For The Birds

GEORGE THOMAS

2018-05

If you own ANY feathered pet, no matter the variety, THIS is the BEST Bird-VET in the northern California area. I live oon Pasadena, but my little, noisy, 5-ounce Conure parrot makes periodic trips to Cupertino to "his VET," Dr. VanSant.J-J is worth it, and this VET knows my bird and treats him like it is her own.

Edith Betancourt

2019-05

Birds vet is very acknowledge and nice, she explained us everything about our cockatiel and helped me to calm him down after being traumatized in the pet store. I highly recommend her!

Sanchia Hendrix

2023-05

Wonderful vets and staff. Patient with my constant questions and concerns. Educated me on how to properly care for my birds. When one of my birds became a special needs bird they went above and beyond to give her a chance to heal but when it was clear she would need to have a different set up now they taught me to modify her cage. They are amazing and love birds here.

Cheeto Drury

2023-10

This place is our GO-TO with everything for our Budgies. The care they receive is unmatched and the love they give every client bird is so refreshing.

Sydney Forman

2022-05

The nurse person was lovely and wonderful. The vet can go f-k herself. Ive never seen more rude and horrible customer service from a vet. Try telling me what needs fixing instead of making it sound like my bird is going to die tomorrow unless i change his habits. I need to do a diagnostics test but believe me I will not be coming back here to do so.

Eduardo Tapia

2019-05

We come to buy foods for the birds ; is very nice place to shop their food, the lady give us a lots recommendations, thanks

Ash J

2020-05

Staff is inexperienced and lack professionalism in customer service.# of visits = 21. They charge hefty amount so be careful and ask it upfront. Don't be surprise when you see your bills $300+ and there is no up limit to it (thousands).2. They do extreme treatments that you did not ask for or bird did not need (X-rays/overdose of medications without proper diagnosis, unnecessary putting in oxygen when problem is not lack of oxygen but something else).Super pressing on keeping bird for days (overnight) without proper diagnosis.When going home, force pet owner to take the container with us, which is nothing other than a plastic storage box. We have plenty at home why we should rent from you? Even if you give it free with deposit held, why? If I don't need it, I don't need it. Lastly, upon refusal, pet owner gets to see their faces that they make with rudeness.3. Turning point for me -- They make you feel guilty as if you don't know what you are doing as a pet owner. From everything like diet, keeping bird in and out of cage, type of cage, how you brought the bird in (what type of pet carrier) etc. If they want to educate a pet owner there is a way to do it, but they don't do that way. They make you feel so horrible as a pet owner as if everything we are doing is wrong here and even all the pet stores. So whatever food, toys, perch, and cages they are selling is toxic for birds and not the appropriate stuff for birds.4. Moment I realized their bill was multiplying I immediately called another pet hospital in Santa Clara and this staff at "For the Birds" made faces and commented further to give pet owner more guilt if pet owner choose not to keep the birds with them. As a pet owner, I told them I am not happy with service and I care about my bird, just taking them to another place. They just assume and started giving me guilt trip and used verbiage that provided strong objection and consequence of leaving their place without full treatment i.e "your bird will die" (at that point my bill had increased to $600 already. I got proper diagnosis, love, care and treatment for my bird at other pet hospital. Bird is still alive and healthy.If you want your bird alive and not spill money from your wallet because they will surely milk it, do not go to this place. I lost trust in them forever.

Amber G

2018-05

Dr. Van Sant is the only one I have experience with, so I can't say much about other doctors there. She seems knowledgeable, but if your personality doesn't mesh with hers, she can be rude and judgemental. It seems like maybe she's not that way with everyone, but I left feeling like garbage every single time I went there.Her services are extraordinarily expensive. My average checkup was about $600. She recommended weekly treatments for my bird at $20-50 per visit. I did what she said for awhile, but eventually realized that they were not helping him at all. She insisted I keep doing them. I took him to a different avian vet. I went against her recommendations, started him back on pellets instead of the expensive pellet/seed cakes she insisted on, and stopped his weekly visits with her. Only then did I see an improvement with his health. I gotta say that going to a different vet was the best choice I could have made for my little guy. Four years later with a different vet and he's happy and healthy, which she claimed he wouldn't be.If you visit here and it goes well and you have good feelings about it, maybe your luck will be better. However, if you feel like you're being scammed, listen to that feeling and go elsewhere.

