Welcome to Elkhorn Plaza Veterinary Clinic

Elkhorn Plaza Veterinary Clinic opened Nov 22, 1977, as one of the original tenants of the Elkhorn Plaza Shopping Center. Our services are primarily out-patient in nature and limit care to dogs and cats. We are able to meet the needs of over 95% of the patients that are presented to us, with most surgical cases going home the same day. While the clinic and staff are small, we strive to provide the very best in veterinary care for the pets of our clients, either in house or by referral to one of the many specialists in the Sacramento area and/or the University of California Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital in Davis. Patients that require long term or specialized care are referred to one of the local 24 hour hospitals in the area. We have strived to keep this like an old-fashioned family practice, with many clients being with us for well over 20 years, a few for over 30 years.

Doctor

Dr. Daniel R. Lawer, owner and sole veterinarian, graduated from Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine in June, 1970. He entered active duty in the US Air Force Veterinary Corp as a captain in September 1970 with assignments at Chanute AFB, IL (Oct 1970-May 1972, Ubon RTAFB, Thailand (May 1972-May 1973) and McClellan AFB, CA (May 1973 – April 1977). He separated from the Air Force in April, 1977 and opened this clinic 6 months later.

He has been an active member of the Sacramento Valley Veterinary Medical Association since 1973 and is a past-president of the association. In January 2008 he was made a Distinguished Life Member of the association.

In addition to veterinary medicine, Dr. Lawer has been active in the Sacramento Dog Training Club since 1979, the Sacramento-Sierra Norwegian Elkhound Club since 1992 and in AKC performance events, such as obedience and tracking, since 1979.

He has been an approved judge for licensed AKC tracking events since 1983. He retired from judging in 2008. He also is very active in the Sacramento Genealogical Society and the Sun River Church choir and loves to garden. He served on the Health and Research Committee of the Norwegian Elkhound Association of America from 1998 – 2003.

Dr. Lawer and wife Betty were married April 5, 2008. He has a daughter and 2 grand-daughters in San Diego, CA, in addition to 2 step-children in Roseville, CA. His wife Betty has one daughter by a prior marriage. They share their home in Sacramento with Norwegian Elkhounds and a cat. While all of the dogs are now retired, they were shown in AKC conformation, obedience and tracking in the past. Two had been active in pet facilitated therapy.

Staff

Dr. Lawer is currently the only full time employee of the clinic. Since September 2005 he has utilized Animal Health Technician students from Carrington College California to assist in surgery and dentistry, providing them needed in-clinic training as part of their education. There is a resident cat at the clinic – Snickers – who meets and greets almost everybody who enters. A box turtle (Henrietta) also shares the reception area at the clinic.

Services & Policies

The clinic provides basic medical care for its patients, including vaccinations, surgery and dentistry. Many specialized surgeries can be done in-house by a mobile board certified surgeon. More complicated procedures are referred to near-by specialists in cardiology, dentistry, dermatology, ophthalmology, internal medicine, surgery and radiology. The clinic has a VetTest blood analyzer in-house for basic blood chemistry tests and access to a complete diagnostic laboratory (Idexx) in West Sacramento via courier service. It utilizes an anesthetic monitor that checks EKG, blood pressure and blood oxygen levels for most anesthetic procedures.The clinic accepts cash, checks, VISA, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express as payment options. Charges for all services must be paid at the time the visit.

Tour

Pets

Snickers

Clinic Hours

Monday: 9 a.m. – noon, 2 p.m. – 6 p.m.

Tuesday: 9 a.m. – noon, 2 p.m. – 6 p.m.

Wednesday: Closed

Thursday: 9 a.m. – noon, 2 p.m. – 6 p.m.

Friday: 9 a.m. – noon, 2 p.m. – 6 p.m.

Saturday: 9 a.m. – noon

Sunday: Closed

The clinic is closed New Years Day, Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.

After hour emergencies can be taken to any of these 24-hour hospitals:

Atlantic Street Veterinary Hospital, 1100 Atlantic Street, Roseville – 783-4655
Loomis Basin Veterinary Clinic, 3901 Sierra College Blvd, Loomis – 652-5816

Answering machines answer the telephone lines when the office is closed or when the staff is occupied in patient care or assisting other clients. Messages will be returned as soon as possible.

Appointments are preferred for all visits. For emergencies during normal office hours it is best to call ahead to make certain Dr. Lawer is available to see the problem. Appointments are generally available within 1-2 days for most routine services.