Alicia Pet Care Center

01/10/2025

It seems like we are at a point in the LA fire emergency where many donation centers are overwhelmed with donated supplies and what they truly need right now is money. Particularly at animal shelters- They are anticipating many burn victims coming in and they will need money to provide these pets all the medical care they need.

We will be donating a portion of our January income to Pasadena Humane and hope you will join us.

We have a few doctors who are part of an emergency veterinary medicine organization who may be deployed to LA shelters, right now they are on call for the next couple of weeks.

Alicia Pet Care Center is also offering 50% off boarding for pets who are evacuating. If you have access to your pet’s medical records, please bring them so we can better assist you.

12/28/2024

Are you the new owner of a pet? Take note!!

This is a really helpful guide that many rescues distribute to help new pet parents set their expectations for their adopted pet!

Please remember that pets are such a huge commitment and hopefully 🤞 you are the new owner of a pet because you DECIDED to adopt them 🫣

The key to forming the best bond with your pet: patience 🙏 and be sure to bring them to the vet so they can get a wellness exam and evaluated by a medical team!

12/24/2024

It wouldn’t be the week of Christmas without a crazy little case!

SOMEONE in this photo ate a few ear plugs (and apparently, not their first offense! 😂)

After inducing vomiting, the patient DID throw up, but unfortunately not the ear plugs. So they were referred to our friends at Rise Pet Health so it could be endoscopically removed!

Patient has not shown signs of regret for that decision 🫡

12/19/2024

Yesterday we had our annual White Elephant Gift Exchange!! Budget: $20

Most desirable item: Disney Loungefly Backpack (the person who brought it has a great Disney discount!)

Most unique item: A T Shirt with Gollum & Taco Bell...

Funniest Item: A "Watering Can" that looks like a dog peeing on plants 🤣

Cutest Item: Either a Weighted Sloth stuffed animal OR a weighted croissant with a little hat :)

Person who got stolen from the most: Cristie 😂

But what matters most: We all had fun and walked away with some really cool gifts! Love our team and having opportunities like this to bond!

12/18/2024

Owning a pet comes with MANY questions - and a big one is "Should I bring them to the vet? Is this an emergency?" It's hard when your baby can't talk and tell you what they are feeling!

This is a really helpful resource for pet parents to guide if they should schedule an appointment, get seen same day, or if their pet is experiencing an emergency based on the signs their pet is showing.

This list is not comprehensive, but it does cover a lot of the reasons we see pets! Hope you find it helpful!

12/11/2024

The answer to our Instagram stories...

Yep, Terra ate a sock. Her mom realized it because she literally dropped the other torn up half of the sock out of her mouth 🥴

This is not Terra’s first sock rodeo... only time will tell if it will be her last. Some dogs, no matter how many precautions you take, cannot resist finding a way to eat a sock 😭

This is one of the ✨many✨ reasons we recommend pet insurance! Because no matter how much preparing you do, where there is a will, there is a way. And dog’s have really strong wills!

12/09/2024

Announcement!! Please welcome Dr. Matthew Vogel to our veterinary team! Dr. Vogel has previously worked with Dr. Fynaardt, and brings 7 years of veterinary practice experience. We are so excited to bring on his unique perspective to our team at Alicia Pet Care Center. But enough from us, hear from the man himself by reading his bio below.

"I was born and raised in Louisville, KY spending time on my grandparent’s farm helping with their livestock of Angus cattle and Suffolk sheep. Being surrounded by animals of all varieties: cattle, sheep, geese that would flock to their pond, and numerous farm cats my admiration for animals along with their impact became something I could envision dedicating my life's work to. I began shadowing at local animal hospitals, then eventually worked as a veterinary assistant in high school during breaks. I was also able to volunteer at the local Louisville Zoo in the African wildlife section to broaden my horizons.

Eventually, I attended Auburn University for undergraduate studies where I majored in Animal Sciences, Pre-Vet studies. I volunteered my time at the Southeastern Raptor Center helping to treat and rehabilitate local injured birds of prey. After 3 years of undergraduate studies, I was accepted into veterinary school a year early at Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine where I also met my wife by good fortune.

