Dr. Ash Hakhamian, DVM

One of the most amazing dogs I have ever met. He had over 99% of his chest riddled with cancer. He had tumors inside of his neck and liver and spleen. The most agonizing of pain and yet, he was so kind and loving. He showed us love. He understood we were here to help him. I'm so sorry, Lennox. Though you are gone....you will never be forgotten.

Toni is recovering well after her amputation yesterday. I woke up worried about her so i came over to the clinic to see how she was doing. She's enjoying some more fluids, pain meds and an early morning meal before the nurses come to work. I must be crazy to wake up at 4am to come hang with the dogs, but i guess this is just part of the job when you want to be a vet. #GoToni #UVCVET #4AM #HardWork #SheIsWorthIt

When I started University Veterinary Center, I focused on 4 key aspects of my career goals as a veterinarian. 1) Help Animals - Provide state of the art medical and surgical services to pets. Let their owners know how much we care. 2) Help Rescue Groups - Provide high quality care to the animals they save, provide them with photos to help them with their outreach efforts and give them support to fulfill their commitment to saving animals from the streets and out of local an...imal shelters. 3) Public Education - Post photos and stories about sick patients and share their stories so our followers and animal lovers can learn from their misfortunate and be educated on how to seek treatment and care if their personal pets were to be afflicted with a similar situation or disease. 4) Teach The Next Generation - Make an imprint of what I have learned in all my years in the emergency room, specialty hospitals and general veterinary practices. Pass that information down to the next group of veterinary assistants, technicians, nurses and doctors. Help make the world a better place by teaching others what I was taught and have learned through my own clinical experience. Yesterday, I had the distinct pleasure of speaking to over 150 amazing students and faculty at Stanbridge College's highly rated veterinary technician program. I am blessed to sit on the advisory board for the program and have been working diligently with them to make their already highly rated program even better. All of this work is pro bono (of course) and it has been an eye opening experience to work with the college. Let me tell you: I have been fortunate to be part of teaching programs in the past, but none have ever provided the level of excellence and commitment to their students as this college has. Going over difficult cases and speaking to the next generation of veterinary professionals has provided me with a sense of fulfillment that few veterinarians will ever get to experience. So, a big THANK YOU to the students and faculty who made it out to my lecture and a big THANK YOU to all the rescue groups whose difficult cases and stories made 'bad experiences' an educational and inspirational one for students of the next generation. On the slideshow screen you can see a skull x-ray of a patient named "Cubby". This is a patient that was recently transferred to us from the emergency room and treated at UVC. Cubby's story is a sad one and I hope you will support the K9 Spirit Organization in their efforts to give this kiddo a new outlook on life. Her story is up on the hospital's Facebook page. Please head over there for an update on this adorable and very lucky dog.

I broke one of the cardinal rules in veterinary medicine today. I broke down and cried during a euthanasia. I had been searching for a clinic to call my own for nearly 5 years. I traveled from state to state getting more training and had been patiently waiting for my opportunity to run a hospital the way I felt it should be run. Being that I treat many different diseases and do a lot of surgery, I have been blessed with the opportunity to perform life changing treatments and... surgeries for many families. As such, I am blessed to have clients that follow me from clinic to clinic - no matter the distance. I have clients that drive more than 75 miles to see me and some as far as Texas. That blessing is also proving to be a source of much sorrow. Here is why. Sophie has been a patient of mine for years and years. I did cancer surgery on her several years ago and freed her of a devastating and aggressive type of cancer that happens in Boxers. In the process of doing so, I became friends with Sophie's parents who are up there in age and want nothing more in life than to keep Sophie happy. Several months ago they traveled many miles to bring Sophie to me and I diagnosed her with nothing less than a dealbreaker. We kept her on meds and as happy as could be, but today was her last day....and it sucked. As I pushed the final injection to help Sophie pass....I was told that my client was diagnosed with cancer and would not be getting any more dogs. At that moment, realized I was not only losing a beloved patient but a client whom I had equally become attached to. I love my clients just as I love my patients and that news was not something I was prepared to swallow. As I listened to her chest, I heard her last heartbeat and the tears were falling upon her skin - just like she were my own. I never realized how emotionally attached I was to Sophie...and her parents...and how much I would miss her...and them, when she was gone. The truth of the matter is that it is incredibly difficult to hold it together when any animal is put to sleep. As veterinarians we try to be the pillar of strength and comfort our clients need when their animals are put to sleep....but sometimes, all those emotions and feelings become too strong and take over. I have shed many tears over my patients in the last few months and I remember each and every one of them and the families they left behind. My G-D watch over them all...and the families they left behind. Today was a heart wrenching reminder that I still do care....I'm still passionate about helping people...and how emotionally tied I remain to my patients. I broke a cardinal rule of crying during a euthanasia today, but Sophie was well worth the tears. R.I.P Sophie - Please know you are already missed.

Sebastian and I are BFF's. He totally made my day!

When in doubt, get a second opinion. Sophie's parents drove to us from Thousand Oaks, California which is more than 2 hours away with traffic. Sophie was a patient of mine several years ago and I had done cancer surgery for her at that time. Years later, she started becoming paralyzed in her back legs and I put her on a cocktail of meds, which included Prednisone. Clients sent me this message this morning saying thank you. Their message totally made my day!

Admitting defeat is half a step in the right direction. Before anyone knew about Journey...his gun shot wounds, his story on the news or about his past - Steven and I were there. Steven is a human prosthetics expert (he makes all the synthetic legs they have at the children's hospital!).... and he and I are like two boys in their man cave when he visits me at the hospital. We make handicapped animals better by making them custom prosthetic legs and because it's a hobby for u...Continue reading

"TODAY IS THE FIRST DAY OF THE REST OF MY LIFE" - Journey (the homeless dog who's leg was shot off with a shotgun)

One person CAN change the world. It takes dedication, motivation, and inspiration. When a woman named Sonia Ruiz Alvarez saw a dog by the side of the road - she stopped to make a difference. Knowing she couldn't do it alone, she reached out to a woman named Faith Easdale. Faith rescues homeless street dogs and helps them get vetted and rehomed so that they may live a better life with whatever time they have left in this world. She does this work outside of her 9-5 job. She d...Continue reading

Update on "Journey" - the homeless dog whose leg was shot off by a shotgun.

His story will be told. "Journey" will be his name.

I have treated so many abused and neglected dogs over the years that I honestly have lost count. It is incredibly sad to see what people will do to animals and the one I'm dealing with now is one of the worst I've ever seen. I'm utterly disgusted that a fellow human being could do this to a dog and the torture this dog endured is unbearable, disgusting and heartbreaking. Many of you already know about this dog and countless members of the rescue community have called, e-mail...ed and written letters of support. For that I am eternally grateful. I will release more information about this dog once I have wrapped my head around his neglect, case, and care. I'm not a very religious person, but this time I'm personally asking you for your prayers. This dog has a long road ahead of him and the years and years of neglect, abuse and torture will not be fixed overnight. Your support, financial and emotional, is much appreciated. More info to follow. Edit: Desktop/Laptop Link: http://www.uvcvet.com/donate.html Mobile Phone Link: http://bit.ly/29GhN8U