DeSoto VCA is Readers Choice for Pet Care Again in 2021

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The VCA Hospital staff. Photo courtesy VCA.

Best Animal Clinic, Best Veterinarian, Best pet Groomer, Best Pet Boarding

Recently the community recognized DeSoto VCA Animal Hospital in the Best Southwest when it was voted Best Animal Clinic, Best Veterinarian and two second place awards as Best Pet Groomer and Best Pet Boarding.

Located on Hampton Road in DeSoto, VCA Animal Clinic has been open for years and according to Amy Vanderslice, Hospital Manager “We feel strongly when it comes to helping pets, especially those in need of their forever home. We work with Tri-City Animal Shelter and the SPCA frequently. We also provide care to many rescue organizations that work off donations only.”

Vanderslice began her career at an animal hospital in July of 1992 saying it was the best thing she ever did. “I stayed at that hospital for 18 years, then did some client service training at our local hospitals. Luckily I was needed here at VCA DeSoto Animal Hospital as Hospital Manager and have now been enjoying my time for over 10 years.”

The Medical Director at VCA Animal Clinic, Dr. Tabone, began his career at VCA during high school in the kennel. He would work at the facility when he was home for the holidays during college, then he returned to be a veterinarian once he graduated from Texas A & M in 1993.

Dr. Stubbs, Dr. Brown and Dr. Curry are Associate Veterinarians at VCA. A total of 28 employees overall serve the people and animals in the local community.

Services VCA DeSoto Offers

VCA Animal Clinic in DeSoto originally opened its doors when a local veterinarian started the practice here about 50 years ago. “When he was ready to retire, he sold the practice to VCA,” Vanderslice said.

“We offer medical care to dogs and cats, as well as, boarding and grooming services. We try to offer one stop shopping for our pet parents.”

The clinic cares for small animals, dogs and cats and Vanderslice added “We have a diverse customer base that comes from the Tri-City area as well as Waxahachie, Red Oak, Midlothian, Lancaster. Several clients continue to drive over an hour for us to provide care to their pets after moving further away.”

The facilities main objective is to ensure their customer’s pets are treated with the best healthcare possible. To that end, Vanderslice explained “Our client service” stands out “and we practice a high quality of medicine. We are AAHA certified – meaning we uphold a very high standard of care and are routinely evaluated on these standards. Less than 15% of animal hospitals hold this honor. We also have a large amount of specialists that we work with on a daily basis.”

From 2003 to 2021

The DeSoto location of VCA Animal Hospital began in a small house that was located behind the current location.

“I believe our current hospital was built in 2003,” the Hospital Manager said. “We added a new pet hotel in 2019 in the same location of our first hospital. It is directly behind our hospital building.”

Over the years the business grew through client referrals and new clients moving into the area who had been previous clients of other VCA’s. There are over 1200 VCA (Veterinary Centers of America) locations across the United States, Canada and, Japan.

Vanderslice said at the moment they would really like to add another doctor to the family so they can offer more appointments. She said the VCA motto is “Where your pet’s health is our top priority and excellent service is our goal.”

Since COVID began, Vanderslice does say it has been a bit more difficult but they are there to help their patients. “So please continue to be patient with us. Since COVID, our new normal is very different. Luckily, shelter adoptions have increased, but that means we have more pets to care for. The last thing we want to do is tell a client that we can’t see their pet that same day, so we try everything we can to get pets in as soon as we can.”

As for being named as a Readers Choice winner Vanderslice concluded, “We are honored to be chosen year after year. We strive to provide every single client with the best service and treat their pet as we would our own. Winning these awards is a huge thank you to our staff and we take great pride in that.”