During veterinary school I dedicated my initial summers to molecular research in a lab working to bring about clinical trial therapies for Tay-Sachs disease (GM1/GM2 gangliosidosis). In the labs, my current kitty, Apple, was thrust upon me and we haven’t looked back since. I had the opportunity as well to travel to Nicaragua with World Vets organization for a community outreach program to provide medical support for the local pet population and perform a spay/neuter campaign.

Upon graduation in 2017, we made the bold move to trek cross-country to California from Alabama with my wife and fur family. My wife specializes in feline only medicine and we often enjoy discussing interesting cases along with sharing new insights with one another. I have primarily been in general practice since our move to Southern California, while also dabbling in urgent care and relief work.

We currently have two pampered senior kitties, Apple and Charlie, living out their golden years in style. In my free time, we have been enjoying traveling and exploring locally all that SoCal has to offer: hiking, beaches, the food scenes, entertainment and I’ve been a personal fan of the golf world.

I look forward to meeting you and your furry family members to provide the utmost care and quality medicine."

12/06/2024

We have so many more patients who bring in their emotional support item to get through an appointment but these are some of the best 😂😂

The first sweet boy Decker, is actually 14 YEARS OLD and when I asked his mom if I could share this pic, she said “and you might want to say something about how APCC has been Decker’s vet his entire life and he’s almost 14! Pretty good for a Cavi 💕” and that’s exactly right 👏👏👏 We’ve been with this sweet boy from puppy to senior and he really has an all star mom with an all star team 💁‍♀️

We have many many more pics of our patients with their toys and bones… these are just some of the ones that really stand out 😂

11/26/2024

Canines! Keep your eyes peeled for wayward Uncles and Grandmas! 👀 For they may (unintentionally) give you the worst diarrhea of your life (or worse 🫣).

This message also applies to the felines, but I am assuming most of you will be hiding under the nearest bed or in the far back corner of the closet the entire time company is over.

Remember, Just Say No this Thanksgiving and enjoy your food as you normally do. If you MUST indulge, may I suggest some plain turkey meat (with no skin or bone)? Or sweet potatoes (un buttered and unseasoned)? Green beans? Yummy.

So what do you say? Just Say No ❌

11/20/2024

If you have a brachycephalic pet - Frenchies, bulldogs, pugs, please read!

Frenchies, Bulldogs, and Pugs may be adorable, but their unique faces can come with serious breathing challenges. If your dog struggles with snoring, labored breathing, or overheating, they might benefit from certain surgical procedures to improve their quality of life.

In our last post, we shared that we recently bought a CO2 laser for our hospital! This is particularly great news for our brachycephalic patients as we can now perform "BOAS" (Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome) related surgeries including elongated soft palate, stenotic nares (widening the nostrils) and everted laryngeal saccules removal.

Our latest blog explains how these surgeries like widening nostrils or trimming soft palates can help these lovable breeds breathe easier. Click the link to learn more and see how we’re here to support your brachycephalic best friend ❤️

There are multiple surgical interventions that can be done to help brachycephalic breeds (smoosh faced dogs and cats) breathe easier.

11/13/2024

We had a great time during the laser training provided by our rep, Zack! Alicia Pet Care Center is now up and running with our CO2 laser and we are so excited for all the benefits this means for our patients:

Lasers are a very advanced piece of surgical technology used to make precise incisions in a multitude of surgeries - everything from gingivectomies, neuters, soft tissue surgeries, mass removals… most anything that requires an incision benefits from using a laser!

So how does this help our patients? In addition to now being able to offer surgeries like soft palate resection, the clinical benefits of the laser include reduced pain and swelling for a quicker recovery, less bleeding during surgery because the device actually gently cauterizes as it goes (which can also shorten the duration of surgery), instant sterilization of the wound, and minimized overall trauma for the patient.

This is particularly beneficial for our brachycephalic breeds, as we can provide critical BOAS surgeries for these patients!

Yay for staying on the "cutting edge" (pun intended) of veterinary medicine!

11/12/2024

We NEEDED to do a part 2 on this one ☺️☺️☺️

Please see the last slide for the best cat bridging multiple people together 📸 by Dr. Benson

(And if you see Lady Di in the third slide and think she’s so cute, well she’s actually an adopted alum from ! They have a few more kittens looking for their furever home right MEOW)

Can someone bring in a wheaton terrier named Matt because I believe Dr. Wheaton needs to participate in this one 😂

11/11/2024

Bringing back this gem! 🤣 Asking for blanket and towel donations please! These don't have to be new, so if you find yourself cleaning out your towel closet and find some that you are no longer using, bring them with you to your next appointment! We would truly appreciate it.

