The Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital (VMTH), Clydesdale Hall, is a state-of-the-art teaching and medical service facility. The VMTH is an integral component of the College, and it is essential to the teaching mission since it is the teaching laboratory for training students for the DVM degree. Faculty and students in the VMTH diagnose and treat more than 16,000 patients annually. Besides serving as a clinical laboratory, the VMTH provides specialty services to animal owners in Missouri and throughout the Midwest.
The VMTH features specialized areas in emergency medicine and surgery, ophthalmology, neurology, oncology, cardiovascular medicine, and surgery, orthopedic surgery, and advanced imaging techniques. It is the state’s leading referral hospital and is fully accredited by the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) and the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care International (AAALAC International).
Strategically located between Missouri’s two major population centers and in the very center of the world’s most productive agricultural region, this comprehensive veterinary medical center is actually three hospitals in one, with a total of almost 150,000 square feet of facilities for companion animals, horses, and farm animals. It is among the nation’s largest veterinary medical teaching hospitals. Veterinarians throughout the Midwest refer animals to the VMTH for specialized care and to take advantage of sophisticated equipment not available in most private practices.
The VMTH and the Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory are the only full-service veterinary diagnostic centers in the State of Missouri. They are among only five such centers in the Midwest.
HOSPITAL SERVICES
Preventive care and treatment for more routine problems is also provided to animals from the local community. Taken together, the referral service and community practice treat approximately 16,000 animals yearly in the VMTH itself and thousands more on farms.
Although the need for veterinary medicine is greater today than ever before, there are only 28 accredited Colleges of Veterinary Medicine in the United States and just one in the state of Missouri. With a distinguished 50-year tradition of benefiting the state and the nation through its teaching, research, and service programs, the MU College of Veterinary Medicine has a long-standing reputation for consistently producing some of the nation’s best veterinarians. Founded in 1946, the College has graduated more than 2,700 doctors of veterinary medicine since the first class of 26 earned their degrees in 1950. In the past few years, the College has won increasing international recognition for its world-class expertise in mainstream veterinary medical specialties.
CARE PROVIDERS
Clinical services are provided by faculty, interns and residents, staff, and students. Students pursuing the doctor of veterinary medicine (DVM) degree, as well as interns and residents who are engaged in postgraduate training, actively participate with faculty and staff in each phase of patient care. Most faculty spend approximately six months per year on hospital duty rotations. At other times, they participate in classroom teaching, research, continuing education or extension activities. Other faculty have clinical appointments which commit them to clinical service and teaching for 9-10 months annually. The result is that patients benefit from the expertise of a focused, communicative clinical team that includes veterinary medical generalists and specialists as well as future veterinarians.
CASE REFERRALS AND CONSULTATIONS
The MU Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital welcomes companion animal, equine, and food animal referral cases from private veterinarians. Either the veterinarian or the client may call to schedule an appointment. Veterinarians should provide a referral form summarizing the animal’s clinical signs and the diagnostic procedures and/or treatments that have been done prior to referral.
Veterinarians will be contacted both by telephone (within 24 hours) and by letter (within one week of the animal’s discharge). Veterinarians are welcome to call to discuss referred cases. Faculty are also available to consult by telephone with veterinarians regarding the care of animals that have not been evaluated at the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital.
CLIENT COMMUNICATIONS
Owners of hospitalized animals receive daily reports and updates on the results of diagnostic procedures and treatments. The VMTH welcomes calls from clients regarding hospitalized animals at any time during regular hospital hours.
EMERGENCY SERVICES
The VMTH offers emergency services 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Clients should call the regular number (573 882-7821). Calls outside regular hours are processed by an answering service. VMTH veterinarians are then called immediately and will return the client or referring veterinarian’s call. The small animal hospital is staffed continuously by a veterinarian to provide immediate emergency services and supervision for animals needing intensive care.
CHARGES
Charges are levied to cover the costs of treatment, and are generally comparable to those of private veterinarians. It is often difficult to give an accurate estimate of anticipated charges prior to examining the animal. This is particularly true in managing animals with complicated problems. In these cases, even initial tests may fail to establish a diagnosis, and further procedures may be necessary. Advanced deposits are required for most diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. The VMTH accepts most major credit cards.
APPOINTMENTS
Appointment hours vary with the individual service area. Referring veterinarians or clients should telephone (573) 882-7821.
REGULAR HOSPITAL HOURS
Weekdays: 8 AM-5 PM
ADDRESS
MU Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital
Clydesdale Hall
379 East Campus Drive
Columbia, MO 65211
RELATED LINKS
American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA)
American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA)
American Association of Veterinary Clinicians (AAVC)
Missouri Veterinary Medical Association (MVMA)
NetVet Veterinary Resources: The Electronic Zoo
