Sarasota Specialty Vet Clinic Adds Doc, Extends Hours

One of the only veterinary facilities in the Tampa Bay region to provide comprehensive neurological care has extended its services to provide 24-hour critical care to pets in need of specialized medical treatments.

With the addition of Dr. Melissa Anne Claus to its staff, Veterinary Neuro Services at 4937 S. Tamiami Trail in Sarasota also has changed its name to Critical Care & Veterinary Specialists of Sarasota.

Claus is a board-eligible vet specialist who will direct and supervise critically ill pets that have suffered trauma or are in need of monitored medical treatment.

"I made the choice to work with Critical Care & Veterinary Specialists after I talked with its founder, Dr. Anne Chauvet," says Claus. "I was really impressed with her and found we could build a great critical care facility together. It looks like an exciting adventure."

Although the enhanced facility handles critical veterinary care 24 hours a day, its critical care goes beyond basic emergency care, analogous to a human patient transferred from the emergency room to the intensive care unit for continuous monitoring, and augments the specialized services and accomplishments performed by its founder.

Chauvet is one of fewer than 200 veterinary neurologists and neurosurgeons in the country. She treats brain, spinal cord and neuromuscular conditions in animals. Her practice was the first on Florida's Gulf Coast to acquire an in-house veterinary magnetic resonance imagery (MRI) machine in 2008.

"A lot of places have the equipment available for monitoring and care of these patients," says Claus. "We combine specialized zoological knowledge and training with state-of the-art equipment."

Writer: Missy Kavanaugh
Sources: Dr. Melissa Claus, Critical Care & Veterinary Specialists of Sarasota