Our Four-Legged Friends and More is Back — and Better Than Ever! Noozhawk is thrilled to bring back this beloved special section, dedicated to celebrating the pets — and the people who love them. Whether they bark, purr, chirp, or slither, our furry, feathered, and scaly companions deserve the very best — and we’re here to showcase exactly that.
This fun and heartwarming edition spotlights the amazing local businesses, organizations, and experts committed to pet wellness across Santa Barbara County. From grooming and veterinary care to training, boarding, and pet-friendly services, this guide is your go-to resource for all things animal care.
In this issue, Noozhawk interviewed Dr. Hilary Quinn, owner at Wilder Animal Hospital, to learn more about their services — and how they’re making tails wag and people happy all year long.
Wilder Animal Hospital
Question: What is the name of your business or practice?
Answer: Wilder Animal Hospital.
Q: What is the mission behind your business?
A: Our mission is to become your ally in advocating for your pet’s healthcare needs. We realize that veterinary medicine requires a trusting partnership between you, your pet, and our healthcare team.
We work hard each and every time you walk into our clinic in order to provide the smoothest, least stressful, and most loving experience.
We also strive to provide excellent communication and follow-up after your visit to ensure that all of your concerns have been addressed.
Q: What types of animals does your business cater to?
A: We see primarily dogs and cats. Depending on staffing, we can sometimes see birds/ exotics/pocket pets/small mammals but please call ahead to ask.
Q: Can you describe the services or products your business offers?
A: We are a full-service veterinary hospital offering the following:
- Wellness exams, vaccinations (shots), yearly screening labwork, flea/tick/heartworm testing and preventative medications.
- Sick pet appointments, including ear and skin infections, limping or trouble walking, tummy troubles (vomiting, diarrhea, or appetite changes), cardiac and respiratory issues, seizures and neurological disorders, lethargy, kidney and urinary disease, and many more.
- Dental care including full dental x-rays, routine cleanings under anesthesia, removal of broken or infected teeth, and oral mass removals.
- Surgery including spay, neuter, mass (lump and bump) removals, stomach tacking to prevent bloat, foreign body (obstruction) removal, and many more.
- Acupuncture, and integrating traditional Chinese medicine into a Western approach.
- Palliative care for cancer patients.
- Same day and urgent care appointments.
- Emergency care (true life-threatening emergencies such as vehicular or animal attach trauma, respiratory distress, shock).
- Day hospitalization, including IV fluids, antibiotic and supportive care, oxygen administration, and help with referral to 24-hour care facility if needed.
- End of life care, including quality of life decision making and humane euthanasia, and arrangements for cremation.
Q: How long have you been in this industry?
A: Between all the 5 doctors at our practice , we have a combined 77 years of DVM practice under our belts! And many more if you count the years of work as technicians and then schooling before our doctorates.
Q: What makes your business or practice unique?
A: We are privately owned, and are very much a small business rooted in the Santa Barbara community.
We know that each animal that walks through our doors has a unique set of needs, both medically and behaviorally.
Our treatment plans are always customized to your beloved furry family member’s specific condition, and that no corporate supervisor could possibly understand what these needs might be. We will always discuss multiple care options as well as provide estimates for each treatment option presented to you.
We know that, in Santa Barbara, our patients might come in with tar on their fur and sand between their little toesies. We can talk about rattlesnake bites, or avoiding foxtails, or the dietary needs of an indoor-only cat whose primary vocation is sleeping and birdwatching. Whatever your lifestyle – and your pet’s lifestyle – we get it!
Q: What training, education and experience do you and your staff have? Do you hold any professional certifications?
A: All 5 of our doctors graduated vet school and completed post-doc training before entering general practice. The DVMs are experienced in emergency, surgery, dermatology, internal medicine, neurology and hospice practices, and acupuncture.
We have multiple RVTs (registered veterinary technicians) as well as RVT-eligible assistants who have completed extensive schooling and are just waiting to take their board exams.
We have a very-low (nearly nonexistent) turnover within our staff so you know you’ll always have many familiar faces when you come visit us.
Q: What is your level of expertise regarding pet health and behavior?
A: As mentioned above, we have a combined 77 years of DVM experience under our belts. Our DVM (Doctor of Veterinary Medicine) training – 4 years of veterinary school after completion of an undergraduate degree – comprised not only medicine training but also behavioral medicine.
We regularly see dogs (and cats) who may need specialized help with unwanted behavioral problems, including fearfulness, anxiety, aggression to strangers, separation anxiety, fighting between housemate dogs or cats, and inappropriate urination, defecation, or destroying the furniture.
If your pet is having any sort of behavioral issue, you are welcome to schedule an exam to discuss this. We also work closely with many caring and effective trainers in town, as well as sometimes refer to board-certified veterinary behaviorists.
Q: What do you do if a pet is aggressive towards you, your staff, or other animals?
A: Many animals, both dogs and cats, are understandably anxious when they come to the vet. Most of us can relate to this, having likely experienced a little “white-coat syndrome” ourselves.
