St. Johns Veterinary Hospital

07/29/2026

Happy Wildlife Wednesday! 🐦‍⬛

This is a Boat-Tailed Grackle fledgling. As can be seen in this photo, these grackles have very long legs, and thick, straight beaks. They have brown and grey coloring as fledglings, but obtain different coloring as adults. Adult males are fully black, with iridescent purple-blue hues, whereas adult females have dark brown wings and tails, russet-colored bodies, and subtle patterning on their faces. The adult males of their species have tails that grow to become long and cupped into a distinctive V-shape, like the keel of a boat - earning this species its Boat-Tailed name.

It’s common to see these birds around all sorts of locations, including lawns, fields, marshes, forests… even in suburban and urban areas, alike. They, omnivores, and, essentially, can be found anywhere they can find food! They live mainly in coastal areas, but can be found anywhere in Florida. They can also have regional color differences - for example, Boat-Tailed Grackles along the Atlantic coast have yellow eyes, whereas those along the Gulf side have more dull, brown-colored eyes.

07/28/2026

Welcome to our first installment of Team-Meet Tuesdays! 👏🐍🐶🐱🐰🐇

We want to ensure all of our clients become familiar with our team, in order to expand the comfort you all feel when you come to see us. In addition to putting a name with each face, we’re also sharing some fun facts about everyone so that you can get to know us all a little better.

First up is our wonderful team member, Bri! If you’ve been in the hospital at any point during the past year, you’ve probably seen her lovely face greet you up in reception. She’s actually cross-training as a vet assistant/technician and receptionist, so she wears multiple hats at St Johns! Thank you for everything that you do, Bri! ♥️

• What’s your favorite food?
“A medium well steak with a loaded baked potato and some greens (probably broccoli or asparagus).”

• What’s your favorite animal?
“I love all animals and my favorite changes everyday week but right now I’d say a white-necked raven.”

• What’s your favorite part of your job?
“My favorite part of my job is working with the wildlife and seeing all of our playcare regulars (they’re all so silly and it makes me super happy to see them)!”

• What’s a fun fact about yourself?
“If there’s an animal nearby, I’m probably going to say hi to it first.”

• What’s something that you wish pet parents knew, or would be more mindful of?
“I wish every pet parent knew that our pets give us unconditional love every single day, but they rely on us to notice when something isn’t right. The smallest change in behavior, appetite, or personality can be their way of asking for help. Listening to those subtle signs can truly save a life.”

07/27/2026

07/27/2026

Everyone meet Little Bean! 🐇🫘

Little Bean is an adorable, and very loved, little girl. She and her amazing owners have been through a lot these past few months, and she’s finally been doing better and getting back to herself.

However, she came back in the other week to see Dr. Beckner, with concerns for her left eye watering. Following up with our post from last Monday, Little Bean’s left eye was experiencing epiphora. She has a history of periodically getting (suspected) hay dust in her eye, which, if it gets into the nasolacrimal (tear) duct, can cause a duct blockage - allowing for tears to drain out of the eye, rather than the duct.

Due to this history, Dr. Beckner opted to start with a nasolacrimal duct flush. Some rabbit-safe numbing drops were placed into Little Bean’s eye prior to the procedure, to ensure comfort for Little Bean. Once the drops took effect, Dr. Beckner then gently instilled a sterile catheter tip into Little Bean’s duct opening, and firmly but gently flushed sterile saline through the duct. There was a bit of resistance at first, but, then, some debris was flushed out, and from there, the saline flowed easily. The duct ends towards the tip of the nose, causing the saline to drip out of the nose when the duct is clear; so, that’s why Little Bean started licking towards the end of the procedure!

It’s important to remember to *NEVER* try this at home. This procedure is extremely delicate; it requires gentle handling, as well as specific knowledge of their anatomy, and how to prevent causing damage to the eye. It’s also important to have a proper diagnosis/suspicion prior to doing a duct flush, as there are many different causes to weepy eyes (please see our post from last Monday, July 20, 2026, for more information on this). A duct flush is not an automatic treatment, or safe/appropriate for every case.

We’re happy to report that Little Bean’s owners note that she’s doing just fine at this time, and her weepy eye has since resolved! 🐰♥️

If you ever have concerns for your rabbit, please ensure to contact a rabbit-knowledgable vet to get your pet looked at, and diagnosed, properly. Our rabbit vet is always happy to help; please call us at 904-824-8123 with any questions or concerns that you have!

