Greetings everyone! We have a new vet hospital in our area so Rubin, my Boxer, and I went to investigate! The hospital is located in Zelienople. It is called Pets In Harmony Vet Hospital. Rubin and I set up an appointment to have some blood work done and discuss a growth on his foot. I also interviewed the owner, Dr. Brian Silvis at that time. Dr. Silvis owns three veterinary offices in the area.
Brian grew up in Sandy Lake, Pa about 30 min north of Zelienople. He graduated from Westminster with a degree in Biology and attended Ohio State Veterinarian School. He has been a vet for 18 years. In the beginning he worked at a big practice in Erie. He and his wife moved here, (he actually lives in Harmony) for his wife to work on her PhD. After the move he worked at Duncan Manor Vet Hospital as well as Green Valley Vet Hospital. Dr. Silvis was also heavily involved in relief work at vet hospitals in Butler and Allegheny County. He has worked at over 50 clinics in the area and his goal was to always own a practice. He began working at Tender Touch Vet Hospital and Allegheny North Vet Hospital in 2010. The owner of ANVH was ready to retire after 30 years in the business and that was Dr. Silvis’ first acquisition. In late 2014 Dr. Silvis acquired Tender Touch Vet Hospital in Wexford. Dr. Silvis had always wanted to practice medicine in his home town of Harmony so in 2017 Pets In Harmony Vet Hospital was born.
While these clinics practice general medicine, they have all come to have their own distinct personalities.
Allegheny North Vet Hospital with Dr. Gaiser does a lot of ultrasounds, chemotherapy, and ACL repairs. Yes, I know you can have all of these things done at PVSEC. Dr. Silvis’ philosophy is that PVSEC is the best of the best so if money is not a barrier you go there. They have a wonderful working relationship with PVSEC and consult on a lot of information and cases. They also do a different process of ACL repair at their hospital than PVSEC.
Tender Touch is turning a bit of an exotic practice. Dr. Cox specializes in birds, chinchillas, and reptiles. She also works at the aviary one a week and makes house calls. They are also well known for their work with Greyhounds and work with Steel City Greyhounds and Going Home Greyhounds. Greyhounds have a unique set of difficulties apart from other dogs because they tend to have different injuries from being on the track.
Pets In Harmony is going to offer physical therapy. Two of his vet technicians are currently in the process of becoming certified in physical therapy. This involves several online courses, followed by a trip to vet school in Tennessee, and finally putting in hours of work with a physical therapist in Erie. They will have two rooms- one with a land treadmill and special flooring for dogs that cannot walk well and a room with a water treadmill that will allow the therapists to get in the tank with the dogs. You can take different percentages of body weight off in this tank which can allow dogs to walk and not carry all their body weight. The office has also partnered with a web site that will allow pet owners to view and access video for in home physical therapy after visits so that they don’t have to come all the time. Dr. Silvis will also work with Dr. Chelsey Giardina who offers complete certified chiropractic care for dogs, cats, and horses when needed to develop comprehensive plans. They also do cold laser therapy. The laser itself is not cold, cold meaning in terms of it does not cut or cauterize. It reduces inflammation. It can be very beneficial after surgery. It also aids in cases of arthritis and hotspots.
All three hospitals practice general medicine and normal surgeries in addition to specialized care. The polices, prices, and drugs available are all the same. You can get Dr. Silvis at all three hospitals. They have regular meetings so the doctors are in constant communication. They are also in process of going paperless so any doctor and get any information for any client at all clinics.
Dr. Silvis’ philosophy is very much to let the owners make up their own mind. He is going to give you the options, his opinion as to how it will play out, and you base your decision on that. His locations are intentionally small in terms of vet practices so no single location is overwhelmed. They also do 30 minute appointments instead of the normal 15. You pay a bit more but you get everyone’s full attention and have the ability to ask any and all questions. He wants all doctors and technicians to do everything to the best of their ability. When things are done right, questions are answered fully, people are happy to pay a bit more for that time. Dr. Silvis is also happy to come to your home when and if needed.
Please visit their website for further information http://www.petsinharmonypa.com/