HeartHealth Veterinary Cardiology
Providing specialist cardiology services throughout the Bay Area, Santa Cruz and Monterey Counties
Why see a cardiologist?
Heart disease is common in animals and can often be managed successfully.
Your general veterinary practitioner is trained in the diagnosis and treatment of heart disease. However, just like in human medicine, your vet may need to seek a specialist opinion.
Veterinary cardiologists have pursued additional education and training to become experts in diagnosing and managing heart conditions in animals. We work closely with your primary care veterinarian to provide specialized care for animals with heart disease.
About Dr. Hayley McDonald
Dr. Hayley McDonald is originally from New Zealand and obtained her veterinary degree from Massey University (NZ) in 2009. After working as a small animal veterinarian in Australia, she went on to complete a PhD in biomedical sciences at the University of Queensland. Her PhD focused on advanced cardiac imaging and novel therapeutics for human patients with coronary heart disease.
Dr. McDonald moved to the United Kingdom in 2015 to undertake a Cardiology Residency at the University of Glasgow. She successfully completed the European College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ECVIM) exams and the Cardiology specialty boards to become a Diplomate (Board Certified Cardiologist) in 2019. After completing her residency, Dr. McDonald stayed on at the University of Glasgow as a Lecturer in Cardiorespiratory medicine for the remainder of the year. She then moved to a large specialty hospital in England as a Consultant in Cardiology. At this hospital she was part of the Heart Surgery Team, one of the few centers around the globe offering the highly specialized mitral valve repair surgery and other cardiac surgery procedures performed under cardiopulmonary bypass.
In 2022 she moved to California where she started HeartHeart Veterinary Cardiology and has worked with hospitals in both North and Southern California.
Dr. McDonald loves all aspects of veterinary cardiology. She has a particular interest in advanced cardiac imaging, interventional cardiology and electrophysiology. She is currently undertaking advanced training in electrophysiology with her human physician colleagues.
While not in the clinic, you won’t find her far from the water, as an avid kite surfer she spends all her free time in the ocean and loves chasing waves in California. Dr. McDonald also loves travelling the world and spending time visiting her friends from all over the globe. She loves skiing and hiking, having spent a lot of time exploring the Scottish highlands and mountains in New Zealand.