Veterinarian Near the Village of Lakewood, IL

Location, location, location. We are literally across the street from the Village of Lakewood, just south of Ackman Rd on Lakewood Rd. We are the closest animal hospital for virtually this entire township. Making it easy for our clients to get to us without the hustle and bustle of stoplights and traffic of major arteries was just one consideration in the selection of our location and in the design of our hospital.

For a Lakewood pet owner reading this, what does it mean to have a veterinarian right across the street who actually knows you? Who remembers your pet’s history, follows up after a procedure, and does not rush you through a visit? More important to us than being convenient was being a family veterinarian. Healthy Paws Animal Hospital is a place where we know our clients, their friends, and their families. An animal hospital that is approachable and welcoming because we have created an environment that we would want for our own families.

This goes hand in hand with being a privately owned small business where, unlike many now corporately owned practices, we make the decisions on everything from the team we hire to the medications we use to how we provide options and resources. Our world is based on real-time decision making for real clients and real patients, not numbers or quotas.

What Lakewood Pet Owners Experience Here

No Lobby. No Rush. No Compromise.

Walk in and you are welcomed by our staff. After getting a treat or two while weighing in, your pet and you are immediately escorted to a private exam room. There is no waiting area, no stranger’s dog across the room, no paying your bill in public with your pet pulling for the door. Everything happens in one calm, private space. Floor-to-ceiling windows. In-room checkout. Appointment times set by what your pet needs, not by what fits a schedule. For many of our Lakewood clients, this is the first time a vet visit has felt manageable. For some, it is the first time their pet has seemed relaxed at a vet visit. That is not an accident. It is our design.

Fearful Friends Are Safe Here

If your dog shakes in the car on the way to the vet, or your cat has to be pried from the carrier, we want to hear about it before the appointment even starts. Our team is trained to identify fear and respond to it, not push through it. We use a variety of tricks and treats to help calm our fearful friends, and this, combined with our trained and tenured team, sets us up for success. Fearful pets do not get the care they need when the visit becomes a battle. We have built a practice where that does not have to happen and we will not let it happen.

Information Is Part of the Care

We do not expect clients to understand everything that is happening with their pet. That is our job. What we do expect is that you leave knowing more than when you came in. Communication and education are our cornerstones. We explain our physical exam findings in real time, walk through options and their trade-offs, and tell you what to watch for if things are not going as planned. We believe an owner who understands what is happening makes better decisions, asks better questions, and is a better partner in their pet’s long-term health. That partnership is what we are building with every family who comes through our door. You are provided with a summary of your visit and a folder with important documents in order to help keep track of your pet’s health.