BestFriends Veterinary Clinic

11/04/2025

No one should have to choose between feeding themselves and feeding their pets. The loss of SNAP benefits affects more than just people. The Monticello Help Center told Dr. Sell that almost every family that uses the food shelf also takes food for their pets. If you have unopened, unexpired pet food, please consider bringing it to the clinic. Throughout the month of November, we will take your donations to the Monticello Help Center. For dog food in particular, smaller bags are preferable because 2-20 # bags can help twice as many families as 1-40 # bag. Thank you for helping us to care for the four-legged friends in our community!

10/13/2025

National Veterinary Technician Week is our favorite time, when we get to celebrate our four exceptional veterinary technicians - Maria and Rose and Kallie and Abbey! Each one of them comes to work with a smile on their face, ready to use their training and knowledge and skills every day. As a group, they have over 35 years of professional experience, and it shows. They work together seamlessly and they always have each other’s backs. They provide outstanding support to the doctors, and we have so much trust in them. Most importantly, they provide the most amazing care to our clients and their pets. We are so grateful for all of them!

10/07/2025

There’s a new face at BestFriends! Last month we were joined by Dr. Nicole Dircks. She and Dr. Sell worked together for a number of years earlier in their practice careers, and they are excited to be collaborating as colleagues again! The addition of Dr. Dircks to the practice means we also have more appointments available, so we are very happy that we are now able to take on new clients.

09/16/2025

This is a tragic reminder of the dangers of feeding raw diets. Genetic sequencing linked the H5N1 in the cat that died to the H5N1 in this recalled raw pet food. It’s important to note that steaming, freeze-drying, and “air drying” do not adequately kill the pathogens present in raw diets. H5N1, E. coli, Salmonella, and Campylobacter present in raw diets also pose significant health risks to the humans who handle the foods and handle the pets that have these pathogens in their saliva, on their fur, and in their f***s. We know pet owners mean well when they feed raw and "minimally processed" diets, but PLEASE trust us when we say that they are NOT not safe!

Attention Pet Owners: FDA is notifying the public about test results that show H5N1 (Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza) contamination in samples from certain lots of RAWR Raw Cat Food Chicken Eats. https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/cvm-updates/fda-notifies-pet-owners-tests-show-h5n1-contamination-certain-lots-rawr-raw-cat-food-chicken-eats

Whole genome sequencing suggests a link between the cat food and the death of a cat.

09/15/2025

Shoutout to Northwest Carpet & Upholstery Cleaners for keeping our clinic floors so clean! They also do an amazing job on carpet. If your pet throws up or has accidents on your carpet , call us first so we can help fix them and make them feel better, then call Northwest to fix the stains in your home!

Residential and Commercial carpet, upholstery, area rug, tile and grout, and leather cleaning. Great

08/15/2025

We don't have a lot of sea lions roaming around our area, but this is a good reminder that Leptospirosis is a life-threatening disease. Almost every dog is at risk, whether they live in the country, suburbs, or city. Leptospirosis can also be spread from dogs to humans, so we recommend that all dogs be vaccinated against Leptospirosis.

Since July, we've rescued an unprecedented number of sea lions suffering from leptospirosis 🦠 This potentially deadly kidney infection can transmit easily between these animals and dogs 😨 Here's what you need to know ⬇️

⚠️ Give wildlife at least 50 yards (half a football field) of space
🪧 Signs of leptospirosis include tucked flippers (as shown), drinking water and lethargy
📲 Call our experts to report marine mammals in need at 415-289-SEAL (7325)
💉 Vaccinate your pets at your local veterinary clinic
🦮 Leash pets to keep them away from wildlife and infected water sources

Even with treatment, roughly two-thirds of animals that strand with this infection do not survive. Please, help keep all animals - flippered and furry - safe and share this post to spread the word ↗️

Find more information at https://bit.ly/3QjepIc.

07/10/2025

We now have BellyGuard surgery recovery suits available in sizes for dogs from 8 to 80 pounds! These are a great alternative to the "Cone of Shame". Ask us about one if your dog is having surgery. They should be coming soon for cats, too.

06/30/2025

We will be closed on Friday, July 4th so our staff can spend a long weekend with their families. This can be a scary time for dogs that have fireworks anxiety. Medication can help and we're happy to talk about it with you, just give us a call or text/email. We hope all our 4-legged and 2-legged friends have a safe and enjoyable holiday!

06/01/2025

03/14/2025

In honor of last night's spectacular lunar eclipse - also the first total lunar eclipse in over 2 years. Have a wonderful weekend, friends!

03/02/2025

Have you ever wondered why we recommend diagnostics? Watch this!! 👀 Diagnostic testing like bloodwork and xrays – along with a physical exam – can be an essential part of getting an accurate diagnosis so that we can treat your pet and help them get well quickly.

02/24/2025

Now that ma*****na is legal in Minnesota, it is more accessible to pets. Dogs and cats can be poisoned by ma*****na from smoke exposure or from eating any type of ma*****na/THC plant or edibles. THC oils intended for smoking/vaping are very highly concentrated and pose significant risk to pets. Pet Poison Helpline reports that they have seen a nearly 450% increase in ma*****na cases over the past 6 years, with the majority involving dogs or cats ingesting edibles.
If your dog or cat ingested ma*****na in any form, call us or or Pet Poison Helpline® immediately for life-saving treatment advice.