The growth of veterinary health facilities nationwide reflects an improvement in the accessibility of animal care. With more clinics, hospitals, and wellness centers available, pet owners can more readily obtain consultations, preventive care, and wellness services for their pets. This contributes to the overall health and well-being of their animals.

Here are three recent openings of veterinary clinics and pet stores in the United States:

Pet Wants Mira Mesa (San Diego, California)

Pet Wants Mira Mesa interior. (Photo courtesy of Pet Wants Mira Mesa)

Pet Wants Mira Mesa, a locally owned and operated pet food and supply store, recently announced their grand opening at 6906 Miramar Road, Suite B2 in San Diego, California. In addition to selling cat and dog food, treats, and accessories, the store plans to offer regular educational workshops, such as pet nutrition seminars and training sessions. The initiative is aimed at helping support the health and wellbeing of pets in San Diego, according to a news release.

“After being customers of Pet Wants for over a year, we are thrilled to Join the Pack and bring Pet Wants to San Diego! We provide a friendly, comfortable atmosphere with quality products for pet owners who care about offering the absolute best for their furry friends," said Peter Gregg, owner of Pet Wants Mira Mesa, in the release.

 "From our fresh foods and partnerships with other healthy pet food and treat companies, we aim to create a welcoming space where pet lovers can find what they need to keep their pets happy and healthy."

Cypress Point Animal Hospital Urgent Care (Mandeville, Los Angeles)

Cypress Point Animal Hospital is introducing same-day urgent care for patients in the Mandeville, LA community and surrounding areas. The hospital is located at 2750 Florida St., Mandeville, LA. The inclusion of same-day urgent care services will support their existing wellness appointments, surgeries, and dental procedures, according to the hospital.

"Our team is committed to the best care to pets in our community at all times, and we are thrilled that we're now able to offer this when they need it most, in urgent situations,” the Cypress Point Animal Hospital team wrote in a news release.

Veterinary Specialty Hospital (Roseville, California)

A furniture store in Roseville, California, has been converted into a 31,000 sq ft veterinary hospital. The project was run by Terravet Real Estate Solutions, a real estate group with a focus on veterinary real estate. Veterinary Specialty Hospital Roseville operates as a 24-hour emergency and specialty care facility. It is staffed by a team of veterinarians and technicians with specialized training in emergency medicine and intensive care. The hospital offers emergency treatment, board-certified surgical care, internal medicine, diagnostic imaging, and wildlife rescue assistance services.

“Transforming this underutilized vacant space into Veterinary Specialty Hospital Roseville is a testament to Terravet Real Estate Solutions' commitment to redefining pet healthcare infrastructure through collaboration with leading veterinary partners,” said Daniel Eisenstadt, CEO of Terravet Real Estate Solutions, in a news release.

 “By investing in modern, accessible facilities, we're meeting the community's needs and setting a new standard for veterinary care excellence nationwide."

Pet Wants Mira Mesa Announces Grand Opening of New Pet Food Store in San Diego. News release. Pet Wants Mira Mesa. October 25, 2024. Accessed November 6, 2024. https://prnmedia.prnewswire.com/news-releases/pet-wants-mira-mesa-announces-grand-opening-of-new-pet-food-store-in-san-diego-302286451.html

Cypress Point Animal Hospital in Mandeville, LA, introduces same-day urgent care services. News release. Cypress Point Animal Hospital. October 15, 2024. Accessed November 6, 2024. https://prnmedia.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cypress-point-animal-hospital-in-mandeville-la-introduces-same-day-urgent-care-services-302276636.html

Terravet Real Estate Solutions converts Roseville Furniture Store into state-of-the-art veterinary practice. News release. Terravet Real Estate Solutions. October 28, 2024. Accessed November 6, 2024. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241028707453/en

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Take a look at these 3 veterinary centers newly opened or coming soon

Clinic center: Latest veterinary and pet facilities opening or expanding

Photo: C Malambo/peopleimages.com/Adobe Stock

Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine

, a software that generates artificial intelligence clinical notes for veterinarians. As part of the new partnership, VetRec will offer Cornell CVM unlimited access to its platform. The collaboration is expected improve the efficiency and quality of veterinary care, according to VetRec and Cornell CVM.

