Dr. Alonso Bayon

I am a 1997 graduate from the University of Baja California Institute of Veterinary Science. I have always had a strong interest in exotic animal medicine. During my years in academia, I completed various rotations in different zoological parks including the world famous San Diego Zoo, where I had the opportunity to complete a research project with the Galapagos tortoises.

I participated in another very fun and intense preceptorship with Dr. Douglas Mader (world-renowned expert in exotic animal medicine and surgery and author of the first and second editions of Reptile Medicine and Surgery) at Long Beach Animal Hospital. The caseload included a wide variety of internal medicine and emergency cases, as well as different exotic animal species.

After completing my clinical rotation at the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital in small animal emergency medicine and critical care, I knew my professional career would revolve around treating exotic pets and emergency medicine.

For the past 10 years, I have been involved in small and exotic animal practice. From stabilizing a fractured limb on a cockatiel to managing a case of endotoxemia on a rabbit or guinea pig, to an emergency endoscopic procedure on a python, I enjoy handling any emergency involving exotic pets including critical reptiles, avian, and small mammals.

At Orange County Emergency Pet Clinic, my focus is exclusively on emergency medicine and critical care on both small animals and exotic pets. Within emergency medicine, my strongest interests are managing shock, major traumatic soft tissue surgeries, intravascular hemolytic disorders, and any other type of intra-abdominal emergency surgery such as exploratory laparotomies, C- sections, and splenectomies. I also maintain a special interest in post-surgical critical management.

The ability to help families in times of need is another highly important aspect of emergency medicine. I am grateful for this opportunity. I always show deep compassion and respect when it comes to making extremely tough decisions regarding the health of critically ill pets.

Outside of my profession, my favorite pastime is spending time with my family. We have four children ranging in age from 2 to 7. We also own five tortoises, two cats, and a dog. I also enjoy mountain biking and one of my favorite hobbies is carpentry.

Dr. Jack Beshai

I was born in Cairo, Egypt, on July 26, 1980, and lived there with my family for 25 years. While there, I earned my BVSc from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Cairo University, in 2004.

I moved to California in 2006 and made my home in La Habra, where I started to focus on becoming a licensed veterinarian in this state. I began working for OCEPC in 2007 as a veterinary assistant. In this role, I gained a great deal of experience as well as valuable knowledge in veterinary emergency medicine.

Over the past few years, I have spent most of my time studying for my veterinary board exams. I passed my North American Veterinary licensing exam in 2008 and completed the requirements of the ECFVG certificate in 2009.

I have had the great opportunity of working with the doctors at OCEPC, who are all wonderful mentors. I have also learned a lot from my uncle who is a veterinarian and has his own practice in LA County. I have always had an interest in emergency medicine and critical care.

When not working, I spend time with my wife, Silvia, and our daughter, Chloe. We enjoy the outdoors, riding bikes along the coast, and traveling together.

Dr. Emily French

I was born and raised in a small town in East Tennessee with one human brother and two golden retriever siblings. Most of my childhood was spent playing “veterinarian”; there was never a question as to what I wanted to do when I grew up. I followed that goal through high school and into college, and I graduated from the University of Tennessee with a degree in microbiology.

During my years in Tennessee, I enjoyed many animal-related experiences. I worked for a research organization that tracked snake activity, caught/banded/released birds, monitored turtle and frog populations, surveyed spider activity during regrowth after a forest fire, and researched salamander activity. The results of those studies were turned over to state-level organizations to be used in the development of wildlife management programs. I also worked for the humane society as well as the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine’s emergency service. It was at this time when I fell in love with emergency medicine.

In 2006, I packed up all that I owned and moved to Southern California to attend Veterinary School at Western University of Health Sciences. After the culture shock subsided, I found that I loved Southern California and decided to make a home here.

