safari veterinary care centers services

Safari Veterinary Care Centers

Veterinary clinic and animal wellness center in league city, texas.

Safari Veterinary Care Center provide a highly trained, caring staff and state-of-the-art equipment and technology provide "pet care with a difference." Safari's veterinary hospital offers diagnostic, surgical and critical care services. Critical care facilities feature in-house oxygen generation, Doppler blood pressure monitors, and temperature and humidity-controlled intensive care units. Ancillary pet services include: boarding, grooming , supplies and pet sitting. A Specialist veterinary staff treats dogs, cats, cage birds, exotics and ratites.

Safari Veterinary Care Center

Review Highlights

“ I had an emergency situation with my dog who was having trouble breathing and safari vet was able to quickly see him and help us out!! ” in 2 reviews

“ The positives: One thing I have to say for these guys, though, is they care about animals and they're awesome in an emergency situation . ” in 2 reviews

“ Josie was admitted for a few days and Sergio let us know first thing in the morning about Josie's status. ” in 2 reviews

Location & Hours

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2402 Marina Bay Dr

League City, TX 77573

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About the Business

Business owner information

Dr. Steven G.

Business Owner

Safari Veterinary Care Centers is your one stop destination for all your pet's needs from HealthMap wellness plans to advanced diagnostic medicine, orthopedic surgery, exotic medicine and surgery, Full Service Grooming, Hill's Science Diet pet foods, Camp Safari boarding kennel and Doggy Daycare, and 24 Hour Emergency Medical Service for active patients. …

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Does anyone know the boarding rates? I couldn't find them on the website.

I would go in and see the boarding facility. Several people in the Yelp reviews had serious issues with their boarding practices. Also, there is cost for the size of crate you use, not a crate chosen by them that fits the dog's size (at least… more

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Overall rating

I had 2 precious rescues for 19 & 16 years & used Safari all those years. Dr. Gardner saved both their lives, over those years when they both were attacked by different dogs. He is amazing. His facility is clean& their personnel are very well trained. My Annie & Sarah passed away just before & during COVID. Safari helped us with their last moments as old age took them. I've since adopted another rescue, Bella, a Shih Tzu mix who has brought joy back to our lives. We continue to use Safari & even though a recent tragedy has occurred, we will continue to use Safari. Our hearts go out to this family who lost their beloved pet to a pit bull attacking it at Safari. I know these people at Safari & I know their hearts are broken too. They cherish your pet as if it were their own. Their record of saving animals for decades & the quality of personnel is exceptional. Please, it is a tragedy that this family is going through. Safari is making changes. Don't let this deter from anyone thinking ill of all the personnel there. Someone made a tragic error in judgement. I will keep taking my Bella there. I hope the decades of dedicated care & saving animal's speaks to the hearts of Safari's clientele & they will continue to be faithful to Dr. Gardner, his experienced Dr's& staff at Safari.

This establishment should be ashamed of themselves. Not all of their staff is incompetent but overall this veterinary clinic is very poor. 2 of my family pets have died in the hands of this facility due to malpractice and mismanagement of our family pets. I wouldnt recommend this vet to my worst enemy. AVOID AT ALL COSTS!

We had an outstanding visit here. Our mini dachshund had an issue with his back on a Saturday night. We had previously taken him to a vet closer to home but felt like results were meh. After doing some research, we went here and the difference in knowledge and treatment was incredible! The owners have dachshunds also so they're familiar with IVDD. Our pup ended up having an MRI and then minor surgery with stem cell injections. Months later and our boy is 100% better. I heard that the FDA has intervened with the stem cell injections for now, but hopefully they can fight it because it makes a huge difference without the trauma of full-on surgery!

Not a place I can trust with my dog. The facility is nice but you know when you get that gut feeling about something being wrong? I instantly had that feeling the moment I talked to the staff who were rude and just talking about money, money, money. I left. No chance I'm trusting this place with my dog who's like a daughter to me.

