Best Veterinarians 2022
Family Veterinary Inc.
The veterinarian at Family Veterinary Inc. has more than 15 years of veterinary experience. The Los Angeles clinic's services include wellness exams, vaccinations, bloodwork, bandaging and wound care, holistic medicine, and euthanasia. The practice also provides dental care and dental x-rays. Pet owners have left positive feedback for Family Veterinary Inc.'s professional staff and sensitive, kind, and caring doctor.
Veterinary Medical Center
Veterinary Medical Center is an AAHA-accredited pet clinic based in Studio City. The clinic provides cancer treatments, dental care, diagnostic imaging, hospice and euthanasia, nutritional counseling, and other medical services. The practice also has bathing services with nail trims and boarding facilities where staff walks pets several times a day. Pet owners have left positive feedback for Veterinary Medical Center's knowledgeable doctors and professional, helpful staff.
Capri Plaza Pet Clinic
Capri Plaza Pet Clinic, based in Tarzana, provides physical exams, parasite treatments, routine dental care, geriatric care, laboratory work, vaccinations, and microchipping. The Los Angeles area clinic cares for dogs, cats, birds, and exotic pets. Clients have praised Capri Plaza Pet Clinic for its above-and-beyond care and courteous, professional staff.
Choice Veterinary Care
Choice Veterinary Care specializes in at-home euthanasia for dogs, cats, and other pets. The Los Angeles pet clinic also assists with aftercare services, including communal cremation, individual cremation with ashes returned, burial, and memorial options. The practice is a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association and the Association for Pet Loss and Bereavement.
Marigold Veterinary
Marigold Veterinary is a traveling veterinarian service for clients in Los Angeles and the surrounding areas. Founding veterinarian Dr. Eve Harrison, VMD, CVA is thoughtful, diligent, and compassionate when treating her patients. The company offers convenient in-house care with mobile, integrative care brought right to clients’ doorsteps. Its range of services includes wellness and preventative care, acupuncture, nutrition, arthritis and mobility, diagnostics, and herbal medicine. Marigold Veterinary offers a unique blend of Western veterinary medicine and Traditional Chinese Medicine.
Home Pet Doctor
Home Pet Doctor specializes in at-home pet care in Los Angeles County. The practice provides routine care, including annual exams, microchipping, vaccinations, euthanasia, and preventative healthcare, as well as primary care with thorough diagnostics. Home Pet Doctor has been featured in LA Weekley and USA Today.
Rancho Park Veterinary Clinic
Rancho Park Veterinary Clinic is a Los Angeles pet hospital that provides general, dental, and emergency care and low-cost vaccinations. The practice sees dogs, cats, rabbits, and pocket pets. The clinic also provides grooming services such as medicated baths, hypoallergenic baths, nail clipping, and anal gland expression. An on-site pharmacy gives customers immediate access to medications and prescription diet products.
Animal Specialty Group
Animal Specialty Group is a Los Angeles pet clinic with specialty care services. The clinic has full departments including surgery, internal medicine, emergency and critical care, diagnostic imaging, oncology, neurology, rehabilitation, and integrative medicine. Animal Specialty Group is certified by the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine, the American College of Veterinary Surgeons, the Canine Rehabilitation Institute, and the American College of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care.
Mohawk Alley Animal Hospital
Mohawk Alley Animal Hospital is a small clinic that cares for dogs and cats. The practice's services include physical exams, surgery, dental care, laboratory work, and x-rays. The veterinarians have more than 30 combined years of veterinary experience. Customers have praised the clinic for its professional and knowledgeable staff and clean facility.
Redwood Animal Hospital
Redwood Animal Hospital is located in Redondo Beach, California. Leading practitioner, Dr. Kim Rea, is a licensed veterinarian and is experienced in treating all types of cats and dogs. They are a full-service veterinary care facility offering first rate pet care in a comfortable, kid-friendly, and calming environment. Redwood Animal Hospital offers many services, including annual exams, vaccinations, surgery, dentistry, and radiology.
Fox Companion Care
Fox Companion Care provides in-home veterinary services to reduce pets' stress. The clinic, based in West Hollywood, provides physical examinations, vaccinations, preventative care, diagnostics, microchipping, and euthanasia. The practice's acupuncture care treats dog and cat pain issues and helps with illnesses including kidney disease, nausea, diarrhea, constipation, cancer, and eye issues.
