Taft Veterinary Hospital

08/15/2023

Unity Thrift has helped hundreds of animals in our community and now they need your help to continue to do what they do!

05/16/2023

We have a client with 4 beautiful healthy rabbits that they can no longer care for. If anyone would like to adopt please call the office or message here asap and we’ll call you with more details. ☺️

02/06/2023

Good morning! Dr ross has gone to a veterinarian conference in Idaho this week. We do not have a veterinarian to take over when he is gone. We are open for stitches out, nail trims and to pick up food or prescriptions. If your animal is needing to be seen we recommend taking your animal to Animal Emergency and Urgent Care on Easton drive. Their phone number is 661-322-6019.

01/10/2023

Good morning lovely people of Taft. Our phones are currently not working 😕 our phones are not a fan of the rainy weather we have been having. Dr. Ross is currently in Mammoth and we do not have a veterinarian in office. We are sorry for any inconveniences.

11/15/2022

Good morning everyone! We just wanted to give everyone a heads up that Dr. Ross is taking a vacation and we will not have a veterinarian at the hospital. He will be gone November 17th until November 28th. We have tried to get a hold of any appointments that were scheduled during that time. We apologize for any inconveniences this causes anyone. We hope everyone has a happy Thanksgiving!!

10/31/2022

We wish everyone a safe and happy Halloween!!! 🎃

06/30/2022

Tomorrow they start selling fireworks. In some areas they have been letting them off for a month. I saw this post and though what a good idea.
If your dog is scared of fireworks, do this tonight. We want everyone’s dog to be safe and returned home if lost.

02/07/2022

Its starting to warm up and we're starting to see more animals with fleas!! Don't forget to get your flea preventive! We have several options available. Our most popular product is our 3 month oral tablet Bravecto. Sizes range from 4.4 lbs to 123 lbs. For the 3 month tablet pets must be 6 months old. We now have a 1 month oral tablet for puppies under 6 months old! Sizes for the 1 month range from 4.4lbs to 44lbs!

03/16/2021

Power is back on and phones are working!

03/16/2021

At this time we are experiencing a power outage. Our phones are not working right now. Sorry for any inconvenience.

03/20/2020

Dear valued clients of Taft Veterinary Hospital,

At Taft Veterinary Hospital, it is our priority to keep our employees, clients, pets, and their families healthy. As for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) continues to spread globally, Taft Veterinary Hospital is taking appropriate precautions to address the outbreak by following the guidelines from the Centers of Disease Control And Prevention (CDC). Our current approach and response to COVID-19 are outlined below. Please read this information carefully and direct and follow-up questions you may have to the staff at 661-763-1581.

1. We ask that ONLY clients with sick animals and emergencies make appointments at this time.
Unless you have a new puppy we will do vaccines out in the car.

2. If your appointment is for a check over, a technician will come out to your vehicle and retrieve you and your animal when a room is ready.

4. We ask that only one person attends each appointment. If you are elderly or disabled and need assistance, please let us know ahead of time that you will have more than one person at your appointment.

5. We ask that if you are sick, please have another person bring your pet to your appointment. We do work on a cash basis and do not do payment plans anymore. Please send payment with person who is bringing your animal.

6. We ask that all orders for food, prescriptions, flea prevention, and deworming call ahead to order items and please pre-pay over the phone, this is just for orders. We ask that you call us 661-763-1581 from the parking lot and we will bring your order out to your vehicle.

7. You will have to pay over the phone!

**** we are short staffed and doing the best we can at this time.*******

We thank each and every one of our clients for being so understanding and supportive during this time. We will continue to update you all as soon as we have any new information.

03/18/2020

Dear valued clients of Taft Veterinary Hospital,

At Taft Veterinary Hospital, it is our priority to keep our employees, clients, pets, and their families healthy. As for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) continues to spread globally, Taft Veterinary Hospital is taking appropriate precautions to address the outbreak by following the guidelines from the Centers of Disease Control And Prevention (CDC). Our current approach and response to COVID-19 are outlined below. Please read this information carefully and direct and follow-up questions you may have to the staff at 661-763-1581.

1. We ask that all clients remain in their vehicles with their pets and give us a call when they arrive. 661-763-1581

2. If your appointment is for a check over, a technician will come out to your vehicle and retrieve you and your animal when a room is ready.

3. If your appointment is for vaccinations only, we will be out to your vehicle shortly to administer the vaccinations.

4. We ask that only one person attends each appointment. If you are elderly or disabled and need assistance, please let us know ahead of time that you will have more than one person at your appointment.