Wife and I boarded our 11yr old Pomeranian at Safari to go on a family vacation. Two days into our trip we received a phone call saying our dog had been attacked by an aggressive pit bull and had broken ribs and couldn't breathe. We were told that they couldn't do anything at Safari and had to send him to another hospital. Safari called back in 1/2 hour saying that the other hospital couldn't take our dog and then said they could take care of him. They were so confused and panicking. No one seemed to know what was going on. We were so scared and helpless. My son who was in town called Safari and proceeded to drive over to Safari to check up on our dog and when he arrived saw the owner and other personnel driving off in a hurry. The employee left looking over our dog said he had passed and wasn't sure exactly what had happened. Two days later The owners exact comments were he came to our dog's rescue when he found out what had happened and sewed his chest back up after his lungs failed and gave him CPR. I guess I'm supposed to be impressed that he came to the rescue. It took 2 days after we called this place first for the owner to pick up a phone and make a call. This place doesn't even do behavior screening on pets either.They claim the door in the cage failed and came open on its own. BS. For the money this place charges you think they would have their act together and protocols in place. Pure Negligence and Incompetency across the board. This place is all about the money. Take your business elsewhere.

I've been taking my dog here for years. The staff have always been kind and helpful. However, they diagnosed my German Shepherd with "stage 3 dental disease" and quoted me $880 for anesthesia and a dental cleaning. I went to another vet who quoted me $280 for the same services. When they went to clean my dog's teeth, the other vet said they were in great condition, did not have dental disease, and had the teeth of a 3 year old (she's currently 7). I appreciated the other vet's honest, and feel like Safari only wanted my money. Safari also detected a "possible heart murmur" and wanted to charge me an ungodly amount to test her for it, when there is no cure for it. Another way to get your money.

I write this with such a heavy broken heart and disbelief but for the sake of trying to keep other's fur babies safe and protected in our community, I feel obligated to bring awareness and share a very traumatic experience that our family has recently gone through. My parents were out of town for a week in Orlando, FL witnessing their neighbor Mike Barratt's NASA launch into space. While away, they had our family dog of 11 years, Cabelo, boarded at Safari in League City. Cabelo is a small 12 lb Pomeranian. Cabelo was taken outside to use the restroom when somehow someway (due to negligence of staff members and unsuited boarding conditions) 2 large aggressive dogs made their way outside the same time as Cabelo and attacked him and broke 8 ribs and crushed his lungs ultimately taking his life within hours. I won't go into the details but I will say that the whole situation was handled SO poorly. I want to make my community aware of this unimaginable tragedy that has happened to our family, at a very well known AWFUL facility in our city. This has our hearts completely shattered, but it could have been anyone's dog. When my brother asked if the facility performs behavioral assessments on the dogs that are boarded at their facility, their response was that they do physicals on the dogs... We were unaware of the fact that Safari allows aggressive dogs to be boarded at their facility or else we would have not had Cabelo there. Typically, most boarding facilities perform a behavioral assessment of the dog before approving them for stay to ensure they get along with other dogs FOR THIS REASON. Whether they are allowed there or not, there should have been NO WAY for that dog to be exposed to Cabelo being such a small defenseless dog. The last thing you think about when boarding your dog when you're on vacation is that you will not come home to them alive. You put 100% trust in these facilities that they will take care of your fur baby and ensure they are safe. Safari completely failed us and our sweet baby Cabelo is no longer with us because of it. I advise you to stay far far far away from this place. We are just completely speechless and in utter shock of the whole situation. Not to mention our family was not contacted by the owners of the business to offer any sort of explanation or condolences for our loss until we started sharing the news in our community. Didn't stay behind the night of to provide my brother with an explanation of what happened. Got in his car and headed home. We cannot bring Cabelo back but we can certainly make others aware to help them choose wisely when picking the facility to trust the lives of their pets with when they're gone. We are now hearing other horror stories about this place. We will miss our precious Cabelo so much. Thank you for all of the wonderful memories you gave us sweet boy. Our family wont be the same without you. We love you so much!!!! Rest in peace my Bello baby

I had an emergency situation with my dog who was having trouble breathing and safari vet was able to quickly see him and help us out!! I'm so grateful that they were able to get us in and were so kind. The vet and tech I saw were great at communicating everything they would be doing and checking on which made me feel like my pup was getting the best care.

Ducky says thank you!

Safari is the only clinic I'll take my babies to. The doctors, techs, and staff are extremely caring and thorough. My 16 year old chihuahua "Sugar" recently had surgery to remove a cancerous cyst, and she was treated with the utmost care and respect. They even let me hold her in a beautiful private room right up until it was time to take her back for surgery. The doctor went over her test results and aftercare immediately after surgery and answered any questions I had. I highly recommend Safari!! WONDERFUL!

