03/06/2019
SANTA CLARA VALLEY VETERINARY CLINIC
Dear Clients,
It is with a heavy heart and much inward thought that I have reached the conclusion that it is time, after thirty-three years, to retire or at least take a significant break from the practice of veterinary medicine. As many of you know, we lost our house and all our possessions in the Thomas fire, but fortunately my wife and I and our pets all came through safely. Not long after the fire, one week to be exact, I had a life-threatening auto accident when the drive train on the car I was driving failed at freeway speeds and flipped me off the roadway and down an embankment. I took out a light pole with the door on the driver’s side and, fortunately, ended up in the branches right between two massive tree trunks. Missing the trunks and the excellent safety engineering by Cal Trans and BMW allowed me to walk away with a few minor bruises from an accident that would have otherwise not ended well at all. These two major factors plus others over the past year made me realize I needed some time to heal and devote to rebuilding our house.
This has been a difficult decision and not arrived at lightly. I have known many of you for the entire thirty-three years of my practice career and have been through so many beloved pets, not to mention generations of children growing up, many whose children now have pets of their own who are clients of Santa Clara Valley Veterinary Clinic. This is what I will miss most, the daily interactions with you and your pets, and providing the best veterinary care I could deliver. It is for this reason that as I retire, I have chosen to fold my practice into East Ventura Animal Hospital. As many know, my wife, J. Elaine Fowell, DVM, is the managing veterinarian there and has been with the practice since 1986. We graduated together from the University of California, Davis School of Veterinary Medicine that year and have been providing care to Ventura county pets in our respective practices ever since. We married in 1985, attended continuing education lectures and seminars together, and discussed cases around the dinner table, often to the consternation of the seven foreign exchange students we have hosted. I believe this means the quality and style of care will be quite similar (not to mention the close proximity of less than a mile.) For these reasons, I feel that folding my practice into East Ventura Animal hospital will provide the best and most consistent veterinary care possible. I know Dr. Fowell and her staff will provide the care and compassion I have always striven to provide. Not only will all the patient files be available at East Ventura Animal Hospital, but so will most, if not all of my staff. I want this to be as seamless a transition as possible. I feel that having the familiar faces you have become accustomed to will make this a positive transition for all.
I sincerely appreciate all the years of support from all of my clients and patients, even the snappy ones. I never took the occasional snap personally and always appreciated the wet tongues and cold noses that greeted me when entering the exam room. I will truly miss these interactions, chatting, catching up on kids or travel. That is what has made these years so rewarding and so difficult to leave.
Thank YOU one and all.
Sincerely, and with the greatest love and respect, Dr. Payne
Hello Santa Clara Valley Veterinary Clinic Clients,
My name is Dr. J. Elaine Fowell, the managing veterinarian at East Ventura Animal Hospital and Dr. Payne’s wife. East Ventura Animal Hospital is thrilled to be able to offer you continuing veterinary medicine for your beloved pets. We strive to offer our patients the best veterinary care possible, while always listening to all questions and concerns. I trust that you will find the same quality care and compassion at East Ventura that you have come to expect from Dr. Payne. Over the last 33 years Dr. Payne and I have discussed our cases and given each other input for the benefit of our beloved patients.
East Ventura Animal Hospital is open Monday through Saturday with 3 full-time veterinarians: myself (J. Elaine
Fowell, MDVM), Amy Pelayo, DVM, and Sonia Lopez, DVM. We are also fortunate in having Nancy Bohman, DVM, who is certified in Veterinary Acupuncture and familiar with Chinese Herbal Therapy for those of you interested in Alternative Medicine. Beginning in May our practice will be welcoming Ivy Thomas, DVM who has extensive experience in treating birds, reptiles and other assorted exotic pets. Our clinic currently treats dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, rats, hamsters, mice and, starting in May, birds, reptiles, and exotic pets.
On behalf of the entire staff at East Ventura Animal Hospital I am pleased to invite you to join our clinic and allow us to care for your fur-babies with the same level of care and compassion that Dr. Payne provided. I look forward to working with you, the clients of Santa Clara Valley Veterinary Clinic, and their staff.
Sincerely,
J. Elaine Fowell, DVM
10225 Telephone Road | Ventura, CA 93004 | Phone 805.647.8430
HOURS OF OPERATION: Mon. - Fri. 9:00 am - 6:00 pm | Sat. 8:00 am - 12:00 pm | Sundays Closed www.eastventuraanimalhospital.com (online appointments are available)
