Paddock Park Animal Care Center: Heroes of The Pet World

Veterinarians, vet technicians, practice managers, rescuers, behaviorists, nutritionists, trainers, volunteers, and other animal professionals are the backbone of pet ownership. Helping pets and their families live in harmony and health together.

We want to highlight some of these underrated champions of the animal world. Who we like to refer to as Heroes of The Pet World.

We’ll interview some of the most inspiring vet clinics, animal hospitals, animal shelters, and rehabilitation organizations around the world to share all the wonderful and oftentimes harsh experiences they face while working to help, heal, guide, revitalize, and protect our furry family members. These are the stories of unsung animal superheroes!

Mission

In your own words, what is Paddock Park Animal Care Center’s mission and purpose?

I feel that our mission at Paddock Park Animal Care Center is to do our very best to service our patients, clients and community with compassion and competence. We are committed to caring for and helping all pets in need.

What is your individual mission or goal, as a vet professional and as a person?

As a Practice Manager/Technician, I am very committed to helping to provide the best patient care for all pets. I am very passionate about my job and I love the reward of helping the clients and their pets.

Day-to-Day Experience

What is it like being a vet professional in Florida, and at Paddock Park Animal Care Center?

I came to Paddock Park Animal Care Center 42 years ago and have been so blessed to have worked with some of the most amazing and talented veterinarians and technicians in this profession. Another wonderful benefit to this job is building lasting relationships with our clients. My staff here is my family and am so thankful for every one of them. Their love and desire to care for animals is beyond comparison.

How big is your team?

My staff consists of 15 people.

Do you have staffing shortages and how do you deal with them?

There have definitely been times when we have had staffing shortages and it is difficult to get through that. I am very fortunate to have staff that will step up and fill in when needed.

How many animals on average do you help on a weekly basis?

On average, we see between 200-250

Challenges and Rewards

What is the hardest part of your job? How do you handle euthanasia and patient loss?

The hardest part of my job is definitely losing a patient. I know realistically that we can’t save them all but it’s so difficult to lose one. We try our best to make our clients as comfortable as possible when they are saying goodbye to their loved ones. Sedation is given to the pet so that the client can be with them while they go to sleep and then the final injection is given. The client is welcome to spend as much time as they like afterward. We also send sympathy cards signed by each staff member to the client.

What are some of the biggest challenges that your organization faces?

In today’s world, pricing has become so difficult for everyone. Products that have to be purchased by the clinic have increased by such a large percentage and unfortunately increases have to be passed along to the clients. Pricing certainly has an effect on whether or not the client comes into the clinic.

What is the most rewarding part of doing what you guys do?

To me, the most rewarding part of what we do is becoming a part of the team that takes care of the pets. It’s so wonderful to see a client with a new puppy and then take care of that pet through its entire life. We become part of that family and they have so much appreciation for what we do here. It’s such an honor to be part of that.

Impact

What are some of the accomplishments or specific animals that have made a big impact on you as a person or on your team?

Being a part of this team at Paddock Park for so long, I have had the honor of helping so many pets. We rescued an entire horse trailer full of dogs from Hurricane Katrina. They were brought here, examined, and taken care of and we were able to find new homes for all of them. During other hurricanes, we made Hurricane Animal Relief t-shirts to sell and donated the proceeds to organizations that were rescuing pets. On 9/11, we also made t-shirts to sell and donate to the rescue dogs that were injured at the Twin Towers. Recently, there was a post on Facebook asking for someone to help a dog that had been abandoned in a neighborhood. I answered the post and told her to please call me at the clinic and I would see if there was anything that we could do to help. She brought her in on Monday and she was in really rough shape. They had named her Lila and she was such a sweetheart. After examining her, we found that she was positive for heartworms, and hookworms, infested with fleas, needed to be spayed and had a broken leg. Between some of our wonderful clients and our staff, we were able to raise money to help her. As of today, Lila is happy and healthy and is living with a beautiful family in her forever home. Her new name is now Nala Pickles!! This is why we all do what we do!

Future

What are Paddock Park Animal Care Center’s main goals for the future?

We will continue to strive to help animals in need and also educate people on caring for pets.

How can the general public help make your lives easier?

We would really appreciate it if people could please try to understand that if there is a bit of a wait for your appointment, we are helping take care of someone else’s fur baby who is in need of immediate care. I know it’s frustrating to wait but sometimes there is someone more critical to help.

Stories

What are some of the funniest or most outrageous pet names you’ve encountered?

These are some of the funniest pet names over the years: Meatball, Alley Mcsqueal, Gordon Hamsey, Bar B Cue, Blinky Blinkerson, Broccoli, Cat Benatar, and Canada Dry.

How to Support

If someone wants to visit, join, support, or volunteer at your organization, where can they find more information and get in touch?

They can find our information on our website at paddockparkvet.com

Anything else you’d like to tell the pet community?

It has truly been our pleasure to serve our community by taking care of their pets for the past 42 years and we will continue to do so.
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