Dr. Brent demonstrating laparoscopic surgery in the new surgery suite

Many of you have taken the time to comment on our recent renovation and to wish us well. Thank you so much. Now seems to be a good time to address a very understandable question that we have been getting from clients since we announced our expansion.

Will our prices be going up to pay for our newly remodeled clinic?

The short answer is No. It has never been our intention to up our prices to pay for more space. This is particularly true during an economic crisis that has resulted in people having LESS money to pay for veterinary care. In fact, we have lowered the price of many of our services to try and make wellness care more affordable. Our current dental, spay, and neuter packages are some of the most reasonable on the market….if you compare apples to apples. You will always find clinics that will spay and neuter your pet for less – but the price isn’t likely to include bloodwork, an IV catheter, pain control, etc.

To understand our need to expand, here’s a little peek into the former everyday reality of Animal Care Clinic.

Radiology, for example. Since our beginning, we have had to develop our radiographs in the tiny bathroom (I mean you practically had to sit on the toilet to run films through the machine). And if someone was already IN the bathroom? Out of luck. We had no separate room for actually shooting the xray films. When taking radiographs, everyone in the back treatment area that was not lined with lead had to “duck and run” from the room. Usually we were treating other patients – we took them with us. It also took extra time to develop the films, which meant that your less than perky (and often very ill) dogs, cats and occasional bunny had to hang out on the xray table waiting to see if a shot had to be retaken. And although they received lots of hugs and kisses, they would have rather been with you!

We now have a designated radiology room. No more running hither and yon to avoid loose change xray particles. The xrays are now digital – which means no developer – which means less time on the table for your animals. We can get diagnostic results from the radiologist much quicker as well.

On to our old surgery suite! Every day we had to move a lot of equipment out of the surgery suite based on when and how we were treating our patients for the day (anesthetic machines, monitors, dental equipment, IV stands, etc.). It took a lot of maneuvering. Most significantly, the room was really too small to perform the types of surgical procedures that we wanted to be able to offer.

Our new surgery suite is lit with natural light as well as surgical light. It is stocked with just what we need for surgery. There’s plenty of room. We now have the space AND the equipment to be able to offer laparoscopic surgical procedures (blog post with pictures coming soon!). There is also a pass through window for surgical supplies to help maintain a sterile environment. This is all much safer and more efficient – particularly during an emergency.

The boarding facilities have improved tenfold. Our old space housed boarding, grooming, laundry, and storage all in one room. Now our dogs and cats are boarded separately. If you haven’t seen the new cat room you had better come by without an appointment just to view the kitties. We now have four large indoor runs which allow dogs of any size to stretch out. And we finally have a BACK door! We no longer have to squeeze boarding dogs through a gauntlet of bristling and sniffing dogs and cats in the waiting room when it’s time for a walk. The waiting room is now just a waiting room and there’s space to keep your pet away from other pets while you wait.

We had no easily accessed and peaceful location to perform the delicate task of euthanasia.

We had so little space that we were constantly tripping over power cords during morning procedures. Imagine a room the size of an average bedroom with all of these things plugged in: 2 rolling IV pumps, grooming clippers, a rolling dental machine, a warming pad, 2 rolling anesthesia machines, and a rolling dental xray machine. There’s a technician performing a canine dental cleaning on a table as big as a gurney. A doctor and a second technician are performing a feline blood draw at an equally large treatment table. At the counter a doctor is looking at a sample through the microscope and a third technician is filling a prescription. On the periphery are two banks of holding kennels and a full size refrigerator. Last but not least, you should add the daily rowdy-but-adorable 8 month old lab that needs to be restrained for…..something! We managed, with a good dose of humor, to do our job well in our tightly packed space.

However, we have wanted so much to be able to offer more for your pets. More boarding options. Better grooming options. Faster procedures. Laparoscopic surgery. Room for laser therapy. Room for rehabilitation therapy. Because of huge leaps in veterinary medicine, pets are living longer and we want to be able to offer you as many options as we can to keep them comfortable into their old age. It’s just a bonus to offer a client bathroom that doesn’t knock you out with radiology chemical fumes while you squeeze in next to the hot water heater.

So that’s why, in the middle of a recession, Dr. Brent and Dr. Debbie felt that they needed to make the expansion happen. They wanted to be able to practice the kind of veterinary care that they believe in.

We will not pass the bill on to you. If our prices increase, it will be due to standard price increases that happen every year – just like cost of living raise adjustments.

Thank you for being our clients. We appreciate your loyalty throughout the years. And we are always privileged to serve you, and your pets, whatever our surroundings may be.