At Wilder, we understand and appreciate that dogs and cats don’t feel their best when they are here. We want to alleviate as much stress as possible when they arrive – from a calm, friendly lobby with treats aplenty, to quiet exam rooms with more treats and plenty of room to roam and explore.
Our goal is to alleviate the stress of physical exams, treatments (like bloodwork, vaccines, or x-rays) by taking a positive, fear-free approach including lots of treats, lick mats, churus, easy cheez — and baby talk, of course!
If this doesn’t have your pet convinced, we may also recommend pre-visit medications to further reduce stress in the clinic setting. We will never manhandle or strong-arm your pet into anything; nor would you want us to.
If an animal needs pre-visit medications, this may mean going home and rebooking for another day when we can have a fresh start, with those medications given ahead of time to give them time to take effect.
Q: What advice would you give to a new pet owner?
A: Step one is seeing your vet for a new-pet visit, and discussing general care such as vaccines, feeding, spaying or neutering, and all the other usual suspects.
But there are other considerations for a new pet. The Covid-era of working from home, with new pets having limited socialization with strangers –and never being left alone — has led to much higher levels of fearfulness and debilitating attachment to owners.
Now that life has returned to normal, we are encouraging as much socialization as possible, with the caveat of course being vaccination status. If you have a new puppy, take the time to have pup meet as many new people and puppy-safe/vaccinated dogs as possible.
Introduce your pup to as many new sights, sounds, and experiences as you can. If your puppy is not fully vaccinated, talk to your vet about safe places to get these types of exposure.
In addition, leave your dog at home (we recommend a crate or safe play-pen) right from the beginning, for short stints. They need to be comfortable with being alone and the fact that you won’t always be there – even if that just means going out to dinner or a movie.
For kittens, we recommend socialization and gentle play as well, though within the confines of your home. Since you are likely having more friend and family over than you might have in 2021 or 2022, getting even cats used to the hustle and bustle of a lively home can be very helpful.
We also recommend looking into pet insurance (there are numerous comparison websites). Since Covid, prices have increased across all markets – we know we don’t need to tell you this! Unfortunately, the cost of veterinary care is no exception.
As business owners, we experience the same cost increases as anyone, and unfortunately some of those affect supply chains, cost of goods, etc.
If you don’t have insurance, rest assured that we will always go over many treatment options with you, so that you are never in a stressful financial position. But many pet emergencies are unplanned, and the cost of fixing a broken leg or hospitalizing for GI distress can add up.
Q: Are you currently accepting new clients?
A: Yes, and we would love to meet you!
Q: What kinds of challenges have you faced within the pet care industry? How did you or your team manage them?
A: The biggest challenge we face is the burden of affording veterinary care. As mentioned above, costs for all aspects of veterinary care have increased across the profession. But our desire to help you has not changed.
We don’t want anyone to EVER be in a position where they aren’t able to make the decision they want to make regarding their precious pet’s care. For this reason, check out multiple insurance companies and see if there is a policy that you feel fits your needs.
- We encourage owners to consider pet insurance, or make a rainy-day fund for those unplanned events.
- We will always provide estimates so that you know exactly what costs with our clinic will be, and we will discuss alternative options for care if the “gold-standard” approach is cost-prohibitive.
- We also work with Care Credit, which is a credit line that you can use for veterinary and other medical needs.
Q: How do you help make your client feel at ease leaving their pet in your care?
A: We understand the stress of leaving your baby here for whatever reason – whether it’s surgery, dentistry, or hospitalization of any kind. But we hope you will rest assured that they are always given a cozy, comfy bed right in our treatment area where we can keep a close eye on them.
If needed, we also have a quiet room away from our busier treatment area — sometimes they need a little space and maybe even lower lights, with hidey-boxes for cats, or a quiet run for the dogs who don’t want to see or be near other dogs.
We also unabashedly love on your pets – from extra snuggles, photo-ops, and belly rubs… when desired, of course!
Q: How do you keep the public informed about your business or service(s)?
A: We keep our hours and services updated on our website, google, and socials. We also have the ability to email or text you with labwork results and other important details, when this form of communication is desired.
We also have a new online-booking service that gives you access to appointment scheduling, retrieving your pets records, and getting in touch with us via text.
Q: What are your hours of operation?
A: We are open Monday – Friday, from 8am until 7pm.
Q: What is one fun fact about your business?
A: Fun fact – Wilder is named after Dr. Quinn’s dog named Wilder, an Australian Shepherd who was born in 2003, deep in the snow on a ranch in Montana, and died a spoiled, sugar-faced old boy in Palos Verdes in 2015.
He was an often-mischievous but also downright silly dog. He was known for his crafty theft of all food left on the counters. He really didn’t love strangers but ADORED anyone who took the time to get to know him. He was a big swimmer, a big tennis-ball finder, and an even bigger lover of his human family.
We couldn’t have asked for a better dog to learn from. His picture is above our scale in our lobby (alongside his doggy sister named Haida) – check it out next time you visit us.
Click here to learn more about Wilder Animal Hospital!