Do not bring your dog to safari thinking they will help. My dog died a year ago from surgery to remove a non malignant tumor she was 9yrs old. We bring our dogs in regularly to see a different vet. Each time. No one was able to detect the tumor for as many years that it had been growing. They finally did an xray. She died the next day after surgery. $4000.00. They never explained.

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Safari Veterinary Care Centers

Advanced veterinary imaging, dog boarding, pet grooming, pet orthopedic surgery.

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New veterinary surgical and emergency center opening in Huntington

David Winzelberg // April 23, 2024 //

Theresa Puccio, Dr. Margaret Puccio and Judith Puccio Cuomo outside the new Veterinary Surgical Center of Long Island. / LIBN photo

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On Our Island 4/26/2024

Privacy Overview

League City: 281-332-5612

Pearland: 346-688-7678

We are looking for bright, energetic, people-oriented team members who love to teach their knowledge to join our staff. Veterinarians, new graduates or experienced, animal technicians, assistants and customer service representatives, as well as people experienced with grooming and boarding are welcome to apply.

WE ARE HIRING

Career journey at safari veterinary care centers.

The word Safari literally means “journey” and employment at Safari starts an exciting career path towards a destination of veterinary wisdom. Along the path, you experience a new way of practice where your knowledge is magnified and your effectiveness as a practitioner is supported by a delivery system focused on practicing veterinary medicine the way it should be … in its highest form.

Safari Standards

Safari’s Standards reduce stress and conflict .

At Safari, we start with a set of written Safari Standards that serve as the guide book on the path to a team-based delivery system. These Standards serve as the guide posts, or “rules of the game” , describing the level of care and expectations of all team members as they work together to serve the needs of the client and the pet. These guidelines include Standards of Care, Communication, Service, Appearance, Conduct and Ethics . Written Standards ensure that all team members understand their role in supporting the veterinarian in the delivery of medicine and surgery to the pet, while ensuring the client’s needs are met as well.

Safari Workflow

Safari’s Workflow gives you more time per patient and less stress .

The next step along the path of the Safari system is the utilization of the Safari Workflow. Workflow means how the pet and pet owner are shepherded through the system so that all their needs are met, all their questions answered, and their expectations exceeded. This workflow begins with the first phone or web-based contact with Safari and extends to how the Safari Standards are utilized by the reception staff to greet and educate the client about the services our veterinarians provide and their loved ones need. Within this workflow, the veterinarian’s role is to do only the things that a veterinarian can do. The trained technicians and assistants work to prepare the case for the veterinarian, assist in handling the pet, recording the dictated medical records, entering the charges, performing the routine diagnostics and explaining the recommendations the veterinarian may make.

This workflow enables the most important asset in the Safari System to be spared: “Veterinary Face Time”. This way the veterinarian can be the most effective at what they are trained to do. Within this workflow, the client’s perception of value is enhanced by all the members of the team guided by the Safari Standards to provide an efficient, consistent and accurate veterinary visit.

Veterinarian’s Purpose

Safari’s Knowledgeable Team allows the Veterinarians to do those things only a Vet can do .

The veterinarian may come to realize early in this “Journey” that the purpose of the veterinarian is to share knowledge. Knowledge sharing is educating the client, educating the staff, and communicating the recommendations for the care of the pet in the most effective manner. Safari utilizes a proprietary database of veterinary knowledge in a software developed by Dr. Garner called VetPlan. VetPlan creates a written record of the veterinarian’s findings for the purpose of the medical record. More importantly though, VetPlan creates a “client friendly” version of this record for the client. This printed release instruction shares the knowledge of the veterinarian with the client and the client’s family. It is a printed representation of the veterinarian’s thoughts about the case that can also be used by the Safari staff to help the veterinarian be more effective in sharing case knowledge.

Veterinarians are trained to save lives, cure disease, and correct damage; all of which focus the purpose of the veterinarian on the pet. The Safari System, however, focuses on the client and how the entire team can better communicate with the client, so the informed client can now choose what is best for the pet.

