All of us who have pets have been there. Our four-legged family member has been acting differently lately, maybe a bit sluggish or agitated. Have they developed a slight limp over the past few days, or are we just imagining it? Do their eyes look a little red and runny? Are they sick, or are we just being overly cautious? Erring on the side of caution, we call the vet, and because this isn't an emergency, there is a one or two-day wait for an appointment. That can mean taking off work for a few hours or juggling the kids' dance classes and sports practices in order to make it to the vet's at the appointed time.

Edinburgh Animal Hospital, located on Hillcrest Parkway in Chesapeake, now has a solution for such situations. Dr. Geoff Campbell, who opened the hospital in 2006, has kept it on the cutting edge of veterinary science and adopting the latest digital technology, enabling his two-legged clients, wherever they are, to more quickly, easily, and efficiently access the hospital's services and records when caring for their four-legged loved ones.

"Our focus is, first and foremost, on client care," Dr. Campbell says. "We're using the latest technology so that our clients can more easily reach out to us and get the information they need in caring for their pets. For example, we now have an app that clients can download to their phones that they can use to schedule appointments, order medications, and text us questions about their pets. They can access their pet's medical records and vaccine history, request refills, and even send us photos of their pets if they're having issues. Just yesterday, a client sent me a photo of her dog whose face was swollen due to an allergic reaction. Before we had this app, she would have had to call us, explain as best she could what her dog looked like, and then, based on that, schedule an appointment so we could see her dog for ourselves. We also have an app that allows surgical patients to get pre-op information about their upcoming surgery, as well as what they should do following the procedure.

"We've added more features to our website-including a digital assistant," Dr. Campbell continues. "Now, instead of having to call our office and talk to someone, the digital assistant can instantly answer questions about our hours and location, making appointments online, grooming and boarding, reproductive services, who to see in case of an emergency, which surgeries we perform, which insurances we accept, and how to make payments.

"We're trying to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to technology-not only to make life easier for clients but to also make things easier for their budgets," Dr. Campbell notes. "We have an online pharmacy that price-matches other online retailers like Chewy or PetMeds®, so costs will be the same if not less. And for clients interested in pet insurance, we work with TruPanion™. We have a direct online connection with them, so if the pet owner has the insurance in place, we can get the payment directly from them at the time of service."

These time-saving technologies are simply one aspect of Edinburgh Animal Hospital's astounding growth in recent years. The most obvious was the 2022 opening of its new state-of-the-art hospital, which nearly doubled the size of its previous building. The larger facility allowed Dr. Campbell to expand his dedicated medical staff.

"When I opened the hospital in 2006, I was its only doctor," he recalls. "Now I have six other excellent vets, each with different interests and strengths with whom clients can develop personal relationships. One doctor is interested in caring for pets during pregnancy. Another doctor's main interest is cats, and some of our veterinary technicians are very ‘cat-centric, so we focus on ‘cat comfort' for our feline patients. Others of us excel in surgery, so we do many surgical procedures that other practices don't do.""Our focus is, first and foremost,
on client care.