Vet school completes $3.25 million renovations

The Foster Hospital for Small Animals has recently undergone $3.25 million worth of renovations to add 11,000 square feet, the Vet School announced last month.

The hospital is now 20 percent larger than a year ago, according to Dr. Philip Kosch, Dean of the Tufts Veterinary School. "We now can provide a better environment for animal patients and their owners, as well as an enhanced work space for our veterinary staff and better learning opportunities for our students," Kosch said.

The improvements were fully funded by charitable gifts from individuals and foundations, including a lead gift from Dr. and Mrs. Henry Foster. Dr. Foster is the founder of Charles River Laboratories, Inc., a trustee emeritus of the University, and a chair of the Board of Overseers to the Vet School.

The Vet School has faced increasing budget restrictions over the last several years as Massachusetts State funding has been decreased, and at one point, completely cut.

After 18 months of construction, the hospital has a new emergency room and trauma center, an expanded intensive care unit, and new hospital wards and treatment areas. A separate ward was created exclusively for cats, allowing the felines to avoid the potential stress of being near other small animals.

"The new ward areas provide housing and treatment spaces that meet the needs of veterinary medicine today," Vet School Hospital Director Dr. Steven Rowell said. "While our previous facilities were adequate, the reconfiguration of space, increased oxygen supplies to all wards, and the ability to bring computers right into patient areas allows hospital staff to deal with changing patient care needs more efficiently."

The addition of the feline ward is an important improvement, according to Rowell. "The separate facility allows the cats to avoid the stress of staring at dogs all day," he explained. "The whole atmosphere has improved and we now have significantly more breathing room."

This renovation is the first expansion of the small animal hospital from when it started in 1985. "When we first opened our hospital, we envisioned accommodating 12,000 patient visits per year," Kosch said. He said that the hospital can now handle over 23,000 patients annually.

In addition to treating dogs and cats, Foster staff and students care for a wide range of mammals, reptiles and birds that have gained popularity as pets. The hospital also says it has the nation's largest residency-training program in veterinary emergency and critical care.

President Lawrence Bacow joined Tufts' trustees and Vet School officials in November to re-dedicate the hospital during the school's ongoing 25th anniversary celebrations.

"It was a giant leap of faith when Tufts' Board of Trustees voted in 1978 to establish a School of Veterinary Medicine -- the only one in New England," Bacow said during his visit to the school. "Our expanded and newly renovated hospital is testament to our continuing focus on veterinary care quality and leadership."

Rowell was a member of the vet school's original graduating class. "I was here in 1979 when this campus consisted of old buildings and lots of dreams, he said. "We had no small animal hospital at Tufts until 1985. I got a good education, but the facilities we now have are incredible compared to 20 years ago."

"Our students now have the ability to see it all." Rowell said. "They will learn about things they cannot do in private practice, but they will know what can be done and how to properly work up a case for referral to a facility like we have at Tufts."