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SPCA Hires Two Vets for St. Pete Clinic

Pets | Veterinarian | SPCA Tampa Bay

They will help meet a heavy demand for pet care at the clinic.

ST. PETERSBURG – SPCA Tampa Bay has added two veterinarians and a hospital manager to meet growing demand for veterinary services at the organization’s Veterinary Center.

Dr. Tiffany Gisel and Dr. Melisse Conway join the staff as general practice veterinarians and Melissa Rivard was promoted to hospital manager at the clinic.

Shortly after opening, the SPCA Tampa Bay Veterinary Center in St. Petersburg was experiencing wait times of up to three weeks or more to book an appointment. It was clear, officials said, that the high demand for quality accessible care meant there was a need for veterinary services, and SPCA Tampa Bay has hired additional medical staff to significantly reduce wait times for new appointments and provide high-quality veterinary care to more pets.

Gisel joins SPCA Tampa Bay Veterinary Center after gaining significant veterinary experience at emergency and critical care veterinary practices. She has worked alongside specialty medicine veterinarians to oversee the care for internal medicine, surgical, ophthalmology and dentistry patients. Gisel studied veterinary medicine at St. Matthew’s University in Grand Cayman and the University of Georgia. She most recently worked at Tampa Bay Veterinary Specialist & Emergency Care Center in Largo.

Conway brings deep experience in shelter medicine and wellness care to the SPCA Tampa Bay Veterinary Center. Most recently, she spent eight years in New Orleans practicing veterinary medicine at a private practice as well as with the Louisiana SPCA, working as a shelter and community clinic veterinarian. Conway has a special interest in soft tissue surgery and is passionate about shelter medicine and preventive care. She graduated from Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine.

In addition to treating sick and injured animals, Gisel and Conway have a passion for helping pet owners with preventive care for their pets. SPCA Tampa Bay’s Veterinary Center provides a wide range of preventive care services, including physical exams, vaccinations, testing for feline leukemia virus and feline immunodeficiency virus, preventive medicine for parasites like heartworm, fleas and ticks, nail trimming and microchip implants.

In addition to the new veterinarians, SPCA Tampa Bay Veterinary Center has named a new hospital manager to oversee its operations. Rivard rejoined SPCA Tampa Bay in 2016 after serving as executive director of MEOW Now, Pinellas County’s first nonprofit trap-neuter-vaccinate-return program, in 2015. She has 10 years’ experience in animal welfare, which includes experience in the shelter’s medical department, supervising its foster care program and serving as part of the veterinary center’s spay and neuter team.

SPCA Tampa Bay Veterinary Center provides comprehensive, high-quality pet care through a full-service veterinary hospital and spay/neuter clinic at 3250 Fifth Ave. N in St. Petersburg. Revenue from the Veterinary Center helps “paw it forward” by supporting the nonprofit programs and services at SPCA Tampa Bay’s Largo animal shelter, as well as helps families unable to afford their medical bills through the Caldwell Keeping Families Together Fund.

SPCA Tampa Bay is dedicated to ensuring every pet has access to high quality veterinary care, which is why the Veterinary Center offers accessible hours, a range of services and creative payment solutions. The Veterinary Center is open 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Friday and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays. To schedule an appointment, call (727) 220-1770.

For information, go to spcatampabay.org.

SPCA Tampa Bay | Meow Now | Pets | Animals | Veterinary Care | Veterinarian | Tampabay News

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