Orcutt Veterinary Hospital was started in 2006 by Brenda Forsythe, PhD, DVM, a 1998 graduate of the University of California – Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Forsythe (or "Dr. Brenda" as she is known to many of her clients) has over a decade of clinical experience in medicine and surgery with a wide variety of animal species including horses, but her area of special interest has been in helping dogs and cats to stay healthy. To that end, she offers state of the art small animal medical and surgical care as well as experience as a veterinary chiropractitioner.

In addition to being a veterinarian, Dr. Brenda holds a second doctorate degree in Animal Science with a special emphasis in animal behavior. She also completed a Master of Science degree in Animal Science specializing in behavior at Cal Poly, as well as a veterinary externship in animal behavior at Cornell University. Dr. Brenda enjoys helping her patients overcome behavior problems by offering behavioral consultation services at Orcutt Veterinary Hospital. She loves to see her patients become beloved family members in their households.

Besides operating Orcutt Veterinary Hospital, Dr. Brenda has served her community as a former member of the Board of Governors of the California Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) representing Santa Barbara County, SLO County and Kern County; the CVMA is an elite group of veterinarians helping to shape public policy and animal legislation in California.

She recently served on the CVMA Veterinary Disaster Response Committe for northern Santa Barbara County, assisting county Animal Services in preparing for emergencies involving animals such as animal rescue in disaster situations. Her exceptional love for animals also led to a prior position as Co-chairman of the CVMA Animal Welfare Task Force and currently as chairman of the CVMA Animal Welfare Committee. She has given her veterinary time to help the animal companions of the homeless at Mercer Clinic in Sacramento, performed free spay and neuter surgery for California Feline Foundation and Hope Animal Foundation in Fresno, and assisted with medical and surgical care of homeless animals and furry friends of low-income families for Santa Barbara County Animal Services, Santa Maria Valley Humane Society, and Santa Ynez Valley Humane Society. She also donates her time to help improve the lives of homeless and needy animals in central California by functioning as President of The Big Fix Uganda, an organization that facilitates spay/neuter surgery for animals here and abroad (www.thebigfixuganda.org).

In her spare time, Dr. Forsythe enjoys horseback riding with her husband Jerry on their Belgian Warmblood mare Waverly and Dutch Warmblood gelding, Kadence. She has also started riding and showing her young Andalusian mare, Venezia. She enjoys traveling and also spending time at home with her rescue dogs – beagles named Klaus Nomi and Peanut, as well as her cats Tofu and Tempeh (and speaking of tofu and tempeh, Dr. Forsythe is also a vegetarian!).