"We are excited to partner with Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine, which is renowned for the quality of its veterinary education and research," Kevin Cohen, cofounder and CEO of VetRec, said in a company release.

 "This partnership is a testament to our commitment to driving innovation in the veterinary industry, and we are confident that our platform will empower Cornell's students and faculty to provide even higher levels of care."

VetRec’s technology is a Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)-compliant scribe that automatically processes consultation data. Using AI, VetRec creates SOAP (subjective, objective, assessment, and plan) notes. Additionally, veterinary professionals can generate discharge notes and rDVM letters, as well as summarize PDFs of patient history of more than 150 pages in seconds.

"At Cornell, we are always looking for ways to integrate the latest technology into our curriculum and clinical practice," said Meg Thompson, DVM, DACVR, director of Cornell University's Hospital for Animals. "VetRec's platform offers an excellent opportunity to introduce this innovative technology to our students and house officers, enhance the efficiency of our clinical operations, and further our mission of advancing veterinary medicine."

VetRec was founded by Kevin Cohen, chief executive officer, and David De Matheu, chief technology officer, who bring their passion for animals and background in building data and AI platforms at Microsoft. In 2023, the company was chosen by Y Combinator, a technology startup accelerator, and joined the top 1% of applicants from more than 24,000 companies.

"I have been using VetRec for several months now and am very excited about its potential,” Sarah Hummel, DVM, emergency veterinarian at Cornell University, said in the VetRec release.

 Hummel shared that she found using VetRec helpful in saving time and keeping more complete records. She also said that it helped her feel more connected with clients, as she's no longer focused on typing notes on a computer. “I look forward to continuing to explore what this technology offers the veterinary community," she continued.

VetRec announces partnership with Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine. News release. September 26, 2024. Accessed November 6, 2024. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/vetrec-announces-partnership-with-cornell-college-of-veterinary-medicine-302258156.html

The partnership will give Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine unlimited access to VetRec, a SOAP note generator

Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine partners with AI-powered scribe VetRec

Richard Gerhold, DVM, MS, PhD, DACVM (Parasitology), discusses a Fetch dvm360 conference session that will be available for CE credit through Fetch On-Demand.

Preventing the spread of microscopic parasites

Richard Gerhold, DVM, MS, PhD, DACVM (Parasitology), associate professor at the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, presented several educational sessions at the 2024 Fetch Coastal conference in Atlantic City, New Jersey. His lectures focused on parasitology-focused topics. In an interview with 

, he shared insights related to his talk “Microscopic Monsters—

,” sharing some recommendations for preventing the spread of associated diseases. The session also covers how to spot them, and how to treat them. Additionally, when it comes to the ones that can jump from animals to humans, the lecture addresses how to stay healthy and avoid getting sick.

Richard Gerhold, DVM, MS, PhD, DACVM (Parasitology): 

One major way of [preventing the spread of] 

 is keeping cats indoors. So, only felines shed 

 in their feces, both wild and domestic. While there's wild cats out there—bobcats, lynx, mountain lions—they're also shedding from domestic cats. And so keeping cats indoors, reducing their chance of predating on wildlife, small animals and birds—since they tend to be the host of it— and then routine veterinary care is really important.

I'd also really encourage not feeding raw meat diets, because raw meat diets can contain the tissue cyst of 

, again, proper veterinary care is really important.

Also, I would say, is educating [pet] owners [and other] humans about general risk associated with certain activities. If you're around livestock—particularly young livestock, lambs, goat kids, calves—[it’s] knowing that you could be exposed to 

, so they can show you to wash your hands thoroughly before you touch your mouth or any place, if you get any fecal material on you to change your clothes, [and] knowing that dog parks, unfortunately, have a higher level of 

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Richard Gerhold, DVM, MS, PhD, DACVM (Parasitology), associate professor at the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, discusses some ways that humans can help combat diseases associated with these pathogens

(Photos courtesy of Worldwide Veterinary Service)

A 2-week rabies prevention campaign in Cambodia had resulted in 229,488 dogs vaccinated against the disease, marking the largest rabies vaccination initiative in Asia, according to a press release.

