Open wide and say ‘ahhhhrf’

Aug. 02--HOW DO THEY DO IT: The processes behind everyday -- what some might call mundane -- activities often go unnoticed. Pets are often considered part of the family, making their health an important priority for owners. Annual checkups are just as necessary for animals as they are pets, but what do veterinary visits entail? What if there are extensive issues? What animals can be seen -- any exotic animals? How do they do it?

SANFORD

Family Veterinary Hospital, established more than four years ago, services a variety of animals, with a variety of services.

The hospital -- located at 303 S. Horner Blvd. -- offers anything from annual checkups, to dental services, to surgery and everything in between.

Veterinarian and owner, Dr. Meghan Ellis, began her veterinary career after not finding many exotic animal veterinarians and not receiving good care for her iguana LeeZard. Ellis always wanted to open her own space, thus Family Veterinary Hospital was established.

Ellis told the Herald just how it all works at her hospital.

What sort of rooms and areas does the hospital house?

We have the shop, Family Forever Boutique, where we offer all types of vet-approved supplies. There are separate exam rooms for cats and dogs, we have a treatment area, holding area for sick patients, isolation area for contagious animals, a surgery and dental suite, a regular X-ray suite, pharmacy and outdoor area for dogs to relieve themselves.

Why are the exam rooms separate for cats and dogs? What about exotic animals?

We separate them so the animals aren't freaked out by each other. We see exotic animals in the cat exam room.

What types of animals do you service?

Anything but horses, cows and primates. I'm deathly allergic to horses and primates look too much like humans. We see everything, even fish. I can perform surgery on them, but oftentimes I just give them medication.

What types of services do you offer?

Behavioral services, dental care, emergency and critical care, exotics, fish, fully-stocked pharmacy, hospice and euthanasia services, microchipping, nutritional counseling, pain management, parasite prevention and control, pet adoptions through CARA, pet insurance, pot belly pigs, poultry and pet

birds, puppy and kitten care, radiology X-rays, reptiles amphibian, retail store, senior care, small ruminants, surgery, ultrasound, vaccinations and wellness exams.

Is there anything you don't do?

I don't do orthopedics. I can't take all of the bone cracking. I'll usually refer those out to another hospital or to a specialist. We don't do a lot of our own lab stuff; we have a service that picks up from us twice a day and gets results back to us pretty quickly, but we can do so in case of emergency. We also don't board or groom animals. You wouldn't want me doing that anyways.

What do you typically do when patients come in?

We weigh them with either our large, small or itty bitty scales. We look at their history -- see if they had multiple ear infections in their lifetime, etc. -- in order to fix and prevent future problems. If it's an annual checkup, I ask if there are any problems, as well as examine them. I listen to their heart and lungs, check out lymph nodes, eyes, ears, palpate the joints and feel for lumps. I also check out their abdominal muscles to make sure everything is in its place and if there are any bloated organs.

Do you do any adoptions out of the hospital?

We don't normally, but we help the organization Lending Paws a Hand by having animals available for viewing in the hospital so people can meet them easier.

What's the difference between an animal clinic and a hospital?

There are some vaccine clinics, like Petco and Pet Sense that offer shots, but you just go in, get a shot and leave. If your pet has a problem, they can't help you. We are able to do a lot more at the hospital.

Like a hospital for humans, does Family Veterinary allow walk-ins?

We do, but I prefer people to make appointments. I'm the only doctor here and I like to give people their full half an hour exam time, especially if they only come in once a year.

What has to happen every day at the hospital?

Cleaning. We sweep and mop the floors twice a day, clean the tables after each animal visit, clean the isolation room every day and deep clean it if an animal leaves.

What sort of issues do you most often see in animals?

Allergies are the number one problem I see. With all of the bugs, pollen, mold, you name it, we have it in N.C. I also see food allergies, but we have a lot of ways to help with all of that. We'll run tests until we figure out the exact allergy.

What are the more exotic animals you see?

It depends on what you consider exotic. We see a lot of pigs, chickens, parrots, ferrets, rabbits and lizards.

What's something a person might not know about veterinarians?

How much it costs to open a hospital. It took a half a million loan for me to set everything up here. That's why vet bills are expensive, but we work hard to keep costs down.

Do you service the San-Lee Park Nature Center animals?

Yes, but not the birds of prey. I do the turtles, snakes and other critters because I think it's fun. I'll also help injured animals people find, get them started here and refer them to rehabilitation centers.

What's the hardest part about being a veterinarian?

The economics of it. I want to save animals, but if people don't have money to fix the problem or the animal is unfixable, there's nothing I can do but put them down. It's really disappointing when animals are unfixable.

What's the most fun part?

Getting to see the animals and people every day, especially the exotics.

Family Veterinary Hospital is open from 7 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Friday and from 8 a.m.-6 p.m. on Saturdays. For more information or to set up an appointment, call the office at 919-718-0850 or visit the website at www.familyvetsanford.com.

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