Longtime local animal caregiver to retire
By Nancy Needham nancy@theacorn.com

Leslie Schwartz, DVM

Hills and open fields surrounded the Conejo Valley in 1974 when veterinarian Dr. Leslie Schwartz first fell in love with the area and opened his practice here.

For more than three decades he's treated more than 150,000 dogs and cats who've come to Arboles Animal Clinic in the shopping center on the corner of Moorpark and Avenida de Los Arboles. On Aug. 31 he'll retire.

"This was the first shopping center veterinary practice in Thousand Oaks, and we had to do a lot of convincing for the planning commission to let us do it," Schwartz recalled.

The clinic opened by Thrifty drug store, where people would get 5-cent ice cream cones. It's now Rite Aid and a single-scoop ice cream cone costs 99 cents. Trader Joe's is also in the center, along with a nail spa, a doughnut shop, a bakery, restaurants and Blockbuster Video.

"People would ride horses over here. There were pastures everywhere. It was a very relaxed, small town," he said. "Before The Oaks mall was built, this was just a small town."

Schwartz has witnessed many other changes over the year.

Decades ago animals were treated for a number of medical conditions that are now rare, he said. Among the problems he once saw regularly were skin disorders caused by fleas. Now there are flea prevention treatments, he said.

Immunizations for distemper and feline leukemia have practically eliminated those serious diseases, he said. When he began, there was no canine parvovirus. Since it first appeared in the late 1970s, a vaccination was developed to prevent that disease, too. Also, new diagnostic tests developed for senior dogs can direct vets to preventive care that can add years to their lives, he said.

If someone had told him when he graduated from Auburn University as a vet in 1971 that he would someday be specializing in laser surgery, Schwartz said he wouldn't have believed it.

"Lasers were so futuristic," he said. "Now I never say something isn't possible."

Computers came to his office in 1988 and changed everything, said Kandi Dunning, the veterinarian's assistant for more than 25 years.

Something that hasn't changed is how many dogs are bitten by rattlesnakes.

"I don't think people realize how many rattlesnake bites of pets there are in Thousand Oaks," Schwartz said. "Some years we've had over 20."

Now, an annual rattlesnake bite vaccine can mitigate the effects of the venom and save a dog's life, he said.

Among Schwartz's admirers is Dr. Thomas Baker, a physician who treats people. Baker has brought his pets to Schwartz and was very impressed by the doctor's expertise.

"He's one of the best medical persons of any kind I've ever met- he's a class act and a gentleman. My dogs are happy to go see him," Baker said. "He does a great job of preventative medicine with a lot of common sense that we don't (always) think of."

"He's a people person and a pet person, Dunning said. "People bring their animals in, but when they leave he knows all about their families, their work and what's important to them. He's a one of a kind, an old-fashioned vet. I'm going to be sad when he's gone."

After Schwartz retires, the Agoura resident plans to travel the country with his wife, Toni, in a motor home, promoting his company, Brush Creek Organic Foods (for human consumption). He's especially excited about the flaxseed he sells and calls it "the finest in the world."

Schwartz and his wife have four grown children, four grandchildren and another grandchild on the way.

"God has blessed me. I have lived and worked in one of the greatest places to live, and I couldn't have asked for a better clientele. I love and thank every one of them," the veterinarian said.