Veterinarians

Justin Fischer, DVM

Dr. Justin Fischer was born and raised in Santa Barbara County and worked at several local veterinary hospitals while obtaining his undergraduate degree in Physiology from UCSB. In 2009 he received his veterinary degree from UC Davis followed by a 12 month internship at the Veterinary Medical and Surgical Group in Ventura where he received advanced training in small animal Internal Medicine, Emergency and Critical Care Medicine, Surgery, Oncology and Radiology. Following his internship, Dr. Fischer worked as an emergency clinician and at the Santa Barbara Humane Society. In 2012, by a stroke of good fortune, Dr. Fischer was asked to perform relief veterinary services at Carpinteria Veterinary Hospital while Dr. Putnam was on maternity leave and immediately fell in love with the staff, clients and community. In July 2013 he realized his lifetime goal of owning a veterinary clinic when he purchased the hospital with Dr. Putnam.

Dr. Fischer currently lives in Santa Barbara with his wife and two children. When not working, he enjoys spending time with his family, hiking, fishing, golfing and camping.

Dr. Fischer cannot imagine himself in any other profession and feels incredibly fortunate to be able to live in his hometown and work at such an amazing hospital with the best colleagues, staff and clients in the world!

Laura Putnam, DVM

Dr. Putnam has been part of the CVH family since 2006 and owner since 2013. Dr. Putnam spent her early years in Scotland, immersed herself in her pets, horses and horseback riding and always knew she was going to become a veterinarian.

After moving to Santa Barbara at age 13, she attended Santa Barbara High School then went on to obtain her B.S. in Biological Sciences from UCSB while working as an emergency technician at Pacific Emergency Pet Hospital as well as volunteering her time at the Animal Shelter Assistance Program. Dr. Putnam graduated from UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine in 2005 and then completed a one year small animal rotating internship at Pet Care in Santa Rosa, CA.

In addition to working at Carpinteria Veterinary Hospital, Dr. Putnam has spent hundreds of hours volunteering her time for spay/neuter clinics in Mexico and helping local rescue organizations.

Dr. Putnam currently lives in Santa Barbara with her husband, three children, one dog, two cats and two guinea pigs. During her time off, she enjoys spending time outdoors with her family at the beach and hiking or camping in the local mountains.

Kristin Unverferth, DVM

Dr. Kristin Unverferth joined the CVH family in 2007. For as long as she can remember animals and nature were her biggest passion. She grew up in Columbus, Ohio where she spent as much time as possible with the family pets and exploring the outdoors. Since she spent so much time monkeying around high up in trees, her parents enrolled her in gymnastics at a very young age and she competed through the collegiate level as a member of the OSU women's gymnastics team.

Dr. Unverferth attended the Ohio State University where she earned a BS in zoology, then graduated from the OSU College of Veterinary Medicine in 1997. After graduation she moved to the beautiful mountains of Aspen, Colorado. There she practiced for 9 years at a very busy small animal hospital and emergency clinic where she gained extensive experience in all aspects of medicine and surgery, including after hours emergency care. She has volunteered for Channel Islands Marine and Wildlife Institute, and spent a summer in Guatemala volunteering at a wildlife rescue and rehab in the middle of the rainforest.

Dr. Unverferth lives in Summerland with her dog Lexi and cat Andy.  She spends her free time cycling, and beach walking, running, and hiking with her little buddy Lexi. She also enjoys camping and backpacking, travelling far and near, and trying to grow a garden. Several years ago she fulfilled a lifelong dream of visiting the mountain gorillas in Uganda and Rwanda.

Dr. Unverferth loves being a veterinarian, having the opportunity to care for animals every day, and educating people who love their pets to help give them the best care possible. Her love and bond with her own furry children, past and present, drives her desire to practice the highest quality of medicine that she can.

Maribel Munoz, DVM

Dr. Munoz joined the Carpinteria Veterinary Hospital team in 2014. She is a southern California native, born and raised in Oxnard. She has dreamed of becoming a veterinarian ever since she could remember. Her career in the field started while she was still in high school, working at her local neighborhood veterinary clinic.

Dr. Munoz attended the University of California, Santa Barbara and graduated with a B.S. in Biological Sciences and a minor in Spanish. She worked as a veterinary technician while attending college. She went on to study veterinary medicine at the University of California, Davis. Following veterinary school, Dr. Munoz gained advanced training through a 12 month rotating internship at Veterinary Medical and Surgical Group in Ventura. She worked alongside specialists in emergency and critical care, internal medicine, oncology, radiology and surgery.

Dr. Munoz feels so lucky to call beautiful Santa Barbara her home. She loves the beach, the waves and the sun, paddle boarding and surfing. She enjoys international travel, tasting new foods, and spending as much time in nature as possible. Some of her favorite activities include backpacking, fishing, biking, yoga, skiing, and running.

She absolutely loves being a veterinarian and cannot imagine herself in any other career! Her primary interest is in providing the best possible care for her furry patients and educating the pet owners who love them.

Matie McPeters, DVM

Matie McPeters grew up in Santa Barbara, as the middle child of three.  She attended SBHS and completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Washington in Seattle. After graduation, she taught at a boarding school in South Africa. She then continued her schooling by completing a Masters of Education at UCLA, and was an elementary school teacher for several years. Dr. McPeters transitioned to veterinary medicine and met Dr. Fischer when they were both technicians. She graduated with her DVM from UC Davis and returned home to Santa Barbara to have her second child and start her career. She worked at a local ER clinic for several years before transitioning to general practice. She was a relief veterinarian and was able to work at Carp Vet during Dr. Fischer’s paternity leave. She loved the hospital, community, and patients - and was so happy to be asked to join the team!

Amy Belanger

Dr. Belanger was born and raised in Austin, TX where she worked as a veterinary technician for a small animal and exotics clinic and volunteered at the local zoo and wildlife center. She graduated with a bachelor's in biology from the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith where she played tennis on scholarship. She then attended veterinary school at Texas A&M University. Following veterinary school, she completed a 12 month rotating internship at Kansas State University Veterinary Health Center where she worked alongside specialists in internal medicine, surgery, radiology, oncology, anesthesiology, and exotic/zoo medicine. She has a special interest in companion exotics, with an emphasis on avian medicine. 

Dr. Belanger fell in love with Santa Barbara from her first visit in 2014 and now lives in Goleta with her little dog, Kai. When not working, she can be found exploring the beautiful coastline, mountain trails, local coffee shops and restaurants this area has to offer. She loves traveling, both nationally and internationally, and feels fortunate to live in an area near many so travel destinations.

Dr. Belanger loves being a veterinarian and feels so lucky to have a lifelong career helping people and their furry and feathered family members. She is so excited to join the Carpinteria Veterinary Hospital team!