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. Dr. Lah obtained her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) degree from UC Davis in 2014. Since then, she worked in various private animal hospitals for 4 years prior to working as a mobile vet for Vetted PetCare in 2018. Following Vetted’s closure in 2020, Dr. Lah started her own mobile service to continue providing high quality, tailored medical care for her feline/canine patients.
Dr. Lah is licensed (#20575) to practice veterinary medicine in California, insured (AVMA-PLIT),
USDA accredited (Category I: dogs, cats), and
Fear Free® certified (fearfreepets.com).
Background
Dr. Carol Lah was born in New York and raised in Southern California by her pediatrician father (retired) and pianist mother alongside her older brother (college guidance counselor) and many dogs growing up.
Her mother’s unexpected passing in 1999 marked a turning point in Dr. Lah’s life when she was 18 years old. She was able to rise out of the depth of despair with the help of her pets’ unconditional love and spirituality (currently non-religious). She views animals as souls that light our paths with unwavering love, loyalty, and stability. 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 beloved pets: Angel (18 yr old Pomeranian), Bella (12 yr old Pitbull), and two 8-yr-old Ragdoll mix cats named Boy Kat (aka “AliaMaow”) and Girl Kat (aka “Ariya”). Dr. Lah recently adopted a Boxer/Rottweiler puppy named Bodhi. Last but not least, Dr. Lah has a small collection of pet spiders (Regal jumping spiders and Trinidad pink tarantula).
Update: Angel and Bella transitioned over rainbow bridge on 6/27/2023 and 7/10/2023 respectively and reunited with our first pomeranian, Niko (2002 - 2017). We miss and thank them for bringing love and joy into our lives for many years.
Dr. Lah’s MBTI personality type is ENTP (Extraverted-iNtuitive-Thinking-Perceiving). She enjoys conversing, problem solving, researching, discovering connections & patterns, thinking outside the box, and breaking the mold.
Frequently Asked Questions
FAQs answered in first-person by Dr. Lah (updated 11/22/23)
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. I can make a recommendation for brick-and-mortar clinic after I examine your pet.
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.
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 an emergency animal 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 and I don't have a referral list.
Do you make house calls after hours?
I don't make house calls past 5 pm except for end-of-life care on a case-by-case basis.
Do you deliver puppies?
No.
Do you accept pet insurance?
All veterinarians accept pet insurance. After you pay the vet bill, you’ll file a claim with your pet insurance to get reimbursed.
What areas do you service*?
San Francisco
Daly City
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
*excluding unincorporated foothills
Are you accepting new patients?
Yes on case-by-case basis.
Are you closing?
No.
Can I schedule an appointment for someone else out of concern for their pet’s well being?
If you are concerned about a pet’s welfare, contact your city animal control so they can assess the situation.
Can you call me?
I don’t do phone calls. 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 be wearing a mask indoors 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.
Do I need to fill out written documentation authorizing pet euthanasia?
No. In the state of California, verbal consent by pet owner is required for euthanasia authorization. The veterinarian is required to document client communication in pet’s medical file. Written authorization signed by pet owner is not required in CA but often implemented for documentation purposes. Veterinarians are legally required to keep medical records for 3 years (though many vets keep electronic records for longer). See California Code of Regulations listed under Resources.
