A Santa Barbara animal hospital for dogs and cats

Good medicine takes time — that’s why we have plenty of it.

Bonnie Mara Animal Hospital is a new, independently owned veterinary practice focused on unhurried, relationship‑centered care for the people and pets of Santa Barbara.

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Now welcoming new patients
Low‑stress visits
Independently owned
Built with cats in mind

Who we are

Decades of Santa Barbara experience, built back around your pet.

Dr. Laura Putnam has practiced veterinary medicine in the Santa Barbara area for over twenty years. She’s watched the city grow and change in that time, and watched her own field change with it. As practices got bigger and busier, the part she loved most got harder to protect: the time to really know a pet, and the people who bring them in.

She founded Bonnie Mara to bring that back. A veterinary practice small enough that she learns your pet’s normal, so she catches the small changes that matter before they turn into big ones. Where your visit gets the time it needs, and you leave understanding exactly what’s going on and why.

The name

Bonnie Scottish, for the beauty of where she grew up. Her granny’s word for everything she loved.

Mara Gaelic for the sea. For Santa Barbara, and the calm she finds there.

“The ocean embodies peace and the interconnectedness of all living beings, values that deeply resonate with our mission.”

Dr. Laura Putnam

What it’s like to bring your pet here

Time, attention, and faces you know.

You get time, not a stopwatch.

Your visit gets as long as it needs. Bring the list. Bring the notes you’ve been keeping. The owner who walks in with a week of detail about their pet is exactly the owner Dr. Putnam wants to see.

You stay in the room.

As much as possible, your pet’s care happens with you in the room, not somewhere in the back. You see what’s being done, you hear why, and you can ask about it while it’s in front of you.

You see the same familiar faces.

We’re a practice built around continuity. Over time, the team learns your pet’s history and their quirks, so you’re not starting from scratch at every visit.

A pet owner holding their cat close at home in warm light

Designed for calm

A hospital that feels calmer the moment you walk in.

Your pet’s comfort, and yours, isn’t an afterthought here. It’s what our whole practice is built around. Being small is what lets us protect it, in ways a busy hospital can’t, at almost every turn:

Distinct cat and dog sections in the lobby, so nervous pets have a calmer corner from the moment they walk in.
A dedicated “Cat World” for our feline patients — their own exam room, treatment area, and warmed, pheromone-calmed cages, set apart from the dogs.
A dedicated comfort room for the hardest days — a quiet, private space for when that’s what you and your pet need.
Staying with your pet instead of taking them to “the back,” so the people they trust don’t disappear behind a door.
A space that feels warm and calm, not the cold, clinical office most pets brace for.

None of these things are extra.It’s what caring about your pet looks like when you build the whole place around it.

What we do

A general practice with more range than you might expect.

For dogs and cats — from first visits through the senior years.

01

Preventive & wellness care

Routine exams, vaccines, and the early screening that builds your pet’s baseline over time.
02

Surgery & dentistry

Dr. Putnam is comfortable with procedures, including more complex surgery and dental work, that some general practices refer out by default.
03

Complex & chronic cases

Internal medicine, chronic disease, and the complicated cases that take time to work up. When a specialist is the right call, we’ll tell you and explain why.
04

Diagnostics

On‑site diagnostics so more of your pet’s health can be handled in one place.

Serving Santa Barbara

Bonnie Mara Animal Hospital cares for dogs and cats across Santa Barbara and the surrounding communities. Whether you’ve known Dr. Putnam for years or you’re looking for a new veterinarian for the first time, you’re welcome here.

4860 Calle Real, Santa Barbara, CA 93111 Get directions →

FAQ

Questions worth asking of any veterinarian.

Look for a veterinarian who takes the time to know both you and your pet, who explains what they’re seeing and why, and who treats your questions as part of good care rather than an interruption. A practice that keeps its caseload manageable can give you that kind of attention. Bonnie Mara is one practice built around that standard, but the questions are worth asking of anyone you’re considering.

Yes. Bonnie Mara is built around continuity. Right now that means Dr. Putnam herself, and as the practice grows it’ll stay a small, familiar team that already knows your pet’s history. Over time that means faster recognition when something’s off, and less repeating yourself at every visit.

Bonnie Mara is set up to lower stress from the moment you arrive: a quieter, calmer environment, and care that happens with you in the room as much as possible, so your pet isn’t whisked off to “the back” on their own. The goal is simple: your pet has a better visit, and you both leave feeling like this was the right place.

Dr. Putnam keeps more cases in-house than many general practices and is comfortable working up complicated and chronic cases rather than referring them out by default. When a specialist is the better option, she’ll explain the reasons why so you can make the best decision for your pet.

Yes. Bonnie Mara is a new practice in Santa Barbara and we’re excited to meet new dogs, new cats, and the people who love them. Reach out and we’ll help you get started.

Dogs and cats in Santa Barbara

Let’s meet your pet.

Bonnie Mara Animal Hospital cares for dogs and cats in Santa Barbara. If you’re looking for a veterinarian who’ll take the time to know your pet and talk with you like a partner, we’d love to hear from you.

Request an appointment

Questions first? Call us at 805-456-6446.