New Veterinary Surgery Opens At Upper East Side Animal Hospital

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — Great news for all creatures, great and small.

The Stephen & Christine Schwarzman Animal Medical Center has officially opened their new, 7,000-square-foot surgical care center at their Upper East Side location.

Last week, the hospital hosted a "leash cutting" for the new veterinary surgery, called the Denise and Michael Kellen Institute for Surgical Care, which is just one part of the hospital's current $125 million, 83,000 square-foot hospital renovation and expansion at their East 62nd Street site, near the FDR Drive.

The new surgical center features five brand-new operating rooms, a minor procedure room, a recovery room separating dogs and cats, and a new Central Sterile Center to help serve the 1.1 million pets in New York City.

“We are thrilled to officially open the doors to the new Denise and Michael Kellen Institute for Surgical Care and are grateful to our benefactors who made this a reality,” said Helen Irving, RN, MBA, President & Chief Executive Officer of Animal Medical Center. "AMC has long been the only Level 1 Veterinary Trauma Center in New York City, and this milestone will enable us to help even more pets when they need it the most.”

Enhancing AMC's surgery center actually gives the hospital advanced medical capabilities shared only by a few veterinary hospitals nationwide, AMC said.

The center also holds the distinction of being the world's largest veterinary teaching hospital, and has been serving pets for over 110 years in New York.

AMC points to cases like Ollie, a mixed-breed pooch who, after unsuccessful surgeries elsewhere, finally got an excessive curvature in his front legs fixed at the center, and Sherlock, a Shih Tzu who had open chest surgery to removed a tumor in his thymus gland, as examples of pets who will get even further advanced care with the new center by its over 130 veterinarians.

The hospital also cares for NYPD and FDNY K-9 officers, like Jake — a 7.5-year-old German Shepherd trained in explosive detection, patrol and tracking, who had to undergo a lung lobectomy to remove a ruptured bullae which was found on his lung lobe.

“Opening our new surgery center is a huge milestone for our entire team and expands the possibilities for the care and treatment we can provide at AMC,” said Pamela Schwartz, DVM, DACVS, CCRP, Department Head of Surgery at AMC. “The excitement about the lives that will be saved, treatments that will be pioneered, and teaching that will occur on this floor is not just palpable, it is invigorating. As we move into this new space, we are so grateful to AMC’s supporters who have made this a reality, and we cannot wait to get to work.”

The new facility opened on Monday, welcoming patients (dogs, cats, and other small animals) 7 days a week, 365 days a year at 510 East 62nd St.

AMC says that later this year, they will open their newly expanded Emergency Room, Intensive Care Unit and Special Care Unit, with the full expansion project to be wrapped by 2025.