Our Year in Review: 2023

Community, collaboration, commitment, compassion, and integrity guide our path. Each year, we endeavor to breathe life into these core values, surpassing expectations. Join us as we highlight some of our most notable achievements in 2023.

We celebrated our 11th anniversary in May; commemorating and honoring our commitment to providing advanced specialty care and 24/7 emergency medicine to the Suffolk community and surrounding areas.

Across our emergency and specialty departments, we cared for more than 15,000 patients and fielded over 130,000 phone calls. Of those 15,000+ cases, nearly 85% of them were emergency patients. Caring for all those pets in need wouldn’t have been possible without our incredible veterinary technicians, veterinary assistants, emergency veterinarians, specialists, managers, client liaisons, and referral coordinators.

Two of our six veterinary technician student team members obtained their LVT status this year—congratulations Krys (Emergency) and Kelsey E. (Dentistry). Our four other veterinary technician student team members finished their semesters strong and we’re so proud of the hard work and dedication they put into their time with The COVE. In 2023, we were lucky enough to add 27 new motivated and compassionate team members. In addition, we hosted pre-veterinary and veterinary student rotations this year in the Emergency, Dentistry, Surgery, and Cardiology departments, as well as Dr. Ashlyn Turner who completed her DoD SkillBridge Internship with us in October 2023.

We’d like to send heartfelt thanks to all of our clients who showed patience, kindness, and grace to our team as they worked diligently to provide the highest quality of care to many pets in need.

We would like to extend a huge thank you to our Emergency department associates Dr. Christian Lapp, Dr. Nicolette Pendry, Dr. Alicia Thomas, and Dr. Arrianna Williams for their hard work and dedication throughout the year. we also send our sincere gratitude to our relief veterinarians Dr. Beard, Dr. Comer, Dr. Crist, Dr. Granata, Dr. Gravelle, Dr. Jones, Dr. Lommler, Dr. Mitchell, Dr. Mueller, Dr. Richburg, Dr. Riedy, Dr. Segler, and Dr. Tonin for providing excellent care and skill.

Our Cardiology team, led by The COVE’s co-owner Merrilee T. Small, DVM, DACVIM, conducted 720 cardiology visits, assisting families in understanding the significance of cardiovascular well-being and alleviating anxieties of concerned pet parents.

Under the leadership of our dedicated veterinary surgical specialist and co-owner of The COVE, Jeff T. Stallings, DVM, DACVS, the surgery team conducted over 1,300 surgical visits and performed over 266 surgical procedures, offering pets a fresh start and enhancing their quality of life.

Our dentistry team, led by Colleen Fox, DVM CSAVP (Dentistry), conducted 888 dentistry visits and handled over 376 dental procedures, maintaining optimal oral health for many pets.

We’re happy to announce that our Healing Animals Together Fund raised over $4,300 and donated $8,600 to care, making a difference in 5 pet patient cases in 2023. The COVE’s HAT Fund is a designated fund with the Veterinary Care Foundation, a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) charitable foundation. This means your donation is tax-deductible, and 100% of the money in the HAT Fund goes towards helping pets in need.

Happy New Year from The COVE

As we embark on a new year, our gratitude extends to our dedicated staff for their unwavering commitment and hard work throughout 2023. Day after day, they wholeheartedly invest in the well-being of our patients, embodying our mission and giving vitality to our core values. Looking into 2024, we eagerly anticipate the celebration of our 12th year in the spring, ready to extend our care and love to even more pets at The COVE.

We wish you and all your furry loved ones a safe, healthy, and happy New Year.

If you have any concerns about your pet, call 757-935-9111 and we would be happy to assist you.