Bob McCool (Best Friends Veterinary Hospital)

Veterinarian Overview

Dr. Bob graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia College of Veterinary Medicine in 1989. Awards and Accomplishments: Veterinary School Years: Graduated Magna Cum Laude in the top 10% of his veterinary school class President of the Veterinary School Fraternity Won First Place in the Hill’s Veterinary Nutrition Award for his paper on “Taurine Deficiency in Cats” Voted by his veterinary school classmates as one of the top ten students most likely to succeed Years in Veterinary Practice: Owner of three veterinary hospitals: Best Friends Veterinary Hospital in Poway, California; Gentle Doctor Animal Hospital in O’Fallon, Missouri; Tender Care Animal Hospital in Weldon Spring, Missouri ? Extensive work with animal rescues and shelters. In San Diego, Dr. McCool works with several large rescue groups to provide care for hundreds of homeless pets each year. Dr. Bob’s Missouri clinics spay and neuter about 2000 pets each year for a local shelter. Experience: Dr. Bob has been a practicing veterinarian for approximately 25 years. During this time he has performed over 15,000 surgeries and has a vast array of experience diagnosing and treating medical conditions in cats and dogs. In addition, Dr. Bob has personally trained and mentored approximately ten veterinarians in his current Missouri practices. Philosophy: Dr. McCool’s practice philosophy involves a combination of traditional medicine combined with alternative medicine with an emphasis on nutrition. He believes very strongly in the benefits of great nutrition for maintaining excellent health. Overall, he considers himself to be a more conservative veterinarian in his treatment of pets. Before deciding on any treatment, the risks versus benefits are carefully considered, so that only treatments with a strong possibility of helping with minimal risks and side effects are pursued. When medications are necessary, risk of side effects are always considered and lower, more conservative dosages are usually recommended. He has a “one year rule” for all new medications where he avoids using any new medications for at least one year after they have been brought to the marketplace. This is based on his past experience where he has discovered that most new drugs need at least one year to provide adequate time for a more complete list of possible side effects to be established. Since surgery is not generally reversible and entails some inherent risks, he believes in pursuing options with less risk before resorting to surgery. Family: Dr. Bob married his veterinary school classmate, Dr. Lori, in 1988. Together they have two sons, Blake and Cameron. Cameron is a senior at Francis Parker in San Diego. Blake is a senior at Texas State University. As you may have guessed, Dr. Bob and Dr. Lori love animals. They currently own one cat, Maddox, 3 dogs (a pug named Watson, another pug named Tiberius, and a Maltese named Ella), 4 goats (yes… I did say goats… all four are Nubians, Spongebob, Patrick, Nairobi, and Kenya), one chinchilla (named Benji), one Sulcata tortoise (named Sweetpea), a green iguana (named Lizzy), and a tarantula (named Rosie). Future Goals: Dr. Bob and Dr. Lori visited Africa in 2007 and 2009. From their experiences in Africa grew a desire to return someday and open a wildlife rescue. Poaching and poisoning of wildlife has become a serious issue in several parts of Africa. Furthermore, high orphan rates in children has compounded the problem by producing an environment where children lack guidance and have little hope for a better future. Dr. Bob’s and Dr. Lori’s dream would be to combine a wildlife rescue with orphaned children in a way that benefits both

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