Cerro Alto Veterinary Specialty and Emergency Hospital

Cerro Alto Veterinary Specialty and Emergency Hospital 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.

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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CAVSEH Milestone Spotlight 🩺🐾 We're celebrating an incredible milestone for Destiny as she officially has become a reg...
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! ✨

08/20/2026

Our hearts are exploding right now. 🥹💚

It’s been a difficult week around here, and yesterday we really needed this.

This is Tango. She’s a 6-year-old Lab who was diagnosed with hemangiosarcoma earlier this year. Since then, she and her mom have been through surgery, recovery, countless appointments and five rounds of chemotherapy with our Oncology team.

Yesterday was round five, her last one. 🎓

There’s a lot that happens between a cancer diagnosis and a day like this. A lot of fear, waiting, hoping, planning and showing up again and again. We see how much these families carry for their pets, and after months of walking alongside them, you can’t help but carry a little bit of it with them.

So when Tango finished her treatment, the whole hospital wanted in on the celebration. We lined the hallway and cheered while she made her victory lap in her graduation cap, completely committed to keeping her toy in her mouth through the entire thing. 😂 Then she and her mom rang the graduation bell together.

This week has reminded us just how heavy veterinary medicine can be. Yesterday reminded us why we love it anyway.

We get attached. We care deeply. We hurt when our patients and their families hurt. And when they get a win, you better believe we’re going to celebrate the hell out of it with them.

Tango still has monitoring ahead of her, but yesterday wasn’t about what comes next. Yesterday was about how far she and her mom have already come.

And we are so, so proud of them both. 💚 Happy chemo graduation, Tango. 😭

We talk a lot about our specialists at Cerro Alto, but unless you work in veterinary medicine, it’s not always clear wha...
08/18/2026

We talk a lot about our specialists at Cerro Alto, but unless you work in veterinary medicine, it’s not always clear what being a “specialist” actually means - or what all of those letters after a doctor’s name represent.

After veterinary school, specialists go on to complete years of additional training in their chosen field through internships, residencies, advanced case work, research and rigorous board examinations. Depending on the specialty, that can mean 8–10+ years of education and clinical training before becoming board-certified.

We wanted to share a little more about that process because we’re incredibly proud of the doctors behind those credentials. Having specialists in Surgery, Internal Medicine, Oncology, Cardiology and Radiology under one roof allows us to collaborate across services and provide advanced care to pets throughout the Central Coast.

And just as importantly, specialty care doesn’t replace a pet’s primary veterinarian - it adds another expert to their care team when they need it. 💚

This is what it’s all about - teamwork and collaboration. 💚One of the biggest things we wanted when building Cerro Alto ...
08/13/2026

This is what it’s all about - teamwork and collaboration. 💚

One of the biggest things we wanted when building Cerro Alto was the ability to rewrite the script when we needed to. Being privately owned gives us the freedom to look at how we’re doing things, ask if it actually makes sense, and change it when it doesn’t. We don’t have to follow a standardized SOP just because that’s how it’s always been done.
And we definitely don’t think those decisions should only come from the top.

Our RVTs recently started a monthly Journal Club, bringing together RVTs from our ER/ICU and specialty services to talk through cases, SOPs, challenges they’re running into, and areas where we can improve.

They’re the ones on the floor every day experiencing those things firsthand. We trust their judgment, we want to hear their ideas, and we want them to know they have the ability to actually make a change here.

We’re really lucky to have such smart, dedicated RVTs who care about making their hospital and their field better. This is exactly the kind of collaboration we want Cerro Alto to be built on. 💚

There are some days that remind us exactly why we do what we do... and today is one of them. 💙Meet Blu, our very first O...
08/07/2026

There are some days that remind us exactly why we do what we do... and today is one of them. 💙

Meet Blu, our very first Oncology graduate.
After being diagnosed with lung cancer, Blu underwent surgery followed by chemotherapy with our Oncology team. There were good days and tougher days, but through it all, he had the unwavering support of his family and never lost his charm (or his love for wearing his graduation cap 😻).

This week, Blu completed his treatment, and his latest chest X-rays showed no evidence of disease.

While every cancer journey is unique and no outcome is ever guaranteed, we believe it's important to celebrate these milestones. They represent hope, resilience, and the incredible bond between pets, their families, and the people who care for them.

