
Dr. Thomas Mason
Medical Director
Bio
Bio to come!
Proudly caring for pets in Redwood City since 1979.
Dr. David Cowan was the original founder who established Whipple Avenue Pet Hospital in 1979. After a long and successful career, Dr. Cowan retired and sold the hospital to his Associate Veterinarian, Dr. Cyndi Stiglich in 2015. In late 2021, Dr. Stiglich sold the practice to enjoy semi-retirement.
Our hospital is located in beautiful Redwood City. At Whipple Avenue Pet Hospital, we strive to provide the best pet parent experience and medical care for your pet. We are a full-service veterinary hospital primarily caring for cats and dogs. We are grateful to our local community for their decades of support and look forward to meeting you and your pet!
Our goal is to help your pet live the longest, healthiest life possible. That starts with the basics: quality nutrition, adequate exercise, excellent grooming, and yes, regular veterinary check-ups. Whipple Avenue Pet Hospital’s comprehensive approach to preventative wellness care includes the following areas of focus:
Senior Pets: At Whipple Avenue Pet Hospital we love our elder pets! We also know that preventative care is even more significant for them and can have a major positive impact on their quality of life and longevity. In addition to annual or bi-annual physical examinations we also recommend regular blood and urine screening to assess for underlying diseases that often develop quietly and insidiously. This allows for earlier intervention to keep your senior pet as happy and healthy as possible.
Vaccinating your pet helps to protect them against preventable, life-threatening disease. They also help to protect people from infections that can be passed from your pet to you.
We tailor our vaccination recommendations specifically for your pet, based on their age, overall health and lifestyle. In general, vaccinations start with puppies and kittens when they are 6 to 8 weeks of age and continue until they are four to five months of age to ensure they are fully protected during this vulnerable part of their development. Adults receive booster vaccinations every 1 to 3 years depending on the vaccinations that are important for their environment and lifestyle.
Which vaccines should my pet receive?
“Core” vaccines are those recommended for most dogs and cats. Core vaccines include:
Other non-core vaccines are given depending on your pet’s lifestyle and potential exposure. Common non-core vaccines we recommend include:
Dogs:
Cats:
Dental disease is one of the most common problems our pets face throughout their lives. Chronic dental disease not only causes pain and discomfort in the mouth, but the chronic inflammation and infection can affect other vital organs such the heart, lungs and kidneys. Whipple Avenue Pet Hospital focuses on your pet’s dental health as a vital part of your pet’s health, wellness and quality of life.
How do I know if my pet has dental disease?
Bad breath, red or swollen gums, discolored or loose teeth, reluctance to play with chew toys, or pain when eating can all be signs of dental disease. However, often in the earlier stages you won’t notice anything amiss, which is why regular, annual physical examinations help us identify dental disease early.
How is dental disease treated?
We take a comprehensive approach to assessing and treating your pet’s dental health. Under general anesthesia we perform a complete oral examination and take full mouth X-rays to determine if any teeth are compromised enough to warrant extraction. If extractions are necessary, then the affected teeth are removed and a flap of gum tissue is sutured over the extraction site. Local “numbing” anesthesia is used to ensure pain management during and after the procedure. All healthy teeth have the tartar removed and are polished to smooth out the tooth surface which helps to prevent the tartar from coming back.
I’m worried about the risks of anesthesia for my pet.
We take every precaution to ensure the safest anesthetic procedure possible and the result is that anesthetic complications are extremely rare. Pre-anesthetic blood testing helps us ensure your pet is healthy to undergo anesthesia and allows us to tailor the anesthetic protocol to best fit your pet’s overall health. Intravenous fluids are given to support blood pressure and careful monitoring of vital parameters such as EKG, blood pressure and pulse oximetry during the procedure ensures a safer experience. Although there is always a very small risk of complications with any anesthetic procedure, leaving dental disease untreated leads to greater risk to your pet’s overall health.
What can I do to keep my pet’s mouth healthy?
The two best ways to prevent plaque and tartar build up are 1) Feeding a high-quality diet, and 2) brushing your pet’s teeth several times per week. Interested in learning how to brush your pet’s teeth? Our veterinarians will be happy to help you get started. If your pet won’t tolerate brushing, our veterinarians can also recommend products that will help keep your pet’s mouth healthy in between cleanings.
At Whipple Avenue Pet Hospital we utilize a variety of diagnostic tools to help us assess your pet when they are having a medical condition, illness or injury. These services include:
Surgery is sometimes the most effective way to treat many injuries and disorders, and Whipple Avenue Pet Hospital provides a full range of surgical services ranging from routine spaying and neutering to more complicated soft tissue and orthopedic surgical procedures.
Common surgeries we perform include:
Our priority is patient safety and comfort before, during and after any surgery we perform. Pre-anesthetic blood testing helps us ensure your pet is healthy to undergo anesthesia and allows us to tailor the anesthetic protocol to best fit your pet’s overall health. Intravenous fluids are given to support blood pressure and careful monitoring of vital parameters such as EKG, blood pressure and pulse oximetry during the procedure ensures a safer experience. We provide comprehensive pain management during and after all surgical procedures, ensuring your pet recovers quickly and with minimal discomfort.
If your pet needs surgery we will walk you through the entire process, giving you the information you need to make the best decision regarding your pet’s care. We understand surgery is a stressful time for any owner, and we are available every step of the way to answer your questions, support you, and ensure a successful outcome.
Whipple Avenue Pet Hospital is proud to be a part of our local community. We are always excited to partner with local businesses and animal rescue organizations to further the quality of care for pets within and enrich the human-animal bond. Please contact us if you have any additional questions.
We hope that your pet lives a happy and healthy life but there could be a time where your pet may have a medical event that could be costly. Because of this, it’s good to plan for the unexpected! We encourage pet parents to explore insurance coverage for their pet. We accept all pet health insurance plans. Most pet insurance plans are designed to reimburse you after payment has been made to the veterinary hospital. For more information on pet insurance, please visit:
TrupanionPets BestHealthy PawsVisit ASPCA’s Animal Poison Control Center website for any animal poison-related emergency
Poisonous PlantsTraveling with your PetBasic information on domestic and international travel of pets by the US Department of Agriculture
Peninsula Humane Society & SPCAVeterinary Oral Health Council