A Legacy of Pet-Centered Care

By Steve Gamel | Photo by Dallas McNeal
Photography

There
are families that have lived and worked in Rockwall for a long time, and then
there’s the Loftis family, whose rich, community-minded legacy can be traced
back over 80 years. In 1958, the late Dr. Joe Loftis returned home
from Texas A&M University with a veterinary degree and quickly became
known as the hometown vet at Rockwall Veterinary Hospital. And when he was
ready to retire 42 years later, the logical next step was to officially turn
the family practice over to his son, Dr. David Loftis.

Maintaining a respected family-owned and
operated vet clinic for 65 years certainly flies in the face of a more recent
trend toward corporate-owned practices. But judging by the amount of
Rockwallians walking through the front door every day with their fur babies,
it’s clear that longevity, familiarity, and family still matter
more.

“We’re still
considered mom and pop, and we prefer it that way,” Chrissie Loftis said. She
is the practice manager of Rockwall Veterinary Hospital and Dr. David’s wife. “Dr. David experienced Rockwall when it was
just a little town, and this community has always been here for us,
especially since he joined his dad in 1990. It’s amazing what they’ll do for
their own, and he feels he owes that back.”

Dr. David
added, “We love serving Rockwall. We have people who have been
with us for a very long time, and we still have more who are moving to the
area and choose us for their pet’s health. That means something to
us.”

Rockwall
Veterinary Hospital continues to
set the bar for excellence in comprehensive companion animal medicine and surgery while ensuring your pet is
healthy and happy. Their list of services includes yearly wellness
exams, senior wellness,
vaccinations, parasite and
infectious disease screening,
and blood panels. Maintaining the health of your pet’s teeth and gums —
including dental cleanings, polishings, and extractions — is also extremely
important to overall health.

Rockwall
Veterinary Hospital also offers
microchipping, pet boarding, and various flea, tick, and
heartworm products. Bottom line, you can rest assured that Dr. David — also a
Texas A&M Class of 1987 graduate and 1990 graduate of Texas
A&M College of Veterinary Medicine — and his team will carefully
examine all of your pet’s body systems to detect any problems that may be
occurring and to assess their overall health. If your pet cannot maintain a
good quality of life, Dr. David and his compassionate team also offer quality
of life counseling to determine the right decisions for your
pet.

“Dr. David
can do exploratory and basic surgeries. He’s been doing this for 33 years, so
he usually knows what he’s seeing and works with the client and his team to
determine the best treatment options for the pet,” Chrissie Loftis said. We
take what we do every day very personally.”