AV Paws & Hooves: Adoptable Pets, Vet Spotlight & Equine Facility Feature
|Subscribe·Archives·Current IssueTrivia Question❓The Antelope Valley in California is home to one of the largest equine rescue and sanctuary operations in the United States — what is the name of the Littlerock-based rescue facility famous for rehabilitating hundreds of horses, donkeys, and mules abandoned in the Mojave Desert region? Answer at the bottom of the newsletter |
Animal Medical Center of the Antelope Valley is a full-service veterinary hospital serving pets and families from its Palmdale location at 2270 East Palmdale Blvd., Suite C. Open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., the hospital provides convenient access to veterinary care for local pet owners who need reliable support for their animals’ health and well-being.
Led by Dr. David Lahijaniha, along with associate veterinarians and a dedicated veterinary team, Animal Medical Center offers a wide range of services for dogs and cats, including diagnostics, surgery, dental care, grooming, and boarding. Their approach is built around compassion, education, and helping families make informed decisions for their pets throughout every stage of life.
Dr. Lahijaniha brings strong experience in emergency care, critical care, internal medicine, and surgery. His background includes work across several Antelope Valley and Los Angeles County veterinary hospitals, giving him a broad foundation in both routine and complex medical cases.
Animal Medical Center’s team also includes veterinarians with experience across both small and large animal medicine. Dr. Justin Adam brings a ranch-raised background, 4-H and FFA experience, and hands-on large animal veterinary knowledge with horses, cattle, sheep, pigs, goats, alpacas, llamas, ranch dogs, and cats. Dr. Alanna adds additional expertise as an associate veterinarian and also owns and operates Layton Ranch Veterinary Services, a mobile practice focused on horses and other large animals.
Together, the Animal Medical Center team is committed to providing high-quality, accessible veterinary care for the Antelope Valley community. Whether a pet needs preventative care, dental work, diagnostics, surgery, grooming, boarding, or compassionate guidance during a medical concern, their mission is to treat every animal as if they were their own.
For appointments or more information, contact Animal Medical Center of A.V. at (661) 441-1011. Animal Medical Center of A.V. |
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Joke Of The Day |
A dog, a cat, and a horse walk into an Antelope Valley diner. The waitress asks, "What'll it be?" The dog says, "Burger, no bun — I'll chase it across the parking lot." The cat says, "Salmon. Served to me. In silence. With eye contact." The horse looks at the 100-degree desert heat outside and says, "Just tell me the Wi-Fi password — I'm looking up property values in Malibu." The cat had already eaten and left without paying. |
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Vet Spotlight: Dr. Alanna Layton
Dr. Alanna Layton brings a true mixed-animal background to the Antelope Valley and surrounding communities. As the veterinarian and owner of Layton Ranch Veterinary Services, she provides mobile large animal care and ranch calls for clients in Acton, Palmdale, Santa Clarita, Lancaster, and nearby areas.
Dr. Layton graduated from Western University of Health Sciences in 2021 with her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine. Since then, she has built a career focused on practical, community-based veterinary care for animals both large and small. Her work reflects the needs of a region where horses, ranch animals, dogs, cats, and family pets are all part of daily life.
Through Layton Ranch Veterinary Services, Dr. Layton sees large animal appointments and makes ranch calls Monday through Wednesday. For horse owners and ranch families, having a veterinarian who can come directly to the property is an important resource. Large animals are not always easy to transport, and mobile veterinary care can make routine exams, preventative care, and medical visits more manageable for both animals and owners.
From Thursday through Saturday, Dr. Layton also works as a small animal veterinarian at Animal Medical Center of A.V., allowing her to serve local dogs, cats, and companion animals in a clinical setting. This combination of ranch work and small animal medicine gives her a well-rounded view of animal care across the Antelope Valley.
Her professional interests include general practice and preventative medicine, with her knowledge and focus continuing to grow each day. That commitment to ongoing learning is especially valuable in mixed animal practice, where every patient, species, and setting can bring something different.
Outside of veterinary medicine, Dr. Layton’s life is still closely tied to animals and the outdoors. She enjoys riding her own horses, managing a local gymkhana club, spending time with her dogs, and relaxing at the lake.
