It sure is good to be a Charlottesville pet. In addition to organic puppy chow, natural goose down beds and those adorable matching outfits (à la Paris Hilton), lucky local pets are getting a new high-tech veterinary hospital.
Two veterinary clinics have teamed up to build a larger practice at Rio Court East. Village Animal Hospital and Charlottesville Animal Hospital will combine to form Charlottesville Veterinary Hospital, which will offer better facilities than the area has seen previously. The 7,000 square-foot hospital will include a surgery suite with sterilized air conditions, space for tele-medicine research and even a hydrotherapy unit for pet rehab.
Veterinary medicine is moving towards more human-quality conditions, says Dr. Al Smith at Village Animal Hospital. The closest facility for this type of care currently is about 50 miles away in Manakin.
Jay Kessler, chief operating officer of construction firm R.E. Lee & Sons, which is managing the project, says they’ll begin building around August, after the site plan is approved by the Albemarle County planning commission. The project’s budget is about $2 million, Kessler says, and should be completed in about eight months.
The hospital will serve private clients and take referrals, but don’t expect to see too many SPCA mutts in the hydrotherapy tub.
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