Hempfield veterinary center attracts pets, owners with treats, tours

Hannastown Veterinary Center’s Summer Treat Social attracted more than 40 owners and their pets Saturday afternoon, including Kristy McCracken and her Bernese Mountain Dog, Riley.

At 13 months, rambunctious Riley is well on the way to reaching the 2-foot height at the shoulders many dogs of that breed achieve as adults.

McCracken, who moved from Indiana to Greensburg, attended Saturday’s open house event in Hempfield as part of her search to find a new veterinarian that is close by, so she won’t have to continue hauling Riley to medical appointments in Cambria County.

“I got him in August,” McCracken said. “I went to Ohio to get him, and then I found out how big he would get.”

Susy Durso of Greensburg, who regularly brings her two dogs and nine cats to the veterinary center for medical care, enjoyed getting a tour behind the scenes to see the center’s surgical and diagnostic equipment. Though, she said, she entrusts her four-footed friends to the 10-member staff mainly because of their “very personal touch.”

Managing veterinarian Dr. Andrea Honigmann joined the practice in December 2019 after previously treating pets in central Pennsylvania and Allegheny County. At that time, it was headed by Dr. Ed Lint, who retired early in 2020.

In another development in 2019, the Hannastown center joined the Heart + Paw veterinary group headquartered near Philadelphia. That move, Honigmann said, allowed the practice to make several upgrades. Those included transferring records from paper to digital format and investing in a fingerprint-secured inventory management system for pet medications.

A digital microscope allows the center to send images of lab samples from pets directly to a pathologist.

“We can get a read on what those cells are within two hours,” Honigmann said. “It’s up-and-coming technology.”

Other services at the center include nutritional counseling, radiology, dental care and outpatient surgery — such as spay and neuter procedures and removal of bladder stones.

The event featured pet-friendly treats from Hempfield’s Dogtopia and ones for owners from the Kona Ice truck. There also were cookie treats shaped like ice cream cones for dogs, items from Greensburg’s Petagogy pet supply store and pet-pertinent raffle baskets.

Wayward Whiskers Animal Rescue, based in the Greensburg area, brought a dozen adoptable cats in need of homes.

The veterinary center got its start in 1967, founded by veterinarian William Beam west of Greensburg. It moved to its current location on Bothwell Road, just north of Greensburg, in 1984.