Larchmont Animal Clinic
Larchmont Animal Clinic provides pet exams, grooming, dental care, emergency care, vaccinations, and microchipping for pets in Los Angeles. The practice also has a pet supply store that sells holistic and traditional pet food, treats, toys, collars and leashes, and flea and tick control products. The clinic's pharmacy stocks a full inventory of pharmaceuticals, vitamins, medicated shampoos, flea and tick control products, and heartworm preventatives.
La Central Animal Hospital
La Central Animal Hospital is a Los Angeles clinic that cares for dogs and cats. The practice's services include preventative care, emergency and urgent care, boarding, microchipping, and professional dog training. The clinic also has a grooming department with flexible hours. Pet owners have praised Animal Specialty Group for its kind, compassionate vets and staff.
Santa Monica Pet Medical Center
Santa Monica Pet Medical Center has been serving the area for more than 60 years. The practice is open seven days a week and is American Animal Hospital Association accredited. The clinic's services include examinations, diagnostics, x-rays, ultrasounds, anesthesia, vaccinations, microchipping, and acupuncture. Santa Monica Pet Medical Center also provides boarding and grooming services.
Westchester Veterinary Center & Cat Clinic
Westchester Veterinary Center & Cat Clinic is a full-service animal hospital that cares for dogs, cats, pocket pets, and exotic pets. The clinic's services include puppy and kitten care, senior dog care, surgery, dental care, diagnostic services, feline weight management, and microchipping. The practice also makes house calls for routine wellness exams, vaccinations, dental exams, sample collecting, microchipping, and flea, tick, and heartworm prevention. Dr. Yoo has more than 30 years of veterinary experience.
Hancock Park Veterinary Clinic
Hancock Park Veterinary Clinic is a Los Angeles practice that cares for cats, dogs, birds, and other small pets. The clinic provides vaccinations, spaying and neutering, dental care, eye care, regular exams, and acupuncture, as well as emergency care for injuries or allergies. Pet owners have left positive feedback for the clinic's clean office, reasonable prices, and professional care.
Paws & Claws Mobile Vet
Paws & Claws Mobile Vet provides at-home veterinary care for pets in the Woodland Hills and Los Angeles areas. The clinic reduces pet stress by visiting them in their home environments. The practice's services include physical exams, preventative care, vaccinations, microchipping, specialty surgery, spaying and neutering, dentistry, euthanasia, and dermatology. The clinic also has ultrasound and x-ray capabilities.
Expert Answers To Common Questions:
- Introduction
- How often should I bring my pet in for an exam?
- What are the benefits of having my pet spayed or neutered?
- Should my pet be on heartworm medication?
- How often should my pets be vaccinated?
- Are you supposed to brush your dog’s or cat’s teeth?
- Is it safe for my cat or dog to be vegan?
- Why is my dog dragging his butt on the ground?
- What is a brachycephalic breed?
- When do I switch from puppy/kitten food to adult food?
- Should I declaw my cat?
- We just found a stray pet. What should I do?
- Are dogs color blind?
- What degree do you need to be a veterinarian?
- How do you become a registered veterinary technician?
- What do veterinary assistants do?
- What do veterinary technicians do?
- How much do veterinary assistants/technicians make?
- Q: Introduction
- A: If you're a pet owner, you're probably familiar with companion animal veterinarians. This type of vet is a general practitioner who provides preventative care, diagnosis, treatments, and surgical services for dogs, cats, and other common pets. Some vets specialize in the care of exotic animals, including birds, reptiles, amphibians, and pocket pets. There are veterinarians for livestock and large animals, too. These vets focus on providing care for cattle, horses, pigs, and other animals on the farm.Veterinarians can choose to specialize in areas such as nutrition, oncology, cardiology, and many others. The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) currently recognizes more than 40 fields of study and 22 veterinary specialist organizations nationwide.
- Q: How often should I bring my pet in for an exam?
- A: This depends on the age of your pet. Ideally, puppies should have their first vet visit between six to eight weeks old, and kittens should see the vet within one week of bringing them home. Healthy adult animals need a checkup once per year. Vets recommend two exams per year for senior pets (age 10 and up).
- Q: What are the benefits of having my pet spayed or neutered?
- A: Aside from preventing unwanted pregnancy, sterilization has other benefits for pets. Spayed females won't go into heat, and they have a lower risk of developing ovarian cancer and mammary gland tumors. Neutering males reduces aggressive behavior, territorial marking, and roaming urges. It also eliminates the possibility of testicular cancer and can reduce the chance of prostate disease.
- Q: Should my pet be on heartworm medication?
