Our emergency staff internally transferred him into the care of the surgery department, where he was prepped for a cystotomy procedure. Cystotomy is a surgical procedure used for treating bladder problems. The procedure involves creating a small opening in the wall of the urinary bladder, allowing the surgeon to inspect the insides. Peridot had a successful procedure and spent time in the hospital to ensure he was healthy before recovering in his new home.

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VREC was preceded by Veterinary Surgical Center (VSC,) a dedicated veterinary surgical facility Dr. Danova founded in 2009. Seeing explosive growth in a short time, she began planning for a larger, full-service facility for the region’s “pet parents.” The 24/7 emergency and referral facility opened at 318 Northern Boulevard in South Abington Twp. in May, 2010 and remains there today.

VREC offers services not found anywhere else in the area, including dedicated emergency, internal medicine, cardiology, surgery, and physical rehabilitation departments. In 2013 the facility added a MRI suite, the only unit of its kind in the region.

In the past decade VREC has cared for over 62,000 unique patients – a figure that does not account for multiple visits from the same pet. To accommodate the case load, VREC has grown to over 50 clinicians, technicians, support staff, and client service representatives. Constantly seeking ways to better serve the community, Dr. Danova plans to expand the building and offer more services in the future.

VREC credits the continued support from the community’s pet owners for their success. Hospital Administrator Rose Ghiotto says, “It’s overwhelming how many wonderful pet parents we have in the area. We are all pet owners and are grateful to be here in a pet’s time of need.” Dr. Danova agrees: “We know nobody wants to use our services, but we’re here if you need us.”

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Cancelled: VREC’s Cask for a Cause fundraiser to benefit the Angel Fund. The event, scheduled for May 22, 2020, was to take place at Cooper’s Seafood House in Scranton. Like all restaurants in the area, Cooper’s is only open for take-out and curbside until the state lifts the stay-at-home order.

Postponed indefinitely: VREC’s inaugural Teddy Triage event. The event, scheduled for June 28, 2020, was to take place at the Scranton JCC. Event organizers feel the safety and well-being of veterinary community partners and the public is of the utmost concern. Plans to re-schedule this event will be made when social distancing mandates are lifted.

For more information/questions: contact Public Affairs at [email protected]

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Once Stormy was qualified for the Angel Fund, she was hospitalized and prepped for surgery. The surgery team was able to repair the femur so Stormy both heals and grows properly in the future. We are happy to report that she should make a full recovery.

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The impact of COVID-19 is unfolding with unprecedented speed. Out of concern for our community – you, our clients and our employees – during this public health emergency, Veterinary Referral and Emergency Center is altering operations.

Although we remain available 24/7, we will only be seeing medically necessary, urgent, and emergency patients only. We remain compassionate about our care for your pet and for you, but please be understanding about the necessity to keep our community safe.

Effective as of Tuesday, March 17, 2020:

Emergency Service will continue to operate 24/7: 

• Please contact and go to your Primary Care Veterinarian first. If your veterinarian sends you to VREC for a medically necessary, urgent or emergency reason, we are asking them, and you, to call and speak with someone before arrival.
• Our referral coordinators, client services representatives, nurses or doctors will provide you very specific arrival instructions.

Referral Services are available:

• All non-urgent clinical appointments have been cancelled. Clients will be contacted to reschedule once the situation moderates.
• If you are being referred by your primary care veterinarian for Internal Medicine or Surgery, please call to speak with a referral coordinator directly. Provide as much information as possible.
• Our referral coordinators will provide you with specific arrival instructions

Updated Client Access and Visitation Policy: 

• We have instituted a curbside triage process. For most patients, this means we will take pets into the hospital and report back to owners via cell phone or car-side.
• We will be limiting our exposure to clients arriving to VREC.
• We will not be allowing any client visitation during hospitalization.
• We will discuss discharges via telephone before patient is sent home from hospital.

We will NOT be seeing clients with any fever, respiratory, and/or flu-like symptoms. We require a healthy person to bring their pet to our hospital.

These restrictions will be in place for a minimum of two weeks, but will be reassessed based on COVID-19 progression. Please contact us with any questions or concerns. 

If you have questions or concerns, please call us at 570-587-7777 at any time.

