Cerro Alto Veterinary Specialty and Emergency Hospital

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San Luis Obispo, CA
Cerro Alto Veterinary Specialty and Emergency Hospital

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Welcome to Cerro Alto Veterinary Specialty & Emergency Hospital!

Opening September 2025, Cerro Alto is a privately owned, 24/7 specialty and emergency hospital committed to advanced, compassionate care for pets on the Central Coast.

10/16/2026

Another HUGE accomplishment for our team this week, and we couldn’t be prouder!! 🥹💕

Our girl Jules officially PASSED her VTNE and is one step closer to becoming an RVT!!

Jules is one hell of an ER/ICU nurse, and we are so incredibly lucky to have her. She’s intelligent, compassionate, hardworking, and truly cares about the patients and people around her. We knew she could do this, and seeing her push herself and accomplish something she’s worked so hard for makes us even prouder.

With Vet Tech Week right around the corner, I can’t think of a better reminder of just how special our team is. Two huge accomplishments in one week, from people who continue to challenge themselves, further their education, and pour so much of themselves into this profession. It’s pretty incredible to be surrounded by people like that every day.

Jules, we are SO proud of you. You worked your butt off for this, and you deserve every bit of the celebration that comes with it. We can’t wait to officially have another RVT on our team!! 💕🐾

10/14/2026

Some accomplishments deserve a little extra recognition, and this is absolutely one of them. 🥹💙

We are SO incredibly excited to announce that our very own Emily Miller, BS, RVTg, VTS (Anesthesia & Analgesia) has officially earned her Veterinary Technician Specialist certification in Anesthesia & Analgesia!!! 🎉

For those who may not know just how HUGE this is, earning a VTS is one of the highest achievements a veterinary technician can obtain. It takes years of clinical experience, extensive training, advanced knowledge, countless hours of hard work, and passing an incredibly challenging specialty examination. This is no small accomplishment, and one that very few veterinary technicians achieve.

And if you’ve ever had the pleasure of working alongside Emily, you know there is nobody more deserving. Emily is truly one of a kind. She is ridiculously intelligent, unbelievably talented, and has such a genuine love for what she does. She’s the kind of person you learn something from every time you work with her, and the kind of technician you’d want caring for your own pets. We could brag about her all day, and honestly, we probably will. 😂

Emily, we hope you know just how proud we are of you. Watching all of your hard work and dedication pay off is something so special, and we couldn’t be happier for you. You deserve every bit of recognition that comes with this accomplishment and then some.

We are so incredibly lucky to have you on our team, and even luckier to know the amazing human behind all those letters. 💙

PLEASE HELP US GIVE OUR GIRL EMILY THE BIGGEST CONGRATULATIONS!!! 🥹👏🏼🎉

10/08/2026

If there’s an activity available, count Hammy in. 😬

This sweet girl is a VERY active athlete who loves dock diving, frisbee, hiking, agility and pretty much anything that involves being on the move.

Earlier this summer, Hammy started having occasional episodes where she wouldn’t put weight on her right hind leg. When she came to us for evaluation, her imaging and musculoskeletal ultrasound showed changes consistent with a chronic hamstring injury.

She received her first PRP injection in July, followed by three weeks of rest, and has done incredibly well since - only one brief episode of lameness and otherwise back to being her very busy little self. 🥹

Hammy came back to see us this week for a recheck, and her repeat imaging looked stable to improved. She received a second ultrasound-guided PRP injection to keep her moving in the right direction.

And now we begin the most challenging portion of Hammy’s treatment plan…

Convincing a dock-diving, frisbee-catching, hiking, agility-loving dog to rest for three weeks. 😂

Sorry, Hammy girl. We promise it's for your own good. 💕

10/05/2026

Please enjoy the many faces of Bert... picture #3 is a whole mood 😂💚

Bert came to see our Emergency team after rapidly eating some freeze-dried chicken treats and then developing some pretty intense reverse sneezing and nasal congestion. Since his episodes were lasting longer and happening more frequently than usual, there was concern that a tiny piece of his snack may have accidentally made its way into his nasal passage.

