Happy Tails!

From the first day home to old age and all the things that happen in between, Dr. Kassell has helped her patients live healthy lives and recover from all sorts of conditions. Here are a few tales from patients that have benefited from her care!

Alma

Alma adores Dr. Kassell. She's been seeing Alma since she was an 8-week-old puppy, and we were so grateful to have someone willing to come to our house to guide us through the early puppy days. Alma had a very sensitive stomach for a few months, and Dr. Kassell helped us alter her diet to settle down. Now, Alma is 2.5 years old, and every time we see Dr. Kassell for an appointment, Alma is overjoyed to see her (even though she might get a jab or a blood draw). Alma has had problems with infections in her big, floppy ears, and Dr. Kassell taught us how to clean and care for them and how to adjust Alma's diet to try to stave them off. Whenever we have a concern arise between appointments, Dr. Kassell checks in with us and helps us figure out what to do. She's one of Alma's very favorite people, and ours too.

— Allison H.

Chase

Dr. Kassell and Nurse Laura are kind, effective professionals. When we couldn’t figure out why our pup’s paw was bothering him they didn’t suggest anything invasive, but suggested we soak his paw in warm water with Epsom salts for a few days so it could heal - and it did! Our whole family is thankful for their love and care - it’s like having an attentive doc - but for your pet! Thank you to you both!

— Riley

Francis

Dr. Kassell first saw Francis when she was 18 years old and had several chronic conditions, including hyperthyroidism, kidney disease, hypertension and inflammatory bowel disease. The integrative care that Dr. Kassell provided, including traditional medicine, diet and other treatments, gave Francis the best quality of life in her senior years. Even during the pandemic, when Francis started receiving subcutaneous fluids, care was provided safely and without interruption. Dr. Kassell genuinely cared about Francis, taking the time to look at all treatment options, explaining them well and helping me decide what was best for my cat. At 21, my Franny crossed the rainbow bridge. I am forever grateful that I found Dr. Kassell and was able to give Francis such a long and active life.

— Alison

Frank

Dr. Kassell is incredible! I adopted a dog with intense year round allergies and just didn’t know what to do. He was on Benadryl twice as day, but that really wasn’t cutting it. He had to wear a cone 24/7 because he’d just rip out his hair with all the scratching. He had constant ear infections due to his allergies and was bald in places from rubbing on my carpet. After seeing Dr. Kassell for the first time, she recommend that Frank go on allergy shots, and they’ve changed his life! No more ear infections, no more scratching, and he’s officially cone-free! I honestly thought he’d be an itchy boy his whole life, but he’s thriving now!

She also helped me figure out the correct dosage for his hypothyroidism and the correct nutrition for his (formerly) chunky little body.

I absolutely recommend Dr. Kassell. She’s incredibly kind and has helped my dog more than I ever could have imagined!

—Jewel M.

Ghost

Everything was fine with our 80 pound Pit mix, until a few days after his 5th birthday, when we noticed that his bowels were very loose. We tried rice and chicken, but he got terribly worse: loose stool, lots of gas. Then he began to lose weight. We took him to his vet, who put him on various antibiotics, ran numerous tests and suggested changing his food. Nothing helped. Our vet was baffled and referred us to an Internist. The Internist did an ultrasound which came back inconclusive. The Internist suggested treating Ghost for IBD. This consisted of steroids, more antibiotics and more dietary changes. Nothing changed, and Ghost was getting worse—my boy was down to 47 pounds and was skeletal. We were heartbroken, baffled and stressed out. After 8 months, lots of tears and lots of praying, I found Dr. Kassell. I sent her two very startling pictures. They moved her to the point where she came out to meet our Ghost. Through Dr. Kassell’s compassion, commitment and dedication to the animals she works with, she came up with the answer to what was happening. Ghost was diagnosed with EPI (Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency) and placed on a dietary enzyme replacement. The day he was diagnosed, he weighed 45 pounds. Less than two months later, he weighed 79 pounds. Ghost, my family and I are so grateful to Dr. Kassell for her sheer commitment and kindness. She never gave up on my Ghost.

— Tracie

Hope

Itchy skin, peepitis, all things in the past

Seeing Dr. Natasha is truly a blast.

She listens intently, is loving and kind, so when I

Get my exam I really don’t mind.

