At West Delray Veterinary, our goal is to provide advanced, integrative, mindful veterinary care to our patients, and unconditional compassion and support to our clients in a healing, nurturing, and friendly environment. We believe that medicine is not a “one size fits all” practice. Each patient and every person has a unique set of circumstances and perspective. Our philosophy is to identify each patient’s individual needs and then develop tailored wellness and treatment plans utilizing advanced medicine, surgery, and integrative therapies. We want to do what is BEST for YOU and your BELOVED PET.
Meet Dr. Jonathan S. Block, DVM CVA CCRT
Our new veterinary hospital is scheduled to officially open in February 2020, so let’s meet the man behind the vision—Dr. Jonathan S. Block, DVM CVA CCRT. We sat down with Dr. Block and learned where his passion for animals originated, why he set out to open his own practice, and who he is when he’s not wearing a stethoscope.
Question: As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Dr. Block: When I was young, I wanted to be a paleontologist—like all young boys, I loved dinosaurs. Then, I changed my mind and wanted to be a professional soccer player. During high school, I had aspirations of religious studies, maybe with philosophy mixed in.
Q: Since none of those career goals reached fruition, how did you decide to be a veterinarian?
A: When I was in college, I set my sights on the biology field. I saw veterinary medicine as a field that would allow me to pursue working with animals and be a positive influence in the lives of others. Rather than following a scientific-research path, I felt that I could make the most positive impact in small animal medicine.
Q: What led to opening your own practice?
A: After practicing as an associate veterinarian in New York for the past nine years, I have identified some strengths and weaknesses in veterinary medicine. There is a common thread that the drive for profitability often takes its toll on employee well-being, quality of patient care, and quality of customer care. This results in burnout, compassion fatigue, employee dissatisfaction, and overall dysfunctional workplaces. To battle that, I am driven to create a practice with a working environment that is rooted in workplace wellness, exemplary patient care, and unparalleled customer service. I am striving to create a positive, low-stress environment for everyone who walks through the door—veterinary team members, pet owners, and pets. My philosophy is that happy, engaged, well-balanced team members are motivated to do their best work, leading to better job performance and results.
Q: What’s your favorite part about being a veterinarian?
A: I absolutely love helping people and their pets and making positive connections with each and every one. I love being able to honestly say that I can rest my head on my pillow each night knowing that I am making a positive contribution to my local community and to the world.
Q: Tell us about your pets.
A: It’s been a bumpy patch these past two years for my own pets, but I’ve been blessed to have each one in my life. My 17-year-old lab mix, Neshama (Neshi) was my soul pet. She came into my life in 2002 and saw me through my 20s and 30s. She accompanied me through the end of college, through veterinary school, and into marriage and fatherhood. She made it back to Florida with us last year, but after 17+ years, she needed to rest last May. Cosmo, our Maltese, also made it to 17+ years. And Sammie, our Basset Hound lived to 15. Our 20-year-old cat, Tikvah, is still going strong. I’ve had her since she was three weeks old when someone brought her into the clinic where I worked in my pre-vet days.
All of these amazing beings helped inspire our logo characters throughout our brand and will continue to inspire me to help foster the same longevity in all of my patients.
Q: Tell us about your human family.
A: My wife, Jill, is an incredibly talented artist who has a studio in Downtown Delray Beach. Check out her website, www.https://jillhotchkiss.com/. Her art is on display in our office and has truly made it a beautiful place to work every day! Together, we welcomed the joy of our lives into our family three years ago—a daughter named Violet. We are a very blessed, happy trio!
Q: What do you enjoy doing when you aren’t working?
A: I fill my free time with fitness, nature, music, and family. I enjoy running, biking, yoga, hiking, exploring, rock, reggae, and jazz. The greatest part of my day is coming home to see my wife and daughter.
Experience West Delray Veterinary
We already have high hopes for what we’d like to achieve in our first year. We want to create a hospital environment that everyone, including our patients, is excited to visit. We will offer advanced, integrative, mindful veterinary care. By the end of our first year, we hope to reach these goals:
- Low Stress Handling certification
- B Corp certification
- AAHA accreditation
- Workplace Wellness certification
We will take a tailored medical and preventive approach to each patient’s care so that every pet gets only what she needs for optimal health and well-being. We will care for mostly dogs and cats, but our hospital borders a wildlife refuge, so we will do our best to help any animal who needs our care.
Our Services
As an integrative hospital, we will use holistic and traditional veterinary practices to offer more care options and provide better outcomes. Since we embrace both sides of veterinary medicine, we are pleased to offer an extensive list of services, including:
- Wellness and primary care
- Integrative medicine, such as acupuncture, laser therapy, herbal medicine, nutritional support, alternative cancer therapies, and palliative care
- Rehabilitation medicine, including physiotherapy, hydrotherapy, massage, stretching, therapeutic exercises, comprehensive pain management, and fitness plans
- Surgery
- Comprehensive dental services
- Comprehensive diagnostic services and anesthesiology
- Specialized senior and geriatric care
- International- and domestic-travel health certificates
Stay tuned for updates about our new hospital on our website. We hope to see you and your furry friend in 2020!