TURQUOISE ANIMAL HOSPITAL - Key Persons
Dr. Guayasamin has lived in Sunny San Diego for the last 17 years. Dr. Guayasamin speaks both English and Portuguese. He graduated from Western University Veterinary School in Pomona, California in May of 2008. Following graduation, "Dr. G" completed a small animal surgery and medicine internship in San Diego. There he gained valuable experience in emergency medicine, internal medicine, surgery and exotic animal medicine. Dr. Guayasamin has a special interest in internal medicine and exotics. He is a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association and San Diego Veterinary Medical Association. In his free time, he enjoys playing basketball, going to the beach and taking his puppy ‘Glo' to dog beach.
Dr. Melissa Reed, DVM graduated from the University of the West Indies in Trinidad and Tobago as a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in 2011. She completed several exotic animal externships and advanced surgical training. She has one dog, two cats, and a finch: Maya, Voltaire, Chorizo, and Houdini. Dr. Reed and her wife Shannon have a young son named Jasper. Dr. Reed enjoys dancing, hiking, music, and travel.
Why did you become a veterinarian?
My mom grew up on a farm so we were allowed to have any non-venomous pet as long as it wasn't a tarantula. Growing up we had cats, dogs, green iguanas, garter snakes, hermit crabs, mice, rats, hamsters, hedgehogs, ferrets, a guinea pig, a rosy boa, a rabbit, budgies, a cockatiel, an Australian tree frog, an alligator lizard, a crawdad, many fish, axolotls, a gopher snake, Western box turtles, Eastern red eared sliders, a softshell turtle, Pacific tree frogs, ducks, and chickens. Being a veterinarian was the coolest, most rewarding job I could think of!
What are your special interests in veterinary medicine, and why?
I love exotics! I think this is because I grew up with a wide variety of interesting critters. I also really love geriatric dogs and cats. I like treating arthritic animals with platelet-rich plasma (PRP), stems cells, acupuncture, and cold laser therapy as the results can be miraculous. Surgery is also a special interest. There are many painful conditions that are curable with surgery. I'm delighted to work at a hospital that treats ‘small animals' (dogs and cats) as well as exotics.
What is the best part of your job?
I enjoy taking an animal that is in pretty bad shape and ‘putting them back together again.' My cats were strays in Trinidad, and my dog is also a rescue. I also enjoy teaching people how to take better care of their pets.
What is the hardest part of your job?
It's tough to tell people their pet is terminally ill.