Pet Care Information
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Our Story
A Few Words About Us
Encino Park Veterinary Clinic is a well-established, full-service, small animal veterinary hospital providing comprehensive medical, surgical and dental care. We provide a broad spectrum of diagnostic procedures through in-house testing and the use of external laboratories. We also work closely with local practices when special diagnostic procedures are required. The facility includes a well-stocked pharmacy, in-hospital surgery suite, in-house x-ray capabilities, a closely supervised hospitalization area, and indoor boarding kennels with outdoor walking areas.
At Encino Park Veterinary Clinic we strive to offer not only sound advice, but also optimal veterinary care, thus allowing you the enjoyment of your companion for a maximum number of years. Our job is not only to treat your pet when he or she isn't feeling well, but also to help you learn how to keep your best friend happy and healthy.
Practice Philosophy
We understand the special role that your pet plays in your family. We are dedicated to becoming your partner in your pet's health care. We treat your pet as we would our own. Our goal is to practice the highest quality medicine and surgery with compassion and an emphasis on client education. Our entire healthcare team is committed to providing personal attention to the unique concerns of each individual pet owner.
Meet Our People
Our Doctors
Dr. Anna Almquist KaiserDVM
Dr. Kaiser grew up all over as the daughter of an Air Force dentist. She graduated from the University of Alaska-Anchorage in 1995 and earned her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Texas A&M University in 1999. She came to Encino Park Veterinary Clinic in 2000 and took over as owner in 2005. Her professional interests include internal medicine, dermatology and animal behavior. She is a member of the American Animal Hospitals Association, American Veterinary Medical Association, Texas Veterinary Medical Association and Veterinary Medical Association of Bexar County. She has served on the VMABC board of directors, as well as on the Palo Alto Veterinary Technician advisory board.
Dr. Kaiser and her husband Jason have four children. As animal lovers, they are also parents to one horse, four dogs, four cats, and a herd of goats. In her spare time Dr. Kaiser enjoys watching her children’s sports and activities, working out, being outdoors, traveling and volunteering.
Dr. Melissa AlmquistDVM
Dr. Almquist grew up in Sugarland, TX. She graduated from Texas A&M University in 1995 with a B.S. in Biomedical Science and received her Doctorate degree from Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine in 1999. She has been at Encino Park Veterinary Clinic since 2003 and has a special interest in surgery and dentistry. She is a member of the American Animal Hospital Association, American Veterinary Medical Association, Texas Veterinary Medical Association and the Veterinary Medical Association of Bexar County. She is also a past president of the VMABC as well.
Dr. Almquist is married and has a daughter. Her family also includes numerous pets including dogs, cats, goats and a donkey. She enjoys spending time with friends and family and volunteering in her free time. She also enjoys golfing and spending time outdoors.
Dr. Krista WilkersonDVM
Dr. Wilkerson grew up in East Texas and has worked in the Veterinary industry for over 22 years. She graduated from Texas A& M with a Bachelors in Biomedical Science in 2001 and pursued a career as a Licensed Veterinary Technician. Dr. Wilkerson has the pleasure of calling Encino Park Veterinary Clinic “home” after working here as the Chief of Nursing from 2001-2008. She then pursued a Master’s degree in Psychology and taught Psychology at various universities both in the United States and Germany. She is a proud Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine graduate and has a special interest in small animal dentistry and pocket and exotic pets. She rejoined Encino Park Veterinary clinic as a veterinarian in June 2019 and is excited to be a part of the community. She has 5 dogs and a cat. She does hospice cares for senior pets. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, kayaking and riding motorcycles.
Dr. Julie AbramsDVM
Dr. Abrams grew up in San Antonio, but left Texas to get her Bachelor of Science degree from Union College in upstate New York. She then went to Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine for her veterinary degree and graduated in 2011 after completing her clinical training at Tufts University. Dr. Abrams’ favorite part of being a vet is playing a role in the amazing relationship between people and their pets. She has a special interest in dentistry and gastrointestinal disease.
Dr. Abrams is married with 2 small children. She also has 2 little rescue dogs, Tim (named after Tim Duncan!) and Lincoln. After living in California for several years, they all relocated back to San Antonio to settle near family. Dr. Abrams loves spending time with her kids and dogs, cooking, and riding horses.
Our Staff
Karen CannonB.S., Sr. Receptionist
Karen has been with Encino Park since 2001 and is from San Antonio. She and her husband Mark have two grown daughters Christy (and son-in-law Ben) and Rachel. Karen has a Bachelor of Arts in Horticulture from Texas A&M University. She enjoys gardening, hiking, reading, and murder/mystery podcasts.
Kari White, M.S.Ed., LVTLicensed Veterinary Technician & Office Manager
Kari joined Encino Park Veterinary Clinic in 2017. Originally from Batavia, Illinois Kari has worked in the veterinary field since 2013. In 2016, she became a Licensed Veterinary Technician and also serves as our Office Manager. Kari has a B.S. in Sport Management, Marketing and Coaching from Minnesota State University- Mankato where she also played collegiate softball. She completed a Master’s of Science in Education from Northwest Missouri State University. Kari and her husband Morris have 3 daughters, are active members in their local church and simply love to hang out as a family.
Jennifer PortillosReceptionist
Jenn came to Encino Park in 2015. She is originally from Washington state and has a Bachelor of Arts in Recreation Management with a minor in Business Administration. She and her husband Curt have two sons, Chase and Owen. Jenn enjoys travel, family, and outdoor activities.
