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Vergennes Animal Hospital Veterinarians Share A Love Of Animals & Service

photo by Photo Provided Dr. Mark Basol of Vergennes Animal Hosptial.

photo by Photo Provided Dr. Rebecca Sevy of Vergennes Animal Hosptial.

photo by Photo Provided Dr. Greg Carlton of Vergennes Animal Hosptial.

photo by Photo Provided Dr. Mark and a show cat being checked at Vergennes Animal Hospital.

Tuesday February 24, 2015

By Cookie Steponaitis

Vergennes Animal Hospital located at 20 Main St. was, at one time, among the largest mixed animal veterinary practices in Vermont and New Hampshire. The building now houses two distinct practices with Vergennes Large Animal Associates owned by Dr. Joe Klopfenstein, and the Vergennes Animal Hospital, now a small animal only practice, owned by Dr. Mark Basol. Dr. Mark and his wife Julie were originally located in Northeast Iowa for 5 years. A desire for change and a chance drive through Vergennes turned into twenty eight years living and loving the area for its town, the people, and access to the mountains and Lake Champlain.
    Vergennes Animal Hospital is staffed by Dr. Basol and two other veterinarians. All Three doctors were drawn to the profession from an early age. Dr. Basol stated that "Having grown up on a farm, working with animals is in my blood. The idea of being a vet started when a veterinarian came to the farm and I was mesmerized watching him perform an autopsy to see why a pig had died." Dr. Rebecca Sevy cannot honestly remember a time when she did not want to be a vet. "My parents say I would talk about caring for pets at age four or five," adding "my fascination with animals continued throughout childhood and adolescence." Dr. Sevy described having the typical pets growing up: such as a dog, cats, and the occasional fish or hamster. Once she started working she applied for a kennel position at the local vet's office. Dr. Sevy received a animal science degree at UVM, "That's where my interest blossomed into the foundation for a career with animals." Dr. Greg Carlton, the last to join the group, came to his career from a lifelong love of animals, stating "I think I knew I wanted to be a vet from as far back as I can remember." He continued by saying, "My grandfather was a retired MD, so I've always had an interest in the medical field. That combined with my love of animals, it just seemed a natural fit for me."
All three of the Vergennes Animal Hospital veterinarians are in agreement that while their college careers and preparation were rigorous and full they have learned just as much since entering their practice as in college. “No matter how much you study and learn in school, you are never going to know everything when you graduate,” remarked Dr. Carlton. “I think my education gave me the tools to succeed and the confidence to admit when I don’t know something and the ability to find out answers I don’t know.”  Dr. Sevy echoed this and remarked, “Being a vet is so much more than just the facts and their application to animals. Once getting into practice it became clear that the human-animal bond is a huge component. So I take care of animals, but I also realized that I affect the people who care for those animals. I like to think I actually help people take the best care of their pets.”  
    Just as people are realizing the key role good nutrition plays in the health of humans, pet owners are also awakening to what Dr. Sevy has been saying all along. The old adage of “you are what you eat” also applies to our pets and Dr. Sevy shared that there have been significant gains in good nutrition and learning to maintain a healthy weight as a way of increasing the health and lifespan of your pet. Dr. Carlton enjoys seeing each appointment as an opportunity for interaction and community outreach sharing with the pet owners’ new information about their pet’s health, and taking time to answer questions about treatment, medications, vaccinations and recommendations which is a critical step for understanding and helping recommended treatments to work.
    A couple of things that might surprise the Voice readers are that VAH diagnosed and treated ten heartworm positive dogs in 2014. “Some of those dogs were rescue animals transported from endemic heartworm areas,” shared Dr. Sevy, “but a few were born and raised Vermont dogs who had tested negative at their last yearly check. Preventatives are crucial but testing is the only way we can be sure those preventatives are doing their job. There is some concern among parasitologists that heartworms are gaining resistance to our preventative medications.”
    While advances in technology have revolutionized the practices of veterinarians over the years and clients are more aware of services than ever before, it is still the connection between the owner, pet and veterinarian that makes the best team for diagnosis, treatment and care. The veterinarians at Vergennes Animal Hospital work closely with specialists and twenty-four emergencies facilities in Chittenden County as well as networking with others in their profession across the state. The VAH staff is connected by a collective desire to improve the quality of life of animals, stays connected to the community through local charity events, makes presentations at local schools, provides hospital tours for children, externships for students in high school and letting curious patients listen to the heartbeats of their pets. The main focus is still about the animal, owner and veterinarian relationship. Vergennes Animal Hospital is still on Main Street in the Little City serving the needs of pets and owners across the Champlain Valley, working with each client, four footed and two footed to bring the best health and result to each case that they can.

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