When you work at the only 24-7 animal hospital in the area, your caseload is anything but
ordinary.
If you peek into the exam rooms at Hawthorne Animal Hospital on an average day, you may
spot a kitten waiting for her first vaccines, an axolotl looking a little pale around the gills, and a
rabbit with an ear infection. While across the hall in the operating suite, a hawk is undergoing
surgery to fix a broken wing.
For veterinarians like me, it’s a dream job – the chance to help both beloved pets and native
wildlife live their happiest, healthiest lives. Even when a quiet morning turns chaotic, the team
at Hawthorne goes above and beyond to make a difference for every animal and human
who walks through our doors.
My 12-hour day at the hospital starts at 7 a.m., when the day shift doctors and nurses attend
rounds with the overnight team to discuss the status of our hospitalized patients, from their
medications to any side effects or pain they may be experiencing. Every pet in our care receives
a full exam at shift change so we can identify and treat concerns that arise during their hospitalization,
as well as provide their family with any health updates.
Wellness checks, vaccinations, and non-emergency appointments start at 8 a.m. with surgeries
scheduled throughout the day. While all veterinarians are well versed in primary and preventative
care, we also have practitioners devoted to specialized care, including rehabilitation,
chemotherapy, ultrasound, and orthopedics.
While most of my colleagues provide excellent care for dogs and cats, I also enjoy treating exotic pets,
such as birds, reptiles, rodents, and even fish. For example, rabbits make up 30 to 40 percent of my
caseload because of my work with a rabbit rescue in the St Louis region.
The experience we’ve built at Hawthorne has also made the hospital the medical partner for
Treehouse Wildlife Center, which rescues, rehabilitates, and releases native wildlife. One of my
most memorable experiences has been repairing a fractured wing on a bald eagle who is now
able to fly again after receiving care at the clinic.
Because Hawthorne is also an emergency animal hospital, we take emergent cases from
across the Metro East. Acute care is truly a collaborative effort, requiring a team of experienced
veterinarians and technicians skilled in state-of-the-art diagnostics and medical and surgical
interventions. The hours following a high-risk medical event are the most critical, so most pets
are admitted into our 24-hour intensive care unit (ICU) for additional care and monitoring.
As a veterinarian and an animal lover, It’s incredibly gratifying to watch a puppy head home
with his family after being hit by a car just days before, knowing that our team pulled out every
stop to save their life.
When it comes to life as a veterinarian, there’s no typical day at the office – every shift comes
with the unexpected. But when you are as passionate about caring for animals as we are at
Hawthorne, there’s no challenge we won’t overcome together to take exceptional care of your
pet.