Huntington Beach Veterinary Hospital

Dr. Morkos is taking care of my dog Romeo. Romeo is an older dog with many health problems. Dr. Morkos has been so kind and compassionate in her treatment of Romeo. I have also boarded Romeo at this hospital on two different occasions and all of the staff had been wonderful. I highly recommend this veterinary hospital.

I’ve been coming here for 6 years now and I love it! I just saw Dr. Herrick for the first time last week and was very pleased, he was friendly and made my dog feel more comfortable, he was knowledgeable and got my dog on the right medicine which helped clear up his skin the same day! He then called 2 days later to check up on him and see how he was doing! All 3 doctors here are great and I won’t take my dog anywhere else! The staff in the front are all super nice too, especially Bridget! Every time I call she is personable and makes me feel important!
If you looking for a good vet, this is the spot!!!

I have brought my pets here for over 10 years. They consistently offer kind, high quality care in a very friendly environment. Whenever it’s time for yearly vaccinations, they make a point of offering «discount Wednesday» appointments. The whole staff seems to really care about all the pets. Whenever I’ve needed to have something done for my dog, they call the following day to make sure all is well. Although this isn’t the newest, flashiest hospital, the people make it a very special place.

…and now he’s limping and the area they drew the blood and put the IV in is infected. First, the two inches big area where they’d shaved him looked too close or that they’d bruised him while doing blood removal/​IV, since it was highly red and irritated. He also had/​has three large puncture areas on that leg. So, in addition to feeling sick, he gets to limp around on that abused and infected leg. Just don’t go here. I don’t know what the hell these people were doing while I left him there for 24 hours.

There are not enough good things I can say about Huntington Beach Veterinary Hospital. We came here under a very uncertain and scary time as we returned from a trip and found our dog very ill. While we waited to see what was going on with our dog the entire staff that we encountered made the process easier with their kindness, willingness to listen to our concerns, and loving on our dog from the minute we walked through the door.
We had the pleasure of working with Dr. Girgis who is kind, honest, and cautious when it comes to making decisions about his patients. He allowed us the option to perform the less invasive option for our dog first (his preference), and when that was not working, he then went to the alternative, which was surgery. He made it very clear that he wanted what was best for our dog and it was clear to us that he was a doctor who was driven by his love for animals, not for the love of money.
Dr. Girgis and his staff frequently updated us on our dog’s health and allowed us to come visit him any time we wanted. When we did visit our dog the staff ensured that we had a room to ourselves with a blanket for the dog, they never rushed us out and even came in to talk and provide comfort. They also ensured that once he was stable he returned home, as they believe that animals heal the best and fastest when in the comfort of their own home (we couldn’t agree more!)
Since our dog’s initial visit we have continuously received wonderful service and care. This office is busy with many animals entrusted in their care, but despite this the staff always has treated us like we are their most special and important patients.
Our family highly recommends Huntington Beach Veterinary Hospital & it is the only place we will go.

I just can’t say enough about the people that take care of my doggies here! They are so wonderful and really care about me and my dogs! They always come up with great solutions to any problem that my dogs encounter and take care of it fast all the while making my dogs as comfortable as possible!!! Love all of them and I highly recommend them to anyone!

I have to say first the bad.
It is an old building it is warm and does not have a lot of ventilation in the exam rooms.
The waiting room has an old TV that should probably be modernized.
The staff is quite good. I have been taking my dogs here for years.
Dr. Sheppard has prolonged my 14 year old dog’s life many times. He does pay attention, he is hard of hearing, and he knows his medicine.
Dr. Ramzi is compassionate and has been consistent with my dogs.
There is a younger vet who was also quite good I cannot remember her name at the moment.
I have learned to trust my vet and ask a lot of questions when something seems unusual. In every case I have had my questions answered immediately. Even if you ask why do you think the diagnosis is X they will explain it to you.
Compare this to an experience at the VCA vets. These guys are not trying to upsell surgery the way places like VCA do. They understand dogs have issues they do what they can to keep them helpful. Ask questions about pet care. Ask for ideas for best flea control. They do not just sell a single brand they sell what ever is working in a season.
For the negative reviews, Keep in mind when we goto the vet our emotions are already very sensitive so sometimes experiences seem much more severe at times we want them to save our babies. In my case I can name at least half a dozen times I’ve had emergencies with my dog and have been rescued by these guys.

