Dr. Slaton was born in South Lake Tahoe, and raised in Ventura, CA. As a young boy he was always drawn toward animals, especially dogs and cats. He knew from a very young age that he wanted to be a veterinarian. After excelling in swimming and water polo in high school, Dr. Slaton attended the University of California, Irvine, where he was on the water polo team and majored in Biology and minored in management, with the plan of attending veterinary school after graduation. He graduated from UC Irvine in 1999, and from there went to the Caribbean island of St. Kitts and Nevis, where he attended Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine. This was a perfect fit for Dr. Slaton considering he grew up on a sail boat and loved scuba diving, surfing and everything to do with the ocean. He finished his time on the island, and from there completed his clinical rotation at Washington State University Vet School.
After graduating in 2003, he returned to Orange County where he learned to practice vet medicine under some great mentors, Dr. Tim Donnelly and Dr. Ron Paladin. This is where he acquired an affinity for surgery, and under his mentor’s tutelage he learned to be a very skilled surgeon and practitioner. During his time in Orange County he not only honed his skills as a veterinarian, but he appreciated the business aspect of medicine, and realized he wanted to own a practice for himself. From there he moved back to Ventura County where he and his father opened Westlake Village Animal Hospital and the Barkley Pet Hotel.
With its huge success they made the decision to sell to corporate. Dr. Slaton is also an avid athlete, competing in 4 Iron Man Triathlons in the past few years. He and his wife, Carolyn keep busy raising 3 awesome kids, Noah (15), London (10), and Brooklyn (9). They have 3 dogs, Onyx the 3 legged black lab, Hazel the cute little brindle pug, and Duke the adorable Cane Corso. They also have 2 Persian cats, Princess and Jerry. After working for others the last 7 years, Dr. Slaton knew it was time to open another local practice. Dr. Slaton and his family look forward to meeting you and your four legged family.