Best Vets, The
Price, Carly
Monty Kehl and Craig Wilbanks have a house full of dogs. At least that’s what it sounds like when they rush to the front door-barking, toenails clicking-to greet a visitor. The dogs have their own personalities and, as they age, their own medical problems.
With two greyhounds, 9-year-old Elmer and 10-year-old Johnny, and an 11-year-old cocker spaniel named Daisy, Kehl and Wilbanks give a lot of thought to veterinary care. Fortunately, the range of specialty and alternative pet health care in Dallas-Fort Worth has increased in the last 20 years.
“Not so long ago, for any sort of specialized veterinary care, you had to drive three or four hours to one of the university hospitals,” says Dr. Darryl McDonald, staff surgeon and partner at the Dallas Veterinary Surgical Center, part of the Veterinary Referral Center of North Texas. The center includes pet neurologists, ophthalmologists, oncologists, dermatologists, radiologists, and internal medicine specialists.
When it opened in 2000, the Referral Center put Dallas ahead of the curve in specialty veterinary care; now referral centers are popping up nationwide. With this trend comes increased coordination between vets and specialists.
“If I have a dog who is hit by a car and has multiple injuries, it’s easy for me to walk down the hall and have the radiologist look at the X-rays or the internal medicine specialist look at the blood work,” McDonald says.
When Daisy had a mass in her eye two years ago, she was treated successfully by an ophthalmologist at the Referral Center. Recently, Daisy got a pinched nerve and couldn’t walk for weeks. When traditional medicine couldn’t help, Kehl and Wilbanks turned to a pet massage therapist. As with humans, pet health care has expanded to include complementary and alternative medicine, such as acupuncture, chiropractic, herbs, massage, and other holistic treatments,
Dr. Shawn Messonnier of Plano’s Paws & Claws Animal Hospital, author of The Natural Health Bible for Dogs & Cats, first tried alternative treatments because he couldn’t make a dent in pet allergies. He used herbs and other natural approaches, and, when he saw success, he didn’t stop with allergies. In January, after months of trying conventional veterinary medicine, Ann Huey and Martin McCall took their tortoise-shell tabby cat Deluxie to Messonier. Deluxie was diagnosed with polyarthritis (arthritis in multiple joints, a rare condition in cats) and treated with steroids, but her condition worsened. Messonnier put Deluxie on eight supplements, including glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate. Now she can play and climb trees.
In addition to technology and alternative treatments, vets rely on the basics of nutrition, preventive care, and exercise to improve the duration and quality of life for pets. If all of this sounds a lot like the lectures you’ve been hearing from your doctor for years, that’s because animal medicine lags five to seven years behind human medicine- but it’s catching up. Who knows? Maybe Kehl and Wilbanks will someday share a medical insurance plan with their beloved dogs.
ARLINGTON/GRAND PRAIRIE
Dr. Robin Crisman
I-20 Animal Medical Center (24-hour emergency care)
5820 W. I-20, Arlington
972-263-2525 or 817-478-PAWS
Dr. Roy Gully
Gully & Associates Animal Hospital
6300 S. Cooper St., Arlington
817-468-2333
BLUFFVIEW
Dr. Paul Carroll
Midway Hollow Pet Clinic
3780 W. Northwest Hwy.
214-902-0797
CARROLLTON/ FARMERS BRANCH
Drs. John Calhoun and Kelly Black
North Carrollton Veterinary Hospital
1839 Frankford Rd., Carrollton
972-492-0431
Dr. Trisha Ballard
Alternative Veterinary Hospital (chiropractic care, alternative medicine)
1060 W. Frankford Rd., Carrollton
972-492-0563
CEDAR HILL
Dr. Timothy England
Cedar Hill Veterinary Clinic (horses)
1026 N. Hwy. 67, Cedar Hill
972-299-5261
THE COLONY
Dr. Sharon Wild
The Colony Animal Clinic (acupuncture)
5906 Paige Rd., The Colony
972-370-5220
COPPELL
Dr. William Stearman III
Coppell Veterinary Hospital
504 Denton Tapp Rd., Coppell
974-462-1120
EAST DALLAS
Drs. Jim Ahumada and Helene Bergeron
A&B Animal Clinic (wild bird rehabilitation, exotics)
9027 Garland Rd. 214-328-7055
Dr. Wade Dunn
VCA Lakewood Animal Hospital
6363 Richmond Ave.
214-826-6601
Dr. Karen Fling
East Lake Veterinary Hospital (rabbits, rodents, birds, acupuncture)
