Voted..Best Vet in Dallas, North Texas, and Plano by local pet owners!Outstanding Client SatisfactionIF...You are Ready to Say No to Unnecessary Use of Medications, Chemicals, and Vaccines, and Ready to Say Yes to Improving the health of Your Pet, We Invite You to Call Us and Become a Member of our Family!We are excited to be the only hospital in North Texas offering complete natural medicine for dogs, cats, birds, reptiles, and small animals. While we do offer conventional therapies such as conventional medications and surgery (using our unique holistic anesthetic approach,) we excel in many natural therapies including herbs, homeopathics, acupuncture, and cold laser.Affordable care-No matter how good the care, if you can't afford it your pet can't benefit. We have a wide range of clients, from those who are minimum wage employees all the way to to those who are multimillionaires. We can craft a treatment plan for your pet based upon your budget. We want to help all of our patients, so we welcome your input into the plan that is best for your pet and your wallet!I'm often asked..."Dr. Shawn, what is your specialty? What makes your hospital different?"Legally I can't call my self a specialist (even though my clients and many of my colleagues consider what I do a specialty) since there is no board-certification program for holistic, naturopathic, and functional medicine.However, I can answer that question. Our "specialty" involves 2 things:We are the only hospital in North Texas offering Functional Medicine for all pets (dogs, cats, birds, reptiles, and small mammals.) Functional medicine focuses on the function of the patient’s cells, using and individualized approach to promote health and return sick patients to healthy as quickly as possible. The practices of functional medicine are useful both for healthy patients (to improve their health) as well as for those suffering from illness, especially chronic illness, to return them to health.Functional medicine uses diet, supplements, herbs, and homeopathics to improve the health of cells in order to facilitate healing. By reviewing a history of the pet’s lifestyle, prior diseases, and diet, we carefully fine-tune our recommendations rather than recommending the same health plan or treatment regimen for every patient.Second, we offer help when other doctors can no longer help your pet. While we prefer to see pets when they are healthy (and keep them that way,) or see your pet at the beginning stages of illness, we know that not everyone finds up at these stages. Many of our patients are considered "hopeless" by conventional doctors, who often refer these pets to us for a "last hope at treatment." While we can never make guarantees, we have helped (and yes, even cured and saved) many of these "hopeless" cases. We have many success stories of pets for whom conventional medicine offered no help, but by offering integrative care these pets lived many months or even years beyond their expected prognosis. We love helping these pets, knowing that many patients are saved when we work with them to effect a successful treatment or cure.Here are a few of the many positive reviews we receive from our clients...The only truly holistic vet in town, Dr. Messonnier runs this hospital in Plano. With an aging and ailing cat who is a faithful patient at Rutherford Vet Hospital in Fair Park, I was looking for a holistic approach to compliment the traditional care Rutherford provides him. Dr. Messonnier's care for George (my old man kitty cat) was perfect. Knowing that I wasn't leaving Rutherford, but rather looking for an extension of care, Dr. M prescribed George supplements to help with his chronic digestive issues. We instantly saw an improvement in George's day-to-day health and happiness.Gina H.Dr. Shawn has completely blown me away with his sincerity and care for my Zoe. As a 1st time Pup Mom to a now 3 month old Yorkie Terrier, I have had tons of questions and Dr. Shawn has always been quick to respond to me via email, since I haven’t been able to come in the office yet. Someone so passionate and knowledgeable is rare. I’m impressed that he isn’t more concerned about making money off of you rather than truly helping you the best way he can. Thanks Dr. Shawn!Stephanie J.Dr. Shawn Messonnier and his staff have been treating my 2 dachshunds for over 6 years now. I chose Paws & Claws Animal Hospital specifically for their holistic approach to veterinary care. I’m thrilled that they offer blood titers, which reduced the amount of vaccines my boys receive each year. I also appreciate the fact that I am offered both holistic and conventional therapies by Dr. Messonnier. We’ve dealt with issues from back injuries to allergies and have used holistic and conventional medicines to treat them. Dr. Messonnier spends a great deal of time with me on each visit making sure that I understand his treatment plan and am able to voice concerns or ask questions. His staff is always courteous and compassionate. I am a very happy customer!Brighid B.Wonderful caring doctor. Went thru 4 vets before I found him and my dogs have been seeing him for 7 years now. One of my dogs