5. We ask that if you are sick, please have another person bring your pet to your appointment. We do work on a cash basis and do not do payment plans anymore. Please send payment with the person bringing your pet.

6. We ask that all orders for food, prescriptions, flea prevention, and deworming call ahead to order items and please pre-pay over the phone, this is just for orders. We ask that you call us 661-763-1581 from the parking lot and we will bring your order out to your vehicle.

We thank each and every one of our clients for being so understanding and supportive during this time. We will continue to update you all as soon as we have any new information.

01/28/2020

—-> PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT

06/25/2019

PSA: Dr. Ross will be on vacation for the rest of this week. Sorry for any inconvenience.

04/26/2019

We’ve already treated one snake bite this week! Get your vaccines! They are bad this year.

It's warming up outside and you know what that means? Rattlesnakes. Today, we had two dogs come in with rattlesnake bites and while we DO have Antivenin here, Antivenin is very expensive. It also has no guarantee it will work and must be given almost immediately to have a successful outcome. We normally follow up with fluids, anti-inflammatories, and antibiotics. The treatment for a rattlesnake bites is around $1000 and cannot be made in payments. That's why we offer a Rattlesnake vaccine. It is a two series vaccine, and costs $31 each. This vaccination offers protection if a bite were to occur. It is available for both cats and dogs.

What is the difference between the two? The vaccine stimulates a dog/cat to create his own antibodies to rattlesnake venom that will protect him from bites that happen in the future. Antivenin is used to neutralize the snakes venom.

We recommend even if your animal is bit and protected by the vaccination to bring your animal in to get antibiotics and fluid therapy. From our experience, with the vaccination, you don't need the anitvenin but it is always safer to have your animal seen by your vet after any snake bite.

It is always best to be prepared, especially when it comes to your furry friends. Give us a call for more information or to schedule and appointment:)

*Pictured is a dog that was bit on the tongue today in Valley Acer's*

04/24/2019

04/15/2019

IT'S FLEA AND TICK SEASON!!

Our most popular flea and tick product is Bravecto. For dogs, it's just 1 chewable pill that last 3 months!! We also have a topical solution for cats that also lasts 3 months!!

Right now we have a rebate program in place to help save money and get all your furry animals protected against fleas and ticks!

04/15/2019

P.S.A.
We are no longer going to be open on Saturdays. We will still be open Monday through Friday.

01/30/2019

Amy Barnhart we have your phone. If anyone knows her or knows how to get ahold of her, it would be greatly appreciated.

11/21/2018

We will be closing early today Wednesday November 21st at 1:00pm. We will also be closed Thursday and Friday for Thanksgiving.

10/27/2018

Taft Veterinary Hospital

10/25/2018

We just wanted to let everyone know Dr. Ross will be on vacation 10/29 until 11/12. We do not have a relief veterinarian so we will not be able to see any animals. Sorry for any inconvenience. If your animal needs to be seen, we recommend taking your animal to any of the Bakersfield or Wasco offices.

10/03/2018

PSA:

We are an appointment only hospital. If you show up 15 minutes past your appointment time, it affects other appointments that were made for that specific time and we will have to re-schedule you. If you are running late, give us a call to give us a heads up!

Thank you for understanding:)

08/29/2018

Good morning everyone! We wanted to come on here to put forth some information about our page. We use this page for information, and to answer any questions you may have. However, we do not refill prescriptions or make appointments on this page. Please do not contact the page after office hours. Since we are not at the office, we do not have the schedule book, price lists, or computers to answer your questions properly. While we try to keep a constant eye on the page, we don't make appointments on here because we're not always on our phones or sitting right next to our appointment book. We also have to have Drs approval to refill any prescriptions. If you would like to schedule an appointment or refill any prescriptions give us a call during office hours. Monday-Thursday 8-530 and Friday 8-5. Have a wonderful day!

07/25/2018

Dr. Ross is on vacation until August 2nd. We apologize for any inconveniences!

07/03/2018

Just a couple updates today. Our phones are currently not working. We are working with the phone company to get them back up.
*If you're calling for an appointment- we are currently booked for the rest of the week. We are short staffed this week, and have no openings.
*If you're calling about boarding- we have no boarding available for this week. Please remember if you want to board around holidays, we fill up fast. Try to call a few months in advance.
*If you're calling to refill prescriptions- just come in to the office and we will be able to fill them while you wait.
*If you're calling about medication for you animals for 4th of July- we do have traquilizers available. We need the animals weight in order to prescribe them, so come in and we can get those for you.
*Dr. Ross will be going on vacation July 25th through the 31st.

