This is the new name of the clinic formerly known as Low Cost Pet Clinic. Dr. Bernadette Mares took over the business in 2004, continuing to serve a mostly East End clientele with affordable pet care.
Use a GPS the first time you go. The clinic is still on the westbound feeder road of North Loop 610, between Fulton and Irvington. The exterior of the clinic has been painted white, and the former owner's large sign has been taken down, with only a small, faded sign indicating the new name of North Loop Pet Clinic.
The waiting room, consisting of a line of metal folding chairs against the wall, was practically full when I arrived at midday on the Monday after Thanksgiving 2010.
The dogs in the waiting area were either toy-sized or large pit bulls. It was a little intimidating for my dogs and me to have to stand at the payment counter a few feet from a pit bull who was showing avid interest in my terriers. (Note to billing: It's the fastest I've ever paid a vet fee.)
There are no appointments for office visits. A signup sheet determines the order in which pets will be seen. New clients also fill out a simple form. I was seen fairly quickly. The medical records I had asked the SNAP Wellness Clinic to fax that morning had been received and were in my dog's folder when we got to the treatment room.
The vet, Dr. Wahlgren, examined my cairn terrier's skin problems and an apparent growth under his tail, did a culture to find out if my dog's skin had a yeast infection(it did), gave me a small bottle of prescription steroid pills, and told me to use special shampoo twice a week and try some OTC antihistamines to help control seasonal skin allergies.
The total came to $35.
Dr. Wahlgren suggested surgery to remove what appeared to be a perianal adenoma on my 9-year-old cairn -- unusual in a male who was has been neutered for 8-1/2 years. Not sure how I'll handle that yet. The process of scheduling non-emergency surgery can take several weeks. It involves a separate visit to the clinic by the owner on the last Wednesday of the month to get a surgery date, hopefully for the following month. In general, surgeries are done on Wednesdays.
The vet techs and front-office people were efficient and polite.
One thing that'll take getting used to is the semi-private nature of the examination areas. A number of techs walked in and out of the open doorway to the examination room area where my dog was being treated, using the scale on the counter to weigh cats or using various pieces of test equipment.
If I had to make suggestions to improve the clinic, I'd increase the lighting, especially in the waiting area, replace the sagging ceiling panels and paint the floors and older furniture pieces throughout.
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