River Grove Veterinary Service

River Grove Veterinary Service is run by Melissa Patten DVM, MS. Melissa was born and raised on the Central Coast. She completed her undergraduate degree at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with a major in Animal Science and an Equine Science Minor. It was during her time at Cal Poly that she developed an interest in Equine Reproduction after completing an internship at Valley Oak Ranch in Oakdale CA. From Cal Poly, Melissa went to Colorado State University to complete a Master's degree in Equine Reproduction. Her project focused on different super-ovulation protocols, flushing and freezing embryos. She took a year away from school after completing the Master's to be home and work for the Estrella Ranch assisting in building their equine reproduction facility. She was then accepted to veterinary school at Colorado State University. While in veterinary school Melissa was active in both the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) and American Association of Bovine Practitioners (AABP) clubs. A final step in Melissa's journey back to the central coast was a year long internship at Pioneer Equine Hospital in Oakdale CA. This was an intense year where she received excellent mentorship and was able to expand her clinical knowledge. During this year Melissa was responsible for after hours emergencies, in hospital patient care and assisting with daily appointments. Currently Melissa is happy to be back on the Central Coast, establishing a veterinary practice with an emphasis on equine reproduction, medicine and emergency care.