I want send a BIG thank you to Dr. Girgis an his team for the care they gave to my little girl today. They were kind, compassionate, honest, not overpriced and very professional… You can definitely tell this is not just a business to them, but they truly care for their patients. Dr Girgis was very thero in his exam and took the time to explain everything in detail in regards to some very scary news with my little one. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate the care that you gave to Precious today, you made her feel comfortable and made us both feel at ease. THANK YOU!!! I would recommend HBVH to anyone that is looking for a CARING and professional vet.

I love this vet. They are honest not overpriced and they care about your animal. I have had so many ad experiences with other vets and was skeptical about any veterinarians. But this vet has changed my faith in vets. I will continue to take my cats there as long as possible

Beware! Beware! Beware!
I have had two terrible experiences with Dr Sheppard at this place. Two years ago I brought my one year old cat Phoebe who had a upper respiratory infection. He wanted her to stay there for fluids and IV antibiotics. After a few days, she was still not well. He called me at home and told me that he had to put her down because she was going to die. I screamed «no» and I went there and picked her up right away and brought her home and treated her myself. Within a week she was perfectly fine and now she is doing great. Now, last week I brought him my older cat Angel on Friday August 7, 2015 and Dr. Sheppard said she had pancreatitis and needed to be hospitalized there for fluids /​antibiotics. Dr. Sheppard called me on Saturday August 8, 2015 and said that she was positive for FeLV (fatal kitty virus). He then demanded that they put Angel down right away. I once again told him «no» and insisted they do another blood test. I showed up at the office and he actually swung his hand over my face and called me stupid for keeping her alive. The following day, Sunday, August 9, he called me to say.“oops they had tested her again and she was actually FeLV negative and she could go home”!! This is crazy. He would have needlessly killed two of my healthy cats if I had not intervened. This is 100% accurate.

They are my go to people for my pets. I board my dog here when needed and they have always taken excellent care of my pets health.

After our first visit I am very happy. Thank you « Unilocal» community for bringing me here. I brought my 8 year old lab here after not being comfortable with his last vet. They were fine for shots but I didn’t trust them for my serious concerns. I was immediately comfortable with Dr Ramzy and the staff. They were very friendly and welcoming. After checking him, the doctor gave me his assessment and recommended game plan. After, he said «all right, I’m all ears, what questions do you have for me?» The 5 stars isn’t because he asked, but I actually believed he was willing to listen to me and answer my questions. I highly recommend this office. They are wonderful.

The vet tech John doesn’t work there anymore :(but Dr. Sheppard and the ladies at the front desk are very helpful and honest

My family’s pets have been patients of this office for many many years. Dr Shepard and dr G are great. Gale and the other girls at the desk are wonderful– always pleasant. The facility was getting kind of older looking, but they are always very clean… and recently it looks like they are freshening it up a bit.
To be honest, I don’t care about how pretty the building is… I care about how well they care for my pet. And everyone here loves animals and you can tell the doctors are not ‘in it for the money.’ They care about their job, they are honest, they are good at what they do, and they are reasonable as far as pricing…
I would very highly recommend this office to anyone.

I have been going to this vet for 14 years. I had to put my beloved lab to the doggy beach in the sky and they all were compassionate and caring.
This isn’t just a business to them. They care about their patients and their owners.
I will never forget the love and compassion they showed during this difficult time.

My family has been bringing all of our pets here for years. The staff is amazing and treats your animals as if they were their own. My puppy would get super excited every time I pulled into their driveway. Everything was very reasonably priced and I was very sad to leave this vet when we moved.

Had one of my pups in for emergency treatment. Staff couldn’t have been better and follow ups much appreciated!