We will be closed tomorrow for the fourth of July.

Thanks! 🙂

06/18/2018

Dr. Ross will be out of town Wednesday, June 20th until Wednesday, June 27th. If you had an appointment during these days we have been making attempts to reschedule, so please call us so we can schedule you for when he returns. Sorry for the inconvenience. Have a great Monday!

06/09/2018

Have you seen our new check in sheet? When you come in to the hospital we ask the you fill out this sheet in order for us to get things ready and figure out what can be done prior to you coming into your room.

Lately, we've noticed more and more clients coming in for things they didn't make us aware of when scheduling the appointment. The way we make our schedule is based around what everyone is being seen for. For example, if you call and make an appointment just to vaccinate your animal, that is an appointment that is quick and to the point so we schedule big check overs and blood work around this. So if you come in for your vaccination appointment, and then ask for bloodwork or a complete work up, it conflicts with clients who did schedule to have these things done. It pushes back our schedule and causes excessive wait times. In addition to this, it can also be a potential safety hazard. Failing to inform us of everything going on with your animal can be a risk to the other animals in the hospital. If you have a puppy who is vomiting, this could potentially be parvo. So if you call scheduling an appointment for a parvo vaccination, and do not tell our receptionist your puppy is vomiting, she won't be able to tell you our parvo protocol, you come in for your appointment and contaminate the hospital and any animals there as well.

It is our hope that these check in sheets will assist us in avoiding complications and wait times. However, we need your help to make every visit safe and managed in a timely fashion. You can help by informing us of the details of your animals needs and concerns prior to your appointment. If something were to come up after you've made your appointment, please don't hesitate to call and speak to our receptionist so we can further assist you before your appointment.

Thank you and enjoy your weekend! 🙂

05/10/2018

Dr. Ross will be out of the office Monday May 14th until Monday May 21st. We will not have a relief veterinarian. We are sorry for any inconveniences.

04/27/2018

It's warming up outside and you know what that means? Rattlesnakes. Today, we had two dogs come in with rattlesnake bites and while we DO have Antivenin here, Antivenin is very expensive. It also has no guarantee it will work and must be given almost immediately to have a successful outcome. We normally follow up with fluids, anti-inflammatories, and antibiotics. The treatment for a rattlesnake bites is around $1000 and cannot be made in payments. That's why we offer a Rattlesnake vaccine. It is a two series vaccine, and costs $31 each. This vaccination offers protection if a bite were to occur. It is available for both cats and dogs.

What is the difference between the two? The vaccine stimulates a dog/cat to create his own antibodies to rattlesnake venom that will protect him from bites that happen in the future. Antivenin is used to neutralize the snakes venom.

We recommend even if your animal is bit and protected by the vaccination to bring your animal in to get antibiotics and fluid therapy. From our experience, with the vaccination, you don't need the anitvenin but it is always safer to have your animal seen by your vet after any snake bite.

It is always best to be prepared, especially when it comes to your furry friends. Give us a call for more information or to schedule and appointment:)

*Pictured is a dog that was bit on the tongue today in Valley Acer's*

04/19/2018

Taft Veterinary Hospital's cover photo

02/17/2018

Euthanasia drug found in dog food, popular brands pulled from shelves

https://www.turnto23.com/news/national/euthanasia-drug-found-in-dog-food-popular-brands-pulled-from-shelves

Retailers pulled some name brand dog food from store shelves after a euthanasia drug was found in several products.

01/16/2018

Our receptionist position has officially been filled! We appreciate those who applied, and we will be keeping all applications on file should another position open up. Thanks!

01/10/2018

We are no longer accepting resumes/applications. Dr. Ross is currently reviewing the applications we have and will be calling a few select people. If you do not receive a call, we do keep your documents on file for the next time we're hiring. Thank you to everyone who applied! (:

12/12/2017

Let's talk about Emergencies.

Taft veterinary Hospital is NOT an emergency facility, we are an appointment based hospital. However, we do our best to get in emergencies when we can. Please keep in mind we only have one Dr here, where other facilities have multiple. And Dr. Ross is not always here. If we recommend going to an emergency room, it is not because we don't want to see your animal, it's because we know you will be seen faster at a place with multiple doctors.