07/24/2026

Charging into the weekend like:

We hope everyone enjoys their mini-breaks!

07/22/2026

Happy Wildlife Wednesday!

Aren’t Pileated Woodpeckers beautiful? They’re the largest woodpecker species in North America, about the size of a crow, well-known for their ruby-colored crest. They’re not commonly seen due to being elusive, so it’s always a treat if you ever see one out in the wild (not sick or injured, of course!). Some interesting facts about this species are:
🐧 They’re common in the southeast, including Florida, year-round
🐧 Their main prey are carpenter ants, hidden within trees and pieces of rotting wood. Other bits of their diet include other ant species, termites, beetles, larvae, and other insects
🐧 They carve unique rectangular-shaped holes in wood
🐧 They prefer large trees in heavily-forested areas for nesting
🐧 Pairs stay together in their territory year-round, and can be very territorial
🐧 Both parents nest during egg incubation, and both also feed the babies by regurgitation while they’re growing

07/21/2026

Have you ever seen a flea up close?

These little buggers sure are frustrating! As vets, we’re so passionate about your pets being on prevention because parasites, including fleas, are so prevalent in the environment. We commonly see pets that aren’t on prevention get parasites, which can cause many different types of preventable medical issues. Fleas, for example, can cause severe allergies, skin infections and irritation, and anemia, as well as passing other parasites and blood-borne diseases, such as mycoplasma/hemoplasmosis, tapeworms, bartonella, and, in less-common cases, typhus, rickettsia, and even the plague. Fleas can also lay eggs that live in the environment for extensive periods (even hard floors!), making them incredibly annoying to get rid of.

Over-the-counter preventions (ones that you don’t need a prescription for) also aren’t effective, for multiple reasons:
🦟 They commonly contain medications that parasites are now resistant to
🦟 The medications used in them are typically very watered down to where they technically contain the medications, but aren’t at appropriate doses to treat or prevent the parasites
🦟 They don’t take care of as many types of parasites as prescription preventions

All species can get parasites, even if your pet is solely or mostly indoors; that’s we recommend all pets be on prevention. If you have any questions or concerns regarding parasites and your pet, please contact us at 904-824-8123 to set up an appointment!

07/20/2026

Have you ever seen epiphora (increased tear production) in a rabbit?

Epiphora is never something to be taken lightly, as it’s a sign that something’s wrong. The differential list is extensive, and can have a variety of serious causes:
🐰 Congenital/anatomy issues in brachycephalic (squishy-faced) breeds
🐰 Dental issues (tooth overgrowth, abscesses)
🐰 Maxillary (upper-jaw) osteoporosis
🐰 Sinus or other upper respiratory issues, including infections
🐰 Eye infections or ulcers
🐰 Allergies
🐰 Foreign material in the eye or tear duct
🐰 Neurologic disorders
🐰 Entropion, or other eyelid abnormalities
🐰 Glaucoma
🐰 Masses
🐰 Other causes

Epiphora can then have secondary effects around the eye, such as fur loss, irritation, and skin infection, that occur as a result of excess moisture sitting around the eye. If you notice that your rabbit is experiencing epiphora, it’s important to get your rabbit checked out by a vet experienced with rabbits to be able to diagnose the cause, and treat appropriately. While not immediately life-threatening, it’s a sign of a deeper issue that can quickly worsen to cause more serious problems.

Later this week, we’ll post a video of Dr. Beckner performing a nasolacrimal (tear duct) flush in a rabbit that had concerns for a duct blockage. This is a test, and, in some cases, a treatment, that a rabbit-savvy vet can perform to help narrow down various differentials.

If you have concerns for epiphora in your rabbit, please reach out to us at 904-824-8123 so that we can help!

07/17/2026

WE APOLOGIZE IF YOU ARE TRYING TO CALL US. WE ARE CURRENTLY HAVING PHONE ISSUES. THEY ARE CURRENTLY WORKING ON THEM.
PLEASE TEXT US AT 1-904-824-8123.

07/17/2026

Summer weekends are for pool parties!

We love spoiling our playcare dogs 🥰
Want your pet to join in on the fun? Call us at 904-824-8213! 🌞💦