I rescued my pup at 4 weeks old in 2007. As as result of being the runt of the litter and the victim of irresponsible breeders, I brought him home with an immune deficiency, mites, ticks, fleas and mu... Read More
I rescued my pup at 4 weeks old in 2007. As as result of being the runt of the litter and the victim of irresponsible breeders, I brought him home with an immune deficiency, mites, ticks, fleas and multiple types of worms. Now at 10 years old, he has suffered through three slipped disks, two major surgeries to repair them, liver disease and severe allergic reactions to each vaccination he has received. *I promise you, he has had and still has a wonderful life and has no idea he is an old man* Factor in the general check-ups and dental work, it's safe to say that I am a bit of a Veterinary connoisseur and have frequented many-a-vet throughout San Diego county. While this review is not about my doggy, but my guy's cat, I was thoroughly impressed with Balboa Veterinary Hospital. He rescued his cat, Ollie, in 2014 and hasn't been to a vet since as he is an indoor cat and hasn't had any medical issues to warrant a visit. Ollie went on a bit of an adventure a few weeks ago and was thankfully found by a nice woman who brought him to the humane society. Ollie was released to go home, but CA state law requires a general check-up appointment within 7 days for all owners who claim their pets. I was asked to take responsibility of finding a good and fair priced veterinarian. After much research and many phone calls, I decided on BVH because the reviews are great and they offered 50% off a first time client exam. I was sure of my decision the moment we walked in. The receptionist was so friendly and (at least pretended to) gladly listen to my guy vent about some of the things that happened during his visit to the humane society to pick up Ollie. We were brought into a room right on time. Dr. Gunderson clearly loves cats as she spent at least 10 minutes sitting on the ground with Ollie, feeding him and petting him through the hole into the 'cat cave' in order to make him feel more comfortable when it came time for her to poke and prod him. Ollie is generally a very skittish cat, but he allowed himself to be held, wrapped into a blanket and carried like the baby that he is into the back for blood work. While Ollie's dad was happy that he was being treated so kindly, he doesn't have much to compare it to. I however, know first hand that there are vets out there who have clearly become desensitized to both the animals and the owners, which is a huge huge huge huge turn off to me. The blood work cost a few bucks more than I have paid in the past for my dog, but the overall bill was decently low considering the half price exam and 3-month dose of flea medication (which he acquired during his 12 day vacation). They even gave him a complimentary pill ( I can't remember what it was for). I highly recommend Balboa Veterinary Hospital as your animal's general vet. I will remain with my dog's current vet in Poway as previously stated, his medical history is out of control and they know him and his needs, but if I were to change to a closer vet or get another pet, this is the top of my list! Read Less