Knowledge Sharing

Safari’s Knowledge Sharing increases veterinary productivity — you make more pets well and more money when you are more productive .

You might answer this question by saying, saving lives, ending suffering, treating illness or injury. And you would be correct to a degree. At Safari, however, we realize that the real purpose of your veterinary knowledge is to share it. Knowledge Sharing is the primary purpose of all veterinarians — even though they may not know it. We know that the more knowledgeable the client, the more likely he or she is to take proper care of their pet. Also, the more you are trusted, and your opinion is respected, the better your relationship with your client. Your principle purpose at Safari, therefore, is building client relationships through this knowledge sharing.

Understanding this purpose enables you to appreciate your membership in the most rewarding profession on Earth — being a veterinarian. At Safari, we have a system of practice that magnifies your knowledge; enabling productivity and patient care standards to soar.

We are looking for bright, energetic, people–oriented veterinarians who love to teach their knowledge to join our staff. Those that accept this challenge will be rewarded with the following five Safari attributes:

• Learn how to Minimize the Complexity of Veterinary Medicine. Technology is defined as anything that increases certainty. Increasing certainty minimizes complexity. The more technology applied to a case the more certainty is created. Safari will support you by enabling the most advanced forms of technology to be applied to each case. Diagnostic technology at Safari includes in–house advanced laboratory, ultrasound, endoscopy, MRI accessibility and radiology (direct digital x–ray, dental x–ray and C–arm fluoroscopic). Therapeutic technology includes state–of–the–art anesthesia and monitoring systems for small animals and exotics, specialized micro–surgical instrumentation for eyes, exotics, laparoscopy and arthroscopy. Orthopedic surgical instrumentation including almost every power tool made.
• Discover how to Create a Decision Path to a Diagnosis. How to pick and choose the most likely scenarios for illness by using ethical guidelines for decision making. Veterinary school gives you all the information but does not help you rate the relative value of these learned facts. Employment at Safari will give you support and guidance as to how to apply your knowledge to the case in the most productive manner. This guidance is based on decades of practical experience distilled into a meaningful set of guiding principles. These principles focus on doing what is best for the pet first, respecting all life, diagnosing before we treat, and touching before we teach, just to name a few.
• Maximize Your Productivity to enable Financial Security. As a Safari veterinarian, you will require the advanced diagnostic and therapeutic tools and training to practice at the levels that match your educational attainments. These tools are expensive. In addition, you need to be productive financially for Safari to compensate you appropriately for your skill and knowledge. You will also need medical healthcare and benefits that you deserve to provide for a stable current and future existence. Fortunately, Safari has just the system that can engage your productive potential enabling you to capture the value from the knowledge you have obtained. Because veterinary medicine has evolved to a higher level its delivery requires a new system that engages the productivity of the whole team not just the veterinarian. Team–based multitasking workflows increase productivity and reduce stress, enabling you to practice veterinary medicine the way it should be — at its highest level.
• Learn how to Dissolve Conflicts. Management of conflict is one of the key elements to successfully exist in today’s complex decision ridden society. Our decisions, when made focusing only on our personal needs, create conflict when placed in the context of a team–based environment. Each week Safari has team meetings designed to dissolve this conflict. These meetings are an essential element of Safari’s success and teach not only how to work together to serve our customer better but also how to live better in our complex, multi–cultural, pluralistic society. By valuing the opposing view, which we discover by the properly questioning, we can interact with fewer conflicts.
• Learn how “Influence vs. Control” affects your whole life. Learn how to influence the proper outcome instead of stressing over control of all the variables. Your ability to influence the outcome of a situation varies inversely to the degree that you can control the situation. Learn how to influence outcomes instead of exerting energy trying to control the parts. Influence is used to attain future long–term goals with the understanding that small course changes today result in great differences in the final destination. By focusing on the destination these course changes become almost innate. At Safari, we want you to set high goals and we want to help you attain them. The more successful you are, the more successful Safari will be.

Team Motivation

Safari’s Emotional Paychecks motivate the Team Members that serve You and the Safari Clients .

The Safari Team is huge compared to most veterinary practices. We have several technicians per veterinarian and several assistants serving the technicians, as well as boarding staff, grooming staff, reception staff, rehabilitation staff, and even cell technology staff. Team motivation is key to keeping everyone on the same page and focused on the needs of the client and pet.

