Urban Animal Veterinarian Dr. Hilary Granson has been featured in Voyage Houston Magazine!

You can check out the article in its original form here: http://voyagehouston.com/interview/rising-stars-meet-hilary-granson-of-houston/

Take a look at what Voyage Houston Magazine had to say below:

Today we’d like to introduce you to Hilary Granson.

Hi Hilary, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.

I always had a passion for animals and followed my dream to help provide better medical care by becoming a veterinarian. I graduated from Cornell’s College of Veterinary Medicine in 2007, worked in the Northeast for three years, completed a veterinary Internship and moved to Houston in 2013 looking for warmer weather, a robust economy, and a better cost of living.

After practicing in Houston for four years as both a general practitioner and an emergency clinician, I decided I open my own practice and offer pet owners and their four-legged friends a diverse and welcoming environment in a setting that provided exceptional veterinary care. Urban Animal Veterinary Hospital was born.

As a gender non-conforming woman, Urban Animal respects the individuality of every person and pet that walks through our doors. Our website has a diversity statement and our staff reflects the diverse nature of the world we live in and includes many from the LGBTQ community.

OutSmart Magazine recognized this and in our first year of opening named us for two of its Gayest and Greatest awards in the Houston Veterinary community.

In addition to providing cutting-edge care and a full range of medical services, Urban Animal Veterinary Hospital was created in a new, veterinary-specific designed building,

Our appointments allow time for us to get to know our animal companion patients along with the people they’re attached to. We use fear-free techniques to help put pets at ease and allow pet parents to see exactly what we do during the visit.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?

Becoming established as a newcomer to Houston and as a new practice has had its challenges. But each year we continue to grow and build trust with those in our community. At this time, we have close to 3,000 active clients.

COVID-19 changed our landscape in many ways. Initially, it affected us in terms of in-person interactions as well as the use of face masks by our staff while working.

Our field got creative and introduced curbside appointments where owners would wait in their cars while we conducted our exams inside our facility.

Earlier this year, we allowed clients into the practice with face masks. But our world has changed. More four-legged companions were adopted to combat loneliness during social isolation.

At the same time, many people got comfortable working remotely and limiting their hours worked. This led to a higher demand for veterinary services with limited staffing.

Finding a second permanent veterinarian in this climate is another challenge that’s ongoing. And the trend in inflammation has hit everyone hard.

Everyone feels the financial belt-tightening and that’s hard across the board.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?

As a general practitioner with an emergency background, I don’t ‘specialize’ in anything one thing but need to be proficient in almost everything from surgery and wellness to emergencies, chronic diseases, neurology, cardiology, dentistry, dermatology, and so on.

I especially enjoy diagnosing and managing complex diseases and working with owners to create a treatment plan that benefits their pets and keeps them living their best lives. I find that very rewarding.

I think Urban Animal Veterinary Hospital has developed a reputation for high-quality care and as a resource for pet owners. I may be on a call for 10-15 minutes well after our hours of operation are over. I do it because I care. I want to have a knowledgeable clientele that feels they’ve been well educated about their companion animal’s health. We are also known for our late evening hours and being open Saturday and Sunday.

I’m proud of the loyal following that Urban Animal has established, the pets we’ve helped and of our culture of inclusivity. I think we have a very welcoming and supportive culture.

Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
Pushing a doll carriage like the other 5-year-old girls would do; only my carriage didn’t contain a toy baby; mine carried an oversized stuffed rabbit named Harriet.

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