Pets play an important role in the lives of their humans. When something happens to them, finding somewhere to take them to be treated is an important decision. Animal Emergency and Specialty Care at 739 Warren Avenue in Portland is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to treat sick or injured dogs and cats with love and compassion.
Under the direction of Dr. Marta Agrodnia, D.V.M., DACVS, Animal Emergency and Specialty Care provides critical care for animals in the greater Portland area and all over New England.
“I feel like it’s a bit of a calling. My husband says, it’s the way I support my addiction to animals. To me they’re all puppies and kittens,” she said.
There are 10 doctors, a board-certified radiologist and many licensed technicians who help with surgeries and procedures day and night. Even at 3 a.m., there are at least three people at the clinic because as Agrodnia put it, “you can’t plan your emergencies.”
There is no general practice at Animal Emergency and Specialty Care. General practitioners at other clinics refer their patients to the practice.
“I’ve been involved in the vet world for over 30 years. I’ve seen the progression of care. I want to be the surgeon who’s there before, during and after to help the owner,” she said.
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| Dr. Marta Agrodnia, D.V.M., DACVS, |
“We’re there. It’s nice to know you don’t have to travel far,” Agrodnia said. “We can provide the same care as big hospitals, except that people don’t have to go to Boston.” Agrodnia has worked in city hospitals in Chicago, New York, Boston and Michigan.
Veterinary doctors attend the same training courses as human doctors, but then continue on for another four years to become a veterinarian, and four additional years to become specialized in a certain field. Agrodnia specialized in surgery. She is part of the five percent of all vets that specialize in something. She does orthopedic surgeries, soft tissue work and neurologic surgeries. She has repaired ruptured disks that are a frequent occurrence in dogs. The prognosis for dogs is excellent. “Even dogs that are paralyzed have a chance to walk again,” Agrodnia said. She wants to help the clients have a good quality of life with comfort and function.
The animals who come to the hospital are there for a variety of issues including fractures, joint surgery, arthroscopy, hip replacement and crucial ligament disease.
They use the most up to date equipment to provide the comprehensive information to the doctor. With digital radiography, multi-slide CT scans, dogs and cats can have the best care to get back into their lives. The practice uses endoscopy to find and remove foreign objects, and arthroscopy to access items.
“Our emphasis is on excellent surgery, and animal and client care,” said Agrodnia. “They really need to know you care before and after surgery.”
The staff has a high level of expertise between the emergency doctors and specialty staff. “You don’t have to travel to get excellent care,” she said. “Most of our doctors have advanced training and intern experience. We don’t do mediocrity.”
The clinic almost exclusively works with cats and dogs but will sometimes treat “pocket pets” like rabbits, guinea pigs and rats.
Animal Emergency and Specialty Care also works with another business that specializes in internal medicine care for animals with acute conditions such as kidney failure, liver disease or diabetes.
“We are always striving to get better with what we do from animal care and safety, to treatments and consultations,” Agrodnia said. “I want [owners] to be happy, but I want Fluffy to feel well. I’m very maternal toward them.”
At home, Agrodnia has a brood including two horses, two dogs, two cats, two rats and four non- furred children. “We have our own little ark going on,” she laughed.
For more information or to schedule a consultation, visit www.animalemergencyspecialtycare.com, call 207-878-3121 or visit them on Facebook.
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