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1. Greek and Associated Veterinary Hospital
23687 Via Del Rio, Yorba Linda; 714-463-1190; gavh.net
Not sure where to take your cuddly camel for veterinary treatment? At Greek and Associates the motto is, “If you get it through the door, we’ll see.”
And that’s “everything from goldfish to camels,” says Desiree Greek, Dr. Tom Greek. And yes, he handled a camel.
Desiree Greek said approximately 50 percent of the practice is dedicated to dogs and cats, with full surgical and pharmaceutical benefits. But the rest are so-called “exotics” that are Tom Greeks passion.
Ever since Tom caught a gopher snake he called Hercules when he was 5 years old, he has known what he wanted to do. The family still has a crayon picture Tom drew in kindergarten of a giraffe, a tiger, and a lion behind an entrance that read “zoo” with an upside down “z,” Desiree Greek said.
One of the things that make Greek and Associates stand out, according to Desiree Greek, is the relaxed atmosphere, from documents to facilities.
“A lot of the places you will see are very clinical,” she said. “We try to make it warm and cozy.”
Even the interior design is unusual and furnished in the modern “googie” style of the middle of the century.
Dr. Greek graduated from the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine in 1993 and opened his practice in 2008.
He has also published stories in a number of national magazines, from Reptiles to Veterinary Product News, lectures at national regional conferences, and is a regular on KTLA’s streaming show Off the Clock.
– Greg Mellen
2. Back Bay Veterinary Hospital
4263 Birch Street, Newport Beach; 949-756-0554; bbvh.com
The Back Bay Veterinary Hospital in Newport Beach offers a full range of services from emergency care to surgery to dental work and meals and day care.
The business has been a fixture in Newport Beach since the 1960s. Dr. George Katcherian bought it in 1978 from the previous owners and his veterinarian colleague Dr. Nabil Fanous has been on board for more than 15 years.
As an Armenian immigrant from Cairo, Egypt, Katcherian has built a reputation as a well-known orthopedic dog surgeon who is often called in for difficult hip, knee and leg repairs. According to the hospital’s literature, Katcherian was the first Southern California veterinarian to be licensed to perform advanced surgery on dog knees. The hospital also offers a range of surgeries ranging from amputations to castration and neutering.
Fanous has a particular interest in internal medicine and the treatment of stem cells in animals, especially osteoarthritis.
3. Banfield Pet Hospital
Multiple locations, banfield.com
Banfield is a practice of more than 3,600 veterinarians worldwide and has grown to be a fixture in Orange County with more than 20 locations.
Founded in 1955 in Portland, Oregon, Banfield has grown to become the largest general practitioner veterinary practice in the United States, with more than 1,000 hospitals
Banfield also offers Optimum Wellness Plans, which offer personalized preventative veterinary care packages for a year to monitor a pet’s unique health status and identify or stave off small issues before they become big problems.
As a company, Banfield is involved in numerous partnerships with nonprofit and community groups and is committed to corporate responsibility initiatives.
The company also offers free first-time visits to its clinics.
During the pandemic, the huge boom in U.S. pet ownership resulted in Banfield treating 9.2 percent more juvenile dogs and 12.4 percent more kittens in 2020 compared to 2019. It was the first increase in the percentage of teenage pets in practice in 10 years.
