Animal Emergency Center to break ground in July

As the population of the Las Vegas Valley swells, so does the number of household pets. And just like people, they occasionally need emergency medical care. To meet that need, Animal Emergency Center will break ground next month for a $1.3 million, 6,000-square-foot facility.

To be built on the northeast corner of Patrick Lane and Sage Brush Street in Las Vegas, the facility will house a surgery suite, four procedure tables and five exam rooms. SR Construction will build the center which, along with Las Vegas Animal Emergency Hospital, is one of the two animal emergency service providers in the valley.

Currently, the Animal Emergency Center leases 2,500 square feet at 1914 E. Sahara Ave. where "employees are bumping into each other" and there are not enough kennels and cages to house ill animals, chief of staff Robert Kessler said.

"The building was designed from the ground up for emergency and critical care," he said, noting that people will be able to drive up to the facility and get their pets into treatment areas immediately.

In addition, there will be accommodations for critically ill patients in the main treatment areas.

"(Those patients) need to be where we're working," Kessler said.

Most of the center's patients come in with traumatic injuries from car accidents, which Kessler said require aggressive emergency care. Other cases stem from animal fights, heat stroke and snake bites.

The new facility was designed by Doug Purvis of Purvis Architects in Las Vegas. Ground-breaking is expected on July 1 with completion scheduled for December.

The veterinarians are fine-tuning the interior features, and hope to include kennels for large exotic animals, such as the 300-pound, 8-foot-tall ostrich they recently treated. There will be at least 50 cages and kennels, double the current number, he said.

The center, which operates after traditional veterinary offices close and on holidays, treats small animals and exotics such as birds, lizards and snakes, as well as serves as the regional blood bank for veterinarians. It does not have the facilities or skilled staff to treat horses and cows.

"We're already at maximum capacity and our business is growing spectacularly every month," Kessler said, noting that the more than 400 animals treated each month has doubled since the office opened in 1997. "The number of our patients is directly proportional to the population."

He pointed out that the expansion will allow the center to obtain the latest diagnostic equipment, some of which is too large to fit within the existing facility.

According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, 36.1 percent of households nationwide own at least one dog and 31.6 percent own at least one cat. Pet owners spend, on average, between $85 and $200 per animal each year on routine veterinary care, with emergency care averaging $320 per incident, Kessler said.

Animal Emergency Care is owned by a consortium of about 40 local veterinarians. It serves about 200 veterinarians in the valley, as well as those from rural Nevada; Bullhead City, Ariz.; and St. George, Utah.

There are 18 staff members including three full-time and one part-time veterinarian. When the new facility opens, Kessler said he expects the staff to double.

Joseph Garcia, vice president and project manager for SR Construction, said the masonry building will have some unusual design elements such as serpentine walls.

"It's not just a square box. It's got some unique architecture," he said.

In addition to building the facility, "we're taking an active role in the interior design of the exam rooms," said Rob Silecchia, SR's director of business development.

The firm, which has built several local veterinary facilities, is assisting with interior appointments including lighting fixtures, flooring, furniture and equipment.

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