Team motivation comes from the culture, and the culture has five dimensions: Beauty, Knowledge, Values, Wealth, and Power . These cultural dimensions are expressed within the language used and information shared by those in charge. At Safari, we provide team motivation and express our culture through weekly meetings that are attended by the entire Safari Team. The team is bonded by the information shared in these meetings and the meetings are managed so as to show appreciation for the excellent service we provide our client and appreciation for how to better serve those clients.

The five dimensions of culture defined :

• “Beauty” is a term for. what an individual sees as valuable. If a person thinks something is beautiful, they want to share it with another person. This is an innate human quality. If you see something that you think is “cool”, it is human to find another human to show it to. To the degree they also think that thing or idea is “cool” is the degree that you are bonded to that person. The shared “Beauty” of veterinary care as provided by Safari is “cool”, and sharing the appreciation for that beauty each week is a way to enrich our culture and to motivate our team members.
• “Knowledge” is essential to. cultural development. The knowledge of how things work about the veterinary care of animals is an essential part of our business. When you share your knowledge, your esoteric knowledge (or knowledge that is difficult to acquire or previously unknown), you give value to that person. That person is bonded to you, becomes loyal to you and is motivated to help support you as a veterinarian in the Safari System. This reinforces the need to share knowledge – not hoard it as many in our profession do.
• “Values” are an expression of. what is fair, just, ethical and moral. Value appreciation is important to all people and all people are drawn and attracted to those that express those values. The Safari weekly Customer Service meeting reinforces the values we strive for and those values are exemplified in our Safari Standards and our Safari Ethics.
• “Wealth” is essential in. any self-sustaining culture. Money is motivational, but it is not the “Wealth” that is denoted here. There is an emotional wealth that is received when you do something that is good. This wealth is inherent in doing good but is also magnified when another human appreciates the good you have done. We care for pets and I am sure they appreciate what we do, but it is difficult for them to show the same appreciation that their human owner can. When we all work as a team to care for pets, and the clients show their appreciation, and the team co-members show appreciation, it is called an “emotional paycheck” and that is more motivational than any money paycheck that you can receive.
• “Power” is the ability to. choose. If you have power you can choose how to work, act and behave. If you do not have power, then others tell you how to work, how you must act, and how you must behave, which is not motivational. When team members have the choice of how to work, they are empowered and motivated. Empowerment comes from knowledge of veterinary care issues, giving them choice of how to deliver this information to the client or utilize it while working. Veterinarians working at Safari control how the cultural dimensions are managed, and by understanding the power of these concepts, a veterinarian can go further, save more lives and enjoy a more rewarding career.

Wellness Counts

Safari’s Receptionists go over vaccinations and routine wellness care, enrolling clients in Safari’s wellness plan and sparing the Veterinarians of this task .

Safari practices proactive veterinary medicine through wellness protocols. These wellness protocols, called the HealthMap, are focused on the following four aspects of the pet’s wellness care:

• Examinations and Immunizations
• Preventions
• Diagnostics
• Quality of Life

Our software, VetPlan, creates customized wellness plans for each of our pets. Safari receptionists, as well as the rest of the Safari Team, are trained on how to communicate the benefits of these plans. The Safari veterinary staff benefits from this structured, standards-based system because, by the time the veterinarian sees the client, these discussions and many of the decisions about the wellness care of the pet have been made.

The veterinarian then focuses on the exam findings and the communication of recommendations about future care of the pet. Properly delivered HealthMaps, for example, result in urine screens on “healthy” pets. Many times, these urine screens show crystals and inflammatory changes that support there are conditions for urolith development before there is an actual stone. This proactive approach prevents the need for surgery and arrests disease processes earlier, to the benefit of the client and the pet.

Dignose First

When the First Focus is on Diagnosis instead of Treatment — Practice becomes fun and interesting .

Diagnose Before You Treat — Tired of trial and error medicine? At Safari, we target the illness with the proper diagnostics before we start specific treatment.

Touch Before You Teach — At Safari, we understand the client wants to know we care before they care to hear what we know. We will touch the pet and communicate with the client our heartfelt care and consideration before we offer our recommendations.

