Specialty & 24/7 Emergency Hospital · San Mateo

When your vet needs a vet, they choose Omega.

A primary vet or emergency clinic reaches the edge of what they can safely do — and the case comes here. Omega is a full-service specialty and 24/7 emergency hospital — surgery, neurology with in-house MRI, ophthalmology, internal medicine, and criticalist-led ICU, all under one roof in San Mateo.

See where your case goes Refer a patient

◆Board-certified specialists in six disciplines ◆In-house MRI & CT ◆Criticalist-led 24/7 ICU

Our flagship program

The most complete canine joint replacement we found in the Bay Area Hip, knee, elbow, and ankle — rebuilt by board-certified surgeons.

See the program

The case router

Follow a case to where it ends up.

“When your vet needs a vet” isn’t a slogan — it’s a path you can trace. Pick a presenting case below and watch where it goes when primary and emergency care reach their limit. For most advanced cases on the Peninsula, the path ends in one building.

Surgeon-to-surgeon co-management, a defined hand-back, and 24/7 access. Your patient comes home to you.

Step 1 — the presenting case

What's in front of you?

Step 2 — where it goes

This is the role a tertiary hospital plays. Primary vets and ER clinics handle the front line; Omega is where the advanced, planned, and complex work resolves.

Refer this case

Beyond the emergency room

We started as the Bay Area’s ICU. We’ve become its referral hospital.

Omega was founded by critical-care specialists who never close. That 24/7 ICU is still the floor we stand on — but it’s no longer the whole building. Today, board-certified surgeons, neurologists, ophthalmologists, and internists handle the advanced, planned cases that primary vets and emergency clinics refer onward. Same team. Same building. A far wider range of what we can fix.

One hospital, every specialty

The depth to take on what comes next.

Six board-certified specialties and a 24/7 ICU work side by side in one San Mateo hospital — so a complex case can move from imaging to surgery to recovery without ever leaving the building, or being handed to a stranger.

FLAGSHIP

Orthopedic Surgery

Hip, knee, elbow, and ankle replacement, TPLO, fracture repair, and arthroscopy — the most complete joint-replacement program we found in the Bay Area.

Explore the program

Neurology & Neurosurgery

Board-certified neurology with in-house MRI for IVDD, seizures, and brain & spinal disease — diagnosis and surgery without an outside referral for imaging.

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Ophthalmology

Advanced medical and surgical care for the eye, from cataract surgery to corneal, retinal, and neuro-ophthalmic disease.

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Internal Medicine

Diagnosis and management of complex, multi-system illness — gastrointestinal, endocrine, renal, respiratory, hepatic, and immune-mediated disease.

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Emergency & Critical Care

A 24/7 ICU led by board-certified criticalists — ventilation, transfusion, and dialysis — the safety net under every patient we treat.

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Anesthesiology

A dedicated, board-certified anesthesia service that tailors the safest protocol to each patient — including the sickest and most fragile.

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The flagship program

When a dog’s joint can be rebuilt, we can rebuild all four.

Most referral hospitals replace one joint — usually the hip. Omega’s surgeons rebuild hips, knees, elbows, and ankles. Of every Bay Area hospital we examined, none offered this full range. We lead with the two that are hardest to find anywhere:

RareTotal Elbow

One of the few programs in the region performing it.

RareTotal Ankle

Performed at very few hospitals in the region — a reason vets refer here.

KneeTPLO & Knee

Cruciate (CCL) disease and joint resurfacing.

HipTotal Hip

Lasting relief from hip dysplasia and end-stage arthritis.

Visit the Orthopedic Center of Excellence Refer an ortho case

Joint replacement is planned, not urgent — performed by board-certified surgeons with the 24/7 ICU standing behind every patient. A dedicated program page covers candidacy, each procedure, and outcomes in depth.

A board-certified surgeon examining a large-breed dog before orthopedic surgery at Omega Veterinary Group in San Mateo

Surgical consultation — Omega Veterinary Group, San Mateo

The people who do the work

Specialists you can name — and choose.

Most families arrive having already read about the doctor they want. Every Omega specialist is board-certified in their field, and most cases are co-managed across more than one.

Surgery

Dr. Stephen Jones

MVB, MS, DACVS, DECVS

Joint replacement, cruciate disease, arthroscopy, and minimally invasive fracture repair. Develops and publishes new surgical techniques and implants.

