by WestVet on January 18, 2017.

WestVet Animal Emergency and Specialty Center invites the public to a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony and Open House on Saturday, January 17, 2017 to see the new state-of-the-art facility.

Garden City, Idaho – WestVet, Idaho’s only small animal emergency and specialty center, now operates out of a state-of-the-art 32,000 square foot trauma center. Located at the corner of Chinden and 50th in Garden City, the animal hospital remains one of the largest and most progressive in the Northwest. WestVet serves patients from throughout Idaho, Eastern Oregon, Montana, Wyoming, Nevada, and Utah.

The general public is invited to a formal ribbon cutting at 3:30 PM. Garden City Mayor John Evans and members of the Garden City Chamber of Commerce will be in attendance. A letter from Governor Butch Otter will be shared. Immediately following the ceremony, WestVet staff will lead behind-the-scenes tours of the animal trauma center and provide refreshments.

The new trauma center. Design and construction focused primarily on serving the needs of patients and pet owners. This includes the following design elements:

• A new treatment modality: a small animal hyperbaric oxygen chamber used for wound management and various inflammatory diseases
• 16 exam rooms
• Feline-only treatment areas
• A full physiotherapy suite for land and water therapy
• An electric hoist and track system for large dogs
• An expanded comprehensive diagnostic laboratory, led by veterinary pathologists, servicing WestVet and several area veterinary hospitals
• An outdoor sanctuary and indoor comfort room, complete with a home-living environment, affording families a more natural environment for visitation and peaceful euthanasia
• An advanced intensive care unit for critically sick patients.
• 5 state-of-the-art surgery suites, along with a designated anesthesia recovery area
• Cutting-edge imaging services such as CT and MRI

In addition to treatment advancements, the new hospital comprises multiple means for owner-pet interaction such as the ICU visitation area. The new design enables owners to privately visit critically sick or injured pets – a goal that remained at the forefront for Dr. Jeff Brourman, WestVet Chief of Staff, and Veterinary Surgeon. “Doing things that foster the human-animal bond served as inspiration for several areas of our hospital.”

For veterinary professionals, the large auditorium-style classroom provides space for continuing education on cutting-edge veterinary medicine practices. As a referral center, WestVet maintains a close working relationship with family practice veterinarians and professionals and provides continuing education lectures to them on a regular basis.

Hospital design alone comprised a two-year undertaking. Brourman consulted with numerous veterinary professionals and architects in developing this progressive and innovative facility.

Dr. Brouman says his inspiration to expand specialty services that were available in the Treasure Valley grew, along with the patient load. “We have been pleased to serve the pets of the northwest,” Brourman said. “Our only challenge has been to accommodate the growing number and needs of our patients. Building the new hospital enabled us to expand services and improve care to our patients and their owners.”

About WestVet.

Idaho’s only multi-specialty, 24-hour emergency veterinary hospital, is locally owned by Dr. Jeff Brourman, Dr. John Chandler, and Dr. Carrie Breaux. Hospital details include:

• 36 veterinarians; 18 of whom are board-certified veterinary specialists
• 140 total staff members
• A unique internship training and joint residency program, in partnership with Washington State University – only one other such program exists
• In October 2015, WestVet achieved Level 1 certification from the Veterinary Emergency and Critical Society (VECCS). This distinction places the trauma center among the top 1% of veterinary hospitals in the country; only 18 veterinary emergency centers have earned that honor.
• Current veterinary specialties provided:
  • surgery
  • internal medicine
  • emergency/critical care
  • ophthalmology
  • radiology
  • oncology
  • cardiology
  • dentistry
  • dermatology
  • physiotherapy
  • pathology
  • feline behavior

The new state-of-the-art care center will allow WestVet specialists to better serve Idaho pets and area family veterinarians that utilize its services.