ISU Small Animal Hospital

For pet owners across Iowa seeking the highest level of care for their dogs, cats, and other companion animals, the **ISU Small Animal Hospital**—officially known as the Hixson-Lied Small Animal Hospital—stands as a beacon of excellence in **Veterinary Services**. Located within the prestigious Iowa State University (ISU) College of Veterinary Medicine campus in Ames, IA, this facility functions as both a dedicated **Animal Hospital** and a critical regional referral center. It offers an unparalleled combination of routine **Primary Care** and advanced **Specialty Care**, all backed by the expertise of board-certified veterinarians, residents, interns, and fourth-year veterinary students.

The hospital is known for its world-class capabilities, particularly in providing continuous **24-Hour Emergency Care** for unexpected accidents and illnesses. This commitment to around-the-clock availability offers immense peace of mind to pet owners throughout Central Iowa and beyond, as evidenced by a remarkable patient review from a client who traveled from Minnesota and received both life-saving surgery for their paralyzed dog and compassionate human support.

The scope of services extends far beyond a typical local veterinarian, encompassing highly specialized fields like **Animal Internal Medicine** and dedicated **Cancer Care**. The facility’s mission is deeply intertwined with education and research, ensuring that clients benefit from the latest medical and surgical advancements and access to a massive diagnostic infrastructure, including the on-site **Diagnostic Laboratory**. The result is a level of compassionate, expert care that is truly unique to the region.

The **ISU Small Animal Hospital** is a central part of the Lloyd Veterinary Medical Center at the Iowa State University campus. Its convenient location in Ames, IA, makes it a vital resource for pet owners throughout the state and the Midwest.

The hospital's address and operational details are:

• **Address:** 1809 S Riverside Dr, Ames, IA 50011, USA
• **Regular Hours:** Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• **Emergency Services:** Available **24 hours a day**, 365 days a year. It is strongly recommended to call ahead for any emergency or urgent situation.

Accessibility for all clients is a priority, especially during stressful visits:

• **Physical Accessibility:** The facility provides a **Wheelchair accessible entrance**, designated **Wheelchair accessible parking lot**, and a **Wheelchair accessible restroom**.
• **Amenities:** A comfortable **Restroom** is available for client use. The waiting areas are noted for being large, providing a calm environment for pets, a feature highly valued by clients traveling long distances, such as those from Cedar Rapids.
• **Planning:** **Appointments recommended** is the standard for both **Primary Care** and **Specialty Care** services, although the **24-Hour Emergency Care** service is always available for immediate need. Clients should call ahead to confirm the hospital’s current triage status, especially during peak times.

As a major university-affiliated **Animal Hospital**, the ISU Small Animal Hospital provides an incredibly wide range of **Veterinary Services**, from routine check-ups to complex, life-saving procedures.

Key services include:

• **Emergency and Critical Care:** Continuous, high-level **24-Hour Emergency Care** and intensive patient monitoring within the **Intensive Care Unit**.
• **General and Preventive Health:** Routine check-ups, vaccinations, and comprehensive **Primary Care** for companion animals, including specialized **Pediatric Care** for the youngest pets.
• **Specialty Internal Medicine:** Advanced management of complex illnesses through **Animal Internal Medicine** services, specializing in fields such as cardiology, neurology (like the spinal surgery described in the patient review), and ophthalmology, which receives high praise from long-distance clients.
• **Advanced Diagnostics:** State-of-the-art **Animal Diagnostics** including imaging, **Clinical Pathology**, and the direct use of the ISU **Diagnostic Laboratory** and **Pathology And Biopsy** services for fast, accurate results.
• **Surgical Services:** Comprehensive **Medical And Surgical Services**, encompassing all levels of soft tissue and orthopedic surgery, with a specialized focus on procedures like cancer-related surgeries.
• **Oncology:** Dedicated **Cancer Care** services, offering advanced diagnostics, treatment options, and often access to pioneering **Clinical Trials**.
• **Welfare and Consultation:** Provision of **Counseling Services**, **Nutritional Consultation**, and specialty outreach programs like **Shelter Medicine** and extensive **Support Services**.
• **Large Animal Support:** Though primarily a Small Animal facility, the hospital’s resources support broader university veterinary medicine, including services for **Large Animal**, **Equine Surgery Services**, **Equine Reproduction**, **Embryo Transfer**, and **Herd Health**.

The ISU Small Animal Hospital’s connection to the Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine creates a series of **Features / Highlights** that significantly elevate the quality of care:

• **Unmatched Specialist Expertise:** The hospital's team includes board-certified specialists across various disciplines, ensuring that complex cases receive expert attention that rivals the nation's top veterinary institutions. This depth is often the primary reason pet owners travel from across Iowa and neighboring states.
• **Cost-Effective Advanced Care:** As a teaching hospital, the cost for advanced procedures, such as specialized surgery, is frequently reported by clients as being a fraction of the price quoted by private specialty clinics, making essential, life-saving care accessible to more Iowa families.
• **Compassionate, Human-Level Service:** Client reviews consistently highlight the kindness and professionalism of the entire staff, from the receptionists who assist with travel logistics to the students and clinicians who provide genuine, honest, and personal updates on the patient's well-being. This focus on the human-animal bond ensures a positive experience, even during a crisis.
• **Rapid Access to Diagnostics:** The immediate proximity and integration with the ISU **Diagnostic Laboratory** means that critical lab work and pathology results—essential for emergency and specialty cases—are processed with superior speed and accuracy compared to clinics that must ship samples off-site.
• **A World-Class Learning Environment:** The presence of residents, interns, and students under direct faculty supervision means every case benefits from a collaborative approach, where multiple experts review and consult on the best course of **Diagnosis And Treatment**.

Whether you require routine **Primary Care** for your companion animal, a specialist referral, or immediate **24-Hour Emergency Care**, please use the following contact details for the ISU Small Animal Hospital:

**Address:** 1809 S Riverside Dr, Ames, IA 50011, USA
**Phone (General & Emergency):** (515) 294-4900
**Mobile Phone (Emergency Line):** +1 515-294-4900

For Iowa pet owners, choosing the **ISU Small Animal Hospital** is worth it because it means selecting the single most comprehensive and highest-level **Animal Hospital** available in the state. The critical value proposition is the convergence of continuous, dedicated **24-Hour Emergency Care** with an unparalleled depth of **Specialty Care**—from **Pediatric Care** to advanced **Cancer Care**—that simply cannot be matched by standard general practices.

The hospital’s identity as a teaching institution translates directly into benefit for the patient: the care is constantly evidence-based, reviewed by multiple experts, and often more accessible than private specialty centers. The client testimonies, which often mention the exceptional cost-benefit ratio for complex surgery and the profound level of human kindness, confirm that the ISU Small Animal Hospital successfully delivers world-class **Veterinary Services** while maintaining a compassionate, client-focused approach that truly values every pet.

ISU Small Animal Hospital

1809 S Riverside Dr, Ames, IA 50011, USA