 The effort was led by the Worldwide Veterinary Service (WVS), a United Kingdom-based animal charity that offers veterinary care globally to animals in need and distributes essential supplies worldwide.

The campaign was conducted in collaboration with Animal Rescue Cambodia and General Directorate of Animal Health and Production. “Vaccinating 229,488 dogs in Cambodia in just 2 weeks is a new milestone we’re immensely proud of. It proves that with the right strategy, energy, and support, eliminating rabies is within reach. It’s a privilege to be part of this journey, and we are deeply grateful to our partners and everyone backing our mission to end human rabies deaths worldwide,” Luke Gamble, CEO and founder of WVS, said in the release.

For the project, approximately 300 vaccination teams collaborated across the Cambodian provinces of Phnom Penh, Kandal, and Battambang to safeguard human and animal lives, according to the organization. The campaign was carried out from October 21, 2024 to November 4, 2024, aligning with Cambodia's National Strategic Plan for Rabies Control and Elimination—a country-specific plan that supports the Global Strategic Plan to eliminate dog-mediated rabies deaths by 2030.

Throughout the 2-week initiative, the teams visited designated vaccination zones, going door-to-door to administer vaccines. The organization utilized a “rabies app” to assign teams to areas and to input information on each dog; the data insights allowed the organization to track the project’s progress.

The campaign was a component of WVS’ Mission Rabies project, which strives to end the usually fatal disease through canine vaccination and education programs. The project began its work in Cambodia in 2019, according to the WVS, with members first running a pilot vaccination program and beginning an education program in Phnom Penh. This year’s initiative builds on the 2023 campaign, during which 74,983 dogs were vaccinated in Phnom Penh and Kandal Provinces, marking the first large-scale rabies vaccination effort in the country.

A 24-hour surveillance team has been active since Mission Rabies’ formation, responding to alerts about rabid dogs and making sure that individuals bitten receive immediate post-exposure treatment through their rabies hotline, which allows the public to report rabid dog sightings and get help for rabies emergencies. The project’s goal is to vaccinate 70% of the dog population, the necessary percentage to eradicate the disease in canines and prevent human deaths.

“‘When we launched Mission Rabies in 2013, our goal was ambitious—to vaccinate 60,000 dogs in 30 days. Many thought it couldn’t be done, but we managed 64,000. Ten years later, we’ve just completed our second year in Cambodia, where, remarkably, we vaccinated over 82,000 dogs by day 4 alone,” said Gamble in the release.

 “This achievement is a testament to the unwavering dedication of our incredible team and a tribute to the veterinary profession, with vets and nurses from around the world pouring their energy into making a profound impact. It’s no exaggeration to say this campaign will prevent around 500 children from dying of rabies over the next few years.”

Rabies is usually fatal once symptoms appear.

Dogs are responsible for up to 99% of human rabies cases, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

 Children aged 5 to 14 make up a large portion of human rabies cases, comprising 40% of rabies-related deaths in the world.

 In Phnom Penh—the capital of Cambodia—1 child dies from the disease each week, making Cambodia one of the countries with the highest rabies death rates per capita in the world.

Mission Rabies’ educational program was introduced to raise awareness on the importance of vaccinating dogs, the dangers posed by rabies, and prevention strategies. This outreach includes visits to schools, workplaces, and community locations.

A free dog spaying and neutering service was also offered at the Royal University of Agriculture as part of the 2024 campaign. This resulted in 212 animals being sterilized and a mobile veterinary team treating 538 sick and injured animals based on field reports from the vaccination teams. Mission Rabies’ vaccination efforts were supported by volunteers from 30 countries, including more than 200 Cambodian veterinary students.

229,488 dogs vaccinated against rabies in Cambodia: UK veterinary charity delivers Asia’s largest rabies drive. News release. World Veterinary Service. November 4, 2024. Accessed November 5, 2024. [email]

Worldwide Veterinary Service. Accessed November 5, 2024. 

