My Pet Animal Hospital: Helping East Lake Pets For Almost 15 Years

After working for several veterinarians over the years, Dr. Istvan (Steve) Tanko decided it was time to venture out on his own and start his own practice. In 1998, he opened the doors of .

“I found this very nice area and thought it would be a successful location to provide personal care and preventative services for all pet needs,” said Dr. Tanko.

Located in the Boot Ranch Shopping Plaza at 778 East Lake Rd. in Palm Harbor, the 1,400-square-foot facility is open seven days a week, offering patients appointment flexibility with extended hours of operation on most days.

“Our extended hours make us unique,” said Dr. Tanko. “Night and weekend appointments are very popular. We also make it easy for pet owners to just drop in after work to pick up pet food or other products on their way home from work, rather than trying to squeeze it into their lunch break.”

Licensed and board certified veterinarians offer general care and preventative services to mainly dogs and cats, including spays/neuters, declawing, dental cleaning, tumor removal, and most non-complicated surgeries. Should there be a need for a more invasive surgery that requires an overnight stay, the staff at My Pet Animal Hospital can make referrals for outside care.

“There are excellent emergency and special care facilities in the neighborhood, which we refer patients to if we cannot provide the services they need” said Dr. Tanko. “We make referrals at least once a week.” 

Over the years, the staff at My Pet Animal Hospital has grown to also include Dr. George Koulianos, who works as the acting veterinarian on Tuesdays. “It allows me to have a day off,” joked Dr. Tanko. An additional five employees make up the pet hospital team.

“We really like to stay personally connected to our patients,” said Dr. Tanko. “I have some patients that have been coming to me since they were newborn puppies when we first opened. We are very blessed to have such loyal patients.”

Without a ton of square footage, the facility is limited in the amount of services it can offer — for example, My Pet Animal Hospital does not offer grooming or boarding, nor does it plan to. “We are very busy and active at the current level we are at, and we just do not have the capabilities to extend ourselves more than we already are. My future goal is basically to just maintain and continue to provide excellent service to our patients,” said Dr. Tanko.

Relying strictly on word-of-mouth advertising, My Pet Animal Hospital does not host its own website at this time. Appointments can be made by calling 727-789-8272. See more details on their directory listing on Patch.

Business hours are as follows:

Monday: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Tuesday – Friday: 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Saturday: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Sunday: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.