Construction is underway on WestVet’s new two-story specialty veterinary center in Garden City. The 32,000 square-foot hospital, three times the size of the current space, will be one of the largest animal care centers in the Northwest, West Vet officials said.
WestVet serves Idaho, Eastern Oregon, Montana, Wyoming, Nevada, and Utah.
“Our new hospital was designed to enable our specialty team to better serve our patients, clients, and area veterinarians,” says Dr. Jeff Brourma, WestVet part owner and Chief of Staff.
Elements of the specialty center include:
• An advanced intensive care unit for critically sick animals.
• Five state-of-the-art surgery suites, along with a designated anesthesia recovery area.
• Cutting-edge imaging services such as CT and MRI.
• A full physiotherapy suite equipped with electronic hoists for large dogs.
• On-site comprehensive diagnostic laboratory led by veterinary pathologists.
In addition to treatment advancements, the new hospital comprises multiple means for owner-pet interaction. The ICU visitation area enables owners to privately visit critically sick or injured pets when they receive medical care. A family comfort room, complete with a home-living environment and outdoor sanctuary, affords families a more natural environment for visitation and peaceful euthanasia.
“I have no doubt that an owner’s interaction with a hospitalized pet improves its attitude, speed of recovery, and the ultimate outcome. Therefore, we focused design components on areas where we could help foster the human-animal bond during hospitalization,” Brourma said.
As a referral center, WestVet maintains a close working relationship with family practice veterinarians. The specialist team offers monthly continuing education lectures on cutting-edge veterinary medicine practices. The new facility includes a large auditorium-style classroom for the lectures that will enable veterinary professionals to meet licensure requirements.
The site of the new facility is the one-acre lot located at 50th Street and Chinden Blvd. in Garden City. Formerly the home of Cars USA, the property is adjacent to and just south of WestVet’s current location.
The present-day 11,000 sq. foot hospital, located on Sawyer Ave. in Garden City, was built in 2001 and expanded in 2007. However, as the need for veterinary specialty care has grown, WestVet’s veterinary team and support staff has expanded -- making the current facility insufficient to serve the growing caseload. In addition to serving Northwest pets and owners, the hospital will help in recruiting veterinary students, interns, and residents to Idaho, officials said.
Construction began last week and is expected to be completed later this year. During construction, WestVet remains open and will continue to provide 24-hour emergency care and services.
