Laguna Beach Veterinary Medical Center, less than a mile up Laguna Canyon from downtown Laguna Beach, is owned by Dr. Mukhtar.

Dr. Mukhtar gives Laguna Beach pets and their people a healthy dose of the area’s highest level of state-of-the-art vet care with genuinely friendly hospitality.

Our entire staff of receptionists, technicians and assistants emulate that warm, friendly “vibe.” For us here at Laguna Beach Vet, it is every bit as important as the advanced care we provide our patients.

About Dr. Mukhtar, Laguna Beach Veterinary Medical Center

Dr. Mukhtar is the chief veterinarian here at Laguna Beach Veterinary Medical Center. Dr. Mukhtar did his PhD. in Microbiology and Immunology. After years of antibody and infectious disease research, Dr. Mukhtar started working as Small Animal Veterinarian in 2016 to pursue his passion of helping pets in Boston, Massachusetts. At the start of 2018, he moved back to Orange County, California to enjoy the beautiful sunny weather. Dr. Mukhtar has immense interest in diagnosis and treatment of metabolic and infectious disease of dog and cats. He spent a lot of time and effort to devise various methods to help early diagnosis of small animal diseases. Dr. Mukhtar strongly believes in preventive medicine and also has a focused passion for soft tissue surgeries, dentistry and treating complex illnesses.  Dr. Mukhtar and his team are here to give your pets the love and attention they deserve to live long and healthy lives.

Dr. Mukhtar did his post-doctoral fellowship on antibody engineering from Harvard Medical School after completing his master’s degree and PhD in microbiology. He has special interest in the role of antibodies in protecting pets against infectious diseases, seasonal and environmental allergies. Dr. Mukhtar also worked for Pfizer doing anti-cancer research by developing next generation antibodies.

After completion of Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Mukhtar obtained his Veterinary License through University of Mississippi and obtained advanced training in Soft Tissue Surgeries from Western Veterinary Conference, Las Vegas.  He worked many years as veterinary technician before obtaining his Veterinary License.

Dr. Mukhtar has lived in 3 different countries and 4 states in the U.S. before permanently settling in Southern California. He enjoys playing badminton, long walks and spending time with his wife and 2 kids.

Geneva, Veterinarian Technician

Geneva was born and raised in Mission Viejo, California, and has always had a deep love for animals. Her passion for animal care began with her many childhood pets which inspired her to look for a career that involved working with animals. After a two year stint at a specialty pet food store, she realized that she wanted to work more hands on with animals. Thus, she investigated the veterinary field which led her to LBVMC. She joined the team in 2016 where her pet care skills have exponentially grown since her arrival. With her utmost attention to detail, your pet will always be in good hands with Geneva as she is highly skilled at monitoring pets and will help put your pets at ease during their visit with her cheery spirit. Every day, she brings her captivating smile and her big heart which is capable of loving any pet that comes through our doors.

On her days off, Geneva likes to take her dog, Baxter, for adventure walks, spend time with her cat, Pixel, outdoors while leashed, and spend time with her husband. Her hobbies include knitting, reading, playing video games, and caring for her garden. 

Penny, Veterinarian Assistant

Penny was born in Taiwan and moved to Southern California at the age of 5. Her affinity for animals began when she got her first dog, a dalmation. Penny joined our team in March of 2020 while finishing her degree from University of California, Irvine. She graduated from UCI in June of 2020 with a B.S. in Biological Sciences and a minor in Film and Media Studies. During her time at UCI, she studied abroad in Melbourne, Australia contributing to research on the impacts on herbivore populations, such as kangaroos and wallabies. She brings a great calming aurora to our team that is especially helpful in calming down stressed pets. Penny’s time with us is spent preparing for her for her applications for veterinary school. Once she earns her DVM, she hopes to one day open a non-profit to fix and rehome stray dogs from Taiwan.

During Penny’s time off, she enjoys cuddling up next to her dog, Kenna, and watching a good show or movie with her. She also enjoys traveling to new countries and experiencing new cultures; her next dream destination is Zimbabwe. 

Hope, Veterinarian Assistant

Hope is native to Southern California where she completed her undergraduate studies at the University of California, San Diego and obtained a B.S. in Marine Biology in 2020 with a minor in Photography and Art History. Shortly after graduating, she joined our team and quickly came to the realization that the veterinary field is the place for her. She is now planning to pursue her DVM, a childhood dream of hers, by continuing to gain valuable experience on the daily. She hopes to run her own veterinary practice one day, just like Dr. M but is also interested in working as a veterinarian for an aquarium where she could care for marine mammals. Hope brings great attention to care and she will always make sure your pets are getting more than enough attention while under our watch. She has even been known to get into the kennel when pets are coming out of anesthesia to comfort them as they wake up.

Beyond our hospital doors, Hope enjoys taking her dogs, Lakota and Lucy, on long walks at the park and at the beach. When she is not taking care of her pets, she enjoys shooting digital and film photography, going on hikes, and snowboarding in Mammoth.