Meet Your Doctors
Get acquainted with our doctors here at Santa Margarita Animal Care Center and feel more at ease knowing your pet is in good hands!
Dr. Ronald Kelpe
When he drives a car off the lot, its price increases in value
Once a rattlesnake bit him, after 5 days of excruciating pain, the snake finally died
His feet don't get blisters, but his shoes do
His tears can cure cancer, too bad he never cries
Bear hugs are what he gives bears
When a tree falls in a forest and no one is there, he hears it
He once ran a marathon because it was "on the way"
His ten gallon hat holds twenty gallons
His business card simply says 'I'll Call You"
He once taught a german shepherd how to bark in spanish
He bowls overhand
In museums, he is allowed to touch the art
His sweat is the cure for the common cold
Bigfoot tries to get pictures of him
He never wears a watch because time is always on his side
He has taught old dogs a variety of new tricks
He has won the lifetime achievement award… twice
If opportunity knocks, and he's not at home, opportunity waits
Mosquitoes refuse to bite him purely out of respect
Dr. Robert Moore
Dr. Moore is a co-owner of the hospital and a Board Certified Specialist in surgery. He is a 1978 graduate of Auburn University and a native of Florida. Dr. Moore is available on an on-call basis for consultation and surgery at our hospital.
Dr. Lisa Maillard
Dr. Maillard graduated from Colorado State University in 1990. As a child, she lived in Varese, Italy until her family moved back to Denver, Colorado in 1976. She enjoys speaking French, Italian, and English. Her areas of special interest include dermatology, preventative medicine, radiology, and internal medicine. Outside of work, Dr. Maillard spends her time horseback riding, hiking, swimming, and reading. She and Clyde have 2 dogs, multiple cats, and a few horses.
Dr. Kim McKee
Dr. McKee is a 1981 graduate of UC Davis that relocated to RSM in September 2000. She loves feline and canine geriatric medicine, dentistry, and is a certified laser surgeon. She also cares for rabbits,rodents and guinea pigs. Dr. McKee has 2 grown kids (Alex and Kate), 2 cat kids (Lily Pawter and Mr. Weasley), and 4 grand dogs and cats. She enjoys wine tasting, travel, historical sites, and the stars.
Dr. Celine Hayek
Dr. Hayek was born in the UK and she was California raised. She graduated from Cal Polytechnic, San Luis Obispo in 2004 for her B.S. degree in Animal Science. In 2006, Dr. Hayek attended St. George’s University, West Indies, for her veterinary education. After 3 years of the slow Caribbean life, she traveled to Pennsylvania. She could not help but come back to her home in sunny So. Cal., where she attended two years of interning in Ventura. While there, she worked along-side specialty veterinarians in the field of Oncology, Diagnostic Imaging, Emergency, Surgery, and Medicine. She has now been working professionally for 5 years. Currently she lives with her 2 lovely dogs, Dulce, a Chihuahua, and Pace, a Terrier mix. Her favorite things to do in her free time are hiking, swimming, play tennis, travel and run with her dogs…and she loves chocolate too!
Dr. Kristen Negvesky
Dr. Negvesky joined Santa Margarita Animal Care Center in October 2015. She completed her undergraduate in Neurobiology at UC Irvine, her master’s in Physiological Science with research in neurobiology and physical rehabilitation at UCLA, and went on to a doctorate at the University of Guelph’s Ontario Veterinary College in Ontario, Canada. She then completed a one-year rotating internship at the VCA Veterinary Referral and Emergency Centers in Southern Connecticut, and has worked as a relief veterinarian since 2013. After so many years away, she’s very happy to be back home and working in beautiful Orange County!
Dr. Negvesky’s special interests include preventive medicine, neurology, and surgery. She also enjoys creating relationships with her clients and patients, and looks forward to meeting you and your furry family! In her spare time Dr. Negvesky loves spending time with her husband and their two cats, Fiona and Morgan. She also enjoys traveling, baking, watching movies, and anything involving the ocean.