AVisit to Willow Animal Hospital

BY AMIE BOWMAN PHOTOS BY LUKE CHRISTOPHER

As a local resident who drives through Vint Hill a couple of times a month, I had seen the signs for Willow Animal Hospital go up in the fall of 2022. Located on Aiken Drive across from the theater, the building looked like any other on the former Army base. I was interested in the dog statue outside of the front door, and I appreciated the American flag flying in front of the building, but as I was content with my vet I never went inside. However, when my vet retired it seemed like the perfect opportunity to check out the new animal hospital in the area.

Big, Bright, and Clean

The first thing that struck me when I walked into Willow was how beautiful it is. The reception area is bright and airy, and there’s no smell of sickness or disinfectant as has been the case in every other vet’s office I’ve visited. The staff behind the receptionist’s desk is cheerful and friendly, and I barely had time to notice the cute decorations and huge waiting room with a large screen TV before Jennifer Cole, social media coordinator for the practice, met me for our tour.

The Team

The first person to whom I was introduced was Willow Animal Hospital’s owner, Dr. Kent Smith. A tall, charismatic man, Dr. Smith exudes joy. He simply loves his practice and delights in his work. He enjoys his staff of four vets, one hospital manager, six front office coordinators, 15 vet techs, two support staff and Cole managing social media. Most of the staff I talked to followed Dr. Smith from other veterinary practices or were in their first jobs in veterinary medicine. “Dr. Smith is a great teaching doctor,” Cole said. “…having things explained is invaluable.”

She continued, “It’s like a family here. Dr. Smith creates an environment of trust not just for people who bring their pets in, but for those who work here. He’s a great leader, a great mood setter. He establishes a standard and sets a positive tone, and it carries over to the staff. As a team, we take care of each other, and in doing that, we care for our patients.”

Innovative Treatment

Dr. Smith envisions Willow as a place where pets can receive a variety of specialty services in addition to routine wellness and urgent care, and the hospital already offers a variety of innovative treatment options for its clients. Dr. Smith’s colleague, Dr. Andrea Ballou, and his associates, Drs. Laurel Marley and Shannon Kasmierski, provide treatment options for animal health that not all veterinarians offer.

Dr. Ballou is a Certified Canine Rehabilitation Practitioner (CCRP), which means that she has had extra schooling in drug-free methods to control pain, improve balance, and assist dogs who have had surgical or other orthopedic procedures.

Drs. Marley and Kasmierski bring similarly unique skill sets to Willow. Dr. Marley specializes in holistic animal medicine, which allows the hospital to fuse the best of both Eastern and Western medicine to treat clients. Dr. Kasmierski brings a feline specialist to the practice.

Treatment Areas

The last part of my visit involved a tour of the treatment areas. The walls throughout are painted in calming blue and green colors, and light fills every space in the building. The kennels are huge, and each has its own bedding. The post-surgical animals I saw also had heat lamps to ensure they were comfortable in recovery.

Willow’s isolation treatment area was particularly impressive. “Parvo and some of the respiratory diseases are so dangerous,” Cole explained, “we wanted an area