Licensed in CA, MA and NY
During a physiology course in Dr. Gail Renehan’s senior year of undergraduate studies, a professor asked her what she was planning to do after graduation. She told him she’d love to do something with wildlife, and her professor suggested working as a zoo veterinarian. It was as if a light bulb had been turned on, Dr. Renehan had never considered that a career in veterinary medicine was the perfect fit for her.
One of her most inspirational experiences came while volunteering with a fantastic organization called RAVS (Rural Area Veterinary Services) during a spay/neuter clinic in a small Mexican village. While packing up supplies on the last day of the clinic, they were presented with a homeless young dog living at the dump and her 6 puppies. The situation looked bleak, until they discovered all the puppies were male. They quickly neutered all the pups and found homes for all within several hours. The young mom had a large tumor – a type of easily treated cancer here in the US, not so for a dog without an owner in Mexico. Dr. Renehan elected to take the dog back with her to treat her, spay her and find her a home. Their journey back wasn’t without incident as the airline they were flying on didn’t fly animals, but an entire planeload of people rallied to convince the flight crew to allow the dog to fly in Dr. Renehan’s carrier at the back of the plane. Once back in Orange County, Dr. Renehan treated the dog’s tick-borne disease, her tumor, and spayed her. A few weeks into treatment, someone saw Dr. Renehan with the dog and asked about her. They instantly offered her a home. The next time the adopter arrived in the office, the dog from the Mexican dump stepped out of a Jaguar with painted nails and a giant bling-bling collar with “Reina,” her new name on it – the queen had arrived.
Dr. Renehan grew up in Rhode Island and lived and worked in New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and Massachusetts before moving to California. She came to VCA Airport Irvine Animal hospital over 14 years ago.
One of Dr. Renehan’s favorite parts of veterinary medicine is wearing all the different hats required of her. She loves working as a dermatologist, surgeon, cardiologist, pharmacist, radiologist, and groomer all at the same time. She also enjoys building lasting relationships with her clients and their pets.
At home, Dr. Renehan and her family have two dogs, named Fern and Gretzsky, a cat, Orion, and several fish.
