Gift from animal advocates Karen Waldron and Shawn Ricci ‘transformational’ for Veterinary Teaching Hospital
Karen Waldron and Shawn Ricci have devoted much time and passion to the care and training of elite competitive ponies and horses as well as improving the welfare of abandoned dogs and cats.
A $4 million gift from Waldron and Ricci will lift emergency care to another level for both horses and small pets at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital, part of the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine on Virginia Tech’s campus in Blacksburg.
The $2 million donated to each service at the hospital will enable the hiring of a second emergency care veterinarian in large animal, bringing in an additional critical care specialist in small animal, and supporting residents in equine and small animal care.
“The ability to have a second position is transformational for equine care because that allows us to position a dedicated service toward emergency and critical care,” said Chris Byron, head of the Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences at the veterinary college.
The donation underscores a lengthy association that Waldron, CEO of Fralin & Waldron Inc., a commercial and residential building company headquartered in Daleville, has had with the veterinary college that last year celebrated its 40th year of conferring veterinary degrees upon new veterinarians.
“I have been working with the vet school since the doors opened,” said Waldron. “With both our equine business and small animals, we have spent a good portion of my life in treatments with all of the departments but mostly with emergency medicine.
“Over the years, we have had hundreds of horses, many llamas, and close to a hundred pets cared for by the vets and students there,” said Waldon, who added that she has worked closely with many veterinary college students and alums on her farm and even at universities and veterinary clinics in other regions.
“My most special memories are not positive outcomes for horrific emergency situations but for the veterinarians we have built incredible relationships with,” Waldron said. “The depth of care and compassion many have shown our animals and the brutal honesty we all have with each other has transitioned to a long and trusted partnership I see that can expand to other clients in the future as well.”
Waldron and Ricci, a former equestrian vaulter, own and operate Bent Tree Farm, which opened in 1975 in Shawsville. Bent Tree Farm breeds and trains horses that compete in carriage driving and horse shows across North America.
Waldron also serves on the board of directors of the Mountain View Humane Spay/Neuter Clinic. Moved by the many abandoned dogs and cats often dropped off at their farm, she and Ricci entered a partnership with Roanoke Valley SPCA in 2010 to found the Waldron-Ricci Spay/Neuter Clinic in Christiansburg in 2010.
The additional personnel hired as a result of the gift will be a boon to regional horse owners, who have fewer options for emergency and critical care than in the past.
“In the last five years or so, the demand for equine emergency services from our facility here in Blacksburg has skyrocketed,” Byron said. “It’s been difficult on the faculty to absorb that need while maintaining the daytime services, the teaching services and the research enterprise.”
Waldron said fewer options for emergency equine care in the Roanoke and New River valleys has led her to make difficult decisions to relocate some of her horse operations to North Carolina, where such veterinary services are more readily available.
“Without the veterinarian support required, equine business people are not going to be able to stay in the region and will transition their operations to other areas,” Waldron said. “We are hoping that will change going forward with this partnership at Virginia Tech.”
Veterinary college faculty already tasked with regular appointments, specialized veterinary care, teaching, and research must alternate to cover emergencies in the equine practice at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital, reducing their ability to perform their primary duties and also cutting into work-life balance.
Hiring one dedicated emergency care equine veterinarian reduces the time other faculty must devote to emergency care. Hiring a second enables two veterinarians to handle the vast majority of emergency equine care.
“In large animal, this is going to have a huge impact because currently the large animal clinicians are covering emergencies,” said Tanya LeRoith, hospital director. “They’re on during the day. They're on at night. They have to come back the next day. They have to stay up the next night. And so sleep deprivation sets in. It will be good for their quality of life if there's a separate service that is for emergencies, so those clinicians can one, sleep, and two, schedule routine cases.”
Virginia Tech’s equine hospital in Northern Virginia, the Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center in Leesburg, developed a dedicated equine emergency service last year in response to the growing need for the service combined with a critical shortage of emergency equine clinicians nationally. Emily Schaefer and Sarah Dukti serve as the two equine emergency care clinicians at the heart of the new model, which is similar to what will be employed at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital in Blacksburg.
In both large and small animal, the gift will enable the hiring of two candidates from a quality pool rather than just one. The Waldron gifts support three years of bridge funding to launch the equine emergency service at Blacksburg and expand the emergency service for small animals.
“Shawn and I believe that the investment on this side of medicine will be a huge benefit to both owners and even more to teach students the importance of critical thinking in medicine as most animals will present issues that may not have been addressed in their training,” Waldron said.
Waldron said she hopes the gifts enhance the emergency services for both large and small animal and will enable and encourage more veterinary students to enter emergency care.
“Our intention is to see more current vets and students transition to emergency medicine,” Waldron said. “This program with both equine and small animal emergency could be a bit of a security blanket not just for us and those we care about but for all that have horses, dogs and cats.
“We want only the best for this wonderful vet school.”
