The Companion Animal Hospital is run by Chief of Staff, Dr. Patricia Carter, who graduated from the U.C. Davis School of Veterinary Medicine in 1990 and was inducted into the Phi Zeta Society, a distinction awarded to graduating veterinary students in the top 10% of their class. She has been a small animal and exotic animal veterinarian for over 21 years. Dr. Carter will head the hospital’s efforts to lease facility space to the finest private practitioners and specialists in the area, along with her continued duties of overseeing the care of the orphaned animals in the Helen Woodward Animal Center Adoptions Department.
Dr. Patricia Carter
Dr. Lauren Coulson
Dr. Lauren Coulson was born and raised in San Jose in northern California. She grew up loving animals and knew she wanted to be a veterinarian from an early age. During high school and as an undergraduate, Dr. Coulson worked in a small animal general practice as a technician for almost ten years. She attended San Jose State University for undergraduate studies where she majored in Biology and minored in Chemistry. She earned her DVM degree from Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona, California. Her special interests include companion animal medicine, cardiology, and surgery.
Dr. Coulson enjoys spending time with her three cats: Brooke, Athena, and Baby Kittenz and plans to adopt a dog soon. In her spare time, Dr. Coulson enjoys various board sports, traveling, and watching movies.
Dr. Gaeto
Dr. Gaeto entered the veterinary world to combine her two passions, medicine and animals. Throughout her schooling, Dr. Gaeto volunteered at numerous animal shelters and programs to bring veterinary medicine into rural communities. Dr. Gaeto graduated Magna Cum Laude from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo’s Animal Science program in 2010. In the fall she began at Washington State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. There she became involved in the HSVMA, class council, and the shelter medicine club as well as having a job at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital in the Clinical Pathology Lab. Dr. Gaeto graduated with her DVM in May of 2014 and was pleased to return to her hometown of San Diego. Her areas of interest include surgery, oncology, and dentistry.
Dr. Gaeto enjoys spending time with her husband, Carl, and their terrier-chihuahua rescue, Penelope. Her hobbies include running, reading, and knitting. Dr. Gaeto is pleased to be a part of the Helen Woodward community.