About Us
-Your Community Trusts Us-
Ashland Veterinary Hospital is the first and oldest veterinary hospital practice in
Ashland Oregon, and our experience and professionalism shows. Have a look at testimonials from some of our clients.
-The Full Story-
My family and I moved to Ashland in 2000, and I joined Dr. Dennis Sweet at Ashland Veterinary Hospital in 2001. Having graduated from the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, I was impressed with the hospital that Dr. Sweet had designed, and the type of medicine that he practiced. Dr. Sweet purchased Ashland Veterinary Hospital when it was being run out of a residence and Ashland Street was a two-lane road leading up into the mountains. He designed a cutting-edge facility with a large reception area with a vaulted ceiling, three separate exam rooms, a large work area with a separately enclosed surgery suite, 2 separate isolation wards with their own independent ventilation system to ensure functional isolation from the rest of the hospital, a separate x-ray room, a bathing station and kennels. It was quite a forward-thinking investment, creating a facility specifically designed as a fully functioning veterinary hospital, and its functionality has held up extremely well over the years.
My family and I quickly realized that Ashland was a very special community, and that we wanted to bring up our kids here, so after a few years I purchased the practice from Dr. Sweet. Our goal at Ashland Veterinary Hospital has always been the same – we want to provide the best care possible for our clients’ pets. Some of our clients have been coming to the hospital for 20 years or more. We acknowledge the trust our clients place in us to help them take care of their four-legged family members, and we are serious about our commitment to them.
We are always striving to deliver an accurate diagnosis as quickly as possible at Ashland Veterinary Hospital. To that end, we have an in-house laboratory so we can get blood test results in an hour instead of days, in-house x-ray and ultrasound imaging systems, ECG and blood pressure measurement capability, and a Class IV therapeutic laser. We offer medical and surgical services, including cancer treatment, dentistry, geriatric medicine and behavior consultation. We also have access to board certified specialists in the area, some of whom will come to our clinic for specialty consults when needed. We will do whatever we can to make sure our patients get the care they need, whether it is here at our hospital or at referral centers.
I am particularly interested in internal medicine – the diagnosis and treatment of disease in small animals. As a general practitioner, I am the first person to evaluate a patient and develop a diagnosis and treatment plan for them. Each case presents as a type of mystery that needs to be solved. The process begins with a thorough history and physical exam. Often, the owners might be unaware that certain clinical signs were present for a period of time before they actually discovered there was a problem, and it takes some pointed follow-up questions during the office visit to get a complete understanding of the specific abnormalities occurring and how long these issues have been going on.
The more information I can get in the exam room, the more I can fine tune the diagnostic plan, focusing on specific tests instead of just ordering up a phalanx of tests that are expensive and possibly unnecessary. I always try to run the least invasive diagnostics first, such as bloodwork, ultrasound or x-ray, before moving on to more invasive tests that might require sedation, anesthesia or biopsy.
When developing a diagnostic plan, I always ask myself if the proposed test will give the client an answer that will result in a therapeutic option. As an example, the results of an ultrasound guided biopsy of an abdominal mass may be meaningless if the client will not consider an expensive surgery to remove the mass – so there would be no point to the biopsy, and no justification for the expense of that procedure. Part of the art of being a general practitioner is being able to tailor every diagnostic and therapeutic plan to the real world needs of the client. It is a constant challenge that never gets old.
"This team is wonderful and have supported me through all the joys and sorrows that come with having a pet family. I love them. Truly. Kind, thorough, detailed, and hopeful."
-Corinne Valois
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