Looking for an animal hospital that offers an extra dose of TLC so you and your fur babies will instantly feel at home? Then consider going to Veterinary Park Potomac for a visit! The practitioners at Veterinary Park Potomac place an emphasis on personal care and comfort for your dog or cat.
The ten full-time and part-time employees, all women, opened the new facility in Park Potomac in September of 2021. They are available to clients in person, via zoom visits and by email. They offer a full spectrum of medical, behavioral and wellness care including preventative care, sick visits, all life stage counseling, drop offs, puppy socialization, behavioral consults, general medical procedures (such as spaying and neutering), ultrasounds and dental cleanings.
Owner and lead veterinarian Katie Malehorn grew up on a farm in South Dakota. Before studying to be a veterinarian she worked in shelters and served as an animal control officer.
After graduating from The University of Georgia Veterinary School of Medicine in 2015 she moved to the DC area and worked in several area veterinary hospitals, in both Primary Care and Emergency Medicine.
After those experiences she decided the time was right to open her own hospital. According to Dr. Katie, “It was really important to us to keep our facility small and offer a community feeling but still have an in-house laboratory, with all of the radiology needed so we can get the results of comprehensive tests back to our clients quickly.”
One of her goals in designing the practice was making it almost spa-like, with rooms painted in calm colors, allowing the animals to feel more comfortable. She notes that “Most of our patients’ owners like it here because we work hard to make their visits free of fear including offering treats during exams and, when possible, examining pets on the floor so the animals don’t get nervous.”
Another distinction of Veterinary Park Potomac is the emphasis that the healthcare of a family’s pet is a team effort, one between pet owners and the veterinarian’s office. Dr. Katie explains, “We tell clients that we can be your eyes and ears here once or twice a year but you have to be the eyes at ears at home. We have to make sure we stay in communication or things can get missed.”
According to Dr. Katie, “We have put so much time into developing a team that really reflects what our goals are in building this practice, which is being there for every step of the patient’s health and well-being and being available to our clients.” Her team includes Jessie Terrell, the hospital’s practice manager, her veterinary assistants Kathy, Val, Rachel, Marine and Megan and receptionists Rain and Lilly. Jessie, Val and Kathy have all worked with Dr. Katie for over five years, sharing her dream of providing Gold Standard Care to every pet that walks through their door.
Jessie Terrell describes her job as “managing the hospital to ensure our team has everything they need to appropriately do their jobs, providing high level training for every staff member, and running the HR side of things.” She adds, “We strive to spend more time with our patients and clients than they’ve been used to with past experiences. Here you will see the doctor 90 percent of the visit. This allows our clients to have time to discuss their concerns and for us to address their questions.”
The cases the hospital's employees handle on a day-to-day basis can vary depending on the time of year – now the majority of appointments are dermatology-related including skin infections and ear infections. They also see many gastrointestinal problems, along with internal medicine cases such as diabetes, and quite a bit of cancer cases. A high percentage of patients are senior dogs and cats so the office advises owners to “keep their pets moving, make them comfortable and give them a high quality of life.”
From Dr. Katie’s experience as an emergency room doctor she has seen it all, which provides her with a unique background for her clients. She is able to treat cases that others may refer to a specialist, allowing her clients to save time, money and allow the pets to receive full care under one roof. Dr. Katie also developed close relationships with a wide variety of specialists in our area, so when necessary she can refer clients to the right veterinarian and be confident they will receive the best care possible.
Plans are for the hospital to continue to grow: Dr. Katie says she has the space for Veterinary Park Potomac to be a multi-veterinarian practice, with three more full-time veterinarians in the practice.
They are open Monday – Friday, 8:00am – 6:00pm. Go to https://veterinaryparkpotomac.com or call 240-728-2550 for more information.