New walk-in veterinary clinic opens at SouthShore Village
By LOIS KINDLE
LOIS KINDLE PHOTOS
Veterinarian Kristina Ramer, owner of Walk-in Veterinary Care, listens to the heartbeat of Rudy, a 4-year-old Chihuahua owned by Charlie and Pat Schneider, of Ruskin. The owners brought him in for an ear infection.
Many area pet owners will be delighted to know they no longer need to make appointments for their animals to see the vet.
“Convenience for people is extremely important,” said veterinarian Kristina Ramer, owner of Walk-in Veterinary Care, 5080 U.S. 41 N., Apollo Beach. “We wanted to make it easier for pets to be seen at their owners’ convenience, rather than ours.”
So when she decided to open her first practice, she opted for a different business model than other veterinarians in the area.
Walk-In Veterinary Care is a full-service animal hospital, offering onsite laboratory testing, ultrasounds and full digital X-rays. Services include comprehensive exams, vaccinations for puppies, kittens, adult dogs and cats, screening for worms and heartworms. The office carries Iverhardt and Bravecto preventatives for heartworms, fleas and ticks.
The office also sees ferrets, rabbits and other small mammals and trims wings and nails for all birds.
Ramer offers microchipping, acute and chronic pain management, geriatric pet care, allergy screening and treatment, management of chronic illness like diabetes and thyroid conditions, humane euthanasia and more. She also performs dental cleaning and extractions and routine surgeries.
“We take a conservative approach to veterinary care, have flexible hours and reasonably priced services,” said office manager Kelly Day, Ramer’s right arm.
Day has known Ramer for the past seven years and has worked in veterinary practices for 20 and highly recommends her to area pet owners.
“You always know she’ll give you an honest medical diagnosis and quality treatment,” Day said. “And your pet will be treated like family.”
On Feb. 2, veterinarian Kristina Ramer opened Walk-in Veterinary Care in the SouthShore Village, 5080 U.S. 41 N., Apollo Beach. The practice is unlike others in the area in that no appointments are required.
Ramer, 34, grew up on a 120-acre farm in Pennsylvania, where she developed a love for animals. She said she originally wanted to be a dolphin trainer and at one time a zoo vet. But life took her in a different direction.
She earned a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences from Florida State University in 2006, graduated from the Ross University College of Veterinary Medicine in St. Kitts in 2012 and completed her clinical training at Louisiana State University College of Veterinary Medicine.
She worked as an associate veterinarian at Bayshore Animal Hospital for two years and then, after moving to St. Petersburg, held the same position for two years at Gateway Animal Hospital there.
In 2016, she relocated to Hawaii, where she worked as an independent contractor for Kapaa Animal Clinic on the island of Kauai. Last September, she came to Ruskin, where her family lived nearby.
“I wanted to open a practice in a growing community,” she said.
Ramer has also worked as a relief vet for the Tampa Humane Society and has experience in emergency medicine.
She enjoys boating, beach sports, Buccaneers and Seminole football, Rays baseball, Lightning hockey and lives on a boat with her 9-year-old mixed-breed rescue dog, Henle.
Walk-in Veterinary Care hours are 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays; 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays; closed Wednesdays (for surgeries); 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursdays; 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Fridays; and 8 a.m. to noon Saturdays.
Military discounts are available.
For more information, call 813-213-8515.
