Midlakes Veterinary Hospital may occupy the same building where Dr. Gene Bodily once practiced, but…read morethat's where the resemblance ends. Dr. Bodily represented the Northwest at its best -- honest, collaborative, grounded, and genuinely committed to the animals in his care. What's here now feels nothing like that legacy.
Nearly a full year ago, three vets -- Dr. Brown, Dr. Arnaz, and Dr. Bennett -- told me my senior cat, Tasmin, had only days to live. Weeks at most. Now it's nearly a year later, and at 18 she is still here, eating, active, and proving every one of their bleak predictions wrong. Instead of expressing relief or humility, they reacted with irritation and defensiveness. Whenever I shared good news, they ran straight back to the same line: "She's dying soon."
Things came to a head when my pet sitter brought Tasmin in recently for a chronic issue, and Dr. Bennett immediately went back to pushing euthanasia -- again. No exploration of treatment options. No curiosity. Just the same script. It felt less like medical judgment and more like avoidance of the fact that their earlier predictions were flat-out wrong.
When I pushed back and advocated for my cat, the situation became downright hostile.
The practice manager, Arty, jumped in with a barrage of condescending, accusatory messages -- despite having never met me, never spoken to me, and never once tried to understand the situation. He didn't just "ask me to leave." He berated me, inventing claims that I was "harassing" the vets simply because I expected communication and accountability. I asked, repeatedly and calmly, for a basic apology for how I was treated. Instead, he told me to never come back and never contact them again.
The entire exchange radiated classic passive-aggressive California-transplant energy -- brittle ego, zero accountability, all attitude. Whatever Northwest values once defined this building have been completely overwritten.
This clinic does not collaborate. They do not listen. They become defensive the moment you ask a question and combative the moment you advocate for your pet. After nearly a year of incorrect predictions, they still refused to consider that they might be wrong.
Their hours tell the same story -- closing early, no weekends, minimal flexibility. Convenience for themselves, not care for animals.
And their "cat-friendly" branding? Pure marketing. When they opened, the walls were covered entirely with dog artwork. Only after I pointed it out did a few token cat images appear -- and even those looked like afterthoughts.
If you value honest communication, actual collaboration, or simply want a vet who won't shut down and lash out when questioned, look elsewhere. Midlakes Veterinary Hospital made it painfully clear: the priority here is defending themselves, not caring for your pets.
Your animals deserve better