10/31/2024

What could be spookier 🎃 than talking to people on the phone??
Well, Alicia Pet Care Center offers online booking for your convenience!! After making a profile, you can see your pet's exam history and future appointments, medications, and meds they are due for 😃 Try it out!!

Alicia Pet Care Center is Orange County’s leading veterinary hospital committed to compassionate and quality pet care. "We're Taking Care of Your Babies!" Voted #1 Best Vet Clinic

10/17/2024

Vet Tech Appreciation Week treks right along and Thursday, it was our Reception team’s opportunity to shower the techs & assistants with love and appreciation for all the do. Our Reception team truly raised the bar with their version of Veterinary Family Feud (please don’t come for us, Steve Harvey! We love you!).

The game was filled with questions that our staff got polled on this month like: Most used instrument by our Dr’s, Kennel team tasks that take the most amount of time — our techs had a super fun time going head to head in competition.

The “fast $$” round at the end unfortunately did not yield a shared trip to Aruba or a brand new car… but the reception team still graced them all with coffee shop gift cards for being winners in life!

We love to see our overall recognizing one another for their dedicated hard work.

10/16/2024

If you noticed our team was slightly wet when they came back from lunch… this may be why XD

Nothing says camaraderie like some friendly competition, right? RIGHT??? Who am I kidding APCC is filled with the most competitive people in Orange County.

Today the doctors and techs played 5 games

1. “Catch the Urine” (get as much “urine” as you can inside the cup). To this day, Dr. Wheaton is still curious what the liquid was…
2. “Think Fast” Each person had to think of a vet med term that starts with the letter their team member shows… within 3 seconds, otherwise they will get sprayed in the face!
3. “Team work Hula Hoop” Each team had to hold hands and get the hula hoop the whole way through the line AND BACK. That was the only rule… if you asked Dr. Northrop’s team they would say Dr. Ashbran’s team was cheating but I say play smarter not harder friends.
4. “Don’t Pop the balloon” with a needle, the members had to puncture a balloon.. but try not to pop it!
5. The Tie breaker that didn’t end up being a tie breaker, get as many cotton balls as you can into the cone! This literally was the tie breaker and…. Both teams got EXACTLY 50 cotton balls inside the cone. So… I guess this game was a draw.

While there was no clear “winner” in these games, the winner is our clients (and the doctors), because they have the best technicians and assistants in the whole world to help every single one of our patients that come from and help our doctors provide the excellent care they are capable of

10/15/2024

Today management put on a DAY for the tech team the only way they know how, through a self indulgent game of “Guess the Gus!” 😂

In addition to an ungodly amount of snacks, the treatment team played “Guess the Gus” (which is what Tim and Josh call each other) and the stakes were HIGH.

Feel free to play along.. and give your guesses in the comments! There is a clue for one of the answers in one of these videos…

The winner of our game? None other than Alyssa! She got a $25 amazon gift card for knowing Josh and Tim to their chaotic core.

Happy Vet Tech Appreciation Week and congrats to Alyssa!

10/15/2024

Why do we have vet tech appreciation week? Because before 8 am literally this very morning, as most people are just starting their morning coffee, R.V.T. Nicola and R.V.T. Sienna saved Winston’s life! He was happily sitting with his oxygen and recovered by 8:30 after almost losing his life to a bee sting.

Winston had a full anaphylactic reaction to the bee sting, to the point he was vomiting and swollen, and his gums were extremely pale. His vet tech team worked quickly to get him cerenia (anti-nausea), diphenhydramine (anti-allergy), steroids, he also received sedation, fluids, oxygen, and a WHOLE LOT OF LOVE from this duo.

And THEN, after that, Nicola’s patient was the CUTEST LITTLE BABY PUG YOU EVER DID SEE (photo captured by the vet assistant 🙏 I appreciate you girl!).

The highs and lows of vet med are truly, insane. It’s not all puppies! (But it is… sometimes puppies ;))

We appreciate you!!!