Silverhill's New Veterinarian, Chuck Flowers

     I decided from the start that I wanted to come back to a rural area. That is sure understandable when you understand that Dr. Chuck Flowers hales from Atmore. He was brought up on a dairy farm in the days before farming had moved out of the animal business and into dirt farming. He had left for Veterinarian School and came home to discover that "all the cows were sold. I know that pets make you feel good about yourself," but it was at that point that Flowers became a "cat and dog" man.

     Dr. Chuck Flowers (l), new veterinarian in Silverhill with 26 years of experience, discussed the "family pet as a true family member." Flowers was the special guest of Zion Lutheran Church's "Men's 710," at its August meeting. - Click to enlarge.

     I began my veterinarian practice in Foley in 2003, he explains, but he did start out in his native Atmore, spending his first 12 years as a vet there. Then he was in Pensacola for a couple years, then Fort Walton Beach for another seven. His practice in beautiful Silverhill is only months old. Total? Flowers has had an active veterinarian practice for over 26 years.

     There are a lot of general issues when it comes to the family pet. "There are bad years for fleas, heat and humidity here do not help. You have to treat all the pets in the house when the fleas are a problem." Most business today revolves around household pets, but horses are becoming important to the vet's practice as affluence and suburbanization result in more horse ownership in Baldwin.

     We all recognize that "pets teach love to children. What we don't often recognize is that our love for animals grows stronger as we humans age," Flowers opines. "There is an amazing amount of compassion in people."

     Flowers fielded a variety of questions. How about the humane society? It turns out that area vets support humane society work in Baldwin, but "there is nothing formal." The main focus relates to reducing pet fertility. For example, "there are little pockets of feral cats. People with this problem can call a vet." Dr. Flowers advised, "Contact me and we will find a solution."

     What about rabies and other diseases? It turns out that the USDA monitors diseases through veterinarian contacts. A vet will call the USDA about a suspected disease and it and the state take over tracking down that report of potential disease.

     How many people does it take to support a veterinarian practice? "When I graduated," Dr. Chuck says, "we were advised that it took a population of 20,000 people to support one vet. Ten years later we were told it took a population of 10,000. Today, in an urban area, business managers suggest a veterinarian can have a successful practice in an area having as few as 2000 folks."

     What about tics and lime disease? "Deer tics are the problem north of here. In our area we have a different kind of tic. Did you know that snakes can have tics? Now there's an interesting pet! The tic gets under the scales and you can't see it," Flowers noted. And yes, Flowers had some strategies for treating tic problems.

     We live in a clash of cultures, the rural versus the suburban. My practice is pretty basic. I don t do much with exotic species, maybe a ferret or two once in a while. Most of what I work with is the family pet, the family pet as a family member. That means dogs and cats, but his practice in the past has treated horses and cows and I delivered triplets from a ewe over Mississippi one time, Flowers opined.

     Dr. Chuck feels his practice is planted in a growing area, that's Silverhill, an area desirable in a growing area of Baldwin. Yes, Silverhill is still rural, but the area is moving toward suburban. Whether rural or urban, our family pets need an appropriate vet with a Family Practice focus.

     Dr. Chuck Flowers is associated with the Silverhill Animal Clinic, 16150 Silverhill Avenue (Highway 104), in Silverhill. Specific questions regarding his veterinarian practice can be directed to him at (251) 945-3300.