My Story

First, a quick hello to all those willing to start this exciting new venture with me! My name is Dr. Claire Gunderson, or Gundy as many of my coworkers know me. I have been a veterinarian for small animals, mainly cats and dogs, since 2017. As a veterinarian, I have dedicated my life to caring for the health and well-being of animals. I have seen the incredible impact that pets have on our lives, and I am passionate about helping pet owners provide the best care possible for their beloved companions. 

I recently became the part-owner of a small animal general practice in Orange County, CA. The clinic is Muirlands Animal and Avian Hospital, and (shameless plug) we’re accepting new clients! In this blog, I will be promoting my clinic as well as sharing tips and advice on how to keep your pets healthy, happy, and thriving. From nutrition to exercise, from preventative care to emergency preparedness, I will be covering all aspects of pet care from what I have learned as a veterinarian as well as my personal experience. 

The Journey

It has been quite an adventure to get to this point of my life and career, but to start we will need to head east to New York, where my love of animals began. I grew up in a small picturesque town on Long Island along the banks of a river. I spent most of my childhood exploring the river and woods surrounding our neighborhood, in love with nature and all the wildlife she held. I was fortunate to grow up around many animals within my own family and extended family. My father’s side of the family spent decades as AKC registered breeders for a variety of dogs including Cocker Spaniels, Pembroke Welsh Corgis and my personal favorite, Flat-Coated Retrievers. I have the fondest memories of helping care for litters of puppies, watching them go from unseeing, unhearing babes to playful, energetic puppies, ready to go to their new homes. Even at a young age, I felt a strong connection to providing care to our four-legged friends. My first dog, Sherman, was a kind and gentle eighty-five pound Black Labrador who taught me so much about how special the human-animal bond can be. I learned how to understand dog behaviors and communication from a young age. Sherman’s trips to the vet first sparked my interest in veterinary medicine and sowed the seed for who I am today. For that, he will always hold a special place in my heart.  

My older sister Jennine took the plunge into the veterinary world first. She persevered and became the first veterinarian in our family, paving the way for me to follow in her footsteps. I am eternally grateful to have her as a role model for my career path. This is one of the toughest fields to break into; knowing that she was able to achieve her dreams motivated me to do the same. I have a strong desire to help and care for those without a voice, to be a source of comfort, knowledge, and strength for creatures both big and small. And so, I set my mind to the daunting task of becoming a veterinarian.

Education

After finishing high school, I moved West to attend California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, CA. I was an Animal Science major and in heaven with the courses I got to take. As a very hands-on college program, with the motto “learn by doing,” I was interacting with animals of all kinds on a daily basis. We had herds of sheep, cattle, swine, horses, goats and even a small animal clinic right on campus so that we could get our feet wet with all sides of vet med from an early stage. I was growing leaps and bounds in not only my animal knowledge, but in my own independence as well. I needed to become more self-reliant being in California without family. It was the motivator I needed to achieve all that I set my mind to. I look back fondly on my time spent in SLO, I made lifelong friends, learned to play ultimate frisbee, continuing my love of music by playing in a saxophone quartet, and moved closer to my goal of becoming a veterinarian.

I was fortunate to work at multiple small animal clinics in the summer months and during school throughout my college days. I experienced a variety of veterinarians and their practice styles. I learned about surgery, internal medicine, laboratory equipment, patient care and, most importantly, all the cleaning that goes into keeping a functioning veterinary hospital! I learned how every team member from the receptionist to kennel assistants, from the doctors to the technicians are all vital for the clinic to operate. 

I was fortunate to be accepted into vet school in my senior year of college, a big relief! I graduated from Cal Poly in 2013 and began veterinary school that fall at Iowa State College of Veterinary Medicine. After being pampered in the California sunshine, the move was a bit overwhelming. It became clear on day one that the curriculum was rigorous and the learning expectations were high. Luckily, I had my sister to lean on for support as she was in her final year of vet school in Cornell. I continued to play ultimate frisbee as a way to stay healthy and find time to take a mental break from school. 

It is amazing how quickly those four years passed as I learned about every virus, parasite, bacteria, disease and drug that would be relevant for me as a practicing veterinarian. Not only did I learn about cats and dogs, but horses, sheep, chickens, swine and cattle too! They are all necessary to understand the implications and importance of our job, whether we end up working with all those animals or not. Many late nights and long weekends were spent in the Ames Public Library or in coffee shops, studying away and preparing for my dream job. I was lucky to gain support from another outside source. My high school sweetheart Dan and I reconnected in the middle of my vet school journey. We dated long distance during this time, he was in the Air Force and stationed in Georgia. Despite the distance between us, our relationship blossomed. I don’t know I could have survived the journey without his endless encouragement and belief in me. 

