Patrick Mahaney, VMD

Patrick Mahaney's path to becoming a veterinarian was not the pursuit of a childhood dream, but was rather a serendipitous migration from his original plan, which was to pursue a career in marine biology or fine arts.

Shortly before submitting his acceptance letter to Boston University to study marine sciences, his well intentioned parents sat him down for a practical discussion on his future, which prompted Dr. Mahaney to reevaluate his college plans.

Being genuinely interested in disciplines involving science and art, and having kept pet fish, lizards, hermit crabs, and a dog as pets, a career in veterinary medicine seemed a logical hybrid of those interests. Dr. Mahaney entered the pre-veterinary program at the University of Delaware, and he is grateful today for his dad and mom's well-timed intervention.

Four years later he was awarded a degree in animal science and was accepted into the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine. Having always wanted to live in an urban environment, Philadelphia presented the perfect venue for him to evolve as he completed his next career step.

Post graduation, he headed to Washington, D.C. for a clinical internship at Friendship Hospital for Animals. His internship year provided innumerable eye opening experiences that greatly refined the skills and education he had received at UPenn.

Being a visual person, Dr. Mahaney had a keen interest in and appreciation for radiology, so he pursued residency training in the field. Unfortunately, his residency plans did not pan out, so he found work in general and emergency clinical practice.

Although Dr. Mahaney enjoyed aspects of both styles, he found himself seeking a deeper level of understanding of the body’s energies and how they correlate to disease processes. Having a strong interest in yoga as a means of establishing a mind-body connection and for achieving balance in his life, Dr. Mahaney became a certified veterinary acupuncturist (CVA) through the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society (IVAS) in 2006.

The tense post-9/11 environment in the nation's capitol motivated him to move west to southern California, where he relished the consistently balmy weather and creative energy fostered by the entertainment industry. Sensing that Los Angeles was going to be his home indefinitely, he started California Pet Acupuncture and Wellness (CPAW) in 2008, offering house call based integrative veterinary medicine to Los Angeles dogs and cats. Since many of his patients are geriatric or have cancer, he found a like-minded facility to offer his services: the Veterinary Cancer Group.

To satisfy his creative urges, Dr. Mahaney writes a pet health column (Patrick's Blog) and connects with animal aficionados worldwide through Q & A, videos, and radio interviews. He also guest blogs for Perez Hilton's TeddyHilton.com, Fido Friendly, i Love Dogs, Veterinary Practice News, Healthy Pets and People with Dr. Patrick on OutImpactRadio.com, MSNBC Sunday with Alex Witt, and Pet Docs On Call. Recently, he's lent his holistic veterinary perspective to Jackson Galaxy’s My Cat From Hell on Animal Planet.

The media’s obsession with "celebreality" also motivated him to create Celebrity Pet News (CPN), which puts a veterinary spin on issues pertaining to celebrities, their pets, and public health. "The Real Housedogs of Beverly Hills" is currently a hot topic on CPN, as the doggy drama runs almost as high as with the housewives of the same name.

Dr. Mahaney is also writing his first book, The Uncomfortable Vet, which will be available in 2012 through Havenhurst Books.

You can reach Patrick on Twitter (@PatrickMahaney and @CelebrityPetNws), Facebook and Celebrity Pet News, LinkedIn, and by e-mail (patrick@patrickmahaney.com).