10101 E. Northwest Hwy.
214-342-3100
Dr. Stephanie L. Chritton
Hillside Veterinary Clinic
6150 E. Mockingbird Ln. 214-824-0397
FLOWER MOUND
Dr. Oliver Shaffer
Flower Mound Veterinary Hospital
1601 Arrowhead Dr., Flower Mound
972-539-1575
FRISCO
Drs. Kevin Marcum and Debbie Schaffer
Animal Medical & Surgical Hospital of Frisco (small animal surgery)
6451 Preston Rd., Frisco
972-335-1234
Dr. George Martin
Plantation Pet Health Center
12560 Lebanon Rd., Frisco
972-731-0001
GARLAND
Dr. Glen Campbell
Buckingham Animal Hospital
1861 N. Garland Ave., Garland
972-485-8660
Dr. Julie Stanek
Centerville Road Animal Clinic
145 E. Centerville Rd., Garland
972-271-4637
IRVING
Dr. Kemba Marshall, ABVP
Metroplex Veterinary Center (board certified to treat exotics)
700 W. Airport Fwy., Irving
972-438-7113
Dr. Wesley Agler
Pioneer Animal Hospital (rabbits, rodents)
3009 W. Pioneer Dr., Irving
972-790-0555
NORTH DALLAS
Dr. Malcolm Cameron
Preston Royal Animal Clinic
10720 Preston Rd.
214-369-7364
Drs. Clint Chastain and Sue Chastain
Chastain Veterinary Medical Group/Preston Road Animal Hospital (reptiles)
6060 LBJ Fwy.
972-239-1309
Dr. E. Kelly Nitsche
Veterinary Specialists of North Texas (internal medicine)
12101 Greenville Ave., Ste. 114
972-437-9499
Drs. Hugh Hays and Loretta Pantenburg
Summertree Animal & Bird Clinic (birds, rabbits, exotics)
12300 Inwood Rd.
972-387-4168
Dr. Larry Putnam
Meadow Central Animal Clinic
10455 N. Central Expwy.
214-692-9007
Dr. Kathleen Sohner
Central Expressway Animal Hospital
11680 Forest Central Dr.
214-221-6857
FAR NORTH DALLAS
Dr. Jeff Ellis
Preston Park Animal Hospital (greyhounds, golden retrievers)
18770 Preston Rd.
972-985-0081
Drs. Jennifer Garretson and Michael Norton
Frankford Crest Animal Hospital (exotics)
6911 Fircinkford Rd. 972-398-2111
Veterinary Referral Center of North Texas
(surgery, ophthalmology, dermatology, radiology, internal medicine) Referral from general core veterinarian required
444 Trinity Mills Rd. 972-267-8100
NORTHEAST DALLAS
Dr. Joe Lindley (exotics)
Lindley Veterinary Clinic
8518 Plano Rd.
214-341-6600
OAKCLIFF
Dr. Gwen Gierczak
Hampton Road Pet Hospital
2406 Emmett St.
214-330-4677
OAKLAWN
Dr. Chip Cannon
City Veterinary Center (surgery)
2732 Oak Lawn Ave. 214-219-2838
PARK CITIES
Dr. John Vandermeer
Highland Park Animal Clinic
5323 N. Central Expwy. 214-528-3360
Dr. Andrew Martin
Lovers Lane Animal Medical Center
4660 W. Lovers Ln.
214-350-5696
Dr. Lawrence Williams
Preston Center Animal Clinic
5934 W. Northwest Hwy.
214-368-3592
PLANO
Drs. Charles C. Blonien and Michael J. Shelton
Parker Animal & Bird Clinic (birds)
2129 W. Parker Rd., Ste. A, Plano
972-985-0036
Dr. Shawn Messonnier
Paws & Claws Animal Hospital (holistic/integrated approach, including acupuncture, homeopathy)
2145 W. Park Blvd., Plano
972-867-8800
Dr. Lee Reeves
Lancers Square Animal Clinic
3207 Independence Pkwy., Plano
972-596-3413
Dr. Douglas K. Sanders
Chase Oaks Animal Clinic
141 W. Spring Creek Pkwy., Ste, 415, Plano
972-517-1970
RICHARDSON
Drs. Candy Major and Herman Swann
Plano Arapaho Veterinary Clinic
1400 N. Plano Rd., Richardson
972-690-8741
Drs. Gary Brantley and Ann Heymann
Richardson Veterinary Clinic
733 S. Floyd Rd., Richardson
972-235-4509
SOUTHLAKE
Dr. Paul Bruton
Animal Healthcare Clinic (chiropractic, acupuncture)
1615 E. Southlake Blvd., Southlake
817-481-1382
Dr. Greg Moore
Southlake Animal Hospital (birds of prey, reptiles)
200 W. Northwest Pkwy., Southlake
817-481-2014
UPTOWN
Dr. Stacie Marsh
City Vet Uptown Veterinary Hospital (24-hour emergency clinic)
3101 McKinney Ave. 214-953-1001
DOWNTOWN
Drs. Kristi Ellor, Bryan Tims, and Ronald Vaughn
Rutherford Veterinary Hospital
924 S. Haskell Ave.
214-826-4166
MOBILE VETS
Dr. Gene Giggleman
(chiropractic core)
In Home Veterinary Care (Grapevine area)
817-481-6873
Dr. Becky Jones
Pet Calls Mobile Veterinary Clinic (Denton County)
940-565-0091
Dr. Steven Wilson
Dallas Cat Clinic
(Plano, North Dallas area)
972-907-2287
*Vets who offer special services or have experience treating certain species, in addition to cats and dogs, are noted in parentheses. Note: only vets who are board certified in a specialty are technically “specialists.”
Copyright D Magazine Jun 01, 2004
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved
