Riverstone Animal Hospital

06/25/2024

We're thrilled to announce the addition of our newest mixed-animal practitioner, Dr. Kaci Squires!

Originally from Little Rock, Arkansas (Go Razorbacks), Dr. Kaci is a 2024 graduate from Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine.

From our first meeting, we were immediately drawn to Dr. Kaci's warm & genuine nature, just like you've come to know from the rest of our team! Her passion is to provide top quality medicine to both small & large animal patients, with a special interest in equine reproduction. Her goal to make sure all clients feel heard, respected, & leave feeling apart of the Riverstone family aligns perfectly with our standard of care. We can't wait for you to meet her! When she is not at work, Dr. Kaci enjoys spending time with her family doing game nights, fishing, or hiking with her spoiled corgi, Swayze!

Stay tuned for more updates on when we'll be accepting new large animal clients! We're so excited to be able to serve more of you! Join us in welcoming Dr. Kaci to Monroe County & to Riverstone!

06/12/2024

Buster ready to bust outta here after his annual dental cleaning! 🦷🪥🫧

05/25/2024

☀️ S U M M E R 🍉 G I V E A W A Y ☀️

We’re kicking off Memorial Day Weekend with a giveaway sponsored by Merck’s Bravecto! It’s one of our favorite flea/tick preventatives because ONE dose lasts THREE months. One less thing to remember during your Summer fun!

Any Riverstone client who purchases Bravecto will be entered to win:

🧊 Igloo IMX 70 Qt. Cooler
🐕 Doggy Splash Pad
🍉 Pup Popsicles
🦴 Ice Tough Chew

Every dose (dog or cat) is an entry, so stock up while we have our $10 & $25 instant rebates! If you’ve already purchased Bravecto this week, you’re in!
Giveaway closes 7/20!

We’ll be closed Monday for Memorial Day, see you Tuesday at 8am!

05/06/2024

Another Monday mood brought to you by Baker 🐾

04/19/2024

It’s time to share the news with our Riverstone community of a new transition for one of our own.

It is with both gratitude & great sadness that we announce Dr. Miki Mannino’s retirement from clinical practice in June. Though this announcement brings us immense happiness for Dr. Miki’s future, it also brings a sadness that our chapter with her is coming to an end.

She has worked alongside some of our team for over 15 years, with 8 of those years being an incredible pillar that Riverstone was built around. She has relentlessly devoted herself to her patients, caring for thousands along the way. Her clients quickly learned that she was as witty & charming as she was intelligent, & she amassed countless owners who requested her by name for her unparalleled dedication and care. To her team, she’s been a constant source of knowledge, as well as the brightness & levity desperately needed on a dark day. Like most in our industry, she has sacrificed endless late nights, weekends, & holidays with her family to fulfill her patients’ needs. Her compassion & dedication is unmatched, & she deserves to be filled with immense pride for what she’s given to her patients & their families. With her beloved clients in mind, this decision was a difficult one, but one that is leading her back towards her greatest achievement - her family.

A note from Dr. Miki:
To my cherished Riverstone clients and friends,
It is with much sadness that I announce my retirement from Riverstone Animal Hospital. My decision to leave active practice was not an easy one. This practice has been my home for 8 years, and I am heartbroken that I will be leaving not only my Riverstone family, but equally all of my amazing clients. I want to thank all of you who have trusted me with your pets over the years. You have become not only my clients, but my close friends and I will really miss every one of you. I wish that I could give each and every fur baby one more snuggle before I go. It feels like I am leaving a huge piece of my heart behind, but I know that this is the best decision for myself and for my family. Please know that in my absence, Dr. Julie and Dr. Shannon will be here for you every step of the way. We have already been working tirelessly to make this transition a smooth one. Trust that you will be getting the best care possible at Riverstone, because this team is the most dedicated group of ladies you will ever meet and their medicine is top notch. During this transition, if you have any questions or concerns, please reach out. Thank you for allowing me to be part of your pets’ lives. It has truly been an honor to work with you toward long and happy lives for your critters. I couldn’t have asked for better. Take care of yourselves and all of those sweet fur babies.
With Love,
Dr. Miki

Please join us in commenting well wishes for Dr. Miki, or sharing any stories below! 🩵

04/15/2024

BOOP. Happy Monday!

04/10/2024

Post-Eclipse Hump Day 😴 Anyone else?

04/08/2024

😎 Share your pictures with us below!

04/08/2024

We will be ‘closed’ over lunch from 12:00 - 2:45 today while our team has a potluck & steps outside! 🌑

If you need to pick up something over your lunch today, just give us a call!

04/02/2024

March’s Case of the Month gets a little graphic! If you’re squeamish, keep scrollin’!

