Tufts' $3.25 million renovation complete

Renovations totaling $3.25 million at Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine has enabled the school to now be able to treat more than 25,000 animals a year.

The newly expanded Henry and Lois Foster Hospital for Small Animals will more than double its caseload since it opened in 1985, officials say.

The renovations, which amount to a 20 percent expansion of space, include a new emergency room and trauma center, an expanded intensive care unit for recovering pets and new hospital wards and treatment areas. A separate ward has been created for cats, allowing felines to avoid the potential stress of being near other small animals. Hospital employees also can take breaks in a newly created room that is much closer to the animals undergoing treatment and recuperation.

Fully funded by charitable gifts, including a lead gift from Dr. and Mrs. Henry L. Foster and gifts from other individuals and foundations. The Foster Hospital construction project created a 5,100-square-foot addition and renovated 6,500 square feet of existing space.

President Lawrence S. Bacow joined Tufts' trustees and veterinary school officials to commemorate the expanded and newly renovated hospital during the school's ongoing 25th anniversary celebrations.

"It was a giant leap of faith when Tufts' Board of Trustees voted in 1978 to establish a School of Veterinary Medicine, the only one in New England," he says. "In 25 short years, this school has pioneered animal welfare and wildlife and conservation medicine, and become a leader in emergency and critical care, oncology and nutrition. Our expanded and newly renovated hospital is a testament to our continuing focus on veterinary care quality and leadership."