MERIDIAN, IDAHO — More people are moving to Meridian, and many are bringing their beloved pets with them. A brand new veterinary hospital under construction near Ten Mile and McMillan will help address the growing demand for local veterinary needs.
- Pet hospitals in Meridian are consistently being filled up due to high population density.
- Construction on a new location off Ten Mile has started.
- Pawspital Animal Hospital is hoping to open its doors in October or November
- The building will have multiple services allowing the location to take care of more than 1,000 pets a month.
(Below is the transcript from the broadcast story)
We love our pets but many Treasure Valley pet owners have faced difficulties getting into a local vet office, especially on short notice. I'm your North Meridian neighborhood reporter Alexander Huddleston and behind me is a construction sight but soon the Pawspital Animal Hospital will take its place.
"We love our animals, they are just like our own kids," said one local walking her dog at the park.
Pat Caccamo lives in Meridian with her dog, but a few years ago she lost her beloved cocker spaniel after a medical emergency.
"So I took it to the closest veterinarian, and they couldn’t help me but they suggested I go to the emergency center," said Caccamo.
Her nearby vet was all booked up and that emergency center was across town taking her 20 minutes to get there. But soon pet owners in North Meridian will have a new option.
Doctor Joshua Smith, recently moved here from Alabama, hoping to chase his dream of owning his own veterinary hospital. By the end of the year this site near Ten Mile and McMillan will be home to the new 3,100-square-foot Pawspital Animal Hospital, filling a growing demand in the community.
Smith explained, "Our one to two weeks out. it can't wait one to two weeks. So we are working in between appointments and doing the best we can. It can be tough. So this gives another opportunity, another location for someone to go."
Smith told me once they reach full capacity with four doctors they will be able to see more than a thousand patients a month.
"There are five exam rooms. A dental suite, which is kind of my expertise I guess you could say. A surgical suite. There is a pharmacy, treatment, x-ray. There will be a dental x-ray as well," listed Smith.
As for those in the community like Caccamo, it's exciting to see a new option open its doors close by.
"But I know how I feel towards him, so I think it is important. I just think it is comforting that I know where to take him that’s close. I don't have to drive 20 or half hours away.
They'll be taking new clients when they open to the public aiming for this October or November.
