By John Majeski,
Pet owners place an abundance of trust in their veterinarians when sickness or injury strikes their four-legged friends.
No one locally understands this more, perhaps, than Dr. Sree Reddy, DVM (Doctor of Veterinary Medicine), of Seven Oaks Pet Hospital, located on S.R. 56 (in the same plaza as Café Fresco). His compassion – and passion – for animals is apparent after chatting for just a few moments with the local veterinarian.
“I love doing this,” he says. “I can’t imagine doing anything else. I don’t think of this as a job.”
Seven Oaks Pet Hospital, which Dr. Reddy opened in 2007, is a one-stop facility, providing not only medical care, but surgical care, too, for a variety of household pets. The S.R. 56 facility provides basic services such as checkups, inoculations, blood, urine and feces tests and laparoscopic surgery (a minimally invasive technique that places a camera in the abdomen through a small incision), as well as unique, holistic services ranging from acupuncture to anesthesia-free dental care.
New Technologies, New Vet
Improving and expanding the services and technology offered at Seven Oaks is of great importance to Dr. Reddy, who says “state-of-the-art” is not some empty description of his business.
This year, for example, Seven Oaks began utilizing ultrasound technology. This imaging technique records echoes of ultrasonic waves, allowing the vet staff to see the internal structure of an animal.
“We use it for a lot of different diagnostic purposes,” Dr. Reddy says. “We have saved quite a few lives (using ultrasound).”
Ultrasound also is helpful in evaluating abdominal organs, conditions related to the heart, as well as diagnosing cysts and cancers. Ultrasound is different from X-rays, which may pose radiation risks and are best used for examining more dense structures, such as bone.
And, just a couple of months ago, Seven Oaks also began offering laser therapy. This holistic, non-invasive technique stimulates cells and tissues to bring about healing. Dr. Reddy says it can treat everything from intervertebral disc disease to dermatological disorders.
In addition to new technologies, Seven Oaks Pet Hospital has a new face in the office. Dr. Kathryn Smith-Gunning, DVM, was brought in to work with the team, which also includes Dr. Lisa Clifford, DVM; and hospital director Jennifer Pullara. While Dr. Smith-Gunning was not in the office during this writer’s visit to Seven Oaks, Dr. Reddy says she is specially trained in canine rehabilitation and acupuncture.
“She has more than 25 years of experience,” he says.
Patients Near & Far
Most of Seven Oaks Pet Hospital’s patients are from the New Tampa and Wesley Chapel areas. However, some come from as far away as Clearwater and Spring Hill for holistic treatments, like acupuncture. A few clients even have traveled from Ocala and Riverview for laparoscopic surgery, says Pullara.
That’s because, according to Dr. Reddy, Seven Oaks is the only vet facility in the Sunshine State that offers single port laparoscopic surgery.
“Other offices offer multiple-port laparoscopic surgery,” Dr. Reddy says. “Nobody else does (single port) and we’ve been doing it here since 2009.”
Dr. Reddy started his veterinary education in his native India, graduating from the College of Veterinary Medicine in Hyderabad, before coming to the U.S. and earning his Master’s degree in veterinary microbiology from Tuskegee University in Tuskegee, AL. He worked as a veterinarian in Iowa and Clearwater prior to opening Seven Oaks.
Choosing Wesley Chapel has been a good decision, he says.
“I’ve seen S.R. 56 grow right in front of me,” he says. “There was no Shops at Wiregrass Mall when I opened. Since 2007, I haven’t felt any downturn of the economy that the rest of the country was facing. Being in Wesley Chapel, we just saw (our business) grow and grow.”
The way he sees it, being a veterinarian is the best position a man of medicine can have. On any given day, Dr. Reddy says, he may have an acupuncture appointments in the morning, a bladder surgery after that, some checkups later on and a dental procedure in the afternoon.
“I’ve become an acupuncturist, a radiologist, a surgeon and a dentist,” he says. “It’s very satisfying. Every day, there’s a variety.”
‘Kennel-side’ Manner
About 60 percent of the animals seen at Seven Oaks are dogs, 35 percent cats and the remaining 5 percent are a jumble of others, such as rabbits, guinea pigs and an occasional turtle. One former patient is now a mascot of sorts.
“We have our own ‘clinic cat’ named Dunkin,” Dr. Reddy says. “Dunkin had a bladder stone and (the owner) wanted us to euthanize the cat. He is such a beautiful cat, and we didn’t want to.”
So they didn’t. One of the Seven Oaks vets volunteered to perform the necessary surgery and now this “clinic kitty” lives at the hospital, where he currently is groomed to look like a lion.
“And he has a good life,” Dr. Reddy says.
Seven Oaks Pet Hospital also is a fixture in the community. Dr. Reddy and his staff assist local animal organizations such as Greyhound Rescue & Adoptions of Tampa Bay and Labrador Retriever Rescue of Florida by providing at-cost services for their animals. For Spay Pasco, they help with the group’s mission for “pretty much free,” says Dr. Reddy.
Dr. Reddy also often participates in the Great American Teach-In, volunteering to speak about veterinary careers at schools such as Clark Elementary in New Tampa and Dr. John Long Middle and Seven Oaks Elementary schools in Wesley Chapel.
The business has attracted a loyal following with folks such as New Tampa resident Michaeleen Peterson, who says she started bringing her dogs Lexi and Sophie to Seven Oaks about a year ago. Another vet had suggested surgery for a hip issue in one of her dogs, but Peterson wanted a second opinion. After meeting with Dr. Reddy, her decision was to try acupuncture and other non-invasive techniques.
“And, they were able to fix the problem,” Peterson says.
Peterson adds that Seven Oaks is always, “very clean, the same few veterinarians are always there so you get to know them and they offer anesthesia-free dental cleanings – eliminating owners’ concerns about something happening when pets “go under.”
“I really can’t speak highly enough of this place,” she says.
Seven Oaks Pet Hospital is located at 27227 S.R. 56, in the Cypressview Square shopping center, which is between I-75 and Bruce B. Downs Blvd. The office can be reached at 929-4100 or at SevenOaksPet.com
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