WestVet, Idaho’s only locally owned, multi-specialty, 24-hour emergency veterinary hospital, was recently certified as a Level I facility by the Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Society (VECCS), placing it in the top 1% of veterinary hospitals nationwide.

Garden City, Idaho — The Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Society (VECCS) has awarded WestVet with Level 1 certification after determining the Boise area hospital meets all of the stringent requirements in providing top-notch care to pet owners. This is a significant accomplishment. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), more than 65,000 veterinary hospitals practice in the United States. VECCS reports only 41 veterinary hospitals have earned a Level I, II, or III certification; of these 41 high performing facilities, just 18 have achieved Level I status. In addition, WestVet is the only animal hospital in Idaho and the surrounding region to hold this prestigious certification.

The VECCS identifies a Level I facility as a 24-hour acute care facility with both the resources and specialty training necessary to provide sophisticated emergent and critical care with a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care employed full time and available for consultation either on-site or by phone 24/7. In order to attain a Level I certification, an emergency and critical care facility must offer 24-hour acute care with highly trained doctors and support staff and be open to receive small animal emergency patients 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

A few of the other prerequisites include detailed completion of patient medical records, continuing education standards, board-certified veterinary specialists on site, specialty medical equipment, high-level anesthetic monitoring, and a surgical team and dedicated surgical preparation area. A partial list of the specialized medical procedures and equipment required includes canine and feline red blood cell and plasma transfusion products, central venous catheters, chest tubes, on-site laboratory equipment, analgesia, advanced surgical instruments, ultrasound, endoscopy, and much more. 

Dr. Dan Hume, DACVIM, DACVECC, WestVet ER Chief, said this designation is an honor as it recognizes the level of training and preparedness of our technicians and doctors for any type of small animal emergency. 

WestVet, Idaho’s only integrated small animal emergency and critical care hospital, provides the highest level of emergency veterinary care in the Treasure Valley and surrounding region. Located in a 10,000-sq-ft facility near the intersection of 50th and Chinden in Garden City, WestVet provides the most progressive care in the industry with the services of board-certified emergency and critical care specialists, pathologists, internists, an oncologist, surgeons, ophthalmologists, dermatologist, and radiologist, as well as a feline behaviorist and a canine rehabilitation and physiotherapy doctor. In all, the team includes more than twenty veterinarians and more than 80 support staff.

The Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Society is an international, professional society of veterinarians, veterinary technicians, and managers dedicated to promoting the advancement of knowledge and high standards of veterinary emergency medicine and critical patient care. Their mission is to raise the level of patient care in the industry and improve both the access and quality of emergency and critical care to every patient in need. For more information in regards to Level I certification, please refer to the VECCS website at www.veccs.org.

WestVet’s critical care hospital is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and all holidays. 

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