TulsaPets Magazine March 2023

March /April 2023 • TulsaPets 19 EXCELLENCE THROUGH EDUCATION Dr. Dan Danner enjoys exotic animal patients by Lauren Cavagnolo | Photos courtesy of Danner Veterinary Hospital L ions and tigers and bears, oh my! In his 44 years of practice, Dan Danner, DVM, has seen it all and more. Dr. Danner has spent his career caring not only for domestic and small animals, includ- ing pocket pets, but also traditional equine species, exotic species, wildlife, and avian groups. He has been recognized repeatedly over the years for readers’ choice awards by Oklahoma Magazine and most recently by the Tulsa World and Tulsa Pets Magazine for his latest practice, Danner Veterinary Hospital. Danner has also served on the state veterinary board, appointed by former Governor Brad Henry. During his 10-year term on the board, Danner was president for several years and eventually was elected to the national board. A Lifelong Interest in Animals Danner’s interest in animals has been lifelong. As a young child, he frequently brought home crawdads and other creatures from Joe Creek. As he grew older, he became particularly interested in horses and talked his parents into buying him one. “We would ride out to and around La- Fortune Park and through the Der Wiener- schnitzel. We would get a pop and go around LaFortune and then get a free refill and would always have fun and laugh,” Danner recalled. As a senior in high school, he earned high point youth for a Palomino gelding he had trained. He later went on to take another horse, a stallion named Mr. Hourglass, all the way to a supreme championship. Danner attended veterinary school at Oklahoma State University but had a full scholarship for diving, earning him the nick- name Surf and Turf. “People used to ask me, ‘Are you going to go diving this weekend or show horses?’ ” Danner chuckled. Current Practice and Clients Danner’s current practice, formerly All Crea- tures at 81st and Harvard, was purchased three years ago and has been completely remodeled. The laboratory and surgical suite feature state-of-the-art equipment. The full-service hospital offers everything from routine exams to back surgeries, knee sur- geries, orthopedics, root canals, and more. Boarding and grooming are also available on site. Danner Veterinary Hospital serves an area of about a 300-mile radius, with clients frequently making the drive from Kansas, Arkansas, Missouri, Texas, and all over Oklahoma. Danner estimates his clients include 130 families with monkeys who have traveled from all over since he opened his latest practice in 2019. One of the things Danner loves about his practice is the constant variety. From performing surgery on a paralyzed dog with a ruptured calcified disc to surgery on a 550-pound tiger with an impaction, no two days are the same. “It’s all fresh all the time,” Danner en- thused. VET SPOTLIGHT Dr. Dan Danner examines a hedgehog in his veterinary practice at 81st and Harvard. Danner has been practicing for 44 years.