GUILDERLAND — Animals may not have changed much in the last half-century, but people’s relationships with them have.
"Dogs and cats have gone from the woodshed or barn to the house and to the bedroom," said Michael Casler, a doctor of veterinary medicine at the Guilderland Animal Hospital. "They are now considered a part of the household."

The fact that over 70 percent of pet owners consider their pets to be family members is reflected in veterinary services, Casler said.

The Guilderland Animal Hospital is celebrating its 50th anniversary this week with an open house. A tour of the Western Turnpike facility reveals high-tech equipment for ultrasounds and x-rays done on site, a laboratory for blood analysis, a well-stocked pharmacy, spotless examining rooms and stainless-steel kennels, and a state-of-the-art operating room complete with laser equipment.
"You can take the skin off a tomato with this and not affect the inside," said Casler, gesturing to a laser surgical unit.

Casler, who is chief of surgery at the animal hospital, said laser surgery causes less blood loss than traditional surgery and, since nerve endings are sealed at the same time, it causes less pain.

A castrated dog can leave without pain, he said, and a de-clawed cat can walk when it wakes up from the anesthesia.
As a visitor takes in the operating table — with large overhead lights and a nearby intravenous pump — and murmurs that it looks like a hospital, Casler answers crisply, "It is a hospital."

He is proud that the practice is accredited by the American Animal Hospital Association, which periodically does evaluations, judging compliance with over 800 standards.
"It means we’re considered the cream of the crop," said Casler. "It sets us apart."
The facility has "tele-medicine capability," said Casler, explaining that information from ultrasounds or X-rays, for example, can be transmitted to specialists throughout the country.

Dogs and cats suffering from cancer are treated with chemotherapy at the animal hospital; 20 or 30 are currently in treatment, Casler said.
"One dog has been going one-and-a-half years with lymphoma and just went out of remission," he said. "We just put it back in remission."

The facility also has stations for full-service dentistry and it has a crematorium.
"This is where they all end up sooner or later," said Casler. He said about half the pet owners want to take the ashes home.

"A calling"

The practice, which was founded by Jack Brennan in 1955, has expanded from having one veterinarian to six. Casler, who has been with the practice 36 years, is a partner with Mark Caravaty. The associate veterinarians are Melodee Kopa, Virginia Jarvis, Amy Scarpinato, and Tara Estra.
"All of our vets are Cornell graduates here," said Casler.

He will be presiding over a white-coat ceremony at the prestigious veterinary school in December, which he said is as important as graduation; veterinary students gain a mentor as well as a white coat.
"Veterinary medicine is a calling," said Casler. "Most are not in it for the money and most know from a very young age that is what they want."

Casler, himself, was interested since he was a child. He grew up on a dairy farm in Fort Plain, N.Y.
"I was always intrigued when the veterinarian came — the knowledge he had, carrying his black bag like a Pandora’s box....
"It was always a mystery. ‘How does he know what’s wrong with the cow"’" Casler recalled wondering.

He liked science and went into a pre-veterinary program at Cornell.

Casler has stayed with it all these years because, he said, he keeps feeling satisfaction in his work.
"Every day is different," he said and there are always new challenges and rewards.
The animals, he said, are never a problem, but sometimes the clients can be. "It’s a people profession, a service profession," he said. "Those who don’t like people shouldn’t pursue it; they should do research or something like that."

When Casler goes home from a long day of work — office hours run from 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. — he returns to three cats, two Cairn terriers, and a golden retriever.

"A real doctor"
The Guilderland Animal Hospital has a support staff of 40, which includes veterinary technicians, receptionists, an office manager, a bookkeeper, and animal-care specialists, "who used to be called kennel people," said Casler. "You have to be politically correct."

The current facility was built in 1964 — not far from the original hospital — and has been added to and remodeled several times.

While the operating room, for example, looks sterile, the waiting room has a homey appeal. A 1959 Norman Rockwell print of a young veterinarian tending to a boy and his dog is signed by the vet who modeled for the picture — Bud Edgerton.

The facility’s garage, once used for large animals, is now filled with shelves, row upon row, stocked with bagged pet food.

The practice serves 20,000 to 30,000 animals — mostly from Guilderland, but also from the Hilltowns, Schenectady, and Albany, Casler said.

The practice was originally 60 percent small animals and 40 percent large animals — cows and horses.

It is now 100-percent companion animals, mostly cats and dogs but some exotics as well, said Casler. There’s an occasional iguana or other reptile; there are pigs and rabbits; and there are pocket pets like hamsters and mice; pet hedgehogs will make an appearance at the open house.
"When I started here, the practice was more agriculture oriented," said Casler. "Pets were considered more a commodity. If a dog got sick, you put it to sleep and got another one."
Now, he said, a client’s philosophy is frequently, "We want to do everything we can for this dog."
Casler said, "That puts pressure on the veterinarian to do everything they can." Animals can be sent to specialists, for example.
"Everything can be done to a dog or cat that can be done to a human," he said. But, he said, in veterinary medicine, "We don’t have health insurance or HMO’s." The costs can be hefty.
Casler went on, "There are different ways to do things — Cadillac treatment or conservative...It’s still the client’s choice."
He explained that veterinarians have a "client," that is, the pet-owner — and a "patient" — the pet; a veterinarian has to treat both.
"A real doctor," Casler quipped, "is a doctor that treats more than one species."