Meg Butchart
Meg joined our staff at Encino Park in 2019. Meg is originally from Minnesota and has a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. Meg lived in the Twin Cities until 2015, when she moved to San Antonio with her family. She and her husband have six children, four grandchildren, two dogs, and two cats. In her free time Meg enjoys spending time with family and friends, hiking with her dogs, and traveling.
Jennifer ThygesenVeterinary Technician
Jenn joined Encino Park in early 2018 and has worked in the veterinary field since 1989! She is originally from the Lake Houston area and has a Biology degree from The University of Texas. Jenn has a son Zach, and a daughter Zoey. She has two horses, Seapro and Elwood. In her free time Jenn enjoys volunteering (CASA, Animal Rescue groups and her church), riding horses, Rodeo, anything outdoors, and travelling.
Heather King
Heather joined EPVC in August of 2019 as a veterinary technician assistant and now also helps as a receptionist and surgery technician assistant. She has been working with animals for about 8 years, from pet sitting, to boarding/kennel technician and eventually working her way up to veterinary technician assistant, in the animal shelter and in private clinics. She has 4 dogs of her own as well as a tarantula and previously has owned mice and a bearded dragon. She was born and raised in San Antonio, has been vegetarian for over a decade, and in her free time enjoys gardening, painting, reading and live music.
Her dream would be raising a family on a piece of land next to a river with large gardens, lots of animals, as well as an area for rescuing strays.
Samantha Soltesz
Samantha recently joined Encino Park Vet clinic in July 2019. She is originally from Arizona where she received her bachelor’s degree in Animal Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior from Arizona State University. She has been working in the Vet field as a Vet assistant since 2017. Samantha is also a dog trainer with over 12 years of experience in dog behavior and training. Being an animal lover, she herself has 3 dogs, 1 cat, 2 crested geckos, and 1 red-eared slider. In her spare time she enjoys many activities with her dogs such as hiking, camping, trick training and agility training.
Alison Kohring
Alison has been in the veterinary field for over 5 years. She started with Encino Park at the beginning of 2022 and is enjoying every minute of it. Alison has two grown children and is loving being an empty nester. She and her husband love to travel, go on walks, binge watch Netflix, and baby sit their 3 grand puppies. She has two cats of her own, Finley & Boo Boo. She looks forward to getting to know all our clients and their fur babies.
Christina Grasher
Christina relocated to San Antonio with her family from Seattle, WA. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Zoology from Washington State University and became a Licensed Veterinary Technician in 2005. Christina especially enjoys veterinary anesthesia and pain management. She and her husband have a 2 year old daughter and 2 cuddly cats, Henry and Calypso. In her spare time she enjoys running, downhill skiing and playing clarinet with the San Antonio Symphonic Band.
Loryn Lopez
Loryn joined Encino Park Veterinary Clinic in 2021. She grew up in the Alamo city and has brought her dogs here since she was 4. Loryn is a two time graduate from Texas Tech University. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Biology with a minor in Chemistry in 2019 and graduated with her Master’s degree in Animal Science and Business in 2020. She loves spending time with her family, friends and her 3 mini Schnauzers. Loryn’s goal is to go to vet school in the near future, God willing.
Stella Closner
Stella joined Encino park veterinarian clinic in the summer of 2021. She is from San Antonio born and raised. She started as a Kennel Tech in 2018 and has cross trained as a veterinarian technician assistant. She spends her free time with her family and beagle puppy Skye. She loves being involved with her church and youth group. She is currently in school to be a licensed veterinarian technician.
Tippy
Tippy joined Encino Park Veterinary in 2017. She is the resident clinic cat and enjoys sleeping, patrolling the hallways, and never skips a meal!
Pet Vaccinations
We provide affordable vaccinations! Your pet's shots are very important and the most effective way of preventing infectious and sometimes deadly diseases. We can also guide you on what shots your pet may need.
Pet Ear Examinations
We offer full ear exams for your dog or cat. Ear conditions can lead to pain and discomfort for pet. Call us today to talk to a a specialist and get your pet the care they deserve. 210-497-3300.
Nutrition and Behavior
We provide guidance for your pet's unique dietary needs for each stage of life. We can guide you with education, support, and tools related to appropriate behavior for your pet, as well as advise you on behavioral issues.
Testimonials
We love to hear from our satisfied clients.We have been going to EPVC for years because of their excellent care of our fur family members. The entire staff is professional, compassionate, and sweet to our pets. The doctors are thorough and knowledgeable. EPVC has been there for us through the happy and sad, and the quality of care for both us and our pets has always been exceptional!
Encino Park Veterinary takes very good care of my pets!
Great place to take your fur babies for veterinary care. Our family pets have been patients since 2005 and Drs. Kaiser and Almquist are always personal, professional and take the time to answer questions. The new doctor is also fantastic!
We took Livy for her first visit today & were so happy with the experience! Dr. Kaiser & staff are all super nice & informative. They took very good care of Livy & she loved everyone, too. Looking forward to our next visit! I highly recommend this facility!
I am so grateful for the wonderful care we received during a very difficult time for our family. Thank you for your caring and kindness.
Good honest people. Will give you an honest opinion for treatment and not try to take advantage of you.
Simply cannot praise this place enough. They saved our 13 year old lab, Duke. So incredibly professional and so compassionate. They were even sweet enough to make a follow-up phone call to check on Duke. Highly recommend!
We've taken our dogs here for about 3 years now and we love the staff. The ladies really do love and care about each and every pet that comes in. They treat you with kindness and respect and truly have you and your pets best interest at heart.
We have been pet owners for over 20 years and this is hands down the best team in the business. They are compassionate, professional and take the time to talk you through even the smallest of details. We know our fur babies are in great hands here! We love them!!!
Great people; if I were a sick puppy these humans can help