We were lucky to catch up with Elizabeth Schuda recently and have shared our conversation below.
Elizabeth , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?
When you’re young and don’t fully understand all the risks involved in your choices it’s far easier to be a risk taker. Todd and I both moved to different cities, to different countries, and changed careers in our early 20s and 30s. I think it’s the thrilling newness of those experiences, maybe more than the risk itself, that was alluring. Now we take informed and considered risks. Starting a brand new business with a truly new concept within our industry is one of the riskiest things we’ve done in our lives, but the risk was also extensively rationalized. These days we value predictability and comfort, but we also agreed at the beginning of this process that we were more content with the risks than the “what if” that would loom over us forever if we didn’t try something new.
Elizabeth , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
Animals Only is an integrative rehabilitation and physical therapy clinic for cats and dogs. “Self Care for your best friend” is our motto and we provide self-care to pets with proven medical benefits. We perform treatments in a minimalist, spa-like space designed to optimize comfort and relaxation to animals and their owners, with additional features like homemade treats, aromatherapy and modern music. Our team consists of rehabilitation-certified veterinarians, registered veterinarian technicians, and truly amazing animal-intuitive professionals who have many years of experience working closely with cats and dogs.
We believe in the power of integrative medicine that combines Western and Eastern therapies to provide a wholistic approach to pet health – meaning we aim to improve or cure a disease then maintain our pet’s bodies in their optimal state to prevent recurrence of pain and disease. Treatments like laser therapy, shockwave, hydrotherapy, therapeutic exercises, and prescription medications would be considered Western medicine. Treatments like acupuncture, massage therapy, veterinary medical manipulation (aka animal chiropractic), and botanical medicines would be considered Eastern medicine. Using both Western and Eastern medicine means we are able to offer more effective treatment options for pets.
Our proudest accomplishment is serving our community of pet lovers and watching the animals return to pre-injury activities even stronger than before. When we “graduate” a dog or cat it feels like a collaborative achievement between us, the pets, and the pet parents too. “My dog doesn’t like the vet, but they love coming here” is something we hear from many pet parents. And it reinforces our mission of providing high-quality medical treatments to pets in a clinic that everyone (and every pet) wants to go to.
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
As a new business we’re still building our reputation, but I believe the quality of our work, our attention to detail, the knowledge and professionalism of our team, and our collaborative approach has helped quite a bit. Our standard is the highest-quality medicine that we can provide for our pets. We work closely with referring medical professionals to ensure each pet’s team is working toward the same goal. We work closely within our team and do a debrief on every patient that is seen at the clinic each day. That allows us to take a “fluid” approach to medicine so our patients are getting the best possible results based on how they are feeling in real time. We also work closely with pet parents to adjust our treatment plans to best suite their schedules and financial expectations.
Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?
Because we work in the medical field and we’re a new business, referrals and word-of-mouth have been the most effective growth strategy. We’re so lucky to have wonderful friends and colleagues within the San Diego veterinary community. Most of our patients are referred to us from veterinary specialists (surgeons, neurologists) and general practice veterinarians. We work with a start-up marketing company specializing in veterinary marketing and they’ve help build our social media presence too. I think that visualizing treatments helps pet owners and potential clients understand what veterinary rehabilitation and physical therapy is really like. They think “does a dog actually sit still for acupuncture” and then they watch an Animals Only post of a dog taking a nap or eating a treat with 15 acupuncture needles along its back. That has been incredibly helpful to encourage people to be more open minded about non-traditional medicine for their pets.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.animalsonly.com
- Instagram: @animalsonly
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Animals-Only/100086827094580/
- Linkedin: https://www.yelp.com/biz/animals-only-san-diego
Image Credits
@slow_company