Creating the best experience possible for pet owners and their four legged family members
BY: Angela Veugeler
To many families, a pet is considered a family member; one that is filled with love and excitement for us and adds happiness to our daily lives. The staff at Tiger Tails Animal Hospital recognizes that, and has made it their mission to create the best experience possible for pet owners and their four- legged family members.
Walking into Tiger Tails Animal Hospital you may notice the inviting purple and green décor along with festive seasonal accents, lots of natural light, a children’s play area with tablets and toys, and that the interaction between the front office staff and clients is very friendly and warm.
Dr. Zack and Susan Mills opened the practice in No- vember of 2012 with the goal of having “something special, something different.” They wanted to create “the perfect facility in a great area.” After 10 years spent practicing in Charleston, South Carolina and then visiting hundreds, i
f not thousands, of clinics while working for Merial, a global animal health company, Mills knew what he wanted when opening Tiger Tails. He wanted to get back into animal care and wanted to do it right.
Tiger Tails gets its name from Clemson University, where Mills attended and created mischief on the football field as the schools mascot, the Clemson Tiger. They wanted a memorable name that embraced the fun loving spirit of that tiger and Tiger Tails seemed to be the perfect fit.
The Gwinnett County area seemed to be the perfect place for their practice. “This area is great. The parks, nature trails, people, developments, downtown Suwanee, Gwinnett County… it is so diversified and still close to the mountains and the beach. There is so much you can do here,” shared Mills.
The goal of their small animal practice is to make visit- ing the vet a great experience for both the owner and the pet. The exam rooms are large with a lot of natural light, and they do their best to keep waiting to a minimum to help prevent anxiety in pets. In most cases, the staff will examine dogs on the floor, and cats on the window- sill, where they are more comfortable.
Mills shared, “We have put a lot of focus on get- ting the right people at our practice. The vets, tech- nical staff, and front office staff all care about pets, but also love working with people. They all work hard as a team.” Mills sometimes reminds his staff, “Before you go into an exam room, think about how you would want to be treated.” He cited the impor- tance of communication and education with the cli- ents. In many cases, the staff uses 3D graphics and videos to help demonstrate to pet owners what may be going on with their pet.
“We are very focused on wellness and keeping the pet healthy. We have developed programs such as senior and puppy wellness plans that help break up the costs and include a lot of the routine exams, blood work, and discounts on all services and prod- ucts. Many times, this helps with prevention or al- lows us to catch things early and treat for a better outcome at a lower cost,” Mills stated.
According to Mills, Tiger Tails is one of less than 5% of certified Cat Friendly Practices in the United States, which is a certification given by the American Association
of Feline Practitioners. This certification means they have taken extra steps to be sure they understand a cat’s unique needs and have a more calming environment for cats, such as feline-only exam rooms.
In addition to wellness care, Tiger Tails also offers the latest technology including laser and stem cell therapies for enhanced healing and pain control. They also have an app where pet owners can access all of their records, receive messages, specials, set appointments, refill prescriptions and more. Leslie Scarpa who is in charge of community outreach and PR stated, “The app has been great, it’s very helpful for communication and clients are really utilizing it.”
If you are traveling for the holidays and can’t bring your pet, their boarding facility offers mul- tiple play areas for dogs and is very hands-on and heavily supervised. The staff often posts pictures of the pets so their owners can feel at ease seeing they are having fun. Book early, as they have limited space and fill up quickly.
The staff at Tiger Tails stays very involved inthe local community and participates in area festivals such as Suwanee Fest, Duluth Fall Fest, Chattapoochee Pet Fest and Woofstock. Dr. Mills also serves on the board of the Georgia SPCA.
In June of 2015, Tiger Tails will bring back their vet camp for students wanting to learn more about the industry. One week of camp will be offered for 8-11 year olds, and new this year, they are adding a one-week option for middle school students. More information and dates will be posted on Facebook, their website and mobile app.
Dr. Mills sums up the practice by stating, “We identified the need for something a little different and I think that’s what we’ve cre- ated. Our clients like coming in, and that’s a good feeling.”
Dr. Zack and Susan Mills
Tiger Tails Animal Hospital
2605 Peachtree Industrial Blvd. Duluth
770-817-9565
Tigertailsanimalhospital.com