- A: Dogs are very commonly affected by heartworm disease, so they should be on medication to prevent it all year long. Heartworm preventatives are available as topical “spot-on” medications, monthly chewable pills, and injections that are given every six to 12 months. Heartworms are less common in cats, but preventative medication is still recommended.
- Q: How often should my pets be vaccinated?
- A: In general, puppies and kittens need several types of vaccines every three to four weeks until they're 16 weeks old. Depending on the vaccine, your pet might need a booster shot every one to three years. Pets that are indoors-only may require fewer and less frequent vaccinations.
- Q: Are you supposed to brush your dog’s or cat’s teeth?
- A: Poor oral hygiene can lead to dental disease in animals as young as two to three years of age. To help prevent this, vets recommend that you brush your pet's teeth at least two to three times a week. Dogs and cats should also have a professional dental cleaning once per year.
- Q: Is it safe for my cat or dog to be vegan?
- A: According to the ASPCA, cats need a diet that's high in protein and taurine, which can only be found in meat and other animal products. They also struggle to digest carbohydrates from plants. Dogs can eat plants, but it's difficult to provide adequate nutrition for them on a vegan diet.
- Q: Why is my dog dragging his butt on the ground?
- A: Dogs drag their rear ends on the floor for a number of reasons, including clogged anal sacs, intestinal parasites, and food allergies. Some groomers express a dog's anal glands manually, which is often unnecessary and can cause irritation that leads to scooting. If you notice frequent scooting, contact a veterinarian to figure out the cause.
- Q: What is a brachycephalic breed?
- A: Brachycephalic animals are prone to obstructive breathing due to the short muzzles and flattened faces they were bred to have. Common brachycephalic breeds are the pug, French and English bulldogs, Boston terrier, Pekingese, shih tzu, boxer, and bull mastiff. Brachycephaly can occur in cats such as the Persian, Himalayan, and Burmese breeds, and in rabbits such as Netherland Dwarfs and Holland Lops.
- Q: When do I switch from puppy/kitten food to adult food?
- A: For puppies, it depends on the dog's breed and size. Generally, dogs are considered ready for adult food around 18-24 months of age. Large breeds take a bit longer to mature. Toy breeds can reach their adult size in as little as 10 months. Cats should be transitioned to adult food when they're around 12 months old.
- Q: Should I declaw my cat?
- A: It can be tempting to declaw a cat to stop it from scratching your furniture, but it's a medically unnecessary procedure that does the animal more harm than good. Declawing can cause paw and back pain, lameness, tissue necrosis, and discomfort when using the litter box. Better alternatives include keeping your pet's nails trimmed and providing scratching posts around your home.
- Q: We just found a stray pet. What should I do?
- A: The pet may already belong to someone, so check for a collar and tags, or have it scanned for a microchip at your local animal shelter or veterinary clinic. Many people who lose a pet will look for it at nearby shelters, so consider leaving the animal there to give the owner a better chance of finding it.
- Q: Are dogs color blind?
- A: Dogs don't see in black and white, but they're unable to recognize many of the colors that humans can. The colors they can see best are blue, yellow, and combinations of these shades. Objects that are green, orange, and red appear to be dull brown or gray through a dog's eyes.
- Q: What degree do you need to be a veterinarian?
- A: In the United States, vets must obtain a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) or Veterinary Medical Doctor (VMD) degree to practice. Some choose a dual DVM/Ph.D. or DVM/M.S. program, and others opt for specialty training after earning their degree. Becoming a veterinarian takes about four years of undergraduate education and four years to complete a DVM or VMD program.
- Q: How do you become a registered veterinary technician?
- A: Veterinary technician requirements vary by state. Most vet technicians must complete an AVMA-accredited two-year associate or four-year bachelor's program and pass the VTME exam. Some states have alternate paths to credentialing, such as passing a certification exam at a specialist academy.
- Q: What do veterinary assistants do?
- A: Vet assistants help veterinarians and technicians with their daily tasks, set up equipment, and clean key areas of the clinic, such as kennels and operating rooms. There are certification programs for vet assistants, but most are trained for these tasks on the job.
- Q: What do veterinary technicians do?
- A: Vet technicians serve many roles in the clinic. They act as surgical nurses, lab and radiography technicians, and supervisors to veterinary assistants. Technicians also meet with pet owners and usually provide the initial exam of their animal. They can administer vaccines and medications, but are not allowed to write prescriptions or provide a diagnosis without veterinarian approval.
- Q: How much do veterinary assistants/technicians make?
- A: Veterinary assistants typically earn about $13.75 an hour, or $28,590 per year. Vet technicians, on average, make $17 per hour, or $35,320 per year for full-time employment.