Mission & History

Our Mission

While our focus is on your pet's well-being and comfort, it's our people that make all the difference. Our doctors and staff are committed to the belief that pets deserve medical care as advanced as their owners receive, yet as personal as the friendship they provide us. We work with you to provide the highest level of care for your pet.

We continually strive to provide the highest quality veterinary care available by a team of dedicated professionals practicing modern medicine. We are committed to providing our clients with the highest level of customer service and ethical standards, and we are devoted to providing a caring environment that treats people and animals with dignity, compassion and respect.

We understand that modern life is busy and want to help make managing your pet's health care as easy and convenient as possible. That's why we offer extended night and weekend hours for both primary care appointments and emergency care. We're open when most veterinary offices are closed - providing life-saving services 7 days a week!

BRVC Virtual Tour

Our History

In 1997, Dr. Jay Kerr, Dr. James DeLano, and Dr. Franklin Utchen began discussions to merge Crow Canyon Veterinary Clinic (founded 1981 by Dr. Kerr) and Norris Canyon Veterinary Medical Center (founded 1989 by Drs. Delano and Utchen). The goal was to develop a state-of-the-art medical center for pets and provide for the needs of the growing San Ramon Valley area.

With nearly 100 employees, we strive to provide a supportive environment that promotes learning and participation. Working in an exciting environment where team spirit and camaraderie are standard practice, our employees are also recognized and rewarded for their hard work and dedication. Employees take pride in providing clients and their pets with the ultimate level of customer service -- while creating a warm, friendly, and fun environment.

Designed by an award-winning architectural firm from Albuquerque, New Mexico, which specializes in the design of new veterinary practices, the hospital opened in November 2000. In honor of the turn of the century, 100 new trees were planted on the grounds, and the address "2000 Bishop Drive" was assigned to the hospital.

In 2005, Dr. Kerr retired as a full time veterinarian and Dr. James Pogrel became a partner. In 2006, Marketplace Veterinary Hospital of San Ramon joined Bishop Ranch Veterinary Center & Urgent Care​​​​​​​ to further expand our service profile to the community. We now employ 18 veterinarians with special interests in all areas of veterinary care.

Since the inception of Bishop Ranch Veterinary Center & Urgent Care​​​​​​​, we have continued to raise the bar for quality veterinary care and customer service. The conversion to completely electronic ("paperless") medical record keeping, and the purchase of new ultrasound, endoscopy, digital radiology, and laparoscopy equipment are just a few of the examples of innovations that have allowed us to offer the most advanced, least-invasive diagnostic and treatment modalities for our patients.

Going Green

Solar Powered Veterinary Care

In 2005 we installed 324 solar panels on our roof, capable of generating 45,000 watts per hour, making Bishop Ranch Veterinary Center & Urgent Care​​​​​​​ the first commercial business in San Ramon to be a self-generator of electricity. The photo at left shows the dark solar panel arrays which shade about 2/3 of our roof, further reducing our need for cooling during the summer months.

The use of efficient, renewable energy at our hospital prevents the production of 236,000 pounds of carbon dioxide annually, a gas that contributes to global warming. This is the equivalent of planting 14,100 trees!

As a result of our efforts, we have been recognized by the United States Environmental Protection Agency as a leader in the use of renewable energy and were awarded membership in the EPA's Green Power Partnership at the Leadership Level.

Paperless Practice

In 2008 Bishop Ranch Veterinary Center & Urgent Care​​​​​​​ became a fully electronic ("paperless") hospital with integrated access to all our patients' medical records within seconds. This capability allows us to compile, track, and record all medical information quickly and accurately while reducing the environmental impact that would result from a large number of paper records.

With a paperless system we can convert all forms, documents, X-ray images, and ultrasound pictures into digital format, allowing us to share information quickly and provide clients with faster and more efficient service. Our doctors can easily access complete medical records for your pets over the internet even when out of the office.
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Going Green

At Bishop Ranch Veterinary Center & Urgent Care​​​​​​​ we are making every effort to be a more environmentally conscious hospital. Below are some of the other steps we've taken to help our environment:

• Installed a digital radiograph X-ray system. This eliminates the use of X-ray film containing large quantities of silver, and eliminates the use of chemicals for developing those X-rays.

• Converted our HVAC (heating/ventilation/air conditioning) to a high efficiency system which utilizes re-circulated water that condenses on our air conditioning equipment to further lower the temperature of the coolant within. This results in a 40% increase in efficiency.

• Implemented a recycling program.

• We planted a drought-resistant landscape.