Fifty years. Half a century. Five generations. It’s hard to believe, but Union Lake Veterinary Hospital is celebrating its 50th anniversary!! We’ve been caring for Michigan pets for the past five decades, and we are excited to embark on the next five. This is a major milestone for our practice, and we want to celebrate by reflecting on not only our hospital, but how veterinary medicine has evolved over this time period.
Every Emotion All at Once
As we sit down and think about what fifty years in this industry mean for us, we feel love, joy, amusement, sadness, nostalgia, invigoration, awe, inspiration, a touch of bittersweetness, and every other emotion imaginable. Most of all, we feel gratitude. Gratitude at being able be part of such an amazing professional filled with a common goal of nurturing the bond between pets and their people. Gratitude for being able to make a difference in the lives of others and improve the quality of life for the animals we are fortunate enough to have known.
Some of the Union Lake Veterinary Hospital client family has been with us since the very beginning—trusting us with generations and generations of pets. We’ve grown together and have experienced joys, sorrows, successes, and losses with them. While caring for their furry family members, we’ve seen their human children grow and become clients, employees, and close friends. We’ve built a true legacy that is interwoven with so many lives.
Humble Beginnings to a Thriving Practice
Union Lake Veterinary Hospital started as a small ranch house located in Suburban Detroit. We had three exam rooms, one doctor, and two employees. Fast forward to today, and we are lucky enough to practice out of a sprawling pet care complex that spans three acres and more than 25,000 square feet of buildings. Today, we have fourteen doctors and over 100 employees.
Our size might have increased, but we still maintain that same small practice welcoming feeling. We take this balancing act very seriously and aim to create a comfortable, caring space for your pet’s health care needs including veterinary care, grooming, training, physical rehabilitation and more! Quality service, medicine, care, and compassion have always been paramount here at Union Lake Veterinary Hospital. They were, are and always will be our top priorities.
Caring for Pets and Their People
From the very beginning, the ULVH team has focused not only on premium veterinary care but also on people care. We put as much focus on preventing disease as we do on client education and nurturing the bond between pets and their people. We have treated each pet patient as one of our own for the last five decades, and we have no plans to stop.
Veterinary Care of Yore
When our practice first opened, we saw a lot of cases that modern vaccines have minimized almost completely. In fact, even as little as twenty years ago, we saw puppies with parvo almost daily. Sadly, many of them did not win their fights against the disease. Luckily, advancements in vaccination programs and treatment mean we are much better able not only to treat, but prevent diseases like these. Fleas, ticks, and heartworms were treated with complicated treatment plans (like flea kits and baths). Nowadays, we have a single monthly pill that can treat issues like these.
To the Future and Beyond
Once upon a time, surgery and anesthesia were extremely high risk for animals. Today, we have human-grade monitors, IV fluids, aggressive pain management and bloodwork to help us detect and prevent diseases early. Pain management is a much bigger focus in a pet’s healing journey. Our pet patients in the early days lived almost exclusively in the backyard; today, they are welcome in the living room, the bedroom, and even the bed.
We have always respected, valued, and nurtured the role pets play in our lives and will continue to do so. We remain committed to building a team of professionals to meet every need of local animals. Our entire team shares the common goal of improving the lives of people and their pets. We hope that our efforts create a ripple effect that improves lives beyond our three-acre pet care campus. One thing that hasn’t changed over the last fifty years is our dedication to animal health and welfare, which is second to none.
A 50th anniversary would not be possible without this community. Thank you for believing in Union Lake Veterinary Hospital. We can’t wait to enjoy the next fifty years together. To become part of our pet-loving family, you can find us at 248-363-1508 or unionlakeveterinaryhospital.com.