Dr. Ross leaves at noon on Wednesdays and Fridays and is not here on weekends, so if you have an emergency with an animal during that time we suggest you drive to the 24 hour pet hospital on Harris road in Bakersfield. Although we do have one staff member here on Saturdays, we are not allowed to do any treatment other that nail trims(if your animal is calm and does not require sedation or multiple people to hold your animal).

Understand that emergencies take time, and if the hospital is already full with other animals with appointments and surgeries, your animal may not be seen as soon as you'd like. That is why we sometimes refer you to a different facility. We will continue to do our best to get all animals seen in a timely fashion. Thank you!(:

12/08/2017

Let's talk about Parvo!
Parvovirus is a potentially fatal, and extremely contagious intestinal disease affecting puppies and dogs all around.

What're the symptoms?
-lathargic
-vomiting
-diarrhea/bloody diarrhea
-loss of appetite/not eating.
Any dog can have one or all symptoms. Alot of times it can start with one, and progress to others.

Every hospital has their own procedure when it comes to this disease, here's important information on how we deal with potentially infected dogs:

*It's Parvo until proven otherwise-
If it is a puppy, and has any of the symptoms of Parvo, we treat it as such. If you're puppy is vomiting but is still active, we will still treat it as Parvo. Because it can be fatal, it's best we take every precaution possible. And even if it isn't Parvo, the treatment is usually the same for intestinal problems.

*YOU can carry parvovirus- remember the little dirty kid from Charlie Brown cartoons? The cloud of dirt surrounding the kid and when he got near people they got dirty too? Parvo is like that. If your puppy has Parvo and you are around it, Parvo is now on your clothes. So we ask if you suspect your dog has Parvo, stay in your car and call us, someone will come out. Alot of times owners come in and leave there dogs outside, please don't do this. You are contaminating the hospital and surrounding areas. Give us a call and we will provide you with instructions from there.

*"But I gave my dog a Parvo vaccine"-
Your dog can still have Parvo. One vaccination does not completely protect your animal. We recommend a series of three to four vaccinations before completely protected. If you got the shot from a feed store, it is possible it didn't protect at all. Reason being, the parvovirus vaccination have to be kept at a certain temperature. Let's say the truck it was shipped on got stuck in traffic and the required temperature was not kept, that vaccination is no longer valid. We do not recognize vaccinations if you did them on your own.

*What's the cost?-
With Parvo or possible Parvo, you are required to pay a $250 deposit before being seen. This covers the Parvo test, all the treatment your animal receives here at the hospital and all the treatment we send home. We do not take partial payments or payment plans.

*What's the procedure?-
When you arrive at the hospital, you will call us from the parking lot and someone will open a side door. Your dog will be taken to isolation and we will do the Parvo test, which is a re**al swab. Your dog will be hooked up to fluids because dehydration is a big factor in dogs with Parvo. Treatment from there varies animal to animal. Usually, it'll be given a series of injections as well and medications a Pedialyte to go home with the animal.

*How long until my dog is better?-
A dog is considered "cured" 14 day after the last time it's vomited or had diarrhea. NOT 14 days after treatment.

*My dog is grown, not a puppy-
It is not common for adult dogs to have Parvo. Even if your dog is exhibiting signs of Parvo, it's likely it is something else. However, if your dog has never had vaccinations, and has been around puppies, please follow Parvo protocol and give us a call!

We understand Parvo can be frightening, but please don't show up to the hospital with a parvo pup. Even just waiting outside can expose Parvo to the other animals walking into the hospital. ALWAYS CALL FIRST, and we will do our best to get you seen in a timely manner.

If you have any other questions, please feel free to call! Thanks (:

11/29/2017

PSA: we have been informed today that there is a woman named Julia(no last name given) who is selling puppies with vaccination records from our facility. These papers are NOT ours, they are forged. The puppies seem to be sick, but she is telling buyers they are vaccinated. Please beware of forged records! If you have any concerns, give us a call. I will attach pictures of the fake, and the real vaccination records. Thanks!

11/28/2017

Wait times: When coming to your appointment, please keep in mind waiting is inevitable. Dr. Ross is the only Veterinarian in Taft, and often times people come from Maricopa, Mckittrick, and other surrounding areas to get their animal seen. This means we constantly have a full schedule for the day. Just think, the amount of time he devotes to caring for an animal means he will be just as attentive to yours. Also keep in mind, we form our schedule based on what you tell us your animal is being seen for. For example, if you tell us your animal is getting a vaccination only then come in and ask for more treatment, you are pushing our schedule back making others wait times longer. Please let us know when making the appointment ALL your animal needs, to make all appointments run smoothly. Thanks! (: