Today we’d like to introduce you to Kellie Lam.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
It started with a sound – a soft but frantic chirping that made me stop mid-step on my evening stroll through the neighborhood. I turned toward the noise, squinting into the shadows until I spotted it – a tiny, mostly bald, helpless hatchling trembling at the base of a tree. I hesitated before picking it up, scanning the branches in hopes of finding a nest or mother bird nearby. But neither was to be found.
So, I did the one thing that felt right – I scooped it up and took it home.
That tiny bird became my first patient, my lesson in compassion, and the spark that lit my lifelong passion for veterinary medicine. I named it Gomez, a befitting name for a bird whose gender I couldn’t tell at the time but whose will to survive was undeniable.
Caring for Gomez was equal parts exhausting and magical. I bought books, scoured the internet, and asked every question I could at the local pet store. I weighed and fed Gomez every two hours, carrying the shoebox turned nursery with me to work. I crawled across the grass to show it how to find worms and even bought a ten foot tree to help it learn to fly. The house was covered in plastic to protect against droppings, but I didn’t mind. Three months later, I watched Gomez take flight for the last time. It was bittersweet – freedom for the bird, fulfillment for me. I didn’t know it then, but that little hatchling had set the course for the rest of my life.
Fast forward to today, and that experience has come full circle. Gomez was the beginning, and Aspire Veterinary Center, the clinic I founded, is the dream that grew from it.
After earning my veterinary degree, I knew i wanted to create something different. Through the guidance of incredible mentors like Dr. David Ruppert and Dr. David Beltran, I learned that good medicine is about more than knowledge – it’s about connections. That truth hits home when my own Chihuahua began showing the signs of aging: heart disease, a collapsing trachea, kidney issues, and arthritis. Caring for him reminded me of Gomez – the fragility of a baby bird mirrored in the vulnerability of an old dog. Life and death, I realized, both demand the same tenderness.
When I opened Aspire Veterinary Center, I built it around that belief. Our approach is personal, gentle, and customized for every pet. Medicine isn’t one size fits all – it’s about listening; listening to the pet parents who know their companions best, listening to the cues each animal gives us. Most times that means getting down on the floor instead of using an exam table, or offering treats until a nervous pet feels safe enough to trust us.
We encourage anxious pets to visit multiple times before an exam or procedure so they can acclimate, and we welcome pet parents to stay nearby. Our open concept design lets parents watch how their pets are cared for – because trust should go both ways. Our collaborative approach includes a team of specialists – internist, cardiologist, surgeon, criticalist, and soon, a dentist – with plans to include a neurologist and oncologist.
Even our boarding services reflect that philosophy. We don’t just house pets – we make them feel at home. Some enjoy “beach days” or cozy nights in our own homes. We take in only what we can handle, because quality always comes before quantity.
But my vision doesn’t stop there. My dream is to one day open a facility that provides the same level of compassionate, high quality care for homeless pets – because every animal deserves to be treated with dignity.
From that tiny chirping hatchling to the patients who walk through my clinic doors today, this journey has always been about one thing: love expressed through care.
Gomez taught me that saving one small life can change your own forever – and that’s at the heart of Aspire Veterinary Center.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
If the eyes are indeed the windows to the soul, then I have stared into countless souls.
Each day, I sit on the clinic floor and meet their gaze: eyes filled with fear, pain, and a silent plea for help. The aged cat with chronic kidney disease, the puppy battling Parvovirus, the young dog who swallowed something he shouldn’t have – they don’t understand why they feel unwell. They just know they do, and their eyes ask me the question I can’t ignore: Please, help me feel better.
I’ve trained for years to do just that. My education and clinical experience have taught me how to heal, diagnose, and save. But in veterinary medicine, compassion and skills are not always enough. I’m often bound, not by medical limitations, but by financial ones.
Unlike in human healthcare, where insurance or state programs can soften the burden, veterinary care is almost entirely out-of-pocket. And as the cost of medications and supplies continues to climb, I find myself caught between what I know is possible and what is financially feasible. It’s a quiet heartbreak.
We do our best every day. We innovate, we improvise, and we pour our hearts into our patients. But sometimes, our best isn’t enough. That truth weighs heavily.
That’s why I dream of something more: opening a facility where every pet, regardless of circumstance, receives top quality care. A place where the only thing that matters is the soul looking back at me through those eyes, trusting me to make them whole again.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
At our general practice veterinary clinic, we care for pets through every stage of life. We offer wellness exams, vaccines, sick visits, urgent care, dentistry, soft tissue surgery, rehabilitation, and holistic treatments.
In addition to general care, we offer advanced services in internal medicine, cardiology and orthopedic surgery. Our clinic is equipped with state of the art diagnostic technology, including digital x-rays, ultrasound, CT imaging, tonometry, video capsule endoscopy. These tools allow us to diagnose and treat a wide range of conditions.
We also provide alternative and integrative therapies such as acupuncture, electrical stimulation (E-Stim), therapeutic laser treatments, and pulse electromagnetic field (PEMF) therapy to promote healing, reduce pain, and support recovery.
For surgical and anesthetic procedures, we utilized advanced anesthetic monitoring systems and equipment (capnography, Doppler blood pressure monitoring, pulse oximetry, ECG, Temperature, Plethysmography) and ventilator to ensure the highest level of safety and care for every patient.
Our philosophy combines the strength of Eastern and Western medicine, embracing a total body approach that emphasizes balance, prevention, healing, and overall wellness.
Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
We focus on patient comfort, taking every step to make each visit or hospitalization as calm and stress free as possible. We give our patients time to acclimate to their surroundings and carefully select equipment that minimizes discomfort – for example, using adhesive drapes instead of clips during surgery. When pets are anxious, we dim the lights to create a soothing environment, and during hospitalization, we play gentle, relaxing music to help them feel at ease.
We also welcome pet parents to stay with their companions if they wish, and we encourage bringing familiar items from home – such as a favorite blanket or an article of clothing so their pet can always feel the comforting scent of their owner nearby.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://aspirevetcenter.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aspirevetcenter/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aspirevetcenter/
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