Specialists

Dean Filipowicz, DVM, ACVS

Veterinary School: University of California, Davis

Specialty Certification: ACVS

Clinical Interests: fracture management, trauma, skin and reconstructive surgery, and
minimally invasive surgery

After receiving his doctorate at UC Davis in 2004, Dean moved to Virginia for an academic
internship in medicine and surgery.   He stayed at Virginia for a residency in small animal surgery and earned an MS in veterinary sciences.  He remained at the veterinary school as a clinical instructor before moving to the Bay Area. 

Dr. Filipowicz is published in several veterinary journals, has co-authored book chapters,
and has spoken at various conventions and symposiums. His masters thesis investigated
locking fixation which has become the gold standard in human orthopedics. Dean's special
interests include fracture management, sports medicine, oncologic and reconstructive surgery, and minimally invasive surgery. 

For several years after moving back to California, Dean was the main surgeon at a specialty hospital in the East Bay.  During this time, he formed the surgical branch of Veterinary Specialty Services in Fresno.  Building on these experiences, Dean formed West Coast Veterinary Surgical, Inc. at the end of 2010. He is now the primary surgeon at several hospitals in the Bay Area and is available at many others where shared coverage exists.

When not at work, Dean can be found enjoying all outdoor physical activities.

Dr. Bill Rivers

We are very pleased to have Dr. Bill Rivers as our consulting radiologist. Dr. Rivers performs ultrasound examinations on our patients.

Dr. Rivers graduated from UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine in 1984, and after an internship with Dr. Steven Ettinger in Los Angeles the following year, practiced general small animal medicine in the San Francisco Bay Area for several years. Dr. Rivers then completed specialty training and a PhD in Radiology from the University of Minnesota and became board certified as a specialist in Veterinary Radiology by the American College of Veterinary Medicine in 1995.After being on staff at two veterinary schools and a private specialty practice, he established his Bay Area consulting practice in 1989.