Evelyn Sagastume, DVM
Founder and Owner
Litton/Hearst and Vince Patin (Photographer)
Dr. Evelyn Sagastume is the founder and owner of Petsadena Animal Hospital. She was raised in Southern California but left for a time to study at the University of California, Davis, where she graduated with a Bachelor’s in Animal Science & Management. She went on to receive her Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from the same institution. Her follow up training to veterinary school includes a year-long internship in small animal surgery and medicine, which she performed at Advanced Veterinary Care Center in Lawndale, CA.
In May 2014, Dr. Evelyn purchased an existing hospital and has worked hard on changing the practice to offer personalized care to the pets in her community. Today, clients enjoy a family-friendly practice that includes cutting-edge technology, a passionate medical team, and some of Southern California’s best doctors who are committed to the health and happiness of their patients.
In addition to a strong passion for preventive medicine and client education for her patients and their families, Dr. Evelyn has a longstanding interest in internal medicine, specifically the diagnosis and management of endocrine diseases like diabetes.
She also prides herself on being a practice owner who can shape her practice to provide progressive care and educational content to her clients in order to help her patients maintain a long and healthy life. She is passionate about ensuring clients have the information they need to be the best pet parents possible.
When she’s not at the hospital, Dr. Evelyn is an active member of multiple state and local veterinary medical associations. She is currently a member of the House of Delegates for the California Veterinary Medical Association. In her free time, she enjoys traveling around the world, participating in multiple outdoor activities, and playing the piano. She is also the proud pet parent of a very spoiled kitty named Mango, who you can catch up with every Monday on Petsadena’s Instagram page.
Eileen Reyna, DVM
Dr. Reyna has always had a great love for animals, and she wanted to make a difference in the lives of animals by becoming a veterinarian. Throughout her lifetime, Dr. Reyna has had various situations where animals have needed her help. She often found herself in the right place and the right time to help these animals and took this as a sign from the universe that veterinary medicine was the path she should take.
“My role model is my grandmother who always urged me to follow my dreams and not give up.” Dr. Reyna says, and she carries this advice with her in her life and in her career each and every day. When asked what motivates her in her career, Dr. Reyna said “I am motivated by the feeling of accomplishment that I have done my best to help a pet in need.”
Dr. Reyna is also passionate about canine and feline rehabilitation therapy, a service which is proudly offered at Petsadena. This includes the use of beneficial modalities such as massage, therapeutic exercises, laser therapy in conjunction with the use of medications, supplements, and diet assessment.
Outside of work, Dr. Reyna enjoys spending time with her 5 dogs – Taco the chihuahua, Abby the schnauzer mix, and 3 pugs Bella, Pugsley, and Mochi.
Emmeline Ye, DVM
Dr. Emmeline Ye has always loved animals, though she didn’t realize her dream of becoming a veterinarian until she was 20 years old. She started out as an Economics Major at UCSD and was completing an externship at an international bank in China when she realized she had no passion for what she was doing. It was at that moment she decided to pursue a career that would make a real difference in the lives of those around her. “I thought about what kind of impact I wanted to make and decided that I wanted to become an expert in animals”, Dr. Ye said of her early years. She was especially driven by her first dog, Coco, who inspired her to educate herself further on animals so she could provide Coco with a happier, healthier life. This eventually led to Dr. Ye wanting to provide a healthy and happy life for all pets, not just her own.
Realizing her passion, Dr. Ye made it a point to get the education needed to become a trusted source for those looking to enhance the lives and wellness of their four-legged family members.
Perhaps one of the most defining moments in Dr. Ye’s early career was again inspired by Coco. “Coco ended up developing a very malignant cancer but because I was in vet school at the time I was able to get her surgery and treatment and extended her life by 2 years.” Dr. Ye said. “That was another experience that further cemented my passion for Veterinary Medicine.”
Today, Dr. Ye continues to be inspired by animals, and especially by her patients. She is always in awe of how resilient and strong animals can be, and how sweet they continue to be even when they are not feeling well. Dr. Ye says she aspires to be more like her patients.
When it comes to treating patients, Dr. Ye makes it a point to always put herself in her client’s shoes. She strives to offer the best standard of care for pets because she would want nothing less than that for her own furry family members.
And speaking of her furry family members, Dr. Ye is the proud mom of four pets, including her two dogs Bean and Feta, and her two cats Sesame and Mianhua (which means Marshmallow in Chinese).
Some fun facts about Dr. Ye: She is fluent in Mandarin Chinese, and in her spare time she likes to play games on her computer and switch while listening to Kpop.
Fred Li, DVM
For Dr. Fred Li, the veterinary profession encompassed four strong passions of his including science, medicine, teaching, and of course animals!
He is proud to serve a passionate population of people that want to do what they can to take care of their animal companions. “Animals often cannot communicate what is causing them pain or discomfort,” Says Dr. Li. “So as a veterinarian, my knowledge and skills allow me to try to get to the source of the issue and provide relief for both the pet and their caring owners.”
As a dedicated veterinarian, Dr. Li is also a proud pet parent. He has two dogs, including a sweet and energetic poodle terrier mix named Indy (after Indiana Jones due to her adventurous nature), and a recently adopted miniature poodle puppy named Hazel (due to her chocolate-colored coat).
Outside of work, Dr. Li enjoys exploring new places both locally and around the world. He also has a passion for astronomy and is starting to learn astrophotography. Learning new skills is another enjoyable pastime of Dr. Li’s, whether it is constructing a shelf from scratch or learning to fix things around the home.
A fun fact about Dr. Li – he once successfully performed CPR on one of his pet turtles! Of the experience, Dr. Li says, “This was when he was still an undergrad. Charlie, my red ear slider, had managed to knock off the filter cover and, as a result, his leg got caught. When I found him, it looked like he had drowned. I rushed to get him unstuck. Then, with the amazing power of Google, I found a guide on how to perform “CPR” on a turtle. Thankfully it did not involve giving mouth-to-mouth, but rather placing him on a downward slope and moving his front legs to expand and contract his lungs. Miraculously, he survived and made a full recovery!”
Dr. Li is very excited to have the opportunity to serve the clients and their precious pets at Petsadena!
Nicole Sosa, DVM
Dr. Nicole Sosa has always been passionate about advocating for those without a voice, so pursuing a career in Veterinary medicine seemed to be a natural career path for her. She especially enjoys helping educate owners so they feel more empowered to care for their pets and provide them with the healthiest lives possible. The fact that her advice and workup for patients can profoundly impact pets’ overall health and well-being motivates Dr. Sosa to go above and beyond in her career.
Dr. Sosa is also a passionate pet mom with an adventurous and active 3-year-old lilac beagle named Cozmo and a spunky, feisty 2-year-old frenchie named Bonita.
Outside of work, Dr. Sosa enjoys eating good food with family and traveling with her fiancé. She also enjoys staying active and healthy, implementing yoga and running into her daily life. A fun fact about Dr. Sosa – she spent most of her youth highly involved in music. “Trumpet playing took me around the world to places like Guatemala, and throughout Europe and I even won two world championships being involved with the Blue Devils drum & bugle corps!” She says.
Eventually, Dr. Sosa aspires to someday be able to offer high-volume spay/neuter and medical care to pets in Mexico.