Editor’s note: The University of Illinois Veterinary Teaching Hospital is a sponsor of Chambanamoms.com.
Many Chambanamoms readers know that the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine is the only place in the state to earn a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree. But a lot of you may not realize that our college operates a full-service hospital. In fact, the college’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital is a specialty referral hospital equipped to meet just about any health needs of any type of animal.
This article spells out what S-P-E-C-I-A-L-T-Y means at our hospital.
Specialists: Of course, we have specialists! The hospital employs around 80 veterinarians, most with board certification in 16 specialty fields from anesthesiology to zoological medicine. Like a human hospital, we offer cardiology, dentistry/oral surgery, dermatology/otology (caring for ears), emergency and critical care, diagnostic imaging, neurology and neurosurgery, oncology, and ophthalmology.
Unlike a human hospital, we have specialists in large animal theriogenology (animal reproduction) and veterinary sports medicine and rehabilitation. Veterinary surgeons and internal medicine specialists gain certification focused on either small animals or large animals (horses, cows, etc.).
Partnering with GPs: Most of our patients come because their general practice veterinarian recommended specialty care. These referring veterinarians stay connected to the care plan, receiving communications about their patients’ diagnostic findings, treatment decisions, and discharge instructions, so they can provide follow-up care.
Education: The “teaching” part of our hospital’s name means that veterinary students will likely be part of your animal’s care team. Senior veterinary students often conduct the initial exam and communicate with you daily when your animal is hospitalized.
Our hospital also educates veterinarians completing one-year internships and three-year residencies in specialty areas. Residencies lead to eligibility to take a board exam to become a specialist and may be combined with a master’s degree.
Caring and Compassion: Improving lives lies at the heart of what we do. Providing exceptional patient care helps not only the animals but their human family and their general practice veterinarian. Delivering veterinary education and specialty training ensures that veterinary skills and knowledge are transferred to future generations of practitioners. And through clinical research, we develop new health solutions.
Innovation: Experts at our hospital are researching new and better ways to treat illnesses. You may have an opportunity to enroll your animal in a clinical trial that provides access to promising new treatments not otherwise available. In some cases, clinical trials help defray the cost of treatment.
All Species: At the Veterinary Teaching Hospital, we see everything from alpacas to zebra finches. This diversity of species sets us apart from other large specialty practices in the state.
In a typical year, more than 30,000 animal patients come to our hospital. The majority are dogs and cats, but we also see thousands of horses, cows, pigs, and other farm animals. We also care for more than 1,500 pet birds, fish, reptiles, rabbits, and other small furry pets and, through our Wildlife Medical Clinic, about 2,000 ill or injured wild animals, a year.
Outside the walls of our hospital, we provide veterinary care for around 6,000 horses and 12,000 other animals on farms, 1,000 dogs and cats at area animal shelters, and the animals at several central Illinois zoos. Our Chicago primary care practice sees more than 10,000 dogs and cats a year.
Latest Knowledge and Technology: No other veterinary facility in Illinois has the extensive technological capabilities available at our hospital. Our fully digital diagnostic imaging modalities include X-ray, 128-slice computed tomography (CT), ultrasound, endoscopy, and a 3-Tesla magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) unit able to accommodate horses’ legs and heads.
Pets with cancer receive chemotherapy, radiation therapy with a state-of-the-art linear accelerator, and novel immunotherapy approaches. Our hospital performs minimally invasive heart valve repair procedures available at only four other practices in the U.S. and is one of very few places worldwide offering advanced treatments for brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome in dogs and cats.
Teamwork: To ensure the best care for our patients, it takes more than just outstanding specialists, residents, interns, and veterinary students. Our hospital relies on more than 100 certified veterinary technicians plus veterinary assistants, animal caretakers, customer service representatives, and a host of other supportive staff members.
You: Finally, you are a critical part of the care team for your animal! At the Veterinary Teaching Hospital, we strive to fully inform you about your patient’s condition, treatment options and recommendations, prognosis, and charges. This information allows you to make the decision that’s best for your family.
Thanks for reading about our SPECIALTY hospital! We are here for you and your animals, whether they need specialty care, urgent or emergency care, or just routine health checks.