VREC is committed in the support of our entire community. How well we flatten and bend the epidemiological curve of this infection depends largely on how willing people are to sacrificing individual conveniences and their desire to save the lives of others.

COVID-19 Tips

• The best way to avoid becoming ill is to avoid exposure to the virus. Taking typical preventative action is key.

• Considering all information in total, infections disease experts, and multiple international and domestic human and animal health organizations (CDC, OIE, WHO) agree, the­re is no evidence at this point to indicate that pets can spread COVID-19 to other animals, including people.

• If you are not ill with COVID-19 you can interact with your pet as you normally would, including walking, feeding, and playing.
• Be sure to practice good hygiene during interactions:
  • Wash hands before and after interacting with your pet
  • Ensure your pet is kept well-groomed
  • Regularly clean your pet’s food and water bowls, bedding and toys
  • Wash your hands before and after contact
  • Avoid sharing food, dishes, glassware, utensils, bedding, and towels with people and pets in the home.
• Out of an abundance of caution, if you are COVID-19 positive it is recommended that you limit contact with animals until more information is known about the virus. Anyone who is COVID-19 positive should wear facemasks.
• Have another member of your household take care of walking, feeding, and playing with your pet. Service animals, however, need to stay with their pet-parents, especially in times of illness. 

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Winston spent a few days at VREC and received oxygen, fluids, inhaler treatments, and medication. He also had several baths to remove dirt and grime from the fire. Winston was slowly weaned off oxygen and closely evaluated. Once it was determined he was to breathe well on his own, he was discharged to his family to fully recover.

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What is Teddy Triage? The event aims to create a family and dog-friendly environment which introduces children to the friendly side of veterinary medicine and explores the fascinating world of pet health. Children are encouraged to bring a stuffed animal – whether their own or their pets – to be triaged and have a full exam with veterinary staff. Depending on the “diagnosis”, stuffed animals can receive an array of treatments such as stitches, bandages, x-rays, or simply a prescription for lots of snuggles. Before leaving, all stuffed friends receive a certificate of health. More details will be forthcoming.

In an effort to ensure each child in attendance has a stuffed animal they can participate with, VREC is also launching a Stuffed Animal Drive! From now until May, drop any new or gently used stuffed animal off at VREC (located at 318 Northern Blvd. in Clarks Summit) or at the Scranton JCC (located at 601 Jefferson Ave. in Scranton.) Donations will be on hand for the event. If your business wishes to be a drop off location, please send an email to [email protected].

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Once qualified for the Angel Fund, Ranger was transferred into the care of our surgery department where he had surgery on the fractured radius and ulna – the two bones that make up a dog’s forelimb. Based on the severity of the fracture, amputation was the best course of action. His surgery was a success and he was cared for by our critical care department while he recovered. A few days after the scary ordeal, Ranger was able to return home to a very happy family. Because Ranger is young and healthy, he has a great prognosis and should only need a short time to adapt to his new situation!

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Roman had an abdominal exploratory surgery where our surgery team found foreign material in his intestines…which turned out to be a fully intact crocheted Christmas ornament! He recovered uneventfully and began the healing process before being discharged to his very happy family.

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Pancreatitis is inflammation of the pancreas. When the pancreas, the organ responsible for digestion enzymes, is working normally, enzymes are active only when they reach the small intestine. Dogs suffering from pancreatitis, however, activate the enzymes when they’re released. This can cause inflammation and damage to the pancreas and surrounding tissue.

The bile duct produces bile, a fluid secreted by the liver which aids in the digestion and removal of waste materials from the body. Bile is passed into the gallbladder and is used when food is digested. It is also released into the small intestine to aid in the digestion of food and to emulsify the food so that it can be used appropriately by the body. An obstruction prevents the duct from flowing normally.

Once approved for the Angel Fund, Pete had an exploratory laparotomy (evaluate the severity of an abdominal concern) and gastronomy (evaluate the stomach and to collect tissue samples) surgeries, which confirmed the pancreatitis and obstruction. The areas were lavaged (washed with a medical solution) and tissue was obtained for further analysis.

Pete recovered at VREC for several days to ensure he was healing properly. When he began to feel better he was discharged to a very happy family.

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