The Portuguese Education Foundation of Central California honored a host of community members. The business of the year was the clinics owned by Drs. Sérgio Pereira and Maria Rodríguez, whose clinics have been among the most progressive and widely known in Central California.

Azores Veterinary Practice was founded on January 1st 2012 by Dr. Sergio Pereira and his wife Dr. Maria Rodriguez.

The name behind the practice comes from the fact that Dr. Pereira was born and raised in the Azores Islands of Portugal. It was on the beautiful Island of St. Jorge that his family ran a small dairy farm. Working alongside his father, Dr. Pereira soon discovered his passion for working with cattle. As he recalls, “Most of my knowledge and love for cows comes from my Dad. I never met anyone in my life that knows, loves and lives for cows as my Dad did”. From his early upbringing Dr. Pereira realized he wanted to become a veterinarian and work with food producing animals.

In order to make his dream a reality, Dr. Pereira immigrated to the United States in 1999 and began his formal education. After completing his undergraduate studies at Merced Junior College and UC Davis, Dr. Pereira enrolled at St. George’s University School of Veterinary Medicine. He graduated from veterinary school in 2006 and began working for a food animal practice in California’s San Joaquin Valley. It was in these first several years after graduating that he refined his production-based medical knowledge and surgical skills by working alongside two esteemed mentors.

Having an entrepreneurial drive impressed upon him from his family’s small business, and seeing a need for personal growth, Dr. Pereira decided to establish his own large animal practice in 2012. He founded Azores Veterinary Practice on the principles of hard work, professionalism, and up-to-date clinical competence.

Azores Veterinary Practice grew rapidly through a “word-of-mouth” reputation in Stanislaus, Merced and San Joaquin Counties. In order to keep up with the high demand for clients and the need for more food-animal veterinarians, the practice hired three new associate veterinarians in 2016, 2018 and 2019. Today Azores Veterinary Practice has a strong group of six young and dedicated veterinarians that each share the principles the practice was founded. Furthermore, the veterinary team draws a wide variety of experience from different corners of the globe such as Portugal, Mexico, Chile, Costa Rica, Brazil and the United States. Recently Dr. Pereira realized that in order to fully fulfil his client’s needs, the practice needed a new home. Azores Veterinary Practice is proud to announce that their state-of-the art large animal facility opened for business in February of 2021.

From Company website

From company site

At Azores Veterinary Practice, we are proud to provide a range of services for your commercial herds, backyard animals, and large animals. We specialize in bovine, caprine, ovine, and swine species. In the production realm, our goal is to work as a team member on your farm and help to increase your farm’s overall profitability. We can contribute to your success by offering services including evidence-based preventive medicine, reproductive services, milk quality services, record analysis, consultative services, on-farm training, and 24/7 emergency services. For our backyard patients, we provide preventative medicine, reproductive services, internal medicine, and a variety of surgical procedures. We strive to educate our clients so that they can learn more about the animals they care so dearly for. Here, our team uses the most up-to-date diagnostic equipment and the most recent knowledge in veterinary medicine to ensure the success of your farm or backyard operation

From Dr. Sérgio Pereira’s, facebook site:

Dr. Maria Rodriguez and Dr. Sergio Pereira cannot express enough gratitude for the recognition given by the Portuguese Education Foundation of Central California.

Being recognized as Businesses of the Year — Azores Veterinary Practice and True Blue Veterinary Group — gives us even greater motivation to continue expanding our services and providing our clients with the highest level of care and excellence.

We wholeheartedly share this award with our families, our teams, our friends, our community, and our clients. None of this would be possible without your support.

Thank you, and our very best wishes to this incredible foundation, which has contributed so much to the education and enrichment of our community.