I can’t say enough GREAT things about this Veterinary Hospital! I just moved here from Atlanta, GA and had been using the same vet in Atlanta for all my pets since 1977. When I got here, my Lab was fine and no issues. 3 weeks ago, he had a massive tumor and I had to rush him in for surgery. Dr. Shepherd took him in, told me what they needed to do (my Lab is 12, so this was a huge surgery to do on a dog that old) and then proceeded to save his life. He looked me in the eye and told me not to worry, he was going to save my buddy. Mattox had no issues with his surgery and is back to being a very lively 12 year old.
**UPDATE**
Had to take Mattox in again, unannounced, as he was having issues with eating and vommiting. HBVH immediately took to caring for my dog, checked him out and made me feel like they really cared, which they really do! Mattox was given an exam, shots, meds, etc… Today, they called to check on him and make sure he was doing well.
I can’t say enough good things about this place. It is clean, they care and they are happy at what they do!
Please, if you are looking for a good vet… give these guys a shot… I put my dog’s life in their hands and he is a doing great!!!
Thank you HBVH!!!
**UPDATE**
Had to take the puppers in again with NO NOTICE and they got him in immediately. He stayed the day there and when I got him back that afternoon, Dr. Shepherd went over everything with me and we got him on a maintenance plan. I can’t say enough GREAT things about HBVH

I have been bringing my shih tzu, Elvis, here for about 7 years now. I love this place so much! The people that work here are amazing. Bridget, Kim and John are so incredibly helpful and nice! Bridget and Kim are so sweet and always willing to go the extra mile to help out. I feel much more comfortable putting my dog under anesthesia when they are there. John is one of the vet techs (who probably knows enough to be a vet) and I make sure he is there every time my dog must go under. Thank you guys so much for always making our visit great!

I am completely flabergasted by the bi-​polar experiences reflected in these reviews and hope that my review can shed some light on how I experienced this business. I have a zoo worth of animals at my home and have taken them here at one-​point or another for the past 7 years. Below I present to you two recent cases with our current family members, Boomer and Kitty.
CASE #1
My dog Boomer loves bones, and what dog doesn’t? Unfortunately, on one occassion Boomer got the bone stuck between his teeth on the roof of his mouth and let me tell you as much as I love my dog… I am NOT brave enough to put my hand anywhere near the mouth of a full grown German Shepard. So I brought my big boy to the vet to see what they could do. One of the vet assistants carefully got comfortable with our canine and before I knew it, he popped the bone right out of his mouth. Seriously… this guy deserves a medal!
And to top it off, he said, «looks good, no charge.» My response, «What?!»
This just proves to you that the people at this hospital care more about helping pets and their owners over money. And the bravery this man showed, is pretty outrageous. You rock! and my dog definitely cannot thank you enough!
CASE #2
Unlike humans, pets cannot communicate verbally when there is severe pain and my kitty (named Kitty, yes I know we were very creative with her name) had probably one of the worst flea infestations that I have seen. Her normally full and fluffy tail appeared limp and she would scratch herself so often that I even felt itchy. We had been loyal users of Frontline for the longest time, but the results seemed negligible. So after my brother comforted his feline by scratching her belly, he picked her up and we took her to the vet. Our Kitty was not pleased…
Once we arrived at the vet, we were instructed to go to another room (a cat room). The room was simple room and my brother put our kitty down. She immediately crawled behind the nearest trashcan, but was unfortunately unable to hide herself completely. Her tail stuck out like a sore thumb. The Vet came in and instead of picking her up and taking her to get her much-​needed shot, she kneeled down right next to our kitty and compassionately allowed our cat to get comfortable with her before proceeding with anything.
But what impressed me more was how considerate she was in providing what we needed without attaching a ridiculous price tag to it. Our kitty was given a shot, whereas she recommended our dog Boomer an Oatmeal bath, as his size would require ⁴⁄₅ shots, which would have been extremely expensive. I don’t think most people who even try to think of an alternative let alone a less expensive one.
SUMMARY
Boomer and Kitty are part of our family and we certainly want what’s best for them. And while we don’t like to come here often, we know that we’re in good hands when we do. So if you’re looking for a quality vet, do consider paying HBVH a visit! The current low rating does not do this business justice.