Alicia Pet Care Center

Bios

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  MATTHEW WHEATON, DVM

  Chief of Staff

  Hi! My name Matthew Wheaton. I was born in Newport Beach and raised in Laguna Beach with 7 brothers and sisters and a constant crew of pets. My Dad owned Corona Del Mar Animal Hospital for about 25 years then took a break of about 5 years before opening Aliso Beach Animal Clinic in South Laguna. I ended up following my father’s footsteps in more ways than one. After just 3 years of undergraduate work, at my Dad’s alma mater, UC Davis, my application for veterinary school was accepted, making me one of the 5 youngest members of my class. After graduating from veterinary school with my DVM degree in 1996, I moved to West Los Angeles to a 1-year internship program at California Animal Hospital (now ASEC). The internship was half emergency medicine and half surgery, so I had the opportunity to learn a variety of different procedures and concepts. My mentors at my internship and the very challenging experiences there had a huge impact on my life and are responsible for who I am as a veterinarian today. I enjoyed the emergency aspect of the internship so much that I took a full-time position at Animal Urgent Care, our local emergency hospital in Mission Viejo. Taking the job there also allowed me to move back to my home town where I ended up meeting my wife, Blythe, at the local dog park. I purchased Alicia Pet Clinic from Dr. Dykstra in the summer of 2000. Since that time, I have worked to turn Alicia Pet Clinic into the state-of-the-art veterinary facility that it is today. We have upgraded every aspect of the facility here and have added countless tools to help us provide the best quality medical and surgical care for all of our patients. While being a very experienced surgeon, my special interest is internal medicine with an emphasis on geriatric animal care. I am an avid concert-goer and enjoy fishing, stand up paddling with the local wildlife (dolphins and whales) and snowboarding in my free time. The Wheaton babies started arriving in 2003 with the birth of my son, Flynn, followed by my daughter Scarlett in 2005 and my youngest son Callan in 2009. Although the three dogs that brought Blythe and me together (Starsky, Golgi and Punch) have since passed on, our current fur children include Golden Retriever “Fezzik Hodor,” Australian Shepherd “Sally Sparkle” and an Orange Tabby cat, “Grover.” Having a herd of pets at home gives me a great deal of empathy for my clients when they are dealing with their own pet problems. My compassion is born of my own experiences with illness and loss in my own life and with the many pets we have had over the years. Combining that compassion with ultra-high quality medical and surgical care is what makes Alicia Pet Care Center the outstanding veterinary facility that it is today. It is my hope that Alicia Pet Care Center will feel like another family for all of my clients. All of our team here truly strive to help and stand by our motto, “We’re taking care of your babies!”

  Link: MATTHEW WHEATON, DVM

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  SARAH NORTHROP, DVM

  Veterinarian

  Hi! My name is Sarah Northrop. I grew up in Sacramento, CA with one sister and one brother. I also was lucky enough to share my childhood with several furry family members, including four golden retrievers, two cats and a rabbit. Time spent caring for my pets was a favorite pastime. And it was a known fact amongst my family and friends that I would someday become a veterinarian. Throughout high school, I focused my time and energy on competitive swimming and cross-country running. My dedication to these activities led me to seek a degree in kinesiology/pre-physical therapy at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, combining my loves for an active lifestyle, medicine, and people. But one of my favorite things was missing: animals. In 2003, during my final year at Cal Poly, I began to reconsider my dream of becoming a veterinarian. With the support and encouragement from my parents and my husband, Brandin, I began the process of applying to vet school. In 2008, I graduated from Western University of Health Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine in Pomona, CA. Following graduation, I completed a 1-year internship in emergency medicine, internal medicine, and surgery at Sacramento Veterinary Referral Center. Aside from one year back in Sacramento, I have lived in Orange County since 2003 with my husband and my two daughters, Helene and Liv. Currently we have two dogs: a Golden Retriever named “Kamp” and a Staffordshire Terrier named “JoJo.” In my free time, I enjoy simply being a mom and spending quality time with family and friends, relaxing with my dogs, trail running, camping and backpacking. I am full of gratitude to have found a profession that allows me to witness, admire, and be a part of the human-animal bond every single day. I couldn’t be happier to have found the Alicia Pet Care Center family (animals and humans), and I look forward to many more years of educating you, my clients, on your pets’ health care needs, guiding you in making health care choices, and applying my knowledge and compassion every day so that you and your pet can enjoy quality time together for as long as possible.

