Elkhorn Veterinary Clinic treats animals of all sizes from across the region
By Anne Trautner
Assistant Editor
When the Elkhorn Veterinary Clinic was formed back in 1920, it was common practice for a veterinarian to make house calls in order treat animals.
Nearly a century later, that hasn’t changed.
Veterinarians from the Elkhorn Veterinarian Clinic today still go to homes or farms to treat animals, sometimes traveling up to 60 miles.
“They make house calls for various reasons,” said Margie Black, assistant manager for the clinic. “There are people who are homebound. Some pets are large, so they can’t get them here. Some dogs are crippled, and are too heavy for the clients to actually get them in their car.”
With six veterinarians, the practice has about 5,000 clients, many of whom have multiple animals that the clinic treats. Some clients travel great distances to obtain animal care from the Elkhorn Veterinary Clinic.
“I’ve seen people come here from Milwaukee and Appleton,” said Sara Dingman, who has worked as assistant manager for the clinic since 1998. “They are not necessarily coming here for routine things, but they’re coming here to see a specific doctor for specific needs.”
The needs may be for a small pet or to treat a large farm animal.
“That’s actually one of the unique things about us, because that is very uncommon now for veterinary clinics to treat both sizes of animals,” Black said.
The clinic’s patients include horses, cows, llamas, alpacas, goats, sheep, pigs, potbelly pigs, dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs and the occasional hedgehog.
“Our small animal practice is elite because it is accredited by the American Animal Hospital Association,” Dingman said. “Only 14 percent of the clinics in the country are AAHA accredited.”
To become accredited, the clinic must meet 900 standards in areas such as anesthesia, client service, continuing education, dentistry, pain management, surgery, patient care, team training, management, medical records and facility. The clinic voluntarily goes through the accreditation process every three years.
“It’s something to be really proud of,” Dingman said. “It’s a lot of work. We set ourselves above and beyond other places and we really try hard to maintain that level. It is a pretty important part of our practice. And that’s not just me working hard, it’s everybody. It’s a team effort.”
Another thing that sets the practice apart from other veterinary clinics is its diagnostic capabilities, Black said.
“We have an in-house laboratory, our X-rays are digital for both large and small animals, and we have digital ultrasound,” Black said. “Those are all investments that the practice made in providing superior service and diagnostics to our clients, and a way for us to remain green.”
Preventative care is a main focus of the practice, which is a joint partnership among four veterinarians, Dr. Jeff Korosec, Dr. Rick Tully, Dr. Bob Entwistle and Dr. Phil Burns.
The clinic also offers alternative forms of therapy to treat animals. Acupuncture, Chinese herbs, and veterinary spinal manipulative therapy (similar to chiropractic for humans) are all options pet or livestock owners may use in an effort to relieve pain for their animals. To alleviate their pet’s pain, some pet owners also seem to rely on CBD products, such as CBD oil that are available for pets.
“We use them for the same reasons why a human would, to hopefully relieve pain without the use of, or with reduced dependence on, medicine,” Black said. “It’s just another option open to our clients.”
And, of course, the clinic is ready to treat acute medical emergencies.
“Our large animal doctors are on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” Black said. “They have to be ready for obstetrics, illnesses and injuries. It’s the nature of the beast.”