Even though our school had many hands-on learning opportunities, I decided to pursue a job in a local small animal emergency hospital to continue to grow my technical skills and apply what I was learning in the real world. This clinical experience showed me that I had a passion for emergency veterinary medicine. There is nothing quite like the rush of seeing a patient come in with an unknown illness or injury, unstable and in pain, and being part of the team that is able to provide comfort and care to that animal. It showed me the horrors of what we see in this field, how difficult decisions about care can be (particularly when financial decisions are made) and drove home the importance of kindness and compassion when owners are faced with traumatic events concerning their beloved pets. I was able to help with my first C-section, revived newborns as they were born, treated puppies sick with Parvo virus and saw them go home with their families. Most importantly, I learned how to apply all that I was learning in school to real cases. As I went through my clinical rotations in my fourth year, I carried that experience with me, and felt ready to practice when I graduated in 2017 and moved out to Los Angeles, CA where Dan was now stationed.

Professional Experience

My first job after graduation was at Washington Boulevard Animal Hospital, an emergency and general practice that allowed me to immerse myself in all aspects of small animal medicine. As a large, multi-doctor practice, I had unlimited mentorship and encouragement from my colleagues. I hit the ground running! I was able to see routine scheduled appointments for puppies, kittens, annual exams, ear infections and all other general practice medicine, mixed with urgent care and true emergency cases on a walk-in basis. I learned how to perform routine and emergency surgeries, and hospitalize my own patients who needed prolonged care. I truly believe that the medicine I learned there molded me into the veterinarian I am today. 

Not only did I grow as a veterinarian at Washington Boulevard but I grew as an individual and a partner. I started my career as Dr. Claire Ropke, and I was lucky enough to have my biggest supporter become my husband in 2018, allowing me to become Dr. Gunderson. 

Though I loved my place at Washington Boulevard, I eventually moved on to another multi-doctor practice closer to where we lived called Bay Animal Hospital. This clinic was more focused on general practice and some urgent care medicine. This taught me how strong the bond is between a veterinarian, their patients and their owners. I learned the importance of preventative medicine and building that lifelong relationship with your patients as they go through their different life stages. My time at Bay Animal Hospital taught me about thorough work-ups and the value of being able to hospitalize my own patients. It can be a stressful endeavor to transfer sick patients to specialty hospitals and 24 hour facilities, and certainly adds significant extra cost.  

After nearly two and a half years at Bay Animal, my husband and I decided to move further South. We were able to buy our first home in Lake Forest, CA and I took a new position in full-time emergency medicine at Irvine Valley Veterinary Hospital. I was happily reunited with one of my Washington Boulevard co-workers, Dr. Bobula, and immediately fell in love with the fast paced, high tech environment. As a true emergency clinic, we saw the broadest range of cases, from allergic reactions, to hit by cars and foreign body obstructions. I received wonderful mentorship from my colleagues as well as a board-certified Emergency and Critical Care Specialist. I was able to embrace some of the most advanced medicine that can be performed for our companion animals. I was truly moved by the commitment many owners had to the survival of their pets. Fortunately, the practice owner of Irvine Valley Vet was very dedicated to the growth of his associate veterinarians and encouraged the pursuit of business ownership in the future. After just one year of practicing at Irvine Valley, a unique opportunity presented itself for me to enter into ownership at just 31 years of age! It was bittersweet to leave this amazing position and all the wonderful staff and associate doctors; however, when I was recruited for part ownership of Muirlands Animal and Avian Hospital, it was a chance I could not pass up. I knew in my heart that this is what I was born to do. 

Looking Forward

I have been the part-owner and medical director of Muirlands Animal and Avian Hospital for just over three months now. It is by far the greatest undertaking I have pursued since I graduated and began practicing veterinary medicine. We are a smaller clinic that is very focused on primary care and wellness medicine for dogs, cats and birds. I never imagined myself as an avian veterinarian but I can already see how remarkable each patient is and the close relationship they develop with their owners over their long lives. I am grateful that I have mentorship from the previous owner, Dr. Ikeda, who is still with the clinic as an associate veterinarian. I look forward to providing the same excellent care to all of our patients, whether they are covered in fur or feathers. I have big plans and aspirations for the clinic and ultimately we will be building out a brand new hospital and becoming a general practice/urgent care hybrid clinic that can blend all the experience I have garnered over my years in the veterinary field. 

I am so excited to have the opportunity to pass on my knowledge in my very own practice but also hope to reach a larger audience through this blog. My background in both general practice and emergency medicine will hopefully allow me to guide owners on how to provide the best care in all circumstances to their beloved pets. I thank you for starting this journey with me, and cannot wait to see where it takes us!