Abduelrahman Fahmi

2021-05

Piggybacking off what Ash said below; I can only speak for my experience with Dr. Van Sant, but I hope to god her staff is much more professional than she is. Not to mention Dr. Van Sant thinks she is playing god; there easily dozens of other professionals who do her job better in the Bay Area.I brought in a cockatiel who had an accident for a visit. The clinic is predatory with their work, do not ask for authorization, and simply put they charge 2-3 times as much as any other vet. Had there been some communication, 95% of the issues would never have came up. Problems are as follows:1) Only after dropping my bird off for the visit was I informed it would be charged as an emergency rather than a regular exam. Should have been cleared on the phone.2) I had made it clear I consented to an exam and pain meds ONLY. The doctor then went ahead and provided other services without calling me to authorize this service. In previous experience veterinary professionals ALWAYS call to authorize care BEFORE giving it and charging you for it.3) When asking for an estimate, I was informed services I did not authorize were already completed and billed. I called to negotiate because the bill had suddenly multiplied to more than I could afford. Dr. Van Sant was beyond rude, bordering on hostile, and threatened to call animal control because I didn't want to pay the exaggerated cost for some services I could've done at home and did not authorize.4) Dr. Van Sant does a fantastic job of trying to guilt trip you into paying your ridiculous fee, by saying your bird will die, or be horribly disfigured without her care. Combined with the fact that they bill before you even know what you got billed for, this is downright predatory and frankly a little disgusting.5) Like others have mentioned they try to force you to take your bird back into a plastic box. When you refuse (because most people have plastic boxes at home), they turn their noses up at youIn summary save your money, see another avian vet. This place is obviously only in it for the cash. Find a place that will actually care for our bird, not milk you for every cent they can.

Gail

2014-05

I have been going to For the Birds for years with my Budgies and Cockatiels. I get the very best care, advice and service. They specialize in bird care so why take your birdies to anyone else? They carry the best healthy food for your birds and will mail it to you so you (you pay shipping) can be sure not to run out. They are serious about keeping your pet birdies alive and well. I'm very happy to have bird vets I can count on. I've been going to Dr. Van Sant for probably over 20 years and plan to go whenever I get a new bird, when a bird is ill, or somebody needs a checkup.

Jessica Fuhriman

2018-05

For the Birds has been around for decades and Dr. Van Sant's advice comes from years of experience treating exotic birds. Her success rate in mending sick birds to health is very good and her advice in bird care gives you the knowledge on how to keep your bird healthy and live a long happy life with you. I would go no where else to get health care for my birds.

Roxanne Porter

2020-05

Dr. VanSant and her crew are wonderful!!! I took my cockatiel Sweetie Pie in on an emergency trauma and these people absolutely amazed me with not only kindness when I walked in but heartfelt care for my bird, but including phone calls on updates as well as recommending the best way to keep my baby comfortable during recovery. Their always happy to answer any questions no matter how many times I might call to make sure I'm doing things right or worried about something I may not be sure of. For the Birds is the best place to go with best Doctor/crew! I THANK YOU ALL for being here at this emotional time for me. God Bless ❤

Tatiana Supikova

2020-05

Brought my newly bought sun conure for check up about 10 months ago.Paid $300 for the visit and tests. Was given a folder with some general educational information about owning a parrot. Was told that the bird is in such a bad condition, she even managed to hear heart murmur in less than 5 second listening to the bird's heart. Told me they can give me cardiologist 's contact. No thank you. She gave bird a vitamin A shot. Took blood.They were supposed to contact me after the test results came, usually1 - 1,5 weeks. Didn't hear from them for 3 weeks. Finally after third call I got the test results. Delivered In oral form by phone. Needless to say nobody ever bothered to send the results to me. They called me soon after to schedule my next visit. I declined politely. The parrot is doing great btw. No, I wouldn't recommend this place.

Michael Nowakowski

2022-05

This place is an absolute racket. Proving once again health care for any living body is reserved for the rich. Multiple visits have resulted in little to no action to actually help my pets but this place has no issue charging you hundreds of dollars to just walk in the door.Need simple antibiotics? You can expect over $200 for that visit.The bird needs to spend the night because it’s having difficulty laying an egg? That’ll be $1000Your bird got injured and needs a suture? That’ll be $700.It’s a shame that so much suffering needs to occur because of the greed running rampant in this Bay Area. Euthanasia is by far the cheapest and most effective “treatment” these people will provide, obviously with the mental toll it takes to make a decision like that. I guess I’ll be taking my pet home and hope for the best as I watch them suffer because no body is willing to help for a reasonable rate.At this point I am purchasing my medicine through the internet and learning to DIY these procedures because that’s the only option left to receive any kind of health care I can afford in this country.