Layla is a sweet patient of ours whose owner called because something was off with her. She had been drinking more than usual, whining, & sometimes even getting her owners up in the middle of the night, which was unlike her. She also had episodes of trembling every now & then, but it just seemed random. How do you know when your pet’s just being weird or when something’s truly wrong, right? It can be so hard to know if you should schedule a doctor’s appointment. Layla’s story is an example of why our recommendation will always be to bring them in - just in case!

When Layla arrived, we could also tell that she didn’t seem like herself. She wasn’t our happy, high energy girl, & a quick check of her vitals showed that she had a fever over 104! At that point, we asked the owner for their consent to run bloodwork, our most comprehensive diagnostic tool. Layla’s test results lit up like the Fourth of July, with many values either above or below normal ranges! These results showed her doctor exactly what to do next, & we proceeded with an abdominal ultrasound to find the source of infection. Dr. Shannon had a suspicion, as Layla was an unspayed female, & the ultrasound confirmed - pyometra. This life-threatening condition is an infection of the uterus, causing it to swell & fill with pus (sorry!). Our team quickly took Layla into emergency surgery to remove her uterus, & it was successfully removed in one piece without rupture, which is always a serious risk! She recovered from her procedure wonderfully & is doing well!

Any intact female is at risk for this, so it’s always a possibility to keep in mind if you choose not to spay your pet. As they continue to have heat cycles throughout their life, hormones continue to fluctuate, causing tissues to thicken, relax, open, close, & be susceptible to bacteria. In Layla’s case, she has wonderful owners who knew something was wrong, & she’s back to her happy, smiling self as you can see!

If you have any questions for us, don’t hesitate to reach out!

03/25/2024

Monday mood 🌧️

03/22/2024

Meet Tilley! She’s looking for someone who is willing to foster her!

We took her in through an owner surrender due to an injury, & she’s now ready to bust outta here!

She’s an 18 month old beautiful mix, about 50lbs, is spayed, & updated on all care! She is energetic, loves to play, & listens to commands well!

We will be covering all costs of fostering. If anyone is interested in a meet & greet, just message us or give us a call! 💙

03/15/2024

Meet Carly & Kaci!

Carly came to us around 6 weeks old because she was just not thriving as well as her sister was. She was eating less, playing less, & growing less than her twin. These little kids can have trouble stabilizing their blood sugar, so she was hospitalized to receive continuous IV medications, vitamins, & dextrose. She got to go home to her sister yesterday, & we’re hoping she continues to do well!

On her case with Dr. Julie was Kaci, who is visiting Riverstone to fulfill her Doctorate program externship hours! We’ve been so impressed with her knowledge, compassionate dedication, & know she will do incredibly in any future path she chooses!

02/29/2024

Signs of Spring! 🌱 Rylee got Rex to take a bottle this morning, send him your good vibes to get stronger every day!

02/14/2024

Name a better Valentine’s Day gift…..we’ll wait. 🩷

02/08/2024

Meet Lainey! 💘 She’s looking for a home!

She was found snuggled up in some sandbags along a highway, & was rescued by Gateway Pet Guardians!

We took her in just before Christmas, & have been loving her ever since! Her injuries included a fractured pelvis & back leg, & she was severely malnourished. We performed her FHO surgery & rehab, & she’s also gained over 5lbs of healthy body weight & muscle mass!

She is spunky, sweet, & deserves a family to make her Valentine’s Day even sweeter! Please share her ‘dating profile’, & if you’re interested in meeting Lainey, give us a call. ♥️

02/08/2024

Have you ever been nervous about a dental procedure & wondered what it’s like? We totally get it, so Nelson’s here to share his experience!

We get asked all the time & yes, pets are sedated for their teeth cleaning! Imagine if they were awake 😆

Here’s everything we do to keep them safe & your mind at ease:

• Pre-anesthetic Bloodwork (elective)
This shows if anesthesia is safe for your pet, & allows us to adjust accordingly.

• IV Catheter (elective)
This gives us intravenous access to administer fluids which maintains their blood pressure, & is always beneficial to quickly give medication, if necessary. It’s an affordable add-on for safety!

• Dental X-rays (elective)
Another affordable option that shows us what’s going on beneath the surface. This catches all the things we can’t see & pets can’t tell us!

• 2 Technicians Monitoring Your Pet
They never leave your pet’s side, monitoring their vitals, airway, & body temperature while the Doctor is doing their thing.

• 1 Technician Recovering Your Pet
Your pet gets their own team member dedicated specifically to their recovery, which includes a personal heating system, vitals checks, & lots of love.

