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Valley
Animal Hospital
58 West 16th St.
Merced, CA 95340
Phone:
209.384.7387
Fax:
209.384.1056
Hours:
Monday - Friday
7:30am - 6:00pm
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Dr.
Christine McFadden
Veterinarian, Practice Owner |
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Dr.
Jon Klingborg - Veterinarian
“Dr. K” has been a small animal veterinarian
for over 15 years. His patient and caring approach
to your pet’s health means that you get
your questions answered and your pet gets to feel
better! In addition to general practice, Dr. K
also performs orthopedic surgery and provides
behavior counseling for owners whose pets are
‘misbehaving.’ Dr. Klingborg was President
of the California Veterinary Medical Association
in 2004 -2005, and his contributions to the profession
were recognized in 2006 when he received the title
of “Distinguished Practitioner” from
the National Academies of Practice. |
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Wendy
Alvares - Hospital Administrator
As the Hospital Administrator, Wendy manages of
all areas of the hospital to ensure a safe, comfortable
and productive work environment for employees
and a supportive, nurturing environment for patients
and their owners. Wendy has been with VAH since
2000 and looks forward to coming to work every
day. Wendy has a Bachelor of Science Degree in
Business Administration, is PHR Certified and
will complete her Master’s Degree in Fall
2007. Wendy and her husband Joe have been married
for 17 years and have a daughter, Jackie. The
Alvares family also includes 3 dogs - Bosco, Otto
and Oscar, 1 cat - MirMir and 2 cockatiels - Captain
and Tennille. |
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Elizabeth
DaRocha-Carvalho
Veterinary Nurse
Everyone
at VAH know's that Liz's motto is "Hugs also
dispensed here". When she's not dispensing
hugs, Liz is assisting the doctors in surgery.
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Tim
Farmer – Veterinary Nurse
Tim processes all of VAH’s in-house lab
work, assists the doctors in surgery and cares
for pets in pre and post surgery. We like to call
Tim the “Animal Whisperer” because
he is able to calm even the most terrified or
fractious animal. We also depend on Tim to fix
just about everything in the clinic. |
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Cyndi
Kahl -Veterinary Nurse
Cyndi is responsible for keeping your pet’s
teeth healthy and white. She performs all the
dental work at VAH. She has completed several
veterinary dental courses and has over 13 years
of experience in the veterinary field. Cyndi has
several pets of her own and has always had an
affection for poodles. Cyndi thoroughly enjoys
working at VAH and feels fortunate to have a job
she truly looks forward to every day. |
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Hilary
Ballard – Veterinary Nurse
Hilary has been with VAH since 2004. Hilary assists
the doctors in the exam rooms and cares for pets
in pre and post surgery. Hilary is currently attending
Modesto Junior College, earning her Certificate
in Veterinary Technology and plans to take the
RVT exam in late 2007. Hilary adores her two cats,
Luna and Mr. Furley. |
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Kellynn
Brenton – Exam Room Nurse
Kellynn was hired as an Exam Room Assistant in
2004. Since then, Kellynn has become a valuable
member of the VAH team. Kellynn supports the doctors
in the exam rooms and during surgery. In addition,
Kellynn also assists Kim the K9 Tutor with Puppy
Kindergarten classes. |
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Becky
Arias – Receptionist
Becky was referred to VAH by a staff member and
joined our team as a receptionist shortly after.
Becky is one of VAH’s bilingual employees
available to assist Spanish-speaking clients.
Becky currently attends Merced College and also
works as a cheerleading coach at LeGrand High
School. Becky has 2 cats – Luna and Buttons,
a parrot – Lorenzo and about 10 cockatiels.
Becky loves to spend what little free time she
has with her boyfriend, Larry, going to concerts,
Oakland A’s games or just staying home watching
“Family Guy”. |
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Araceli
Manzo – Receptionist
Araceli was recruited by a VAH staff member because
of her exceptional client service skills and outstanding
attitude. As a receptionist she is one of the
first smiling faces to greet clients as they walk
in the door. Araceli is one of VAH’s bilingual
employees available to assist Spanish-speaking
clients. Araceli is the proud parent of identical
twin boys, whom she loves and adores. The twins
keep Araceli very busy, so she doesn’t have
any pets of her own. But, if she had to choose
a favorite, it would be Chihuahuas. |
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Jillian
Mesa – Receptionist
Jillian has been a receptionist with VAH since
2006. Jillian really enjoys her job, but her favorite
part is getting to visit with all the cats, dogs
and “other little critters” that come
in. In her free time Jillian likes to spend time
with family, friends and her personal pets (3
dogs, 3 cats and a turtle). Jillian is happy to
be a member of a great team, helping VAH clients
care for their pets. |
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Marguerite
Padilla – Receptionist
Marguerite has been a receptionist at VAH since
2005. She enjoys working the front desk because
she’s able to visit with all the pets that
come in. Marguerite always had lots of animals
around while growing up and now has one dog of
her own named Chewie. Marguerite adopted Chewie
from the Animal Shelter. He’s very energetic
and loves to chew on everything – hence
his name! In her spare time, Marguerite loves
to play softball, BBQ and hang out with family
and friends. |
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Veronica
Quiralte – Receptionist
In addition to reception duties, Veronica handles
all boarding and grooming paperwork. Veronica
has been with VAH since early 2006 and is one
of our bilingual employees available to assist
Spanish-speaking clients. Veronica’s favorite
part of her job is interacting with VAH clients
and pets. Veronica is currently in the RN program
at Merced College and is awaiting a new arrival
– an English Bulldog puppy! |
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Tracy
Brown – Boarding Attendant
Tracy has been a boarding attendant with VAH since
2003. Tracy takes excellent care of VAH’s
boarding pets, always ensuring each one receives
lots of love and individual attention. Tracy is
currently pursuing her Bachelor of Science Degree
in Nursing at CSU, Stanislaus. Tracy enjoys spending
all her free time with her daughter, Shelby. |
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Stephen
Garrett – Boarding Attendant
As a Boarding Attendant, Stephen is one of the
people responsible for the excellent care and
attention VAH boarding pets receive. Stephen is
very good with animals, and has even befriended
the clinic bird, Forbes (for those of you who
know Forbes, this is no small task). Steven has
a rat terrier named Shadow and a water dragon
named Manny. Steven was an Animal Science major
at Merced College, and after working with animals
every day feels he could never have another non-animal-related
job. Steven’s ultimate goal is to work at
a large zoo. |
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Kookie
Hiser - Groomer
Kookie has been grooming
dogs and cats since 1979. She has been with Designer
Dogs and Valley Animal Hospital since 1997. Kookie
is an excellent groomer who is so talented she
has clients who bring their pets from as far away
as San Francisco to have her groom them! Kookie
and her husband Don share their home with a very-well-groomed
border collie named Paris. |
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