Alicia Pet Care Center

06/05/2025

Happy 15 amazing years to Kati!!!!

For our staff’s 15 year anniversary, they earn a trip to FIJI!!!!

Kati has truly forged her own path here at Alicia Pet Care Center.

She started in 2010 as a kennel attendant, before eventually becoming the kennel manager. Shortly after she worked her way into the treatment room, working as a veterinary assistant, she was plucked out to work as the director of operations for The Pet Rescue Center. During one of the most successful years under her leadership, The Pet Rescue Center was able to get a pet adopted every 👏 single 👏 day 👏. Many of whom are still patients with us and always make a point to say hi to Kati!

Kati even adopted one of The Pet Rescue pets herself, with her beloved Pygmy! If you keep up with our social media, you will see Pygmy truly is our hospital princess.

In March of 2017, we welcomed Kati back as a veterinary assistant. In 2019, she became one of our Treatment Team Leads and in 2020 she passed all of her exams and became an RVT!

Now that’s enough facts about Kati’s job history.

What we really want to express is that she is an asset to our team, not just for the work she does but the care she gives our patients, our staff, and our clients. Kati is incredibly loyal and giving in her time to help pets and people succeed in whatever way they can.

Our hospital is better every day because of the work she does, and we are truly so grateful to have her be a part of us for 15 years. I’m sure many people reading this comment have been touched by the extraordinary care she gives her patients.

If there’s one person you want in your corner, it’s Kati. Thank you for sticking with us for 15 years 💓

05/27/2025

On April 22, 2025, our doctor team made time for a very important, life saving surgery for a german shepherd named Reyna.

Reyna is a rescue from Coastal German Shepherd Rescue OC, who was abandoned on a canyon road. Her finders tried to find her family but no one claimed her, and they soon realized Reyna was experiencing a medical emergency. She was lethargic, unable to eat, and vomiting bile.

After connecting with Coastal German Shepherd rescue, they brought her here, Alicia Pet Care Center. Radiographs revealed something blocking her digestive system.

We needed to do an abdominal explore surgery. She was so sick, we worried if she would even wake up from this procedure.

Under strict monitoring and excellent medical care, Dr. Fynaardt found a rubber foreign body lodged in her small intestine during surgery.

She woke up from surgery, but the road to recovery was not over. She needed to go to Rise Pet Health for overnight monitoring and fluids… those hours after surgery were crucial.

Flash forward to today, and she has made a full recovery! While she is still very underweight, she has gained one whole pound and a whole lot more…

Because today, she was microchipped!!! A microchip is not just a chip with owner's information for a dog like Reyna. It means having a home.

And the best part of this story, is our vet assistant Alisha adopted her to her family! We couldn’t be more happy for them ☺️

Forever and always, Reyna, now “Brixley” will have a home to return to if she’s ever separated.

We love this dog so much

05/23/2025

Our hospital is filled with special people and special patients…

Please say hi to Doe, this week was Doe’s 15th birthday!

Doe was adopted through the Pet Rescue Center, a rescue we used to run here at Alicia Pet Care Center. She was a medical case that we brought in from a small shelter to provide life saving care. Her leg was broken beyond repair and she needed help.

Dr. Wheaton amputated the leg here at Alicia Pet Care Center about 14 years ago, and today she sits in her pet parents lap, healthy and smiling!

She was adopted to a loving family with Cheryl, who for many years visited our booths during adoption events just to say hi and express gratitude for bringing them together. Everyone knew Cheryl and Doe!

Well this year to celebrate Doe’s 15th birthday, the iconic duo came back to our hospital to pay Dr. Wheaton a visit! And see all of Doe’s old friends.

What makes the story even more full circle, Cheryl was actually originally a client of Dr. Wheaton’s father, Dr. Jack Wheaton when he ran Corona Del Mar Animal Hospital.

Being able to have these beautiful interactions with our clients and truly make a difference in people and pet’s lives is one of the many reasons any veterinarian pursues this field.

If you have ever been touched by the work that Dr. Wheaton does, would you take the time to vote for him in Trupanion’s Veterinary Professional of the Year awards? It takes literally 15 seconds to vote and would mean the world to us for him to win!

https://vetappreciationday.trupanion.com/vote/PjgKslps0y/?si=PjgKslps0y

Voting ends on May 26th, and you can vote every day!

05/21/2025

My name is Pygmy, and I'm 13 years old! Today I underwent anesthesia...

A lot of people think dogs of my age are not safe to undergo anesthesia... But that is a myth!

Age is not a disease, and as long as my heart, liver and kidneys organ function are healthy, I am still a good candidate for anesthesia.

Before surgery, my veterinarian listens to my heart and does blood work to ensure my liver and kidneys can process the anesthesia well.

After passing my tests, I was a go for my annual dental cleaning!

My vet team scaled, polished, and X-Rayed my teeth before the veterinarian probed my teeth to look for any signs of dental disease.

This year, the team was able to save 2 teeth that had pocketing by using a gel that would harden in the pockets and fight bacteria.

I also had 4 incisors removed where the dental disease was too severe. If they left them in, the teeth could break on their own and cause me severe pain and cause infection! So I am much better off without them.

The best news of all, my pet insurance actually covered my dental!

Thank you to my mommy for taking care of my dental health, and to my vet team at Alicia Pet Care Center for taking care of me!

-Pygmy

05/13/2025

Will You Vote For Alicia Pet Care Center?

The OC Register is having their annual competition for the best businesses in Orange County!

We would love if you could take a couple of minutes and vote for us, Alicia Pet Care Center.

