Meet Dr. Gorgi

Board Certified Neurologist/Neurosurgeon

Our vet neurologist, Dr. Gorgi has been practicing veterinary neurology and neurosurgery in Southern California for over 10 years. During this time, he has been responsible for building and expansion of some of the most successful neurology departments in different specialty hospitals in West Los Angeles and Orange County. Dr. Gorgi is progressive, integrative, compassionate, and remains at the forefront of all available modalities to treat different neurologic and neurosurgical diseases. Dr. Gorgi is an adjunct clinical professor at Western University of Medical Sciences in Pomona, Ca.

Dr. Gorgi decided to use all his expertise, experience, and compassion as an expert vet neurologist to establish the most sophisticated and advanced veterinary neurological center in Southern California and Orange County. By establishing the center more, patients from areas in Long Beach, Corona, Irvine and the Greater Los Angeles area have access to much need veterinary neurological services.

Dr. Gorgi has lectured extensively locally, nationally, and internationally in different animal neurology and neurosurgery topics. As an expert pet neurologist, he has been invited to the International Symposium in Veterinary Surgery for lecturing and conducting workshops with other renowned vet neurologists in the field of veterinary neurosurgery. He has been invited to different universities and veterinary organizations worldwide to further train veterinarians in neurology and neurosurgery.

Dr. Gorgi has been actively involved with multiple research projects. He has published in veterinary journals and is the author of the Status Epilepticus (seizures) chapter in Textbook of Veterinary Internal Medicine which is considered the most comprehensive and prestigious reference for Small Animal Veterinarians.

Not only is Dr. Gorgi a skilled vet neurologist in Mission Viejo, he is also a highly accomplished neurosurgeon. As part of his research project during his residency, he has developed a novel technique in dogs for surgical treatment of congenital vertebral anomalies. He is one of the few veterinarians in California to be certified to perform cervical disc arthroplasty (artificial disc) in dogs. Dr. Gorgi has continued to advance the art and science of neurosurgery and has made modifications to the PMMA plug technique for cervical disease. In addition to the more common neurosurgical procedures (such as decompressive surgery for intervertebral disc disease), Dr. Gorgi has routinely performed more advanced procedures for hydrocephalus, caudal occipital malformation syndrome (Chiari malformation), atlantoaxial luxation, Wobblers syndrome, spinal and brain tumors, and spinal and skull fracture repairs.

When not in the hospital, Dr. Gorgi can generally be found spending time with his wife and two sons, and their Golden Retriever.

Memberships

  • American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine
  • American Veterinary Medical Association
  • California Veterinary Medical Association
  • Southern California Veterinary Medical Association
  • Veterinary Neurosurgical Society
  • World Veterinary Organization
  • International Veterinary Academy of Pain Management

Board Certification

  • American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (Neurology)
  • ACVIM Neurosurgery Certificate of Training

Education and Post-Graduate training

  • Veterinary School: Ross University/Cornell University
  • Internship: University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine
  • Residency: The Ohio State University and University of Missouri-Columbia

Selected Publications, Abstracts and Presentations

Meet Dr. Olivia Shoup, MS, DVM

Practice Limited to Neurology and Neurosurgery

Dr. Shoup was raised in Dallas, Texas. She then went on to obtain her Bachelor of Science in Zoology and Biology and her Master of Science in Veterinary Biomedical Science at Colorado State University. Dr. Shoup was quickly fascinated by the physiology and anatomy of the nervous system, and this led her to pursue a specialty in Veterinary Neurology. She completed her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine at Oklahoma State University, a rotating internship at BluePearl Pet Hospital in Spring, TX, a neurology internship at MissionVet Specialty & Emergency in San Antonio, TX, and a 3-year residency in veterinary neurology and neurosurgery at the very busy Veterinary Neurological Center in Phoenix, AZ. During residency, Dr. Shoup studied the effects of hypertonic saline administered to dogs treated surgically for loss of deep pain perception secondary to intervertebral disk herniation.

Immersed in a high surgical caseload during her residency, including a large number of stabilization and malformation cases, Dr. Shoup developed a special interest in neurosurgery, especially advanced and unusual neurosurgical cases. She has completed the Advanced Techniques in Neurosurgery course as well as additional training on placement of pedicle screws in the spine. She hopes to stay at the forefront of surgical and non-surgical options available for pets, especially when considering chronic pain management. Dr. Shoup also believes in combining holistic and traditional medical practices to produce the best outcomes.

In her free time, Dr. Shoup enjoys multiple styles of dance, aerial exercise, and puzzles, as well as spending time with her rescued fur-children: Major, a Shepherd mix, Maisie, an Australian shepherd mix, and cat, Orion.