  Link: SARAH NORTHROP, DVM

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  ASHLEY DEWEY, DVM

  Veterinarian

  Hi! My name is Ashley Dewey and I grew up with two brothers and a sister on a small ranch in Santa Clarita, CA. I have always had a deep, innate love for animals that has allowed me to enthusiastically spend hours observing and learning everything about them. Once I realized that every animal I interacted with ended up stealing a piece of my heart, I decided that a career advocating for animal health was the right profession for me. So instead of following in my family’s footsteps entering the movie industry, I embarked on a journey to become a veterinarian. I was very lucky to have found my passion at such a young age, because it allowed me to get a head start on my education. While I was in high school I also attended night classes at College of the Canyons, so by the age of 17, I had graduated from high school and obtained my associate degree in Biology, making me one of their youngest college graduates. I then attended California Polytechnic University, Pomona where I received by Bachelor’s degree in Animal Sciences. This is also where I met my husband, Noah. To be exact, we first met in physics class, but surprisingly, it wasn’t me who first attracted Noah’s attention away from the riveting physics lectures; it was my little poodle, “Zoey,” whom I would bring to class every day. To satisfy my desire to understand the prevention and control of diseases between animal and human populations, I obtained a Master’s degree in public health at the University of Southern Mississippi. In 2008, my dream to become a veterinarian turned into reality when I got accepted to Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona, CA. During my 4-year journey through veterinary school, I was the NAVC (North America Veterinary Community) representative, as well as the president of the Student Chapter of Christian Veterinary Missions. In 2012, I was elected to serve as a USA delegate at the International Symposium on Wildlife Utilization in South Africa, where I spent 4 weeks traveling throughout Africa working with various wildlife species, including elephants, giraffes, zebras, rhinos and large cats. I love working in a field that is continually evolving and I believe it’s important to stay up to date on current diagnostic and treatment modalities. Therefore, after graduating with my doctorate in veterinary medicine, I completed an extensive 1-year internship in internal medicine and surgery at Southern California Veterinary Specialty Hospital in Irvine, CA. During my internship training, my interest in ultrasonography, surgery and alternative medicine grew. I am not only certified in regenerative stem cell therapy, but I’m also certified in veterinary acupuncture. When I am not working, I enjoy hiking, traveling, dancing and spending time with my husband, our sons, Congo, Lachlan and Preston and our fur-kids: Dakota (Great Dane), Zoey (miniature poodle) and our two cats: Zack and Spot. My goal is to provide the highest level of care to all my patients, while emphasizing the tenets of compassion and client education. I look forward to getting to know you and your four-legged children.

  Link: ASHLEY DEWEY, DVM

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  JEN LASSLER, DVM

  Veterinarian

  Hi! My name is Jen Lassler. I was born in the Los Angeles area where I grew up with my mom, older brother, and 2 (very large and furry) mixed breed dogs. “Pumpkin” and “Barkey” were my best friends and, when I was 5, we took them to our veterinarian to get their vaccines. They were tough cookies, and didn’t cry at the doctor the way I did. I knew I wanted to help animals feel better and prevent them from getting sick. Mostly, I just wanted to be surrounded by dogs and cats! Every Career Day at school, ‘veterinarian’ stayed at the top of my list…followed by baker and private eye. In my sophomore year of high school, I was part of a biomedical science program, and I wanted my annual project to focus on veterinary medicine. I was given the opportunity to study the efficacy of a de-wormer on animals with tapeworms at my local animal hospital. During the project, I was offered an after-school job there as a kennel assistant. I worked there for the next 5 years, caring for animals that were boarding and helping with appointments. After high school, I obtained dual associate degrees at Pasadena City College. At my brother’s suggestion, I enrolled in Mt. San Antonio College’s veterinary technician program to get my tech license. During the program, I spent a very educational year training as a veterinary technician at VCA in Pasadena. I then moved on to a full-fledged tech position at Animal Specialty Group, obtained my RVT license, and worked there for 8 years in the ICU and oncology departments. During this time, I was accepted into Cal Poly Pomona, where I received my Bachelor’s degree in animal science. New and interesting cases fascinated me (and my inner detective) and I always wanted to keep learning, so I continued to work throughout college. I was accepted into the veterinary program at Western University of Health Sciences, where I spent 4 years studying hard and traveling to many hospitals in and out of California. During my time at Western, I married my husband, Sean, who had introduced me to the joys of cat ownership! After achieving my doctorate, I did a small animal internship at Southern California Veterinary Specialty Hospital where I was able to work with very critical cases and advance my skills. My husband and I added to our family with the birth of our son in 2019. We now live in Orange County with our two gray kitties, “Marbles” and “Gandalf.” There is never a dull moment with this bunch. I am pursuing general practice to be able to follow my patients from puppies to senior citizens, and help keep them healthy all their live-long days!

