Pet Gallery at Pet Medical Center animal hospital in Santa Monica California

Pet Gallery

PET MEDICAL CENTER ~ LET OUR FAMILY SERVE YOURS!

Family Owned & Operated Since 1973

1534 14th Street Santa Monica, California 90404 Telephone: (310) 393-8218

Monday - Tuesday - Wednesday 7:30 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. Thursday - Friday 7:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. Saturdays 8:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

We close for lunch Monday through Friday from 1:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. No Doctor on site until 8:30 a.m.

CLICK HERE for information on Mandatory Spay & Neuter Laws

REMINDER!

Beginning

October 1st, 2008,

Pet Medical Center will no longer automatically file insurance claims.

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(310) 393-8218

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MERRY CHRISTMAS!

From Erica Paige , Eagor ( playing the part of Santa) & Ursula

Chance's Journey

Chance is the disabled kitten that we took in from Pet Med and we are very happy that we were able to find a wonderful rehab/sanctuary where she will live cage free with lots of love and professional care.

Friday night a small group including Amy, Melissa, Sarah and Samantha helped pack up Chance and her traveling bags. Ashley lent us her Jeep-made cat stroller. I brought a soft-sided carrier from home, which Chance instantly liked being in. Melissa drove us to LAX and watched from a close distance as we made it through security. I had concerns about having to pull Chance from her carrier, and even when I made dramatic gestures about the likelihood of her peeing on the airport floor, I had to display her to the world.

And you know what? She was fine. No peeing, no shaking, no meowing.

That's the beauty of Chance -- she is where she is, and she's in the moment. Always.

The only thing that seemed to throw off her game was being in the stroller, outside her carrier. She howled a bit, but once I figured out to put her in the carrier, then put the carrier in the stroller, she was fine. Once we got on the plane, I stowed her under the seat in front of me for take-off. I stuck my hand in and rubbed her head the whole time. She didn't make a sound, or shake in the slightest. Never once. After take-off I wrapped her in my Delta blanket and put her on my lap. I knew I was bending potential rules, but I also knew she couldn't leap off my lap and run up the aisle. The stewardess did ask me to put her away, as it's against FAA rules to take your pet out and one of the other stewardesses was allergic to cats. I put her under the seat and we both fell fast asleep.

At JFK we made a stop at the restroom to change her pee-pee pad. We luckily escaped a mile-high stinky disaster. Our drive from the city up into the country took about 4 hours. I put Chance and her unzipped carrier on the front passenger seat. She slept the whole way, purring happily and delighting in head scratches. We had to stop for caffeine and a quick snooze at one point, and put her on my chest. More purring and snuggles. We drove through areas with signs for services I had never heard of before, like "Deer Cutting". At long last we made it to the little hamlet of Delhi (pronounced Dell-high, I was quickly schooled). Up the hills into gorgeous farmland just outside the Catskills. We finally made it to Angel's Gate.

We were greeted by Susan Marino's crew. Immediately, they fawned over Chance's beauty and distinct look. Then Susan appeared, followed by her cavalry of dogs, including a German shepherd mix with walking difficulties named Ali. Susan introduced herself to Chance, then ordered her crew to make Chance at home in the room with other special-needs cats. She gave me a tour of the property, which spans 100 acres. The main campus of Angel's Gate has been in Long Island, but they've faced litigation from complaining neighbors and are now transitioning animals and humans to Delhi. There's only one horse at Delhi now, but soon there will be more. She has a calf, a turkey and a squirrel. She has small pre-built houses for AIDS and Leukemia cats. Another house is devoted solely to Abyssian rescue. The snow is coming, so Susan has been rushing to get heat into each of these enclosures.

In the main house and backyard are approximately 75 dogs. Chance lives in a bedroom in the main house, just a door away from Susan's own bedroom. Chance has 10 roommates - two siblings with cerebral hyperplasia, a Calico with legs like Chance, a blind older fellow who looks like our late Mr. Big, a scared-out-of-his-mind big orange dude and a handful of others. Chance was cowering in her carrier when I first visited, but by later in the evening she was out and sleeping among the others.

I had a lovely dinner in town with Susan and two of her employees. I would put Susan in her mid-50s. She has raised five grown children, and worked as a pediatric nurse for 30 years. Dawn is turning 40 this year and travels the country, attending animal care, humane education and hospice seminars. Lisa is 21 - she is now a certified vet tech and will move from Long Island up to Delhi. She started as a volunteer at 14 and considers Susan a second mother. All three women are smart, funny and dedicated as hell to caring for these animals. They did seem disappointed in me, that I only have two cats at my house. Susan had ordered me to stay at her home/Angel's Gate. We watched a movie together -- I held two of her paralyzed pups on my lap. Most of the animals at Angel's Gate have a disability, but the vibe is incredibly upbeat. Susan doesn't believe the animals are limited, nor do they. It feels like daycare.

Chance slept with me that night. Susan put a diaper on her (it didn't stay) and we laid out numerous pee-pee pads. It was a treat to snuggle up with Chance -- and as I fell asleep I thought, "maybe I could take her home and we could do this". But in the middle of the night she woke up, full of nocturnal energy, biting my toes. I feared she could tumble off the bed, or pee on the sheets. When I next woke up she peed near my head. But she had slid under the covers and fallen asleep with her head on my leg -- I knew in that moment that she belonged at Angel's Gate, where she could snuggle with other kitties all day and night long.

My big fear was that Chance would go from being our singular "special" cat to one in a sea of special animals. But something bigger, deeper is going on at that sanctuary. And Chance is in the moment -- she will stand out wherever she is. I visited her one last time in her new room. She was being cautious -- and I was assaulted by other cats. We looked at each other, and I knew it was time to leave. I had cried the night before because I had become overwhelmed by all the animals and love. I cried at breakfast because these people care so much. I didn't cry as I said goodbye to Chance and drove away -- I knew she was home.

Thank you all for your support and love. To me, to Chance, and to all the animals.

Our thanks to Jeannie & Melissa for sharing this touching story!

Here's little Bella getting ready for her next big soccer match!

Our thanks to Bob Sinskey for this great picture!

Here's "Daisy" in all her shining golden splendor.

Our thanks to Susan Fabrican for this wonderful photo!

Here’s "Riley". He loves to play soccer with his “human” brother, Wes!!

Our thanks to Sheila MacWilliams for this great photo!

Lucy the pug, and Frankie the pugston – turning one year old in March.

They love meeting new people, and especially love playing with other pets.

Clients of Pet Medical Center in Santa Monica.

Our thanks to Mitch Viner for these great photos!

Here's "Luke" who looks like he's just finished a fine meal - he's even cleaning the silverware so there will be no dirty dishes left!

Our thanks to Monica Small for this fantastic picture!

Our thanks to Mark Sargent for these great pictures!

Thanks to Dr. Braunstein's encouragement, it looks like "Trudy" has found a new home with her pal, "Suzy". They play hard, and have lots of fun together. Trudy is very happy and friendly with people and most dogs after a proper introduction.

Our thanks to Rob Evan for these great pictures!

Hector, a 10 year old Staffordshire Bull Terrier, screams for joy upon hearing he's due to see Dr. Hernandez of Pet Medical Center in Santa Monica! :)

Our thanks to Becky Chadwick for this hilarious picture!