After graduation, I spent some time in a day practice, and then decided to follow my true calling in emergency medicine; thus, I am now a very happy doctor at Orange County Emergency Pet Clinics. My professional interests include emergency and critical care, medical imaging, soft-tissue surgery, and client care. It is my goal to ensure that all of your questions are answered and all of your concerns are addressed before you leave our clinic.

When I’m not attending to the sick or injured, I enjoy spending time with my partner, James, and our four kitties – Phoenix, India, Memphis, and Bishop. I also enjoy spending time outdoors, especially when that time includes snowboarding, riding my bike, playing in the surf, and traveling to new places.

Dr. Kris Painter

I am a well-traveled soul who has ventured from one coast to another in order to find the perfect job I have always dreamed of doing: being an emergency Veterinarian here at OCEPC. I am a Florida native. I grew up in Palm Beach and Cape Canaveral, where I divided most of my time between boat and beach. This afforded me the opportunity to cultivate an interest in a great-many aquatic species, from bull sharks to snowy egrets. While I loved discovering new species of every kind, my first unofficial patient, “Sam”, a haggard, neglected dog in my neighborhood, stole my heart and directed my path toward small animal Veterinary Medicine.

A family move allowed me to spend the better part of my adolescence exploring the mountains of western North Carolina. The terrain changed a bit, but I still found rivers with fish in them, enjoyed hiking along the Appalachian Trail and spent many weekends canoeing across scenic mountain lakes. I started working fulltime in Veterinary Clinics and with animal rescue organizations in my early teens.

I left North Carolina looking for “home” and landed in Denver, CO. While there, I began preparing for my life’s-work in Veterinary Medicine by obtaining a degree in Psychology in order to learn how to best support clients through the stressful, uncertain times associated with seeking emergency care for their beloved pet. I attended Metropolitan State College of Denver in order to gain admittance into the Veterinary Medicine program at Western University of Health Sciences here in Pomona, CA.

My professional interests include emergency and critical care, ophthalmology and feline medicine. One of my most ardent areas of focus in practice, is making sure all of our patients, including the often misunderstood kitties of the world, experience as little stress as possible while present in our clinic. Pets should feel safe and loved at all times, especially when going through a crisis!

I am excited to have joined the staff at Orange County Emergency Pet Clinic and hope I can be of assistance to you and your pet should an emergency arise.

Dr. David Weber

I was born in 1972 in Los Angeles and moved to Davis in 1993, where I attended the University of California for a double major in microbiology and animal science. During my time as an undergraduate, I worked as a technician in the UC Davis Veterinary Medial Teaching Hospital’s Intensive Care Unit and Emergency Services, a position I held for the next 7 years. After graduation and in conjunction with my position in the ICU, I accepted a position as manager of the UC Davis Feline Retroviral Research Laboratory. Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) was first studied at this facility, and I had the opportunity to oversee the care and management of the cutting-edge vaccine research performed at Davis to benefit our feline friends.

In 2000, I was accepted to the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. I received my DVM 4 years later. During my time in vet school, and while still working at the ICU, I pursued multiple personal research projects in the area of feline vector-borne disease, primarily funded by the National Institutes of Health. My main focus was determining the route of transmission of cat scratch disease via fleas between cats, dogs, and, potentially, humans.

After graduation, I completed an internship at the Veterinary Medical and Surgical Group in Ventura, California. While there, I fine-tuned my skills as a surgeon and diagnostician before coming to Orange County to perform veterinary relief work at multiple practices. In March 2005, I worked my first shift at the Orange County Emergency Pet Clinic, and I have been here ever since.

When I am not attending to sick and injured pets, I spend time with my wife, Lindsay, and our young children, Savannah, Kaitlyn and Jackson. We enjoy outdoor sports including camping, fishing, water skiing, and dirt bike riding. When not outdoors, my family spends time at home with our six cats, Zuko, Jonsey, Cookie, Bandit, Biscuit, and Jenkum, and our four dogs, Ajia, Layla, Sheena, and “The Moose”.