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August 19, 2024
EAU CLAIRE – Ark Animal Hospital – which was founded by Dr. Jeff Stepanek and his wife, Missy, in 1977 – is now under the direction of two new long-time area vets – Drs. Peter and Cathie Morrow, who also own and operate All Paws Animal Hospital in Mondovi.
Though the sale was effective July 1, the transition from one vet to the other started before then, which Peter said helped ensure things went as smoothly as possible.
“We had a little time leading up to July 1 where I spent some time here with Jeff for a couple of months before the purchase was final,” Peter said. “That allowed us time to get to know each other, for him to introduce me to some of his clientele and for me to get to know the staff.”
Peter said Jeff has continued to offer support.
“He’s been wonderful,” Peter said. “Both he and Missy have put as much effort and time into the transition and thought process as you can imagine to make it as successful as humanly possible. We couldn’t ask for a better partner in this transition.”
Peter said he knows that putting the care of your pet(s) into the hands of someone new requires a lot of trust and can be a little stressful.
Having Stepanek around during the ownership transition, Peter said, has gone a long way in helping him gain the trust of the clients.
“By helping with those introductions and so forth, Jeff is really saying to clients, ‘hey, I chose this guy. I trust him and you guys should, too,’” he said. “He gives me an introduction to everybody who comes through the door and tells them a little about our story… I think we have a similar mindset and similar value set (when it comes to veterinary medicine), so I think it’s easy for us to understand each other’s point of view.”
At 74 years old, Stepanek said he has his sights set on retirement – but that doesn’t mean clients won’t continue to see him at the clinic.
“I don’t think we have an end date for when he won’t be around,” Peter said. “He has emeritus status. He’s got a key to the front door, a key to the office and he has a desk in the office. If there’s a day he doesn’t want to come in, he doesn’t have to, but he’s going to be welcome here for as long as he wants.”
Being a vet, Peter said, is not just Jeff’s career – “it’s who he is, every fiber of him.”
“He wants to be here,” he said. “He wants to be seeing these animals and we want him here, too. And, it’s been a wonderful mentorship for me.”
Subtle, but important, changes so far
New owners often want to put their own stamp on something – whether it’s a home or a business.
The Morrows said they are no different.
But the changes they’ve made since taking over, Peter said, have been cosmetic, more than anything.
“We’re running two exam rooms now, and we’ll be opening up a third exam room soon which will allow us to have more room to place people and their pets when they arrive,” he said. “We have more in-house diagnostics now. Before, everything was sent out for diagnostics, but now, we are doing a lot of in-house blood work. So we can do that while people wait.”
Peter said Ark Animal Hospital will also provide other state-of-the-art diagnostic services, including digital radiography, ultrasound imaging, laboratory testing and histopathology.
By having these tools in-house, he said staff can more quickly identify and diagnose pet health issues and create the appropriate treatment plan for moving forward.
“Also, we were doing a modified curbside (welcome) when I started where a lot of people were waiting in their vehicles,” he said. “We’ve now abandoned that. Instead, we want people to come right into the building when they arrive. We’ve got a spot for them.”
The Morrows have also expanded afternoon hours at The Ark since taking over – now seeing patients from 1:30-5 p.m. instead of 2:30-5 p.m. like before.
Though Ark Animal Hospital will remain a small-animal-only clinic, Peter said there will be one big change coming soon that will be advantageous for clients planning to breed their pets.
“I am a boarded theriogenologist, meaning I am board-certified in obstetrics and gynecology for animals,” he said. “It allows me to do some advanced procedures for breeding management and (things related to that). Hopefully, we’ll be getting into utilizing more breeding management, primarily for purebred dogs. There are other needs, too, but that’s where our main focus will be.”
Peter said an ultrasound machine will be added to the practice as he starts offering “advanced reproductive services.”
“It’s on the list, but we’re not quite there yet,” he said.
Managing, running two clinics simultaneously
The Morrows said adding a second animal hospital seemed like the perfect thing to do and made sense to them.
“Owning two animal clinics is not common, so it makes us unique that way,” Peter said. “The only reason we did it is because we’re husband and wife veterinarians. We’re progressive and saw this opportunity (to buy a second clinic) and went for it. We have two practices, but we’re really just a family that treats animals in two different locations.”
Peter said it’s a family affair at both clinics.
“Our whole family is involved,” he said. “Our daughter, Autumn, just completed her sophomore year at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls and is (studying) agribusiness. She is looking seriously at working with our practice in the practice management business area. She has basically spearheaded the transition of this practice (from the Stepaneks) to our ownership. And our son, Zach, has been working here since day one helping the transition by moving things around and cleaning and taking over kennel responsibilities at both clinics.”
Peter said he will handle most of the day-to-day veterinary care at The Ark, while Cathie will primarily focus on patient care at All Paws.
Shortages in veterinary medicine
Unlike so many clinics these days, the Morrows said the veterinarian and vet tech shortages have not really affected them, for a variety of reasons.
“My wife used to teach in a veterinary technology program at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, so she has actually instructed (her staff),” he said. “Some had worked in a vet clinic before but were not formally trained. So, she is in the process of formally training all of them – and that’s something that always continues (with new people).”
The staff at The Ark, Peter said, had significantly more formal training because there was a veterinary technician program in Eau Claire through Globe University.
“I have three people who have gone through that program,” he said. “That really helped us.”
The staff at both locations, Peter said, allows them to take on new clients – something not all veterinary clinics can do.
“We just hired a veterinarian who is three years out of veterinary school who is primarily going to be at All Paws,” he said. “That will allow Cathie to be up here with me at The Ark, I’m hoping, one to two days a week.”
With change happening quickly in veterinary medicine, Peter said continued education is important to stay abreast of new research and technologies for diagnosing and treating patients.
“We’re members of various veterinary associations,” he said. “We are very adamant that all members of our staff go to continuing education events – whether they be regional or national meetings. There’s a lot of online continuing education right now that either companies or local associations are putting on.”
Setting themselves apart
Being fairly traditional small animal practices, Peter said both The Ark and All Paws provide the typical preventative medicine – vaccines, annual exams, traditional-type surgeries, dental and end-of-life services.
Peter said the addition of advanced reproductive procedures and internal medicine services – which is an interest of Cathie’s – is what will continue to set The Ark and All Paws apart.
“One thing (Cathie) likes to offer is problem-solving and diagnosing some of these more complex cases – animals that have chronic, difficult-to-solve problems,” he said. “She likes to try to get in there and come to a diagnosis of things that aren’t necessarily real clear or have been going on for a long time. She also likes to manage chronic cases, like cardiac cases that need a lot of after-care and management. She likes to manage cases that aren’t straightforward. It gives her a real challenge, and I think that’s where her passion in veterinary medicine comes from.”
Online store gives added convenience
To be mindful of clients’ time and to make things more convenient for them, Peter said both clinics – which are about 18 miles from each other – now have an online store, where clients can order food, medication and a limited number of supplies.
He said they can have the order shipped to them or pick it up at either clinic.
“Maybe they’re an All Paws client but happen to be in or close to Eau Claire,” he said. “They could just pick it up at The Ark. We share a computer records system so we can look up what a client has used before – whether it’s medicine, flea and tick products or even food… It’s about making things easier for the clients.”
