Veterinarians, vet technicians, practice managers, rescuers, behaviorists, nutritionists, trainers, volunteers, and other animal professionals are the backbone of pet ownership. Helping pets and their families live in harmony and health together.

Catster wants to highlight some of these underrated champions of the animal world. Who we like to refer to as Heroes of The Pet World.

We plan to interview some of the most inspiring vet clinics, animal hospitals, animal shelters, and rehabilitation organizations worldwide to share their wonderful and often harsh experiences while working to help, heal, guide, revitalize, and protect our furry family members.

These are the stories of unsung animal superheroes!

Let’s Get to Know Animal Care Hospital of Phoenix!

Mission

In your own words, what is Animal Care Hospital of Phoenix’s mission and purpose?

Our mission is simple: to provide high-quality, progressive, fear-free veterinary medicine, delivered with compassion in a healthy, fun work environment. As an independently-owned, private hospital we answer only to our clients, not a corporation.

What is your individual mission or goal, as a vet professional and as a person?

We spend a lot of time educating owners about the best way to keep their pets healthy and happy. We love seeing their bond grow with their pet each time we see them. We also serve a very economically-diverse community, so we make it our mission to focus on treatments that provide the best value to our clients.

Day-to-Day Experience

What is it like being a vet professional in the Phoenix, Arizona?

Exciting and sometimes challenging because we have many ‘snowbirds’ who are only here part of the year, so continuity of care is sometimes an issue. Also the summer heat can be really tough for some of our patients. We are lucky to have staff that are bilingual, so communicating with our Spanish-speaking clients is not a problem.

What does a regular day look like?

One of our doctors performs surgeries and dentals, while the other doctors are seeing sick and well patients. We typically have a specialist or two drop by to perform procedures like CT scans, ultrasounds, orthopedic surgeries etc. which is nice because the clients and pets are in a familiar location with staff they know.

How big is your team?

We have three awesome DVMs, and a very experienced team of 15 technicians and receptionists. We’re big enough to be a full-service hospital, but small enough to give personalized care to every client and patient. We are super-focused on our culture and spend a lot of time on promoting teamwork. It must be working because we’ve had zero turnover – knock on wood!

How many animals on average do you help on a weekly basis?

We help around 200 pets each week. We go through a lot of lint rollers for all that fur.

Challenges and Rewards

What is the hardest part of your job?

It’s terribly sad to see a pet that has been neglected! It’s equally hard to know we have the ability to help a sick or hurting animal, but the owner isn’t compliant with treatment.

What are some of the biggest challenges that your organization faces?

It’s no surprise that veterinary care is expensive, and some treatments are out of financial reach of some clients. That’s why we are challenged to provide a creative spectrum of care for folks with limited means. We change our focus regarding ‘everything’ the pet needs to what affordable treatments would have the biggest impact.

What is the most rewarding part of doing what you guys do?

It’s so rewarding to make the problem go away – like seeing an animal that is miserable, suffering from a skin disorder, and being able to cure it. Seeing the relief on the owner’s face, and watching an animal living their best life is the best. Also, watching pets grow up and seeing the human/animal bond grow with them is a very beautiful thing.

What are some of the accomplishments or specific animals that have made a big impact on you as a person or on your team?

There have been some great new therapeutics that have made a huge impact on improving the health of our patients, like Solensia to treat arthritis in cats or new diabetes treatments.

Our team has been impacted by Sprout – a little feral kitten that a client noticed stopped eating. She brought the kitten in, and upon radiographs saw he had a hole in his intestines. We decided, as a team, to adopt the kitten and do the surgery. Now Sprout is a handsome resident of our hospital. He’s very popular!

Future

What are Animal Care Hospital of Phoenix’s main goals for the future?

Our main goals for the future include having more involvement with the communities we serve. For example, last week our entire team had dinner at “Pizza to the Rescue” – a local restaurant that gives 25% of its proceeds to an animal shelter on its property. As individuals we aspire to always be open to new ideas and ways of doing things. We are all life-long-learners.

How can the general public help make your lives easier?

We’d love it if everyone came in for routine wellness exams and health screenings to optimize their pet’s wellbeing. Unfortunately, we often see a kitten, then don’t see that cat until 5-6 years later, when they have a problem. Cats are great at hiding pain. Just because they’re eating/drinking normally doesn’t mean they feel good. It’s absolutely true that catching a disease or problem early will have better outcomes then waiting until your pet is in distress.

Stories

What are some of the funniest or most outrageous pet names you’ve encountered?

Here are some of our favorite felines: Whitey Bulger, Cindy Crawford, Slim Shady,
Fancy-Chancey-Pants, Soup, Sir Bowie Pickles III,

How to Help

If someone wants to visit, join, support, or volunteer at your organization, where can they find more information and get in touch?

Our website is azvet.com – pretty easy to remember! We’re also on Instagram and Facebook.

Anything else you’d like to tell the cat community?

A big reason why folks choose cats over other companion animals is because they think cats are low maintenance. But cats greatly benefit from enrichment activities, different types of exercise, and lots of interaction with humans. Also, if you think cats are happier if they’re allowed to go outside, remember that indoor cats suffer from fewer diseases and live longer. Finally, please don’t take medical advice from social media. We’d rather have you ask us if a diet or product is all-that-and-a-bag-of-chips!