Congratulations, Blu. Thank you for letting us be part of your story. We're so proud of you. 🎓🐾💙

Please help us welcome Dr. Emma Devereux to Cerro Alto Veterinary Specialty & Emergency Hospital! 😊Originally from the S...
08/05/2026

Please help us welcome Dr. Emma Devereux to Cerro Alto Veterinary Specialty & Emergency Hospital! 😊

Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, Dr. Devereux earned undergraduate degrees in evolutionary anthropology and biology from Duke University before spending two years conducting wildlife research in South Africa's Kruger National Park, studying African elephants and buffalo. She later returned to California to earn her veterinary degree from UC Davis, followed by advanced surgical training at North Carolina State University and the University of Florida, where she recently completed her small animal surgery residency. She will be sitting for board certification in February 2027.

Dr. Devereux is passionate about providing compassionate, high-quality surgical care and is excited to return to the West Coast to serve pets and families here on the Central Coast.
Outside of work, she enjoys hiking with her husband, Dr. Colton Ramstrom, and their three dogs Willow, Moose, and Mayhem, listening to audiobooks, and spending time with friends and family. She's also looking forward to finally making her lifelong dream of having horses and farm animals a reality.

Dr. Devereux will officially join our team on August 17th and spend her first week getting acquainted with the hospital, our team, and our workflows. She will begin seeing surgical consultations and performing procedures Tuesday through Friday starting the week of August 24th.

We're incredibly excited to have Dr. Devereux join our team and look forward to introducing her to our clients and referring veterinarians. Please help us give her a warm Central Coast welcome! 💚🐾

07/27/2026

Meet Puff. 💚🐱

If you watched this video without any context, you'd probably think he was trying to cough up a hairball.

So did we.

The first real red flag, though, wasn't the coughing- it was that after running around and playing, Puff would open-mouth pant. That's not normal for cats and was a sign that something else was going on.

He was eventually diagnosed with feline asthma.

Feline asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways that can cause coughing, wheezing, and difficulty breathing. The good news? Many cats with asthma continue to live happy, playful lives with proper monitoring and treatment.

Today, Puff still dictates his own activity level, zooms around the house, and loves to play. We're continuing to monitor him, and if his symptoms become more frequent, an inhaler may be part of his treatment plan in the future.

If your cat has a recurring cough or pants after exercise, don't assume it's "just a hairball." It's worth having them evaluated by your veterinarian. 🐾

What is a parathyroid gland... and why does it matter?🧐Most people have never heard of the parathyroid glands until ther...
07/16/2026

What is a parathyroid gland... and why does it matter?🧐

Most people have never heard of the parathyroid glands until there's a problem.
These tiny glands sit next to the thyroid and are responsible for regulating calcium levels in the body. When one becomes overactive, it produces too much parathyroid hormone (PTH), causing calcium levels to remain persistently elevated. Over time, high calcium can affect multiple organs, including the kidneys, and can lead to muscle weakness, lethargy, increased thirst and urination, decreased appetite, and other nonspecific signs.

That was the case for Barrett.

Advanced imaging identified an abnormal parathyroid gland, and our Surgery team performed a parathyroidectomy to remove the affected tissue. After surgery, Barrett remained in the hospital while we closely monitored his calcium levels as his body adjusted.

The best part? His biopsy confirmed a parathyroid adenoma, a benign tumor, and the abnormal tissue was completely removed.
Between bloodwork and recovery checks, Barrett became a big fan of our breezeway, where he spent plenty of time enjoying the sunshine. ☀️🤗

Thank you to Barrett's family for trusting our team with his care. We loved having this sweet boy with us and are so happy to see him heading home feeling better.❤️

When we think about blood donors, we usually picture people. But did you know dogs can be blood donors too?🤔🐶Blood trans...
07/14/2026

When we think about blood donors, we usually picture people. But did you know dogs can be blood donors too?🤔🐶

Blood transfusions are an important part of veterinary medicine and can be lifesaving for patients experiencing severe blood loss, trauma, immune-mediated diseases, certain cancers, clotting disorders, and other critical illnesses. One of the biggest challenges is making sure compatible blood is available when it's needed.

That's why we're especially thankful for Belle and Athena. 🥰

These two are the beloved dogs of one of our RVTs, Destiny, and they serve as blood donors for hospitalized patients at Cerro Alto. Their willingness to help has provided lifesaving blood for dogs facing medical emergencies, giving them the support they need during some of their most critical moments.

It takes a special kind of dog and a very dedicated owner to be part of a blood donor program, and we couldn't be more grateful for all three of them.

Thank you, Belle, Athena, and Destiny, for helping us care for patients when they need it most.❤️🐾

Address

2640 Broad Street
San Luis Obispo, CA
93401

Telephone

+18054578724

Website

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