Animal Emergency of South Orange County

07/27/2026

👀 Have you seen a new face around the hospital?

Help us give a warm Animal Emergency of South Orange County welcome to our newest Emergency Veterinarian, Dr. Madeline Friedrich! 🎉🐾

With Dr. Friedrich joining the team, we're excited to now have 6 Emergency Veterinarians dedicated to caring for your pets when they need us most. ❤️

Born in Switzerland and raised in San Diego, Dr. Friedrich earned her veterinary degree after studying Animal Science at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. She then completed a Small Animal Rotating Internship at VCA California Veterinary Specialists in Carlsbad, where she received advanced training in emergency and specialty medicine.

Dr. Friedrich loves the fast pace of emergency medicine and is passionate about helping pets through their most critical moments while making sure their families feel informed, supported, and cared for every step of the way.

When she's not saving lives, you'll find her gardening, crocheting, solving puzzles, or playing bingo with her fiancé, Evan. She's also a proud cat mom to Callie and Pippy, and hopes to add a dog to the family soon! 🐈💚

If you see Dr. Friedrich around the hospital, be sure to say hello and help us give her a big AESOC welcome!

We're so excited to have her as part of our growing emergency team.

🐾 Six ER doctors. One mission. Exceptional emergency care, 24/7.

07/24/2026

🎉 We're excited to announce our partnership with Veterinary Cardiology of Orange County (VCOC)! ❤️🩺

Animal Emergency of South Orange County is proud to partner with Veterinary Cardiology of Orange County to bring advanced cardiology services directly to our 24/7 emergency hospital, right here is Mission Viejo!

We're excited to welcome Dr. April Durtschi, board-certified veterinary cardiologist and founder of Veterinary Cardiology of Orange County. Dr. Durtschi is passionate about providing compassionate, personalized cardiac care and offers advanced diagnostics, including echocardiograms (cardiac ultrasounds), ECGs, Holter monitoring, and medical management for pets with heart disease.

Dr. Durtschi NOW sees scheduled cardiology appointments at Animal Emergency of South Orange County. If your family veterinarian recommends a cardiology consultation, simply contact Veterinary Cardiology of Orange County to schedule your appointment at our hospital. They are currently seeing patients on Thursdays, with additional weekend and weekday appointments being added as their schedule grows.
🌐 Schedule with VCOC: https://vetcardiologyoc.com/

❤️ Experiencing an emergency? If your pet is having difficulty breathing, collapsing, showing signs of heart disease, or experiencing any other medical emergency, contact Animal Emergency of South Orange County immediately. Our emergency team is available 24/7 and works closely with Dr. Durtschi and the VCOC team to provide seamless emergency and specialty cardiac care.

We're proud to partner with Veterinary Cardiology of Orange County to bring exceptional cardiology services closer to home for the pets and families of South Orange County. Please join us in welcoming Dr. April Durtschi and the VCOC team to AESOC! 🐾❤️

07/24/2026

Meet Orion. 🩺🐈❤️

Orion recently visited Animal Emergency of South Orange County for a screening appointment to become one of our feline blood donors. During his exam, our team detected a heart murmur, which was identified by our Medical Director, Dr. Molly Backus.

Thanks to our partnership with Veterinary Cardiology of Orange County (VCOC), Orion was able to see Dr. Durtschi the very next day and have an echocardiogram performed right here at our hospital. That quick access gave his family answers and a treatment plan without the delay of waiting weeks for a specialty appointment.

Stories like Orion's are exactly why we're so excited to officially announce our partnership with Veterinary Cardiology of Orange County! 🎉

VCOC now sees scheduled cardiology appointments at the Animal Emergency of South Orange County location. If your family veterinarian recommends a cardiology consultation, simply contact Veterinary Cardiology of Orange County to schedule your appointment at our emergency hospital. They currently see appointments Thursdays, and are adding in some weekend and other weekdays! https://vetcardiologyoc.com/

❤️ Experiencing a emergency? If your pet is having difficulty breathing, collapsing, or showing signs of a heart-related emergency, contact Animal Emergency of South Orange County immediately.

Our emergency team is available 24/7 and works closely with VCOC to help coordinate advanced cardiac care when appropriate.

Please join us in sending Orion lots of love as he begins this journey. We're honored to be part of his care and grateful to work alongside the exceptional team at Veterinary Cardiology of Orange County.

07/18/2026

🎶 We're out in the community today! 🎶

Come say hi to the Animal Emergency Care of South Orange County team at Concerts on the Green at Oso Viejo Community Park! We'll be out enjoying the music, meeting pet lovers, and sharing information about the emergency services we provide for our community.

While some of our team is out at the event, our hospital remains fully staffed and open 24/7/365, with our doctors, RVTs, and support team continuing to provide emergency and critical care for pets that need us.

Whether you're stopping by to say hello or visiting us during an emergency, we're always here when your pets need us most. ❤️🐾

📍 Come visit us at the park today!
Or if you need care at the hospital:

📍 Animal Emergency Care of South Orange County
28085 Hillcrest
Mission Viejo, CA 92692

📞 949-364-6228
We hope you don't need us today—but if you do, our hospital team is ready. Enjoy the concert, and we'll see you there! 🎵🐶

07/04/2026

🎆 Happy 4th of July from Animal Emergency of South Orange County! 🇺🇸🐾

If you're headed to the Mission Viejo 4th of July Street Faire & Fireworks Spectacular, be sure to stop by our booth and say hello! We'll be there sharing pet safety tips, handing out goodies, and answering your questions.

