fter more than 10 years, we will never go back there. We have three collies. BVH was a great place to take your animals when it was a small office near downtown Bakersfield. Dr. McGraw was fresh out of school, friendly, knowledgeable and a caring doctor that used her common sense and trusted her knowledge of veterinary medicine and diagnoses only testing when it was necessary. The staff was bright and always happy to see you and costs were very reasonable. This all changed when Dr. McGraw and Dr. Ulrich put themselves in debt for millions of dollars to build the new hospital on Harris Road. To pay for it all, we received noncommittal diagnoses from doctors during visits when Dr. McGraw was not available (after-hours) that were more interested in keeping our dogs overnight and testing them into the stratosphere over something as simple an upset stomach, skyrocketing prices, and overbooked waiting rooms. The impression that it's all about the money really started to sink in during the first year after opening. The original friendly staff is long gone and the turnover is high. People seem to be either incompetent or poorly trained. After one visit, the staff couldn't match a prescription to the owners (us) when the pharmacy called the hospital for verification so it was refused. Expect the staff to be stressed, unfriendly, and fake. Expect doctors to be in a hurry, noncommittal regarding what is wrong with your pet, lots of testing, and a push to admit them into the hospital. And remember this; if you ever have a problem with a doctor or the staff regarding anything and you complain to Dr. Ulrich or Dr. McGraw, you will be labeled as a problem regardless of what the problem is or how long you have been taking your pet(s) to see them, chances are really good they will tell you to seek out another vet because you're not happy. This is how they handle legitimate problems and issues. Hope this review is helpful. Try them out if you like, but beware.
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