Virginia Tech Veterinary Teaching Hospital

12/08/2025

Due to inclement weather, Community Practice and specialty services at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital will be closed today, December 8. Clients with affected appointments will be contacted with further instructions.

🚨 Emergency Services remain OPEN 24/7.

Please visit vt.edu/status for campus updates.

12/05/2025

❄️ WEATHER UPDATE: Two-Hour Delay

Community Practice and specialty services at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital will operate on a two-hour delay tomorrow, December 5. Clients with affected appointments will be contacted with further instructions.

🚨 Emergency Services remain OPEN 24/7.

Please visit vt.edu/status for campus inclement weather updates.

09/25/2025

Did you know that just like humans, dogs and cats need blood transfusions?

Our Veterinary Teaching Hospital Blood Bank is in urgent need of donors to help pets with critical injuries and illnesses. Your pet's single donation can be separated into red blood cells and plasma, saving multiple lives. ❤️

09/24/2025

For many pets, the veterinarian’s office is a stressful place. Unusual smells, people, and places can be overwhelming, and pets don’t understand why they are being examined and touched by strangers, leading to more anxiety.

We talked with Drs. Virginia Edwards and Michael Nappier on how to make visits less stressful for both you and your pet. 😌

Trips to a veterinarian can be a challenge, but here are some tips to make visits less stressful for both you and your pet.

08/14/2025

Thinking about getting your pet spayed or neutered? Learn more from 's Dr. Virginia Edwards about what to expect for this common procedure. 👩‍⚕️🐕🐈

And surprisingly, there are still spots open in our -FREE- fall neuter program. Scroll to the bottom of the story to learn more about it and sign up!

Spaying and neutering are sterilization procedures but the surgeries are relatively low risk.

08/07/2025

Owning a pet pig is a big responsibility, but also very rewarding, according to Oreo's owners, Jacob and Bre Turner.

They work with Dr. Sherrie Clark at the Virginia Tech Veterinary Teaching Hospital to keep this potbelly pig happy and healthy. 🐽

07/21/2025

For many dogs, warm summer weather is when allergies start to flare... and those allergies can lead to painful, itchy hot spots. 🔥

Join clinical assistant professor of veterinary dermatology Dr. Ivan Ravera as he busts hot spot myths and gives dog owners the information they need to deal with these lesions!

For your dog, summer can be when allergies start to flare, resulting in hot spots.. Here is what a pet owner can do.

06/18/2025

The first day of summer is June 20! ☀️ As temperatures climb, it's important to be aware of heatstroke in pets. This condition can wreak havoc on almost all of your pet's body systems, causing serious damage.

As we move into summer, it's important to know the signs of heatstroke in your pet and what to do for their safety and health.

05/22/2025

They might not be very handy with a spade, but pets enjoy spending time in the garden, too! Here are some tips for keeping your garden safe for pets.

Gardening offers the opportunity to enjoy the sunshine and make your yard prettier. Here are some ways to create a safe garden you and your pets can enjoy.

05/09/2025

News Release: Bringing back rare stallion bloodlines

A pair of positive pregnancy tests at the Virginia Tech Veterinary Teaching Hospital on Monday, 4/28/2025, mark a landmark event for the rare and ancient Akhal-Teke horse, and for the Akhal-Teke Foundation (ATF), dedicated to preserving the breed, as veterinary science gives two stallions from the 1970s and 80s a chance to create new foals.

Drawing on frozen semen collected at the pioneering Roanoake A.I. Laboratory going back to the 1970s, before today’s standardized practice, each of these historical Russian-born studs represents a traditional Turkmen stallion line that is rare in North America today.

Often called “the world’s most beautiful horse,” the Akhal-Teke breed is acutely rare, and shrinking. Some 300 horses in North America represent only about one in 20,000 horses overall. Scientifically considered a primitive breed, the Akhal-Teke is elegant and refined, with a natural athleticism that makes them the greyhounds of the horse world. Roughly 5000 Akhal-Tekes worldwide harbor more deep genetic diversity than all the world’s Thoroughbreds — of which the Akhal-Teke/Turkoman breed is precursor.

Akhal-Teke stallion Arik (Ametist x Aishat, 1978), a grandson of Olympic Gold Medal dressage stallion Absent, representing the Arab sire line, has a confirmed pregnancy with Anadana, a lovely Akhal-Teke mare who is the only offspring of her outstanding dam Merdana.

Akhal-Teke stallion Goklen (Gilkuiruk x Gerel, 1989) representing the Kaplan sire line, has a confirmed pregnancy with Zenus, the consensus best filly at historic Shenandoah Farm at the time of its closing in 2020. Zenus is a granddaughter of the outstanding Akhal-Teke eventing stallion Sengar, who was long listed for the 1996 U.S. Olympic Team.

These new pregnancies are landmark successes for the standard-setting conservation breeding program of the nonprofit Akhal-Teke Foundation (ATF). Planned in consultation with the Livestock Conservancy, the ATF program is developing a breeding herd as a genetically diverse resource to maintain the inherent excellence of the rare and ancient Akhal-Teke horse, while gradually raising the total number of Akhal-Teke foals born annually in North America upward from 10 currently, which is estimated to be less than half of the minimum replacement rate.

Visitors to the breeding herd, including mares, foals, and stallions, are welcome at the national Akhal-Teke Center in Lexington, Virginia. Call 541-514-4766 or visit the website for reservations.

More about ATF programs here…
https://www.akhaltekefoundation.org/programs.html

Join the ATF email list here…
https://www.akhaltekefoundation.org/email_list.html

References:

Arik (Ametist x Aishat, 1978) Arab line
http://www.akhaltekeregistry.com/Database?id=377&searchField=Horse+name

https://beta.allbreedpedigree.com/arik-gWRMAl1a/pedigree

Goklen (Gilkuiruk x Gerel, 1989) Kaplan line
http://www.akhaltekeregistry.com/Database?id=2639&searchField=Horse+name

https://beta.allbreedpedigree.com/goklen-iQAs8M3N/pedigree

📷 Akhal-Teke stallion Arik (Ametist x Aishat, 1978), grandson of Absent

05/08/2025

04/24/2025

April 23: The Equine Disease Communication Center (EDCC) has confirmed an Equine Herpesvirus (EHV-Respiratory) case at a training facility in Washington County, VA.

The affected horse, a 3-year-old c**t, developed clinical signs on April 15, including fever and inappetence. He is reported to be recovering while under voluntary quarantine.