Dermatology for Animals - Oakland

Robin West 2 weeks ago

I was referred to this practice by OakVet Animal Specialty Hospital after taking our senior pet there on 5/28/26 because his groomer noticed his ears were red and inflamed and he had a high fever. Senior dog has been fighting allergies for a few months now. I made an appt with Dermatology for Animals on 6/1 and received an appt for 8/3. Fortunately the morning of 6/17 office staff called to say there was a cancellation so there was an opening that same afternoon so we definitely took it. One of the perks of being a retiree. Yay! Their practice is located on Pill Hill. Staff was very friendly, the office is comfy and tastefully decorated. The vet, Dr. Christie Yamazaki and her assistant, Laura were wonderful with our senior dog Prince. His treatment plan and the medications he was prescribed is extensive but both of Prince’s humans are retired so we are able to commit to it. After less than a week of following the prescribed routine, Prince’s skin is puppy soft and his badly inflamed ears are not bothering him as much. His pet insurer is also on board with underwriting most of the cost of his treatment. His prescription diet foods should be arriving this week so we can start the elimination trials. So thankful for this practice as pet dermatologists are hard to find and frankly I didn’t even know there was such a veterinarian specialty as animal dermatology. Our Prince thanks you from the bottom of his heart.

Jonathan Einav a month ago

The most disorganized and careless medical practice I have ever seen. I scheduled an initial consultation at Dermatology for Animals Oakland earlier this year because they had the shortest wait time of the veterinary dermatologists in the area (which, in retrospect, was not a good sign). The appointment started late. Besides the initial consultation fee, I was surprised to find a $180 "cytology" charge on my invoice. At no point during the visit was the word "cytology" ever said, and nobody explained to me what this was for during the visit. They did not ask for my approval for this additional charge, which is a legal requirement. If they did, I would have refused because the location tested was on my dog's back, which had no relevance to my dog's allergic symptoms on her paws. I feel the doctor ripped me off on a useless extra test. Due to their late start, I was running late and told them I had to leave at the end of the consult. Despite this, one of the staff went into the room after the doctor and proceeded to upsell me on another test for 20 minutes. I finally said that I don't have the time for this and will figure out the next steps later. By the time I left their office, I was nearly an hour behind schedule, and I missed an important meeting as a result. Despite the time spent on this initial visit, there were still unanswered questions remaining by the end of it. After some back-and-forth with their front desk, I discovered that the staff were unable to relay any information successfully to the doctor, and that the doctor refuses to communicate with customers over the phone (literally the first time I have ever experienced this). Their only solution was to send emails. What followed was a lengthy series of emails that wasted a lot of everybody's time, when the questions and next steps could have instead been resolved via a simple phone call. I ended up scheduling a skin test for additional allergen identification. The entire test, including sedation, took less than an hour. Total cost for this 1 hour test: $1562. The doctor did not budget the time to actually review the results and next steps with me, and I did not want to repeat the email headache, so I then sat in the clinic lobby for over an hour while she jumped between appointments and my results review. Of course, they charged me an additional $318 consultation fee for the explanation of the test results, which should be included, and of course there was another mysterious unapproved $180 cytology charge on the invoice which was again never communicated or approved by me, and I never saw any result from. I ended up purchasing some oral and injectable immunotherapy (outrageously expensive here). Final cost of this visit: $4261. Incredible. They refused to show me how to use the injectable therapy, so currently I cannot use it. $1097 spent on this, and it has an expiration date. If you've ever been to a pharmacy, you know that they are legally required to ensure you know how to use the medication when you receive it from them. This is another requirement that they failed to meet. One of the allergen vials that I received had leaked, and another they are still holding despite me having already paid for it. The allergen list is missing some key fungi. The doctor requested a follow-up visit, but on the day of the visit, they canceled and rescheduled it twice before canceling it altogether. I was happy to reschedule it the 1st time because things can come up, but multiple times just means you're disorganized. This is not health care, it's a business. They don't care about you, your animal, or your time. They just want to take your money. Note that the doctor and company owner have changed in recent years, so older reviews are not reflective of current experience. I sent them an email on how to make things right for me. I plan on updating this review once the situation is resolved.

Margaret Gehlert a month ago

I was most impressed with the level of care and concern shown to us. They were sincerely interested in the health and well-being of my dog. I truly appreciate the time they spent with us, explaining everything and answering my questions.

Shariq Yosufzai 2 weeks ago

Caring , Responsive, Prompt and Comprehensive answers to all questions, the entire team is to be commended for providing superb medical treatment and advice and Dr. Yamazaki is excellent on all fronts .

Ben Knop a month ago

The doctor, and her assistant has alwaysshowed genuine care and high attention to detail for my dog with severe allergies throughout her body