  Link: JEN LASSLER, DVM

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  LARA ASHBRAN, DVM

  Veterinarian

  Hi! My name is Lara Ashbran. I grew up in Redlands, California with my mother and brother. I also spent part of that time with my dad in Running Springs. There has never been a time in my life where I did not have at least one dog as a pet. When I was born, my family had two dogs: a Britney Spaniel and a Kuvasz, who were both so well behaved with me as a new baby. Having dogs around constantly during my childhood fostered my desire to work with animals as a career. Starting at 8 years old, I decided I wanted to become a veterinarian and never looked back. At the age of 16, I started my first job working at the local veterinary clinic as a kennel attendant and technician assistant. I chose to attend Colorado State University for my Bachelor’s degree because of the veterinary school. While at Colorado State, I worked in a FIV (Feline Immunodeficiency Virus) laboratory, whose research was focused on trying to develop a vaccine to the FIV virus. After obtaining my 4-year biology degree, I finished a Master’s in anatomy and biomedical sciences at Colorado State as well. Living in Colorado was pretty amazing and I took full advantage of enjoying the outdoors. I also adopted my first dog of my own: “Sahara,” a Boxer-Shar Pei-Pitbull mix. I absolutely viewed Sahara as her first child. After finishing my Master’s degree, I was accepted into the inaugural veterinary class at Western University of Health Sciences. This is where I met my husband, Kevin. We both shared a love of animals and soccer and started dating during the first year of school. Another highlight of my time in veterinary school was the month I spent at the San Diego Wild Animal Park as well as a month with the Navy working with their trained dolphins and sea lions. Following veterinary school, I completed a 1-year medical and surgical internship at Southern California Veterinary Specialty Hospital. Since finishing the internship, I have worked both in an emergency clinic and small animal general practices. What I enjoy most about my job is seeing the close connection between owner and pet. I now live in Mission Viejo with my husband and daughter, Dempsey, and three dogs: “Midge,” “Woolley,” and “Faru.” In my spare time, I enjoy anything outdoors, especially hiking, camping, fishing and watching soccer.