📍 Street Faire: 12:00 PM – 9:00 PM
🎇 Fireworks: 9:00 PM

As a reminder, pets are not permitted at the event (except for service animals). Fireworks can be stressful for our furry family members, so the safest place for them is at home in a secure, quiet environment.

❤️ We hope you have a safe and wonderful holiday—but if your pet has an emergency, we're here for you 24/7/365, including holidays.

📍 Animal Emergency of South Orange County
28085 Hillcrest
Mission Viejo, CA 92692
📞 (949) 364-6228

Have a fun, safe, and pet-friendly Independence Day! 🇺🇸🐶🐱🎆

07/04/2026

🎆🇺🇸 Happy 4th of July from Animal Emergency of South Orange County! 🇺🇸🎆

We hope your holiday is filled with BBQs, family, friends, and lots of tail wags! ❤️🐾

A few reminders to help keep your pets safe:
🎇 Keep pets indoors during fireworks.
🏷️ Make sure collars and ID tags are up to date.
🍔 Keep table scraps, alcohol, and fireworks out of reach.
😌 Create a quiet, safe space if your pet is anxious.

We're here for you 24/7/365—even on holidays.

While we hope you don't need us, our team is always ready if an emergency happens.

📍28085 Hillcrest
Mission Viejo, CA 92672
📞 (949) 364-6228

Have a safe, fun, and pet-friendly Independence Day! ❤️🤍💙🐶🐱

07/01/2026

So exciting to see the article from Dr Backus

🇺🇸 As we celebrate Independence Day, we're also celebrating the families, traditions, and hometown spirit that make Mission Viejo a place we're proud to call home. Your July issue of South Mission Viejo Living is arriving soon!

Leading this month's issue: The Temple Family ❤️�For more than 50 years, four generations of the Temple family have called Mission Viejo home. Their story is one of faith, family, tradition, and the memories that remind us there's no place quite like home.

Expert Insights 💡�💰 Matt Molnar, CFA shares financial strategies to help families build toward financial independence.�🐍 Dr. Molly Backus of Animal Emergency of South Orange County explains what every dog owner should know about rattlesnake bites and other important summer pet safety tips.

Sponsor Spotlight 🏹�Aim for something new this summer and discover Orange County Archery South, where families can build confidence, learn a timeless skill, and experience the thrill of hitting the bullseye together.

Also inside this issue:�❤️ Love Mission Viejo — neighbors coming together to make a difference.�🏈 Athlete of the Month — meet a local student-athlete making an impact on and off the field.�🐾 Meet this month's adoptable pet looking for a forever home.

As always, thank you for supporting the local businesses and organizations that make this magazine possible. Every sponsor helps us continue telling the stories that connect our community.

📸 Special thanks to Paradise Photography OC for another beautiful feature family portrait.

What's your favorite Fourth of July tradition in Mission Viejo? 🇺🇸 Tell us in the comments, tag a neighbor who loves our community, and keep an eye on your mailbox!

06/03/2026

06/01/2026

🎉 WE'RE NOW ANIMAL EMERGENCY OF SOUTH ORANGE COUNTY! 🎉

Today, Animal Urgent Care of South Orange County officially becomes Animal Emergency of South Orange County.

Our new name better reflects the care we already provide. Our hospital has been treating emergency patients since 1995, and we will continue seeing pets with urgent care needs.

What you need to know:
• Same location: 28085 Hillcrest Road, Mission Viejo
• Same phone number: 949-364-6228
• Same 24/7 hours
• Same emergency veterinarians and hospital team
• Same care for dogs, cats, pocket pets, birds, reptiles and exotics

Our team will continue to provide compassionate and comprehensive emergency and urgent care for all pets, including, but not limited to:

• In-house diagnostic testing
• Bloodwork
• Cytology
• Digital X-ray
• Ultrasound
• In-house point of care
• On-call specialty ultrasound
• Specialized services
• F***l microbiota transplantation
• Autologous cancer vaccine
• Emergency surgery & postoperative care
• Endoscopy
• End-of-life care
• Care for dogs, cats and exotics (supportive emergency care)
• Partnering with animal services & local rehabilitators for injured wildlife

Our exterior sign may still show our former name until the sign update is completed later this summer. If you see Animal Urgent Care of South Orange County on the building, you are still in the right place.

If your pet needs care, call 949-364-6228 or visit us anytime.🐾

05/27/2026

🎉🐾 Dakota is officially 3/3 on her vaccine injections today! 🐾🎉

This sweet Husky girl came back to see us on 5/27 for her THIRD injection in her personalized cancer vaccine series — and she walked in looking bright-eyed, happy, and ready for all the love from her team. 💙

After Dakota’s emergency splenectomy in April and diagnosis of Hemangiosarcoma, her family chose to pursue an innovative autologous cancer vaccine created specifically for HER through Torigen Pharmaceuticals. Using her own tumor tissue, the vaccine was designed to help teach Dakota’s immune system to recognize and respond to cancer cells. 💉✨

And today marks a HUGE milestone in her journey:
✅ Injection 1 — DONE
✅ Injection 2 — DONE
✅ Injection 3 — DONE
Mom reports Dakota has been happy, thriving, and doing well at home, exactly the kind of update we love hearing. ❤️

One of the amazing things about personalized immunotherapy is that treatment plans can sometimes be adjusted or boosted again in the future if needed, giving families additional options in their pet’s cancer journey. Veterinary medicine continues to evolve, and stories like Dakota’s remind us how important hope, innovation, and quality of life truly are.

Dakota has handled every visit like an absolute rockstar, and we are all cheering her on as she continues forward. 🐾✨

Keep shining, sweet girl, our whole team is rooting for you! 💙