Healthy Pet Hospital & Grooming
How much does Susan Aranda love animals? Here’s a clue. When she married her husband, Larry, last year at the Woman’s Club of Orange, her two Chihuahuas played a prominent role. Chico was a ring-bearer and Chica a flower girl. Both were dressed to the nines, with Chico looking especially dapper in his tuxedo jacket.
Aranda works at a perfect place for an animal lover: Pet Hospital in Orange. The facility’s 43-person staff, which includes four veterinarians, wins praise for its expert and compassionate care. Accredited by the American Animal Hospital Association, the facility provides veterinary care, surgical treatment, grooming (blueberry facials for dogs!), boarding, microchipping and other services. Besides dogs and cats, its vets have treated birds, hamsters, guinea pigs, rabbits, iguanas and exotic rats.
Orange resident Exene Cervenka—the punk-rock legend with the band X—has been bringing her dogs to Pet Hospital for the past seven years.
“I’ve brought them in for grooming, intensive teeth cleaning, chiropractic services and blood tests,” she says. “I’ve also boarded them there. I think I’ve done everything you can do there. They’re super dedicated to animals. And they’re part of the community.”
Indeed, Pet Hospital’s community involvement in Orange runs deep. It sponsors the pet-sitting booth at the Orange Home Grown Farmers & Artisans Market, partners with dog-rescue organizations and holds numerous public-education programs. Pet Hospital also offers hands-on tours of its facility to groups like the Girl Scouts.
“That’s our main focus—education,” says Aranda, the business’s media and public relations specialist.
Veterinarian Dr. William Wiatt and Aranda have both been at Pet Hospital since Wiatt purchased the facility 24 years ago. Its current space, which Wiatt designed himself, opened in 2002. The website (www.healthypethospital.com) provides a wealth of information, from announcements on upcoming events to tips about pet care. Wiatt and Aranda pen articles on the hospital’s blog on topics ranging from pet vaccinations to how to protect your animals from coyotes.
Wiatt has been a vet for more than 30 years. What’s most rewarding about the work, he says, “is helping pets that are feeling miserable feel great and happy again!”
Pet Hospital also hosts annual Halloween events for pets and their owners. This year’s “Halloween Petacular” takes place October 21 at the Orange Home Grown Farmers & Artisans Market. The fun includes a pet parade and a costume contest for animals and kids. As Cervenka says, “Pet Hospital has the best pet parties.”
Healthy Pet Hospital & Grooming
3411 East Chapman Ave., Orange CA 92866 / 714-771-3261
