Yorktown Veterinary Hospital the Heights for Pets, Owners
By Ariel Markowski
Susan LaCalamito understands the importance of good veterinary care.
She has two dogs and three cats. Her dog Eddie, 14, has inoperable bladder cancer; her other dog, Coco, 12 has Cushing’s disease.
One of her cats, 18-year-old Culver, is facing numerous medical issues, including blindness in one eye.
If it weren’t for Heights Hospital for Animals in Yorktown Heights, a full veterinary hospital, pets like hers would fail to receive the care and attention they need.
Heights Hospital for Animals has been providing veterinary care to LaCalamito and many other area pet owners for more than 20 years. Now with the coronavirus posing a major challenge, they are going the extra mile to help their patients and their owners.
“[T]hey would…call to discuss any issues and meet me outside to pick my pet up,” LaCalamito said. “For medications, I would call them to tell them what I was running out of, pay by credit card and they would leave the meds outside.”
The three veterinarians at Heights Hospital for Animals have adopted social distancing practices in order to safely provide assistance to pets and their owners when it’s most essential. The protocol consists of wearing a mask and gloves, meeting pet owners in the parking lot and discussing their pets’ needs on the phone.
Owners don’t have to come inside, said Nancy Delaney, one of the hospital’s three veterinarians.
Helping pets has provided the hospital’s staff with a variety of memories. Delaney speaks about her favorite one – a little Yorkshire terrier who wasn’t feeling well from kidney impairment. He’s much improved, his appetite is back to normal and he shows good energy at home, she said.
“This is very rewarding,” Delaney said. “Everyone involved benefits from this caring and it helps us all during these troubling times.”
Heights Hospital for Animals not only provides effective care for the animals but a warm environment for their owners.
“They always made me feel, that in spite of everything going on, they were still able to handle everything my pets needed in a friendly, caring and professional manner,” said LaCalamito. “The reason why the care that the veterinarians…provide is so important is that they continued to provide [what] my pets needed almost as if all was normal.”
Heights Hospital for Animals is located at 1865 Commerce St. Its hours are 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays; 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursdays; and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays.
For more information, call 914-962-5579.
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