Heart of Texas Veterinary Specialty Center

I brought my dog, Bentley in after he showed signs of gastroenteritis. With a history of HGE, I knew I had to take him in to get him seen ASAP. The staff at HoT were so kind, and wonderful to have conversations with. We loved our techs, and Dr. Gallagher was professional, compassionate, and straight to the point. Because Bentley was in a stable condition, we were there for at least a couple hours, which was entirely expected. He is used to coming to my workplace, a dog boarding facility, with me and I knew he was entirely comfortable waiting in a run. I was content waiting, knowing he was in capable hands. We came home and I wrapped him up in his favorite HEB tortilla blanket, and we both slept in the next day. He is now back to normal, and we went for a sniffy walk yesterday, which he thoroughly enjoyed! Our emergency technicians, veterinarians, and receptionists don't get enough credit in this field. We love y'all!

Can't say enough good things about Heart of Texas, the experience was night and day over Central Texas Animal Hospital. Originally visited at their old location. TL;DR- amazing staff, and their pet comfort first policy makes even the most uncomfortable visits bearable. My situation was a bit unusual, I had to have my boy Darby transferred to Heart of Texas due to negligence and lack of care at Central Texas. Heart of Texas went above and beyond once they heard what had happened. From the receptionist I spoke with initially, to the vet techs who explained the general updates, and the vet that did Darby's intake on arrival, everyone was amazing. I was able to bring my boy over and he made a full recovery under their care, and of course had them all wrapped around his paw after a day. They even allowed us to bring his favorite toy for his stay, and allowed me to bring his brother in when I picked up Darby to take him home. Over a year later with no relapse or regression, I can say for sure we wouldn't be here without Heart of Texas.

Thanks to the amazing team at Heart of Texas, we celebrated our pittie, Arkham's, 16th birthday today! In May, Arkham was losing weight, and he started vomiting while we were out of town. The ER team took him in and his ultrasound revealed a tumor in his intestine. Dr. Hoh and the internal medicine team reviewed some additional labs and Dr. DeHart and the oncology team ruled out lymphoma, making surgery a practical option. Dr. Vasanjee and the surgery team made a plan and he went in for surgery that evening. There was clear communication and updates from their team through the entire process, and the overnight team even sent us picture updates after he woke up from surgery. He recovered amazing and was home within 24 hours of his surgery. We have also now met the dentist, Dr. Nyquist, who was just as informative and caring as our previous experience. We were truly impressed by the level of care we received, from the compassionate front desk team and knowledgeable vet techs, to the collaboration between the different doctors. We could tell they are all passionate about helping and doing what is best for their patients and that we were receiving the best care possible. We are forever grateful that they gave us more time with our old man, thank you

My vet initially thought that my dog, Xander, had bladder stones (and he did), but they were causing extreme lethargy and dark blood in his urine. I rushed him to have emergency surgery, and the surgeon called to say his red blood cell count was dangerously low, and I needed to pick him up ASAP and get him to an emergency room. Xander was diagnosed with IMHA, a potentially fatal disease where a dog's body attacks its own red blood cells. He was hospitalized for a week and given transfusions until he was discharged. I didn't know about Heart of Texas, but the place I took him to took good care of him, so the above is for context. I can't say enough about the exceptional standard of care at Heart of Texas Veterinary Specialty Center. This is the care Xander received there: My vet referred Xander to Dr. Hoh (internal medicine at Heart of Texas); his IMHA was still not under control. Dr. Hoh was fantastic--compassionate, knowledgeable, and has great hair --and thanks to her care, Xander is now in full remission. Once Xander's IMHA was in remission for what everyone agreed was an appropriate amount of time, we addressed his bladder stones. Dr. Vasanjee and Melissa were outstanding--friendly, patient, and thorough in explaining every step. Dr. Vasanjee and Melissa are fantastic, easy to talk to, they explain everything, and are very patient. I knew it was a big surgery, but for some reason, I kept equating it with a human kidney stone removal. Xander spent the first night at the hospital, which was a relief. I was told he needed to be crated and on bed rest for two weeks. I thought that at least one of us was going to need drugs. When he came home, he stared into space, but he ate and drank. I picked him up successfully once and carried him to the potty pads. The second time wasn't so successful, and he screamed. After that, I was able to put a harness on him and lead him down the bed ramp with a leash. After six days, he regained independence, eventually using the ramp on his own. At his follow-up, Dr. Vasanjee was pleased with his healing progress. Melissa even shared an adorable pre-surgery photo of Xander all snuggled up. Dr. Vasanjee recommended ongoing X-rays every three months to ensure the stones don't return and suggested consulting a veterinary dietitian once the test results determined the stone type. Xander is currently on a homemade diet. I appreciated that Dr. Vasanjee was nonjudgmental when I explained that prescription kibble simply wouldn't work for him. This practical, patient-focused approach stood in stark contrast to another assistant's rigid "he'll eat it if he's hungry enough" advice. Heart of Texas prioritizes working with owners for the best possible outcome, rather than forcing an "or else" approach. Finally, they accept Trupanion Direct Pay, which greatly eases financial stress in already anxious situations. And, as my son points out, they even have Diet Coke and chips--all while taking excellent care of his best friend. I wholeheartedly recommend Heart of Texas Veterinary Specialty Center. Their expertise, compassion, and practical approach make them truly outstanding.

I had a great experience with Heart of Texas. They took extremely good care of my dog Baloo. All the staff was very nice. I was able to visit when he was resting and I could tell they wanted the best for my dog and they did everything possible to ensure the best outcome. Dr. Vasanjee and the tech Kayla were the people assigned to my dog's case and I had a great experience working with them. He is very happy to be home and is doing really well!