Local veterinarian appointed to state board

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Popular local veterinarian Dr. Lisa Newell is appointed to the state Veterinarian Medical Board by Gov. Arnold Scwharzenegger.

By Ryan O’Quinn / Special to The Malibu Times

From parakeets to bull mastiffs, when there is animal trouble, most locals rely on the expertise of Malibu veterinarian Dr. Lisa Newell. The popular veterinarian, known as “Dr. Lisa” to her friends and clients, has recently been appointed by the governor to the state Veterinary Medical Board.

The board consists of seven members statewide and each term is for four years. Gov. Schwarzenegger spokesperson Julie Soderlund said the governor has made only two appointments this year, one being Newell. The board meets about six times annually and is set up to provide protection for consumers and animals through the licensing of veterinarians and veterinary technicians, and also enforces the California Veterinary Practice Act, which sets standards for the profession.

Newell grew up in Santa Monica and said she has loved animals for as long as she can remember. She told her mother when she was four years old that she was going to grow up and become a “doggie doctor.”

Newell kept her promise and started working at the Malibu veterinary hospital in 1988. At age 34, she went to veterinary school for her degree and returned once again to the coast in 1998 to work as a veterinary assistant in Malibu and also did a brief stint at Pet Headquarters Animal Hospital of Camarillo.

Newell assumed full time duties as a doctor in Malibu once she received her license and now works alongside doctors Dean Graulich and Dana DePerno.

“She’s a really hard worker and is always there for her clients 24 hours a day,” said Graulich, owner of Malibu Coast Animal Hospital. “She’s been working here on Sundays for a long time, seeing people and treating snake bites and things like that. She has done a lot with continuing education programs and is a real pleasure to work with.”

Eighteen-year Malibu resident Richard Carrigan is a big fan of Newell and said he has been taking his dog to her since it was a puppy. Carrigan said the 155 pound bull mastiff named CBOE (pronounced Seebo) loves Newell and loves the park adjacent to the office.

“As most dog lovers, he’s very special to me so when he so much as coughs, I call Lisa and she holds my hand through it,” Carrigan said. “Everybody loves their animals and she has a special way with animals.”

Carrigan said he initially went to the Malibu Coast Animal Hospital simply because of the proximity to his home, but he has found a friend and excellent caregiver in Newell.

“You never have a sense that she’s trying to do something that doesn’t need to be done,” Carrigan said. “She doesn’t overcharge you and she’s just a great human being, and is great with my dog and I suspect great with every dog.”

Newell said she has had opportunities to leave the area and to start various practices elsewhere, but loves Malibu and is devoted to her clients here. Among other offers, Newell recently turned down a personal invitation from St. Louis Rams owner Georgia Frontiere to start a clinic near her ranch in Sedona, Ariz.

“I have lived in this area my whole life,” Newell said. “A lot of bottom lines are about money, but my bottom line is my patients. I have such a bond and affinity with my patients. I would be devastated if I had to give them up. I would be miserable without them, especially the ones I’ve had since puppy and kitten hood.”

Newell said she was surprised by the appointment to the state medical board. She once saved the life of a cat that belonged to Bonnie Reece, a senior advisor to the governor, and Reece never forgot that. Newell said Reece was extremely grateful and she’s not sure if that was an influence in Schwarzenegger’s decision to appoint her to the prestigious list of doctors. Some of the appointments are made by the state Assembly and one public member is appointed by the state Senate.

Newell also serves as a member of the board of directors for the California Wildlife Center, a nonprofit organization that rescues, rehabilitates and releases wild animals. The group works with a wide range of species in the Santa Monica Mountains and the ocean including birds, deer and various marine mammals.

“I’ve been involved with them almost since the very beginning,” Newell said. “That is a big passion of mine. Everything I do there is pro bono and the hospital in Malibu has been very generous in letting me see the wild animals there.”

Newell said the Wildlife Center on Piuma Road doesn’t have equipment such as X-ray technology and she is able to use Malibu Coast’s facilities to treat the animals.

“That’s part of the reason we live here,” Newell said. “We have magnificent animals in the wild here. Some people take that for granted, but not me and not the people I work with at the Wildlife Center.”

Newell treats all creatures, big and small, including exotic animals and pocket pets. There is even a running joke within the office lately as she has become the Malibu goat expert.

Susan Clark of Topanga Animal Rescue has been bringing sick and injured goats to Newell and she has been doing very well in treating them, she said.

Newell lives in Agoura Hills with her husband, Mark Gruber. In addition to her patients in the office, Newell has a “family” of animals at home, where she cares for five cats and a 180-pound Neapolitan mastiff named N-Zone. Newell will travel to Sacramento later this month for her official appointment ceremony to the state board.