Rabies. World Health Organization. June 5, 2024. Accessed November 5, 2024. 

https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/rabies#:~:text=Rabies%20is%20a%20vaccine%2Dpreventable,rabies%20is%20virtually%20100%25%20fatal

Our projects. Mission Rabies. Accessed November 5, 2024. 

https://missionrabies.com/projects/cambodia/

Three hundred teams worked to vaccinate dogs in Cambodia as part of Worldwide Veterinary Service’s Mission Rabies project.

Campaign to combat rabies in Asia reports nearly 230K dogs vaccinated

Natalie Marks, DVM, CVJ, CCFP, Elite FFCP-V, offered guidance for finding the underlying cause of incontinence in pets

Diagnosing the cause of incontinence in patients

Identifying the underlying cause of a patient's incontinence can be difficult in general practice, which is why Natalie Marks, DVM, CVJ, CCFP, Elite FFCP-V, offered some guidance in an interview with dvm360.

During the interview, Marks discussed her lecture “UrINe or UrOUT–Common Cases Involving Micturition Management,” which she presented at the Fetch dvm360 Conference in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Marks explained that when determining the cause of incontinence, starting with a thorough history and a physical exam is important. According to Marks, neurogenic incontinence is often accompanied by proprioception loss, hind limb paresis, pain, decreased reflexes, and more, which can provide insight into where to look.

Natalie Marks, DVM, CVJ, CCFP, Elite FFCP-V: 

So when we have a patient who is incontinent, in general practice, it can be challenging at times to determine the ultimate, primary cause behind that. So often, what we do is, of course, start with a history and really good physical exam, because if we have neurogenic incontinence, often we have a clue from the physical exam itself—we have conscious proprioception loss, we have paresis in the hind end, we have pain, we have decreased reflexes, we may even have paralysis—and often that gives us a clue of where to look, and in those cases…referral, advanced imaging, and follow up treatment is done more at a specialty center.

I firmly believe that general practitioners are an amazing type of veterinarian who often has an untapped pool of clinical potential. One of the great joys of our profession is that it continually asks us to grow and hone our knowledge and skills throughout our careers.

After 16 years in small animal general practice and 4 years as a full-time mentor to early career veterinarians, I have grown my own surgical skills and supported dozens of new grads and clinical students as they’ve worked on building their own surgical repertoire. We all expect general practitioners (GP) to perform spays and neuters, and we all know large dog spays are no joke, but what about all the patients we diagnose with surgical problems? How do we decide which of those patients to cut ourselves, and how do we build up our surgical skills to ensure the best outcomes for our patients?

To explore these questions, I’ve asked 2 of my colleagues to share their perspectives on surgery in general practice. Philippa Pavia, VMD, DACVS-SA, Thrive Pet Healthcare’s vice president of medical field operations, Central Region, and who is passionate about supporting her colleagues in their surgical endeavors. Danling Ye, DVM, a 2021 graduate of the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine and currently practices as a small animal GP at Bayview Animal Hospital in Webster, New York, part of the Thrive Pet Healthcare community of hospitals.

Fish: Pavia, as a boarded small animal surgeon, what is your opinion on GPs performing nonroutine surgical procedures?

There are as many answers to this as there are surgeons and GP. My personal feelings are as much about perioperative management as the surgery itself. I have known many extremely skilled surgeons in non-specialty environments, but the limitation on procedure types is often the ability to care for a critical patient. Could I teach an excellent GP surgeon to do a thoracotomy – of course – they likely have much better tissue handling skills than I did as a resident, but do they have an anesthesiologist, critical care specialist, and an overnight licensed veterinary technician (LVT) team in case that dog has re-expansion pulmonary edema or a problem with their chest tube? 

The answer also depends on where you are practicing and what access to care looks like. I would have a different perspective on a non-boarded veterinarian doing tibial plateau leveling osteotomies in urban Los Angeles, where there are multiple specialty hospitals and multiple mobile boarded surgeons within a 2-mile radius, compared to a rural town where you must drive 4 hours to get to a specialist. 

