Pet Point Animal Hospital is the newest veterinarian clinic in central Pasco, opening its doors in late March in a retail center at SR 54 and Oak Grove Boulevard, directly across from Ferman Auto.
The hospital’s staff is experienced and compassionate, so much that it has adopted as its slogan, “Where pet love and human compassion meet.”
“We are very focused on providing top quality pet care and strive to become partners in the lifelong care of family pets,” said Dr. Moses Kawalya, the veterinarian owner of Pet Point.
In addition to providing care at his new clinic, Dr. Kawalya also makes house calls — a service rarely offered by vets who specialize in small animals like cats and dogs.
“Many older people do not have the means or the transportation to get their pet to the vet,” said Dr. Kawalya. “We will pick up and drop off pets, and if necessary, will go to the pet’s home to provide medical care.”
Dr. Kawalya has been a small animal veterinarian for over 10 years. He spent eight years at Banfield Pet Hospital, the veterinarian clinic inside Pet Smart retail stores, most recently at the Citrus Park Banfield.
Working alongside Dr. Kawalya at his new clinic are Jenifer Leali a veterinarian technician with 13 years experience, and Mary Straub, the receptionist with 20 years experience.
Along with its experienced medical team, Pet Point offers all-new, high-tech medical equipment, including a digital X-ray machine that allows instant image visualization, is less stressful for pets as it reduces the need for retakes, and makes it possible to transmit the images electronically to a radiologist if needed.
The clinic also has an in-house laboratory for quick test results and a state- of-the-art dental cleaning machine.
“I’ve always wanted to own my own practice — this is my dream come true,” said Dr. Kawalya. “The clinic is a big venture for me, but it’s worth the investment because I want the latitude to practice veterinary medicine with the interest of my patients as a priority.”
Preventative care is the most important aspect of Dr. Kawalya’s practice. To this end Dr. Kawalya stresses regular exams, individualized vaccine schedules, parasite control and preventive lab testing as needed. Affordable wellness plans are offered to clients to ease the financial burden of providing care to their beloved pets.
“I want to diagnose and treat diseases early before they develop into something more serious,” he said.
Dr. Kawalya is from Uganda, where he completed his veterinarian education in 1993.
He moved to Ohio to join his sister in 1995 and to pursue his veterinarian license in the U.S. Soon after arriving, he met his future wife, Mary, and the couple moved to Michigan so that Dr. Kawalya could gain experience working in a practice with family pets. (In Uganda, veterinarians are trained to primarily care for livestock.)
While in Michigan, Dr. Kawalya worked as a research assistant at Michigan State University and then University of Michigan working with lab animals. During this period he sat and passed the North American Veterinary Licensing Exam (NAVLE). He then went on to complete an internship at Tuskegee University College of Veterinary Medicine in Alabama.
In 2004, Dr. Kawalya moved to Wesley Chapel with his wife, three children and two dogs. He is currently working on board certification with the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners.
Pet Point Animal Hospital is located at 24416 State Road 54, Lutz. They can be reached at (813) 428-6994, or by email at . Visit them on the Web at www.PetPointAnimalHospital.com.
This story is a feature of the advertising department.
