We are proud to serve the San Antonio, Texas and surrounding areas with our three locations: Northern Oaks Bird & Animal Hospital, Heritage Oaks Animal Hospital and NEST Pet Retreat • Playcare • Spa. We are dedicated to providing the highest level of veterinary medicine with friendly compassionate care and an elevated, relaxing experience for all of your boarding, daycare and grooming needs.
Our Mission
To provide the most compassionate and comprehensive companion animal care for those who choose it.
Our History
Northern Oaks Bird & Animal Hospital was first owned and operated by Dr. John Hightower, then Dr. John Cozad who brought the practice to AAHA accreditation in 1995. Current owner, Dr. Becka Byrd was hired upon graduation in 1997 from the Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine. Under Dr. Cozad’s mentorship, along with multiple other fantastic mentors, Dr. Byrd absorbed the importance of never ceasing to learn and to constantly evolve as medicine evolves.
In March 2000, upon Dr. Cozad’s move from the state, Dr. Byrd took the opportunity to purchase the practice from him. Three months later Dr. Byrd gave birth to her first child, a sweet daughter who came to work daily with a sitter as her father lovingly converted an attic into a nursery. Each subsequent baby (three in total) did the same until they were two years old. Two other staff have chosen to do the same and numerous others have used the doctors’ office for scheduled mother’s breaks as needed.
Ownership provided Dr. Byrd an opportunity to be available to her young family and to pursue a specific vision of a workplace culture and medical excellence. Dr. Byrd continues to provide scheduling flexibility to her team as their family needs dictate.
We place priority on compassion, education for both ourselves and our clientele, and exceptional medical care for both traditional companion and exotic pets. Today we are two medical practices and one exclusive, luxe pet retreat strong.
NEST Pet Retreat was borne of a vision of where Dr. Byrd would be comfortable with my own pets staying. It had to be a place where you could walk into and feel an atmosphere of both relaxation and fun while still feeling that it was a “home away from home”. NEST features small curated rotational playgroups rather than the mass chaos of large group play, custom baked treats in house, veterinary level care for medical and senior pets, and an ability to relax in quiet luxury with attentive caregivers.
We expanded to be able to better serve several communities and to help advocate for more pets. Clients don’t always have medical degrees and we do not expect them to. It is our job to advocate, but also educate at the same time so as a team, we can facilitate collaborative decisions with clients in the best interests of their families as a whole. We are dedicated to our AAHA accreditation, AAFP Cat Friendly Certification, and commitment to always recommend the best diagnostic and treatment plans regardless of species, treating each pet as the unique individual they are.
For more information on our locations, please click below:
