Soda Springs Animal Clinic sees changes large and small

The Soda Springs Animal Clinic, located on the way into town at 611 Highway 30, has undergone a few changes in the past few months, and is proud to welcome new Veterinarian Naomi Allen.  Dr. Allen joins Dr. Grace Majors and the eleven other members of the SSAC staff in their ongoing work to provide routine healthcare services and emergency interventions to animals both large and small around the region.

After 47 years as a vet, Dr. JV Bollar officially retired in February, leaving behind him a long legacy of care and concern for the county’s animals.  The clinic has officially been purchased by the Alpine Animal Hospital Network, which is based in Chubbuck.  While the ownership name has changed, Office Manager Katelin Labrouche is clear that the services and care which customers have come to expect will not change.  

“Alpine is a sister clinic.  It’s a privately owned network of four hospitals, but we are still our own entity.  We all function independently, but we support each other.”  According to Labrouche, this means that members of the network meet weekly to exchange information and ideas.  Resources can be shared between members in order to increase the pool of available materials, ideas, and success stories.  

In one obvious example, new Veterinarian Dr. Naomi Allen came to the Soda Springs Animal Clinic from the Alpine hospital in Chubbuck.  That type of cooperation has helped fill demand the clinic is experiencing.  “And in the shorter term, we are able to do things like, for instance, Dr. Majors is going on vacation in a few weeks and we have another doctor from Alpine coming over to fill in while she’s gone.  That helps up take care of our clients without disrupting
any care.”

“I think some people might be worried that we became part of some kind of large corporate operation, but that’s not the case.  We’re not going to turn into Alpine or change from what people are used to.  We’re still going to be Soda Springs Animal Clinic like people know us,” Labrouche says.

Another thing that is not changing as a result of joining the network is the staff.  “We have the same staff—ten currently, not counting myself and the doctors.  We have two receptionists, four technicians, and four kennel assistants.”  Technicians perform the surgeries, appointments, hospitalized patients.  Kennel assistants take care of the boarding pets and health care for hospitalized patients.  And receptionists do a lot of everything—customer service, scheduling, bookkeeping, you name it.

Many in the community may know Dr. Grace Majors, who has been with the clinic for around a year, and is originally from Bancroft (despite her name).  She graduated from Veterinary school at Washington State, as did Dr. Allen.  She will be coming up on a year at the Soda Springs Animal Clinic in May.  

On the other hand, to say that Dr. Naomi Allen hasn’t been in the area for very long yet is on the short side of an exaggeration.  “This is my first full week here,” she laughs.  “But I came in for three Thursdays beforehand to get used to it.”  Before that, she treated patients at the Alpine clinic in Chubbuck for two and a half years.  Her internship involved equine work in Arizona.  She is staying in an Air BnB right now, while she gets integrated into the practice.  “It’s definitely been a whirlwind of a week, but I’m happy to be getting going,” Dr. Allen says. 

If Friday is any indicator, there are plenty of patients waiting to meet her—some expected and some not.  In fact, as we were speaking word came through the building that a trailer was on the way with a cow that needed to be examined to determine what was wrong with her hoof.  The clinic building contains a convenient external loading bay for larger livestock, as well as an examination and treatment area. 

Dale Simons, from Grace, brought in a cow with a lame foot.  “I was assuming we had a puncture, but it looks like it’s a tissue bruise in the sole.”  Dr. Allen ordered antibiotics and a painkiller, and close monitoring.  

“They’ll get rid of the inflammation.  It’s great to hear that it’s going to be a lot better than it could have been,” Simons said, as Dr. Allen spoke with him further about what to look for.

The Clinic also offers day boarding for those who need a monitored environment for their animals during the day.  “It kind of depends on how many longer term boarders we have,” Dr. Majors explained, “but we usually have one to three day boarding spots available.  And if the owners and their pets are okay with them being outside during the warmer months, we have even more.”

On an average day, the clinic sees around 25-30 animals a day, and with both doctors available on most days of the week, the clinic stays very busy.  

Labrouche notes that spring is a time when the clinic typically sees a lot of new animals.  “There are a lot of things that come out when it thaws,” Labrouche says.  “That tends to bring in a lot of animals.”  Animals can be exposed to irritants in the air, as well as things on the ground.  The clinic can respond to issues with both household pets as well as larger animals affected by the seasonal changes.  “We’re a mixed animal practice.  We see small and large animals.  That includes pets, but also small ruminates like sheep, goats, pigs, as well as horses and cows.  It’s about 70% small animal, 30% large.”

The clinic has a number of large ranch clients from around the region, and has a lot of experience in the field. “We are looking to grow our equine side,” Labrouche says.  “Doctor Majors and Doctor Allen have a passion for taking care of horses.”

A website is on the way will allow for online scheduling, but presently the clinic does have an active Facebook Page at “Soda Springs Animal Clinic,” which contains information about hours and services, as well as promotions, giveaways, updates, and more. 

The Soda Springs Animal Clinic can be reached at 208-547-4981 with questions or to schedule appointments.  The clinic is a mixed animal facility that can handle both household pets, as well as livestock.