BestFriends Veterinary Clinic

04/14/2026

This is a very hard subject for anyone in veterinary medicine, and for any pet owner. In our mission to help pets and pet owners we often find ourselves providing the advice that a pet doesn't have to get to their worst day before it is the right day to help them go. It is part of our obligation to protect them from suffering. 🐾❤️🐾

04/05/2026

Lilies are extremely toxic to kitties and they do not even need to eat the plant. Just brushing up against it and getting some of the pollen on their fur, then licking it off while grooming, can potentially cause kidney failure. If you think your cat has had any contact with a lily, it is an emergency!

01/23/2026

01/05/2026

A wise dog once said, “It is better to have eaten something and had the vet make you throw it up than never to have eaten it at all.”

Here’s a list of the things that we made dogs vomit in 2025:
5 cinnamon rolls (eaten whole so the swirl was still visible)
4 inches of corn cob
5-inch long bully stick
33 grapes
Towel
Sock
Apricot pit
A number of feminine hygiene products

The things we see that are most toxic are grapes, the things that have the greatest risk of causing intestinal obstruction in dogs are bully sticks, rocks, and socks/underwear/towels. For cats, the things that have the greatest risk of causing intestinal obstruction are hair ties, rubber bands, thread/ribbon/dental floss.

Even veterinarians’ pets eat things they shouldn’t – most of us have had to make our own pets vomit (or they’ve had surgery in the case of two of Dr. Sell’s pets) – so remember that it is very important to pet-proof your home!

12/29/2025

The clinic will be closed on Thursday January 1st. We will be open regular hours on Wednesday December 31st and Friday January 2nd. If you will need a refill on your pet's medication or food, give us a call or send us a text or email and we'll get it ready for you.

12/11/2025

Upcoming clinic schedule change: We will be closed on Wednesday 12/24 and Thursday 12/25 so our employees can spend time with their families. If you will need a refill on your pet's medication or food, give us a call or send us a text or email and we'll get it ready for you. PS - a reminder that the holidays are not a time to cut sugar and carbs from your diet.

11/24/2025

The clinic will be closed on Thursday 11/27 and Friday 11/28 to give our staff a chance to enjoy a long weekend with their families. If you will need a refill on your pet's medication or food, give us a call or send us a text or email and we'll get it ready for you.

11/04/2025

No one should have to choose between feeding themselves and feeding their pets. The loss of SNAP benefits affects more than just people. The Monticello Help Center told Dr. Sell that almost every family that uses the food shelf also takes food for their pets. If you have unopened, unexpired pet food, please consider bringing it to the clinic. Throughout the month of November, we will take your donations to the Monticello Help Center. For dog food in particular, smaller bags are preferable because 2-20 # bags can help twice as many families as 1-40 # bag. Thank you for helping us to care for the four-legged friends in our community!

10/13/2025

National Veterinary Technician Week is our favorite time, when we get to celebrate our four exceptional veterinary technicians - Maria and Rose and Kallie and Abbey! Each one of them comes to work with a smile on their face, ready to use their training and knowledge and skills every day. As a group, they have over 35 years of professional experience, and it shows. They work together seamlessly and they always have each other’s backs. They provide outstanding support to the doctors, and we have so much trust in them. Most importantly, they provide the most amazing care to our clients and their pets. We are so grateful for all of them!

10/07/2025

There’s a new face at BestFriends! Last month we were joined by Dr. Nicole Dircks. She and Dr. Sell worked together for a number of years earlier in their practice careers, and they are excited to be collaborating as colleagues again! The addition of Dr. Dircks to the practice means we also have more appointments available, so we are very happy that we are now able to take on new clients.

09/16/2025

This is a tragic reminder of the dangers of feeding raw diets. Genetic sequencing linked the H5N1 in the cat that died to the H5N1 in this recalled raw pet food. It’s important to note that steaming, freeze-drying, and “air drying” do not adequately kill the pathogens present in raw diets. H5N1, E. coli, Salmonella, and Campylobacter present in raw diets also pose significant health risks to the humans who handle the foods and handle the pets that have these pathogens in their saliva, on their fur, and in their f***s. We know pet owners mean well when they feed raw and "minimally processed" diets, but PLEASE trust us when we say that they are NOT not safe!

Attention Pet Owners: FDA is notifying the public about test results that show H5N1 (Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza) contamination in samples from certain lots of RAWR Raw Cat Food Chicken Eats. https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/cvm-updates/fda-notifies-pet-owners-tests-show-h5n1-contamination-certain-lots-rawr-raw-cat-food-chicken-eats

Whole genome sequencing suggests a link between the cat food and the death of a cat.

09/15/2025

Shoutout to Northwest Carpet & Upholstery Cleaners for keeping our clinic floors so clean! They also do an amazing job on carpet. If your pet throws up or has accidents on your carpet , call us first so we can help fix them and make them feel better, then call Northwest to fix the stains in your home!

Residential and Commercial carpet, upholstery, area rug, tile and grout, and leather cleaning. Great