About Dr. Carol Lah
Compassionate Care
Dr. Carol Lah offers in-home wellness and preventative care, outpatient treatment, in-home consultation, geriatric care, and end-of-life services for dogs and cats.
Experienced Veterinarian
Dr. Lah has 17 years of work experience in veterinary medicine. From 2006-2010, Dr. Lah worked as a veterinary technician in general practice and emergency animal hospitals. In 2010, Dr. Lah attended UC Davis and obtained her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) degree in 2014. Since then, she worked in various private animal hospitals for 4 years prior to working as a mobile vet for 5 years starting with Vetted PetCare in 2018. After Vetted’s closure in 2020, Dr. Lah started her own mobile service in order to continue providing high quality in-home veterinary medical care for her feline/canine patients.
Dr. Lah is licensed (Lic.#20575), nationally accredited (USDA/APHIS), insured (AVMA-PLIT), and Fear Free® certified (fearfreepets.com).
Background
Dr. Carol Lah was born in New York and raised in Southern California by her pediatrician father (now retired) and pianist mother alongside her older brother (college guidance counselor and entrepreneur) and many dogs growing up.
Her mother‘s sudden and unexpected passing in 1999 was the most devastating and life-changing point in Dr. Lah’s life. She was able to rise out of the depth of despair with the help of loved ones, her pets’ unconditional love, and spirituality (non-religious). Her life experiences molded her perspective and viewpoint that life is precious and tenacious yet fragile and delicate at the same time. Dr. Lah sees animals as souls with the divine ability to love unconditionally without judgement. As such, animals should be treated with love, respect, and understanding. Dr Lah is grateful to be able to combine her two passions, animals and medicine, in her life’s work as a veterinarian.
Dr. Carol Lah resides in South Bay with her husband of 15 years and their four beloved pets: Angel (18 yr old Pomeranian), Bella (12 yr old Pitbull), and two 7 yr old Ragdoll mix cats named Boy Kat (aka “AliaMaow”) and Girl Kat (aka “Ariya”).
Dr. Lah’s personality type (Myers-Briggs) is ENTP:
Extraverted-iNtuitive-Thinking-Perceiving. She enjoys conversing, problem solving, researching, finding connections & patterns, and thinking outside the box.
Frequently Asked Questions
FAQs answered in first-person by Dr. Lah (updated 5/20/23)
Do you offer services “a la carte” (without an in-home visit fee)?
No. There will be a house call/exam fee for each house call including rechecks. The only exception is end-of-life care which includes the house call fee.
Do you have a brick-and-mortar clinic or van?
No.
Who will be present at the home visit and do I have to assist?
Only I will be present at the appointment so your assistance will be required. If you don't feel comfortable assisting, please find a vet who has a veterinary assistant.
Do you perform dentals in-home?
No.
How does payment work and what do you accept?
I only accept credit cards. I will bring my Square contactless reader which accepts all major credit cards and contactless pay.
Do you carry oxygen, emergency drugs, or narcotics (Tramadol, Fentanyl)?
No. Please go to your closest emergency animal hospital.
Do you offer emergency house calls?
Depends on the emergency and my availability which is limited at this time. If your pet is having dyspnea (difficulty breathing), seizure, dog bite, laceration, trauma, toxin exposure, foreign body ingestion, severe vomiting/diarrhea, or embedded foxtail (dried grass awn), go to your closest animal emergency hospital.
Is there a cancellation fee?
There will be a $75 cancellation fee if the appointment is cancelled less than 2 hours in advance.
Do you do home visits for rabbits, birds, goats, chickens, tortoises, snakes, guinea pigs, etc?
I only see dogs & cats. I don't have a referral list either.
Do you make house calls after hours?
I don't make house calls past 5 pm except for end-of-life care.
Do you deliver puppies?
No.
Do you accept pet insurance?
All veterinarians accept pet insurance. After you pay the vet bill up front, you’ll file a claim with your pet insurance to get reimbursed.
What areas do you service?
San Francisco
Daly City
Pacifica*
South San Francisco
San Bruno
Burlingame
Hillsborough
San Mateo
Foster City
Belmont
San Carlos
Redwood City
Emerald Hills
Woodside
Atherton
Menlo Park
Stanford
Palo Alto
Los Altos Hills
Los Altos
Mountain View
Sunnyvale
Cupertino
Saratoga
Los Gatos*
Monte Sereno
Campbell
Cupertino
San Jose
Morgan Hill*
(*Excluding rural areas)
Are you accepting new patients?
Yes but limited availability.
Are you closing?
No.
Can I schedule an appointment for someone else out of concern for their pet’s well being?
No. If you are concerned about a pet’s welfare, contact your city animal control so they can assess the situation.
Can you call me?
No, I don’t answer my phone nor check voicemail. I only communicate via email and text.
Do I need to put my cat in a cat carrier?
No, unless your cat feels more comfortable in the carrier. Make sure to close all bedroom doors so she/he/they can’t hide under the bed. If I’m unable to perform a physical exam due to patient’s inaccessibility or intractability, there will still be a charge of $200 for the house call and consultation.
Do I have to wear a mask?
I will always be wearing a mask unless the mask scares the canine/feline patient(s). If anyone in the household is sick or recently tested positive for COVID, the appointment needs to be rescheduled.
My pet ate _________ (fill in the blank). What should I do?
Call Pet Poison Helpline at (855) 764-7661. Consultation with veterinarian toxicology expert is $85. They will answer all your questions and formulate a treatment plan with your primary care/ER veterinarian.