Teach Before You Reach — At Safari, we believe that “He who has the smartest client”, “WINS!” We love to teach about the care we give before we reach for medications. We understand there are always alternatives and involving the client in the care decisions serves the client and the pet best.

Advanced Medicine

Safari Strives to practice at the same level of medicine taught in veterinary schools .

Dr. Garner is board certified and has been since 1992, and as a result has been practicing a higher level of medicine on small animals and exotics for the past 25 years. The ‘Diagnose First’ paradigm creates the need for high level therapeutics. These therapeutics include intensive care, titration of cardiac care medications, oxygen therapy via intranasal catheterization, nebulization, constant rate infusions, chemotherapy and compounding of therapies for birds and exotic animals. Advanced medicine requires advanced team-based monitoring and maintenance of intravenous and urinary catheters, feeding tubes for reptiles, and crop feeding of the avian species. Endoscopically placed PEG tubes and esophageal tubes are common modes of therapy for debilitated or chronic critical care patients. Safari provides neurological administration of mesenchymal stem cells. Many of these pets suffer from paralysis which requires indwelling urinary catheter care and prevention of pressure sores. All patients undergoing general anesthesia are on calibrated ventilators, kept warm, monitored with pulse oximeters, ekg, and a caring technician. Advanced medicine is a team-based activity where monitoring and constant observation are critical.

Rehabilitation Therapy

Safari’s Therapeutic Modalities work synergistically with your medicine or surgery to ensure a good outcome .

The success or failure of many orthopedic and neurologic procedures depends on the aftercare and rehabilitation. Rehabilitation is essential for neurologic damage and optimization of stem cell therapy.

Dr. Garner has been through the University of Tennessee CCRP course in Rehabilitative Therapy and our rehabilitation technicians are known worldwide for their expertise and care of pets. Our rehabilitation technicians at Safari select from a wide range of equipment to match the needs of the pet with the best physiotherapy regime. Starter exercises include balance pads and wobble boards, while more advanced exercises involve balancing with 1 to 4 paws on a donut or peanut. Safari has full rehabilitation facilities that includes:

• Land and Water Treadmills… The treadmill is used for both balance and proprioceptive training (knowing where the feet are) and strength training. Strength training is best done with the water treadmill. The water treadmill is state–of–the–art in pet rehabilitation. The water buoyancy helps supports the weight of the pet, enabling the pet to use its limbs more naturally, while the moving floor encourages walking. This builds strength without damage to the surgical correction. Land (or dry) treadmills are an advancement for the pet that can use and bear weight, but still needs to work on coordination.
• Therapeutic Ultrasound… Therapeutic ultrasound uses sound waves to deliver energy to tissues with two types of effects. Therapeutic ultrasound is primarily indicated in the treatment of chronic scar tissue and indolent decubital ulcers (bed sores). It may also be effective for palliation of muscle spasms and for enhanced tendon healing. Therapeutic ultrasound offers many benefits, some of which are heat energy delivered to tissues, increased blood flow, flexibility and extensibility of connective tissue, pain relief, decreased swelling and muscle relaxation.
• Electrostimulation and TENS… Electrostimulation Therapy (or NeuroMuscular Electrical Stimulation –NMES), is the electrical stimulation of muscles, or the nerves that feed muscles. The purpose is to make the muscle contract. This contraction of muscles is necessary when there is nerve damage to the brain, spinal cord or other nerves that feed the muscles, and they cannot move on their own. Electrostimulation is also beneficial in cases where there is trauma or surgery to the bone, joint or muscle that makes it too painful for the muscle to move without electrostimulation. TENS (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation) is different from Electrostimulation. TENS is electrical stimulation to the skin; versus electrical stimulation to the muscles and nerves. When TENS is applied to the skin large nerve fibers (A-β) are stimulated. These A-β fibers synapse in the spinal cord and stimulate nerve fibers that block the perception of pain in the brain. This is called the gate control theory of pain. The frequency of electrical impulses that stimulate the A-β fibers also causes the release of endorphins from the pituitary in the brain. Endorphins are natural opiates that produce analgesia when released. The synapses in the spinal cord also stimulate another nerve fiber (A-δ). A-δ fiber stimulation blocks other nerves headed for the brain and are also involved in the mechanism of action for acupuncture. The effect of TENS is like the effects of acupuncture for pain control.
• Cold Laser Therapy… Clinical studies have shown that laser therapy reduces pain and inflammation and, thereby, stimulates tissue healing, regeneration of nerve cells and reduces recovery time. Laser therapy can be used in addition to medication for pain management, or as an alternative to pills. Laser therapy is non-invasive, requires no sedation and is free from side effects. At Safari, we use a high-powered laser, so treatments take just a few minutes and can be performed on an out-patient basis. Laser therapy is suitable for all ages and all species of pets. Many pets show rapid improvement with reduced pain scores and less lameness after only 1 treatment. Treatment schedules are tailed to the pet’s condition and rate of recovery.
• Pilates and Obstacle Courses… These lessons are designed to strengthen core muscle strength as well as to work on specific leg muscles. Balance exercises not only improve balance and confidence, they strengthen joints by making micro movements which exercise the muscles surrounding the joint. Improving balance and coordination is an important component of improving mobility in pets with chronic arthritis, post–surgery or recovering from injury.

