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SPCA Vet Center to become specialty pet hospital
A shuttered veterinary center in St. Petersburg will soon provide specialty procedures and house the city’s most advanced diagnostic imaging machine for pets.
The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) Tampa Bay made the decision to close the facility Aug. 23. Epic Specialty & Emergency Pet Care bought the veterinary hospital for $4.05 million before it officially hit the market.
The .79-acre property is at 3250 5th Ave. N. in the Historic Kenwood neighborhood. Mairim Gersholowitz, co-founder and president of Epic, said purchasing the 11,832-square-foot building “wasn’t a hard decision.”
“In the St. Pete area, there are no other combined specialty and emergency hospitals,” Gersholowitz continued. “The hospital was perfect, and the location was perfect. It was really a no-brainer.”
SPCA Tampa Bay bought the property for $936,000 in 2015. According to Pinellas County records, the facility’s most recent assessed value was $2.31 million.
Martha Boden, CEO of the local SPCA, said the location was “fantastic” for a business. However, the nonprofit found it increasingly difficult to serve pet owners facing financial hardships.
Boden said she was pleased with the sale and fortunate to find an ideal buyer. “We’re excited to see another veterinary resource coming into the community, one that can do even more than we could, from the standpoint of providing specialty medicine and 24/7 emergency care.”
The acquisition closed Oct. 17 in the aftermath of Hurricanes Milton and Helene. Boden said the storms highlighted the benefit of partnering with smaller organizations to provide nimble and efficient community assistance.
The SPCA will continue focusing on more targeted community programs, like vaccine and grooming clinics and pet food and supply distributions. The organization will use some of the proceeds to bolster those initiatives.
Previous patients and their owners may recognize a few familiar faces when the new facility opens in mid-January. “We’re really pleased that this is a partner we feel good about sharing with our team – and sharing our team with them – if you will,” Boden said.
Mairim Gersholowitz, co-founder and president of Epic Specialty & Emergency Care.
Gersholowitz said Epic “created opportunities” for and hired “a couple” SPCA employees who previously worked at the vet center. Boden said the company also offered to train the organization’s technicians “so that our team is better prepared to handle” specific issues at its Largo shelter.
“To us, that really speaks volumes,” Boden added. “The buyer is not only looking to open a practice that will be open 24/7 but wants to help a key provider – SPCA Tampa Bay – become a better partner in the community.”
Gersholowitz said she and her partners launched Epic to provide a locally owned, private specialty and emergency veterinarian practice. She noted the company eschews outside influence during a time of corporate consolidation.
Dr. Cathy Meeks, co-founder and one of two medical directors, said most of Epic’s owners are veterinarians. “And we’re all local, and that’s why I think that is going to be a bit different than some of the specialty hospitals,” she added.
Gersholowitz said the company identified a location in Tampa, which is still part of its long-term plans. However, mutual pet community connections led to a “happenstance” meeting with the SPCA.
Gersholowitz said the “beautifully built” animal hospital only needs minor renovations and aesthetic upgrades to house the new specialty practice. Meeks said the partners “didn’t realize we were going to fall in love with it so quick.”
“And because it was an SPCA – we love their model of being there for the community,” she continued. “And St. Pete is known for being a really pet-friendly city, so it was almost too good to be true.”
Dr. Cathy Meeks, co-founder and medical director at Epic Specialty & Emergency Pet Care.
Meeks said Epic is now integrating new specialty equipment, like a 128-slice CT scan machine for pets. She said it would be St. Pete’s first.
Gersholowitz compared the process to human health care. General practice doctors will refer patients to Epic for advanced diagnostic tests, and the company’s veterinarians can perform specialty oncology, internal medicine and surgery procedures.
“St. Pete doesn’t have an area where they can go quickly … they would have to drive quite a distance to get that treatment,” Gersholowitz said.
She believes providing specialty care closer to home will significantly benefit the local pet community. Meeks noted the location is easily accessible from I-275, and she hopes to attract patients from Largo and Pinellas Park.
Epic has hired about 12 technicians and nurses and is completing its board-certified physician roster. Meeks said the new facility is helping create additional jobs in the community.
Gersholowitz said staff would be there around the clock for critical cases and provide ongoing pet education. “Moving forward, we’re going to collaborate pretty closely with the community and veterinarians.”
The new pet hospital will welcome its first patients in mid-January.
