Vet Spotlight: Dr. José Gonzalez
Dr. Gonzalez brings outdoor experience and a love of sporting breeds to his California practice
Dr. José Gonzalez: “I truly admire the commitment the owners have with the dogs. To them the dogs come first.”
Welcome to Vet Spotlight, a profile series where we highlight members in the Hunt.Vet directory.
SoCal has an incredible hunting dog resource in Dr. José Gonzalez. From his practice in Chino, Dr. Gonzalez sees sporting dogs involved in a variety of seasonal hunt tests and trials. He also donates his time to educate the sporting dog public on a variety of topics regarding canine health and performance.
A passionate outdoorsman, Dr. Gonzalez was one of our very first verified Hunt.Vet members.
HV: What inspired you to become a veterinarian?
JG: I was inspired to become a veterinarian by my love for science and the want to give back to my community by preserving the human-animal bond.
HV: How did you get into working with sporting dogs specifically?
JG: My first interaction with working dogs was when I was an intern for Chippewa Kennel in Corvallis, Oregon. My preceptor and mentor was Dr. Howard Meyer. He was the first person to achieve a prize 1 UT dog out of the state of Oregon with his stud dog, Buck (Chippewa Starbuck). I was involved in his breeding and training program. From that point on, I knew I wanted to be around working dogs for the rest of my life.
HV: What kinds of sporting dog cases do you see most often in your practice?
JG: I see all sorts of working dogs that compete in different sports; ranging from NSTRA, NAVHDA, German hunting tests, AKC Hunting dogs, AKC Field Trials dogs, French Ring, PSA to retired police K9.
Most of the common cases are limb injuries and soft tissue trauma.
HV: What’s one simple thing owners can do at home to keep their dogs healthier in the field
JG: Feeding a well balanced diet. I recommend diets from companies such as Hill’s Science, Royal Canin and Purina Pro Plan.
HV: Do you have a go-to product or piece of gear you recommend to your sporting dog clients?
JG: If I could only pick one piece of equipment it would be a Garmin train and track collar. For a go-to product, I always recommend having Fortiflora for those cases of acute onset diarrhea.
HV: What’s the one sporting dog trait you admire most?
JG: I truly admire the commitment the owners have with the dogs. To them the dogs come first.
In terms of the dogs themselves, I admire how calm and collected they are.
HV: Why did you join Hunt.Vet?
JG: I believe Hunt.Vet fills in a huge gap that the sporting dogs community was lacking. It’s a great resource for sporting dog owners to find veterinarians in their area who are familiar with their dog's breed and working tasks. Hunt. Vet is there for the working dogs.
