Vet center could be on last leg

The University's Center for Veterinary Critical Care is regarded as one of the best in the nation, but even that may not be enough to save the financially strained unit. The University will find out in a few months if Gov. Robert Casey intends to fund Veterinary School operations for next year. So far, no state funds have been allocated for the Vet School in the 1993-1994 budget. State money would assure that the school -- and the center -- could stay open. The center treats sick animals like their human counterparts, combining a 24-hour emergency room with an intensive care unit and an anasthesia department. Center Co-Director Joan Hendricks said the decade-old unit's innovations in efficiency and service improvement have been copied by universities and hospitals across the country. "We're different because we provide immediate and 24-hour veterinary care," Hendricks said. "To me, there's no question that we're the leader. "We admit mostly dogs, about 80 percent," she added. "Some cats, but mostly dogs." The center saw about 9,000 barking, meowing, chirping patients last year and expects more in 1993, making it the busiest emergency vet facility in the country. Veterinary experts from across the country said yesterday that it would be bad news for the profession if the Vet School were forced to shut its doors. "If the Pennsylvania Vet School closed, it would be horrible," said Tufts University Critical Care Director John Rush. "From both a clinical and research aspect, Penn is at the top of its field." "Penn Vet is known throughout the world for its immediate care services," said Janet Altrich, chief of emergency/critical care at the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital at the University of California at Davis. "If Penn disappeared, it would be a huge loss to the teaching and clinical veterinary profession." Philadelphia veterinarians said they are just as worried about what might happen to the local animal population. "I would urge the governor to do everything in his power to keep [the Veterinary Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania] open," said Srinivasan Ramanathan, a local veterinarian. "It would be a great loss for the state and the city. Closing the center would be a real step backward." "The fact is, we're necessary," said VHUP Director Barry Stupine. "Certain animals could only live if they received the services that we offer here."

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