Small is Mighty: New Piedmont Animal Clinic Has Big Plans
by Caroline Fout
A strong trio of experienced veterinarians have taken charge at the newly-established Small Animal Clinic at Piedmont Equine in Marshall.
An addition to the pre-existing Piedmont Equine Clinic, the Small Animal Clinic opened its doors on May 25 with Pamela Thayer Davis, Gretchen Verheggen and Renee Nolan heading the practice.
“Our first patient was a rooster named Hook,” Davis said with a smile. “The Piedmont Equine Clinic has been around since 1996, and the process of building this addition started five years ago, with the acquisition of the property where the practice is now located.
“We broke ground last February,” added Mandy Steinhoff, the manager of the Small Animal Clinic at the Marshall end of the Zulla Road near the Tri-County feed store. Steinhoff played a key role in overseeing the construction process of the new clinic, which remains attached to the equine clinic. The two practices share some of the same ultrasound and digital x-ray equipment.
“We’ve been living, sleeping, breathing this project for the last year-plus,” Davis said. And by the looks of the new facility, she couldn’t be more accurate.
The clinic houses four exam rooms, one of which is specific to cats. A surgery wing has two raised operating tables with heated tops to prevent hypothermia while the patient undergoes surgery. The surgery room also includes state-of-the-art anesthesia machines, which stand on wheels and “increases our ability to move and work around pets in certain situations,” Steinhoff said.
A large treatment room stands adjacent to the surgery suite, in which all three head veterinarians have situated their office.
“Its kind of like a fishbowl, so we can always see what’s going on from the office,” Verheggen said.
Next to their office are multiple recovery cages in which furry visitors can relax after surgery. Two large dog kennels and one cat ward occupy the back part of the clinic, as well as an isolation ward.
“The isolation ward gets its own separate entrance,” Verheggen said. “We want to be as careful as possible.”
The clinic holds a special consideration for cats.
“They are much more nervous animals than dogs,” Nolan said, the main reason the practice has installed a cat-only exam room as well as a cat-only ward in order to keep felines tranquil and separate from canine patients.
The cat-only exam room is equipped with a smaller, cat-specific scale as well as a pheromone adapter, which is easily plugged into the wall. It emits a feline scent to make cats feel more comfortable. Pet owners who bring in their cats also can walk directly back to the cat exam room, eliminating the possibility of their pet becoming stressed by running into a dog or other animal.
The unique cat-friendly part of the clinic reflects the extensive amount of knowledge that Davis, Nolan, and Verheggen possess as veterinarians.
Attending the Virginia Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, both Davis and Nolan graduated together in 1991. Nolan and Davis’s husbands, John Nolan and Joe Davis, are also head of the veterinary services at Piedmont Equine Clinic, directly connected to the Small Animal Clinic.
And talk about a powerhouse team. Verheggen is a 2014 Cornell University graduate, who came to intern at the Equine Clinic soon after she graduated. However, she left for a year to participate in specialty medical image training.
“Gretchen has high skills in ultrasound and radiology,” Davis said. “So instead of having to refer out for these kinds of things, we can have them done in house.”
Verheggen returned as the construction of the Small Animal Clinic at Piedmont Equine was underway, and hasn’t looked back. Steinhoff started as a receptionist, eventually becoming the clinic manager as well as overseer of the practice’s construction.
“All of us have collectively known each other for a long time, so we can work well together,” Davis said. The clinic is open on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and will take any and all kinds of small animals.
“We’re open, we’re ready to see everybody, and are very anxious to make our family a part of your family,” Steinhoff said. “We want it to be a good experience for the pet and pet owner.”
Even if that pet is a rooster named Hook.