By Celeste McLaughlin
Sree Reddy, DVM (Doctor of Veterinary Medicine), and his team at Seven Oaks Pet Hospital have been treating dogs, cats and sometimes exotic pets from their office on S.R. 56 (between I-75 and Bruce B. Downs {BBD} Blvd.) since the hospital opened in 2007. As the practice continues to thrive and grow, Dr. Reddy says he is poised to move to a new location that will better serve his clients.
Dr. Reddy graduated from the College of Veterinary Medicine in Hyderabad, in his native India, 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 his practice in Seven Oaks.
In addition to Dr. Reddy, there are two other veterinarians on staff at Seven Oaks Pet Hospital. Lisa Clifford, DVM, earned a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in Zoology from the University of Hawaii in Manoa in 1998 and her DVM degree from the Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine in Ames in 2005. She’s been on staff at Seven Oaks Pet Hospital since 2009. Jillian Myers, DVM, who earned her B.A. degree in Zoology from Delaware Valley College of Science & Agriculture in Doylestown, PA, in 2010 and her DVM at Ross University on the Caribbean island of St. Kitts in 2014. She joined the practice last year.
And, this August, Seven Oaks Pet Hospital will move to a new plaza, owned by Dr. Reddy, less than a half mile west on S.R. 56 from the current location. Ground was officially broken on the plaza, which will house the veterinary hospital, as well as a retail store. The plaza is tentatively being called “Pet and Fit,” after the businesses that will occupy it.
To that end, in addition to the pet hospital, which will occupy 5,000 sq. ft., and the retail store, which will occupy another 3,000 sq. ft., two tenants have been confirmed for the new plaza. One is a CrossFit gym that will occupy 12,500 square feet, and the other is a kids’ karate dojo that will occupy 2,400 sq. ft. This fills all available space in the plaza. When the office moves, it will allow Seven Oaks Pet Hospital to expand its services to offer expanded on-site grooming and boarding for its clients.
Dr. Reddy says he is looking forward to the move and having additional space for his growing practice, which he says has developed mostly through client referral.
“(Our location doesn’t) have great visibility and we don’t have big corporate backing,” he says, “so our growth comes from people who come in, like us and refer us to their friends.”
One reason clients are so pleased with their experience is that Dr. Reddy’s practice stays ahead of the curve with new technology and treatment options. “We are proud that we update our practice with two or three new services every year,” says Dr. Reddy. For example, Seven Oaks Pet Hospital is adding an underwater treadmill this year. “This is great for doing rehab with older dogs to build muscle, while taking weight off the joints,” Dr. Reddy says.
And, for many years now, Dr. Reddy says, Seven Oaks Pet Hospital has been the only animal hospital in Florida to do single-port (incision) laparoscopic surgeries, such as spays for animals who weigh more than 10 pounds, liver biopsies or gastropexy (to eliminate twisting of the stomach). Dr. Reddy says that, while some facilities offer these services with multiple incisions, his office is the only one in the state that uses a single port. And, he adds, all of these and other surgeries are performed on-site by Dr. Reddy. He learned to do these surgeries through specialized training in 2005 at the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society in Ft. Collins, CO. “Now we do quite a few every week with good results,” he says.
He adds that because spaying is such a common surgery, we sometimes forget that it’s actually a major procedure. For a large animal, a typical spay can require a 14-day recovery with cage restrictions. However, the laparoscopic technique requires just two or three days of recovery.
“Better technology means better outcomes, which means better pet care,” he adds. “It doesn’t necessarily translate into profit, because the technology is so expensive that we can’t necessarily make the money back that we put into it. But, I believe there’s more to what I do than profit. I believe you should enjoy your work and that it should be challenging and rewarding. I feel so happy to be able to offer these services for clients that they can’t get anywhere else.”
The single port laparoscopic spay is just one reason why Mary Groezinger, a volunteer with Labrador Retriever Rescue of Florida, raves about Seven Oaks Pet Hospital.
“Right now I have five fosters and two dogs of my own, and they all see Dr. Reddy and his staff,” she says. “I highly recommend that anyone anywhere near here consider a laparoscopic spay with Dr. Reddy. It’s such a tiny incision, and the pets recover so much more quickly.”
She says Dr. Reddy is a gifted surgeon who saved the life of one of her foster dogs.
“We call him Jesse the Miracle Puppy. Another vet told us that he couldn’t be saved and had to be euthanized, but Dr. Reddy was asked for a second opinion. He immediately went into surgery, and had to remove about a foot of Jesse’s intestines that were rotted from a fungus, but he saved him. And now Jesse is gaining weight and doing great.”
Mary adds that she is grateful for Dr. Reddy’s support of the Labrador rescue organization for which she volunteers. He provides discounts and is very understanding of the limitations of the all-volunteer, nonprofit organization, she says.
“I cannot say enough good things about him,” she says. “Not only is he an excellent surgeon, but he also offers holistic treatments.” She says one of her rescue dogs with severe arthritis currently goes to Seven Oaks for acupuncture and herbal medication.
“Traditional and holistic treatments complement each other,” says Dr. Reddy, who also offers laser therapy for pets. For example, if a pet has an issue with one of its knees, the laser is applied right to the knee for a targeted approach, instead of using an oral anti-inflammatory medicine. The laser can be used for hip dysplasia, knee pain and to reduce post-operative pain, as well as for dental extractions.
“We get amazing results with the laser when traditional medical treatments fail,” Dr. Reddy says. “For example, if an animal comes in with paralysis, there really isn’t anything Western medicine can do. So when we see an animal, we do our diagnosis, then discuss all the plan treatment options with our clients.”
Dr. Reddy says veterinary medicine is changing because clients want to know exactly what’s wrong with their pet, not just how to treat their symptoms. So, Seven Oaks Pet Hospital can do all diagnostics in office, from X-rays to ultrasounds.
Also popular are dental cleanings with no anaesthesia.
“We do this once or twice a month and get booked up quickly,” says Dr. Reddy, who explains the cleaning technique is exactly the same as with anesthesia, it just takes longer to sit with the pet and clean its teeth while the animal is fully awake. “I enjoy it, because I like helping the pets,” he says. “Anaesthesia can be risky and we want to minimize these risks.”
To help pet owners manage the cost of their pet’s care, the hospital offers wellness plans. Dr. Reddy says the majority of his clients purchase the wellness plan because of how much money they save. He says his staff audits these plans and finds that most clients save anywhere from $100 to $2,000 annually by choosing a pre-planned wellness plan. Wellness plan members get unlimited free exams, plus vaccines, (an annual) heartworm test and more. The wellness plan also entitles the pet to a reduced co-pay at an after-hours emergency facility. Two different plans are available – one for puppies and kittens and one for adult pets.
Sunday Hours Soon!
Dr. Reddy and his staff also are proud to announce that Seven Oaks Pet Hospital will soon be open on Sundays from 11 a.m.-5 p.m, expanding the practice’s service to seven days a week. Dr. Reddy says since there is no pet emergency clinic in the immediate area, his practice wants to cater to those who find themselves in need of services during the weekend. In addition to the current hours the hospital is open, Dr. Reddy says that he is always on call for his clients. After hours, the business phones roll over to his cell phone so he can always help his patients.
Seven Oaks Pet Hospital is located at 27227 S.R. 56, in the Cypress View Square shopping center, which is between I-75 and BBD. For more information, see the ad on page 46, call 929-4100 or visit SevenOaksPet.com. The office is open Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-6 p.m. (with extended hours until 8 p.m. on Wednesday), and 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. on Saturday.
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