Thoai Ha

2019-05

The good:This place was very thorough about examining my African grey for her illness. They performed blood work and specimen samples on the spot and told us what was wrong and it wasn't good news. Dr Van Sant said my bird could die any day now, claims it was on the edge, very dramatic!The bad:Things got expensive fast but that's what can happen when your beloved pet becomes ill. I'm giving her the medicine Dr. Van Sant said she needed and she's not looking any better but definitely not any worse. For sure, she is not on her death bed like the Dr. Claimed. Also one of the 2 meds I was giving her ran out a little half way through treatment so I had to call to have it sent asap, not good when your sick bird needs it. Almost $600 later, I'm now not so sure if my bird was diagnosed correctly and am waiting for the shortage to arrive. They want me to take my bird back for more test, cha-ching hell no I'm not paying for another round of tests, stay tuned.

Esmeralda Lopez

2022-05

I called Friday morning to express my pet parakeet was wheezing. I wanted to bring in my parakeet as soon as possible. I was told there was nothing available until Tuesday! I then asked if there was anything I could do from now until then and they would not suggest anything. So unprofessional and inhumane. My sons parakeet ended up dying yesterday!! Could have possibly be saved.

Carmen Rutlen

2017-05

Dr. Fern Van Sant has been a lifesaver for my cocktail. She offered treatments and meds that other bird vets did not even suggest. She goes much beyond being your typical bird veterinarian as she's involved in depth with the research of avian health and disease to a greater level than any I've seen. She's got a very scientific mind and is well studied in her field. Brilliant.

Numb Nail

2021-05

It's all about the money . They tried to sell me a costly complete exam many times . They really could care less about doing a proper visual exam .that was 75. I learned nothing . Soon after I went to vet in redwood City and asked for the same visual exam on my bird .they also asked to do a more complete exam. The doctor talked to me personally and I learned a vast amount of information from him about my bird from just a visual exam .I did add a cbc and fecal test. It's was about 200 total .

Malgo Jasinska

2024-04

Kind and knowledgeable staff. Recommended.

Richard Southern

2019-05

Expert bird care! My parrot hurt her leg in a fall and For The Birds checked her out, provided me with care instructions, rented a hospital cage and did a follow up. She's all better now and will become our new vet for our birds.

Karl Peter (KP)

2020-05

Expert veterinary care for birds by highly qualified, experienced, and skilled veterinarians. I have known Dr Van Sant as a friend and professional colleague for nearly 30-yrs and highly recommend her.

DAY

2017-05

Have you seen Turner and Hooch with Tom Hanks? The scene with the vet was our first day. I had no idea what to expect so Dr. Van Sant gave us the new bird talk. Nearly a decade later my little Mogwai is rarely a Gremlin and every day he charms my heart. We are so happy together and we owe it all to Dr. Van Sant and her incredible team. Thank you.

Brady Sewall

2017-05

Took our budgee there for an unknown illness. The doctor was asking us questions and giving us options instead of offering suggestions. Ended up spending $600 and having our budgee die at home three days later. Not a pleasant experience. At least the staff was nice enough to follow-up with a condolence card a couple weeks later.

Ellie

2021-05

The best care for your little birdies. We took our very veery sick Green Cheek Conure- emergency- he started throwing up and For the Birds took such amazing care of him.

Sarah Lemarié

2018-05

Dr Van Sant is one of the best Avian vets in the bay area. Always takes your parrot to an avian vet and not a general animal vet - avian veterinary medicine is an huge specialty.

W L

2022-05

Don't go to there unless you want to your bird dead quickly. Expensive, wast time and no effective treatment for my parrot!

Genie Palmer

2021-05

Best bird vet around, helpful friendly staff, all you newd for a hapoy,, healthy bird . Ive been going there for years so can truly say i highly recommed

Scott Brown

2017-05

Great vet clinic for all types of birds. Good selection of bird safe toys to choose from as well as perches and food.

Mr Lastname

2018-05

This is an excellent vet for birds. Rather expensive but worth the price. Dr. Van Sant is a true bird expert.

Kimmy Carter

2020-05

I'm so grateful for For The Birds. That staff is kind and experienced and very, very knowledgeable. I feel like my bird is in great hands!