Jessie Sanders, DVM, DABVP (Fish Practice) - Chief Veterinarian
Dr. Sanders is the owner and Chief Veterinarian of Aquatic Veterinary Services. She attended Tufts University for her DVM and holds a B.S. in Marine Biology from the University of Rhode Island. She is a certified aquatic veterinarian through the World Aquatic Veterinary Medical Association. She is one of the first board certified veterinarians in fish practice through the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners.
Dr. Sanders was the 2020 President of the American Association of Fish Veterinarians and served as the Private Practice chair on the Aquatic Veterinary Medicine Committee of the American Veterinary Medical Association. Dr. Sanders is a frequent speaker at many national veterinary conferences.
With USDA Level II Accreditation, Dr. Sanders is able to sign off on Certificates of Veterinary Inspection (CVIs) for fish entering or leaving the country and Veterinary Feed Directives (VFDs) providing medicated feed for fish in need.
More information about Dr. Sanders is available on her website. Click here to read about how she got started in aquatic veterinary medicine.
Sara, Practice Manager
Sara is our practice manager and has been with Aquatic Veterinary Services since 2015. She started out volunteering to assist with different surgical procedures as our anesthesiologist. Sara is an expert when it comes to fish husbandry and is the voice of Aquatic Veterinary Services.
Sara enjoys spending her free time with her husband, son and two dogs.
Adam, Weekend Manager
Adam is our weekend manager and manages our phones and scheduling. Joining us in September 2019 to cover Sara’s maternity leave, we just couldn’t let him leave! He takes the time to seamlessly transition our staff from week to week while managing his own salsa company.
Our Veterinary Partners
Aquatic Pet Vet - Southern California
For our clients in Santa Barbara, Ventura and Los Angeles counties, we have partnered with Dr. Christina Dover, CertAqV of the Aquatic Pet Vet. She offers mobile veterinary service for fish and is excellent at what she does!
Aquatic Veterinary Services is an Accredited Veterinarian with the USDA
Aquatic Veterinary Services can help you with overseas exports (CVI) and medicated feed (VFD)! Dr. Jessie Sanders is a Level II Accredited Veterinarian with the USDA. We are able to sign off on all aquatic products for shipment overseas. If you have a specific request in mind, please contact us at (831) 278-1081.
Our Story
One of my colleagues likes to start all of his speaking engagements by asking the following question:
If you walk up to any random person on the street and ask them for help with your pet fish, what will they tell you to do?
A. David Scarfe PhD, DVM, MRSSAf, CertAqV
Here are the top answers:
- Look it up on the internet.
- Ask the people at the pet store.
- Flush it.
No where on this list does it mention a veterinarian! To be honest, most veterinarians wouldn't know what to do with a fish if it came through their door. Pet fish are a severely under-served collection of pets. Fish do not receive the same respect as a cat, dog or horse. Any pet parent has squandered hours trying to find help for a simple problem or severe illness or injury. But what if there was someone who could answer your questions, fix your fish quickly with minimal stress and prevent it from happening again? Well, here we are.
Aquatic Veterinary Services is dedicated to treating pet fish like family. Fish deserve all the same care and consideration as your other pets, and our service is your one-stop shop. We are here to make your fish-keeping lives as easy as possible with expert advice and assistance without mucking about in internet forums or pet store after pet store.
Schedule Your Fish Exam
Schedule an appointment or call us at (831) 278-1081.
