Brian Adler
Veterinarian/Owner
BVSc
Hi, my name is Dr. Brian Adler, and I am the owner and a veterinarian at LA Quality Pet Care Vet Clinic. Helping both the animals and the people who bring them in is a real joy, especially when something complicated can be made a little easier to understand.
Personal Hobbies and Interests
Thank God, I have been blessed with a beautiful family. My wife and I have four children who bring us a tremendous amount of joy, plenty of singing and dancing, a fair amount of screaming, very full days, and more sleepless nights than I can count. Life at home is always busy and rarely quiet, but we would not have it any other way, and spending time with my wife and children is what I enjoy most outside of work.
Favorite Part of My Job
The thinking involved is my favorite part of the job. When a patient comes in with a problem, working through the different possibilities, understanding what may be causing the symptoms, and deciding what to do next is something I truly enjoy. Just as important is explaining that thought process in a way that makes sense, whether it is why certain tests are recommended, what the results mean, or why one treatment may be better than another, so owners understand what is happening with their pet.
Why I Chose This Profession
The truth is, veterinary medicine chose me more than I chose it. During my undergraduate years in Toronto, a job was a must, and a veterinary clinic passed regularly on the way to college seemed like a good place to look for work. Meeting Dr. Foster there sparked my curiosity, and starting as a kennel attendant offered a firsthand look behind the scenes, from routine visits to terribly sad cases, the constant hustle and bustle of the treatment area, and even a first veterinary consultation with a very unruly puppy. Before long, a search for "What do I need to do to become a veterinarian?" was on my screen, and that was really how it all started.
Education
My undergraduate studies began at the University of Toronto from 2005 to 2007, followed by a transfer to the University of Guelph, where I earned a Bachelor of Science with a major in biology in 2009. Veterinary school then took me to Massey University School of Veterinary Science in New Zealand, and my Bachelor of Veterinary Science was completed there in 2014.
Professional Background
Much of my knowledge today comes from seeing such a wide variety of cases, working through difficult medical problems, and making many calls to internal medicine specialists for advice along the way. Much of my first year in practice was spent learning to confidently feel a cat's bladder during a physical exam; now, changes in the liver, enlarged lymph nodes, thickened intestines, and other abnormalities are often things I can feel. Because the same illness can present in so many different ways among different dogs and cats, staying systematic and not jumping to conclusions remains important, even with experience.
Soft tissue surgery is a particular interest, especially complicated procedures such as skin advancement flaps, grafts, and difficult mass removals that call for planning and creativity. The surgery itself is often the easier part, though. Making sure the patient is comfortable afterward and heals properly is the real challenge, and finding ways to improve healing and reduce discomfort has sometimes led to less conventional, more creative approaches to recovery. Dentistry is another area I have grown to really enjoy. Many pets live with painful dental disease without showing obvious signs, and seeing how much better they feel after a dental procedure is very fulfilling.
Work History
My career began in Palmdale, CA, as an associate veterinarian at Mission Animal Hospital from 2016 to 2019, a very busy hospital serving a lower-income community. Those three years brought just about every type of medical case and a very wide range of soft tissue surgeries, and much of my early development is owed to Dr. Johnson and Dr. Park, who guided me through my first parvo cases, cesarean sections, and many other challenges. After getting married, my wife and I wanted to be closer to home in Los Angeles, which led to Affordable Animal Hospital Eagle Rock, where I was the sole veterinarian from 2019 to 2023. When COVID hit, the clinic was overwhelmed with animals needing care, like so many others, and there was a tremendous amount of work to be done to help as many patients as possible.