

Info - Encinitas Plumbing

We are a local business, and found the Drake Center while searching for a local veterinarian for our 5 y/o Blue Nose. I was searching specifically for non-sedative dental cleaning, but came across a very informative page from their website explaining why sedative cleaning is better. That info, and the glowing reviews on here made it obvious that we needed to check them out. We are so glad we did! They made us feel comfortable from the very start. The doctor listened while I explained a long-time anxiety issue we've been dealing with. Over time, it had gotten so bad that prevented us from getting out as often as we'd like. The doctor performed an exam, and discussed some options for helping us deal with Pepper's anxiety. We are on day 1 with a mild sedative, and the result is nothing short of a miracle! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! We are excited for the future, and looking forward to getting them choppers cleaned in a few weeks.

Linda TF

Dr. Heather Kovacevich Has been our dog’s primary vet since he was a puppy. Typical French bulldog breed issues has led us on a journey of visits, procedures and tests. Two significant health concerns have been found by Dr. K. One resulted in nares surgery (BOAS) performed by Dr. Pike of (Vet Specialty Hospital in Sorrento Valley). The other issues have been carefully reviewed with us. Dr. l has also been very honest and thorough with her findings. She always errs on the conservative side when it comes to our dog. Drake Center is very well respected in the community. We have taken our dog to two of the most seasoned surgeons in SoCal for 2nd opinions. Both have always agreed with Dr. Kovacevich. One derm issue (paw sores, skin issues) resulted in an allergy test administered by a Derm at Vet Specialty. Dr. Kovacevich exhausted her efforts before referring us to the derm. Fast forward to CT scan (due to a mass growth in ear), lots of other “stuff” was found. We had the CT scan done at Vet Imaging Center SD in Kearny Mesa. Dr. Kovacevich reviewed the findings and agreed a more conservative approach should be taken to address the mass. We were prepared to schedule a major surgery.

The Drake Center is reasonable considering the level of care we receive at every visit. They also have sat and sun non-emergency hours. The entire staff is very nice and professional.