Companion Animals
In the United States, companion animal medicine is at the heart of the veterinary profession and encompasses the greatest number of practitioners. Consequently, companion animal medicine is a key component at the College, where the Veterinary Teaching Hospital (VTH) diagnoses and treats more than 18,000 small animal patients annually. Of those patients, 85 percent are dogs, 12 percent are cats, and the remaining patients represent fish, birds, and a variety of exotic species.
Referrals to the VTH come from veterinarians throughout North Carolina and the southeastern United States. The hospital’s leading reputation is based on the compassionate care staff members provide patients and their families and the fact that VTH faculty members are among the most knowledgeable clinicians in the world in their specific disciplines.
In response to the growing patient load and ever evolving medical technology, the CVM is building the $74 million, 110,000 square-foot Randall B. Terry Jr. Companion Animal Veterinary Medical Center. When completed in 2009, the state-of-the-art Terry Center will be a national model for animal care and veterinary medical education.
Preparing tomorrow’s companion animal veterinarians, surgeons, and medical specialists is a CVM mandate and fourth-year DVM students receive valuable insight and hands-on-training from some of the nation’s leading veterinary professionals. In addition to teaching students and seeing patients, many faculty members are engaged in on-going clinical as well as laboratory research to advance companion animal health.