In order for your vote to count, you must vote for 5 businesses total! Pet Clinic/Veterinarian is at the VERY bottom of the page :)

You can vote every day too... so if you are feeling✨ extra ✨ generous, we would so appreciate it!

https://ocr.bestinvoting.com/

And I will take this moment to share a few changes we have made just this past year to ensure we truly do provide the best in pet care services, year after year:

🐾 Expanded to a 10 Doctor Hospital by hiring Dr. Fynaardt, Dr. Vogel, and Dr. Larkin.

🐾 Opened on Sundays and expanded our Saturdays to be more available for our clients when you need us most (because every pet emergency always ends up happening on the weekend!)

🐾 Partnered with a board certified surgeon so we can provide orthopedic surgeries at a fraction of the price by doing them in house.

🐾 Purchased a CO2 laser along with hiring Dr. Fynaardt so we can offer Elongated Soft Palate surgery, an absolute necessity for many frenchies and other squishy faced breeds to breathe better.

🐾 Created an entire separated Cat Waiting Area of our hospital, so our feline patients feel less stressed before they even enter the exam room.

🐾 Offered our 10th Ford Petersen Free Spay Day and provided 50 spays and neuters for free in one day!

The standards of Veterinary excellence are constantly improving, and we are committed to staying on the cutting edge of these changes! We hope to continue to build our relationships with our clients and patients and earn your vote as the best animal hospital in Orange County!

04/24/2025

We have incredibly exciting hospital news...👀 Starting May 4th, Alicia Pet Care Center will now be open 7 days a week! Yep... Open Sundays!!

And see you Sundays!!

03/19/2025

It’s hard to believe it, but we now have 10 Doctors, and 10 Registered Veterinary Technicians! How could we get so lucky as a hospital?

Kasi is truly one of the most empathetic people, who actually started volunteering here for our former rescue! We knew we wanted a person like her to stay on our team when our rescue did come to an end, and we are so happy she wanted to work for us!

Now, she has earned her R.V.T. License after schooling, passing the VTNE, and *much* paperwork, and has been eagerly learning how to expand her skillsets!

We are so proud of her and the great efforts it took to get this license, and look forward to many more years with her!

03/12/2025

Has your veterinarian ever detected a heart murmur in your pet?

(My cat has one!)

A heart murmur is not a diagnosis, just a symptom. So further diagnostic testing is typically required to understand what's happening in your pet to cause that murmur.

The next steps may include an echocardiogram, chest radiographs, and blood pressure monitoring.

Read more about heart murmurs and testing at the article by Dr. Coffey below!

When your pet is detected to have a heart murmur, there are three essential next steps to take: echocardiogram, blood pressure monitoring,

02/25/2025

6:50 a.m February 23rd, 2025. Our staff has arrived to the hospital on their day off for our 10th Ford Petersen Spay Day. They are volunteering their time and our patients today will not be paying a cent.

50 spays and neuters are about to happen in our hospital due to the hard work and careful preparation from our team.

Before our doors open at 7 a.m, Dr. Wheaton shares the reason for this day for our newer staff members who did not get to know Ford when he was with us.

“I was just reflecting on what was special about Ford. He was just such a joyful person and he really brought the joy to the animal hospital and to the people he knew. People describe him as a gentle giant, teddy bear, just the sweetest guy, but I think more importantly was his joy... that’s something that we can all be inspired by.” -Dr. Wheaton

And with those words, a lot of joy was had at our hospital during our busiest and most exhausting day of the year, honoring Ford and helping to prevent pet overpopulation.

Tomorrow is and we would like to take this moment to encourage everyone to have their pet spayed or neutered. If you did not win this year’s free spay day, there are other discount spays and neuters offered at various clinics. We highly encourage you to do your part and help prevent pet overpopulation ❤️

Ford Lives On.

02/20/2025

The winners of the 10th Ford Petersen Spay Day are here!!! Pet parents have received a call and email if their pet has been chosen. We look forward to preparing our hospital to do this massive feat on Sunday, and serving the community that has supported us for the past 50 years!

Ford Lives On.

Congratulations to:

Roxy A.
Boo Jr. B.
Milie M.
Maverick P.
La Tinta S.
Bolis M.B.
Bentley R.
Harley W.
King Julian H.
Brownie M.
Gregory G.
Duster H.
Yuuki K.
Oreo M.
Panther M.
Gnochi L.
Princess C.
Dora A.
Winston C.
Pugsley Z.
Nala G.
Lexi E.
Oliver K.
Noodle S.
Jax C.
Junie R.
Scruffy C.
Frenchie R.
Toreto G.
Remy K.
Zuko K.
Zeus G.
Gunner C.
Itzy Bitzy T.
Anya J.
St. Patrick W.
Shadow C.
Eezee c.
Kevin G.
Penguin M.
Brooks N.
Orion L.
Ladoo R.
Bailey M.
Crush V.
Kaiser C.
Leo K.
Moose M.
Lucy K.
Fifty B.

02/18/2025

Today is the last day to enter your pet for consideration to our 10th FREE Ford Petersen Spay Day! Call 949-768-1313 by 7pm to apply your pet.

02/15/2025

Every Friday until the   we are going to share another post of Ford’s story!

Flo stands for Ford Lives On. The Petersen family started this acronym and we adopted it as our reminder during spay day. FLO truly encapsulates that even though Ford is no longer with us, his legacy is alive and with us every year.

Ford Petersen Spay Day is a day where we spay or neuter up to 50 cats and dogs in the Orange County community all completely FREE of charge.

If your pet needs a spay or neuter and you cannot afford one, please call us at 949-768-1313 to apply your pet for consideration! Applications close on February 18 and we will notify the winners on February 19.

This is for owned pets only, and no cryptorchid males or females who have been in heat within the last 2 months.

The 10th Ford Petersen Spay Day will be on February 23!

We will be wearing our Freshest Socks!