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Veterinary Teaching Hospital Expansion and Renovation

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Veterinary Teaching Hospital Expansion and Renovation

Rendering of the Veterinary Teaching Hospital's expansion and renovation

Rendering derived from a feasibility study by an architectural firm specializing in veterinary teaching hospitals

An opportunity to elevate a world-class veterinary program

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The Veterinary Teaching Hospital (VTH), located on Virginia Tech’s campus in Blacksburg, Virginia, provides the finest animal health care available while building the future of the veterinary profession through hands-on training of residents, interns, and DVM students.

“This expansion will increase the number of patients and clients that receive timely, compassionate, and cutting-edge clinical care while notably improving the experience of faculty, staff, and students through an improved hospital environment.”

— Dean M. Daniel Givens

Since the current small animal hospital was completed in 1987, it has seen incredible growth in cases due to the increased demands for veterinary services across the world. To address this need, the veterinary college has plans to launch an expansion of the VTH to create modern, world-class teaching and clinical research spaces that will advance knowledge through patient care.

With a scheduled groundbreaking in 2024, and doors opening in 2026, the VTH expansion and renovation will add 37,000 square feet, provide necessary upgrades to the current facilities, and incorporate unfinished space to allow for continued growth.

Philanthropic partners are sought to ensure this project can occur in a timely fashion without increasing the financial burden on future students. Your investment can advance the overall level of care for the community by increasing the number of patients that can be helped, lessening the wait time for hospital services, and improving the hospital environment.

A fully functioning teaching hospital

Veterinary Teaching Hospital Exansion and Renovation information sheet
Click image to download PDF

The VTH is not only a state-of-the-art clinical facility, but also a premier teaching hospital producing compassionate and skilled veterinarians each year.

The teaching model in academic hospitals in both human and veterinary medicine involves small groups of students immersed in a specialty for weeks at a time. This model for experiential learning creates needs for physical space in addition to a patient treatment area with appropriate equipment for each specialty.

Space needs include touchdown locations for veterinary technicians, private call stations where specialists can speak with referring veterinarians, and a student “rounds” room to support group collaboration, teaching, medical records entries, and communication with clients.

Due to the VTH’s exponential growth over the past 40-plus years, current facilities and staffing create challenges to both the care provided to small animals and the experiential education of veterinary students. The completion of this planned expansion and renovation will ensure that clients continue to entrust their animals to the VTH and will enable Virginia Tech to remain at the forefront of veterinary care.

GROWTH in numbers

9

Specialty services added since the college’s inception

97%

Increase in student class size since the college’s inception

13,000 +

Dogs and cats receive clinical care each year

1,900

Dogs and cats receive overnight care each year

Partner with VA-MD Vet Med

CONTACT
Sandra Torget
Assistant dean of advancement
storget@vt.edu
540-231-4716

Groundbreaking Research

  • Article Item
    John H. Rossmeisl, Jr., Dr. and Mrs. Dorsey Taylor Mahin Professor of Neurology and Neurosurgery
    Interdisciplinary team wins grant to develop drug for brain cancer , article

    The National Institutes of Health is awarding a $3.8 million grant to John Rossmeisl, the Dr. and Mrs. Dorsey Taylor Mahin Professor of Neurology and Neurosurgery at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, and Waldemar Debinski, cancer biology professor at Wake Forest School of Medicine. The team will treat human brain cancer with a drug they have previously used to treat canines.

Educational excellence

  • Article Item
    Timothy Bolton, at right, uses a stethoscope on a dog being held by anotherm man.
    Timothy Bolton awarded Zoetis Distinguished Veterinary Teacher Award , article

    The Zoetis award is a nationally recognized honor for a faculty member at each veterinary school in the United States. This award is given to a faculty member who has demonstrated leadership and character; teaching ability as demonstrated by the caliber of instruction and responsiveness to the needs of students. Faculty members are nominated by their students.

Exceptional care

  • Video Item
    Veterinary Teaching Hospital gets a new underwater treadmill
    Veterinary Teaching Hospital gets a new underwater treadmill , video

    Veterinary Teaching Hospital gets a new underwater treadmill. After 20 years of daily use, the existing underwater treadmill needed to be replaced within the rehabilitation service at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital. Advancement at the college matched a donor who wanted to make a difference in animals’ lives and this project which will have a real impact within the teaching hospital. Underwater treadmills are the gold standard in canine aquatic therapy for physical rehabilitation that can provide exercise for post-surgical, non-surgical, and degenerative issues. They help recover from cruciate repairs, hip abnormalities, spinal cord damage, and joint replacement. It provides treatment options for Degenerative Myelopathy, Osteoarthritis, Dysplasia, and other issues. The treadmill also can help with weight control fitness conditioning and help diagnose musculoskeletal ailments.