Veterinary Public Health


Pet Health Calendar
Contact Information
Veterinary Public Health Program
313 N Figueroa St. Rm 1127
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Tel (213) 288-7060
Fax (213) 481-2375
vet@ph.lacounty.gov
Adobe Reader
Get Adobe Reader icon
Note: PDF documents on this site were created using Adobe Acrobat 5.0 or later. If you are using an earlier version of Adobe Acrobat Reader (4.x or less), document functionality may be reduced.
 
About Us

 

Who we are: 

 

The Veterinary Public Health program (VPH) is an integral part of  the Los Angeles County  Department of Public Health. We work by improving human health through a One Health approach. Our jurisdiction includes all of Los Angeles County, except the cities of Long Beach, Vernon and Pasadena. We are staffed by veterinarians, animal sanitation inspectors, registered veterinary technicians (RVT), and administrative staff to uphold our mission and reach our vision.

 

  • Mission: To take advantage of the relationships between human and animal health in order to promote a healthy community environment for residents of Los Angeles County.

  •  Vision: The residents of Los Angeles County are protected from zoonoses and animals are free of reportable diseases.

 

 

What is One Health: 

 

Did you know that humans and animals can suffer from the same diseases? The World Health Organization reports that over half of human infectious diseases originally come from animals1, also known as zoonoses. This concept that human health is related to animal and environmental health is known as One Health2.

 

What we do:

 

  • Animal disease surveillance and outbreak investigationsPuppy health inspection done at LAX

    • Knowing which animal diseases are present in our county helps veterinarians keeping people and pets healthy locally

    • Through surveillance of West Nile virus in dead crows, we can predict human outbreaks

    • Reportable animal diseases list in our county

 

  • Animal bites & rabies control

    • All animal bites are reportable to us

    • Pets that have bitten people are usually quarantined at home under the owner's care

   

  • Animal import inspections

    • Pets imported from abroad can bring in diseases into the US

    • VPH works at Los Angeles International airport (LAX) to ensure that pets entering our county are healthy

  

  

  • Public outreach and education

    • We can provide specific groups with educational presentations regarding veterinary public health issues in our county

    • VPH designs and distributes educational flyers and other documents to ensure that the public is aware of local risks to their families' and pet's health

    • Click here for a link to our flyers and other educational materials

  

  • Student training

    • Graduate and veterinary students can volunteer with us and help on a variety of projects

    • If you are interested, contact us at the email on the left

  

  • Collaboration and research with other agencies and professionals

    • We work with different universities, laboratories and local leaders to promote public health in our county

 

Useful Links:

 

Veterinary Public Health-Working for Youpdf icon162023, English/Espaņol

Reporting bites

Reporting dead birds

Quick link to reporting forms

Animal Disease Information

Pet vaccination information and low-cost vaccine clinics

Animal control agencies in Los Angeles County

Last updated February 13, 2024

 
Public Health has made reasonable efforts to provide accurate translation. However, no computerized translation is perfect and is not intended to replace traditional translation methods. If questions arise concerning the accuracy of the information, please refer to the English edition of the website, which is the official version.
Los Angeles County Seal: Enriching lives through effective and caring services