X-rays showed a subtle change in one of his nasal passages, so our team performed a sedated exam to get a better look. We found some inflammation in both nostrils, but thankfully no obvious foreign material or mass. Bert recovered well from sedation and, as you can see, had MANY feelings about his hospital stay. 😬

We’re very happy this sweet little guy is back home with his family, and we sincerely hope he has learned absolutely anything about slowing down when snacks are involved. He has Pug in his DNA so chances are... he has not. 😂🐾

10/01/2026

Sergio came in for his 10th CHOP treatment yesterday and somehow ended up catching up on his soaps.

Between answering emails, supervising Dr. Colosi, and making sure she didn’t go anywhere without him, he had a very busy day in Oncology.

At this point, we’re not entirely convinced Sergio comes here for his treatments… we think he may just really like hanging out with his besties. 🥹💚

09/18/2026

Please join us in welcoming Dr. Megan Mackintosh to the Cerro Alto team! 🩺💙

Dr. Mackintosh is joining our Surgery service after recently completing her small animal surgery residency at a large specialty referral hospital in the Philadelphia area. Originally from Vancouver, Canada, she earned her DVM from the Western College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan before completing both a rotating internship and surgical internship in Calgary.

Her professional interests include orthopedics, skin and reconstructive surgery, and above all, she has a huge passion for providing exceptional care to her patients.

Living in California has always been a dream of hers, and we’re so excited that dream brought her here to the Central Coast! ☀️🌊

Outside of the hospital, you can probably find Dr. Mackintosh doing pilates or yoga, at the beach, trying a new coffee shop or restaurant, baking, or spending time with friends. She’s also a major cat person and has two of her own - Georgia, a Himalayan, and Rosemary, a Persian. 🐱

We’re so excited to have Dr. Mackintosh as part of our growing team and can’t wait for our clients, patients, and referring community to get to know her.

Welcome to Cerro Alto, Dr. Mackintosh!❤️

09/16/2026

365 days of Cerro Alto. 🥹

It’s honestly hard to put this first year into words.

One year ago, we opened our doors with a vision of building something special for the pets, families, and veterinary community here on the Central Coast. Since then, it’s been a wild, exhausting, exciting, incredibly rewarding ride.

In just our first year, we’ve cared for almost 5,000 animals. We’ve performed groundbreaking surgeries, taken on some incredibly complex cases, celebrated wins we’ll never forget, and been there for families on some of their hardest days.

We’ve grown, too. A lot. What started with Emergency & Critical Care, Surgery and Radiology has continued to grow with the addition of Cardiology, Oncology and Internal Medicine - bringing even more specialty care right here to our community.

But behind every number is a patient. A family who trusted us. A referring veterinarian who believed in us. And a team that has poured so much of themselves into making this hospital what it is.

We are so incredibly grateful to be here, to be an asset to this community, and to get to spend our days doing what we love most- helping animals and saving lives.

Year one was pretty damn special.

Here’s to many, many more. ❤️

Happy 1st birthday, Cerro Alto. 🥹🐾

09/07/2026

Huge congratulations to our golden girl, Ruby! 🌟🎓

Last week, we had the joy of cheering Ruby on as she completed her last round of chemotherapy! Our team came together to give Ruby and her mom the proper celebration they both deserve.

She initially underwent a routine splenectomy for a splenic hemangiosarcoma back in June with Dr. Raleigh. Since recovering from surgery, she continued her care with Dr. Colosi and our oncology team for further treatment.

We’re so grateful to have been part of Ruby’s journey so far, and we look forward to seeing her back in a few months for a recheck exam. 🤍
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09/02/2026

A little look at what we love most: caring for our patients and being there for the people who love them 🤍
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09/01/2026

CAVSEH Milestone Spotlight 🩺🐾

We're celebrating an incredible milestone for Destiny as she officially has become a registered veterinary technician!

Over the years, her dedication to veterinary medicine, commitment to her patients, and passion for surgery have been evident in everything she does. Whether she's in the operating room, advocating for her patients, or supporting her team, she consistently demonstrates the skill, compassion, and work ethic that define exceptional veterinary technicians.

As she continues pursuing her Veterinary Technician Specialist (VTS) certification in Surgery, we're excited to watch her continue to grow and reach new milestones in her career.

Congratulations, Destiny! We're so proud of everything you've accomplished and can't wait to see where this journey takes you. 🎉

We look forward to many more milestones to spotlight along the way. Stay tuned for more! ✨

Address

2640 Broad Street
San Luis Obispo, CA
93401

Telephone

+18054578724

Website

https://cerroaltovet.com/

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175 Tank Farm Road

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