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Fort Lauderdale Veterinarian | Oakland Park Animal Hospital

Fort Lauderdale Has No Shortage of Good Vets. Here's How to Pick One.

Victoria Park, Coral Ridge, VCA Imperial Point, and where Oakland Park Animal Hospital fits into the decision.
Tabby cat standing on examination table at Oakland Park Animal Hospital wearing blue collar
Fort Lauderdale is not short on veterinary options. Victoria Park Animal Hospital on Federal Highway has built a large following, 4.7 stars across more than 550 reviews under Dr. Alison Birken and Dr. Benson, partly because they are open all seven days. Coral Ridge Animal Hospital on Commercial Boulevard runs a tighter, more personal operation, where Dr. Gordon is consistently the name in the reviews. VCA Imperial Point, part of the national VCA network, brings the resources of a large corporate group and AAHA accreditation. All three are solid choices, and depending on what you are looking for, one of them might genuinely be the better fit for your pet. Oakland Park Animal Hospital has been independently owned on Oakland Park Boulevard since 1987, a few minutes further north on US-1. We are not trying to be a fourth version of any of the above. Our veterinary team is not part of a corporate network, and our doctors treat dogs, cats, and exotic pets across wellness, dental, surgery, senior, and emergency care, so most needs are handled without a referral. Here is how the four of us actually compare.

Wellness Exams & Vaccinations

Surgery & Advanced Diagnostics

Emergency Services

1987
Independently Owned Since
10-15 min
From Central Fort Lauderdale via US-1
In-House
Exotic Pet Care, Not Referred Out

Independent Care Versus Corporate Owned Care

Victoria Park and Coral Ridge are both independent, doctor-owned practices, the same as we are, which is part of why their reviews read the way they do. You are seeing one doctor’s standards, not a corporate playbook. VCA Imperial Point is different. It is one of roughly 1,000 VCA branded hospitals nationwide, owned by Mars Incorporated, which is also the parent company of Banfield and several major pet food brands. That scale brings real advantages, including standardized protocols, deep specialist referral networks, and consistent equipment across locations. It also means the doctor you see this visit may not be the one you see next time, and pricing tends to run on the higher end of the market. Oakland Park Animal Hospital has been independently owned since 1987. No corporate parent sets our protocols or our prices. If that matters to you as much as it matters to us, it is probably the first thing that should factor into the decision.

Three Good Vets, Three Different Strengths

If seven day a week availability is your top priority, Victoria Park Animal Hospital is genuinely hard to beat. They are open Saturday and Sunday, 8 to 5, which covers weekend needs most practices simply do not. If you want the classic small practice relationship, where the same doctor examines your pet every visit and knows their history by heart, Coral Ridge Animal Hospital’s reviews suggest Dr. Gordon delivers exactly that, though the trade-off is a Saturday that ends at 2 p.m. and no Sunday hours at all. If institutional consistency and AAHA accreditation matter most to you, VCA Imperial Point offers that corporate backbone. Oakland Park Animal Hospital does not try to out-schedule Victoria Park or out-relationship Coral Ridge. What we offer instead is breadth, the same independent, doctor-led model as Coral Ridge, but with services such as exotic pet care, dedicated senior wellness protocols, and advanced diagnostics that a lot of general practices, corporate or independent, do not carry in house. If your household includes a bird, a rabbit, or a senior cat managing multiple chronic conditions, that breadth tends to matter more than which day of the week we are open.
 Victoria ParkCoral RidgeVCA Imperial PointOakland Park Animal Hospital
OwnershipIndependentIndependentCorporate (VCA / Mars Inc.)Independent
Saturday / Sunday8-5 both daysSat 9-2, closed SunNot listedFull Saturday, closed Sun
Reviews4.7 (557)4.7 (144)AAHA accreditedIndependently reviewed
Exotic Pet CareNot listedNot listedNot listedYes, in-house

What Makes Us Different for Fort Lauderdale Pet Owners

None of the three practices above advertise exotic pet care on their own service pages, which is common. Birds, reptiles, and small mammals need different drug dosing, handling, and equipment than dogs and cats, and most general practices simply refer those cases elsewhere. We keep that care in house, along with dedicated protocols for senior pets working through arthritis, kidney disease, or cognitive decline, and puppy and kitten programs built to get ahead of parasites and behavior issues before they turn into expensive problems. We also offer Cherry and CareCredit financing and our own Stay Well Pet Plan, so a surprise diagnosis does not have to turn into a surprise bill you cannot plan for. None of that makes Victoria Park, Coral Ridge, or VCA Imperial Point the wrong choice. It just means that if your pet’s needs run wider than routine wellness and vaccines, it is worth the extra few minutes north on US-1 to talk to us first.

Veterinary Services We Provide in Fort Lauderdale

Oakland Park Animal Hospital offers full-service veterinary care for dogs, cats, and exotic pets, including:

Every visit is scheduled with enough time for the doctor to actually examine your pet, not just process them through.

Ready to Bring Your Pet In?
Oakland Park Animal Hospital has been independently owned on Oakland Park Boulevard since 1987. Same-week appointments are usually available.

What to Do When Your Pet Needs a Vet in Fort Lauderdale

For a routine concern, a call during business hours is enough to get a same-week appointment. For something urgent during the day, such as vomiting, limping, or not eating, call ahead so the team can fit you in rather than walking in unannounced. For anything after hours, our on-call veterinarian line is answered 24 hours a day, and that call will tell you whether the issue can wait until morning or needs to be seen right away. Keep your pet’s vaccine and medical records handy, whether from us or a previous vet, since they speed up triage in an urgent situation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. We have been independently owned and operated on Oakland Park Boulevard since 1987, unlike VCA Imperial Point, which is part of the national VCA network owned by Mars Incorporated.
About ten to fifteen minutes north on US-1 or I-95, a short drive for care from a doctor who sees your pet directly rather than rotating you through different providers each visit.
Yes. We see birds, reptiles, rabbits, and other exotic pets in addition to dogs and cats, care that most general practices in Fort Lauderdale refer out rather than handle in house.
We work with Cherry and CareCredit financing, and we offer our own Stay Well Pet Plan, which bundles routine wellness visits and preventive care into a predictable monthly cost.

Keeping Your Pet Healthy

Schedule Your Fort Lauderdale Pet's Visit With Oakland Park Animal Hospital

From central Fort Lauderdale, the drive north on US-1 or I-95 runs about ten to fifteen minutes, short enough for routine visits, and worth it for care that doesn’t rotate doctors on you.

Independently Owned & Doctor-Led Since 1987

Specialty Care for Exotic Pets, Puppies, Kittens & Seniors

Flexible Financing With Cherry & CareCredit

Stay Well Pet Plan for Year-Round Savings

Our team has called this stretch of Broward County home since 1987, and we’d be glad to welcome your pet too. Reach out through our contact page to schedule a visit with Oakland Park Animal Hospital.

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