We have been taking our 2 ,now 8 year old beagles, to Dr. Dana and his staff for the past 4 years. The first week we moved here, one was sick & we appreciated the fact that Dr. Dana Walstead wasn't too quick to ""rush' into giving her pills and run all kinds of tests like the vet we just left in Atlanta had done just for the past several months earlier for the same issue. Instead, he used good judgement and seemed to know how to treat her with minimal meds and her problem never returned! After spending several hundred dollars on all those tests & meds in Atlanta that never even worked!\r
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For the past 4 years, because of the extra attention he & Dr Suzanne & staff have given my girls, we have only had to go in on 1 other occassion until we moved 45 miles away to St. Peterburg. We had already interviewed several vets &/or staff in the St. Petersburg area and just didn't get the same feel for any of them as Dr. Dana Walstead & his staff. So, we had pretty much decided we'd take the girls back to him for their annual ""check-up"" but we had an emergency (the other beagle, this time)and one got very sick about a month before our ""check-up"". We were torn as to whether to make the drive for a very sick dog 45 miles to Ellenton Aniumal Clinic & I'm so glad we did! After our first visit with this emergency, he spent days on the phone with me asking how my little beagle was doing & explaining the serious and often fatal illness she had. He was very careful with his diagnosis and helped me decipher what was truth and not truth about what I had read on-line. Our little girl is well on her way to being much better and we will have to continue to go for several more visits to make sure she continues her successful recovery. We are so happy that we stayed with Dr. Dana and will tell anyone, he is well worth the drive. Although he is a VERY busy man himself, he will take the time to talk with you and work with you in the explanations and treatment options and discuss the prices of each. And he will never recommend unecessary tests, vaccines and medications-which is something we felt like the vets in our new hometown were doing just by speaking to their staffs & listening to our new neighbors. He is much more discriminating in his diagnosis and knowledgeable than the 4 or 5 vets we have spoken to inthis part of Florida. I do not want to say that they are not good, but in my opinion, Dr. Dana just seemed to have a certain edge that the others do not have! Not to mention, he saved my little beagle's life! We would highly recommend him to anyone in the South Tampa Bay & Sarasota area! Sincerely, The Hendersons
Pros: Best Doctor & Very Caring Staff
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