I have to say VCA in Hannibal is the only place I will be taking my dogs to in the future to see…read moreDr. Paul Sculley. We have used them in the past and only ever received the top care for my dog here for the entire staff, from the moment I walk into the door to the time we leave.... But I can say this was reinforced with my last visit about a week ago now... and I need to start with some background. 10 days prior to us going into the VCA in Hannibal we were in Chicago visiting family. During our time in Chicago my dog scratched his eye and we had to take him to a non-VCA hospital where they looked (they really didn't seem like they knew what they were doing) at him and gave us medications and told us to check in with our primary vet when we got back to Hannibal in 10 days... after making it back to Hannibal and 7 days of taking the meds given to us in Chicago I felt like nothing was changing and his eye was getting worse. We were able to get in to see Dr. Paul sooner. During the visit Dr. Paul explained all the test he was running, why they were important and kept us claim by insuring our dog was getting the best care possible. We found out the meds given to us in Chicago were actually preventing his eye from healing. Dr. Paul explained why the meds given to us form the non-VCA were not working/doing more harm. Dr. Paul came up with a treatment plan that required a lot of drops going into my dogs eye, but explained how important it was to keep up with the treatment plan. We followed the plan and within 2 days our dog's eye made more progress than the following 10 days prior to that. It's now been 10 days since we saw Dr. Paul our dog's eye is almost back to normal and making progress every day. All I can say is that Dr. Paul and the entire team played a crucial role in saving my dog's vision, showcasing remarkable skill and dedication. Due to their expertise and compassion we will only be recommending / coming back to this location and seeing Dr. Paul!

It was early December when I rescued a Siamese kitten by the name of Lucas. Lucas was in a downward…read morespiral so bad that I did not think anyone could help him. Lucas was not responsive to touch or stimulation, barely breathing, hypothermic and hypoglycemic. At least two pounds underweight. His glucose was almost impossible to be read and the white blood cell count was so high that it freaked me out. That is saying quite a bit because I got a 100% in every clinical laboratory course in vet tech school so I am well versed in reading laboratory results. I went to three veterinary hospitals before I gave this one a chance because up to now I only believed that they were higher priced and gave the same amount of care that other clinics did. What was disappointing and disheartening is that the other clinics we used at this time were unable to treat him because of several reasons such as not having a vet there at that time due to farm calls or lunch. The third clinic was too wrapped up in surgery (no offense or judgement - but this was an emergency and I understand their position). The last place I had to try was Advanced Veterinary Care - it was my only hope because time was running out...he was at death's door, literally. I was scared and was skeptical honestly, as some people might be. I was once one of those people who did not realize the much higher standard of care that is provided in AAHA certified clinics. I learned in school that they was required to abide by 800 guidelines to be certified but never took the time to explore what those were until the staff talked to me about their accreditation. Because it is voluntary, it shows how much they care. Suddenly it did not matter that they were more expensive. Just 2 minutes after talking to the tech for 10 minutes - Doctor Paul came flying out of surgery and the techs dropped everything to get him on intravenous fluids. I heard Paul giving directions to do all kinds of things and knew he was in good hands once they started oxygen. The techs started to run all kinds of blood tests the next day because he did improve but slowly. I remember the techs even coming in on the weekend to provide the support he needed even when black ice was everywhere. Lucas only had a 10% of survival at best which was made worse by the extreme worm burden and ear mites. Paul diagnosed him with septicemia so quickly that we were able to bring his white blood cell count down and was able to save him from dying. His white blood cell count dropped from 65,000 to 40,000 and again to 25,000 at which time we were able to bring him home. Paul oversaw the rest of his treatment plan which included a long term administration of probiotics, antibiotics and medication to stop the diarrhea. It amazes me to this day that he survived. The biggest experience that has always stayed with me is having follow up calls even on Sunday to tell me how he was doing even if it was bad news like that he had so much diarrhea they had to clean his cage 4 times which they were happy to do. That is the exact level of care that every animal deserves. I fully entrust this clinic with a majority of cats I care for. Doctor Paul said that they would make time to treat him regardless of how much they had going on spoke volumes. Not every clinic is willing to give up their small amount of spare time or lunch to treat a cat that they just met but the staff at Advanced are happy to go that extra mile. Over the past year the clinic has treated ruptured eyes, lacerated ears, urinary blockages, broken legs, broken jaws, severe cases of diarrhea, gut infections and so on and so forth. Every single time they gave us their full attention during the appointments and was very thorough in their treatment plans, explanations and follow up expectations. I still learn things I never knew because they make sure that you absolutely know what you are doing to a tee before you leave. Euthanizing the Siamese kitten that I got from a hoarding situation who had a broken back was very hard for me. I was so sad - that the kitten could not be saved. I was so deep in a crypt of sadness that not even an excavation crew could find me. It was a horrible hoarding situation. First cat I could not save even though I lost more working at the Northeast Missouri Humane Society when I was the cat manager. But that feelings of sadness did disappear when the staff turned out the lights, had a rainbow cover with calming pheromones on it and calming music playing in the overhead speaker. Losing a pet is never easy - no matter how long you have had them in your life. Even minutes. We bond with the pets we want to save so making those last moments special was forever important. They sent me a card in the mail. I recommend trying an AAHA veterinary clinic just once if you never have. Advanced Veterinary Care in Hannibal is a great clinic to go to!