• Complimentary Nail Trim

• Complimentary Dental Chew Sample
Oravet Chews are our best recommendation for maintenance the rest of the year! They contain ingredients that inhibit bacteria, fight plaque & tartar, & prevent bad breath. (Order through our app for coupons!)

• Picture Updates
We know it’s hard to leave them for the day, so we send you pictures in our app!

The whole procedure can take anywhere from 45 min - 3 hrs, & then they’re right back home to you! If you have any specific questions we can answer for you, just send us a message!

02/05/2024

Did you know that ‘dog breath’ is actually not normal?

It might seem like just a dog thing, but it could be a warning sign that your friend is developing dental disease. Don’t worry though, even our own pets have stinky breath from time to time! 😅 That’s why we recommend a dental cleaning once per year.

Plaque, tartar, & bacteria builds up & leads to inflammation, infection, & decay. Most dogs & cats have some degree of dental disease before age three! As we all know from human oral health, this bacteria is absorbed into the bloodstream, & affects other systems in the body. So just remember: dental health = overall health! Maggie’s teeth cleaning went perfectly & her owners are so glad she’s now in the Fresh Breath Club! 🫧

Next up: we’ll share exactly what we do in a procedure like this, in case you’ve ever wondered!

02/02/2024

Happy February! It’s National Pet Dental Health Month, & we’re celebrating! We’ll be sharing all things teeth all month long.

🦷 Discounted Dental Cleanings
🦷 Behind The Scenes of Procedures
🦷 Fresh Breath Club Before & Afters
🦷 Why We Care About Teeth
🦷 What To Watch For At Home

Next we’ll meet Maggie, & you’ll get to see how we got her teeth from stained & smelly to sparkly white!

01/29/2024

Meet the cutest bunch, our first Case of the Month for 2024!

Right before the cold snap, our team was called out to look at Ferb, a sweet pregnant goat who was just about due to have her kids. She hadn’t eaten for the past 2 days, & just wanted to lay around. When we got there, she was grunting uncomfortably & couldn’t really stand up. After her exam & a few diagnostic tests, she was diagnosed with pregnancy toxemia.

This condition is something that can affect sheep & goats late into their pregnancy, when their fetuses are rapidly growing. Usually, moms who are carrying 2 or more babies are most commonly affected. Those quick-growing fetuses take more energy & calories from mom than she can consume!

Without intervention, this can unfortunately lead to loss of the mom & babies, but thankfully Ferb’s owners knew that something was wrong just in time! We placed an IV catheter into a vein in her neck, which you can see wrapped up in the photo. This way, we could start administering treatments immediately on-farm, & her amazing owners could continue treating every 6 hours!

Some of her treatments included injectable Dextrose to get her blood sugar & energy up for labor, & pain medications - she was HUGE & obviously uncomfortable.

Once she was stabilized, labor was induced & she had THREE sweet babies within 24 hours. Who doesn’t love a happy ending? Spring is on the way!

If you have a sheep or goat exhibiting these signs late in pregnancy, reach out to your vet to get advice on how to help.

01/22/2024

❄️ We will be CLOSED today, Mon. 1/22 ❄️

We’ll be back open tomorrow, & will call any with appointments today then to reschedule!

If you need anything in the meantime, you can access it in our app!

Urgent Care Clinics may be open today, but we always recommend calling first & checking their hours!

VSS Manchester: (636) 227 9400
Webster Groves: (314) 762-6646
Hawthorne: (618) 288-3971
Collinsville AEC: (618) 346-1843

01/02/2024

Thank you again to the Waterloo HS Agriculture/FFA program for helping make our lobby beautiful this holiday season! We’re so appreciative of you thinking of us, & enjoyed your poinsettias so much!

01/01/2024

🪩🐾 Happy New Year! 🐾🪩

Thanks for a great year, we’ll see you Tuesday!

12/29/2023

Please join us in wishing Jan a Happy Retirement!!

She has been our rockstar receptionist since 2016, & even though she’ll be dearly missed, we’re so excited for her next chapter of time for rest, camping, & collecting more dogs!

12/25/2023

12/20/2023

Erik napping today is all of us at this point in the holiday rush 🤣

12/20/2023

We'll be CLOSED Saturday, Sunday, & Monday! If you need refills before the holiday, don't forget to grab them by Friday!

12/19/2023

12/18/2023

12/14/2023

🎄HOURS CHANGE TODAY! 🎄 8:00a - 2:00p

We will be closing early today, Thursday at 2:00p to celebrate our Staff Holiday Party!

We’ll be back tomorrow morning at 8:00am, & if you need anything in the meantime you can access it in our app!

Thank you for being flexible with us as we give our team a well-deserved afternoon to celebrate & socialize together!