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Critical care for critters
By Bob Tremblay/ Daily News Staff
Monday, November 28, 2005
WALTHAM -- The patients arrive on two legs. Most come with four legs. A few have no legs. None of them has much to say.
That's
because these patients are animals, which come to the Veterinary
Emergency & Speciality Center of New England (VESCONE) for special
medical attention.
While MetroWest is home to several veterinary hospitals, VESCONE is the only
one offering 24-hour emergency critical care service. Only five other
hospitals provide similar care in the state, according to Dr. Amy
Shroff, VESCONE's co-owner, co-chief of staff and director of emergency
and critical care.
"We
do emergency and critical care, surgery, internal medicine and
radiology while a cardiologist comes in two days a week," says Shroff.
"So if they need a blood transfusion, special surgery, if they've been
hit by a car, if they need special lab work, 24-hour critical care, an
ultrasound or an endoscopy, they come here. What we don't do is
wellness care. No vaccines, no grooming, no boarding, no spaying, no
neutering, no dental care -- things that the general practitioner does.
What the family veterinarian does, we don't do. We work as an extension
of the regular veterinarian to provide specialty care for their
patients when they need it. As soon as they're well, they go back to
their regular veterinarian."
VESCONE'S
building also houses the New England Veterinary Oncology Group, one of
only a handful of animal cancer treatment centers on the East Coast.
"We work closely with them," says Shroff.
VESCONE's
emergency care unit treats an average of 10 to 30 animals daily with
the weekends and nights tending to be busier times. Referrals aren't
required though appointments are necessary to see a specialist. These
can be made by the animal's owner or its veterinarian.
"Walk-ins
are seen by the emergency staff first," says Shroff. "The model is very
similar to a human hospital."
Illnesses
run the gamut, according to the Wayland resident. "Everything from
trauma to toxicity, vomiting, diarrhea and heart failure," she says.
While
most of its patients are dogs and cats -- the Waltham-based center has
its own canine and feline blood bank -- VESCONE also treats gerbils,
hamsters, rabbits, ferrets, birds and reptiles. More unusual patients
have included woodchucks, chinchillas, bearded dragons, iguanas and
African gray parrots. It even treated a prairie dog afflicted with
diarrhea and a snake suffering from mouth rot.
That
said, the center focuses most of its attention on domestic pets. Exotic
animals typically get sent to specialists.
Shroff
started VESCONE in 2001 with Dr. Brian Huss. She owned an after-hours
animal hospital in Needham and Huss, a Sudbury resident, ran his own
mobile specialty surgical practice.
"We
decided we wanted to create a 24-hour specialty hospital that would be
open 24/7 to the public and referring veterinarians and would combine
quality service with superior veterinary care," says Shroff.
The
center now treats 30 to 35 patients daily. Both the client base and
revenue have grown between 20 and 30 percent annually, according to
Shroff.
She
attributes the growth to VESCONE's "excellent mix of state-of-the-art
medicine and surgery coupled with compassion and a superior level of
care. We also treat the referring veterinarians as they should be
treated. They're kept abreast of the decisions we make. We do what they
want us to do and we're accessible to the veterinarian and the client.
And we're compassionate. That's what people tell us."
Shroff
also credits VESCONE's staff. "They make the hospital," she says.
"They're dedicated and excellent."
The
center's Web site documents its success stories. Soon to be added will
be the story of Nala, a mixed breed who needed emergency surgery for a
serious intestinal problem. "It was touch-and-go for a little bit
whether she would make it," says Shroff. "It was an unusual injury with
a high mortality rate, but we beat the odds. She's a wonderful dog and
her owners are wonderful people. We're extremely happy."
After 11 days at VESCONE, Nala went home earlier this month.
Nala's
treatment required "a financial commitment" from the owners, according
to a Shroff. The cost for center's services range from $200 to $10,000
depending on how many specialists work on the animal and the amount of
work done.
"It
can be expensive for the level of care, but we try to make it a doable
situation," says Shroff. "For example, we offer a program called CareCredit, a medical, dental and veterinary credit card. Once you're
approved, we can use that to pay your bill and we pay for the
processing and interest fee so you can spread your payments out
interest-free for over a year."
About 35 percent of its patients' owners use the program. Pet insurance is also available.
"We
try to be as upfront and communicative with clients (about the cost),"
says Shroff. "We give them daily updates and an estimate ahead of time.
We try to make sure there are no surprises in terms of what the cost
will be so they understand what they're getting into and make an
informed decision."
The
center has an excellent success rate, according to Shroff. "We don't
have any numbers, but if the animal has a chance to survive, the
majority of them do with our level of care," she says.
The
center's 15,000-square-foot facility includes four large glass-enclosed
ICU wards, three surgery suites, a special procedures room, a 20-by-50
treatment area, an isolation suite, a full in-house laboratory, two
radiology suites, six exam rooms, a conference room for in-house
continuing education, and a consultation/bereavement room.
One
of the challenges of treating animals is they're not going to tell you
where it hurts. "So you have to be an astute diagnostician," says
Shroff. "And you have to be judicious about the diagnostics. We all
love the animals equally but conserving the client's funds is a
concern.
"This
is a team effort -- the owner, the referring veterinarian and
ourselves. We all work together to see this animal through a really
difficult time. Ultimately, we're promoting the human-animal bond.
That's what drives us.
"This
is an emotional decision for owners to bring their pets here. This is
not necessarily a necessity. It's a choice people have and we want to
make sure this hospital continues to provide what clients and
veterinarians need.
"Sometimes
the situation is very grave. We never make a decision for an owner. We
try to give them as much information as possible to guide the owner
toward making that decision themselves.
"Some
situations are treatable, but others where the patient is in end-stage
kidney failure, end-stage heart failure or out of remission if they
have cancer, then euthanasia is an option that's more strongly
recommended than others. Sometimes owners know that. Sometimes they
don't and need us to guide them.... A loss of a pet can be very
traumatic. For us, too."
Aware
of this emotional situation, VESCONE is starting free grief counseling
classes to be run by a licensed therapist. The first class will be held
Wednesday, Dec. 7 at 7 p.m. at the center's 180 Bear Hill Road
facility.
VESCONE
also hosts free first aid classes. In light of the recent spate of
hurricanes, disaster preparedness will be discussed. One of the
center's veterinary nurses, Amy Breton, spent two weeks caring for some
of the thousands of pets left homeless by Hurricane Katrina. The next
class is Feb. 20 at 7 p.m.
Shroff,
who owns two dogs, says she has always loved animals and always wanted
to be a veterinarian.
"I
like creating an environment where nurses and doctors can grow and do
great medicine," she says. "I really like the idea of being there in a
crisis situation for a client and their pet and seeing a positive
outcome.... That's what keeps me going."
While
the patients may have difficulty expressing their gratitude, some can
make their feelings felt in ways their human counterparts can't. Ever
see a patient leave MetroWest Medical wagging his tail?
(Bob Tremblay can be reached at btremblay@cnc.com or 508-626-4409.)
VETERINARY EMERGENCY & SPECIALTY CENTER OF NEW ENGLAND
Co-owners: Dr. Amy Shroff and Dr. Brian Huss
Employees: 50
Industry: Veterinary emergency and specialty care
Company
background: Based in Waltham, the Veterinary Emergency & Specialty
Center of New England provides specialty services in emergency and
critical care, surgery, internal medicine, radiology and cardiology.
Its Web site address is www.vescone.com. |
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