The most important things are your support network, level of training (not just going to a lab and trying it out on a live patient), and self-knowledge of what you can and can’t handle. 

As a GP who loves surgery, I’ve realized there’s an innate algorithm I think through when I face the opportunity to perform a non-routine surgery. Is referral to a 24-hour specialty center an option and in the patient’s best interest? If yes, that must be part of the conversation with the clients. Have I performed the surgery before? Do I agree that this patient is a good candidate, and that the hospital (facility and team) is equipped to provide good perioperative care? If the answer to any of those questions is no, I start to consider what I can do to set my patient and team up for success. As you mentioned, Pavia, it’s so important to have a means of assessing what you can and can’t handle. Some cases are an immediate hard no because I either don’t have the skill or necessary peri-operative support. And then, for some, I need to learn more, so I dig into my resources. I think it’s imperative that we go through this inner monologue and, even better, have the conversation with a more experienced surgeon (boarded or GP).

Fish: What types of surgeries do you think GPs should avoid unless they have additional specific training?

 Orthopedics, chest cases, livers, and gallbladders. In humans, surgeons often only do orthopedic surgery on 1 body part – and lots of research shows that case numbers (ie, experience) are predictive of outcomes. These are surgeries with a learning curve and a high risk of severe complications if something goes wrong, as well as significant needs during and after surgery from an anesthetic and support perspective. Orthopedic cases are rarely emergencies, so referral or bringing in an outside veterinarian with more experience is often possible. In addition, errors are apparent on radiographs, which can increase liability if the outcome is not ideal.

Fish: Ye, as an early career veterinarian, can you tell us a little bit about the growth of your surgical skills over the past few years?

 One of the best parts of veterinary medicine is the variety of cases we are equipped to handle as GPs – including surgical cases. I have always loved anatomy and surgery. One of the main criteria for my first job was finding a place with good surgical mentorship. I’m fortunate to have a team and mentors who support and encourage me to take on challenging cases. I graduated during COVID-19, which limited the amount of surgical experience I could get before starting practice. The repetition of performing surgery in practice, especially when I have a mentor present, has drastically improved my efficiency, skill, and confidence.

Repetition, repetition, repetition, that is the key! Do the common stuff repeatedly until the tissue handling becomes second nature, and the anatomy recognition is automatic. Spays and neuters are a great way to get this experience. Many areas have shelters or spay/neuter events that welcome outside surgeons.

Ye is one of my mentees, and we’ve partnered on 2 cases recently that have stretched my surgical skills. Thankfully, Pavia has been available as our phone-a-friend in both of those cases

Ye, would you like to tell us about those cases and how we leaned into our resources?

 Sure! The first was an 8-year-old female intact pug mix with an inguinal hernia. I was not comfortable performing this surgery on my own since the defect was very large. I hadn’t observed a surgical repair before, and none of my colleagues, including Fish, were comfortable with the surgery. Fish introduced me to one of her surgical mentors, Pavia. After we all talked, Fish and I felt more confident that it was a surgery we were equipped to do in general practice. I prepared by reading about the procedure in a surgery textbook, and Pavia gave us some practical tips and tricks. 

 Ah, you mention a great resource – the surgery textbook! I always reread the procedure steps before cutting something that isn’t routine. However, the surgery texts have a way of making things sound easier than they are. As you mentioned, we were cautious not to rely on a surgery text alone.

Fish: What did the client communication look like in this case?

 I talked to this client about a referral, but the dog was stable. The client had already declined surgery for many years and also declined a referral. We discussed the possibility of complications, most notably failure of the hernia repair. Ultimately, the client trusted us with her pet, and we performed a spay, removed the left uterine horn and ovary from the inguinal hernia, and repaired the hernia site. The patient is doing great.

Another good example was a 2-year-old, male neutered, domestic short-haired cat with a 3-day history of inappetence. I diagnosed him with septic peritonitis, which I suspected was related to an enterotomy performed to remove a foreign body 1.5 months prior at another hospital. I knew he needed an exploratory laparotomy.

 Yes, I remember him too. I know we were both very uncomfortable with the idea of cutting a patient with a septic abdomen in general practice. Let’s talk about protecting ourselves from liability when trying to do the best for our patients under less-than-ideal circumstances.

Communication is always the best way to avoid liability. Pet parents should be given the best available options, and the pros and cons of referral should be discussed and documented (always offer a referral, and don’t make assumptions about your client – they may have more resources than you think or wish to start a GoFundMe). Affirmative consent from the owner, indicating that they understand and accept risks, is vital. There should also be evidence that the veterinarian did all they could to be prepared for the procedure: they can reach out to their support network and any available resources (textbooks and even YouTube videos from boarded surgeons) to prepare carefully, even making notes. Ideally, they also have a “phone-a-friend” available for Facetime, Zoom or Microsoft Teams support if they run into a question mid-procedure.

What struck me about this patient was how remarkably stable he was. Did that play into your decision to perform the explore yourself?

 Absolutely. A few factors helped me decide to do the surgery myself. It has to be the right surgery, the right patient, and the right client. This cat was stable, he was young, he didn’t have any comorbidities, and the owner had a strong preference against referral. I explained that I’m comfortable performing many gastrointestinal surgeries but that I might discover something that is outside my surgical capabilities. His owner understood the risks, that referral was the better option, and chose to pursue surgery at my practice.

To prepare for this surgery, I read the surgery text, specifically refreshing my knowledge of resection and anastomosis, and talked through the case with more experienced colleagues. Fish was able to scrub in with me, and we had Pavia on FaceTime at one point so she could see what we were seeing and help us determine the best plan. We found a leaking enterotomy site, performed a resection and anastomosis, and the patient made a full recovery.

 Those cases were both examples of surgeries going as planned. We all know there are times that we encounter the unexpected, even with elective surgeries (did somebody say dropped pedicle?). I’d love to hear your thoughts on what to do when you find yourself hurtling toward the “panic zone.”

 Breathe. Stop the bleeding first, then pause, speak with your anesthetist and see where the patient is regarding stability. Despite all the stereotypes about surgeons on TikTok, we recognize that surgery is meaningless unless your patient makes it. Then go back to anatomy and your training – we often have the answers within ourselves, but we forget when we panic. I do not shy away from printing out pictures, bringing textbooks into the operating room, or even my laptop if I want to re-watch a portion of a video. And, of course, the “phone-a-friend” option is wonderful if you have it. I have about a decade’s worth of interns with my cell phone number who know they can call me anytime if they are stuck in the middle of a procedure.

 I’ll add that after I take a deep breath, I remind myself to get good visualization—extend the incision and have an assistant scrub in to retract it. Also, I try to prepare as much as possible. I like to talk through the surgery steps with someone who has performed them before or write down the steps ahead of time. This helps me solidify my understanding and reveals any areas of uncertainty so I can address them before surgery.

Fish: Thank you both for sharing your experience and insight! To close, Pavia, do you have any final suggestions on resources to help GPs who want to grow their surgical skills?

 In-person, laboratory-based continuing education is the best way to start in a low-risk environment. Cadaver labs are vital to our training (whenever I’m in a cadaver lab, I make a point to pause with my teachers or students to honor the lives lost to end up in a teaching lab). However, these can be expensive and don’t mimic the real-life scenario with bleeding and beeping machines. YouTube videos . curated by a boarded surgeon, are another fantastic resource for seeing what things are like in “real life.” The best option, of course, is to find someone where you can “apprentice” and learn from them with cases. Many surgeons will welcome visitors. Of course, they cannot allow outside doctors to perform surgery but watching a procedure from start to finish can be very helpful, including the surgeon's thought process. If there is another experienced doctor in your practice already, ask them to call you when they have a case you’d like to learn from.

Many hospital networks or groups have internal resources where an experienced surgeon will come and perform a planned procedure with the learner in their home hospital. That's probably the gold standard! 

A Q&A to help general practitioners build their surgical skills  