  Link: LARA ASHBRAN, DVM

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  MELISSA RELLINGER, DVM

  Veterinarian

  Hi! My name is Melissa Rellinger and I am so happy to be part of the Alicia Pet Care Center team where I can help your pets thrive! I have always loved animals and decided early on that caring for animals would be my lifelong commitment. I was very fortunate to grow up in both Southern California and the Philippines, as having lived in such distinctly different countries and cultures gave me a richness of experiences and a foundation of flexibility, openness, and wanderlust. My family is comprised of ardent animal lovers, so even though I grew up as an only child, I was always surrounded by dog “siblings.” Being around our pups helped cultivate feelings of compassion, empathy, and an urge to help them when they could not help themselves. I explored this notion of helping animals in high school when the career counselor organized an opportunity to shadow at a local veterinary clinic. My love for veterinary medicine was solidified after watching my first real life surgery – a canine neuter! With a clear goal of becoming a veterinarian in mind, I pursued my Bachelors degree in Animal Science at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. It was at Cal Poly that I met Graham, my sweet and supportive husband. I continued my veterinary training and completed my doctorate degree at the University of California, Davis. My primary interests within the veterinary field include Internal Medicine, Dermatology, Geriatric Care, Preventative Medicine, and Acupuncture. I have a lifelong learner mentality and I continually strive to learn about the latest advances in medicine. For this reason, I am a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association, the California Veterinary Medical Association, and the Southern California Veterinary Medical Association. Outside of veterinary medicine, I am an avid reader, adventurer, foodie, yoga buff, and wine/craft beer enthusiast. I satisfy my wanderlust by traveling to obscure parts of the world. I recently completed an around the world journey where Graham and I lived as nomads for a few months. While traveling, I used this time to help build homes for disadvantaged families in Romania with Habitat for Humanity. I am also a proud doggie mom to Archie (or Archibald Sinclair when he’s been naughty), who I adopted from an animal shelter while still in veterinary school. Over the past decade, I have had the pleasure of working with a multitude of pets, families, and rescues throughout Orange County. My favorite aspect of the veterinary profession is creating long-term relationships that allow me to watch my patients grow from little puppies and kittens all the way through to helping them transition gracefully into old age. I truly love what I do and consider my patients and their parents to be a part of my extended family. It is an honor to be trusted with your four-legged family member’s health and well-being. I look forward to meeting you and your pet to provide the highest quality of compassionate care.

  Link: MELISSA RELLINGER, DVM

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  ADAM BRONSTEIN, DVM

  Veterinarian

  Hi! My name is Adam Bronstein and I grew up in Bellevue, Washington with 2 brothers and a Dalmatian named “Max.” From a young age, I had a special connection to Max spending many days and nights playing with him and without realizing it at the time, learned first-hand the power of the human-animal bond. With both parents practicing as physicians growing up, I was constantly exposed to their passion for science and medicine. In high school, I focused my studies on the sciences including biology, chemistry, and physics while acting as captain of both the tennis and ultimate frisbee teams. Over the summer, I attended a high school in Asuncion, Paraguay through a foreign exchange program which exposed me to the Spanish language. After graduating from high school, I visited the Amazon rainforest in Ecuador and volunteered at a wildlife rehabilitation center which initially sparked my interest in veterinary medicine through working with a number of different primates including spider monkeys, squirrel monkeys, and wooly monkeys. I then attended Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington where I received my Bachelor’s degree in biology. At Whitman, my studies focused on physiology, evolutionary biology, and Spanish. During this time, I revisited the wildlife center working more closely with the staff veterinarian reinforcing my passion for helping animals and pursuit of veterinary medicine. In order to prepare for the veterinary school applications, I took one year off of school to work as a kennel assistant training up to be a veterinary assistant/receptionist by the time I left. During this time, I also took additional classes at the University of Washington in anatomy, microbiology, and biochemistry while in my free time playing for a semi-professional ultimate frisbee team in Seattle. My dream to become a veterinarian inched that much closer when I got accepted to the Western University of Health Sciences College of Veterinary Medicine in Pomona, CA. During my four years at veterinary school, I focused my studies on small animal medicine with an emphasis on emergency medicine, ultrasound, and shelter medicine. I gained additional experience through participating in spay/neuter days at local shelters and in Granada, Nicaragua, completing externships in zoo animal medicine at the Guadalajara Zoo in Mexico and small animal medicine at La Universidad de Quito in Ecuador. Furthermore, I collaborated with the Western University College of Pharmacy to develop and complete a research project on the feline version of HIV (Feline Immunodeficiency Virus). I believe it is of the utmost importance to stay updated on current diagnostic and treatment recommendations and options in the constantly changing world of veterinary medicine. Therefore, after graduating with a doctorate in veterinary medicine I chose to continue my education through completion of an intensive one- year internship in emergency medicine, internal medicine and surgery at Veterinary Specialty Hospital in San Marcos, CA. The wide range of cases during my internship reinforced my special interest in ultrasonography, dermatology, and emergency medicine. In my free time, I enjoy playing and coaching ultimate frisbee, tennis, golf, traveling, dancing and spending time with my orange tabby “Pablo” and ball python “Bernie.” I strive to practice the most up-to-date and evidence- based medicine, while focusing on compassion and providing medical information in an easy to digest format.

  Link: ADAM BRONSTEIN, DVM