Life, Values & Legacy: Our Chat with Dr. Patrick Mahaney of West Hollywood

Dr. Patrick Mahaney shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Hi Patrick, thank you for taking the time to reflect back on your journey with us. I think our readers are in for a real treat. There is so much we can all learn from each other and so thank you again for opening up with us. Let’s get into it: What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?
The first 90 minutes of my weekdays encompass striving to prepare for what is generally a busy day of patient care and also take care of my own wellness needs. While still in bed I check my phone for urgent client/patient requests that have come in overnight via email, phone, or text. I then get working on my coffee and vegetable/fruit/protein smoothies that help provide some healthy sustenance on the go for my husband and me during our days seeing veterinary house call appointments (where stopping for lunch usually is not an option). As maintaining my physical and mental health is a daily priority, I squeeze a weight workout, run, or pilates or yoga session into my morning to set up my body and brain to deal with the stressors of what are generally many focused hours managing my client and patient needs.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Dr. Patrick Mahaney, a holistic, house-call veterinarian providing a personal level of veterinary services in my clients’ homes.

I dedicate time every day to managing my numerous client requests and am able to manage complex medical and other pet logistical needs (travel, in-home caretaking, household staff training, etc.).

Besides being holistically trained and having a Chinese-medicine background, I also have extensive internal medicine experience stemming from over 25 years working as a practicing veterinarian. I also am readily able to refer my patients to area specialists (internal medicine, cardiology, oncology, etc.) and emergency practices for care above what I’m able to offer, whereas often it is a longer and more-challenging process for clients to arrange for such services on their own.

One of the most-exciting aspects of my house-call practice is that I have many clients that work in the realm of the arts and entertainment as talent or business management. Such gives me a behind the scenes look at famous peoples’ lives that I otherwise would never get to experience.

In addition to running my own veterinary clinical practice, I’m also part-owner and chief veterinary officer of PURE (www.hellopure.com), which is LA-based and offers human-grade, cooked, whole-food, meals and treats for dogs. As I’m a big believer in the power of whole foods in promoting my health, I take the same approach for my patients.

I also serve as on the veterinary advisory board for Vetnique Labs (www.vetnique.com), which is a veterinarian-founded company having a diverse range of products to support dog and cat health and grooming needs.

Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. Who taught you the most about work?
My parents taught me the most about work, as my Dad and Mom had active careers in business and real estate (respectively).

As children, my siblings and I were responsible for weekly indoor and outdoor chores. We earned an allowance for the completion of our chores, but my father often assigned additional tasks just when we were finishing our assignments for the week.

As a result, I learned to be flexible in accommodating additional work requests and strive to carry that willingness to go above and beyond in my house-call veterinary practice.

Do you remember a time someone truly listened to you?
I remember during my first year of veterinary practice in 1999 as an intern at Friendship Hospital for Animals in Washington, DC where I had a complicated case present for emergency assessment and a local veterinarian called the hospital in attempt to exert control over how I approached the case in a manner that made me suspect that the patient’s issues were different and more severe than those being communicated by the local veterinarian. I consulted with my veterinary supervisor who recommended that I take the lead in examining the patient and determining appropriate diagnostics and treatment. Ultimately, my clinical concerns were correct. This made me feel well-heard and respected and gave me confidence about my abilities as a practitioner.

I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. Is the public version of you the real you?
Yes, the public version of me is the real me. In how I lead my day-to-day life, I strive to convey that I have an understanding of how to care for my physical and mental health and therefore can do the same for my canine and feline patients.

Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. When do you feel most at peace?
I feel most at peace when I don’t have any urgent client or patient care issues to manage and am caught up on all of my case management correspondence. Additionally, getting out of Los Angeles to where my husband and I have a second home in Cupertino, CA that is on a hilltop with incredible views of Silicon Valley and is surrounded by nature puts my psyche at ease.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.patrickmahaney.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/patrickmahaney/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickmahaney