Villa Park vet Dr. Mary Felt praised for service to pets and their owners

A man brings his dog into DuPage Animal Hospital in Villa Park for a torn toenail.

Veterinarian Dr. Mary Felt quickly sees the dog has a much bigger problem — immune-mediated thrombocytopenia, a disease in which the dog's immune system attacks and destroys the blood platelets, causing the blood to be unable to clot properly.

The dog is bleeding in its digestive tract and needs a transfusion.

Knowing the dog's owner can't afford to take his pet to a specialty hospital, Felt sends a vet tech to her home to fetch her own German shepherd. She tests blood samples from the two dogs to be sure they will mix and then draws blood from Rudy, her German shepherd, to give to the sick dog.

“I'm willing to help clients and work with them and find a way,” Felt says.

Felt's willingness to work with clients to find a way to help their pets recently earned her the national 2014 “My Vet's the Best” Award from Pets Best Insurance Services, LLC. The award came with prize money to donate to her favorite animal charities and an all-expense paid trip to the Western Veterinary Conference in Las Vegas in mid-February.

Felt says she was aware of the contest but didn't know a lot about it.

“I was shocked when they said I had won the grand prize,” she says.

She was selected from a field of 1,010 veterinarians nominated by clients, with the 26 finalists reviewed by a panel of veterinarians. She was nominated by pet owner Ellen Greer, whose family was taking care of Tuffy, a dog that was owned by a U.S. Army captain who was deployed for a year.

When Tuffy became ill two months into the stay, blood tests revealed that he had liver disease and needed treatment that would cost at least $1,700 — for starters.

Unable to afford the cost or immediately reach the dog's owner, Greer found Felt ready and willing to help. With permission from the animal hospital owner, Felt waived her own fees so the money could be used on tests and medicine.

Tuffy appeared to improve, but then developed a complication from the medicine. Felt researched options and spent two days trying to turn the situation around.

“Unfortunately, Tuffy died while receiving treatment,” Greer wrote. “Dr. Felt held him during this time and she cried right along with me. The soldier knew Tuffy received the best possible care. We will all be forever grateful for the care and compassion she administered to us all.”

The army captain wrote Felt a heartfelt thank-you letter and repaid the animal hospital in full for its services.

Chris Middleton, president of Pets Best Insurance Services, said Felt was chosen not just for her compassion for the army captain and his dog, but for her record of service. Felt formerly cared for the dogs owned by the Elmhurst and Villa Park police departments.

“It was not just how compelling her story was, but the volume of her good works,” Middleton says. “She is a gracious and exemplary veterinarian.”

Complex cases

Felt split her $1,000 prize money between Yorkshire Terrier Rescue and MOPS (Making Our Pugs Safe) Rescue & Adoption. She provides services to both at the animal hospital, which discounts the cost for rescue organizations.

Jackie Wolfe, the Illinois state director of Yorkshire Terrier Rescue, says she has seen many of examples of Felt going above and beyond what might be expected in the nine years she has worked with her. One case particularly stands out in her mind.

Wolfe found Peaches, an older poodle, in a high-kill animal shelter in Chicago and her heart went out to the needy animal. A stray, Peaches had breath that stank and toenails grown into her feet.

Wolfe took her to Felt who performed dental surgery on the dog. Because of Peaches' serious problems, Wolfe had to take her to the animal hospital daily from July to December to receive fluids and shots. During that time, Felt came in on weekends to oversee her care. A year and a half later, Peaches, now 17, is still alive and well.

“Dr. Felt was absolutely a miracle worker,” Wolfe says.

Felt said because of DuPage Animal Hospital's reputation, she often sees dogs and cats with complex medical issues.

“We get a lot of second opinions. We get a lot of sick animals,” she says. “I never see healthy. I never see normal.”

Felt's ability to spot medical problems before they become apparent to owners has helped her save many a pet's life.

She remembers an owner bringing in a dog that is normally “crazy” active for its yearly exam. The owner thought the dog had finally calmed down, but Felt knew the abnormal behavior meant something was wrong.

She diagnosed it with Addison's disease, which is often fatal because it is not caught in time.

Wolfe says in another case, she brought in a year-old foster dog that seemed perfectly normal for shots. Felt saw the dog was sick, ordered blood work and found it had an infection.

“She is amazing,” Wolfe says. “Dogs with multiple medical issues, she has been able to diagnose accurately and treat. She (also) is very honest. She does not treat what does not need to be treated.”

Animal lover

Felt says she knew since she was 6 that she wanted to be a veterinarian. She brought home stray dogs and prayed every night for a Husky. One morning, she opened the door to find a Husky puppy waiting outside — to the amazement of her mother, who did not let her keep it.

“My mom had the dogcatcher on speed dial,” she says.

After graduating from veterinary school 20 years ago, Felt interviewed at a number of places before coming to DuPage Animal Hospital, where she has worked ever since.

“Everyone here was so gentle, so sweet and so nice to the animals, that's why I came to work here,” she says.

Felt says many of the animal hospital's clients bring their pets in for yearly exams, or even semiannual exams after the pets get older.

“You're able to be a great veterinarian because the clients are just wonderful to their pets,” she says. “They come in quickly. They notice little things.”

Felt's own pets include a mixed breed dog named Gunner and a cat named Jet, in addition to Rudy her German shepherd. Asked about how to choose a pet, she says good shelters and breeders will help people select a dog that is a perfect match for them.

For cats, she advises clients to let the cat choose them — as Jet chose her when she was out walking her dogs.

“Let that cat come to you,” she says. “Cats are so bright and smart. They will go nuts for the person they love.”

The main frustration with taking care of animals is that she doesn't have a crystal ball to always predict the outcome of treatment.

“Animals don't read the book,” she says.