Pets in Oakland Park

During his days at a pet emergency clinic, veterinarian Dr. Simon Seskus learned how to keep his cool while expertly healing animals. Now as the owner of Dr. Simon's Pet Clinic - previously known as East Oakland Pet Hospital, a community fixture for more than 20 years - Dr. Simon displays this calm demeanor as he works with cats and dogs. Dr. Simon and his staff provide a full range of health care services for pets, including wellness visits, nutritional counseling, vaccinations, surgeries, dental care, flea and tick control, and other routine care.

The certified dog trainers at Canine Dimensions have dog obedience down to a science. They don't use clickers or painful collars; instead, they use familiar objects and teach dogs inside their owners' homes in obedience rehabilitations for any dog older than 7 weeks old. By working on the dog's home turf, they keep them comfortable while teaching them not to pull on the leash, growl at guests, or use slang words their owners don’t understand. For families uninterested in at-home training, Canine Dimensions offers 10-day board and train programs and overnight boarding inside the trainer’s home, where they exercise, play, and learn within a home environment.

Knowing the oft-contentious relationship between dogs and cats, Lakeside Animal Hospital keeps entirely separate entrances, lobbies, and exam rooms for felines and canines. It’s one way the animal hospital’s staff shows its deep understanding and passion for four-legged guests. Dr. Monica Fernandez’s team of veterinarians and staff treat animals with a roster of wellness services. These services include laser therapy to reduce pain and accelerate healing time from injury and surgery, as well as ultrasounds to detect whether a pup is pregnant or if it just swallowed the remote control. The hospital staff also keeps pets safe with boarding services, and can help them look their best with expert grooming sessions.

If a kitten is due for its first vaccines, an escape-artist pup needs microchipping, or a bunny is suffering from an insufficiently twitchy nose, the compassionate veterinarians at Nob Hill Animal Clinic can help. They also keep furry patients healthy with regular check-ups and a slate of diagnostic tests. Pet owners don't need to leave the clinic for more specialized services: it's outfitted with its own lab, emergency and radiology equipment, and surgical facility, and the doctors are even trained in animal dentistry.

When a pet goes missing, many owners rely on ID collars and microchips— which are merely identification devices and not GPS-capable—to lead them to their lost companion. But of all the animals reunited with their families, 90% were found via word of mouth and fliers plastered around the neighborhood, according to Pet Locator USA. So the staff at Pet Locator USA works to expedite these processes in an effort to more effectively reconnect pets and their human counterparts.

When owners register for Pet Locator USA’s services, they provide photographs of their pet, their contact information, and any special-care instructions. If the furry friend is reported missing, Pet Locator USA immediately distributes a PDF of this information to vets, shelters, animal-control units, and known dog-food speakeasies within a 25-mile radius of the owner’s home or the location where the pet was last seen. Owners can also distribute the fliers themselves via text and social-media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter.

Freshly back from vacation, a customer walks expectantly into the room. A golden retriever bounds clumsily up, its tongue flapping a rosy greeting and mouth stretched far back into a smile. When the dog’s owner takes up the leash, thanks the staff for caring for her energetic pup, and turns to leave, she feels a tug on the leash. Her dog has planted his feet firmly, trying to back into a sitting position—clearly, he wants them both to stay put.

According to proprietor Lisa Schettino, this is an everyday occurrence at Camp Canine. After a difficult experience finding pet care for her own dog, Lisa set out to create an environment that would not only keep critters safe, but make them want to stay. Now, each Camp Canine location has a resort-style atmosphere sprawled over 9,000–15,000 square feet.

Stressed four-legged friends wiggle with glee during massages, shedding stress from squeaky toys giving them the silent treatment. Against a bass rumble of purring, punctuated by canine yips, green-tea and chamomile facials drive dirt from wrinkled faces and soften wiry fur. As they wait for their next spa appointment, dogs can roam freely in a fenced-in play lot. After tearing through a maze of tunnels and obstacles, they splash into the pool and emerge to toss their cool, wet fur, bejeweling the air with spray. An air-conditioned indoor play area shelters pets from extreme heat and teenagers listening to vacuums at high volume..

Owners too can rest at ease during their pets’ vacation, knowing their animals lounge in private rooms with plush bedding and staff watching 24 hours a day. They check up on their furry friends via scheduled Skype sessions and various webcams set up throughout the Boca Raton and Fort Lauderdale facilities. Those locations also pick up and drop off pets that haven’t yet learned how to operate a manual transmission.