Our interview series have given new insights into different aspects of our community, from small business owners to newspaper staff. Now, we'd like to showcase the work done by those who care for our four-legged, winged and even scaled companions. For this series, we're interviewing animal care specialists.
This week, I spoke with Anna Cohen. She is the manager of the Blue Ridge Animal Clinic in Lexington.
What services does this location provide?
We provide both large and small animal services. Small animal services: cats, dogs, we see the odd chicken or two, couple of ferrets but not recently. Primarily cats and dogs. As far as large animals go, we do sheep, goats, pigs, llamas, horses, bovine - dairy and beef.
Does this location have a high volume of animals?
Yes, most definitely. We are right smack dab in the middle of this rural shortage area. Rural shortage areas are established by the federal government. We have over 620 large animal clients. That doesn't mean that we see them all the time but as far as active clients across all counties, it's quite a lot.
How does this location handle the volume of animals?
We just have an amazing group of receptionists. There are three of them. One has been here over 30 years, one for 20 years, and then one that is relatively newer but they steer the ship. I mean, they take the calls, they triage things, they know how to schedule so that the travel time is right and the doctors are going in the right directions at the right times. It's not easy to do. A lot of times, what they can't fit in the schedule themselves, they will leave a message for the large animal doctor saying, 'I put it in here, I got it in there' and then they pop it in the schedule. So it's really a team effort. The receptionists really hold the boat together, I'd say. They're great ladies.
What do you like most about working with animals?
I myself don't directly work with them because I'm the business manager. I fell into this position because I have a background in farming and animals. I would say, speaking generally for everybody, I think they're in this profession because they love animals, they care about animals, care about food animal producers, and people who try to make a living through farming, and the people that own these animals. It's amazing what people do for their pets; they're really like their children.
What is a major challenge for animal care in our area?
I would say the shortage of veterinarians and licensed veterinary technicians. It's been challenging to find a strictly small animal veterinarian. I don't know if it's because our practice is unique in that we're truly a mixed animal location. I mean it's really about 50/50 or 60/40. There's equal division between the large and the small animal. There's a shortage of veterinarians out there and then there's also a shortage of licensed veterinary technicians. So, I think finding people to fill those positions is not always easy.
We're up against corporate owned practices, so being a private practice and having been around for over 40 years now, it's hard to compete with corporate supported practices. They will offer a whole lot of money and signing bonuses and things like that. We don't have the corporate manpower behind recruitment and all the stuff that they do.
Also to make sure that it's the right cultural fit as well because, I think for us particularly, it's important. We've been part of the community for such a long time, so we're not concerned with shuffle in and shuffle out. I think we pride ourselves on being part of the community, knowing our clients, and developing relationships with them and their pets. So, you're not just in and out.
What is the most common animal seen at this location?
Either canines or bovines. It’s probably pretty close. If you count when you do a herd visit: the large animal doctors will go out, and if they're going to preg check 150 cows, that's 150 cows in a day versus however many small animals we see. So it's hard to actually answer that question and have it be like, apples to apples, because it's not.
What was the most unusual animal seen at this location?
Since I've been here, probably the most unusual is either the baby kangaroo or the penguin, but that was when we had a staff member that also worked at the Safari park. She was, like, the assistant curator over there, so she would sometimes bring unwell pets. But since she's not here anymore, we haven't really had any strange ones like that. We have a parrot that comes in every once in a while to get his beak and his toes trimmed. Nothing super strange, I would say.
What advice would you give to new animal owners in this area?
Enjoy your pet, time goes by fast. Never hesitate to call if you feel like something's wrong. Your pets will let you know when something's wrong. Socialize your pet. I've had pets my whole life and farm animals most of my adult life. You can't know the amount of love you get back from a dog or a cat. It's hard to quantify. Just be there for your pet and look for signals. Enjoy them. Mess with their feet a lot.
