Paws in Paradise Luxury Resort and Spa, the CSRA’s premiere pet boarding, daycare, and grooming facility, continually strives to provide the best care for pets. As part of that commitment, the facility recently opened a new Wellness Program led by Crystal Lesley, a veterinary assistant with over twenty-five years of experience.
“In 1999, I started as a vet assistant and loved every aspect of veterinary medicine. Over the years, I was lead surgery technician and I’m certified in cardiac ultrasound, abdominal ultrasound, and canine therapeutic laser,” she shares. “Recently, I was given the opportunity to come to Paws in Paradise to develop the new Wellness Program. Paws is already a wonderful facility and for me to be able to come here and you do what I love to do is exciting.”
Paws in Paradise’s new Wellness Program offers limited vaccines, heartworm tests, urinalysis, fecal testing, laser therapy on dogs for arthritis and joint pain, and more. Crystal, who is certified in animal nutrition and therapeutic nutrition, also provides guidance on which types of food are best based on a pet’s medical conditions.
“There is a lot of dog food out there with a lot of information and it can be overwhelming, especially if your pets have allergies or if your dog is diabetic or in renal, liver, or heart failure,” explains Crystal. “Nutrition plays a huge part in those situations, so anytime someone wants to come in, I can talk to them about the nutritional aspects of what their dog is going through.”
Although the Wellness Center can help in many situations, Crystal stresses that it does not take the place of a veterinarian but instead works in conjunction with veterinarians.
“I’m not trying to take the place of their vet. I’m trying to help out in the interim while the pet is here with us. My background is vet med, so I’m very pro vet! If anything happens while these animals are here when their owners are away, I'm here to help them until their owners get back,” she says. “If it's something I can treat, then I want to be able to do that. If it's something that they need to go straight to the vet, we have partnered with Care More Animal Hospital and Dr. Gross, who I’ve known and worked with for a very long time, so I'm able to run an animal straight to him and he is right there to help. And, if I have any questions, I've got Dr. Gross on speed dial.”
Another benefit of having the Wellness Program on-site is the ability to board pets with medical conditions that need to be monitored. In the past, dogs with diabetes or epilepsy may have been ineligible for boarding because there was no way to monitor them, but Crystal is excited that have that change.
“We can now accept medical cases because I can check blood glucose levels for our diabetic pets and I am able to monitor seizures should something like that occur during their stay,” Crystal explains. “Additionally, if any animals come in that need fluids, for example in cases of renal failure and their vet has prescribed subcutaneous fluids, I can continue that while they are here.”
Because Crystal is not a veterinarian, she cannot make diagnoses or prescribe medication, but she can do testing, if needed, to rule out some issues. “I can also ensure everybody is free of parasites and things to make it safe here for all dogs,” she shares. “I'm using my experience to help and better their time here and hopefully, I'm providing a service that is beneficial to both the owner and the pet.”
Paws in Paradise Luxury Resort & Spa is located at 4319 Evans to Locks Road. For more information or to book services for a pet, visit www.pawsinparadiseresort.com or call 706-750-9042.