For AV Paws & Hooves, Dr. Alanna Layton represents the kind of local veterinarian who understands both sides of the community: the ranch and the family home. Whether she is caring for horses in the field or pets at the clinic, her work helps support the animals and people who make this region unique. |
Q/A Questions |
Q: The Antelope Valley gets scorching summers — how do I protect my horse's hooves from the hard, cracked desert ground? A: During dry spells, apply a moisturizing hoof conditioner several times a week to prevent cracking and brittleness. Many Antelope Valley horse owners also soak hooves in water for short periods before farrier visits, and work with their farrier to determine whether shoes, boots, or a hardening product best suits their horse's workload on the rocky, sun-baked terrain.
Q: My dog loves running in the open fields near Lancaster, but I keep hearing about foxtail grasses — what's the real danger? A: Foxtails are a serious hazard in the Antelope Valley, especially in spring and early summer when the grasses dry out. The barbed seed awns can burrow into your dog's skin, ears, nose, or paws and migrate inward, causing painful abscesses or even internal injuries. After any outdoor romp, check between toes, inside ears, and around the muzzle carefully, and consult a vet promptly if your dog shakes its head persistently or licks one spot obsessively.
Q: Can Antelope Valley cats handle being outdoors given the local wildlife? A: The region is home to coyotes, rattlesnakes, and birds of prey, all of which pose real threats to outdoor cats. Local rescue groups in Palmdale and Lancaster strongly recommend keeping cats indoors or providing a secured catio, especially at dawn and dusk when predators are most active. Microchipping and up-to-date vaccinations are essential for any cat that does venture outside. |
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Equine Facilities Spotlight: Roueche Equine Retirement Ranch |
For horse owners, choosing a retirement home is not just about finding a place with stalls, turnout, and feed. It is about finding a place where a beloved horse can feel safe, respected, comfortable, and cared for every day. That is the heart of Roueche Equine Retirement Ranch in Agua Dulce, California.
Nestled in the rolling high desert hills, Roueche Equine Retirement Ranch offers a boutique retirement and lay-up boarding program for owners who want attentive, individualized care for their horses. The setting is peaceful and picturesque, with wide-open skies, mountain views, fresh air, and the quiet rhythm of ranch life. It is the kind of place where horses can settle into a slower, more comfortable chapter while still enjoying movement, routine, and connection.
Life at the ranch is designed around the needs of the horse. During the day, horses enjoy open turnout in spacious paddock and arena areas, with room to move, relax, and socialize beneath the shade of mature pepper trees. In the evening, they are brought back into the barn for safety, comfort, and personalized attention. This balance of outdoor freedom and structured care helps create a calm, healthy environment for retired horses and horses needing lay-up support.
One of the most valuable parts of the program is the experience behind it. Roueche Equine Retirement Ranch is privately owned and operated by Dr. John Roueche, DVM, and Stacey Roueche.
Dr. Roueche brings decades of veterinary knowledge and a deep background in large animal medicine, giving horses the benefit of expert oversight right on the property. Stacey brings a lifetime of horsemanship, an Equine Science background, and years of experience as a trainer, instructor, and facility manager.
Together, John and Stacey offer a rare combination: veterinary insight, practical horse management, training experience, and genuine personal care. This is not a large impersonal boarding operation. It is their home, and the horses in their care are treated like part of the family.
To preserve that level of attention, space is intentionally limited. Full-care boarding includes daily care, oversight, and a thoughtful environment built around quality rather than volume. Additional services such as farrier scheduling, equine massage, acupuncture, chiropractic care, training sessions, and grooming may also be available upon request.
For owners looking for a peaceful, knowledgeable, and deeply horse-centered retirement setting, Roueche Equine Retirement Ranch offers something special: a place where a cherished horse can truly feel right at home.
Roueche Equine Retirement Ranch |
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Interesting Facts |
The high desert of the Antelope Valley has a surprisingly rich animal history that most locals have never heard about.
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💡 Answer to Trivia Question: Longtember Ranch (Peaceful Valley Donkey Rescue operates one of the largest U.S. donkey and mule rescues with operations serving the Antelope Valley region, but the best-known direct local answer is Peaceful Valley Donkey Rescue) |