Pet business is booming for veterinarian Dr. Brooke West who is preparing to move the Perrysburg Animal Hospital to a larger facility on Bass Pro Road in Rossford.
When looking for a new site, Dr. West did not want to transition too far from Hufford Road where Perrysburg Animal Hospital has been located for 44 years. She purchased the business in 2011 and began planning for the expansion five years ago. It was originally named Perrysburg Animal Clinic, but the name was recently changed to accurately reflect the hospital services provided at the facility, she said.
The new building is in the Crossroads of America development, a site approximately one mile from the current location, which also includes the Rossford Soccer Centre and Bass Pro Shops retail store. A grand opening will take place on March 7.
“We want our patients to be able to access us easily,” Dr. West said. “We think that area is up and coming and people would be able to see us. It was a collaboration of trying to figure out the best place to go and that seemed to fit all of our needs.”
Approximately $5 million has been invested in the new 10,000-square-foot building. It is triple the size of the current site and will house a full surgery suite, six exam rooms, and space for rehabilitation and doggy daycare services as well as pet boarding for cats and dogs.
It is also equipped with technology to perform a whole body pet CT scan, which is something no other clinic in this area is able to offer, Dr. West said.
“This will be a better space for us,” she said. “We don’t have the space in our current site and we want to offer more services.”
A separate 7,200 square-foot training facility will open next to the animal hospital in the spring.
Dr. West also owns the West Toledo Animal Hospital on Secor Road, which was expanded and renovated five years ago. A variety of services are available at both locations including grooming, chiropractic and acupuncture services, laser therapy, pain management, immunization, dental services, and radiology. An in-house lab and pharmacy are also available.
Women veterinarians are dominating the industry according to a 2019 report issued by the American Veterinary Medical Association, which reported 63 percent of its 116,000 members are female, a 12 percent increase over the number reported a decade ago.
In addition to Dr. West, five other female veterinarians provide animal care with various areas of specialization. Dr. Michelle Billings, who joined the group in 2018, is certified in fear-free and low-stress handling, which helps her to better understand the fear, anxiety, and stress that the animals are experiencing when they come to the hospital, she said.
“The basis of it is acknowledging that with our own patients and doing what we can to alleviate that for them,” Dr. Billings said.
She currently works out of the Perrysburg location where business has ramped up substantially in part because of a surge in pet adoptions during the pandemic lockdown. On a light day last week the staff handled 35 clinic appointments, eight surgeries and nine grooming appointments, but as many as 60 appointments have been handled in a single day, she said.
“Business here is exploding, we are bursting at the seams,” Dr. Billings said. “People’s mindsets have changed and pets are part of the family.”
Abigail Huber of Perrysburg brought her dog Jax in for treatment last week.
“They do such a great job, my dog Jax couldn’t really walk very well after surgery and she [Dr. Samantha Amodeo] worked with him for twelve weeks and got him up and moving,” Ms. Huber said.
The hospital also provides medical care at reduced rates for several rescue groups including Planned Pethood, said the organization’s executive director Amber Brunet.
“We've been partnered with Perrysburg Animal Hospital and West Toledo Animal Hospital for over a decade now and we can't thank them enough for their willingness to work with our rescue and for the veterinary services they provide. We're very excited about their expansion and the opportunities it will offer to both the public and the rescue community,” said Ms. Brunet.
First Published February 19, 2022, 4:00 p.m.
