Hurricane Ridge Veterinary Hospital
660 N. Seventh Ave., Sequim
681-0117
Hours: 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday
After-hours for emergencies
Since opening Hurricane Ridge Veterinary Hospital four years ago in a rented space on Fifth Avenue, Dr. Toni Jensen has wanted her own facility to offer more services to her clients. Whenever she and her daughter passed by the Seventh Avenue and Hendrickson Road corner, Jensen thought, “That corner is such a great location. Eventually I decided just to go for it.”
The blue and white building at 660 N. Seventh Ave. looks like it could be a Victorian cottage with its gingerbread accents and roomy front porch with pillars.
“I put the big porch and seating (tables and chairs) so people on the Olympic Discovery Trail and other walkers could sit down and relax with their animals and to be a resource to the community,” Jensen said.
Looking much larger on the inside than building’s outer footprint, the hospital is spacious and airy with large windows bringing sunshine into almost every room.
“We have state-of-the-art equipment such as digital X-ray and digital dental imaging,” Jensen said, “and the ability to send images to specialists in Seattle for a response within an hour with emergency patients. We also have a full lab, surgery suite and pharmacy. I also have a semi-retired veterinary radiologist who does ultrasounds for me.”
The one thing that clients and their people like best, Jensen said, is that there are separate dog/cat exam rooms and separate dog/cat recovery rooms.
“We have much more relaxed cats and they have a view outside, too,” she added.
Each of the four exam rooms has a scale, examination table, a computer that facilitates electronic records and comfortable chairs to encourage owners sit and talk about their pets.
“I wanted it to be very homey because the time I set for appointments is longer than typical to make sure all their questions are answered,” Jensen said. “I want to make sure although we’re growing the practice that we take care of clients and that their animals are seen the same day if they’re sick so they don’t have to suffer. If someone is an established client and his or her pet is ill, we will get it in the same day, regardless of how full we are.”
Routine appointmentS are accommodated in one or two weeks.
Jensen said she realizes that procedures can be expensive for many pet lovers so she will work with clients so they can pay their bill over several months. Clients struggling to pay may have funds donated to them through an “angel fund,” the Chris R. Jensen Memorial Fund, named for her father. Her clients who are able to donate pay it forward.
As for building in Sequim, Jensen said, “I realized I like Sequim because the clients here are fantastic — they take really good care of their pets and that makes my job very nice. I designed the hospital to be very personable to take care of clients and their pets.”
Jensen, now 36, admitted she wasn’t one of those animal crazy youths and veterinary medicine was far from her mind — in fact, she was working at a bank.
“I started after hours volunteering at a cat hospital and it became very clear it was what I was meant to do. The vet took me under his wing and pushed me in the direction of going to vet school,” Jensen recalled.
She graduated from the College of Veterinary Medicine at Washington State University in 2007 in a class that was 90 percent female — a real shift from 30 years ago, she noted. Jensen has been in practice for nine years after eight years of study to have DVM after her name. She specializes in dermatology problems and managing senior cats.
“I love it and I can’t think of a better job, especially on the peninsula, because people are so bonded to their animals and I end up having special relationships with the owners, too,” Jensen said. “That’s a neat thing about Sequim — when we opened four years ago, we got so much support. The thing about veterinary medicine is every day is different and exciting — I never know who will walk in the door. I think it’s rewarding to be able to alleviate pain in an animal. It’s very much a puzzle and it’s rewarding to figure out the diagnosis and treat it.”
If there’s a best, there’s a worst and Jensen didn’t hesitate.
“The hardest is having to tell somebody there is nothing I can do for their pet. Most of the time I can do something but other cases I can’t do anything and that makes me feel very powerless.”
Jensen is a member of the Washington State Veterinary Medical Association and American Veterinary Medical Association, state and national accreditation associations. Hurricane Ridge Veterinary Hospital is taking new patients — call 681-0117 for an appointment.
Reach Patricia Morrison Coate at pcoate@sequim
gazette.com.
