Animal General | Veterinary Services for Cats and Dogs

Veterinary Services:

Animal General is a full service hospital for cats and dogs. In addition to everything you might expect at a veterinary hospital, we also provide these services:

24 hour nursing care

We limit wellness appointments per day to ensure you and your pet unrushed, quality time with your doctor.

Pets with emergency medical needs are accommodated immediately.

Our nurses schedule a limited number of elective procedures, such as dentistry, per day to permit the best care for your pets.

Most of our staff have been employed at Animal General for at least six years. High staff retention results in caring, personal relationships with you and your pets and a unique continuity of care. We know you and we know your pets.

All our doctors have post-graduate education. They are active in their specialties and closely associated with institutions, trends, publications, and new discoveries in veterinary medicine. We attract the best in the field.

Client call-backs are made promptly. We encourage clients to maintain phone contact.

Puppy Play Group twice weekly.

Bereavement Counseling bi-monthly.

We encourage visiting your pets during hospitalization. Visiting hours are 1-3 PM and 7-9 PM daily.

At-Home Euthanasia - The most sacred thing we can do for your pet.

A TLC (Tender Loving Care) Coordinator who stays with your pet, one-on-one, while he/she recovers from anesthesia.

Geriatric care for elderly pets

In 1999, Animal General was awarded
The Practice of Excellence Award, bestowed to the top 12 well managed veterinary practices in the country.

FIVE KEYS TO PRACTICE EXCELLENCE

Innovation and sincerity drive the success of Animal General. Owner Dr. Paul Howell and Practice Administrator Karen Heidgerd credit these traits:

Patients are paramount
"Every decision comes down to what's best for the patient," Dr Howell says. This includes twenty-four-hour nursing care, 4.4 staff members per doctor, and veterinarians with internships and advanced training.
Being creative
"Puppy play groups, geriatric care, and grievance counseling are just some of products of our brainstorming," says Heidgerd. "This makes our work fun." And these are only part of what Animal General has incorporated as a total care package.
Nurturing employees
"You must promote employees' growth, celebrate their diversity, pay them well, and encourage them to take risks," Dr. Howell says.
Offering exceptional service
Clients appreciate friendly and caring staff members, prompt response after hours, and meticulous, timely follow-up calls for clinical problems. Animal General does not "over-schedule," and thus each patient receives at least 30 minutes with a doctor.
Caring for the practice culture
Dr. Howell and Heidgerd have identified the above core values that make up the 'soul' of the practice. These two innovators support this excellent foundation of veterinary services - consisting of a fine organization of people who work as a team-community and up-to-date services - with a deeply-felt, practical, and holistic philosophy.

[ Excerpted from article in Veterinary Economics,
Dec 1999. ]

Veterinary Services:

FIVE KEYS TO PRACTICE EXCELLENCE

Patients are paramount

Being creative

Nurturing employees

Offering exceptional service

Caring for the practice culture