BIG LAKE — All Paws Vet Clinic recently opened just over the bridge in Big Lake, giving local pet owners a new compassionate care option for their four-legged and feathered friends.
The comprehensive veterinary clinic opened its doors May 20 next to Laundromutt Grooming at the corner of Highway 25 and County Road 11, after the building underwent an expansion, doubling in size to accommodate the new business.
Co-owners Dr. Keri Clarkson, a veterinarian with 10 years of experience, and Tania Richter, who manages the office, said that, from the moment All Paws opened this spring, they’ve been busy servicing patients.
“There’s a lot of need and not a lot of options locally,” Clarkson said. “There’s a lot of people with pets, but only so many vet clinics in the area.”
Richter said it’s especially difficult to get same-day sick appointments and urgent care in the area — two things that All Paws offers.
“We’ve been really grateful to help people who are struggling to get appointments elsewhere because other clinics are filled up,” she said. “It seems like the majority of clients are coming from Big Lake, Monticello and Becker. It sounds like a lot of them were driving outside the area to get care, so they’re happy to have an option locally.”
The full-service pet care clinic offers everything from routine wellness exams, vaccinations, dental care, microchipping, surgery and pain management to empathetic end-of-life care and more.
Pricing is affordable, with wellness exams costing $58.
“We made a conscious effort to keep prices as low as possible so that people could afford vet care,” Richter said.
In addition to treating the usual furry friends, namely dogs and cats, Clarkson also has experience caring for other critters.
“She treats chickens, rabbits and can also do exotics,” Richter said. “She’s very multifaceted. She does it all.”
Beyond treating a range of creatures large and small, All Paws also offers specialty services that are not as commonly found.
“We do have specialty services like orthopedic surgery, dermatology and ultrasounds with a special ultrasonographer in-house,” Richter said.
She explained Dr. Clarkson possesses an extensive skill set.
“She has more surgical experience than a standard veterinarian would,” Richter said. “That’s why we’re able to help with foreign body removal and stuff like that.”
Those advanced surgical skills came in handy recently when a client brought in their dog who had eaten fabric from the outside of a toy, leading to an obstruction.
“We had a foreign body obstruction on a Great Dane pup,” Richter said. “We got that out, got that closed up and he’s recovering and doing well.”
Another thing that sets All Paws apart from other clinics is its commitment to creating a stress-free, soothing environment for pets.
That includes flat-screen televisions in all of the rooms that play either calming music or channels geared toward critters, such as Dog TV and Cat TV on YouTube.
“We took a lot of time and energy to make the clinic more stress-free for the pets,” Richter explained. “We wanted to make it look nice and calming and welcoming. We even have a private treatment room for pets that are more fearful or shy.”
There’s also an exam room just for felines.
“We have a cat-specific room,” she said. “There’s no dogs allowed in there, so it won’t smell like dogs.”
That stress-free approach also extends to human clients, including with the checkout process.
“We have paperless checkout,” Richter said. “You do your checkout and everything in the room so you don’t have to struggle with your pet out in the lobby.”
Those bringing in a beloved pet for end-of-life care will find a unique experience tailored with compassion in mind.
“We have a private entrance for euthanasia, so that if a client has to bring a pet across the rainbow bridge, they don’t have to come in and see other animals and be in the lobby with the rest of the clientele,” Richter said. “People really appreciate that.”
There’s also a special room dedicated to this service, where pet owners can spend time saying goodbye privately, with a comfy couch and plenty of tissues on hand.
“We play calming music and the lights dim so it can be more peaceful,” Richter said. “They can have their private time for as long as they need. For a sad day, we try to make it as comfortable as possible. And there’s a doorbell that they can ring when they’re ready for the doctor to come in, so they can let us know when they are ready.”
In addition to its sole skilled veterinarian, the medical staff at All Paws also includes two vet technicians, with plans to add more staff in the future.
“As we grow, we hope to add more doctors and expand our services and hours too as we get more staff,” Clarkson said.
An online pharmacy is also in the works, where clients will be able to buy medications.
Those looking to add more fur babies to their brood will want to check out All Paws’ adoption room, set up in conjunction with a local rescue group.
Uno the cat is currently housed there while he awaits his fur-ever home. “We call him Uno cause he’s the first cat in here,” Richter explained.
The long-haired white-and-gray beauty was abandoned by his former owners.
“They just dumped him off outside of the clinic and drove away,” Richter said.
All Paws staff has set up the adoption room to offer as much stimulation as possible, with Cat TV on for Uno to watch squirrels and birds, along with toys and scratching posts, but he’s still a lonely kitty as he awaits adoption.
“He’s a very sweet boy,” Clarkson said as Uno showed her plenty of affection. “He needs more excitement than just being in this room all alone.”
People can call the clinic if they’re interested in adopting him or the other kitty that is currently being rehabilitated at All Paws, a young cat who only weighs about 4 pounds, and who has probably used one or two of her nine lives.
“We have a second kitty too, her name is Strawberry,” Richter said. “Our vet techs rescued her from a parking lot. She’s in rough shape though, she has a missing eyeball. She’s been hanging out here, but she’ll be going up for adoption too.”
For more information on All Paws Vet Clinic, located at 20455 187th Ave. in Big Lake, visit the website at allpawsvetclinic.com , call 763-309-3380 or email info@allpawsvetclinic.com.
Most Popular
Comments / 0