had been dealing with cancer and Dr. Shawn and his entire staff have been wonderful. He even gave me his cell and house number to call on the weekends if there were problems. I love his staff and they are very nice.Linda T.Dr. Shawn is awesome! ! I got my 2 dogs right before the pet food scare where pets where dying from dry dog food. I then started researching the benefits of raw and reading a lot more about how to care for my dog in the best way possible. I ordered many books about holistic ways for dogs and didn’t even realize I had one of Dr. Shawn's books! I moved back to Texas where I have always lived with other dogs and went to many different vets for my dogs I had prior to my 2 new ones. I was very blessed to have found Dr. Shawn. He focuses on preventative care for your dogs and he is always continuing his education on medicine and holistic therapies. I am a pain in the butt client and Dr. Shawn is always willing to call me up and talk to me about things. If you care about your pets, do the research and take your pet to Dr. Shawn to give your pet the best care possible that he knows how to do.Christine K.These comments make me very happy, as the confirm my decision 25 years ago when I started our hospital. I had 2 simple goals-provide the best care for pets in North Texas, using the most natural and holistic approach possible, and to invite clients to become part of our family and get personalized care. Because we only see a few patients each day, you and your pet are never a number but are real and special individuals. We strive to meet all of your needs and welcome you anytime you need our help.Paws & Claws Animal Hospital and Holistic Pet Center is the only fully integrative holistic pet hospital offering natural care for pets in the North Texas area. Open since 1991, we offer natural therapies for our patients that fit with our health care goals: say “NO” to drugs except when absolutely necessary, work to “heal” the sick pet rather than make it simply feel better by masking its symptoms with strong medications, and focus on true health the way nature intended. We focus on diet and supplements (many made specifically for our hospital) including herbs and homeopathics, and offer physical therapies such as electroacupuncture and cold laser therapy. Pets are rarely vaccinated (we use blood titer testing to determine if pets need vaccines) and rarely receive chemical flea and tick preventive medications, resulting in improved health and life expectancy. We are the only hospital in the area to offer blood testing for early diagnosis of cancer in healthy pets.We focus on anti-aging medicine and also offer holistic anesthesia. Clients of our older patients love these 2 services as we can help our mature patients live longer and healthier lives and perform anesthesia and surgery safely without the fear that often accompanies anesthesia of "older pets."So what makes our approach, that we call holistic anesthesia, unique and even safer?1.We select the best and safest anesthetic to fit your pet’s unique health. Unlike many doctors who use the same anesthesia for just about every case, we choose the best anesthetic to meet your pet’s need at the time anesthesia or sedation is needed. We make our choice based upon the pre-anesthetic evaluation, which could include a thorough examination, laboratory testing, presence or absence of disease, age, prior anesthetic experiences, patient history, and elctrocardiogram.2.We are not afraid of anesthesia. So often we hear that another doctor refuses anesthesia because the pet is “too old” or “too sick.” No pet is too old for proper pet care, including properly chosen anesthesia. We are happy to help these “higher risk” cases who also need the best health care.3.For most procedures, such as dental cleanings and the removal of small tumors, deep anesthesia is not needed and not given. We give just enough anesthesia/sedation to keep your pet quite, restful, and pain-free during the procedure. The pet than awakens fully aware of its surroundings and is discharged shortly following the procedure so it can go home and resume its normal daily activities.4.Proper monitoring is important. I know many doctors do not monitor their patients while under anesthesia. This is malpractice and will eventually result in an unnecessary death of a patient. At our hospital your pet is monitored from the time it enters the hospital until it is discharged. During surgery the pet is monitored by the doctor, two assistants, and modern monitoring equipment to allow early detection of any problems that might occur (problems rarely occur during our holistic anesthesia.)5.Because many surgeries can cause pain, we use multimodal analgesia(pain-killing) techniques. Using several drugs and even natural therapies allows your pet to experience surgery free of pain; this technique also allows lower doses of anesthetics, making anesthesia even safer!If you are ready to experience true health the way nature intended, and want to minimize the use of conventional medications for your pets, we invite you to join our family.Since traditional medicine alone doesn't heal, but only makes