Eighty-three percent of pet owners refer to themselves as their pet’s “mom” or “dad,” and seventy-three percent of them are willing to “spare no expense” to provide for their pet’s well-being, according to the American Animal Hospital Association.  No doubt, pet owners demand a higher level of emergency care as well as the use of advanced technology in treating their animals.

To help meet the specialty, emergency and critical care veterinary needs of area pet owners, Charleston Veterinary Referral Center (CVRC), located at 3484 Shelby Ray Court in Charleston, will open for business on Monday, February 28th.

In celebration, the public is invited to CVRC’s open house Saturday, February 26th from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with a special presentation and ribbon cutting with Mayor Joseph P. Riley Jr. at 10:30 a.m.  During the event, tours of the state of the art veterinary hospital will be available and CVRC’s Board Certified specialists, emergency veterinarians, technicians and staff will be on hand to share information about the new facility and services.

“CVRC is Charleston’s most advanced Emergency and Critical Care Veterinary Center,” explains CVRC founder Dr. Alan Green. “The facility will be operated and staffed by board certified and residency trained specialists, emergency doctors, and veterinary nurses equipped to provide a broad range of services, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.”

Construction began in October 2010 on the new 16,000-square-foot hospital that is intended to serve a three-fold purpose.  It will offer 24-hour, seven-day-a-week emergency and critical care in a dedicated, state of the art intensive-care unit (ICU). Highly trained emergency staff, led by South Carolina’s only residency trained critical care doctor, will be available to attend to the most seriously ill patients. The hospital will also serve as a referral service to area veterinarians for pets requiring the added expertise of board certified specialists in a range of fields.  Specialty referral services will include cardiology, neurology and neurosurgery, internal medicine, nephrology, emergency and critical care, as well as minimally invasive, orthopedic and soft tissue surgery. CVRC has future plans for anesthesiology, oncology, ophthalmology, dermatology and more. CVRC is dedicated to being a valued extension of the referring veterinarian’s practice.  Finally, the CVRC imaging center will consist of technologies such as MRI, CT scan, ultrasound and color flow Doppler, digital radiology and fluoroscopy.

Dr. Green has worked as a small animal veterinary practitioner for more than 25 years. The former founder and owner of the Katonah Bedford Veterinary Center in Bedford Hills, New York, an emergency, critical care and specialty referral center comprised of 25 doctors and 100-plus staff members, Dr. Green exhibits a passion for excellence in veterinary care. He was also one of the original founders of BrightHeart Veterinary Centers, a national network of advanced-care veterinary centers, where he served as the Chief Operating Officer until 2008.

After a year of retirement, Dr. Green found he missed his staff along with managing and mentoring young veterinarians.  He also recognized the need for an emergency and specialty veterinary referral center in Charleston, and set out to attract the very best and brightest veterinary specialists and staff motivated to bring a new standard of excellence to the area.

“The two most important commitments of our practice are to outstanding patient care and exceptional client service,” explains Dr. Green, who has assembled a team of board certified veterinary specialists, emergency doctors, and experience veterinary nurses.  “CVRC will employ a cohesive team of veterinary professionals and staff dedicated to practicing the highest caliber of medicine and surgery available. We believe that medical care and customer service are intertwined.   How pet owners and referring veterinarians feel and are treated is just as important as great medicine. CVRC doctors and staff will work tirelessly toward the goal of great communication at all levels of care.”

Finally, CVRC is committed to being a center of veterinary education, as well as a medical center of excellence. Dr. Green is forming a strategic alliance with the Trident Veterinary Technical College to create better opportunities for those students to have access to organized externships and internships at CVRC.  “I feel it is the responsibility of the specialty community to raise the level of awareness and expertise in a region. CVRC is excited to bring continuing education to veterinarians, veterinary nurses, and pet owners alike.”

For more information, visit www.CharlestonVRC.com.  Follow CVRC on www.Facebook.com/CharlestonVRC.