Facility Founded in 1996 Now Totals 17,000-Square Feet, With 30 Veterinarians Providing Specialized Care in 12 Disciplines To 12,000 New Patients Annually
TAMPA, Fla., Sept. 2/PRNewswire/ -- Not long ago, euthanasia was often the only option for a pet stricken by cancer. Today, however, pet owners have new hope due to major medical advances based on advances in human cancer care treatment. As one of the most well known and well respected private specialty facilities in the United States, Florida Veterinary Specialists & Cancer Treatment Center (FVS) has seen interest in providing pets with a level of care comparable to that for humans mushroom. The addition of its expanded 6,000-square-foot, $1 million Cancer Treatment Center -- following another major expansion just two years ago – and new equipment and additions to its oncology staff was necessary to meet this demand among the pet-owning public.
“Of the 12,000 new patients we treat each year, many of them have cancer,” said FVS founder Neil Shaw, DVM, ACVIM. “Patient demand outgrew the capacity of our old facility far earlier than we had expected, and although the new center has been open less than one month, we are already fully booked.”
“Interest in these new cancer treatment options among our clients and among the veterinarians who refer their patients to us for specialized care, has been remarkable.” Shaw said the advances are in three primary areas: surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy, which are used alone or in conjunction with each other depending upon the patient’s condition. “Today, many tumors may be effectively controlled with state-of-the-art diagnostic techniques and advanced therapeutics,” said Shaw. However, he said that when a cure is not possible, the goal of therapy is palliative, or to provide the best quality of life possible for the pet. Shaw said that FVS provides extensive counseling regarding hospice care and grief management, and helps to coordinate pet loss support groups for its clients.
A special feature of the new Center is its Wall of Life, created by FVS as a tribute to the unique bond between humans and their pets. Located on an outside wall near the entrance, with a Garden of Life in front, the Wall will display individual tiles with personalized messages that pet owners may purchase in honor of their pets. The proceeds from the sale of these tiles can be donated to either the Hope Account or the Veterinary Cancer Foundation. FVS created and maintains the Hope Account to provide medical care for “indigent” pets and injured wildlife. The non-profit Veterinary Cancer Foundation provides scientific cancer research -- supporting the Cancer Treatment Center’s participation in clinical studies with human researchers, colleges of veterinary medicine and other medical schools -- and educational advancement for veterinary professionals working in cancer research.
Florida Veterinary Specialists and Cancer Treatment Center, the largest veterinary practice in the southeastern United States, is a 24-hour critical care facility that also serves as the primary veterinary cancer center for the State of Florida as well as the primary emergency and referral center for the Tampa Bay area. The facility sees cases strictly by veterinarian referral in the specialty areas of Emergency, Critical Care, Internal Medicine, Surgery, Medical Oncology, Radiation Oncology, Neurology, Behavior and Dermatology, Radiology, Ophthalmology and Avian/Exotics. More than 12,000 new patients are seen annually. The staff includes 28 full-time veterinarians, two part-time veterinarians and 75 support staff including 26 certified veterinary technicians.
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/CONTACT: Darryl Shaw, Hospital Administrator, Florida Veterinary Specialists, +1-813-933-8944 or FVS1@aol.com; or Steve Holub, +1-813-657-1363, or steve@xposuregroup.com, for Florida Veterinary Specialists.
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