The team of Companions Animal Hospital prides itself on making your experience and your pets experience as positive as possible, whether here for a healthy pet visit, because your pet doesn't feel well, for surgery or just for a vacation.

Our vision and mission statement guide us in providing top notch care which includes keeping our facility updated and clean, purchasing and maintaining equipment that helps us diagnose, monitor and care for your pet, and most importantly educating ourselves and our clients in what constitutes ideal care for pets of all ages and multiple species.

We are proud to be an AAHA accredited hospital!   Being accredited by the American Animal Hospital Association means that we have passed stringent standards in 20 different categories.  It is surprising for some people to learn that there is no standard of care that is mandated for any veterinary hospital or clinic in the United States.  That means that each clinic can practice medicine at whatever level of care they choose.  We have decided to practice veterinary medicine at the highest level by following the standards developed by AAHA.  These standards include areas such as anesthesia, contagious disease, dentistry, emergency and critical care, pain management, patient care and medical records, just to name a few.  We strive to provide top-level care for all our patients and educate our clients about their options while still knowing that every client can choose the level of care they want for their individual pet.

Being AAHA accredited and AAHA affiliated are not the same thing.  Affiliated members and clinics do not have to be inspected, go through the evaluation process or follow the standards that AAHA certified hospitals do.  Only 15% of veterinary hospitals across the united states are AAHA accredited - We are proud to be among them!

What makes us different and special?

One of the things that stands out is the fact that we have an overnight care taker Monday through Friday.  This means we are staffed 24/7 during the days and nights when pets are hospitalized for illness, injury and post-surgery.  There are very few general practices across the United States that can say this.  It always surprises me when clients say, "Isn't somebody there overnight at every veterinary hospital or clinic?"  The answer is no!  So, why do we do this...This allows us to provide top-notch care for pets.  Our overnight caretakers are trained in monitoring pets closely by checking temperatures, pulse, respirations, color, pain level and much more; they are able to provide warmth, pain medications, adjust fluid rates per the veterinarians orders, give medications and most of all give love and attention to patients who are in need.  They also take pets for late night walks and are able to clean up immediately if a pet has an accident.  My question is always "Why doesn't EVERY veterinary clinic provide overnight care!?"

                                                                                                                                           Dr. Nancy Altena

I am very proud of our dental program.    Our program starts when you bring your pet in for their exam.  An evaluation of the mouth is done, and treatment recommendations are given.  We also go over, and demonstrate, home care.  The dental procdedures are done using the safest anesthestics for your pet, with a dedicated assistant monitoring their vital statistics.   Included is full mouth x-rays.  These are very important as you cannot see what is happening below the gum line without them.   Dentistry with out dental x-rays is kind of like asking your mechanic to fix your car without lifting the hood.  All dental procedures include the follow up visit to ensure proper healing and further home care.  You are welcome to come watch a procedure being done so that you feel as comfortable as possible.

                                                                                                                                             Kay Kortlever, CVT

I think the fact that we do housecalls makes us special.  We strive to make each owner and each patient visit as pleasant and stress free as possible.  Sometimes that means taking the doctor to the pet!  A house call visit from Dr. Altena has many benefits.  The pet can stay in the surroundings it is comfortable in, the owner doesn't have to drive, we can still do the yearly needs and blood work sampling that needs to be done.  Some animals, like our bird friends, shouldn't go out during bad weather.  Not every veterinary clinic does house calls but we make sure we are staffed such that it is an option for those patients and clients who don't want to come to us for their visits.

                                                                                                                                          Mendi Rogers, CVT

I think the fact that continuing education is mandatory for all employees makes us special.  It is very important to keep up to date on veterinary medicine.  We consider the opportunity to learn and grow through these programs a privilege.  These programs are extremely important and valuable to allow continued growth and improvement as an individual and as a team.  When a team member attends a continuing education class, that team member also comes back and teaches the rest of the team something learned at that class.

                                                                                                                                         Beth Burns, CCR

I think being a full service veterinary clinic makes us special.  We provide not only general practice veterinary services but boarding and grooming as well.  I can't think of a better place for a pet to stay while their owner is away than at their regular clinic.  We know the pet and their health history and should they become ill while their owner is away we are fully equipped to take care of them.  It is also more convenient for the pet owner as we have their pet's records so no calling and faxing around needs to be done to get the records to a boarding facility.  Offering grooming is also convenient for the owner.  Many times we can combine a doctor appointment with the pet's grooming appointment so everything can be done in one day saving the owner from having to make separate trips.

                                                                                                                             Holly Murphy, Office Manager