North Tampa Pet Depot Is Tampa Palms’ Neighborhood Pet Store

By Anu Panchal

You may be able to buy your dog’s favorite dog food in quite a few places in New Tampa, but there’s only one place around the area where not only will the store manager ask you if there are any special products you’d like her to stock, but where the resident veterinarian (who owns and operates the store’s onsite pet hospital) will consult with you about your pet’s diet right in the store.

Located in the Publix-anchored City Plaza at Tampa Palms shopping center, the brand new, locally-owned- and-operated North Tampa Pet Depot is the first Florida outpost of the California-based chain store, which began as an independent alternative to big box pet stores in 1991. 

Quickly gaining popularity with pet owners, the brand grew first in California, and then began to franchise shops around the country. There currently are more than 50 locations across North America, with the Tampa Palms location the first in Florida.

Although the store and pet hospital are both already open, the official Grand Opening of North Tampa Pet Depot is scheduled for Friday, October 9, 5:30 p.m., and will feature giveaways, prizes and deep discounts on many products (many of which also will be featured the following weekend, as well). 

Store and hospital manager Sherri Kelley shows visitors around the bright room, which stocks pet food and treats, accessories, toys, furniture and novelty items. Sherri says that what separates North Tampa Pet Depot from the “big-box” pet stores is that it’s much more intimate.

“The vet walks around and consults with shoppers about their pets’ diets,” Kelley explains. “We also take pride in ‘mimicking the neighborhood’ by stocking the items that local shoppers want and ask for.” 

The selection of pets — fish, birds, reptiles and pocket pets (guinea pigs? hamsters?) — also is still growing. Kelley says the store features an array of pet foods, including traditional brands and types to grain free and natural varieties, as well as frozen meats. Brands currently in stock include GO!, Now Fresh, Blue Buffalo, Royal Canin, Merrick, Natural Balance, Fromm, Avoderm, and others.

“We will carry any food, any product people want,” says consultant Sree Reddy, DVM (Doctor of Veterinary Medicine), who owns Seven Oaks Pet Hospital on S.R. 56 in Wesley Chapel (and is in the process of opening a new pet hospital about a quarter-mile closer to I-75 than his current location). Dr. Reddy, who has been a consultant for North Tampa Pet Depot, adds, “That way, what {the store will carry} will mimic the neighborhood.”

Dr. Reddy says the store’s employees will actively seek out customers’ preferences and special requests and do their best to meet their needs. That sort of personalized service also extends to the store’s other services — which includes a full-service pet hospital and on-site dog and cat grooming.

North Tampa Pet Hospital offers everything from dental services, nutritional counseling, microchipping and parasite control to behavioral medicine, surgery, radiology and vaccines. 

A sterile surgical suite allows on-site veterinarian Venkat Yeruva, DVM,  to control anesthesia, blood pressure and oxygen levels, and stay with the patient throughout a procedure. Four exam rooms, a pharmacy and examination area, as well as separate rooms of “condos” for cats and dogs, complete the hospital. Lab work and digital X-rays also can be done on-site, and all records at the Depot are digital.

Dr. Yeruva is a former college “mate” and long-time friend of Dr. Reddy’s who graduated with his DVM degree in 1996 from Andhra Pradesh Agricultural University’s College of Veterinary Science in Hyderabad, India, in 1996, and completed his North American Veterinary Licensing Exam in 2006, followed by clinical training at the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Missouri in Columbia. He practiced in Ohio for a while, before moving to Tampa and working at a handful of nonprofit shelters and private practices.

Dr. Yeruva has taken care of birds, rabbits and even a chinchilla. He is pretty open to seeing anything and referring patients to other veterinarians, if necessary. He also provides care for reptiles.

Vet As Pet Nutritionist?

At North Tampa Pet Hospital, Dr. Yeruva will not only be busy seeing patients, he also is happy to consult with the store’s shoppers, as he can help you choose an appropriate diet for your pet. Dr. Yeruva, who says he has always loved animals, is devoted to his hospital. When he leaves at the end of the day, he says he has pet owners’ calls forwarded to his cell phone so that he’s available to his patients 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Dr. Yeruva takes pride in taking a holistic approach to animal health by not only offering “nutritional counseling” but other services such as acupuncture for pets.

“{Animals} do have a good response (to acupuncture), especially for neurological disorders,” says Dr. Yeruva, who received his certification for acupuncture from the Chi Institute of Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine in Reddick, FL. “{For} arthritis, pinched nerves — I’ve made dogs who could not even move walk again. I always integrate {traditional veterinary medicine with a holistic approach}. My primary {focus} is always on traditional medicine. But, if something is not working or if I feel that combining the two {approaches} will help the patient, I always suggest it. I give handouts {about acupuncture} and encourage {the pet’s family to do their own} research.”

Future patients also can take advantage of one of several available monthly “Wellness Plan” options. They range in cost from $30-$50 per month, plus a one-time (it will not kick in again if the customer doesn’t cancel the plan) $60 membership fee. 

“It’s for clients who get all the care they need for their pet,” says Kate Valdovinos, who assists Kelley at the Pet Depot. 

The “Gold Package” for dogs, for example, includes free exams, shots for rabies, distemper, canine influenza and bordatella, two intestinal parasite screenings per year, deworming, a heartworm test and routine diagnostics to check organ functions, as well as other services, including dental work.

It’s important for a pet owner’s peace of mind, says Valdovinos, because nothing is more heartbreaking than a pet owner coming in to euthanize a pet because he didn’t get an antibiotic he needed as little as a week prior. Some plans also include dental work, which includes the cost of the exam, drugs and anesthesia for the cleaning and associated IV catheter. Dental cleanings are essential, she explains, because an infected tooth is prime real estate for infections that can rapidly spread through the vessels to the pet’s other organs. 

The plans also offer a 10-percent discount on prescription medication and in-house procedures. Also, a current promotion offers free initial exams for new clients.

In the store’s spirit of general concern for animal well-being, North Tampa Pet Depot also will work with area rescue groups to host animals every weekend for people to meet and possibly adopt. Two contained areas at the front of the store will host dogs and cats for fostering or adoption. 

As for Dr. Yeruva, he says that he can’t wait to get to work every morning. “I’ve always loved animals and have had pets since I was a kid,” he says. “I enjoy my work. I never feel like I’m working.”

North Tampa Pet Depot is located at 16033 Tampa Palms Blvd. and is open Mon.–Sat., 9 a.m.-9 p.m., and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Sun.

For more information, see the ad on pg. 21 of this issue, call 866-7387, email NorthTampa@PetDepot.com or check out NorthTampa PetDepot.com. The Pet Hospital is open Mon.–Sat., 9 a.m.-7 p.m, & for emergencies only on Sun., after-hours and on holidays. For appointments, call 866-3600, email NorthTampa@PetDepotVetGroup.com or visit NorthTampaPetHospital.com.