Dogs That Eat Meth And De-Scented Skunks Are Normal At Casper Vet Clinic

CASPER — The same-old, same-old for veterinarians in Wyoming goes far beyond treating dogs and cats. They routinely deal with rattlesnake bites, dogs that eat their owners’ drugs and even perform surgery on the delicate scent glands of skunks.

Then there’s a whole range of animal ailments that could take some vets out of the office and to nearby farms.

Veterinarian Ashleigh Evans and her husband Mitchell Blehm are the new owners of Rocky Mountain Animal Hospital at 1551 Centennial Court in Casper, and plan to keep their clinic open 24/7, going beyond just being on-call.

It’s something they feel can help elevate the popular operation created by founder and veterinarian Jane Mohr.

They already are doing emergency animal care, including surgeries any day or hour.

“As we were purchasing this, my big thing is that I really like emergency work and I want to provide that 24/7 opportunity if someone needs an emergency veterinarian,” Evans said. “So, the vision for this place is to continue as a (general practice) and also continue to have those emergency services.”

Evans said she and Blehm, who runs the business side of operations, met in Missouri where she attended veterinary school at the University of Missouri, and he ran a business. She worked at another clinic in Casper, but wanted to own her own practice.

Happy Doctor

With help from Casper real estate agent Jason Lewis, the couple bought the facility from Mohr in July, and Mohr said she “couldn’t be happier.”

“It’s hard selling a practice that has been your baby for a long time,” she said. “But I couldn’t be happier with Ashleigh and Mitchell. They have the same vision that I do for the place, and she reminds me a lot of me. She is ambitious and a good doctor.”

Mohr said she will continue to work at the facility full-time until next year, when she will become more of a “snowbird” during the winter months. Her plans call for her to continue serving her client base at the clinic well into the future.

When she built the vet clinic, Mohr said she designed it to be open, with a lot of windows and an interior that would allow everything to be easily seen.

She also wanted an adventurous Western outdoor vibe, complete with a moose head in the lobby. (No, it’s not a former patient.)

Blehm said since acquiring the business, they have expanded hours with the goal being 24/7 soon.

Evans said to help with the transition, she worked at the clinic a couple days a week for a month prior to the purchase. And her surgical skills have been put to work in its operating rooms, ICU and well-stocked pharmacy.

“We take pride in stocking a lot of medications and supplies for emergency situations,” Blehm said. “Since we’ve purchased it, I’ve put about a quarter million dollars into inventory so we can treat more advanced and more emergent situations compared to in the past.”

Rattlesnake Antidote

One of those situations is rattlesnake bites.

The couple said they have treated three animals that were bitten in past week. Blehm said many vet clinics do not stock antivenom because it costs $500 for a small vial.

The clinic and its staff of 12 averages about 40 to 50 pets a day.

Mohr said when she had the facility built in 2015, she wanted an ICU, and an aesthetic that would reflect the West as well as be an engaging place to work her long hours.

The design allows workers to monitor pets in the ICU from several areas of the clinic. The ICU, and other areas, have oxygen and monitoring equipment.

The clinic has advanced X-ray and ultrasound machines as well as the capability to test an animal’s blood for pathogens and other components.

Blehm said they also have isolation capabilities for situations such as a puppy that has contracted canine parvovirus.

Since arriving, Evans, who said she really likes to do soft-tissue surgery, has already successfully removed a 5-pound mass from a 15-pound dachshund and rebuilt its GI tract. Another surgery involved saving a dog that swallowed a rope toy.

The clinic has contracted with a veterinarian specialist in Colorado to perform specialized orthopedic surgeries — though Evans said she does do knees and hips.

And the emergencies keep coming.

“We’ve had four rat-poisoned dogs in the last two weeks,” Evans said. “They eat rat poison and we try to get them to vomit it up. If they don’t vomit it up, then their blood starts thinning out like water and if they have one little nick they can bleed out.”

Treatment involves providing vitamin K and and, in one case, Evans said she had to do a blood transfusion.

Gummies And Meth

Their emergency care has also involved treating animals that have eaten trash with meth residue or marijuana gummies.

“I have a lot of marijuana intoxications, I’ve had about 20 in the last two months,” Evans said.

The clinic treats any non-livestock creature, including all kinds of exotic animals from macaws to guinea pigs, tortoises, turtles, raccoons, sugar gliders and a skunk she removed the scent glands from so the owner could make it a pet.

Evans also recently treated a 14-foot, 100-pound python the owner thought had become “egg-bound” where eggs were stuck in its body. X-rays were needed.

“We had to put tape on the snake every time we moved it because you couldn’t take it all in one shot,” Evans said.

Originally from Texas, Evans said she told Blehm after her initial months working in Casper that she was not going to leave the city. That motivated him to start looking for a clinic for her. They both have been enticed by the opportunities for hunting, fishing, and an environment where they can eventually raise a family.

For now, they are continuing to answer the call whenever the phone rings for emergency care, but plan to be able to reach a place where the doors to the clinic will be open 24/7 by spring next year.

Blehm said he believes the clinic already has the client base to support those hours. They have seen people bring their pets in from as far as Riverton, Buffalo, Glendo and beyond.

Evans said she thrives on the emergent situations and “the kind of chaos that comes with that.”

“Any time you get that phone call at 2 a.m. and you can help someone who is in a very stressful situation, I just really enjoy that,” she said.

Dale Killingbeck can be reached at dale@cowboystatedaily.com.