Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Michael Wong.
Dr. Wong, always wanted to be a veterinarian. Since he was a child, helping animals was his dream. After undergraduate studies at UF, he went on to veterinary school at UF. Following 4 years of veterinary school, he pursued specialized training in neurology, neurosurgery and MRI for dogs and cats.
Upon completion of his residency, he interviewed at several large specialty veterinary practices throughout south Florida. While all practiced good medicine, none provided the sort of MRI equipment or specialized personnel for a veterinary neurology hospital. After much discussion with his wife, Dr. Myri-Ann Melendez, they decided to open Southeast Veterinary Neurology in Miami with the goal of serving the neurological pets, the pet parents and veterinarians of south Florida. Their approach was to treat each pet as if it were their own. A common mantra at Southeast Veterinary Neurology is “What Would William Want?” referencing Dr. Wong’s first pet, a Pug named Sir William.
Their beginnings were quite humble, sharing a 1400 square foot space with Miami Pet Emergency on Kendall Drive. Dr. George Smith is a well-known emergency veterinarian that has been practicing in Miami for decades. Dr. Smith agreed to rent the daytime office space to Southeast Veterinary Neurology. The practice steadily grew as Dr. Wong aimed to personally meet every veterinarian in Miami, treat each pet as if it were his own, and be available to every client 24 hours a day and to practice veterinary neurology in a way that had never been available in Miami. The reputation of being always available became known to the veterinarians of south Florida. Dr. Wong was known to perform life-saving surgeries on dogs in need, whenever the need existed. He performed surgeries on dogs on the days that all three of his children were born!
In 2015, Southeast Veterinary Neurology moved from the space shared with Miami Pet Emergency into a stand-alone building on Bird Road. In doing so, they became the first and only veterinary practice in South Florida with in-house high-field MRI. In 2016, a satellite practice was established in Boca Raton and a Fort Lauderdale satellite in early 2017. A second stand-alone practice in Boynton Beach is scheduled to open in October 2017. The same values still guide every decision at Southeast Veterinary Neurology: “What is best for the patient?”
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Just like any business, we encountered challenges along the way.
One of my beliefs is that nothing that is worth having comes easily. Hard work, perseverance, dedication, a positive attitude and an eye on the big picture (why we do what we do–e.g. the patient) push us through any challenge.
We experienced ‘growing pains’. We became so busy, but couldn’t move out of the small space at Miami Pet Emergency. When we purchased the building on Bird Road, it took 18 months to get a building permit and 11 months of construction (about 3-4 times as long as estimated). Patience and support from my wife helped.
Some competing businesses did not like our presence and were not happy with our growth and took unethical measures to try to tear down our progress. They attacked our reputation, sought frivolous lawsuits and threatened me personally. Our focus didn’t change. We focused on what we could control. We focused on providing the most caring service. We focused on providing the highest level of expertise. We focused on creating and maintaining lasting relationships.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Southeast Veterinary Neurology story. Tell us more about the business.
Southeast Veterinary Neurology was founded in 2010. We specialize in diseases of the brain, spinal cord, nerves and muscles in veterinary patients. Dogs and cats make up 99% of our patients. However, we occasionally see fox, birds, lions, ferrets, etc. when another hospital or zoo calls.
Similar to people, dogs and cats can get a variety of neurological diseases including seizures, brain tumors, strokes, slipped disks, meningitis, vertigo and many others. We work primarily as a referral center, with primary care veterinarians sending us complicated cases.
We are known for providing humble expertise. Our neurologists are board-certified by the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine subspecialty of Neurology. There are only about 18 neurologists in Florida and only 7 in South Florida. Southeast Veterinary Neurology employs 4 board-certified neurologists (hiring a 5th in November). Despite being experts in neurology and neurosurgery, we aim to be humble. Our neurologists are hired not only for their expertise in neurology and neurosurgery but also for their bedside manner.
We are known for being “always available”. Most neurological problems are either true medical emergencies or are urgent matters. We know that this can be stressful to primary veterinarians and pet owners. We aim to be available for these matters. A board-certified neurologist is on-site 7 days a week in our Miami location.
We are known for having the most technologically-advanced neurology hospital in all of South Florida, with in-house 1.5T MRI, CT scanner, operating microscope, in-house CSF analysis and electrodiagnostic equipment.
What I am most proud for as a company are the people that I work with–the team at Southeast Veterinary Neurology. Every member is dedicated to their patients, incredibly talented and “gets” why we do what we do. We have tried hard to maintain the ‘mom and pop’ feel with regards to customer experience while practicing at the highest level of medicine and surgery.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I’m not sure that you’d call it ‘luck’. I worked really hard during undergrad and veterinary school. When others partied, I read textbooks and journal articles. When others went on vacation, I visited neurology services in California, North Carolina and New York. This isn’t to say that I never relaxed, but at that time my focus was being the best veterinary neurologist I could be. It was an opportunity that I had waited a long time for… my purpose… and I wasn’t going to be complacent.
I made promises and I kept them. I promised patients I would treat them as my own. I kept those promises. I promised pet owners and veterinarians that I would answer their call when they needed a neurologist. I kept those promises. I promised to provide humble expertise. Promise kept. I promised to provide the highest level of technology available to animals. Check.
The timing certainly played a role in our success. Some may call that luck. I finished my residency and ended up in Miami at the ‘right time’. There were no veterinary neurologists in Miami and the main one in Broward was preparing for retirement in the next 5 years.
Was I lucky to have parents that encouraged my love of animals and my competitive nature? Was I lucky that they taught me that winning wasn’t as important as playing fair and giving 100%? Was I lucky that they worked extra shifts to help pay for my veterinary school? Was I lucky to have a wonderful wife who supported me during my schooling and residency? Was I lucky that she loves pets as much as I do and says “go fix that dog” when other wives might say “but we have dinner plans”?
You betcha.
Contact Info:
- Address: 9300 SW 40th Street
Miami, FL 33165 - Website: SEVNeurology.com
- Phone: (305) 274-2777
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: southeastveterinaryneurology
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/southeast.veterinary.neurology
- Twitter: @SEVNeuruology
Image Credit:
Ginger Monteleone
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