Advanced Surgery

Safari offers Mentorship in Orthopedic, Neurologic and Soft-Tissue Surgery .

Not every veterinarian is interested in surgery, but this is not the case with Dr. Garner. If you are interested in surgery and want a surgical mentor, then Safari is perfect for you. Orthopedic surgeries requiring plates, screws and pins are standard. For cruciate ligament ruptures, we recommend the TTA or Tight Rope techniques. We also have a C–Arm fluoroscopic imaging device for closed placement of pins or realignment of fractures.

Neurologic procedures require advanced imaging and Dr. Garner uses a human MRI with his own settings. Myelograms are common when MRI is not feasible. The C–Arm is useful for placement of stem cells into joints or into intervertebral discs or when intrathecal injections are required.

Intra–abdominal and intrathoracic surgeries are commonly performed when necessary.

Soft tissue surgeries, such as routine spays and neuters, are done for the local shelter, as well as more advanced surgeries requiring skin grafts.

Arthroscopic and endoscopic surgical instrumentation is also used at Safari.

For the new graduate or more experienced veterinarian, the surgery at Safari has something to offer.

Advanced Diagnostics

Safari Helps You reverse the trend of referring all the fun to others. We have all the equipment to make you the specialist .

Safari’s mantra of ‘diagnose before you treat’ requires advanced on-site diagnostic capabilities. These tests give us a “Window into the pet’s body” and include: advanced digital radiography, digital dental radiographs, ultrasound, echocardiography with color-flow doppler, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, myelography, endoscopy, bronchoscopy, arthroscopy, avian laparoscopy, full in-house chemistry, complete blood count, fluid analysis by flow cytometry and C–Arm Fluoroscopy for motion studies of the esophagus and larynx.

Stem Cell Therapy

Enter the Future of veterinary medicine with regenerative therapy through Safari .

Safari has a complete, state-of-the-art stem cell laboratory. This is far beyond the centrifuge and enzyme system that many who do “stem cell therapy” in the veterinary profession utilize. Safari has all the requirements for a complete stem cell laboratory. These requirements are:

• Stem cell therapy requires the ability to collect tissues and process them in a sterile environment for administration or culture.
• This process requires a biologic safety cabinet with laminar flow and ultraviolet sterilization.
• Cell processing and culture requires incubators that can increase the CO2 and decrease the Oxygen tension so that the stem cells are grown in the optimal conditions.
• Cell growth requires a sterile microscope for visualizing the growth characteristics without bacterial contamination.
• Cell therapy requires viability testing, which requires fluorescent viability testing, thereby, requiring a fluoroscopic enabled microscope.
• Cell therapy requires a count of the number of cells per ml, which requires an automated cell counter.
• Cell preservation requires a controlled rate freezer that takes the cells down one degree per min until the point of ice crystal formation, then down 10 degrees per minute, then back to one degree per min until the -86C is reached.
• Storage of frozen stem cells requires a liquid nitrogen storage system.
• Running a stem cell laboratory requires trained laboratory technicians and the necessary space for them to work.

Stem cell therapy is transformational to a veterinary practice. Stem cells can be used to reset the major histocompatibility factors of T-cell, effectively stopping most autoimmune diseases. This allows us to treat IMHA, Pemphigus, Feline Stomatitis, Feline Asthma, Chronic Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Keratoconjunctivitis Sicca, Atopic Dermatitis, and many other similar diseases.