— Eileen

Indigo 

It was during Covid when we met Dr Kassell. Indigo is a major “mamma’s boy.” He’ll do anything asked of him if I am there to assure him. The thought of sending him into a vet office without me was as traumatic for me as it would’ve been for him. 

Once we started with Dr. Kassell, we never looked back. Her treatment philosophy is very thorough yet still honors a “less is more” approach. She was able to think outside of the box and resolve several of Indigo’s health issues without us feeling like she was putting him through any extra steps. 

Dr. Kassell is an artist within the science of her field (and also a very kind person). We appreciate her very much! 

— Anne-Marie

Jack, Smokey, Thumper, Chloe & Charli 

I cannot say enough about Dr. Kassell. She has been caring for our 5 fur children for several years now and I couldn’t be happier with her service. She is knowledgeable, patient, kind, and truly shows compassion and care each and every visit.

We love Dr. Kassell’s holistic approach to veterinary medicine and despite our fur children’s multitude of ailments we always feel supported and that they are receiving the best care. She always goes above and beyond and has been there for us whenever anything came up. Thank you, Dr. Kassell, for all that you do for our babies!

— Jamie M.

Jizo

Dr. Kassell has been our vet for years. She is caring, gentle, and extremely knowledgeable. She was able to help us resolve our little dog Jizo’s food and seasonal allergies by changing his diet and adding healthy supplements. No use of any chemicals or potentially harmful medications that other vets had prescribed for our previously allergy-prone dog! She is always responsive to any phone calls or emails, answering any questions or concerns no matter how big or how little.

A few years ago she added a technician to her services, enabling at-home blood draws, injections, and needle biopsies. Providing care in our home eliminates the stress and anxiety produced by these procedures.

We can’t recommend Natasha highly enough. In fact, we refer all of our friends with dogs to her. There’s just something about her warm personality, sincere affection for our dog, and phenomenal care that truly endears her to us.

— Beth

Lambretta

I have found Dr. Kassell’s in-depth knowledge of canine health to be top-notch. I feel so satisfied to know that she has my dog’s best interest in mind and possesses a very mindful bedside manner.

—Andrea

Maude

We first found Dr. Kassell because our Ridgeback, Belle, was just too anxious to go to the vets office. At that point, we had Belle and our small rescue mutt, Maude. Dr Kassell has always been so caring, knowledgeable and helpful. Most important to me, however, is her willingness to listen to my thoughts and wishes and not force her opinion on me. I so appreciate this, particularly having older dogs where I might choose to not do various interventions. When we lost our sweet Belle several years ago, Dr. Kassell understood the heartbreak and provided wonderful support.

—Caroline

Ollie

I contacted Dr. Kassell early in 2019 when the vet I had been using diagnosed Ollie with IBS. She refused to eat the food they prescribed. In researching her condition I reached out to Dr. Kassell to help me transition her to a raw diet. I know we added years to her life! Here she is in a familiar pose waiting for her food.

— Rose

Tallulah

Dr. Kassell has cared for all three of our dogs over the course of 18 years. Her approach to animal care is equal parts measured and compassionate. I always know that she'll give us honest, well-researched, wise advice that is often a mix of ‘conventional’ and ‘holistic’ which suits our family (and more importantly our dogs) perfectly. What makes Dr. Kassell such a uniquely superb vet is her ability to be both pragmatic and meticulous as well as deeply compassionate and caring. She uses a wide lens of knowledge to work with both the humans and the animals to create treatment protocols that work for the whole household. She is just wonderful and all of us are very fortunate to be under her care.

— Sophie and Chris

Zoe

When we first started seeing Dr. Kassell a few years ago, Zoe was already a senior pup with some arthritis challenges. Dr. Kassell changed up her diet and started her on Adequan. Wow, what a difference! Today, at age 15, Zoe is loving life and still insisting on her daily trip to the woods.

Zoe also used to be terrified of going to the vet, but now we can't walk past Dr. Kassell's porch without her pulling to go up for a visit. Thank you, Dr. Kassell, for making her golden years so happy!

— Amy & Michael

Zula

This goofy girl came to us as a pandemic puppy with a terrible case of Giardia. Her constant, uncontrollable diarrhea was not only awful for all of us, but it was getting in the way of house training. Dr. Kassell walked us through the medical treatment while working also on diet and behavior. Zula is a healthy nearly four year old now. She greets Tash in the neighborhood like an old friend!

— Liz