News Releases

(KNOXVILLE, Tenn.) – “Large animal emergency student, please come to the front desk.”

This phrase is being heard increasingly more often over the loudspeaker system in the wards of the large animal hospital at the UT College of Veterinary Medicine after normal business hours. Equine cases comprise the majority of those emergencies: acute abdominal problems, sick foals, and trauma cases. The demands on students, house officers (residents and interns), and attending clinicians have also increased dramatically.

To accommodate the increasing client needs, emergency surgeons Drs. Amy Plummer and Gal Kelmer joined the faculty this fall. Licensed veterinary technicians (LVT) Mary English, Rose Groux, Lea Valentine, and Dawn Phillips have joined the Large Animal Clinical Sciences staff. Phillips previously worked in the college’s small animal department. LVT Dawnya Breeding has changed her shift to accommodate the emergency schedule. In addition, another surgery resident, veterinary technician assistants, and several animal technicians have been hired. A third medicine resident will be hired July 2007.

Dr. Bob Holland, head of the Large Animal Clinical Sciences Department, expects the demand for additional after-hours emergency care to continue to rise. “It has become essential for us to increase the availability of continuous expert patient care, both for the animals we treat and the people who treat them,” Dr. Holland says. “We are a teaching hospital and these additions will enhance our teaching capacity.” Dr. Holland adds the move creates better referral opportunities for large animal veterinarians
throughout the region.

For more information about UTCVM emergency services, please call 865-974-5702 or 865-974-5703.

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Contact: Sandra Harbison, (865) 974-7377, sharbiso@utk.edu