Dr. Gary Johnson, D.V.M.
The year before Dr. Johnson graduated from Ohio State University’s School of Veterinary Medicine, he rode his motorcycle across the country to experience what life in a constantly warm climate would be like. The moment he reached Southern California, the sun came out and Dr. Johnson realized that he had found the place where he wanted to practice small animal medicine. In 1979, just after graduation ceremonies, Dr. Johnson packed up his car and moved to beautiful Newport Beach. He practiced for a few years in Newport Beach before deciding to start his own veterinary clinic. Dr. Johnson discovered a small hospital on Pacific Coast Highway that was for sale and, in 1982, the bank and Dr. Johnson became the proud owners of Dana Niguel Veterinary Hospital. In 1989, Dana Niguel Veterinary Hospital had outgrown its building so a new site was located right down the street, where the existing building was designed and built.
Dr. Johnson’s special interest in veterinary medicine is diagnosing tough cases. In order to accomplish this, Dana Niguel Veterinary Hospital is equipped with a surgical laser, endoscopes, ultrasound, digital x-ray, digital dental x-ray, and isoflurane/sevoflurane gas anesthesia – the same types of state-of-the-art diagnostic tools that can be found in most modern human hospitals.
When Dr. Johnson is not working at Dana Niguel Veterinary Hospital, he can be found riding his Irish Sport Horse, Blue. Since first riding in 1999, this has quickly become Dr. Johnson’s favorite hobby. He is most passionate about 3-day eventing, which is the extreme sport of the horse world. It entails show jumping, dressage, and cross-country jumping. Dr. Johnson also enjoys spending time trail riding with his wife, Julie. At home, Dr. Johnson enjoys the companionship, and occasional mishaps, of pet ownership with his own dogs: Noah, Darby, Aislinn and Graham, and his cats, Duo, and Gabrielle.
Julie A. Ryan Johnson, D.V.M.
Dr. Ryan Johnson started her veterinary career working in an animal hospital in San Juan Capistrano at age 11.. As an animal science/pre-vet student, Dr. Ryan Johnson worked on an Arabian farm while attending Cal Poly SLO and played on the college polo team.
Attending the University Of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine she fell in love with delivering calves, attending college hockey games, and skating on natural ice. Dr. Ryan Johnson continued her veterinary education as an intern in large animal surgery and medicine at Virginia Tech. After a few hundred horse colic surgeries and cow c-sections, she returned to California. While working in small animal clinics, Dr. Ryan Johnson pursued her interest in ophthalmology and lasers at UC Irvine’s School of Medicine, Beckman Laser Institute. Along the way, she fell in love with the challenging world of shelter medicine. For several years, Dr. Ryan-Johnson worked as a shelter veterinarian and later as the director of Animal Care Services for Orange County. She also served as President of the Southern California Veterinary Medical Association in 2000.
Dr. Ryan Johnson volunteers and consults with shelters and is the current president of the Equine Chapter of the SCVMA. She enjoys advocating for trails and equestrian issues in her role as president of the San Juan Capistrano Equestrian Coalition. She enjoys riding her horse Alainn dressage and her older horse Beau out on trails with friends and dogs. Dr. Ryan Johnson also proudly serves as the CVMA disaster coordinator for Orange County.
Ryan Lorber, D.V.M.
Growing up in Cincinnati, Ohio Dr. Ryan Lorber always knew he wanted to work with animals. He always had pets including; dogs, cats, a snake, bird, iguana, rabbit, and fish. After taking a job as a veterinary assistant following his freshman year at the University of Cincinnati he knew he wanted to be a veterinarian After graduating from the university of Cincinnati in three years with a bachelors in Biology Dr. Lorber worked a variety of jobs for two years before starting the veterinary program at Iowa State in 2003.
While at Iowa State Dr. Lorber spent a month in South Africa taking a class in wild life medicine. In South Africa Dr. Lorber worked on African wild dogs, monkeys, antelopes, cheetahs and even lions. Iowa taught Dr. Lorber a lot about cold, wet winters and hot humid summers. He knew that after completing his degree in veterinary medicine, he would move to someplace warm and sunny. He followed his dream of pursuing a position at a coastal, California veterinary clinic that practices high quality medicine. Dr. Lorber found Dana Niguel Veterinary Hospital, and was impressed with Dr. Johnson, the great staff and the fantastic location. Following graduation in 2007 Dr. Lorber drove out to Southern California with his cat, Rocky.
In his free time, Dr. Lorber enjoys listening to a wide variety of music and attending concerts. He is also an outdoors enthusiast and is already taking advantage of California’s great weather for hiking, biking and exploring his new home stomping grounds. He has a love of the ocean and is learning how to surf. Dr. Lorber is a baseball fan, and attends the Angel’s games to root for the new home team.