Thank you for trusting Winter Park Vet with the care of your pet companions.
As an independent, family owned and operated veterinary hospital, our community means the world to us. Family is one of our Core Values and community is family by another name.
We look forward to taking this opportunity to share some of the things that we think make us unique. Our veterinarians, nurses and team strive everyday to set the standard in small animal and exotic care in Central Florida. As Dr. Hess has always believed, veterinary medicine is as much of an art as it is a science. The team at Winter Park Vet will always work with you to ensure your beloved pet gets the best care available in Central Florida.
We hope you will enjoy some of the amazing success stories of the pets and people of Winter Park Vet.
Thank you for trusting us with your pet’s care since 1955.
-Your Vet for Life
The Winter Park Difference:
Two Cases Studies in Excellence
Sven the Magnificent!
Sven was referred to the team at Winter Park Vet when another local vet found an unusual mass on a radiograph and wasn’t able to further diagnose or provide the necessary surgery.
Dr. Delaney saw Sven as a second opinion. She confirmed the suspected mass and scheduled Sven for an immediate ultrasound with our medical director Dr Caitrine Hellenga. Dr. Hellenga, having completed extensive ultrasound training, was able to confirm the mass and scheduled Sven for an immediate splenectomy with Dr. Delaney.
Sven came through the surgery very well and after a couple days of hospitalization and monitoring he was able to go home to mom to further recover.
We sent a biopsy of the mass to a pathologist and it came back as noncancerous.
Oh Harold!
Harold is a lively 5 year old French Bulldog that presented to Winter Park Vet for a second opinion and sadly possible euthanasia. Harold had been vomiting for 2 days with a foreign body as the likely culprit. The referring DVM performed an exploratory surgery to remove some small remnants of a toy and also had to perform a resection and anastomosis (R & A).
The owner noticed his recovery wasn’t going well – his abdomen was distended and Harold was unusually lethargic. He was brought back in to the referring vet and it was determined that he had dehisced and needed another surgery. Another surgery was performed and an additional R&A was done. Harold still wasn’t improving and euthanasia was recommended as a 3rd R & A was deemed unlikely to succeed.
Harold’s mom called Winter Park Vet for a second opinion. We saw Harold as an emergency and Dr. Newman immediately went into surgery believing he could help Harold. A 3rd R & A was performed successfully by Dr. Newman. Harold was hospitalized at Winter Park Vet all weekend and for a few days the following week.
It was a very guarded prognosis but Dr. Newman’s skill and decades of surgery experience along with our skilled hospital nurses gave Harold a new lease on life.
Winter Park Vet in the Community
Winter Park Vet has been busy in the local community this year.
As an independent family owned hospital, our community is everything to us. We work hard everyday to partner with local businesses, support local organizations and otherwise keep our business and support in the local community.
We also really enjoy having vet students and pre veterinary students visit our hospital to learn more about this amazing career.
in 2024 Winter Park Vet has supported or sponsored the following amazing organizations:
- Orlando Opera
- Audubon’s Aviary Fundraiser
- Brookshire Elementary School support
- Edgewater Crew
- Winter Park Rotary Denim and Dazzle
- Winter Park Library Back to School Bash
- Edgewood Children’s Ranch Sponsor
- Audubon’s Baby Owl Shower
- Audubon’s Raptor Pride Sponsor
- Executive Association of Greater Orlando
Wildlife Spotlight
Winter Park Vet has provided care for hundreds of wildlife patients this year.
Baby possums (pictured below) sure are cute and we were happy to help this little guy after his mom was hit by a car. Did you know possums are great neighbors as they eat ticks, roaches and other house and yard pests. Also pictured is a pregnant female gopher tortoise – such a cool radiograph. Finally, we saved a common nighthawk and helped him get back to the wild. They are not related to hawks, nor are they nocturnal, just a very cool insect loving birds. Lastly, our team spent a wonderful evening with our friends at the Center for Birds of Prey in Maitland as they raised money for a new Owl Aviary. As a client of Winter Park Vet, you are helping us support our friends in the wild.
Exciting Updates tor 2024 and Beyond
As Winter Park Vet prepares to celebrate its 70th anniversary in 2025, we continue to plan for the future. We have some fun updates to share both to our campus and our service offerings.
First off, our Urgent Care hours have been a huge success helping many clients avoid the stress and hassle of emergency visits. We plan to continue these extended hours on the weekends to help care for life’s little – and sometimes big – unexpected emergencies. Please give us a call if you have any questions about needing possible care as we are here for emergencies 7 days a week with special hours on Saturday and Sunday from 8a-9p.
In 2024 our long time neighbors at the Winter Park Pet Villa retired ending a successful career of dog grooming. David and Rick will certainly be missed. We have purchased the building and will be renovating it in 2024/2025 to better serve our clients, patients and team members.
While we plan our current renovation, we continue to upgrade and enhance our medical care to continue to set the standard for veterinary care in Central Florida. Current updates at Winter Park Vet include
- a new flexible endoscope for non-invasive diagnostics and possible foreign body removal.
- new surgical equipment to help cauterize and seal surgical sites to reduce anesthesia time.
- safety equipment on our anesthesia machines to continue to strive for the safest possible anesthesia experience for our patients.
- refine protocols for safety for our exotic patients.
On the Continuing Education front Dr. Liz Andrade received special training this year in Las Vegas on dermatology, anesthesia and dentistry. Dr.Brooke Delaney and Dr. Erik Los Kamp will be attending the Avian and Exotics conference in New Orleans in August to ensure our many exotic patients get the most up to date, cutting-edge medicine possible. Dr Carmelo Foti is attending an endoscopy lab in Las Vegas to learn a non-invasive technique to remove foreign bodies. Our medical Director Dr. Caitrine Hellenga continues to work with all our DVMS to deliver the highest level of care available in Central Florida.
Staff Highlights
Lindsay & Winston
Lauren
Dr Andy Newman
Calvin & Sophie
New Client Helpful Hints
- We Are Here: If you have an emergency with your pet, give us a call as we will always do our best to get you seen immediately.
- We reserve our Boarding services only for current clients at WPVH so let us know if you need Boarding or Doggie Day Care – SO FUN!
- While we are excellent at helping sick patients, we provide comprehensive wellness services that will help you and your pet avoid future medical issues and live a long healthy life.
- Online appointment scheduling is available.