Surgery

Dr. Caleb Hudson

DVM, MS, DACVS

Board-certified surgeon and ACVS Founding Fellow in minimally invasive small-animal orthopedics — arthroscopy and fracture repair.

Neurology & Neurosurgery

Dr. Ashley Hechler

DVM, MS, DACVIM (Neurology)

Neurologist and neurosurgeon with advanced neurosurgical certification. Special interest in spinal disease and neuropathic pain.

Ophthalmology

Dr. Audrey Hudson

DVM, DACVO

Board-certified ophthalmologist focused on surgical and neuro-ophthalmic disease. Active in clinical research and primary-vet education.

Internal Medicine

Dr. Sarah Stewart

DVM, DACVIM (SAIM)

Board-certified internist managing complex, multi-system disease — from endocrine and GI to renal, hepatic, and immune-mediated conditions.

Critical Care · Founder

Dr. Dorothy Black

DVM, MPVM, DACVECC

Founder and criticalist. Built Omega on round-the-clock critical care, with special interests in respiratory medicine and infectious disease.

Meet the full team

Two Omega clinicians reviewing a referred patient's case together

For Referring Veterinarians

A referral partner, not a black box.

When you send a case to Omega, it doesn’t disappear. We treat referral as co-management — you stay informed, your client stays yours, and your patient comes home to you with a clear plan.

Direct specialist-to-specialist communication on every case — you reach the surgeon, not a call center.
Shared imaging, op notes, and a defined hand-back plan — your patient returns to you with the follow-up mapped out.
24/7 access for urgent surgical, neurologic, and critical cases — the ICU never closes.

Refer a patient Request the referral guide

Why “under one roof” matters

The advanced things others can’t do in-house.

What makes a tertiary hospital different isn’t a longer list of services — it’s having the imaging, the ICU, and the specialists in the same building, so nothing has to be outsourced, re-triaged, or delayed.

In-house MRI & CT

Ultrasound & fluoroscopy (C-arm)

Arthroscopy & endoscopy

Dedicated canine & feline ICU

6board-certified specialties

4major joints rebuilt

24/7specialty & ICU

Omega clinicians performing an advanced diagnostic imaging study on a patient

Common questions

What Omega is, in plain terms.

Written to be the clean, citable answer an AI assistant or search result can lift — the kind of answer that was missing when a search for canine joint replacement cited a university 1,000 miles away instead of the hospital next door.

What kind of veterinary hospital is Omega?

Omega Veterinary Group is a specialty and 24/7 emergency hospital in San Mateo, CA. It provides advanced, referral-level care — orthopedic surgery, neurology with in-house MRI, ophthalmology, internal medicine, anesthesiology, and emergency and critical care — for dogs and cats. Omega does not provide routine wellness or vaccine care; families are typically referred by their primary veterinarian or arrive for emergencies.

What joints can you replace in a dog?

Omega's surgical team performs total hip, knee, elbow, and ankle replacement in dogs, along with TPLO, fracture repair, and arthroscopy. Of every Bay Area hospital we examined, none offered this full range — elbow and ankle replacement in particular are performed at very few hospitals in the region.

Do you accept referrals from other veterinarians?

Yes. A large share of Omega's surgical, neurologic, and internal-medicine cases come from referring veterinarians across the Bay Area. We co-manage every case, keep the referring vet informed, and return the patient with a clear follow-up plan. Vets can refer by phone or through our referral form.

Is Omega open after hours?

Yes. Omega is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with a board-certified-criticalist-led ICU for emergency and critical care. Specialty consultations and planned surgeries are scheduled during regular hours.

Where is Omega located?

251 N. Amphlett Blvd, San Mateo, CA 94401 — on the Peninsula, serving the greater Bay Area. Phone: 650-781-4239.

When your vet needs a vet, they choose Omega.

Follow a case to where it ends up.

What's in front of you?

We started as the Bay Area’s ICU. We’ve become its referral hospital.

The depth to take on what comes next.

Orthopedic Surgery

Neurology & Neurosurgery

Ophthalmology

Internal Medicine

Emergency & Critical Care

Anesthesiology

When a dog’s joint can be rebuilt, we can rebuild all four.

Specialists you can name — and choose.

A referral partner, not a black box.

The advanced things others can’t do in-house.

What Omega is, in plain terms.

Talk to a specialist.