Only 24/7 emergency facility for South County residents to take pets
Published in the April 27 – May 10, 2016 issue of Morgan Hill Life
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By Robert Airoldi
Photo by Marty Cheek
From left: Dr. Michael Moore (medical director), Dr. Gisell Fiat (intern), Tracy Intravia (receptionist), Brianne England (veterinary technician) Annastasia Bradford (veterinary assistant) and Dr. Ravi Dhaliwal (chief of staff) comprise Silicon Valley Veterinarian Specialists.
Both Dr. Ravi Dhaliwal and Dr. Michael Moore grew up with and loved animals. Dhaliwal’s grandfather was a small farmer in India with lots of animals and Moore’s family had many pets and he worked at a veterinarian’s office at the youthful age. It was quite natural their passion would lead them to become veterinarians.
“I was good in math and was going to be the next Slum Dog millionaire,” said Dhaliwal, the 51-year-old married father of 10-year-old twin girls. “But my grandfather wanted me to become a veterinarian.”
“I worked at veterinary office at the age 13 and had a really good role model,” said Moore, the 62-year-old married father of six. “I aspired to be like him.”
After working for others and themselves in different practices, the two men decided to become partners and open Silicon Valley Veterinarian Specialists, a 24/7-emergency facility with veterinarians trained and equipped to handle any urgent case. They take on cases other veterinarians aren’t equipped to handle or during hours when other veterinarians are closed.
While they don’t consider themselves “different” than other vets, there is a difference in the service they provide people’s pet friends, Dhaliwal said.
“Where we might be different is we are an extension to your vet,” he said. “We offer services when they are closed or if it’s something not routinely available in a general practice situation. We bring different talent and specialties with different technology.”
The vets with Lulu.
Photo by Marty Cheek
That technology includes an MRI machine — the closest other such scanning machine is in Santa Barbara, he added.
After completing the requirements for a DVM program at Iowa State University, Dhaliwal completed a small animal medicine and surgery internship at All Care Animal Referral Center in Southern California. He then joined the University of Illinois for a residency in small animal clinical oncology. He later obtained board certification with American Board of Veterinary Practitioners in canine and feline species.
Dr. Moore obtained his DVM degree from Oklahoma State University. After completing his post DVM education, he was on faculty at Washington State University, College of Veterinary Medicine Department of Clinical Sciences. He later took a job in private practice at All Care Animal Referral Center in Fountain Valley, California, and later became a partner.
The two veterinarians met in Southern California and became friends. Even though Dhaliwal lived in San Jose, the two remained close.
“Over the years we developed a good relationship and probably about seven or eight years ago we thought, ‘Why don’t we think about opening a practice,'” Moore said. In 2013, Moore relocated to Morgan Hill and the two opened the business.
One reason they did so was to be near the South County market because it lacked any similar veterinary office.
“This area has never been well served by the emergency services for animals,” Dhaliwal said. “That’s why we wanted to start a practice here. We were able to start this practice and we are blessed and well adopted by the community.”
