About Us
North Tustin Veterinary Clinic was founded in 1979. Our goal has always been to deliver excellence in veterinary care to our patients and personalized service to our clients. Dr. Kali, the practice owner, has more than 33 years of experience in veterinary care, which includes four years in an emergency practice, along with four years as a relief veterinarian in more than 30 practices.
When it comes to providing top-quality care for your pet; choose North Tustin Veterinary Clinic because "We Care". We want your pet to live at its fullest potential. It is important that our patients' owners are educated about the best way to care for their pet, especially when caring for an exotic pet. Exotic pets tend to require special care that will help them to stay healthy outside of their normal habitat. With each visit, our educated staff will be helpful with providing assistance with caring for your pet. Choose North Tustin Veterinary Clinic to keep your pets happy and healthy.
DOCTOR PROFILES
Dr. Kali is the practice owner and grew up in a small village in India of only 150 people. His was a farming family so his experience with animals started at a very early age. He continued his education by obtaining a Masters degree in Microbiology and then earned his veterinary degree at the University of Guelph in Ontario Canada in 1976.
After moving to California in 1977, Dr. Kali acquired more than 33 years of experience in veterinary care, which included four years in an emergency practice, along with four years as a relief veterinarian in more than 30 practices. He acquired North Tustin Veterinary Clinic in 1984 and has been practicing here ever since.
Dr. Kali has seen it all, having treated thousands of dogs and cats as well as raccoons, skunks, tortoises, iguanas, rabbits, birds, goats, sheep, and more. This has given him such a wide range of skills, whether it be giving a kitten vaccine or doing a C-section on a tiny finch. Dr. Kali truly enjoys the variety of animals he treats, it has made his 36 years of being a veterinarian very rewarding.
Dr. Kali and his family have lived in the Tustin area since 1977. He has a wife and two children. They share their home with their energetic, yellow lab named Rocky.
Dr. Woods has had an interest in Alternative Veterinary Medicine dating back to his undergraduate studies. He graduated with a B.S. in Biology with honors from the University of Cinncinati. He obtained his veterinary degree from the Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine where he pursued his interest in veterinary acupuncture as well as other alternative modalities. As a student, he helped develop the college branch of the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association and served as its president, providing the students with a showcase to learn about complimentary modalities in veterinary medicine.
Upon graduating from veterinary school, Dr. Woods completed a one year surgical/internal medicine internship at the Animal Specialty Group in Glendale, California. Shortly after that, he became Certified in Veterinary Acupuncture. He has been in general practice in California since 1998.
Dr. Woods is currently working on a Masters Degree in Traditional Veterinary Chinese Medicine at the Chi Institute in Gainseville, Florida. He continues to provide clients and their animals with allopathic and complimentary therapies.
Dr. Virginia Phelps is a 1981 graduate of the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine. She received her B.A. in Biology from Wheaton College in Massachusetts and her M.S. in Physiology from The George Washington University in Washington D.C. After completing veterinary school, she returned to her home state of California to pursue her career as a veterinarian. Dr. Phelps and her husband, also a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, owned their own busy practice in Westminster for over 20 years. In addition to practicing veterinary medicine with her husband, Dr. Phelps has worked at several hospitals in the Tustin-Irvine area over the years. She joined the staff at North Tustin Veterinary Clinic from 1993 to 1997 and returned in 2008, sharing the hospital’s commitment to high quality patient care…for the animals as well as the “owners.” She enjoys helping her clients manage their pet’s medical conditions with knowledge and compassion.
When not practicing veterinary medicine, she looks forward to spending time with her family and friends, stargazing, being entertained by her backyard hummingbirds, skiing (although not so much anymore) and texting her son at the University of California San Diego. She and her husband have lived in Tustin for 25 years and currently share their home with three cats, two dogs, and one hermit land crab.
Dr. Deena Leong is our newest addition to our team. She grew up in Honolulu, Hawaii where it was her childhood dream to be a veterinarian because of her love for animals. Dr. Leong graduated from Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona, California where she had the opportunity to gain experience at more than a dozen veterinary hospitals throughout Southern California. After graduation, she worked at a clinic in Irvine before joining North Tustin Veterinary Clinic.
Dr. Leong is one of our two veterinarians who practice holistically, using both traditional and alternative treatments. She is certified to do acupuncture on dogs and cats. Dr. Leong is also well versed in nutrition, advocating natural commercial foods and/or home cooked diets. She feels high quality nutrition is truly the foundation of good health. In her free time, Dr. Leong enjoys biking, skating, cooking, and spoiling her two dogs, a Golden Retriever and a Chihuahua-terrier mix, both of whom are rescues from SoCal shelters.