About Us

The team at CAWC is highly qualified in using many different modalities to help your pet achieve optimal health.  We treat your pet as we would like to be treated.  We appreciate all that you know about the uniqueness of your pet, and we will work with you to come up with the best approach to support, diagnose and treat your pet.  We will take your goals and views of health and help you achieve these through a collaborative process. Our job is to listen and share our knowledge with you so that together, we can make an informed decision on your pets' care.  It is a truly individualized form of health care.  The days of one size fits all medicine are over.


Communication is vital to our collaboration process. First and foremost, we listen to you.   We will have an open dialogue about your goals, hopes and needs for your pets health care.  An operating principle at CAWC is that “nobody cares how much you know, until they know how much you care”.  We care.  We keep it simple and explain what a test is, why we do it, and what it will help us figure out about your pet. This approach takes longer than the typical medical appointment but it's worth it.  We will always ask you if the approach we are discussing makes sense, and if this is the route you would like to pursue.  Our doctors and staff are available via phone, email, and texts to suit your preferred communication style, and we strive to return your messages quickly.  Communication begins before your first appointment when you fill out a simple questionnaire ahead of your visit, so we can learn about you and your pet. Whether your pet needs vaccines, vaccine titers, holistic services, diet advice, or if you have a more complex medical issue that needs addressing, we are here to help guide and work with you. Continue reading to find out what makes our approach to veterinary medicine different.

Integrative Medicine

Integrative medicine is what we do here at CAWC.  This means our staff is well trained in conventional western modalities as well as holistic medical treatments, which allows us to create a well rounded approach to your pets care. We offer the very best, most advanced conventional medical treatments.  We pride ourselves with keeping up to date with the latest aspects of diagnostics, internal medicine, dermatology and surgery to name a few.  We work with board certified surgeons, radiologists, cardiologists and internal medicine specialists to give your pet the best possible treatment outcome without ever leaving CAWC. Visit our CONVENTIONAL SERVICES section to learn more.  

We also pride ourselves in providing the best in holistic medical modalities to use either on their own, or in conjunction with conventional therapy.  Our holistic treatments include acupuncture, herbal medicine,VOM/chiropractic therapy, dietary therapy, and laser therapy to name a few.  Check out our HOLISTIC SERVICES for a more detailed description of our holistic medical offerings.

Exotic Animal Services

Our staff is highly experienced and knows how to handle your special exotic pet in a safe and compassionate manner.  We have over 25 years of experience in treating birds, reptiles, rabbits, ferrets, guinea pigs, rats, hamsters and mice.  Treating exotic species requires a whole different level of medicine and knowledge of common and uncommon medical conditions that affect these unique pets.  They have very specific dietary and husbandry requirements, that if not met will frequently result in serious medical problems.  To safely treat exotic animals with conventional or holistic therapies, exotic pets often require different medicines or dosages tailored to each unique species for effective and safe treatments.  Find out more about our EXOTIC ANIMAL SERVICES. 

Fear Free Certification

At CAWC, we encompass and uphold the principles of Fear Free health care. The Fear Free mission is to prevent and alleviate fear, anxiety and stress in pets through techniques that foster trust and comfort. Fear Free is a philosophy in which we not only look at your pet’s physical well being, but also their emotional well being.  By keeping your pets emotional well being in mind throughout your visit, we do our best to make the commonly fearful experience of going to the vet fun, or at the very least, a more positive experience. We are passionate about creating an environment where both you and your pet look forward to veterinary care.  To learn more this and why it is important to us, visit our FEAR FREE CERTIFIED page.

Cat Friendly Practice

Companion Animal Wellness Center is striving to become a certified Cat Friendly Practice. There are very few hospitals that seek to obtain this distinguished status.  This unique combination of being a Fear Free and Cat Friendly Practice will allow CAWC to provide a unique combination of calm and respectful care for your noble feline. This approach reduces stress and improves the quality of care for your unique companion.  We understand the specific needs and behavior of cats.  We understand how to approach, examine and handle them in a gentle and compassionate manner, and we have set up a feline friendly environment to make your cat more comfortable while here.  To find out more about what makes us cat friendly, visit our CAT FRIENDLY PRACTICE page.

Hospital Design

Our hospital is designed to create a calm, stress free experience for you and your companion.  The reception area separates dogs from cats and exotic animals.  It is also infused with calming pet pheromones to create a sense of ease for your pet. There are separate exam rooms for our cat and exotic patients, so that they are not exposed to the smells and pheromones of our canine visitors. The treatment room is also designed with these principles in mind.  There are separate dog, cat, and exotic animal rooms for hospital stays.  This again serves to decrease fear and enhance comfort for your pet.  The exam rooms and all treatment areas are double insulated to absorb and limit sound transmission in a continued effort to comfort your pet. To tour our hospital, please click HERE


CALL US: (760) 444-0342 REQUEST APPOINTMENT