Veterinarian in Temecula & Murrieta
Temecula Valley Animal Hospital has FEAR FREE certified veterinary professionals.
Where quality medical care meets quality client care.
COMPASSION
Compassion towards their needs.
ACTION
Action to better their situation.
RESOLVE
Resolve to enhance their lives.
ENDURING
Enduring commitment of their cause.
Preventive Services
Physical exams, consultations, preventive medicine, blood work, vaccines, and wellness programs.
Spay & Neuter
Spay and neuter procedures available for both dogs and cats.
Surgical Procedures
If your pet has been injured or requires surgery, we provide services in a manner comforting to the animal AND the owner!
Pharmacy
No need to make a special trip to a pharmacy or order online, we can fill your pet’s prescriptions quickly and affordably.
Meet Dr. Lara Downs
Bringing Care and Compassion into the Life of Your Pet

Lara Downs, DVM
Medical Director
Lara Downs, DVM studied at Western University, the first veterinary school in the nation to provide a curriculum through problem based learning, nurturing and strengthening the investigative and communicative nature of veterinary professionals. Dr. Downs graduated as a member of the charter class from Western University in 2007, with Betty Whites’ blessing, as the keynote speaker!
Shortly after graduation, Lara, her husband Dan, and their many fur & feathered animals moved to live, work and play in the Temecula Valley. Her fur and feathered family now consists of two female dogs Shay & Soleil, three male cats Crookshanks, Modelo, and Pinot, and one cheeky male Senegal parrot named Buki!
During four summers as a youth, Lara volunteered at the San Diego Zoo, and loved it! Even as she discovered and pursued varied interests in life, whether performing classical piano or various forms of dance, the care of animals had always been her strongest passion.
Dr. Downs has been constantly and deeply involved in the care of animals since 1996.
Dr. Downs is continually committed to her community through outreach programs, to benefit both humans and animals. She has run half marathons to benefit health organizations, performed ballets to raise funds for the Marine’s Wounded Warrior Project, has put much muscle and sweat in helping to build the Huntington Beach Wildlife Preserve, and often volunteers her medical care to various causes, such as Nurtured by Nature.
Dr. D. is a Fear Free Certified Veterinary Professional, and is happy to have created a healthy practice, which embodies a positive, diligent, efficient and productive environment in which to care for our patients, and please their owners.