Stem cells are anti-inflammatory and can be used acutely in spinal cord and brain trauma to reduce damaging inflammation.

Stem cells are regenerative and can be used in chronic degenerative diseases, such as arthritis or degenerative disc disease. Stem cells promote neurogenesis and neuroplasticity, allowing pets with spinal cord damage or brain damage to respond to therapy.

Dr. Garner is a pioneer in stem cell therapy and has had advanced training in stem cell culture and propagation. Dr. Garner uses stem cells for therapy of many common, and not so common, illnesses in pets. Dr. Garner works with pet rescue organizations at a greatly discounted rate to gain the cases necessary to prove these treatments work.

Self Acutalization

Become the Best Vet you can be at Safari .

At Safari, we hope to help develop you as a person as well as a veterinarian. We hope to show you a new way of practice that focuses on the dissemination of knowledge and to build upon the motivational emotional wealth that drives all veterinarians. We hope to teach you, not only the disciplines of diagnostics, medicine, surgery and exotics, but also educate you in the motivation and utilization of team members to magnify your effectiveness as a veterinarian. The metaphor of the tree is utilized to show that a strong practitioner has deep roots in the disciplines that support and hold up the boughs of the tree. These disciplines are important and need to drive deep to survive, requiring nurturing for constant growth and development. These roots are not perceived by the pet and, more importantly, the roots are not seen by the client, as they are underground. Above the ground is the tree trunk which supports the rest of the tree, and the limbs of the tree are the product of the knowledge that is hidden under the ground. The understanding of the needs of the pet and the needs of the client is this understanding that bears the fruit. The fruit is what is shared with the rest of the world, carried away because it is sweet, tasty and attractive. Within the fruit are the seeds of knowledge, that will again grow in new locations, spreading the benefits of your efforts far and wide. At Safari, we want to enable you to be fruitful in your professional life.

Exotic Medicine & Surgery

As a veterinarian at Safari, it is not required of you to treat exotics, however, we do see a large number of these pets. Dr. Garner has been one of the only board certified exotic vets serving the greater Houston-Galveston area for 35 years; hence, Safari has a reputation to be “the place to go” for sick exotic animals. Dr. Garner owns two ring-tail lemurs and a zebra, and is one of the only vets in Texas that will see primates. In that regard, Dr. Klages, who is board certified in Lab Zoo and Exotic Animal medicine, is also a board member and vice president of the Association of Primate Veterinarians.

Dr. Garner has a special interest in exotic animals & birds and promoted this avenue of practice to differentiate Safari from the rest of the pack.

Safari believes in a proactive approach to wellness and preventative care with the utmost concern for the humane treatment to all species. We do not turn away from any challenge where we can make a difference; we embrace wildlife, exotic animals and even insects with the understanding that our mission is to promote life wherever we find it.

Safari not only has state–of–the–art diagnostic tools to treat the conventional pet, we also have specialized exotic equipment that is essential for the handling, diagnosis and treatment of exotics, birds and even primates; complete with an in–house, well–equipped Laboratory. Handling wild or exotic animals requires specialized training, skill and expertise. Birds, in particular, require small instruments and magnifications for surgery, requiring special skillful knowledge. One must be comfortably confident, cautious and efficient in the treatment of exotics.

Anesthesia of exotics is necessary in many cases for proper examination. At Safari, we only use Sevoflurane, which is a gas anesthesia that has been proven safe for our exotic animals. Wild or exotic animals hide their symptoms so as not to appear vulnerable to other animals in the wild that may prey on them. The more exotic the animal the less obvious disease becomes, therefore, an animal that is very sick on the inside appears healthy on the outside. It is this reason that we must sedate and palpate, listen and look at all the body systems to make sure the pet is well. Blood and urine tests are essential to knowing if an exotic animal is healthy or not.

Safari has created well–educated, qualified staff that is knowledgeable in the care of each species. We stay up–to–date on exotic medicine and continue to educate our team members and our clients. Many of the exotics treated at Safari come to us with health problems that are a result of the owner not being properly educated in the care of that specific species. It is for this reason that educating our client’s and keeping them up–to–date is extremely important to us.

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