the pet feel better, we integrate many different therapies to treat the whole pet, not just the disease.A large number of our patients have seen 1 or more doctors for help before finding us. Often these pets have been taking numerous medications for months or years with no real healing. In many cases it seems like it's more about making money than healing the pet.Our typical client...Loves her pet!Is focused on healthPrefers to eat healthy, including organic foodPrefers natural medicines for her family, including her petsThinks of her pets as her children and demands excellent care for them and all family membersWants to prevent disease rather than treat diseasePrefers to say "No" to drugs whenever possible, and understands that too many drugs and toxins cause illnessWants to spend time with the doctor to explore treatment options and have her questions answered (most veterinarians spend 5-10 minutes per visit, whereas our typical visit is 30 minutes long)Appreciates our respect for her pet health budget and works with us to formulate the best treatment plan that falls within her budgetWe offer integrative care for all pets, including birds, small mammals, and reptiles. We are known for helping pets with numerous medical disorders including diseases of the gastrointestinal system, urogenital system, musculoskeletal system, and nervous system. We offer non-surgical natural therapy for pets with disk disease and hip and cruciate ligament injuries. We are proud to offer integrative therapies for pets with all varieties of skin diseases and cancers.Our appointments are usually scheduled for 30 minutes (the typical veterinary visit is 10-15minutes.) We don't rush your visit and know it takes time to truly understand your needs and your pet's health issues. By taking extra time with your pet we often find problems other doctors miss and can recommend the best course of action to help your pet feel great again soon and minimize future medical problems (and costs!)Currently we are the only integrative pet hospital in North Texas offering all of the following natural therapies:HomeopathyWestern Herbal MedicineChinese Herbal MedicineHomotoxicologyClass 3 Laser TherapyAutosanguis Therapy-a powerful system of homeopathic detoxification that works well for pets with chronic illnesses and serious health problems such as cancer.Autologous Blood Stem Cell Therapy-We are the only veterinary facility in the area to use this natural healing system which relies on stem cells harvested from a small amount of your pet's blood. This is another therapy which works well for pets with chronic illnesses and serious health problems such as cancer.Cold Laser TherapyAcupunctureBiotherapeutic Analysis Blood and Urine Testing-These 2 tests will help us determine subtle changes in various biochemical parameters in your pet's blood and urine. The results will guide us to choose the correct supplements to correct the problems before they become serious and your pet develops chronic illness.Endocrine/Hormone/Immune Testing-A simple blood test which tells a lot about the status or your pet's endocrine/hormone levels and easily measures 3 different classes of antibodies to detect hidden problems in your pet's immune system.Food Hypersensitivity Testing-What is the best food to feed your pet? This test answers that question and guides you to feed your pet the diet most likely to contribute to many years of good health.Blood testing for cancer diagnosis in healthy pets.We offer care that is both high tech and high touch, the way medicine used to be, the way it should be. We look forward to welcoming you to our family!Top 10 Reasons To Choose Natural, Holistic Pet Care10) Hundreds Of Years Of Clinical Experience 9) Based On Scientific Framework vs. Conjecture8) More Cost-Effective 7) Avoid Unnecessary Drugs & Vaccinations6) Works With The Body Safely & Gently 5) Treats The Underlying Disease vs. Covering Up Symptoms-Allows true healing.4) Ability To Treat Undiagnosed & Functional Diseases3) Nothing Else Is Working2) No Drug Reactions Or Side-Effects1) It Works!Our special interests include preventive care using natural therapies, the treatment of diseases with minimal use of conventional medications, holistic anesthesia of older pets, caring fro cats and dogs (we recognize that cats are unique and are not small dogs,) and the treatment of exotic pets such as birds, small mammals, and reptiles.While medical care for certain problems can be expensive at times, we welcome the opportunity to work with our clients to put together a treatment plan that fits their budget. We also bundle medical services when possible to reduce costs, use fewer medications to reduce costs (and side effects!,) recommend add-on procedures to reduce costs, and recommend Care Credit and pet health insurance (which can reduce out of pocket expenses by up to 90%!)While we often receive referrals for our specialized care from other doctors, including area specialists, a referral is not needed. Simply call us to schedule an appointment to learn how natural care can prolong your pet's life. Call us and begin saying "No" to unnecessary vaccines and medications!