When I was 10, my neighbor’s cat died in my lap,” recalled Dr. Audrey Hess, founder and owner of the Mid-City Veterinary Hospital. “I never wanted to see that again. I wanted to be empowered to prevent it.”
After graduating from Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine, Hess completed a one-year internship in small animal medicine and surgery in New York. She stayed and practiced there for four years and then worked another year in Miami Florida before returning home to New Orleans where she worked for a few years at VCA Airline Animal Hospital.
When Hess decided to launch her own practice she was inspired in part by the fact that the community where she grew up and had returned to in Fauborg St. John, did not have an animal hospital.
Finding the location was serendipitous: While on maternity leave, Hess asked a real estate agent to look for appropriate buildings. On her last day of leave, the site — the former Tyler’s Oyster Bar — became available. Hess was even able to save the large marble bar, using pieces for her examination tables.
Today the hospital has a staff of 17, with four examination rooms, an operating room, in-house lab and pharmacy, and X-ray and ultrasound capacity.
Clients walk into the bright, spacious waiting area, with a bulletin board highlighting lost pets and adoption opportunities. Boarding is offered, but only for pets who need special care.
Grooming is also available.
“There is an essential connection between grooming and health,” Hess noted. “And they walk in wooly and walk out fabulous!”
Over the past 15 years, the hospital has been welcomed by the community.
“The vast majority of our clients come from the immediate area around us,” said Hess. “It is not uncommon for our parking lot to be empty, but we are super busy inside since the majority of our clients and patients walk to us.”
Hess estimates that 60% of her patients are dogs and 40% are cats. The most common afflictions she treats are skin problems resulting from flea infestations, a year-round issue in the New Orleans climate. Heartworms and ear infections are also frequent ailments.
Perhaps surprisingly, the hospital performs relatively few spay and neuter procedures, which Hess attributes to many people getting their pets from shelters.
“This is a heavy rescue community,” she observed.
Dental cleanings, another important part of animal health, are also common. These require anesthesia because, as Hess pointed out, “They’re not very good at saying ‘Ahhh.’”
One major challenge she faces as a business owner is balancing inventory, particularly medications. For example, heartworm meds come in six different sizes for cats and dogs. To manage this, the hospital has its own pharmacy, which also accepts online orders and provides “fast, affordable shipping.”
Hess stresses the need for regular pet checkups, pointing out that with shorter lives, animals’ health issues can progress as much as four times faster than in humans. Clients can email the hospital at any time and expect a rapid reply.
“Email me before following Dr. Google’s advice,” Hess recommended wryly. “We might save you a trip to the emergency room.”
Mid-City Veterinary Hospital
3821 Orleans Avenue New Orleans
504-304-8223 // MidCityVet.com
FB: MidCity Veterinary Hospital // IG: @midcityvet504
