Dr. Minas Mkhitarian, DVM

For Dr. Minas Mkhitarian, the human-animal bond is a tremendous source of joy. As a veterinarian, he considers it a privilege to be a part of stewarding that bond.

He was born in Los Angeles, California. He moved to Las Vegas with his family when he was 14 years old and stayed for 11 years before moving away for college. For a couple of years, Dr. Mkhitarian lived in Reno, Nevada while finishing his undergraduate studies. He then moved to Pullman, Washington where he lived for four years while attending veterinary school at Washington State University. He graduated in 2021.
Dr. Mkhitarian always wanted to be a veterinarian when he was a child. From a very young age, the natural world – animals, in particular – fascinated him. He got his first dog when he was eight years old, and he credits the blessing of the human-animal bond that he experienced as a child for helping to inspire him to pursue a career in veterinary medicine.

When he’s not working with patients and clients at Pet Health Animal Hospital, you can find Dr. Mkhitarian at church or spending time with his family and friends. He also works with the Christian Veterinary Mission, an organization that afforded him the privilege of serving in Malawi, Africa where he worked with a team to provide free rabies vaccines and spay and neuter services while sharing his faith.

Dr. Mkhitarian also enjoys exploring the Sierra Nevada Mountains, hiking, and backpacking. He has a two-year-old standard poodle named Dzaza, which means “full to the brim” or “overflowing cup” in Chichewa (the language spoken in Malawi, Africa). The choice of a name is a metaphor that holds multiple meanings for Dr. Mkhitarian. You can often find them together on a hiking trail. In fact, one summer, Dr. Mkhitarian lived in a tent for five months with no running water, electricity, or modern conveniences while building and maintaining hiking trails in remote wilderness areas. He remembers this as one of the best summers of his life.