Veterinary Specialty Care Expands

has expanded its practice to a new facility at 985 Johnnie Dodds Boulevard.

The move represents a big leap forward for the specialty clinic, which offers a 24-hour emergency room and a host of specialty veterinary services.

“Before we were just so crowded,” said Donna Bauman, the hospital administrator, referring to the practice’s small building located behind the new facility. “Now, everyone has their own space.”

The new building, located between Anna Knapp Boulevard and Dragoon Drive, adds two surgery rooms, multiple exam rooms, an expanded waiting room and a host of high-tech equipment.

The new 15,000-square-foot building also reflects an evolution in veterinary medicine brought on by changing attitudes about a pets’ place in the family.

“There was a time when some pet owners wouldn’t even pay for lab work,” Bauman said.

But now, pet owners will make serious investments when their animal falls ill. Even in a tight economy, Veterinary Specialty Care’s business can support 75 to 100 employees spread over two branches in the Charleston area.

“We routinely do brain surgery here,” Bauman said. “Pets are more like part of the family. People come in all the time and say their animal is their four-legged family member.”

The 24-hour side of the business sees all the ailments one might expect — dogs injured by cars, pets that have swallowed or eaten something dangerous, and in the summer months, lots of snake bites, Bauman said.

But the specialty side of the business looks more like a hospital for humans. It has clinics for internal medicine, cardiology, oncology, surgery and neurology. Its veterinarians in those practices are all board certified, Bauman said.

“We see clients from all over the region, and even some from Georgia,” Bauman said. “The new building is just more comfortable for everyone, including clients, who often wait here for long hours while their pets are being diagnosed.”