Meet David-Hospital Manager at 1st Pet Veterinary Centers-Mesa

David Nelson is the Hospital Manager at 1st Pet Veterinary Centers- Mesa.  Born in Belleflower, California, David has lived here in Arizona for 5 years with his wife and 3 children. 

He has worked at one or more of our locations since 2008, after spending some 16 years experience in the fields of general practice and animal care and control in California. 

David has dogs, cats, birds, and a snake at home (We won’t count numbers!  David regularly fosters animals in need).  He enjoys spending time with his family and pets as well as working around his home when he is not at 1st Pet.  

At the hospital David is tirelessly organizing, cleaning, providing excellent patient care and client service every day!  His joy is to see the smiles on the faces of our clients when their family pet returns home healthy after caring for them- as well as the joy and comfort in the pet’s eyes when they are reunited with their beloved family.  

Meet Angus!

Meet Angus!

 

Angus, whose mom is an employee at our hospital, was born on 11/3/12. He was found as a newborn in some bushes and brought in to us as a stray. He was so young his umbilical cord was still pink and he was trying to suckle everyone’s fingers! His temperature was very low at the time. He was so small that he was mistaken for a guinea pig. Since he had no mother to feed him, he had to be raised on goat’s milk.

Angus only had a few health concerns. Around the age of 4 weeks, he began drinking his formula too fast and developed regurgitation problems. Dr. Stanton took some x-rays and no signs of a health condition were present. Angus was started on soaked kibble and soon the regurgitation problem ceased entirely.

Angus’s Growth

Angus grew very fast! He started out at one 384 grams when he first came to us on 11/3/12. He gained an average of 10 pounds per month and now, at nine months, he is over 80 pounds! He’s a big, happy, and healthy boy. 

At home, Angus has two other dog siblings that he gets along with really well. These are a Doberman/Terrier mix and a Dachshund mix.

Getting to Know Mary

Many of you already know Mary, one of our Customer Service Representatives here at 1^st Pet in Chandler.   

Mary has been a loyal team member of 1^st Pet Veterinary Centers for 11 of her 15 years in the veterinary profession.   Born in New Jersey, she has lived the majority of her life in Arizona where she resides with her husband, son, and daughter.  She also has three wonderful fuzzy kids- Kai, Brooklyn, and Madison. 

She loves to travel and has visited many exotic locations around the world.   She also loves outdoor activities like hiking, skiing, and gardening, as well as of course…shopping!

But her heart and soul keeps much of her time devoted to our patients here at 1^st Pet.  Getting to know our wonderful clients and receiving tail wags and kisses from our patients, showing them love and compassion every day, is what she feels is truly special. 

Faces of Compassion (just a few out of many)

com·pas·sion

noun

1. a feeling of deep sympathy accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate suffering.

 

The first thing that I noticed when I started working at our 3 hospitals is the compassion that is everywhere. The receptionists, the doctors, the techs, everyone I have worked with cares, and cares an enormous amount. 

It really touches my heart when I see a pet brought in the back for one procedure or another and being talked to (always in a kind voice) having explained to them what’s going on and being told that they are ok. Moms and dads if you have ever wondered what goes on when they are away from you, regardless of what your pet needs done, they are being loved and comforted.

I have seen a tech sit on the floor with a cat getting a blood transfusion and pet him the entire time. I have watched as techs and doctors have caressed the paw of a sick pet. I have seen lots of hugs and petting and comforting, and did I mention petting? There is LOTS of that going on. 

I have seen people going out of their way to come over and say hi to a pet and tell them they are so happy to see them again and call them by name. You can feel the love that the doctors and techs and receptionist have as they care for each pet that comes through the hospital doors, and it is all three hospitals, every day. I feel so blessed to work with so many compassionate people. 

Written by Debe, Our Social Media Coordinator