Veterinary college extends four-decade vision with planned renovation, expansion
Joseph Carucci had one thought watching his once-energetic shephered mix Pasha faltering: "she was gone."
His hope was almost gone. But at a friend’s suggestion, he made the one-hour drive from Boones Mill to Blacksburg, bringing Pasha to the Veterinary Teaching Hospital at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine.
Once there, Laura Vega, clinical assistant professor, made a quick and important discovery amid Pasha’s rampant blood pressure and blood sugar problems: Her body was not making enough cortisol.
With that simple but not immediately obvious finding, Pasha was given cortisol supplementation and quickly turned the corner.
Pasha wasn’t gone. Carucci’s fading hope was uplifted.
Outgrowing 1980s space
Restoring hope where little remains. Resuscitating life that is in danger. Enhancing quality of life in the face of pain. Maintaining and improving health that is already strong. All while educating the next generation of veterinarians.
Those have been commitments at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital for nearly four decades.
The teaching hospital has been a critical part of veterinary education and community outreach since 1987, three years after the college awarded its first Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degrees. But it has simply outgrown its 1980s-era space.
In 2024, Virginia Tech’s Board of Visitors approved a $4.3 million planning authorization to begin the design process of a monumental renovation and expansion of the teaching hospital.
"We're really excited about our vision to have a cutting-edge teaching hospital," said M. Daniel Givens, dean of the veterinary college.
“Right now, we're in the feasibility and planning stages, working to hire our architectural and engineering firm and construction manager."
The veterinary college’s vision is the renovation of 25,000 existing gross square feet and the addition of approximately 32,000 gross square feet.
“This expansion will provide great service to dogs and cats that need clinical care, but it will also transform our educational mission by giving our faculty more room in surgery suites for teaching and creating better spaces for student learning," Givens said.
"This is critical as the teaching hospital really hasn't had an expanded footprint since 1987.”
Construction is scheduled to begin in December 2026 pending final Board of Visitors approval, Givens said, with completion in November 2028.
“We're excited that our students in the class of 2029 will get to experience these new facilities,” Givens said. “Throughout the entire construction period, we will maintain full operations because we will have patients to serve, clients to serve, and students to teach continuously."
A philanthropy campaign seeking $9 million is ongoing with the goal of providing the additional funding support necessary for the vision to be fully realized. Through your gift, you can be a part of the hospital’s exciting future.
“We currently have substantial cash and support from the university,” Givens said, “but we do need additional philanthropic funding of $9 million to have this project fully funded."
More room for collaboration
A vibrant teaching hospital allows for different specialties to coordinate and collaborate with one another to develop innovative solutions that provide hope for animal patients and human clients.
Pasha’s treatment required the expertise of many specialists, including teams in internal medicine, radiology, and anesthesia, as well as support from veterinary students and licensed veterinary technicians.
"Cases like this show how everything is interconnected," recent graduate Sydney Boo explained. Boo worked on Pasha’s case as one of her final experiences during her clinical year.
Expanding the veterinary hospital will give each specialty expanded space for updated equipment, collaboration, teaching, the treatment of animals, and consultation with their owners.
Furthering the research
Hope extends even beyond just the current patients at the hospital. Amy Amos and her 9-year-old bull mastiff, Phina, navigated the challenges of a terminal osteosarcoma diagnosis with the support of the hospital’s clinical trials.
Rather than opting for aggressive surgical interventions, Amos chose to enroll Phina in a clinical trial exploring the combination of histotripsy, a noninvasive focused ultrasound treatment, and immunotherapy.
This innovative treatment aims to destroy tumor tissue while stimulating the immune system, potentially offering pain relief and improved quality of life without the need for amputation or extensive chemotherapy.
While Phina experienced a few difficult days post-treatment, she quickly returned to her usual spirited self, with noticeable improvements in her comfort and mobility.
For Amos, participating in the clinical trial is about more than just helping her own dog — it’s about contributing to a greater good.
“It furthers the research and helps them develop things that might help other dogs,” she said. “I know how much they learn here, and I love that they do research. It also transfers to human medicine eventually, which is really meaningful.”
Education, service at all times
Veterinary emergencies don’t fit neatly on anyone’s schedule.
The Veterinary Teaching Hospital at Virginia Tech offers the only emergency neurology and neurosurgery veterinary service available seven days a week in Virginia, with at least one of its four faculty members on rotation each weekend.
The neurology team's mission is threefold: research, clinical service, and education of the next generation of veterinary professionals. These purposes weave together seamlessly.
Veterinary students and hospital residents get to see and assist in many surgeries they might observe rarely in most private practices.
"They get to see a lot of brain tumor therapy, whereas a lot of times in other neurological practices, once your patient gets diagnosed with a brain tumor, the client either takes the dog home to enjoy some time with it, or they call it quits and decide to euthanize at that time," said John Rossmeisl, the Dr. and Mrs. Dorsey Taylor Mahin Professor of Neurology and Neurosurgery.
"So, they get to see those patients, and they get to see those patients after treatment, sometimes for many, many months."
Consider supporting the teaching hospital
While some veterinary colleges are utilizing a distributive model in which students get their hands-on experience entirely at clinics outside the college, and veterinary students at Virginia Tech also learn through externships at outside facilities, the veterinary college remains strongly committed to its Veterinary Teaching Hospital as a cornerstone of its curriculum to develop the next generation of veterinarians.
Moreover, the teaching hospital is a lighthouse of hope for the surrounding community, providing life-saving and health-enhancing veterinary medical care to animals, and peace of mind to the people who love them.
Please consider donating to the Veterinary Teaching Hospital expansion so that it can continue to spread hope and health into the future.
